This winter, I’m offering to shoot portraits and design a card for you: all in one package. For $200:*

If you’re intersted, please click below for more information.  Thanks!

• 1-2 hour portrait session (this can be yourself, with a friend, or your family)
• 15-3o digital images for you to keep ( full resolution )
• 1 custom design for your card
• 50 professionally press-printed cards (flat cards, with print/design on both sides, printed on textured art paper)**

The whole package is worth about $300 ( photosession, postprocess+designwork, and cost of printing) but I am offering this price because: 1. We all need a good deal these days, 2. I need a reason for people to hire me, and 3. I want you to be willing to take a chance at some quality work.

*I really want to offer a quality service to people that they can choose to afford, and I also want to give people the chance to give a little extra as a tip, if they feel the work is outstanding. This has been a great way to work with past clients, and given people a chance to respond to the work at hand.

** I’m open to making a package that fits better for your needs (just digital work for online posting or printing photographs too)

On top of this, I will be offering my services for free to people in our community who cannot afford to pay for professional photographs. You are also invited to donate to this cause. Any money donated will be added to a fund that will cover costs of printing, and help to recoup some costs of my own labor. Please email me if you’re interested in this opportunity.

So hurry, times running out until Christmas or the New Years! Please contact me here: chiafrica+hope@gmail.com or you can leave a comment below. If you want to see some of my work, check out my Flickr page, some sets on Flickr, and some of my Wedding and Portrait work.

From Shauna (October 2008):

Ben’s photos are AMAZING. He was able to make all of us look good — even our two-year-old, who did her best to hide from the camera the whole time. When we sent out the Christmas cards he did for us last year, people were commenting on them for months. In fact, a friend in Guatamala said she wanted to pack up her family and fly to California just so Ben could photograph them, too. I can’t recommend him highly enough!!

Here are some samples from last year’s session with the Olson-Hong family (October 2009).

Little Kai Kai

In Dad’s arms

Fall Leaves

Together

With Mom

Here are some samples from last year’s session with the Chen family (October 2009).

All together

In close

With Dad

Little guy

Past Cards (October 2008):

Front of Card One

Back of Card One

Front of Card 2

Back of Card 2

It’s been a long winter, if you know what I mean.

(Finding) work’s been  tough, and amongst other hardships, I’ve been trying to stay share and to have an open mind.  Sometimes it’s just hard to do so, when things aren’t really working out.  It’s twice as hard to stay aware, and creative at the same time.

The other day, I took my camera to the school and shot the garden after teaching the kids.  It rained the day before and the light was perfect.  Daylight savings time hasn’t kicked in yet, so each speck of gold is so much more precious.  Here are some images to warm up a long and cold winter.

Click below for more picts…

More on this Flickr Set.

Jamie invited me and Kimmy over for breakfast to pay us back for hosting her a couple weeks earlier.  It was really tasty!  Challah French Bread, fruit, muffins and more!  Afterwards, we got to work:  the gals worked on their sewing and I jumped on the computer to finish a design.  Mission accomplished!

More pictures after the jump… check em out!

Baked and Fried Challah French Bread

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Fruit and Friends

On the way back, I took a couple shots.  It was nice light on a cloudy SF day.

My friend Liz ( of Cut Thread Press ) helped to make special cupcakes for KJ’s birthday party.  Kimmy and I made a cupcake stand out of old records and CD jewel cases we got at the Depot.  It turned out really cool.  Her party turned out great, until the cop came down and told us to turn down the music.  Oh well, I guess the neighbors had to get to bed for church the next day.  Yeah right!  More pictures after the jump.  Check them out…

Here are the cupcakes in combat formation.

Vanilla with chocolate buttercream frosting and sliced almonds.

They tasted as good as they looked.

More

( and if you’re careful, you might find some posts ( backdated but live in kicking!))

Thanks Jen Wallace.  Check em out!

Renegade Holiday Fair from chiafrica on Vimeo.
Here’s a quick video recap of our time at the SF Renegade Fair, 2009.  I hope you like it!

Things at the Renegade Holiday Fair have been great.  Thanks to a lot of friends who have stopped by, and for new folks that have been interested in my work.  All of my prints are about 20 – 25% off for this weekend, so come on by to check things out.  Kimmy and I are sandwiched between Paper Scoundrels and Bunny Butt Apothecary ( and across from Oaklandish ).  See you soon!

Wow, thanks to friends and friends with Facebook, I got 295 hits on this blog yesterday.  That’s insane.  To put that in perspective, I’ve been averaging 5-10 views per day.  And it jumped to almost 300 yesterday.  I guess that Facething is good for something.  I haven’t joined yet, for many different reasons, but maybe one day I will.

Thanks to folks for spreading the word on the photo deal.  I’ve gotten some responses so far, so that’s been good!

I’m really tired!  I’ve been working on different things for my art show this weekend.  It’ll turn out that I’ll be going to San Francisco for seven days straight.  That’s totally crazy!  I guess someone’s got to pay for that new bridge!  Today I framed up my prints, and I just have a bit more work and I’ll be good to go!  Onto tmw!

Newsflash!

Want to get beautiful portraits for your family, yourself, or with a friend?  Interested in professional lifestyle portraits or capturing a snapshot of your life, but you can’t seem to be able to afford them?  Here’s your chance!

This winter, I’m offering to shoot portraits and design a card for you: all in one package.  For $120:*

• 1-2 hour portrait session (this can be yourself, with a friend, or your family)
• 15-3o digital images for you to keep ( full resolution )
• 1 custom design for your card
• 50 professionally press-printed cards (flat cards, with print/design on both sides, printed on textured art paper)**

Does this seem like a screaming deal?  Well, it is!  The whole package is worth about $300 ( photosession, postprocess+designwork, and cost of printing)  but I am offering this price because: 1.  We all need a good deal these days, 2.  I need a reason for people to hire me, and 3.  I want you to be willing to take a chance at some quality work.

*I really want to offer a quality service to people that they can choose to afford, and I also want to give people the chance to give a little extra as a tip, if they feel the work is outstanding.  This has been a great way to work with past clients, and given people a chance to respond to the work at hand.

** I’m open to making a package that fits better for your needs (just digital work for online posting or printing photographs too)

On top of this, I will be offering my services for free to people in our community who cannot afford to pay for professional photographs.  You are also invited to donate to this cause.  Any money donated will be added to a fund that will cover costs of printing, and help to recoup some costs of my own labor.  Please email me if you’re interested in this opportunity.

So hurry, times running out until Christmas or the New Years!  Please contact me here: chiafrica+hope@gmail.com or you can leave a comment below.  If you want to see some of my work, check out my Flickr page, some sets on Flickr, and some of my Wedding and Portrait work.

From Shauna:

Ben’s photos are AMAZING.  He was able to make all of us look good — even our two-year-old, who did her best to hide from the camera the whole time.  When we sent out the Christmas cards he did for us last year, people were commenting on them for months.  In fact, a friend in Guatamala said she wanted to pack up her family and fly to California just so Ben could photograph them, too.  I can’t recommend him highly enough!!

Here are some samples from last year’s session with the Olson-Hong family.

Portraits:

Albert, Shauna, and family.

The little one.

Rest assured.

Together

Final Cards:

Front of Card One

Back of Card One

Front of Card 2

Back of Card 2