Some of my favorite little people came for their yearly photo shoot this week.. And the Gods were smiling on us! It was a beautiful day with great light!! Ohhhh, Ashley how will you ever pick your faves from this shoot??? Here are a couple of my faves!!
Oh.. I wait all year for this!! Vacation time in Oak Island, NC!! =) We had a rough start to our week with baby Tre getting double ear infections for the first time ever! And we may have spent our first evening in the urgent care, and he may have broken out into a bad itchy rash 4 days into taking his antibiotics.... But..... It was still an amazing vacation!! We went to the HUGE 4th of July parade in Southport, NC (if any of you have seen or read Safe Haven, you know what a huge festival this is), we spent most days on the beach just relaxing and watching all the kids. This year we took a day trip down to Myrtle Beach to do Broadway at the Beach's aquarium and Wonder Works. We did some shopping, ice cream eating, exploring the island, and our annual photo shoot in our evenings and it was AMAZING (I included pics below)! It was so nice to take some time off and spend it with my family, not worrying about all the things that come with life! Cheers to vacations!! 
Soooo excited that our second round of Tiptoe Teaches is back on July 26th at our downtown studio! We are ready to teach you how to shoot on manual mode, and take control of your images. This class is perfect for moms who want to take better pictures of your kids, or new photographers that are looking for some guidance and mentoring in the aspect of your camera. Tiptoe has been in business for about 7 years now and I can remember back to year one, when we had our cameras set on AUTO and I would see other peoples photos and be like "why can't I get mine to look somewhat like that??" I wish someone would have had these sorts of workshops for me to take, so that I could ask just that question (and the 20,000 other ones I had, lol)!
I didn't attend college for photography, I attended for business, so how could I possibly be a professional photographer if I didn't even have a class for it while I was at Shepherd? Well my schooling came in different forms: it took many years, a 1000 photoshoots, a couple of classes, and an EXTREME amount of hours online researching, until I had finally honed in my skills and knew what I was doing behind the camera. And perhaps even more importantly I knew the right questions to ask to get answers, to the problems that arose, when I wouldn't get something right! All of this "figuring things out" without someone to mentor us, is probably one thing that I would go back and change about "the beginning"! If we could have just had someone to bounce questions off of, it would've saved us so many hours of our lives!
So you may ask why now, why does Tiptoe want to teach now, after 7 years? We know it is the right time in our business to start sharing what we know. We see lots and lots of new photographers in the area that look like they are where we were in our business the first couple years, and we want to help! We know what it's like just starting out in this business and if we can help anyone not go through the struggles that we did, it will make our lives just a little more fulfilling. We want to build a strong photography community where we can mentor, share ideas, and make friends with a great group of people who are as passionate about photography as we are. "A rise in tide can raise all ships." I love this quote because I do believe that with community not competition we all will thrive in our businesses.
Our first round of ladies that attended the classes, were amazing! Which solidified the question of continuing of our workshops. By being able to sit down and have real, open conversations about their struggles and goals, where nothing is hidden, gave us such a joy, one that we had honestly never felt since the start of our business! It was amazing!
I hope if photography is your interest, your passion, or even your obsession you will join us! What a better way to spend a day of your summer than to learn something that you can use in your everyday life FOREVER. You won't regret it!
So, for those of you who know me well, know I love my BUG! Over the years she has become quite the beautiful dancer. I have been in awe of the dedication, determination, and perfection she has put into her art. So in the midst of the busy recital season, we decided to take some time out to capture some of her favorite moves AT SUNSET!! And it was SENSATIONAL. There is something about the sunset in general that is so romantic, EVERYONE should be photographed in it. The glowy-ness (I may have made that word up,lol) that floods through the back of the trees is magical! For us photographers, it is called the GOLDEN HOUR, and it is sooooo incredible to shoot at this time of day!
Let me know what you all think!
And to kick off one of our summer specials, here is a sneak peek of what is in store for you all, but the blog readers are getting to see it first!! 
What an exciting Daddy and Me day I had with some of my favorite people! This family is such a blessing to me! Angela and Matt have been with Tiptoe since the beginning. We have shot their engagement, wedding, maternity, newborns, 1st birthdays, family, christmas cards, and dedications. I really can't explain what they mean to me! I love their babies just as my own, and I love love love watching them grow. (and just look at these little faces, seriously how could you not love them) I love this family and love that they continue to use us as they add to their adorable family! Enjoy your teasers!! And Matt we hope you have an awesome Father's Day!
Our wedding season is in full effect, and we have been so, so blessed to have been chosen to shoot Dr. and the new Mrs. Phillips' wedding at the George Washington Hotel a couple weeks ago. I mean the stars must have aligned for us this day because it was beautiful outside and Katelyn chose Tiptoe colors, so best believe we will be using this group for some advertising in the near future (and not to mention everyone was absolutely STUNNING!) Here are a couple Tiptoe Teasers for the newlyweds! Enjoy! 
So this post comes with a heavy, heavy heart. I mean a heavier heart than I knew I was even capable of having. On Monday we lost our dog Chandler, by a tragic accident. Channy had been a Mercer for about as long as we have been a Mercer family. We got him in August of 2008, shortly after we had gotten married, and before the birth of Olivia. Looking back, he was really such an amazing dog, I have always said we have been so lucky with our dogs, not having health problems, potty training so well, and only mildly chewing (and that wasn't even Chan that was our lab, Chelsie) We were blessed. But after the birth of my 2 kids, I wasn't the dog mommy that I should've been. Were they well cared for, sure, all their needs were being met. So I think my guilt is that, I wish I would've let him sit on lap a little more. I wish I would've been as excited to see him as he was excited to see me whenever I got home. I wish I would've taken him to more places than just the groomer and the vets office. I wish I would've just not taken him for granted. He was unknowingly such a part of our family, even though he was in the background most of the time.
For the past 2 days, every little thing makes me miss him. Pulling into the driveway, and opening the garage door and not see him run out to me, him not barking at every stranger, not seeing his little face waiting at the door to be let in, not see him chase the kids across the yard, not watching him follow Chelsie everywhere she goes. Everything in the house feels different, the sounds, the atmosphere, EVERYTHING. Oh goodness what I wouldn't give to hear the little gallop of his paws on the hardwood.
I, loving pictures the way I do, instantly went to look for pics of Channy and to my surprise, I have tons. Anytime I was photographing the kids in the yard, there he was. Maybe in the background sometimes, or maybe him being the little lover he was, he pushed himself to the foreground. Oh how I cherish these photos, because looking through them I really did capture every aspect of who Chandler was, and the little things and he did that made him so unique and special. Oh geez I am going to miss him so much!
I know and pray that with time, this gets easier. There is such an emptiness that I never imagined I could have felt by loosing a pet. It's heart wrenching. I hurt for my husband, I hurt for my kids, and I especially hurt for Chelsie who is going to miss her best friend. So everyone please today instead of just walking by your pet, stop.... give them a hug, a pet on the head, or a little extra attention. Because like with anything you don't know if they will be there tomorrow.
Last week we completed our 2nd class in the 3 part series, Let There Be Light! It was fan-tas-tic. We sat inside, munching on snacks, talking about light and what we look for when we shoot as natural light photographers. We touched on metering, white balance, and focus points and said what they mean in our business. I really feel like we are helping these ladies figure out what it's like to be photographers, and they have such wonderful questions and feedback. Gahh, I love it! It is such a powerful thing to be able to share your craft with people. On that note, we were also able to go to Washington High School this week, and go over the basics of photography to 3 classes. We all know how nervous I am speaking in front of a group, so I don't know if it was all the essential oils Tara had me put on before hand or all the prayers I was sending to Jesus but definitely something came over me and I did it! I did it without shaking, tunnel vision, ringing in my ears and my heart racing. (Thank you Jesus!!!) With all this positivity that has come from our teachings, I know we are on the right path in our business. A path of being mentors, teachers, and inspirers. I feel like it is filling a place in our business that has been lacking. Our goal now is to reach more, so if you are a mom with a camera, a high schooler, or a new photographer that needs some guidance and someone to help you work out your photography issues, WE ARE HERE, and we want to help you. I personally love the way I feel when we leave such an awesome coaching/teaching session. It fills my soul! So after hearing the message from Pastor Shawn (at NDMC, my church) where he told us to be better, be bigger, be an inspiration to someone, fulfill what He has called you to do, I feel that these workshops are allowing me the outlet to do just that! And it's AWESOME.
If you are interested in learning through one of our classes, check out our Tiptoe website and click the "Tiptoe Teaches" tab for the next date and our workbook info.
Let's be honest this is going to be a super hard post to write or even talk about for that matter. Our pricing... Eeeekkk! So let me start off by saying that this is not me complaining or talking about any other photographer out there, this is strictly why our pricing works for us and how we have come up with our prices. I absolutely love, love, love what I do. There is nothing better in this life than to wake up each day getting to be a creative, to be an artist, and actually make a living at it. There is not a day that goes by that I am not truly thankful for this as my career! I just want to shed some light on why our prices are higher than the "100 images for $30" photographer, and why we could never charge that and make it in this industry.
First off, we have BILLS, we maintain a beautiful studio on the main street in downtown Charles Town, this allows us a place to shoot newborn, some maternity, and boudoir sessions, it also serves us as a gallery for our work, a place to conduct ordering sessions, consultations, our new Tiptoe Teaches photography series, and our regular meetings. Tiptoe now consists of 5 photographers, so it is imperative that we have a space like this to call home. Does it come with a heavy price tag? Yes, between rent, electric, trash, internet, insurance, maintenance, etc, we are paying dearly for what we love and need!
Secondly, we are an official LLC. We are registered to pay taxes, carry insurance, have an accountant, pay for lots of equipment, and a rash of other things that come with the price of doing business OFFICIALLY, and again we couldn't have it any other way. Our goal going into this business has always been to be official and to grow... a Tiptoe Studios franchise in every state! LOL! As much as we would love to do this as a hobby, that is just not the kind of photographers we are. We are serious about it, it is our career, it is our baby. I feel like our clients, especially wedding clients, should have some peace knowing that we are going to still be in business and going full steam ahead, by the time your wedding rolls around! Not here one day and gone the next.
Third and maybe most important, we spend TIME with and on you. On average, a Tiptoe client (for a regular session), from start to finish takes us anywhere from 7-12 hours to complete. From the initial contact, to the session, to the editing, to the ordering, it really does take us hours to make sure the client has had the Tiptoe experience. So if we were just charging $30 per session, after bills, we would probably be making something like 10 cents and hour. Is making a couple dollars per session worth hours upon hours of my time away from my family? Nope. So when you see our hefty price tag of $40 for an 8x10 or $1300 for a session CD remember you are paying this for our expertise, our style, and our artwork. You, the client, would never be able to go out with another photographer and EVER capture the same images that we did, organically. Each photographer sees things a different way, and that is what makes it ART. Tiptoe is not the walk-in studio that has lights everywhere and 15 backdrops that get used over and over again with the same 4 poses (not that there is anything at all wrong with that, it's just not what we are trying to achieve). Rest assure you will get something unique when you come to us! At least that is what we are hoping for when you choose us as your photographer. *wink*wink.
In closing, does it bother us or even hurt our feelings when potential clients turn their nose up at our pricing? Well the answer is, of course, YES! As an artist we always wonder if they are saying that our ART isn't worth that? We have to keep reminding ourselves that we know we are a high-end studio that may not be everyones cup of tea. We want the clients that will appreciate the moments we want to uniquely capture for them, so if pricing weeds them out, that is okay with us. Generally speaking, we are all people pleasers at Tiptoe and we hate to have anyone out there that genuinely LOVES and appreciates our style, but they just can't honestly afford us. So many, many times a year we do things like our mini sessions, picture parties, school portrait day and giveaways, so that these potential clients can use us and get a great deal! It may not be the complete Tiptoe experience but you will still leave with some really great images. However, even after offering what we think is a great solution for those clients that don't want the hefty price tag for a session, we still get the occasional neigh sayer. We think highly of our work and know that it is worth every penny you may pay for it. So like a lot of artists, whether it be a beautician, graphic designer, interior decorator, and even photographer, you are paying for an individual and their talents. I would never go to my beautician and tell her that she isn't worth my $45 trim because her scissors only cost a couple dollars. I know going there I am paying for her talent and because I love the way SHE does my hair. Again, not everyone may be as particular as me, but regardless I feel like there is always something out there that people would pay more for because they are getting something personal and geared just toward them.
I sincerely hope that I have not offended anyone, as this was not at all my intention. I really just wanted to be able to voice why we charge more than some other photographers. I hope this post comes off that way! Please feel free to leave us a comment and let us know what you think!
So we had such an awesome time last weekend shooting Mommies and their kids!! They all had a chance to get pampered Tiptoe style by our awesome hair (Lisa from Hair Cuttery) and makeup (Tayna) ladies!! They rocked our moms socks off, and made each lady so super beautiful!! Seriously could recommend these ladies to anyone. They are fabulous!! And we topped off the pampering with some fresh snacks and mimosas!! Yummo! It was an awesome time! Now in honor of Mother's Day, we wanted to show some of those moms their Tiptoe Teaser.
Tiptoe wants to wish ALL the mommas out there a super wonderful Mother's Day! Take the day off and enjoy those that made you a mommy!! Wink, wink!
