Tracy Joy | Modern Child & Family Portraiture Art

to say it subtly   !

2010 has brought alot of tears into my household… and we’re ready for some smiles now!

We’ve lost 2 amazing Grandmothers… the most dear Father in Law I could have ever imagined… and countless others along the past 12 months…  so now I say.. BRING ON THE BABIES!

I’m so excited for this summer, and all of the bouncing new bundles of joy it will bring my way!  A few close friends are due any day, along with my own cousins  having their first babies…
So if all else fails.. I know a baby will bring that smile back around

And if I need a good giggle.. I can just go visit my niece Georgia, who recently learned to crawl (like a gorilla for that matter!) lol
Or I can ask my daughter to chit chat, and she’ll whisper in my ear “Mama? I ‘anna tell ‘ou sunthin”…. and then smile at me.

However, Iwill REALLY look forward to a friends wedding at the end of this month, and know that a good time for all awaits us!!!

Any which way life takes us next.. I hope it brings a smile! Cuz we could surely use one

Oh, did I mention… I did something fun and got hair extentions, courtesy of Spa Bleu in Barrington.. and topped it off w/a few strands of pink!
Can’t wait to show the hubs… don’t know if it will bring a smile or a “what the…?” from him, haha! Anyway, I LOVE IT!!!  Spa Bleu always has a way of turning my day upside down, and giving me a “happy place”.

Yeah… the picture over load today… sorry about that! lol I’ve had a few busy BUSY weeks, and not enough time in a day to update my blog with all of the beauties of recent shoots! So forgive me, but they will come.. slowly but surely… or possibly in a pic-storm as shown today!

With the digital world stepping into every day life… it’s easy to pick up your own camera and snap pictures of your own precious children.  Custom Photography is an added luxury to every day life,… but so is everything else when you compare.  Think of the price tag on your new set of furniture, your new HDTV…, and then think to yourself how that will easily be replaced in the next 5-10 years… however, the custom portraits of your precious child’s first days… or 1st birthday… those are heirlooms that will last a life time and are simply put.. PRICELESS.

Custom Portraits are irreplaceable, unlike so many other luxuries that we come across in life. Digital technology allows us to buy great point-and-click cameras – perfect for those spontaneous shots we snap of our family and friends. Adding another family member presents a significant strain on your wallet, so why spend additional hard-earned cash on a baby photographer when you can take the pictures yourself? It’s an easy question when you actually stop and think about the entire process, and how important it can be to capture those unique and precious moments.

This is why we are professionals… it is what we love to do, what we are good at, and this is our job. Soothing your baby, or inviting your toddler in and comforting them into a session is just a small portion of what we do… and a small fraction to our job description.  Custom Portraiture is not simple, nor a task for the every day “point and shoot” photog… it’s an elegant art, and one that is shown in our professional portraits.

I have had many a clients that say “I wish I would have done newborn portraits while my child was still “newborn”.  After 8-12 weeks, your child will lose that “newborn” look, and your “window” is closed.  Sadly… I did this myself.  Before I took professional photography seriously… I took my son to a “mall” studio… and now I look back at his portraits and feel like I left him out.. like he was “jilted” in a sense.  His baby pictures are 1) very generic looking, and 2) not newborn… I started when he was 3 months old… so I have no newborn “portraits” of him. Sure.. I have ones taken with my point and shoot camera.. but none professional. This truth always breaks my heart.

Consider the amount of time and effort involved in a photo shoot, and take these thoughts in…

1. It is estimated that a photographer spends six to eight hours with a client before ever snapping a picture.
2. Besides the initial consultation to determine your goals, a photographer spends many hours preparing a shoot location,
3. editing and cropping your child’s photos and reviewing proofs can take hours if not days, to perfect…
4. During the actual shoot, your baby photographer will know exactly how to pose your baby to get the most adorable or poignant shots.
5. Plus, professional baby photographers and their assistants are very experienced in ensuring your baby stays comfortable and happy during the session.

The old saying “you get what you pay for” is relentlessly repeated for a reason – it’s true. Professional baby photographers are just that – professionals. I become friends with my clients… getting to know them, and their children… knowing their quirks and their loves… the way they giggle, and their favorite pose, or prop.

There is so much more to creating photographic art then pushing a camera button and sending a photo off to be printed.
Professional quality takes time and expertise. The investment is worth it when you find the right photographic artist for your family’s goals.
Plus, the end result is a cherished portrait that you and your family will value for many decades, and who can put a price on family heritage?

To read more about Professional Child Photographers, visit Baby Photographers.com

This is me… I am Tracy Joy… I am a professional child portraiture artist.. and I LOVE what I do.  My love for children, and photography, shines through… and I promise to give you portraits to last a life time, and become the family heirlooms that you not only love.. but deserve.

My belief is that EVERY mother should have gorgeous printed memories of their child… not only the uber rich, not just the lucky ones… but EVERY ONE.  This is why I strive to be who I am, and keep my photography in grasp of every family.  I do my best to assure your happiness… and give you that same happiness in portraiture art of your family.

It’s always nice to be recognized… esp by such an amazing artist herself!!! Thanks Lisa, at Hannah’s Tutus

Here is the link… HERE HERE HERE… read and enjoy

And don’t forget to check out Hannah’s Tutus!

This past friday, I attended and donated, to the Spa Bleu and Pinstripes charity event… gathering donations for the Alliance for the Great Lakes.

To put it lightly… it was AMAZING! Among events was a live fashion show with OUTSTANDING models and a line of clothing made from recycled materials and clothing… a fabulous dinner, and the main event which was a raffle! There were about 40′ish different vendors and shops… Tracy Joy Inc, and Pink Heels being 2 of them!!!!

I put up for raffle a FREE portrait session.. and was amazed how many people (from the 80-120 guests!), raffled for MY basket!!!  What an honor…

I believe in charities, and helping out when I can.. and as much as possible!

So please, come check out Alliance for the Great Lakes, and help the world to benefit from clean… FRESH… water

…is how I feel about every day! lol I have so many wonderful and fun things that go through my head, but there is only enough time in a day!

And in my happy skips of daily life..I met a wonderful new friend (you know who you are C), and in working with her, she said to me “Wow, now I see why you love this so much! I want your job!!!”  And that’s when it occured to me… I love what I do so much (photography and props) that I don’t even consider it a job. It’s a funny word to me, JOB…. something that is usually related to stress, complaints, long days and lots of coffee… hating Mondays, lol.  None of which ever cross my mind… and this, this wonderful thing that I do… it IS my job!

So how lucky am am I? Very blessed… to say the least.  I get to work with everyone from chubby little cherub’like babies… to new mothers… toothless toddlers… and even venturing into the world of boudoir photography!

Boudoir… oh my new love!  Giving other women the chance to see them through the eyes of another… showing them how beautiful they really are and giving them “power” in a world that is easy and quick to bring us down.  Breaking the boundaries of what “beauty” is portrayed, and showing women of all sizes, all colors, all shapes and categories… and exposing their beauty from all angels and aspects!

Speaking of my boudoir photography… my luck never runs out! I met a partner, mother, friend… who not only shares my love of newborn photography, but also boudoir photography!  I started up my 4th company this year… Pink Heels Boudoir LLP, with Jamie Kristine… amazing!  Not many people get to work with someone who shares their same love for photography, and life…and motherhood…and being a wife… all wrapped up into one great friend on top of it all!!!  And not only 1 great partner.. but I have 2!  Gina Neary, who is my Prop Insanity partner… sharing my obsession with photography props of all sorts.  I lucked out with her too….   it just seems I am blessed all around, over and over again… kinda scary actually!

Oh yeah… 4 companies.. I have a lil problem called WORKAHOLIC, mixed with a li OCD   But I can’t resist.. I have to share my bags with the photography world… I want to share my photography talents with other mothers and women who all deserve to have beautiful portraits of their children… And where would I be without sharing my photography prop obsession with my Prop Insanity readers… and of course, Pink Heels LLP!

And lastly… in my ranting and raving of tonight… my family.  I get to work side by side with my mother, in the Joy Bag Collection. She is my constant inspiration and my “goddess” of all things “MOM”.  She helps keep me sane… as my father doodles around like a lil “old lady“, taking care of my children while we work our tushes away.  If every mother had such great “day care” as do I, we would all be fat and happy!  Or completely insane, as some days are, lol.

So a quick THANK YOU… to everyone who makes me ME… and supports my insanity, my compulsions, my creativity, my family… and me in general.  I love my “job”….. and even though that is the label that I must add to what I do… the happiness that it all brings me, is nothing and not close to the description of what a “job” is…..

so Reese and I whipped out a petti skirt, headband.. parasol and enjoyed the sun!!!

I just cant get enough of days like this… and smiles like this

This week I lost my father in law… my champion… my inspiration to be a strong and spirited person…. but I have gained the most amazing angel a person could imagine…

I love you “Pops”… and will miss you every day, and be reminded of you in every sun rise, bird song, and smile in the face of my beautiful children…

The JOY Bag Collection is my new line, just released this past month!

So… why not have a photo shoot with my BLISS bag in Sweet Tweet print….

Oh yeah… and here I am!

How could I resist… a darling bag, in a beautiful setting… OH YEAH!

We all took the week off, to spend some R&R with my father in law… and what a nice time we are having

Sometimes,  a little sunshine can go A LONG WAY…

Just a quick THANKS and HAPPY HOLIDAYS to everyone!

2009 has been both amazing, and devastating to many of us… so looking forward to a well rounded, VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR 2010!

Much love, hugs and well wishes to everyone…