Pam Long Photography reopens!!

EXCITING NEWS!

Pam Long Photography will reopen TODAY, Wednesday, August 24, 2016! We are thrilled to be back in our studio again!!

Please contact me to set up your appointment! We are excited to work again and we appreciate your patience since the devastating flood that raged through Historic Ellicott City, July 30, 2016. If you’ve ever considered having me photograph your family, high school senior or your pets, this is a GREAT time to call! 🙂  We will have an amazing time creating beautiful portrait art for you to enjoy for years to come. And remember, we provide business portraits if you’re in need of an updated headshot!

85% of our portraits have been created in our studio or along Main Street, using our beautiful town, buildings and river as backdrops. Though we will not, at this time, have access to Main Street, we do have access to other incredible locations until Main Street reopens. I’m looking forward to creating breathtaking and impressive portraits with you, whether it’s in our studio or on location. Guaranteed fun, no matter where we are! I appreciate the generosity of so many people offering their gorgeous locations for my outdoor sessions.

Please note, access to my studio will be through the back of our building via Church Road, by appointment only, and you’ll be escorted into our ‘gated community’ :-)!

I truly appreciate everyone that has reached out to me this past month. Your words of encouragement have meant the world to me. While I’m thrilled to be working again, I look forward to the day when I see my fellow businesses and residents right back where they belong. xo

I’d like to extend a very special thank you to Pam Mason of Mason and Friends and to Regina Ford and Pete Mangione of Turf Valley Resort and to Kristin (leaving her last name off because it’s her personal property) for offering to share your space, with me and my clients, while mine was not available. You were a special light that shone during a very uncertain time.

Thank you to everybody for your heartfelt messages that you’ve sent! Thank you to friends, my husband and daughters for helping me get my studio up to snuff these past few weeks, I couldn’t be opening today without your help! 🙂 I’ve said many times, that I’m one of the more fortunate ones, with minor damage.  Having said that, it hasn’t been easy in the least. But, I’m looking forward to rECharging, starting TODAY! #ECStrong #rECover

I’m looking forward to hearing from you. 410.988.5563 or pam@pamlongphotography.com

THANK YOU!

 

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It breaks my heart thinking of the lives lost that evening, thinking of the people that suffered, thinking of how powerful the water raged that evening to cause such destruction. So many residents have been displaced and business owners and employees without income because of a two hour span of time!

I will be writing more blogposts about the progress made these past few weeks, but I want to take a moment and thank the county leaders for guiding this mission to help the residents, business owners, building owners and employees of Historic Ellicott City come back stronger. Thank you, Allan Kittleman for your leadership and communication. As progress has evolved, you have continually kept us informed. Thank you, Jon Weinstein, for being here every step of the way, and for immediately turning around, after landing in Spain for your much deserved vacation, to come back and be with us. Thank you to our state leaders for your assistance, thank you Governor Hogan. To the police for working around the clock helping to keep our town secure, thank you. To all of the emergency personnel for everything you’ve done and continue doing, thank you. To Maureen Sweeney-Smith, Karen Besson, Tom Coale and the ECP Board for being beyond awesome while working hard for us. To all of the county workers, working so hard bringing our town back, thank you. I’d like to thank the volunteers and the organizers for all of their time and resources they’ve invested in helping everyone in need, you are AH-MAZING! To the people and businesses that have donated supplies to help with the clean up venture, thank you! To everyone that has donated to http://www.helpellicottcity.com, thank you! To everyone that has donated to personal gofundme pages, thank you. To the neighbors helping neighbors, you are amazing, thank you. To everyone that has shared info and events on social media, raising awareness, thank you. To all of the many businesses hosting fundraisers, thank you. For the young ones having lemonade stands and bake sales, thank you. To the many friends and strangers that booted up and shoveled through stores, helping the business owners, thank you. To my daughters who understood, without getting upset, when we had to cancel our mini vacation, thank you. There are so many people to thank, and again, I’ll write more on that subject, but thank you for keeping the beautiful people of our town in your thoughts and prayers. I’m blessed to be a part of our wonderful commUNITY.

These two photos were taken by my building owner, Ron Peters. Unfortunately, he had three properties damaged by the flood. I appreciate Ron’s endless desire to work swiftly and efficiently to get his tenants back in his houses and buildings. He got the necessary work done and inspectors in asap in order to restore some sort of normalcy for his tenants so they could move back home! I’m happy that the tenants in the Howard House are back in their apartments and his commercial renters can be open for business! I’m fortunate that you are my landlord! Thank you, Ron!! You ROCK!

 

This is the first day that I headed in to check out the studio.

I hope to hear from you soon and look forward to creating beautiful works of art with you!

Thank you!

Jason’s Senior Portraits {Ellicott City High School Senior Photographer}

“Pam really captured the essence of Jason in the photo shoot. When I look at his portraits years from now, I will be reminded of who he was in this stage of his life, and I will treasure and be forever grateful for the memory.”  Jo Ann Kohler

I had a great time meeting with Jason and his mom to discuss their needs and wants for senior portraits.  Of course, like most senior guys, he was pretty much here because mom wanted him to be! Most guys aren’t running in to our photography studio asking us to take their pictures.  But….we find, once they’re done, they realize it’s not that bad and they have a great time! 😀 Jason, very kindly, writes, “I felt that the session went very smoothly.  It was easy and I had fun with it!  We got a little creative and I truly enjoyed the experience. I think I could have shot for another hour to be honest! Thank you, Pam.  Sincerely, Jason”

We are proud and honored that Jason is one of our Class of 2015 Senior Spokesmodels.  He is, like most seniors, very busy with a lot of activities and commitments.  Not only does he play baseball and run cross country for Marriotts Ridge High School, but he’s on the Student Government Executive Board too! Seniors have a lot on their plates and balancing their schedules between academic achievements, extracurricular activities, college applications…to name a few, can be a challenge.  I’m always so impressed to see them handle everything!  I’m excited to see what is in Jason’s future!  I know it’ll be magnificent!

We created Jason’s portraits in our photography studio, as well as some of our favorite spots along Main Street in our Historic Ellicott City. I hope you enjoy them; we really had a great time creating them with him.

Thank you, Jason, (and Jo Ann 🙂 ) for choosing Pam Long Photography for your senior portrait needs.

 

    

 

 

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Whether you choose to be photographed in our studio, on location or along the quaint streets of our own beautiful historic town, you will truly enjoy your experience with Pam Long Photography. Clients enjoy a variety of portraiture, from maternity and babies, to children and families, high school seniors, pets, business headshots and special events. Whatever occasion life blesses you with, we will help you capture and document those moments to cherish for generations to come.

To receive information about what we offer and how we can meet your needs, please contact us at 410.988.5563 to set up a complimentary consultation. We look forward to transforming your memories into your favorite works of art!

 

Will’s High School Senior Portraits ~ Howard High School {Ellicott City Photographer}

Will is one of our AWESOME senior’s from Howard High School. Not only did we have the pleasure of taking his senior pictures, but his family portrait as well.  Oftentimes, parents ask if they can incorporate a family portrait into their child’s senior session.  That is one of the many types of sessions that we provide and definitely an option worth choosing.

Although Will was initially a little camera shy, he quickly warmed up to the lens. We enjoyed spending a nice evening with his fun loving family. 🙂  Thank you so much for choosing Pam Long Photography for your senior and family photos.

    

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Whether you choose to be photographed in our studio, on location or along the quaint streets of our own beautiful historic town, you will truly enjoy your experience with Pam Long Photography. Clients enjoy a variety of portraiture, from maternity and babies, to children and families, high school seniors, pets and special events. Whatever occasion life blesses you with, we will help you capture and document those moments to cherish for generations to come.

To receive information about what we offer and how we can meet your needs, please contact us at 410.988.5563 to set up a complimentary consultation. You can find us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/PamLongPhotography. Be sure to “like” our Page so you can stay tuned in for our specials, promos, and latest news!

We look forward to transforming your memories into your favorite works of art!

410.988.5563

pam@pamlongphotography.com

“LIKE” us on facebook at https://www.facebook.PamLongPhotography

Santa Paws UPDATE!

The countdown is officially on! It’s hard to believe that we are less than two weeks away from DECEMBER 1st. Have you marked your calendar? DONT WAIT! Book your appointment now, spots are filling up quickly! Call us directly at the studio 410.988.5563 to schedule your appointment today.

Already have plans & can’t attend? We are accepting donations, please mail a check to: Pam Long Photography 8202 Main Street Ellicott City, MD 21043. Pay to the order of Animal Welfare Society of Howard County. You are also more than welcome to drop off any pet friendly donations at the studio prior to the event.  Let’s see how much money we can raise for this fantastic cause! 🙂

We couldn’t be more excited to announce our sponsors for Santa Paws!!! We have received such great support and participation from local businesses, our furry four-legged friends are in for royal TREAT! Together we can make a difference for Maryland’s animals.

We would like to recognize all of our sponsors for making such generous donations! We truly appreciate everything from the doggie bags and treats to gift certificates and baskets filled of goodies for our raffle, we couldn’t have done it without your help.

A very special THANK YOU to:

Bark! Pawsitive Petfood.  Clarksville, Maryland

Dogs & Company.  Columbia, Maryland.

Dogtopia Clarksville, Maryland.

Petco

Petsmart

WorkPlayBark Historic Ellicott City

What better way to get into the holiday spirit than by having pet portraits taken with International Award Winning Photographer, Pam Long.

Your favorite four-legged friends can enjoy a fun photo shoot AND help local animals in need. Through our Santa Paws Charity Event we will be raising funds, awareness and pet food donations for a local animal shelter,Animal Welfare Society of Howard County. Together, we can make a difference for Maryland’s Animals; $30 of every $60 session fee will be donated to the Shelter. This price covers a mini portrait session with a pet. Those who bring a bag of cat or dog food to donate will also receive a complimentary 5X7 portrait (Value $59) with your order!  Special package pricing for this event!  Packages begin as low as $149!

If you missed our original you can read more about it by clicking HERE.

Family Portraits – Ellicott City Family Photographer

I had the pleasure of creating family portraits for this wonderful family.  This is the embarrassing part…last year… 😮 (I’m so far behind in blogging).  They attended our Halloween Charity event last year and received a certificate to put toward a future session and I was thrilled when Euncha scheduled a design and planning session to create their family portraits.

I really enjoy getting the entire family together for family photos.  It’s a great opportunity to celebrate each other.  I’ve had the honor of watching these kids grow up and they’ve really grown into beautiful, respectful, fun and smart kids.

As I look at these images, I can recall the laughter and fun we all had during their photo session.  Thank you, Tony and Euncha for trusting me to produce these beautiful portraits for your family!

I was happy to deliver this wall portrait framed and ready to display above their fireplace.

The following  2 images of the kids,  grace their walls as 20″ gallery wrapped canvases.

Thank you Euncha and Tony for the honor of photographing your beautiful family!

And FYI to any residents in Anne Arundel County, Euncha and Tony own Grateful Pets, a terrific pet service company, phone # 410.266.3998, email at info@gratefulpetsinc.com   Be sure to check them out when you find you need such a service!

xo

Maternity Portraits for gorgeous Michelle {Ellicott City Maternity Photographer}

We had the pleasure of hanging out with Michelle a couple of weeks ago. She is an extremely smart, beautiful, on-the-ball, stylish woman who is about to give birth. Tracy and I enjoyed her so much, we didn’t want her to leave the Studio!! 🙂  From the moment she emailed, through our phone conversations and our time in the photography studio together, I learned more each time what in incredible person Michelle is.  Once again, I’m reminded how fortunate I am to be able to document and create emotional, high-quality photography for our clients.   This new chapter in Michelle and her family’s life is thrilling and we’re honored to be describing it through our photos.

She came back the following week for her Portrait Premiere and loved her maternity portraits as much as we did. She’s so in love with her husband and their family and is really looking forward to welcoming their newest addition into their family. I’m cannot wait to meet her baby when they return for his newborn session.

Thank you, so much Michelle, for choosing Pam Long Photography for your photographic needs.  We are truly honored.

Here are a few of Michelle’s portraits from her maternity session.

Michelle’s love is so evident…

Thank you, Michelle!  And congratulations!  We wish you and your family all the best and are looking forward to seeing you all soon! 🙂

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Thank you for visiting our blog.  We hope you come back!

We’ve started our business page on facebook. If you are a part of the facebook community, we’d love for you to “like” our business page by clicking here. 

We specialize in stylized, custom portraiture:  maternity, newborns, babies, children, family and high school senior portraits.  We love photographing our clients in our fully equipped photography studio as well as on location  If you, or anyone you know, is looking for beautiful, high quality, custom portraiture, we’d love the opportunity to talk with them.  Studio office: 410.719.0405.   Email: pam@pamlongphotography.com

Thank you! 

Pam won Portrait Photographer of the Year at Maryland Professional Photographer’s Association award banquet {Howard County Photographer}

I am sooooo excited about the recent awards that I was honored with winning a few weeks ago at the Maryland PPA’s award banquet.

In the past, I sat through many Print Competitions watching, observing, learning and taking notes, too scared to enter my own. Listening to Master Photographers critique people’s images was really insightful, truly opened my eyes. When I started competing, it was still insightful, and eye opening, only now, with HUGE butterflies in my stomach! The MDPPA has 3 competitions during the year and then a competition at their Annual Convention. I made an effort to submit images during the 3 competitions and I was overjoyed each time and increased my knowledge each time as well.

So….this year I won Portrait Photographer of the Year!! ♥ This award is given to the individual who accumulates the most points in monthly competitions. I also was presented with Best Portrait of a Woman from our Annual Competition. Another award that I was really excited about winning was a Judge’s Choice! There were 5 judges at the Convention Print Competition and 145 entries submitted. Each judge gets to choose their favorite image and award the maker with a Judge’s Choice….and one of the judges chose one of my portraits!! I was thrilled, excited, humbled and overjoyed!

I want to extend a big huge thank you to my clients that I’m privileged to photograph! Documenting special occasions, milestones, and events whether it’s a wedding or a child’s playdate is such a pleasure for me. I’m really one of those people who can say I LOVE what I do. Whether I’m photographing in a photojournalistic manner or creating a formal portrait, whether my subjects are sitting, standing, walking or dancing, in my Studio or out on location, the essentials of proper lighting and posing need to be innate and competing with my peers helps me become a better photographer for my clients. So, THANK YOU to my current clients, I’m looking forward to continuing our relationship and serving you throughout the years. To those of you that I haven’t had the pleasure of creating your portraits yet, I hope to have the opportunity in the future! 🙂

For those of you interested in knowing what the judges look for in images, here is a list and brief explanation of the 12 elements (taken from the PPA website):

The Twelve elements listed below are in accordance to their importance.

Impact is the sense one gets upon viewing an image for the first time. Compelling images evoke laughter, sadness, anger, pride, wonder or another intense emotion. There can be impact in any of these twelve elements.
Technical excellence is the print quality of the image itself as it is presented for viewing. Retouching, manipulation, sharpness, exposure, printing, mounting, and correct color are some items that speak to the qualities of the physical print.
Creativity is the original, fresh, and external expression of the imagination of the maker by using the medium to convey an idea, message or thought.
Style is defined in a number of ways as it applies to a creative image. It might be defined by a specific genre or simply be recognizable as the characteristics of how a specific artist applies light to a subject. It can impact an image in a positive manner when the subject matter and the style are appropriate for each other, or it can have a negative effect when they are at odds.
Composition is important to the design of an image, bringing all of the visual elements together in concert to express the purpose of the image. Proper composition holds the viewer in the image and prompts the viewer to look where the creator intends. Effective composition can be pleasing or disturbing, depending on the intent of the image maker.
Presentation affects an image by giving it a finished look. The mats and borders used, either physical or digital, should support and enhance the image, not distract from it.
Color Balance supplies harmony to an image. An image in which the tones work together, effectively supporting the image, can enhance its emotional appeal. Color balance is not always harmonious and can be used to evoke diverse feelings for effect.
Center of Interest is the point or points on the image where the maker wants the viewer to stop as they view the image. There can be primary and secondary centers of interest. Occasionally there will be no specific center of interest, when the entire scene collectively serves as the center of interest.
Lighting—the use and control of light—refers to how dimension, shape and roundness are defined in an image. Whether the light applied to an image is manmade or natural, proper use of it should enhance an image.
Subject Matter should always be appropriate to the story being told in an image.
Technique is the approach used to create the image. Printing, lighting, posing, capture, presentation media, and more are part of the technique applied to an image.
Story Telling refers to the image’s ability to evoke imagination. One beautiful thing about art is that each viewer might collect his own message or read her own story in an image.

Thank you for visiting my blog. I hope you come back!

We’ve started our business page of facebook. If you are a part of the facebook community, we’d love for you to “like” our business page at by clicking here.

Senior Portraits Ellicott City–Pretty, Sporty!

Rachel here, with a spotlight on another amazing senior!  After our last featured senior, Mark, I had the pleasure of assisting Vanessa with another portrait session for the lovely Amanda from Centennial High School. She brought some great outfits and props, including some of her sports equipment from softball and field hockey, as well as her clarinet. We love to show the important aspects of our “photographees,” and Amanda got her game on! After some sporty photos, we played with some other super cute outfits (check out below) and got some unique photos with her class ring. The clothes she brought worked really well with a variety of our settings, including the white background (a favorite of mine, especially in this case). Amanda, your photos are gorgeous, and we hope you had a good time taking them. We certainly did!

Ellicott City Photographer, Senior Portraits–Photographing a Fisherman

Way back in November (a lifetime ago!), we had a fun senior portrait session with Mark Pohutsky from Glenelg High School. It was one of my first senior portrait sessions, “me” being Pam’s intern, Rachel. We love it when clients bring props that show something unique and interesting about them, and Mark appeared at our doorstep with his fishing rod, cap, and sunglasses in hand! We took some great outdoor photos in our Portrait Garden of Mark with and without his gear, and then headed inside for some indoor photos and his yearbook picture. We got some great traditional yearbook photos, and some fun ones. Something tells me he won’t be using this picture in his yearbook, though!

It was a great session– it’s always fun when people bring props to their sessions. There are so many different photos to choose from!

We had a great time taking your senior photos, Mark! Thanks for choosing Pam Long Photography!

Senior Portrait Photography, Ellicott City–Books, Books, Everywhere!

Allow me to introduce myself: my name is Rachel, and I’m interning with Pam at Pam Long Photography this year (and I’m thrilled about it!).
We recently had an excellent photo shoot with a senior named Laura from Mount de Sales Academy! We photographed her entire family the week before (check out the photographs below!), and she just couldn’t get enough of us so she got her own senior session! We had a great time photographing her twin brother, Chris as well.

Laura is a big bookworm, and for her photos she brought five bags full of her favorite reading material. We had a great time stacking up the piles into a tunnel for Laura to lie down under and read her favorite book, and everyone got into it! Her collection was envy-inducing: the entire Harry Potter series (bought in England!), Le Morte D’Arthur, Edgar Allen Poe, Looking for Alaska, a whole bunch of books by Tamora Pierce…I would name many more than that, if I could remember them all! It was a super unique set of photos, and lots of fun–especially when she stood up and knocked them all down!
Laura is also a budding photographer, and that lent a whole new set of ideas for portraits. But I won’t ruin the fun: check out some of the samples below!
All in all, it was a great time, one of my favorites so far. Laura, we had a great time doing your senior photos, and we hope you did too!

Fun with the whole family!

Laura’s brother Chris got his senior portraits with us as well!  Chris is an awesome senior at Mount St. Joseph.

And our magnificent book piles come tumbling down!

And now, a note from Pam.  Wow, what great sessions we had with this incredible family! Jodi, thank you so much for contacting us and choosing Pam Long Photography as your photography studio for your family portraits as well and your senior portraits.  We had a magnificent time with your entire family.  I had a great time planning your different sessions with you, photographing and getting to know your family and having you back in the Studio for your Portrait Premiere. It was fun watching you all interact together.  It’s been a true pleasure getting to know you and your family.  Thank you. 🙂

Rachel, you are a gem.  Thank you for your assistance during the sessions, for your genuine love of photography and for wanting to be the best you can be.  I’m honored to have you interning with Pam Long Photography this year!  And congrats on your first blogpost!!! 😀