Santa at the Beach: What to Wear

Hey Moms!

So you want to have your children photographed with Santa at the Beach on Saturday, July 13 from 9 until 2.  You know that we'll be doing a couple of activities while we're together, but the biggest question you probably have is:

What should my kids wear?

So, since it's summer, and at the beach, I recommend choosing very simple, casual clothes in your favorite holiday colors.  You could use adorable bathing suits with hats; you could do cute over-alls with no shirt; you could do a cute breezy dress, or a polo shirt and shorts.  It's entirely up to you, and how fun is it that you'll be able to display these, not only at Christmas, but summer, too!  And you can TOTALLY use these for your benefit! 

ACT NOW.  Don't delay on your call for more information!  You don't want to miss this ONE SPECIAL DAY.  We have only 20 available slots.

Our Santa at the Beach Sessions: A Guide for You

Happy Christmas in July!

Are you a beach bum?  Do you absolutely love the Santa tradition, minus Elf on a Shelf? (We hear they hate sand!)  Do you identify as an Islander with hot weather and tons of sun all year long?

We have the perfect, and most UNIQUE premium session event coming up on July 13: Santa at the Beach!

Here he is, pointing to where Donner and Blitzen are grabbing a snack, and hydrating.  Santa's reindeer have a hard time in hot weather, but they love coming to Maryland 

for some crabs and Old Bay Seasoning.

We have a bunch of fun activities for these Santa Experiences that  you. and especially your children, will LOVE.  After the initial greeting, Santa will blow bubbles with your children, and then listen to the ocean sounds in a big shell.  Then, your child can try on a couple of Santa hats.  Santa will then introduce your kids to Sandy Snowman, a round, tropical person who is related to Frosty the Snowman.  After that, Santa will check to see if your child is on the Nice List (each child will get a copy of this, featuring their name), and give an autographed bottle of magical Santa Bubbles.

We're told the Magical Bubbles help keep bedrooms safe at night from anything scary.  There will be an instructional sheet on how to use these.

But WAIT.  THERE'S MORE!

The $99 reservation fee ALSO includes the following:  a beautiful 5x15" dry erase board, just for your child, with a special message from Santa, that can help your child relive those magical moments with Santa at the Beach (and which you can use to YOUR BENEFIT).  And you'll also have $40 to spend TOWARDS your favorite, specially priced package that fits your needs and budget, starting at $65,

The products that are included with these are gorgeous folded 4x5.5 cards, and flat 5x7 cards.  This year, we are adding GLITTER PAPER, which is a top premium product, but we saw this, and I squealed.  I really, REALLY squealed LOL.  The best part of the glitter paper is that the glitter is NOT LOOSE, so no worries about having glitter everywhere.

What's NOT to love?  Well, because Santa's so busy, he's only available for one day, July 13, from 9 am until 2 pm at Jonas Greene Park in Annapolis.  Also, appointments are MANDATORY, as we need to know ahead of time about names for Santa's Nice List and how many bottles of Santa's magical bubbles the elves need to make.  You are welcome to have up to 4 children in your photographs, but certain restrictions DO APPLY*.  We have ONLY 20 slots in 5 hours.  Cell phone photographs and video will be strictly forbidden at this event.  Sorry, that's Santa's policy, not ours.

You can call Megan or Erin at 240-766-8966 for more information and to schedule your slot for this premium event.

*The $99 price includes only 1 dry erase board, so if more than one child is photographed, each additional child's dry erase board will be only $35 (regularly $60)... you'll want one for each child for your maximum benefit.  However, there will definitely be a Nice List featuring each child's name individually, and a bottle of Santa's Magical Bubbles for each child, too.

Christmas in July with Santa at the Beach!

Sand. Sky. Beach. Bubbles. Fun. Santa.

If you’re a beachy, summer-lovin’ family, who happens to be die-hard Santa fans, then this is the event for you!

No elves on shelves will be attending, by the way. We hear they are not fond of sand.
Your children will be delighted to visit with Santa at the beach!

Imagine how they’ll feel: visiting Santa in the middle of summer, with the sand between their toes, laughing over a special sandy snowman, and blowing bubbles to their hearts’ content with the big guy himself.

You’ll have photographs, cards, and gifts that are quite different from anything you’ve ever had for the holidays. Nobody else you know will have such clever and unique holiday photos!

Now, for only $99, you’ll see that this is a fantastic value. First, we’ll hop on the phone and have a great chat about what you love about summer and how fun it is to visit with Santa in July. Then, we’ll schedule your experience for July 13, and your children (up to 4 kids) will have 10 minutes to spend with Santa. During this time, they’ll do a couple of quick, fun activities, and go home with a special, autographed bottle of bubbles from Santa.

Your experience continues later on with a design consultation with your photographs; either at our studio location in Bowie, or in your home. The $99 also gives you 2 more wonderful things: a 5x10” dry erase board (valued at $60!) for your refrigerator at home so they can talk about seeing Santa at the beach every day, and $40 towards your purchase of one of our special holiday packages that start at $65.00.

Location is TBA very soon, and we’ll also be offering a rain date in August. We know that you’ll love this opportunity to have fun photographs that we know you’ll cherish all year long!

Why It's Important to Coordinate Your Photographic Artwork with Your Home's Decor

One of our FAQs is "What should we wear?" and "Do you have a place you like to photograph at?".

OK.  There's matchy-matchy, like back in the 90s when it was very popular to wear white button down shirts and blue jeans, and either barefoot or birkenstocks, and be photographed at the beach, or on the white background at the mall photo studio.










Then there's complementary, like when your daughters love the color purple and you get them dresses for their session that are really pretty, and go really well together, in a purply sort of way, in a field of lavender.






Now there's coordinated, which means we take into consideration, many things, such as your lifestyle, your decor style, and the colors in which you decorate your home, and your favorite places in which you feel most connected.

For instance, if a family had a light and airy farmhouse style of home, then I would suggest wearing fabrics that are natural colors, like creams, tans, greens and blues, in cottons and other natural fibers, and then photograph them in a beautiful field with which they are well-acquainted, at 7 am when the light is pure and clean.  I wouldn't suggest them dressing in vibrant, jewel tones and photographing them in front of modern architecture at 5 in the afternoon.

If a couple had really quirky tastes, with colorful splashes everywhere, then I'd suggest photographing them at their favorite county fair, wearing fun colors and photograph them about an hour before sunset, when the lights start blazing on, the sky looks great, and it's very festive.

If I worked with teens who played string instruments and their parents had a very traditional home that is quiet and peaceful, I would get permission to photograph them at their favorite art museum or local conservatory, and have them dress in dresses and suits in soft colors to enhance that tranquility.

If a mom approached me with very energetic children who were being "unschooled", then I'd ask her what some of their favorite activities and places to visit are, and choose colors in their home that work with that theme.

As you can see, no two families are the same, so neither should their photographs be. 

We believe, so strongly, that everything that goes into a photography experience and artwork should represent that family, exactly.  We believe that artwork that shows a family who they are, where they are coming from, and where they're going, can create such an impact on that family, every day.

Let's face it, we're humans who are visual beings.  We are affected by our environments.  When our homes are tidy and clean, it affects everyone in such a way that they behave a little bit more carefully with keeping it tidy and clean.  When our homes are cluttered, this environment tends to make everyone pretty cranky.

Purposeful photographic artwork of your family does the same thing.  The impact of symbolic artwork of a family reminds each member that they have a place in the family, they are loved, and they are (fill in the blank).  What does it mean to siblings in middle school, whose mom and dad just divorced, and they come home every day to an empty home, because mom is now working full time... and they see photographs, every day, on the wall greeting them as soon as they walk in the door, to remind them of how very much their mom loves them.  To remind them to never give up.  To help them on the hard days when they miss the former chapter of their lives before the divorce.  To actually feel their mom's love as she sacrifices precious time with her kids so that they have a home and a good life.  To know their mom has their backs all of the time.  That despite their new normal, they can depend on their mom.

Do you want an experience like this, to help you and your loved ones remember who you each are, where you are all coming from, and where you're headed?  Erin and I will help you through the experience, every step of the way, with the location for photography, choosing colors and styles of clothing, and finally the emotions that you want to relive again and again for years to come. 

It's definitely a different experience, but one that we know will impact your family for years to come.  Call us today at 240-766-8966 for your first, complementary discovery call, to see how photographs of your family can impact your life.


 *Please note that the photographs used in this blog post are stock photos.  Thanks.

An Unusual, but Most Useful Gift

This time of year is the time for gift giving to so many people.

Graduates from high school and college (and their parents).  Special teachers.  Dads for Father's Day.  And so much more!

Sometimes, gift giving is easy.  However, you don't want to give something that someone else might give also.  Here's the perfect idea!

An experience and photography from Honey Bee Photography.  We offer a couple of different kinds.

College graduates need a good headshot.  Their college or university will probably do a headshot deal before graduation, but it's generic and it looks like all of the other students' headshots.  I offer an experience for these graduates with headshots that make a difference.  We believe that a great headshot on a business card can help your grad when he or she is networking and out there hustling to pay off those student loans and start their life.  Our Business Bee Personal Branding Kits for graduates start at $150, and what a STEAL, too!



Teachers really do spend a lot of time with their students, and helping them to succeed for the future.  This also means hours spent away from their families as they grade tests, read through papers, and stay after school to tutor.  Weekends are so busy for them, too!  Why not give them a gift certificate for an experience and artwork as a constant reminder of the love and emotional connections family members have, even when they are busy.

Dads who work all the crazy hours and travel for business appreciate these experiences and artwork, too.  We offer products that are perfect for hotel room bed-side tables, as well as desks and bookshelves in offices.  Snapshots on the phone are nice, but to have a piece of his family in his favorite photograph that is physically there to greet him can make a huge difference in his day.

And finally, for parents of those graduates.  Before their children fly the proverbial coop after college graduation and finding their partners and getting married, this is probably the last time families with kids ages 9-24 will get family photographs done, until the weddings start.  Wedding photos are fun, but it doesn't really represent who the family is.  Let's give them an experience that they will enjoy, and help them to reconnect and rediscover what they love about each other.  After all, getting kids through high school and college isn't easy, and beautiful artwork on the wall can help those frazzled days get better.

You can purchase a $400 family photography experience gift certificate for ONLY $99.  What you are really giving them is more than just a pretty photo on a bridge;  you're giving them an opportunity to reconnect and rediscover what they truly love about each other, and be able to see that every single day, even on the hard days.

Call today to find out more about our gift certificates!  240-766-8966

Summer is almost here! 5 fun things to do when you hear "I'm bored!"

Ahhhh summer break.

It's the end of the school year.

It's pool time.

It's the beginning of summer vacations and trips to see extended family.

It's the awesome summer holidays, celebrated with fireworks.

It's the time of year that drives parents to wonder if they are really ready to deal with this time of year.

Wait... what?

The first couple of weeks are exciting.  If you and your partner work, then it's a routine of day camp and day care and everything in between.  Trips to the library and the pool are necessary for everyone's sanity.  If you get to stay home with your children, then you know very well the words:  "I'm bored!".

Here are my top 5 things to do in the summertime that are cheap, easy, and fun (in addition to the library and the pool).

1.  Go to the park!  Here in AA county, we have so many different parks to enjoy.  They have swimming and fishing and boating areas, trails, concerts,   Take a picnic lunch and have fun exploring.

2.  Watch baseball!  Bowie has their very own minor league team, the Bowie Baysox.  Their ticket prices are family friendly and on weekend games, they show fireworks at night.

3.  Ride bikes at dawn!  The air is cool and the smell is green and refreshing, because of the dew on the grass and plants.  It might be a little bit hard to get everyone moving, but how awesome will it be to start the morning watching the sun rise.  There are plenty of places to go visit on your bikes for breakfast.

4.  Stargaze and catch fireflies!  Here's a printable constellation map to help you locate all of the constellations.  Get some empty jelly jars, punch holes in the lid, and put some grass in the bottom of the jar.  Catch fireflies and watch their lighting patterns.  Please be sure to release them before you go back in the house. A bonus is to build a fire in the fire pit and toast marshmallows.  Remember the bug spray so the mosquitoes don't get at you.

5.  Camp out in the living room on a Friday night, pop some corn, and watch movies.  Build a fort with sheets and dining room chairs and use flashlights to tell scary stories (age appropriate, of course!).

There you have it!  I hope that your summer is full of adventure and fun.

The Photo You Didn't Get to Take

Here on my blog, I work hard to keep it positive.  Today, however, I want to talk about the photograph that you didn't get to take.

So often, getting photographs done is something that we push off.  The reasons are usually, "we're too busy"... "I need to lose 20 pounds"... "It's too hard to get everyone together"... "It's too expensive"... "my cousin's aunt's grandchild is a photographer and so we're good"...

We know that life is short.  We know that we need to live in the moment, reminisce with joy over the past, and look ahead to the future.  That unknown future could change at any time, though.

Do the photos now.  Take all of the pictures that are meaningful to you.  Be in the snapshots with your children... with your aging parents... with your best friends from college... on your family summer vacation.  Above all, even if you don't choose Honey Bee Photography to create a 3-generation experience for you, hire someone to do group photographs with everyone, along with all of the special breakups so you have that legacy to enjoy for decades to come.

Trust me, you'll be grateful so much later when the years slip by and you have photographs on your walls to enjoy all of the time, as well as the memories and emotions associated with them.

Take the photos before it's too late.

If you are interested in creating a family legacy for your children and generations to come, including artwork that you'll enjoy for years and years, call Megan at 240-766-8966.

Bee in love with the artwork of your life.