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Mother's Day Portrait Sessions

Mother's Day is right around the corner. There is a lot for a Dad to do on this holiday. He has to think about his wife, the mother of his children, his own mother and something from the kids to their mother. sdfs

Dads, you might consider breakfast in bed, sending her off to brunch with her girl friends, or having the kids make her some painted pottery. Or, you might consider something different this year. (Mom, if you are the one reading this, just go right ahead and forward it to your husband.)

A common complaint among mothers is that they are never in the family pictures. As the one behind the camera in our family, I can relate. More often than not, Mom is the family photographer. It isn't a job she minds so much, but it would be nice for the kids to see their Mom in a photograph every once in a while. So, whether you are a mom or a dad, you might want to remedy this problem and schedule a Mother's Day portrait session. 

A portrait session is a perfect Mother's Day gift. It lasts much longer than flowers or even a coffee mug. There are lots of ways to arrange this. Dads can surprise Mom and schedule a "Mom and kids" portrait session. Or he can be there too, for a whole family session. Just make sure you give Mom enough notice to change into something cute. She'll appreciate that.

Or you, Mom, could take the initiative and set up a portrait session yourself. There is nothing wrong with stating exactly what you'd like for Mother's Day this year. Some husbands actually prefer to have things spelled out for them.

You might even consider hosting a Mom and kids portrait party and get some of your other Mom friends in on the fun. They are probably missing from a lot of family photos, too.

Whatever you decide, please let us know as soon as possible so that we can get your portrait session scheduled, or send out a gift certificate, before Mothers Day actually arrives.

More Cardboard Art: Building a Robot

Photographs by Greta Eskridge

I knew that long-time client and friend, Greta Eskridge, would be a great addition as a guest blogger here at the Dodgen Photography blog. Seeing her post about the cardboard robot her son made, sealed the deal (in case you didn't know, we're big fans of cardboard creations). In Greta's words:

My son James loves to build things out of cardboard. If he sees a box lying around the house, he is sure to ask if he can use it. This time he wanted to make a robot.

It was a pretty straight forward project.

First, I cut off the back of the box, then a hole for his neck and two holes for his arms. This allowed him to slip it on and off easily by himself. We used an additional box, with eye holes cut out, for the head.

Next, he decorated it. Besides markers or paint, some glue and various shiny things are just right for decorating a robot. Tin foil would also be fun.

He was pretty pleased with his creation.

A little imagination goes a long way with a cardboard box.

Greta

For additional photos, go here.

Spring Hikes

Photographs by Greta Eskridge

Spring is the perfect time to take a hike. Everything is in bloom, the skies are blue, the sun is out, but the air is still cool. It feels good to be outside.

Kids are great hikers because they are naturally curious and they love to explore. As long as you don't expect them to hike an eight mile trail with you on your first time out, they will have a good time. A little planning goes a long way in making your hike successful. You might find these tips on hiking with kids helpful.

I took these photos at Riley Wilderness Park in Orange County. It is just beautiful right now, and one of the many parks to explore in Orange County. You might find it hard to believe, but the OC is rich with hiking trails. There are beach hikes, mountain hikes and everything in between.

I have found these three sites to be helpful in locating good hikes.
Brian and Ashley's Hiking Blog!
Wilderness Parks
Hiking Trails

We hope you and the kids will make it out to a trail this spring. If you do, please share your adventure with us. We'd love to hear about it.

Greta


Photographs by Greta Eskridge

Dodgen Photography is Going Green

Press Release

***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ***

Long Beach, California, April 1, 2010 -- After years of photographing children exclusively in black and white, Dodgen Photography is adding a new color to their repertoire - green. With so many companies going green these days, it seemed only a matter of time until photographers jumped on the green bandwagon, and Dodgen Photography is taking the leap in a big way.

Dodgen Photography's owner and primary photographer, Jeremy Dodgen got his inspiration for the change from photosynthesis, the process by which green plants use sunlight to synthesis foods from carbon dioxide and water, generating oxygen as a byproduct. Dodgen hopes to create a similar synthesis in portrait photography and be a breath of fresh air in a color-saturated portrait world.

While revolutionary in the photographic world, Dodgen points out that their is a long history of the use of green in portraiture, including some of the most famous men in United States history. Washington, Lincoln, Jefferson, Hamilton, Jackson, Grant, Franklin have all been immortalized in green.

Dodgen wants to assure his current, as well as potential, clients that this move is not just about the money, stating "we won't just capture green backs, we'll capture faces, feet, hands…the whole person."

There are definite economic benefits to the green initiative, including job creation. To help with the effort, Dodgen Photography recently brought on several leprechauns to develop just the right hue of green. It soon became apparent that there would be the added benefit of reduced carbon footprint, after all, leprechauns have really small feet.

Quoting a favorite actor, musician, and green advocate, Dodgen knows "it's not easy being green," but adds "when you see the green sparkle in the children's eyes, you know all of the hard work is worth it."

Contact: Jeremy Dodgen
Office: 562.856.2755

Dodgen Photography is a renowned for their ability to capture a child's true personality, in their one of a kind green and white portraits.

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Below are a few photographic examples demonstrating why green is the new black:


Dodgen Photography is going green to help reduce their carbon footprint.


Ella couldn't be happier with the changes.

Happy April Fools Day!