Introducing several of our GREAT 2011 Senior Ambassadors

Each year, we select up to 2 lucky students from each local high school to represent our fabulous studio. We are having so much fun getting to know these great kids! We are in the process of doing their custom portrait sessions. Let us introduce our first 2 seniors; Kyle Jorgenson representing Lakeville High School and Anne Ferguson representing Eastview High School. As Ambassadors for our studio, Anne and Kyle receive 2 FREE style photo sessions, Representative Cards, and a lucrative bonus for each referral they send to our studio. They also earn discounts on their portraits for their referrals. Our Ambassador Program is the best program in the area and because of that, we are lucky to hire the best students around to represent our great studio.

Customer satisfaction is our main priority

As a small business that is family owned, each customer means the world to us! We strive to go above and beyond for each and every guest of our studio. In doing so, we have made some incredible friends and loyal customers along the way!

Being very humble people, we don't like to "toot our own horn..." but we are very proud of the business we have dreamed of and grown. We have grown to a successful studio with minimal advertising. The majority of our business comes from referrals and word of mouth. That is just awesome! Below is a note received just today from the family of one of our 2010 senior graduates:

"Thank you so very much. We really love the work you guys do. And we like the kind of people you are. It is nice to do business with a smaller local company, and good people in general".
Thanks,
The Peterson Family.



We all know through experience that a satisfied customer will not always tell their friends and family about their experience unless you as the service provider has provided extraordinary service. On the flip side, a customer that might be somewhat dissatisfied with their experience will not hesitate to tell 10 or more people. If our customers are not 150% satisfied, we have not done our job... we lose sleep over that!

We look forward to creating amazing, custom portraits for you someday and look forward to giving you the same experience our previous customers are talking about! Don't wait to lose those last 10 pounds, etc. to get those precious and important professional family portraits taken! Make your appointment now, you will never regret it! You will regret not having a memorable family portrait in the future if you don't!

2010 Specials and Events at C'est La Vie Photography

Happy New Year! Here's to a new decade... we are praying for another great year here at C'est La Vie Photography! We worked very hard to put together some wonderful events and concepts to start this new decade off with a BANG!

Fantabulous Facebook Fotos
We all want to look “fantabulous” in our Facebook images, don’t we? We are offering Facebook mini-sessions for that very reason! Come and have fun while we create some amazing images of you… we promise to make you look good, real good! Bring your friends! Cost includes all re-touching and 4 images for you to use on Facebook, Just $49 per person.

Birthday Sessions
First birthdays are so much fun, especially destructing the cake! Come during your child’s birthday month and receive ½ price in-studio session. (additional fee for cake) C’est La Vie also has a special gift for the birthday child!

Business & Corporate Headshots
Hey, it’s a new decade! What is your image saying about you? Let us update your professional image. Our headshot sessions include 5 fully retouched, high-resolution .jpg images for you to use in all of your marketing material. Just $195

Mom, Daddy & ME Sessions
During the months of April and May we celebrate moms, dads and their children with ½ priced kids sessions. Many of our portrait boutique gift items are discounted as well and make that very special Mother or Father’s Day gift.

Dog (…and cat) Days of Winter during the month of February
That furry family member is important too! During the entire month of February we are offering a FREE mini-session for your pet with the donation of 1 large bag of cat or dog food which we will donate to the MN Valley Humane Society. Limited space is available so book your appointment soon!

C’est La Vie Seniors!
C’est La Vie Seniors… Rock! Each session includes unlimited clothing changes, portrait retouching, year book image submission, and four Facebook images. And, there is no minimum purchase! You will feel like a rock star at your session and will have an experience you will remember for a lifetime!
Call to hear about our current offers and giveaways at 952.226.3996.

NEW!! Bella V Portrait Parties!
We are very excited about the launch of our exclusive new concept designed by C’est La Vie Photography; “Bella V” Portrait Parties.
Host a Bella V party in your home, invite your friends, family and their children for appetizers and beverages and we will bring our mobile studio to you! Each of your guests will enjoy a Bella V mini session at no cost & no obligation. Our state-of-the-art system allows us to do initial retouching and proofing at the end of the session at which time your guests will preview and order their portraits, framing, and portrait boutique items from the comfort of your home. As the hostess, you will receive FREE portraits and gifts based on the total sales from your Bella V party. Each guest will also receive a special gift from C’est La Vie Photography for attending your party.

HOPE Kids and The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
Following the full recovery of Shireen’s mother from lymphoma over 6 years ago, C’est La Vie Photography dedicated their charitable efforts to The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and became their “official photographic sponsor”. Because of our strong commitment to finding a cure and to the families and children fighting blood cancers, we offer FREE in-studio mini-sessions for the patient and their family. C’est La Vie will also donate 10% of the portrait purchase to The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Call the studio for more details at 952-226-3996.

Angels of Hope Calendar Contest – Begins in April
To further our efforts in supporting the cure to blood cancers, C’est La Vie Photography will be producing a calendar; Angels of Hope, which will be sold at local retailers and through websites to raise money for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. C’est La Vie Photography will be hosting several photo sessions to be held at local retailers and boutiques. The images captured will all be used within the calendar photo contest. The winners will be announced in October and will make-up the pages of this beautiful calendar. The child who wins the Cover will also win one free year of portraits from C’est La Vie Photography! Watch our website, Blog and Facebook Page for all of the upcoming details. Please help us make this venture a success!

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year...

The holidays are here. It hardly seems possible! The studio has been buzzing in extra high gear since the middle of July with senior portrait shoots, families, new babies, weddings... Despite this economy, we have had the best year ever at C'est La Vie! Thank you to all of our amazing customers, we appreciate your business and your referrals. We have grown a thriving, exciting business with minimal advertising! How great is that? That says a lot about our high level of customer service and client satisfaction... we are VERY proud of that! We remain one of the most affordable custom design studios in the area and, we are happy to announce that we will keep our pricing the same for the 5th straight year!

While we reflect on the past year and and our many blessings, C'est La Vie Photography is at the very top of our list. It is our dream come true! What started out as a dream has now become our reality. We are thankful for every customer that has come to us to create their important portraits. We are thankful for our beautiful family and the support they have given us while we have pursued our dream. We wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving.

Above is a small sampling of some of our favorite images captured over the past year. Enjoy!

Where did the summer go??

We have had a spectacular summer both at the Walsh home and in our wonderful studio. We have been thrilled with the work our C'est La Vie Photography Senior Representatives have done for our studio. We have been blessed with another wonderful senior season this year! Pictured above is Maddie, one of our 2010 Senior Representatives. We had so much fun photographing Maddie... we took her to many exciting places and she ended up with so many great shots!

The most exciting time of the year is at our doorstep... fall colors will soon be adorning our trees and our schedule will be brimming with anxious families and seniors. Each year we promise ourselves that we will remember to photograph our family too... here's to crossin' our fingers that this will be the year! We would love to hang a recent 40x60 canvas behind our sofa of our family too!

NEW THIS YEAR... Portrait & Purse parties! We will come to your home and set up our mobile studio to photograph your invited friends and children. As a hostess, you will receive a substantial gift from C'est La Vie depending on the total of your party. Each mini-session will last approximately 15-20 minutes. Your guests will have the opportunity to view and select their portraits at your party and select from our wide array of portrait boutique items; purses, sterling jewelry, custom framing, custom holiday cards, coffee table books... just to name a few! If you are interested, please contact the studio at 952-226-3996. This new concept is sure to be fun! What a great way to get a head start on the holiday shopping!

We hope to see you soon! Keep smiling! :O)

New Look, the same great photography!

C'est La Vie Photography has had a make-over! We have been told by other professional photographers over the years that we should change our studio name. The name C'est La Vie came to us after a lot of thought and consideration. When choosing a name for our studio over 10 years ago we wanted something out of the ordinary as that is the kind of photography and service we provide. We wanted something that had true meaning; C'est La Vie means "that's life!" in French. We loved the ring of the name, the meaning of the name and the fact that it was different. So many photographers just go with their name and with a name like Walsh, that is pretty "normal". So after a lot more thought and valued input from our friends, family and customers, it has been decided to KEEP the name C'est La Vie Photography!

So then on to the fact that we were recently critiqued on our logo... we were told to change it... make it simple, so we did! We really love our new look. We feel it truly identifies the studio; a bit trendy, a bit cool, but classy at the same time.

So... this is our new look, for the last time! We hope you all like it!

Ahhhh... Spring!

Spring is finally here and that means a lot at the Walsh house! Baseball, senior photo shoots, baseball, photographing weddings, baseball, boating, baseball, more photo shoots and even more baseball! Our oldest son plays traveling baseball and we really enjoy watching him play!

We recently returned from the Texas School of Photography at University of Texas, a photography school for professional photographers. We studied under the best photographers in the world. We came home with new found energy, creativity and ideas for our wonderful studio.

We are also very excited about C'est La Vie Photography's Senior Models chosen to reprent the studio for the 2010 seniors. We are looking forward to the greatest year yet!

We have several unique events planned for this year; Dog (and cat) Days of Summer; a charitable event for the Last Hope and Angels of Hope calendar photo contest; a charitable event for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Watch our Blog and Facebook Page for news and information about these exciting events.

Have a fun spring... be safe. We look forward to seeing your smiling faces!

Smiles,
Greg & Shireen Walsh

We are Facebookers!

2010 Senior Model Search Continues...

Our 2010 Senior Model search continues. We select 2 juniors (2010 grads) to represent our studio as a model and ambassador. This prestigious program gives you 2 free designer model photo sessions, customized business cards, custom DVD montage of all images for use on Facebook, ipod cast, etc. We offer the highest reward program in the area for our reps when they refer a friend or student to our studio. You will also have the opportunity to receive discounts on your final prints and open house announcements. Please visit our Facebook page and become our "friend". We offer specials only available to our Facebook friends C'est La Vie Photography Seniors, leave us an email on our website, or give us a call at 952-226-3996 if you would like to be a part of this fun and exciting program.

Already 6 months old!

Bella first came to our studio as a newborn. We did some AMAZING portraits of her and her parents; some are showcased on our website. Bella is one of our "Bella Bebe" members. Bella Bebe is our baby program. This program has become one of our most popular programs. We have photographed Bella at newborn, 3, and 6 months. She will return for her 9 month and 1 year portraits and we will then wrap them all up in the end in a beautiful piece of art for her family.

Painted Portrait For 2009 MN State Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships

This is the painting I did for IGM Gymnastics, the official host of the 2009 MN & IL State Rhythmic Gymnastics Competition, to be held March 21-22nd at Lifetime Fitness in Lakeville, MN. This painting will be used in their marketing and media material. Creating paintings from portraits is such a joy of mine. These pieces of artwork are becoming very popular pieces with our clients. Whether it is a portrait created by C'est La Vie Photography, or one of your favorite images of your own, I can create a wonderful painting from any image.

Buck Hill Racing Teams

Skiing has always been such a big part of our lives. We met in Winter Park, CO, on a ski trip over 21 years ago! Imagine what a thrill it was for us to be contracted by Buck Hill to photograph all of their race teams this year. Greg literally grew up at Buck Hill. He raced there as a kid and now we enjoy going there with our children. Buck Hill is known as the best ski racing programs in the entire country. More olympic skiers have come from Buck Hill then any other! There is still some good skiing to be had there this spring!

economy, economy, economy....

The most over-used, upsetting word we hear about 100 times per day right now. Times are not fun... in fact, they are difficult. As Greg and I reflect over the past year; our accomplishments, goals, and our dreams, we realize that somethings do happen for a reason.

We have gone back and forth for several years on new studio space; something bigger, something that is over the top... better than the rest... really.. really COOL! But, our customers kept repeating, don't move, we LOVE your studio, so we have remained in our "smaller than we would like" studio. It does the job, and quite well we might add. Yeah, it could be bigger, and... oh, the things we would LOVE to have in it. But, now we are so happy that we have listened to our customers and our "budget" & remained steady in our nice studio. Our over-head is low and thus, we are able to keep our prices very affordable. While other photographers who have built their dream studios, with all of the debt that comes with it, are suffering in this economy, we have had the blessing of a wonderful growth. With our level of experience, expertise and quality, our prices remain the most affordable in the area. As my mother always says, "be careful what you wish for..." If our dreams would have come true a year or two ago and we had built our dream studio, we truly feel that we would not be enjoying the business we are today.

We truly feel that everyone deserves spectacular portraits of their family. In light of this economy, we have kept our 2008 pricing in place.

Thank you so much to our faithful and loyal customers. Each and every one of you mean the world to us! We appreciate your business!

2010 Senior Model Search Begins...

Well, it is that time of year again! Where does the time go??? We are beginning our interviews for our very popular Senior Model and Rep Program for the class of 2010. We will be choosing 2 juniors from each local high school to represent our studio. Each lucky student will receive 2 FREE glamour photo shoots; one in our studio and the other at several trendy locations. Our reps have a great time while earning rewards for referring other students to our studio.

If you are interested in being considered to rep for one of the hottest, rising studios in the south metro, please contact our studio at 952.226.3996 to set up an interview. Final selections will be made by March 25th and photo shoots will begin in April. Come see what all the buzz is about!!

Here is what one of previous reps have said about her experience:

"I liked the fact that my portraits stood out... they were so awesome and different than everybody elses. I had so much fun!" ~Kaylee Johnson, Class of 2009, Prior Lake H.S.

Baby Addison

Welcome to the world Addison! We had the joy of photographing Nick and Angie's precious baby girl, Addison. She is just beautiful. We photographed Nick and Angie's wedding last fall. It has been so fun watching this family grow as we bond with them as friends. Although they live in Watertown, MN, we are lucky that they make the trip to our studio for their portraits.

C'est La Vie has gone to the dogs...!

We also love to photograph the other important family member; THE DOGS & CATS! This beautiful portrait was turned into a stunning hand-painted, 30x40 canvas gallery wrap. C'est La Vie Photography is very well known for our unique style of pet photography. Give us a call for the perfect potrait of your pretty pooch!

C'est La Vie Photography photographs Ian Punnett for his new broadcast on Coast to Coast

We had the great honor to be selected to photograph the wonderfully talented, Ian Punnett, for his new broadcast show on Coast to Coast. Ian, and his wife, Margery, host a widely popular morning talk show, " A Balanced Breakfast", on FM107.1. We wish Ian much success on his new journey! What a great man! We highly recommend listening to his local show, you will thoroughly enjoy it.

"Thanks, C'est La Vie Photography, for doing such a great job on this new publicity shot and for letting me light my pipe in your homey studio!" ~Ian Punnett

http://www.fm107.fm/ianmargery/index.shtml

Tune in Monday through Friday from 5-9am. "A Balanced Breakfast with Ian & Margery Punnett" is the perfect way to start your day. As a married couple, raising a couple of kids, they know exactly what you are going through.

Ian does the show from the studio; Margery does the show from home. Together they inform and entertain, laugh and quarrel, engage and challenge each other and you. Ian & Margery along with producers Paul Black and Darci Dunston know: what’s important is keeping life fun.

Ian's newest show: Coast to Coast AM Weekend Edition with Ian Punnett

Coast to Coast AM Weekend Edition with Ian Punnett is spontaneous, captivating, and unpredictable. Whether discussing crop circles, unexplained natural (or not-so-natural) phenomena, or Star Wars technology, Coast to Coast Live is the right kind of talk for late at night and the big ratings gains of the stations that affiliate this program prove it.

http://www.premrad.com/shows/view/coast_to_coast_live.html

Coast to Coast AM Weekend Edition with Ian Punnett
1:00 am - 5:00 am ET: Sunday

Baby Ellie

Ellie is the newest addition to the Evans family. The Evans family have been loyal customers at C'est La Vie Photography for many years. We have really enjoyed being part of their lives in such a special way and watching their 3 children grow! Although they have moved to Wisconsin, they still come to our wonderful studio for their family portraits... that's true loyalty! Thank you to the Evans family for your continued trust in our studio!

C'est La Vie Photography partners with Pink Door Boutique...

We are so excited to announce our latest marketing partnership with Pink Door Boutique which is located in downtown Lakeville. Pink Door Boutique is the Twin Citie's hottest new boutique. They carry unique and designer clothes, baby items, decor pieces, jewelry, and trendy frames. Pink Door Boutique is located in downtown Lakeville on Holyoke Ave. While visiting their store, be sure to check out our latest work adorning their walls and frames. We will be offering some very exciting specials that will ONLY be available to Pink Door Boutique customers. We will be debuting our latest addition to our fabulous portrait handbag collection at the boutique; a custom designed portrait diaper bag! See you soon at the Pink Door Boutique!

Another Gorgeous Wedding...

Congratulations to Angie and Nick! What a beautiful couple. They were blessed with a splendid day for their wedding. We have really enjoyed working with them and look forward to a life long friendship. Thank you Angie and Nick for choosing our studio to document your most special day! We were truly honored! And, we look forward to meeting your new baby girl soon.