Allen Hyslip Photography

The new Ross

2009-12-31T05:32:00.000-08:00

One of the greatest things about my job is getting to see young families grow. I photographed Teyerra and Josh's wedding a little over a year ago and this week I had the honor of photographing their new addition, Elliott. Elliott did great during the shoot, only crying a few times but it was nothing a bottle would not fix. I look forward to watching him grow through my lens. Below are a few samples from the shoot. You may click on them for a larger view.

*A special thanks to Ashley Sheesley of AS Photography for use of her studio. You were a wonderful host as always.

Arkansas Wedding Photographers: Courtney + Dan

2009-12-02T18:36:00.000-08:00

Click on the image for a larger view and leave a comment below.

Layne and Ruth's Wedding Album

2009-11-24T07:01:00.001-08:00

Candice and Bryan's Wedding Album

2009-11-16T08:37:00.001-08:00

Help-Portrait 2009

2009-11-10T07:49:00.000-08:00

I was approached last night by ML Baxley about being a part of this wonderful cause, after reading about it on the web-site and watching the videos below, I of course said yes. If you are a member of a small group or community group that is looking for a way to get involved this holiday season and would like to help please contact me at allen@allenhyslip.com.

For more information please see the Help-Portrait website. HERE

Help-Portrait did a dry run in Nashville, TN on October 9th, 2009 to show the rest of the world what an impact a simple portrait can have on the lives of others. This video is a behind the scenes look at that day.

Arkansas Senior Portraits: Dale S

2009-11-02T19:33:00.000-08:00

A few quick samples from Dale's senior portrait session. Had a great time and the weather could not have been better. Click on the image for a larger view.

Video From Layne and Ruth's Wedding

2009-10-29T13:07:00.000-07:00

Renee's Boys

2009-10-19T19:47:00.000-07:00

Samples from my afternoon portrait session at Wildwood Park. Click on the image for larger view.

Ruth +Layne

2009-10-19T18:24:00.000-07:00

Some of my favorites from Layne and Ruth's wedding. For a larger view click on the images.

Ruth's Bridals

2009-10-18T16:19:00.000-07:00

Ruth and Layne had a fabulous wedding this past Saturday so I can now safely release samples from the bridal session. We shot them at the Old State House downtown and really got lucky because it had rained everyday leading up to the shoot. We had a great time and got some beautiful shots. Samples below. If you like them, let me know by leaving a comment. You can click on the images for a larger view.

Candice + Brian

2009-10-12T07:10:00.000-07:00

A few samples from Candice and Brian's wedding this past Saturday. It was a wonderful day and I am thankful to have been a part of it. Best of luck to you guys. Click on the image for a larger view and leave a comment to let me know what you think.

Thanks to Ashley Sheesley of AS Photography for second shooting with me. You did a great job as always and I had a blast working with you.

Vendors that provided services for the wedding

Ceremony and Reception Albert Pike Hotel
Catering Catering Creations
Coordinator Kristin Herring
Floral Designer Tanarah
Music and Entertainment DJ Hollywood

A father dancing with his daughter.

Sam and Kate's Album

2009-10-04T14:10:00.001-07:00

Click on the buttom in the lower right corner of the player to view the pages after the slide show finishes. The first page will be the cover, please leave a comment after viewing.

Sam and Kate

2009-09-27T18:06:00.000-07:00

I had the privilege of taking pictures for a couple of real cute kids last week at the Old Mill. I am old friends with Sam and Kate, I took their pictures last year and they have really grown in a year. You may remember Kate as our 2008 contest winner and I think she will be in the running again this year. See if you can guess which pictures will win. I am covered up with shoots to edit right now but want to post a few from the shoot real quick. Click on the image for a larger view.

Could this be our winner???? Not sure what I asked her to do to get this expression but it sure made me and her mother laugh.

Family/ Senior Session Last Night

2009-09-02T20:07:00.000-07:00

I had a family/senior session last night with the Vogel's. I have known the family for many years but have not seen the boys since they were little. They have grown into fine young men with very bright futures. Sam, the senior, plays football for Pulaski Academy and was part of the state championship football team last year and has the ring to show for it - man what a hunk of metal that thing was. Daniel, the younger brother, has really grown up! I still think of him in diapers or as the toddler that was my oldest son's best buddy in daycare. Like most busy families, as the kids start to get a little older the family pictures start to drop off because we don't have the time to work it in. So we decided to get everyone in on this shoot. Luckily for me, and them, they live on a fabulous lot with lots of trees that made for a wonderful back drop for pictures and made it way easier on everyone. Mom and dad have quite a collection of potted outdoor plants that we used for some of the shots. It was a real pleasure to see the boys and photograph them. Here are samples from the shoot. To see them larger just double click on them.

Rather be in Jamaica Party

2009-08-22T09:56:00.000-07:00

My wife and I attended a great party last night, hosted by Deanna and Sean Fleming. I am sure you can guess the theme by the title of the post but this was not the average theme-party. Deanna and Sean own Catering Creations and when they put on a party, it's a party. The decor in the house was all Jamaica Mon, down to the smallest detail. The food was served, as you will see from the pictures, out of a flat-bottom boat and it was great. We had jerk chicken, rice with beans, curry pork and topped it all off with our choice of rum cake or pineapple upside down cake. Shannon and I had the rum cake and it was great, wouldn't want to be taking a breathalyzer after eating it, but it was fabulous none the less. We got to meet some great people and our table had a blast. It was great party and I can't wait to see what Deanna and Sean come up with next time, hint hint. Check out the pictures below and for a larger view just double click.

If you are in the market for catering, do yourself a favor and give Deanna a call. Let her turn your next event into one all your friends will talk about for months after. What would something like that cost you ask, well Mon, just remember what Bob always said "Don't worry about a thing, 'Cause every little thing gonna be all right". No really, if you want more information I have put links below and you can contact Deanna for more details. Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Three shots of this because the colors kept changing, awesome set up.

Me and my island girl

Links to all things Fleming

http://www.fosterrobinson.com
http://www.albertpikehotel.com
http://www.wecateryou.com
http://www.cateringtogogo.com
http://www.oldgin.com

Candice + Brian

2009-08-16T14:50:00.000-07:00

I shot Candice and Brian's engagement session this Saturday morning. It was a great day for a session because the weather was very cool after a week of very hot days. I'm very excited about the wedding and can't wait until October.

Click on the images below for a larger view.

Another Saturday in the River Market

2009-08-16T14:33:00.001-07:00

I am getting behind on editing so just pictures this time. This was another great session in the River Market. To see them larger just click the image.

Brandon and the Hot Rods

2009-08-15T05:47:00.000-07:00

I had a great time walking around the River Market shooting pictures with Brandon and his mother last night. This was another of the Mercy's Cross fund-raiser sessions. There was also a classic car show going on in the Market, which Brandon loved. Brandon is a Chevy man like me but his mom is more into old school Mustangs. Brandon did an awesome job and the pictures turned out great as you will see from the samples below. To see them larger just click the image.

Wednesday Session

2009-08-06T20:04:00.000-07:00

I had a great session with Bailey and Colton this week. Their session was part of a fund raiser I did with Mercy's Cross Church a few months back. It was to help raise money to get their youth to camp. The weather turned out to be great after a rainy night and morning. Anyway pix below, leave a comment if you like 'em.

Click on the images below for a larger view.

Emergency Session Part II

2009-08-03T20:03:00.000-07:00

A few more samples from my emergency session last week. Enjoy.

Emergency Session

2009-07-24T21:36:00.000-07:00

The call came in on Wednesday. A photographer was needed and needed fast. A certain little girl had a loose front tooth and the dentist said even breathing hard could cause it to fall out. So mom was in a bind, she needed a picture of her little girl, Lindsey, and baby boy Jack together before that tooth popped out.
So yesterday afternoon the kid's parents and I set out to get those pictures. It was a little hot but with the help of a neighbor who had the most amazing backyard, we accomplished our mission. Lindsey was great and Jack, although a little slow to get on board with the whole process, really got into it at the end. I had a great time and I heard they were off to pull that tooth when I left. Anyone know what the Tooth Fairy pays these days?
You can click on the images below for larger views and if you see something you like leave a comment.

Layne + Ruth

2009-07-12T18:31:00.000-07:00

Had a fantastic engagement session this past weekend with Layne and Ruth. We started in the River Market and ended in the little town of Scott, Arkansas. They are a fun couple and really easy to photograph. I can't wait for the wedding. Layne even came prepared with wardrobe for one of the locations. See if you can guess which. I am keeping this short because there are a ton of samples to look at below. You can click on the image for a larger view. If you see something you like, leave a comment below.

Processed this image two different ways, tell me which you prefer.

One of my favorites.

My New Personal Assistant is Hot!!

2009-06-30T10:47:00.000-07:00

Wanted to share a little about my recent outsourcing. Last week I signed up with ShootQ. ShootQ's goal, per their own web-site, "is to create freedom for you so you can work on building your business, investing in your relationships and giving back to your community". I did it for a few reasons, the first and one of the most important is it allows me to be a little more hands off in my business. Hands off you say, yes, and if you will give me just a minute to explain that a little you will understand what I mean.

You see, my photography business is part-time at this point and the company that employs me really hates when I conduct my business on their time, go figure. ShootQ allows me to set up automatic replies. So when potential clients contact me and I am at my day job, they get an automatic reply within a few minutes. The reply says, hey, thanks for contacting me, gives them a little more information about me and my services, and says I will be in touch shortly. I can also provide a link to a pricing page so the clients can build their own packages and get a real-time quote as they add items to their package. If they like the quote they send it to me, and if I agree it's a done deal. All of this is done before I ever make a personal reply. ShootQ also offers each of my clients their own client portal with a unique password. They can log in, review their contracts, update their information and see the progress of their event. Everything from whether I have uploaded the CF cards to where I am in the album design. That saves me time because I do not have to remember to send clients status updates and it puts them in control.

ShootQ also partnered with an e-mail system called Mad Mimi that I like a lot. The reason for that is I only have to enter contact info once, if at all. Before, a client made contact by e-mail, I then had to add them to my e-mail contacts, then cut and paste to my Constant Contact account. Now if my clients use my ShootQ form on my site (they provide a link for this) I don't have to do anything, it does it for me. ShootQ is also web-based so I have access to it any place I have internet - and yes there is an iPhone app. How cool is that? I went with all the folks they recommend for service including MTG so I can take care of and track credit card orders using ShootQ. You have the option to use your own third-party provider if you wish. But Chuck at MTG was very helpful and had the paper work to me in a day and yet again they have an iPhone app for the gateway. So if I'm meeting with a bride and she wants to book me on the spot, I just pull out my iPhone, take the credit card information for the retainer and she has a confirmation e-mail before I walk out the door. Now, I have not even scratched the surface of some of the things ShootQ can do for you and your business. So you really need to take a look at it for yourself, they offer a free 30-day trial so really you have nothing to loose.

Now, I know you are thinking that you are only a part-time photographer and can't afford ShootQ. I myself struggled with the cost at first (see the ShootQ site for cost) but when you look at all it has to offer and the time it will save you, it really is worth it. ShootQ is like having your own personal assistant to answer e-mails, a team of e-mail marketers to promote you and your work and a bookkeeper to keep track of your income/expenses. Ask yourself, how much is your time worth and is it better spent doing data entry or out promoting you and your photography? Head on over to their site for more information and drop them an e-mail if you have questions. They are fast to respond and happy to answer questions. If you sign up, be sure and add me to your Q Club.

Jason + Tina

2009-05-30T10:00:00.000-07:00

Shot a great wedding last night and wanted to post some images for the happy couple before I head out for the day. They are a great couple and both have very loving family and friends. The back yard made the perfect back drop for the wedding and pictures.

On a personal note, one of the things that makes this job so fun is getting to meet the people you're are photographing. I spoke with Tina's dad about hunting and fishing like he was a life-long friend and Jason's grandmother told me about travels in Europe with her husband in the 70's. It is just a blessing to be welcome into people's lives and to share their special moments.

Okay enough of my babble, here is what you came for. Click on the images below for a larger view.

Truslows and a boys best friend

2009-05-27T16:57:00.000-07:00

Had a great session with the Truslows this past Monday despite the rain. The family won the session at the CHEMS Spring Fling which included an 11x14 mounted print. We had to reschedule due to the rain on Sunday but managed to sneak it in on Monday, and even had a little sunshine. We had near perfect light and they will have lots of images to pick from. Samples below. For a larger view double click on the images.

Photographer's note: All images taken with the Canon 5D Mark II (love this camera folks, the images are like butter right out of the camera) using Canon's 50 1.4, 70-200 f4 and 85 1.8.

Do you like it in color

or B/W better?

Tell me what you think by leaving a comment below.

Baby Beau

2009-04-20T19:30:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post from a shoot this past Sunday. I will have to give the full story about the shoot at a later date but then again now one comes here for the writing, they only want to see the kiddos. Well here you go. You can click on the images for a larger view if you like.

Another Great Trash The Cake

2009-02-28T21:10:00.000-08:00

I had a great Trash the Cake yesterday with a young man named Austin. His mother Kristin is a teacher and my oldest, Austin, is in her class. Her Austin is turning one and to celebrate she wanted to let him destroy a cake. We started the session off by just snapping a few different outfits and then moved on to the cake. I will keep this post short because I have lots of samples from the shoot.

Kristin also happens to be a fab wedding coordinator. So any of my brides out there looking for one, send her an e-mail or give her a call. I promise your day will go a lot smoother. Please don't put that kind of stress on a good friend or family member! Here is a link to her site http://www.aneverafterevent.com/. Okay on with the samples.

For a larger view double click on the images below.

One of Austin's sisters was kind enough to step in for a test shot before we trashed the cake.

FAQ on Trash The Cakes

What do the parents provide?

The child (I can bring one of mine but at 14 and 9 they make a mess like Thing 1 and Thing 2.), a cake and the place - living room or dining room will work in most cases.

What is the set up?

I bring in a portable back-drop stand and a roll of seamless paper about 4 feet wide. We then insert the child and the cake. He or she just goes at it, while I take pictures.

What about clean up?

This part is easy. Once we're finished we just cut the paper, roll it up, minus the child (it's a health department thing) and it goes into the trash (the paper not the child).

How long is the session?

Sessions last an hour to an hour and a half. I like to take a few shots of the child around the house and it gives us time to get to know each other.

If you would like more information please feel free to contact me and we can talk about your child's session.

1st Post On New Blog

2009-02-22T19:22:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone. Well, spring is just around the corner and I have lots to share. To start with we have a new name J Hyslip Photography is now Allen Hyslip Photography. We have a new website, new logo and new blog. We had a great end-of-year photo contest with Susan Robinson and her cutie pie daughter, Kate, winning the grand prize - a beautiful 16 x 20 canvas wrap to hang on the wall. Susan was a little disappointed that her own picture would be bumped from the spot over the fireplace, but what a great way to pass the torch.

So with all these changes I have new contact information. So here you go:

New Website: www.allenhyslip.com

New Blog: http://allenhyslip.blogspot.com/

New Email: allen@allenhyslip.com

I am cooking up some great specials for March and April so bookmark those sites so you don't miss out on the details.

I am looking forward to another great year of serving your photography needs. Thanks! And as always I appreciate your business.