Category Archives: information

Summer Session Give Away!!

SUMMER SESSION GIVE AWAYS!SUMMER SESSION GIVE AWAYS!

Summer is coming and I want to be creative with some give aways. What does that mean?

It means that 6 lucky families/individuals will be the recipients of a complimentary session that could include professional hair and make up for mom or participating woman! Tracy will select (2) per month for June, July and August! The sessions can be ANY of these types of sessions;⁠

1. Family (with any age children)⁠
2. Newborn⁠
3. First Birthday (or other “milestone” session)⁠
4. BRANDING or Headshot session⁠
5. Women’s beauty session (not boudoir) i.e. having a milestone birthday (30, 40, 50 etc…), divorce, new job, or just want to celebrate “you” with beautiful portraits!⁠
6. Maternity
7. High School Seniors

If you are interested or know someone who might be send them here and have them  fill out this form and send email it back. Tracy will select the families/individuals based on her needs for the session. ⁠ 

Giving Is Better Than Receiving ~ Tracy Gabbard Featured Products

Give more this year with Tracy Gabbard Featured Products

The Holiday season is all about giving! It’s so exciting to see a smile on the face of someone you love when you give a gift.

Good energy flows through you everytime you give. The best gifts ideas you could give a family are Photo Sessions, Float Frames, Framed Canvases, Gallery Wraps, Luxe Albums, Glass Proof Boxes, and many other custom-made products. 

Surprise your significant other with a Family Photography Session, or a beautiful print of your baby! There are so many great ideas for gifts this season!

In this digital era, it’s so easy to take beautiful photos and store them in your phone or a storage device. But it really makes a difference when you take the time to print them out and hang that favorite pic on the wall!

Tracy offers the cutest Glass Proof Boxes to keep those prints intact from dust. They are durable and a perfect gift idea. Tracy Gabbard Featured Products are another reason why she stands out as a top photographer in the Tampa Bay area.

Her work is elegant and classy. Along with her high-end quality Photography work, the final product is as great as the photos themselves.

Tracy loves bonding with her clients. The Photography Sessions become a fun memory in the hearts of every family that steps in her Studio in Clearwater, Fl.

Her studio is filled with natural lighting. It is a peaceful and quiet place, perfect to capture the best photos of Newborns and Families in general. Here are some of the props she likes to use.

Don’t let the Holidays go by without surprising your significant other or maybe just yourself with a meaningful gift! 

Tracy is more than happy to help with any questions you might have, don’t hesitate to contact her.

Contact Tracy (Tampa Newborn Photographer)

 

The Holiday Sessions Are Here!

Oh my goodness! The Holiday Sessions are here!

It has been a wonderful start for the Holiday Sessions at Tracy Gabbard’s Photography Studio in Clearwater, Fl. 

 

Tracy has been the busiest these past weeks! In other words, amazing! 

So many wonderful families getting together at the studio to shoot her very Limited Edition Holiday Sessions of this year, 2018. 

This year’s set is called Silver Bells and we cannot wait to show you the very best photographs of the year.

Tracy is working really hard behind scenes, shooting and editing them to make every single family the happiest. 

 

Even though the Registration for this year was supposed to be gone by now, the demand is too high!

Tracy decided to give the LAST CHANCE for these spectacular sessions and it will be taking place for the LAST TIME on 11/24/18 

There are only 6 more spots and we guarantee they will fill up in the blink of an eye!

REGISTER NOW

We just wanted to show you some seasonal photographs from past years, it’s always good to make you smile with these wonderful babies.

 

 

There is something very special about the Holidays, they are meant to bring the family together.

It is also the perfect excuse to dress up in red, green, gold, silver and shiny, bright colors. 

 

 

Red is definitely one of the most popular colors for the Holiday Sessions, everyone loves red!

The photo sessions are filled with laughter and great moments that will be unforgettable for every family. 

 

 

Tracy loves sharing these amazing experience with every family.

They are always coming back every year, giving an amazing chance for the creation of fun collages.

It is definitely a creative and fun environment and in other words, don’t hesitate and reserve your spot now before it is too late.

Holiday Mini Sessions 2018

 They are finally here! 

Limited Edition 2018 Holiday sessions! 

We are so excited to release the registration and give you all the

information about them! So without further a due… here it is…

The TGP Limited Edition Holiday Sessions 2018

Silver Bells

This set is designed to be elegant and classic.  Tracy Gabbard’s Holiday Mini Sessions are a set that will be great for everyone… Families or just the kiddos!  There are so many wonderful wardrobe options as well.  Silvers, grays, whites and the classic holiday colors will look perfect on Silver Bells.  You can find a TGP Pintrest board here with wardrobe ideas to help you make your choices.

The sessions are 20 minutes, perfect for capturing family, kids and individual pictures AND it’s not to long for dad’s either (Come on, we all know dad’s would rather “opt out” of the holiday sessions :)).  

Click HERE to read more information about the  Limited Edition Silver Bells Sessions and the collections that are available after the sessions. These Mini Holiday Sessions won’t last long!

There will only be 6 different days for this event (there is only 1 day left!) and there are only a few spots each day. Reserve yours now to guarantee your date and time of preference. They won’t last! Schedule your Mini Holiday Sessions now!

Click HERE to go to the Registration Page and reserve your Mini Holiday Sessions!

Follow us on Facebook here

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Join Tracy’s VIP Facebook group by clicking here….

 

  

 

GIVEAWAY TIME! WIN A FREE HOLIDAY SESSION WITH TRACY GABBARD! ♥

You could be the lucky winner of this Holiday Session

There is a new set design every year, every set is unique and classic creating the most desirable holiday cards and portraits for families!

 

 

The WINNER will be announced on October 1st!

 

Every year there is a different set and they are all unique. This makes the Holiday Sessions a one in a lifetime opportunity and experience.

 

It’s the best time of the year to bring the family together in a heartwarming session with a Christmas theme to bring the holiday spirit to everyone’s hearts! 

 

 

These are some examples from different sets, this year will be a surprise! Just like every year. You could be the winner for a totally free Holiday Session at Tracy’s Gabbard Studio in her Clearwater natural lighting studio.

 

 

Check out our Instagram and Facebook posts to know how to participate

It’s very easy!

GOOD LUCK!

 

 

 

 

It’s July, Time to Apply for August Birthday Model Call

August Birthday?

Who are we looking for this month?  If you have been following along with our busy summer here over at the TGP studios you know that there have been some super fun “My Stories” over on Instagram and adorable sneak peaks on Facebook.  You also know that July is my birthday month so to celebrate that fun fact we are scheduling a Birthday Bash Model Call 🙂 . We are so excited to be accepting applications for GIRL ONE Year olds that turn ONE sometime in August, yes who have August Birthday (sorry boys, you’re adorable also but this one is going to be stylized “girly”)!  Applications will be accepted from July 1st- July 14th . 

It's July, Time to Apply for August Birthday Model Call

This special little model will have her session stylized by Tracy herself and will include prints and products from the studio.  She will also have a special birthday smash cake and matching outfit to wear for the session!  Her outfit will be provided by Girlies Galore, an amazing Etsy store for girls and boys. Just perfect for our birthday sessions!  

It's July, Time to Apply for August Birthday Model Call

Directions and requirements for Model Call:

Due to the amount of applicants only applicants that are able to follow these directions will be accepted. The applicants must:
 
* apply between the dates of July 1st – 14th
* be a GIRL and turn ONE in or close to AUGUST of 2017
NOT have already chosen a photographer for a first birthday session
* be willing to sign a model release
* be available to travel to the S. Clearwater studio during the week day M-F
* be flexible in August to schedule the session
* have family (at least mom and dad) willing to possibly participate in session.
* email Tracy to [email protected] with the following information-
-Snapshot of child
-Name,
-phone number,
If you would like to apply or know anyone that will fit the requirements for this model Call, PLEASE share this with them:
Please do not send messages through FB, Instagram or any other social media applications will only be accepted through the email provided above.
 

Maternity Model Call June 2017

It’s time for the first summer model call and we are SO excited!  We are looking for a special mommy that will be 35-38 weeks pregnant in July.  This model call is super special as it will include some fun give aways from some great local businesses as well as studio products printed from the session and will by stylized by Tracy herself!

maternity model call June 2017

This model will also have her make up professionally done and receive studio products with a value of over $450.00!  She will also have a portion of the wardrobe for the session provided by TGP with accessories!  Please read carefully for the requirements  of this session and follow the directions below-

Directions and requirements for Model Call:

Due to the amount of applicants only applicants that are able to follow these directions will be accepted.
 
*Must apply between the dates of June 1st – 9th
*Must be 35-38 weeks pregnant in July
*Must NOT have already chosen a photographer for maternity or newborn pictures
*Must be willing to sign a model release
*Must be available to travel to the S. Clearwater studio and another area in the Tampa Bay area (TBD) for the outdoor portion of the session
*Must be flexible in July to schedule the session
*Must have willing daddy or “daddy to be” to participate in the session.
*Must email Tracy to [email protected] with the following information-
-Snapshot,
-Name,
-phone number,
If you would like to apply or know anyone that will fit the requirements for this model call PLEASE share this with them
Please do not send messages through FB, Instagram or any other social media applications will only be accepted through the email provided above.
 

leslie and rachel

Leslie from Organic Trends in clearwater for the awesome hair style that this special mommy will get!

Also Rachel from Massage by Rachel LLC for pampering this mommy to be with a prenatal massage!

maternity collage2

Please share this post with anyone you think might be a great fit for our model call for this month and look for more information in the next few weeks!  It’s going to be a great summer at TGP studios!   If you are interested in sponsoring this model call feel free to contact Tracy!

Prints vs Digitals part 2

So… if you read my last post about Prints vs Digitals then you know that I am sharing some thoughts, ideas and suggestions on this subject over the next few weeks. This time I am going to attempt to answer the questions of cost…. why digital files are more expensive and why printing through your photographer is more expensive than simply printing at local or non local printers.

First- why are digital files more expensive to purchase than prints? After all, it doesn’t cost the photographer any money to send me the file but it does cost to print it.  The standard answer to that questions is value.  The digital file is the photographers highest value product.  That is because once the rights to the image are granted (in whatever capacity that may be) that image can be reproduced as many times and for as many people as the person with the rights to the image desires (this is not for commercial photography, that is a whole different ball game that I am not addressing, this is for family photography and the personal use of it).  Now, some photographers put restrictions on sizes and different things in their releases but in all honesty, for the most part there is no good way to keep track of this (unless we raid your homes :)) so we can assume it will be printed and shared in whatever way the client desires.  That makes the digital file the photographers most valuable product.  And to address the fact that it doesn’t cost anything to the photographer to sell the digital files, well, yes it does.  I personally pay a monthly fee to a service that will allow me to send large files over the internet as most average email servers will not allow this.  AND there is a cost for the CD and/or thumb drive that the files may be put on depending on the collection that is purchased.  AND it takes quite a bit of time to prep the files, upload them or burn them.

On the second question… why are prints so much less to print at a local printer (ie; Sams Club, CVS, etc…) than from the photographer?  Well, again there are several reasons.  First of all, in most cases the paper that the prints are printed on from those chain printing companies is not quite a nice of quality.  Any of you that have received prints from your photographer vs prints from those type printers will should notice a difference.  The professional labs that are often used with a professional photographers usually offer great service and will call if coloring looks off or cropping or there are any other issues with the files that are sent for print.  They also have professional color labs that calibrate for accurate color (as long as the file that is being sent to them is good also).  All that makes it more for the photographer to print as well.  That is not to say that you can not get great looking prints, canvases or other items at chain store printers but there is a risk they may not look as good as what might come from your photographer.  Also- it takes the photographer time (again, an expense to the client) to prep, size, upload, package and ship the prints to you.  For example, when you order an 8×10 print from TGP that file is cropped to the proper size that you are ordering it in (that doesn’t happen at CVS), checked for coloring, and then care is taken to upload it to the printer, receive and check it from the printer so that you are receiving the highest quality print.  Make sense?

So- I went to a long time clients home for a session not long ago and saw these canvases hanging in her home.  She had these printed at Walgreens (I think)!  Now, the quality of the canvas is not quite as good as what she would have received from TGP but honestly- they look great!  I was shocked when she told me she had them printed there and happy for her!  AND REALLY happy to see TGP art work hanging up (yes hanging up…. not just sitting on the computer!:)) in her home.  Even though the are a little holiday looking! LOL!  No worries… she has many other TGP prints hanging around and on shelves.  Here is a picture of her holiday canvases printed at at a chain store.

Prints vs Digitals - Prints hanging in living room
I will say, she is lucky that they printed correctly. Canvas can be tricky as they wrap around the sides. All that must be accounted for when printing. When I print canvases for a client, I actually start from the original file, re edit and then crop and scale to the size the client wants measuring carefully not to wrap any important parts around the side of the canvas.

So- do you have any TGP artwork hanging in your home or are you guilty of storing all those amazing digital files on your computer (hang head in shame LOL!)? I would love to see it and may even feature it on a coming up blog post! Take a picture of it and email it to me at [email protected] Maybe you will inspire some of us guilty of storing our digital files instead of printing them to actually print and hang!!! 🙂

Click here for Print vs Digitals – Part 1

Prints vs Digitals part 1

Ahhhh… the ever challenging question for clients and photographers. I am sure that this question has been addressed in many blogs and articles over the years. But I am going to make a few blog posts over the next few weeks about prints vs digitals (and maybe some other things also) addressing many issues, good and bad.  I want to chat about the costs of prints vs digital files, the technical side of purchasing digitals, ideas on what to do with your digitals (yes it will involve printing :)) and why you should or should not just purchase just the digital files. I will share pictures of my home and even other photographers ideas and posts on different things and thoughts and maybe even some clients’ homes that have some TGP art around their house.   So I hope you follow me through this for a few weeks as I express some feelings, bring some things to “light” and explain some of the answers to questions that you may be thinking about. I am not organized enough to promise you a post on a certain day… you will just have to follow along as they come.   I am going to be totally honest and I am not trying to sway you one way or the other.  Just presenting the facts 🙂  as I see them at least!

So- back in the “old days” (really just a few short years ago) it was not even a question about digital files and printing rights. Photographers sold prints. That’s it.  There was no question about which digital files to purchase.  It was not even an option.   However, as the world around us changes everyone wants digital images for many  great reasons including preservation, sharing on the internet and social media, printing quantity prints yourself for lesser of a cost, etc…. These are all valid points and even I like to have the digital files from my sessions. HOWEVER, I think MANY of us (not all) still have those digital files sitting on the computer. They probably looked amazing on FB and you probably got the most comments EVER which is rewarding, I’ll admit BUT did you ever print them? Are they hanging on your walls? Are they framed sitting on shelves? Do you enjoy them around your home or office. I have a few large prints and canvases in my home and although not super current, every time I walk by a little smile sneaks out as I look at my “babies” and my family and my kids love looking at them as well.  Here are couple iphone pics of some of the protraits I have hanging on my wall an on shelves.  There are few more things as well but this is the majority.  These are compliments of myself www.tracygabbard.com and one of my favorite photographers www.alycialalvarez.com  (thank you Alycia, you will be happy to see some of your art work still hanging in my home! :))

Prints vs digitals - photo of prints on wall

But I am just as guilty as the next person… I have hard drives full of pictures of my kids and family that never get printed. It really does make me sad. I feel as overwhelmed as everyone else about what to do with the amazing pictures of my family. I will admit, it is easy to just buy the digitals. It is super easy, I don’t have to make any decisions right now. I can let them sit for years and never have to make any decisions about how to frame them, where to hang them, what size to print them in. I can put that off as LONG as I want to, forever even! That is a project I can put on hold and deal with later when I am not as busy (yea, right… not as busy! LOL!). But  the consequences of just buying the digitals and not doing anything with them are real. We spend a lot of money to have our computers hold our pictures for us. We spend money on digitals that we hardly ever look at (well, maybe they pop up on our screen saver). We spend money on digitals that we will cherish forever but yet we never get to see them the way they were meant to be seen. I don’t know about you but I just don’t get the same feeling from the things that are actually hanging around my home and on the shelves. I mean, the plants on the shelves (fake of course) look nice but I don’t really ever get a warm feeling from them and the big screen TV on my wall, I like it and use it but it doesn’t make me smile each time I walk by. Even the “fine art” hanging above my fireplace (some abstract thing we picked up at a home show) looks nice but honestly, I don’t know the last time I even looked up at it and I certainly haven’t smiled at it… I don’t think ever.  If I am true to myself I would definitely say that I wish I had some framed prints or canvases of my family in these places.  Here are a couple pictures of the “cherished” (just kidding…. not really!) things I have around my home…..

Prints vs digitals - photo of home decors

I will forgive myself for this “crime against pictures” for now, but will I be able to forgive myself later? Not sure… I don’t know, those plants just don’t hold the same memories for me that my pictures do. So, I am not trying to convince you to purchase prints over digitals, I am not trying to tell you that you shouldn’t purchase the digitals and I am certainly not saying not to have plants or decorations in your home.   I am simply saying that whether you purchase prints from your photographer or have your digitals printed and displayed, for your desk, for your shelves or for your walls is something you will NEVER regret! I have NEVER regretted the decision to hang portraits on my walls. I have regretted a few electronic devices that were not needed, clothing purchases that I ended up hating or never wearing, certain toys for my kiddos, the food purchases I make each week at the grocery store that ends up not eaten and thrown away and I am sure I could go on and on. I have made many regretful purchases in my life and probably will make more but I have never regretted spending money on pictures of my family and then actually hanging them up!!!

What will my next post be about?? Even I am not sure yet… but I have a list of things having to do with prints, digitals and custom photography to chat about and lots of thoughts to share.  Feel free to share this with friends and family or anyone you think might be interested!!!  See you soon….. 🙂

Click here for Print vs Digitals – Part 2