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25% off your Senior Session Fee during July 2020

— 07/09/2020 by Monika Wertman —

HAGERSTOWN AREA SENIORS 2021

high school senior north high wpspiritdays2020

Are you ready for the most unique SENIOR PICTURES?

brent senior antrim high

SAVE 25 % OFF ALL SESSION FEES!!

Book your session before July 31, schedule it later.

Casey high school senior 2021

Check out our senior’s page here.

Ready to have fun capturing great photos of all that makes you special?

Fill out the form below to find how to take advantage of this special offer!


Calling all Class of 2020 Seniors

— 04/15/2020 by Monika Wertman —

Calling on all current Class of 2020 Seniors.

Please fill out the form below to participate!  We want to hear from you!

We want to create something special for you and need to know how you feel about the current situation, what makes you sad, what are you celebrating, what do you wish you could do?

All feelings are valid and any ideas you may have about what you may like to help you celebrate your senior accomplishments in a non-traditional way will be considered. Just contact us and dump your thoughts, wishes and ideas.

 

During the first week of May we will announce what we will do for you and draw a lucky winner from those of you who participated. You do not have to be a current client, but you will need to have participated through either our Facebook post, Instagram post or the form below.

Let’s celebrate you in new and unique ways!  We are here to help and want to hear from you!!!

 

 


Anatomy of Great Photography

— 08/16/2017 by Monika Wertman —

Prelude

wertman photography Adrienne and Joshua wedding-14

Life happens and it happens fast. We try to capture as much of it as we possibly can; from Mom snapping pics with her cell phone, to National Geographic Photographers capturing worldwide documentary quality images, fit for magazine print and awards among the best in the world.

wertmanphotography Morgan and Derek engagement_-36

Perusing photos throughout our lives, we will at some point, begin to see differences in style, composition, quality and so on. Our appreciation for great photography has been well noted, as so many marvel at truly wonderful pics. We hang them, post them, share them, comment on them and even sell them!

wertmanphotography-ab-swim-2016-action-37

Some believe that the differences in quality of photography start with the camera. I’ve heard people say, “Wow! Those are great pictures… You must have a really good camera!” There are those who say that it’s in the education and experience of the photographer. (We stand by this one!)

wertman photography bailey senior-10

Still others maintain that wonderful photography happens by chance or by luck. These ideas beg the question, “What does it really take to produce Great Photography?” We are going to pursue the answers in this series. Please join us and feel free to comment. Participation is always welcomed!

wertmanphotography Peteranecz family-13

Fun and Talented High School Seniors

— 12/02/2016 by Monika Wertman —

We had some fun and talented High School Seniors this year.  For the first time ever, we also had seniors late into fall, which made for an interesting journey into colors, leaves, cool weather and locations.

Here is looking back at some of the fun we had and some of our favorites from this year.  We spanned the interests these young adults had as well, giving us an opportunity to play with some new ideas as well as explore what makes these students tick.

There was Jake, a Criminal Justice major at our local technical high school.  He also plays lacrosse but plans to go into law enforcement so we reached out to our friends at the police to arrange for some unique photos.

senior law enforcement

Jake also loves his pooch, so we incorporated his pet into the session as well.

senior with pet

Showcasing both his love for his major in high school and his love for lacrosse led to this image:

lacrosse senior

Then we had Amanda who plays several sports, balancing her love for sports with her academics and who had several ideas of what she wanted out of her session, something we always discuss in our consultations and implement as much as we can, giving it our own unique twist.

senior girl soccer softball

Amanda is a very pretty young lady and we felt that we should showcase that as well as her athleticism.

senior girl

And then we also created a composite for Amanda as she is also in the marching band at her high school.

senior composite

One more as it is our favorite from this session:)

senior softball girl

Another male soon-to-be graduate we worked with this fall wanted to go hike to Wolf Rock, described to us as a walk, that turned into quite an adventure as I discovered that wearing heels was not very practical as we had to actually hike up a mountain for this session.

senior hike

This young man also had his own ideas and we took advantage of what nature supplied.

senior guy

Another one of our girls this year is an artist and we showcased this both in studio and out at a local park as well as downtown.  Here are some of our favorites from this lovely young lady’s session:

senior girl artist

senior girl artist

senior girl artist

Jimmy is a theatre student at our local Performing arts high school and was a lot of fun to work with.  His session was off the cuff, as he did not originally want to get his senior pictures done and followed mom’s lead when she made him do it.  We had a lot of fun improvising his session and got some great shots out of it.

senior theatre student

The following image is at the old YMCA building downtown he used to swim at as a child.  Sweet memories.

senior theatre student

And this in the back of Barbara Ingram School of the Arts, his high school.

senior theatre student

Another favorite from this fall is the following sweet gal, also a theatre student at BISFA, Bailey, who was wonderful to work with.  Her acting talent was very apparent and we had a hoot working with her.

senior girl actress

Our local theatre was gracious and let us use the space for the first half of our session.  The folks at the Maryland theatre are always great to us.

senior girl actress

We then travelled up to Bedford, PA for outdoor pictures and a place Bailey’s family is very fond of.  We love exploring new places and this one was a gem.

senior girl actress

senior girl actress covered bridge

Our last senior for this fall is a young musician, also at BISFA.  He plays the tuba, sax and flute and is a very enthusiastic musician who was open to great ideas and willing to give everything I suggested a try.  This was a treat for us as he was the first classical musician I had ever worked with and the first one who plays wind instruments.  This session was a fun adventure.

tuba senior musician

tuba senior musician

yes, we had to play with the smokey feel of a club.

 senior musician

great textures in our alleyways downtown

sax senior musician

and who can resist the sax?

I hope you have enjoyed our look back at some of our favorite seniors from this year.  Please vote for your favorite image.  The winning senior will receive a magnet of their favorite image and you will be added to a drawing for a free family session for up to 5 people just for voting.  What could be better?

Call us today for a free consultation to find out how we can customize a session of any kind for you and yours.  We will be glad to work with you.  301-693-3021

 

Swimming and Action Shots

— 10/12/2016 by Monika Wertman —

wertmanphotography-ab-swim-2016-5

Two weeks ago we had the pleasure of working with Alderson Broaddus’ swim team again. I was great working with the athletes we met last year and working with some of the new recruits.

The weather was much warmer this year than last and the sun was out the entire time we were there. More of the swimmers opted in to capture action shots this year as well. We used a different location for the team shots and I still worked in different areas of the campus. 19 of the 20 swimmers were able to attend the team picture and everyone was there for the head shots. All in all a successful trip.

male swimmer back stroke

What I enjoy most in working with these young adults is seeing the obvious connection they have as a team and their dedication to their sport. They are all very easy to talk to and very easy to get good pictures of.

male dive

Athletes as a rule are fun to work with. They love showing off their skills, their athleticism and in this case, how they have grown in one year.
When we get to work with a particular team year after year, it is fun to see how the athletes change, grow up and develop in their skill set.

male breast swim

It surprised me to see how these young men and women had changed in a year. They are, after all in college and at least the juniors and seniors are over 20. Yes, they are looking older and more mature. They are coming into their own in many ways and athletically this shows.

male fly swim

We have worked with a couple of other teams as well, but for me at least, being the mother of a swimmer, this is the most fun.

female back swim

If your child is part of a team, school or club, and you are tired of seeing the same pictures every year, please consider sharing this post with your coach and school. The images captured during this shoot have just been shared with the parents and part of the proceeds from the picture purchases will go back to the team to help them go to Florida for training in January.

male free swim

Every sports team raises money for gear, trips, entry fees and other assorted stuff. Why not raise funds this way? If you are interested please give us a call today at 301-693-3021.

female breast swim

What to do to prepare for a successful Photo session

— 08/22/2016 by Monika Wertman —

What to do to prepare for a successful Photo session.

In this post we will focus on some of the things you as the client can do to ensure that your session with us will be successful and productive.

sisters

Whether you plan to book us for a family or senior session, a glamor/boudoir or a couple’s session or a newborn session, there are a few things that you as a client can do to prepare for your time with us and to ensure that you will not only have a great time during the session, but that your pictures will turn out great.  You will, of course, assume that we will do everything in our power to ensure these things as well, and we do, but you can help make it just a wee bit easier for us.

newborn

Here is how:

#1   Schedule a consultation with us prior to the date of your session.  We offer consultations with most of our sessions, in fact make them mandatory for some.  Even if you have booked a session for which we do not require a consultation, book one anyway.  During this time we will plan the where and when, what you should wear etc.  For a family session, this can be discussed over the phone if you are super busy, and with children, you are.  We understand this.  For a senior, boudoir, engagement or couples session, an in person consultation is best and highly recommended!

#2   If you plan on bringing your pet to the session, please inform us ahead of time so we are prepared with water for your pet and by having anything he may bounce into out of the way.

nursing school and pets

#3   Discuss your wardrobe with us.  This can be a simple discussion of color choices or be more involved such as what it is you are planning to wear and if you have questions on what form of clothing photographs better.  If you plan to wear formal wear, please let us know so we have the studio set up accordingly if we are shooting inside.  If we are planning on outdoors only, and we are dealing with high heels, please let us know, so our plan does not involve you climbing over rocky and potentially muddy surfaces.

couple

#4   If your session includes several clothing changes, organize them before you arrive.  Changing time will go more smoothly and take away less time from your session.  ( A few months back we had a family of 8 with three clothing changes, the mom was fantastically organized.  I have never seen anything go more smoothly!  It was impressive)

#5    We will most likely ask you this, but in case we do not, please let us know what ages your children are.  This applies to an in studio session as we’ll as an outdoors/lifestyle session.  We love working with littles, but want to know ahead of time so we are prepared with props and location choices that are age appropriate.

little girl

#6    Women and girls, please wear makeup, even if you generally don’t do anything more than mascara, do a bit more for your session, especially if it is a senior session, a professional headshot session or a glamor session. (we offer professional hair and make-up services starting at $85 if you are not sure what to do, and include these in all of our regular glamor and boudoir session) Wearing make-up ensures an even skin tone and guarantees fantastic results for you.  On this note, do not fret if a pimple pops up the day of your session.  We remove blemishes in post production.

glamor shot

#7   If it is a hot summer day and we are shooting outside only, please bring some water with you.  We always bring some, but it helps if our clients come prepared as well.

#8    Please arrive on time!!!!!!!  We set aside your session time plus 15 minutes.  If you run late, you eat into your session time, which gives us less time to create the images we want to create for you.  If we come to your home, please be ready for us.  We generally arrive 5-10 minutes early so we have time to set up.

family pictures

Wertman Photography has several shooting spaces within the studio, including a private dressing area.  When we go on location, we can bring a pop-up tent for clothing changes as well.  Together we will create great images that will stand the test of time and will preserve precious moments for you for years to come!

Senior Photos should be a great experience

— 06/10/2016 by Monika Wertman —

Now that summer is here and you are thinking about who to hire for your senior photos, let’s look at what you should consider when making your choice:

Whether you are a guy or a girl, you will want to showcase your interests, whether they are sports related, you have a favorite pet, or are into cars or other big toys. Are you into winter sports and would like to get action shots in the snow? Here at Wertman Photography we will be happy to meet you at your favorite location and incorporate that interest into your session.

seniors

Now we all know that you want your senior pictures to look different than last year’s school picture, right? How do you accomplish this, you ask? Here are a few tips on what you should do to insure that you will get some one of a kind images from your high school senior picture session:

senior photos and pets

Spend a couple of months researching the kind of imagery you would like to see. Look through sports magazines and browse the web for ideas and styles. Do you like the edgy, grungy look? Do you want to look like the latest gold medal winner in one of her endorsement commercials, or do you want to look like the girl or boy next door, clean and pristine in your gear?

wertman photography Katy's senior pictures-9

Once you have determined what look you want, contact us and show us what you are looking for. We will then plan your session and recommend the appropriate length of time we will need to accomplish the look you are after. If you are a football player, chances are you have access to your school’s field, if you are a swimmer, access to a pool may be more difficult. As a skier or snow boarder, we will need to wait for the weather to be cold enough to work in snow. We need to understand exactly what you would like to accomplish in order to give you the session of your dreams.

senior guy sports

Understand that special requests require prior planning and that you are asking your photographer for individualized services. She will invest time in your session and you and your family will invest money in return. This tradeoff will ensure a fantastic session for you and great images for your family and you to share and display.    After all, your senior session should be an experience you will look back on remembering how much fun it was to create the images you wanted.

ballet dancer

Ask about cost only after you have determined whether are the right fit for you. It is important to have report with your photographer to get what you want, when you have fun, the images show it. But do ask, you will want to know how much your family will need to invest in the service and what you will receive in return. Ask about products that are offered and be aware that a boutique studio and a boutique service such as you are looking for and we offer, will offer some great print collections for you to choose from.

senior guy

Finally, after you book your session and have paid the retainer fee, enter the date in your calendar and arrive 5-10 minutes early at the predetermined meeting point. Your photographer will be there waiting for you and when you are on time all will go smoothly and you will have a wonderful experience which will in turn result in great photos to choose from.

senior girl

We have worked with some great seniors over the past few years and some great athletes, and are looking forward to adding you to that group. Please feel free to browse our senior and sports gallery for additional images and call us to schedule your session.

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