“2009 GPPA Convention Results” by Brad Paul
The 2009 Convention of the GPPA has just ended. We had a great stay on Jekyll Island with all of our photographer friends. What a wonderfully talented group of people they are.
Sundra earned a number of additional honors this year.
1. She was re-elected to serve as the Northwest Area Director of the GPPA. This is her third term in this office.
2. Sundra earned a Distinguished Award in the Portrait of a Group category for “A New Life,” a maternity image.
3. Sundra earned First Place in the Portrait of a Teen category for “The Trumpeter.” This image from a senior portrait session was the highest-scoring print she has ever entered. (You can see this image in one of the blogs below.)
4. Sundra also earned Best of Show in the Portrait category for “The Trumpeter.” This print will move along with three of the others to the southeastern competition next spring.
5. Best of all: Sundra earned her GPPA Fellowship Degree, an honor that she has been working for during the last three years. She earned this degree because of her success in the print competitions and her service to the organization. This week’s competition brings her closer to additional recognition.
We are very proud of Sundra and all of our friends at this year’s convention. Many of them had great success as well; we love them and their work.
“Old Pillowcases Needed” by Shannon
I just received an email from the Humane Society of Forsyth County, a great organization that we are proud to support, and they asked for old pillowcases. They use them as bedding for the animals and are running low. So please check your linen closet and drop them off here at the Ananchel studio or at the Humane Society. We just thought that I would pass the information along about one of Ananchel’s favorite charities. This is an easy request that I think we can all help out with. Thanks!!!
Drop off locations:
Ananchel
116 Pirkle Ferry Road, Cumming, Georgia
Humane Society of Forsyth County
4440 Keith Bridge Road, Cumming, Georgia
“We’re Back” by Brad Paul
Wow! It’s been awhile since we last updated our blog. Time flies when you’re busy. “Busy with what?” you ask? Well, we’ve been rearranging our offices, starting new programs, brainstorming with other photographers and business owners, shooting countless sessions (portraits, specials, weddings, schools & events) and getting ready for the busy fall season. The busy season started very early this year–in fact, it seems to have been going on all year.
At this moment we are relaxing on Jekyll Island after a long day at the annual print competition of the Georgia Professional Photographers Association (GPPA). This is Sundra’s fourth year in the competition, and the results are fantastic. Sundra competed the maximum six prints, meriting all of them. She also received the highest score that she has ever earned today. “The Trumpeter,” an image from one of Sundra’s senior portrait sessions, was very well received by the judges. Their comments we wonderful, and there was quite a discussion about the image. We will have more competition news soon as the awards are presented.
Oh, and the Georgia-Arkansas game is on right now, and it’s not going nearly as well as we want. Go Sundra & Go Dawgs!
“Only a Few Remain” by Shannon
Our Down by the Pond special is rapidly approaching. Sundra has been busy setting up the set and getting everything just right. It looks sooo cute! I am tempted to bring my own boys in for a session. We only have a few appointments left for this special. We are currently full and starting a waiting list for Thursday, 7/23. On Friday, the 24th there is a 2:30, 3:00 or a 5:00 appointment available. Call the studio at 770-831-0078 to schedule your session. This is a limited edition set and special and will not be offered again this year.
“Parkway Presbyterian & St. Brendan’s Preschool” by Shannon
I cannot even believe that Forsyth County Schools start in ONE month!! The summer is flying by. I wanted to tell you about two Cumming preschools that we have photographed for a few years now. We have been the “school photographer” for several area preschools and daycare centers. By far our favorite preschools are Parkway Presbyterian and St. Brendan’s Preschool. I don’t want to discredit our other schools, these two have been with us pretty much since Sundra started the studio. Both are located off Exit 13. They both provide a warm, loving environment for kids to thrive in. Both schools have had very little teacher turnover in the years that we have been doing the photographs and Parkway has retained every teacher for this upcoming school year. It is the same way with the kids. We have seen many kids from when they started preschool at 18 months in a mothers morning out all the way through till they graduate into elementary school. I think that speaks volumes about the teachers and the overall program. If you are in the need of a preschool make sure you check out these two. Hey, and maybe we will see ya on picture day!
Parkway Presbyterian Kindergarten and Preschool’s link http://www.parkway-church.org/
St. Brendan’s Preschool http://www.stbrendansatl.com/preschool/index.html
“KiD to KiD in Cumming” by Shannon
I was out and about and stumbled on a new children’s consignment store in Cumming. The store is called KiD to KiD in the Lakeland Plaza (by Parson’s). I went inside and the staff was very pleasant. They were not officially open yet but told me to look around. I was interested in boys size 6-7 and while they only had a portion of their clothes out I was pleased with the selection and the pricing was comparable to other local consignment stores. Their grand opening at this location is on July 30th. They also have a Duluth location that is already open and having a semi-annual sale July 16th at 4:00pm-July 19th.
“July Senior Special” by Shannon
Senior season is in full swing. We have met some fantastic young men and women who are so excited about finally becoming high school seniors. In honor of this important milestone, we are offering 16 free wallets with your paid session fee. You must call and schedule your appointment before the end of July to receive this special.
As always, call us at 770-831-0078 for more information and to schedule your appointment.
“Another Awesome Up In Cumming Magazine” by Shannon
Most of you Cumming residents should have received the latest Up In Cumming Magazine by now. Sundra took the photo on the cover along with some of the photos on the inside. We had lots of fun with the shoot. The girls at Up In Cumming, Stephanie, Stacy and Rachel, are always professional yet very fun and easy to work with. I must also give props to the kids that participated in the shoot. Some of the kids are from our studio and some were new to us, but they ALL did a fantastic job! It was about 120 degrees out that day and there were bugs everywhere, but the kids hung tough and we got some great shots. We also LOVED the design of the magazine! The designers at UIC did a great job. The grunge look is very current and enhanced the photos nicely. Just in case you do not reside in Cumming I have attached a virtual copy of the magazine.
http://www.virtualonlinepubs.com/publication/?i=18341
“Great Fun for the Whole Family” by Shannon
My husband and I took our kids to the Frances G Meadows Aquatic Center in Gainesville. It was AWESOME!!! My boys are almost 6 and 7 and they had a blast! It was $4 per person to get in (non Hall County residents are supposed to pay $6, but nobody ever asked us where we lived). Th
ey have two huge indoor pools, but we spent all of our time outside. In the outside section they have a water jungle gym that is probably for ages 2-7. There is also a small lazy river and two water slides. I think the best part was the size of the entire place. It’s big enough that the kids were not bored in 10 minutes, but small enough that we could see the kids from pretty much anywhere outside. They got to have some freedom and we were still able to have piece of mind. We stayed about 5 hours until the kids were starving. They do have a concession stand with reasonably priced food, but you need to pay with cash and we only brought a debit card in. We were looking like prunes anyways so it was the perfect time to leave. Click on the link below for their website. I also found an aerial photo of the center. Hopefully your family will have as much fun as mine did!
“Happy 4th” by Shannon
Ananchel will be closed Friday, July 3d through Monday, July 6th. We will be back in regular hours on Tuesday, July 7th. Have a fun and safe holiday weekend!
