Tag Archives: metro Detroit photographer

“Life Began” With Facebook And Today Is My 5th Birthday!

Facebook

October 3rd, 2007.  A glorious day – it was the day I came into the world………of facebook. That makes today my 5th birthday and I am celebrating with this blog post.  Facebook wasn’t my first exposure to social media but it was the site that changed everything for sure.  Taking a little trip down memory lane I was able to see the days I became friends with my best friends from my previous uninformed, boring, non-connected life.  The early days of facebook were truly baby steps for me – I didn’t have much of a filter, I started status updates with verbs as if my profile name of “Doug Cohen” had to be the beginning of my sentence.  I did that for over a year – like this pearl of wisdom from 11/25/08:

 

Doug's facebook status from 11/25/08

Groundbreaking huh?

Traveling right along, today I relived two of the best moments of my life.  On 12/16/09 my daughter who was 10 at the time made the winning basket in overtime to win in the championship game of her basketball league.  I’ll never forget that moment and how excited she was and on 6/16/11 my son who was 9 at the time got his first two hits of the little league season after struggling quite a bit up until that point.  I’ll never forget the smile on his face that evening and afterwards he was awarded “player of the game”.  I see a couple of anniversary wishes from Ally and I to each other here and there and many other milestones, images and memories along the way.

As for Frameable Faces, we had a couple “groups” for a while but when the business profiles/pages were released we moved over to that format and the main Frameable Faces page was born on March 12, 2010…..

Frameable Faces Photography, Facebook, Social Media

……. and its younger sibling, the Frameable Faces for Seniors! page was born 4 days later on March 16:

Frameable Faces for Seniors!

We have used facebook to expand our reach and build relationships as a studio, and personally we have used it to share good times (and bad) with friends and family.  We’ve shouted out for some shoveling help when we were snowed in and had someone show up at our door in 10 minutes. We’ve told jokes, argued, debated, learned and even watched the children of our friends grow up.  We’ve made new friends and rekindled relationships with old ones.  It’s been a remarkable 5 years.  What about you?  Take some time to look through your timeline and see what you find.  When did life begin on facebook for you?  Tell us in the comments below!

When You Fell Did You Get Back Up? Our Top 8 Wipeouts

Top 8 wipeoutsThis post really has nothing to do with photography, but there might be a life lesson in here somewhere by the time you are done laughing at us.  I poke fun at Ally for being a clutz but I’ve had a few good spills myself over the years.  So here we go with our top 8 wipeouts in no particular order (even though I saved the best for last – don’t cheat)….

Our Top 8 Wipeouts…

  1. Doug vs. his shoelaces.  This goes back to the summer of 1987 while playing high school football for North Farmington against Detroit Denby in a summer 7-on-7 tournament at Wayne State University.  Summer 7-on-7 tournaments are non-contact – no pads and no tackling.  I went across the middle for a pass and got hit hard by one of their linebackers.  I got up and squared off with him and all eyes were on us.  “What the H was that?” I yelled.  “So maybe I tripped” he said.  We stared each other down for a second – suburban kid vs. city kid, and then I turned to walk away…. and tripped on my shoelace and fell flat on my face.
  2. Ally shows her graceful side on the honeymoon.  Ally and I got married in 1996 and went first to Disney for 4 days and then on a week long cruise.  We were dressed to the nines for the formal dinner when Ally pulled a spectacular faceplant just outside of the dining room in front of about 100 people.  She survived and we laughed our butts off.
  3. Doug decides not to be outdone on the honeymoon.  I believe the story went something like this…  We were on our way to the tender to take us to the island from the ship when I realized I forgot something at the room.  I went back to get it while Ally waited only to find out I went the wrong way and ended up at the wrong end of the ship.  Not wanting to miss the boat (literally) I sprinted down the hallway of the ship in flip flops which I can now tell you is dumb.  My flip flop got caught and I went flying – I saved my fall by instinctively grabbing on to the rail and I sliced my right hand in the process.  When I finally got back to Ally my hand was covered in blood.  I still have a pretty nice scar from that one….
  4. Ally vs. a Bosu ball. This happened in the summer of 2012.  Three weeks before our daughter’s bat mitzvah Ally was working out and fell off of a bosu ball chipping a bone in her foot.  Luckily she was able to get away with wearing a bootTop 8 wipeouts
    Top 8 wipeouts

    Bosu ball

    Bosu ballfor a couple weeks and she was good to go for the bat mitzvah.  It wasn’t easy though – especially when we found ourselves deeper into a forest than we planned for a senior photo shoot and that hike was pretty tough on Ally in her boot with a still freshly broken ankle….  what a trooper!

  5. Doug “leads” the team through the hoop. As I am fond of pointing out (with love of course) Ally has never “saved” a potential fall in her life.  If she trips at all she’s on the ground.  As with my own honeymoon wipeout this was another one I “saved” but it was no less embarrassing.  For this one we go back to high school for our opening football game on September 5th (my 17th birthday)…  It was at Southfield Lathrup and I was a captain of the team so I led the team out onto the field and through the big paper hoop the cheerleaders had made for us to bust through.  However the girls didn’t notice that they were holding the hoop right over the edge of the paved high jump pit and I stepped right on the edge which sent me stumbling for about 7 steps through the hoop.
    Top 8 wipeouts

    Doug gets a sack

    I’m sure our opponents were very intimidated….  We still won though 17-7 and I even though I had an unfortunate fumble I did still have two sacks.  Here’s a picture of one of the sacks (I’m #31 in white).

  6. Ally on the sidewalk.  Ally was strolling along one winter day in front of the student union while she was in college at Michigan State when she went down hard on her butt on a patch of ice as she was saying hello to someone on the sidewalk.  Ally tried to play it off with her “cute little outfit on and cute little boots” as she tells it, but she was definitely a little embarrassed.
  7. Doug on the driveway.  Ice strikes again…  I slipped on a patch of ice on the driveway maybe about 6 years ago or so.  Legs went straight out and I landed hard on my butt – to the point where I was pretty sure I broke my tailbone.  It was bad enough that I went to the doctor for x-rays but there was no break.  I was sore for a couple days but no major injury.
  8. “Mmmmmm Strawberries”.  This is really the most epic of all of them.  We were up North spending a weekend with friends at their house in Boyne City.  We were hanging out on their dock on Lake Charlevoix when my buddy’s mom brought some fresh strawberries down.  It was a beautiful day and Ally was enjoying a perfect moment with her strawberries when the back leg of her chair slipped off the edge of the dock sending her head over heels and crashing upside down into the water about 5 feet below.  She survived that one without a scratch, but that was definitely one of the most intense moments of pure chaos I’ve witnessed.  Absolutely gut-busting hilarious.

There you have it.  The top 8 wipeouts.  I kept it to 8 in order to keep it even – I could have mentioned Ally’s dive on her first senior session or her tumble into a couple bikes at spinning class, but that wouldn’t be fair.  Hehe…

The point of course is that this post is a metaphor for life.  We all fall from time to time.  Life is not about whether you fall.  You will.  It’s about whether you get up, and hopefully you can laugh at yourself a little and enjoy the whole experience along the way.  What was your best wipeout?  Share it in the comments!

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Frameable Faces Photography
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Frameable Faces Photography is a small biz retail mom & pop shop of Doug&Ally Cohen located in the Orchard Mall in West Bloomfield, Michigan, United States Of America!
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Ally & Doug can be reached at the studio at tel:248-790-7317 or emailed at mailto:info@frameablefaces.com
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Snapchat: http://snapchat.com/add/frameablefaces
Facebook: http://facebook.com/frameablefaces
Twitter: https://twitter.com/frameablefaces
YouTube: https://youtube.com/frameablefaces
Instagram: https://instagram.com/frameablefaces
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/frameablefaces
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Being “Frameable” is an attitude, a community, a way of life – a life you would want to celebrate and display on your walls for all to see!  Tell us… ARE YOU FRAMEABLE?
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Join the Frameable Faces Community – sign up for our email newsletter for the best of the week in the Frameable Faces World!  Click here!

 

7 Tips For Getting The Most From Professional Headshots

In today’s world of social media and with the opportunities available for online networking and Professional Headshotsmarketing,  great professional headshots are more important than ever.  So where do you start?  How should you go about it?

7 Tips For Getting The Most From Professional Headshots:

  1. Go to a pro.  Okay so we’ll admit that this tip is a little self serving – this is a blog for a professional photography studio after all…  But whether you live in Metro Detroit and come to us, live in Metro Detroit and don’t come to us, or wherever you might be reading this, the point is do NOT leave your professional reputation and image to a friend with a camera phone, and choose your studio carefully.  Headshots are not that expensive and you need to make a good impression – it’s worth spending the extra 100 or even 200 dollars to have a high quality photo.  A good headshot by itself is not likely to land you a million dollar deal, but a crappy unprofessional headshot could potentially lose you one.
  2. Have your headshot match the type of business you are in and your approach to that business.  For example, if you are an attorney you will want a different headshot if you are in the business of putting away the bad guys or enforcing non-competes for corporations than if you are an amicable divorce attorney.  If your job requires you to be tough and serious than you may want to look serious in your photo.  If your job requires you to be helpful and understanding than you may want to look caring and inviting – with a nice smile.
  3. Try to stand out a little.  Depending on your business it helps to not be boring.  If you are in a creative business and you are trying to increase sales based on your ability to come up with a wow factor then it’s okay to be edgy.  A cool hat, an unconventional expression, a different color background – if you are an artist be true to your style.
  4. Be careful in trying to stand out.  Don’t go overboard.  If you are trying to stand out and it comes off as silly or unprofessional it can backfire.  If you find yourself asking if your idea is a little too cheesy than it probably is.  Use the advice of your pro who is in the business.
  5. Be prepared.  This would seem to go without saying, but think about your clothing ahead of time.  Make sure your hair is done/combed properly, and if you are a woman a good rule of thumb is 30% more makeup than usual.
  6. Make sure you update often enough to match how you look.  If you gain or lose a considerable amount of weight, if you have decided to shave your head or shave your beard after wearing one for 5 years, if you have gone grey since your last headshot, it’s time for a new one.
  7. Update your profiles.  Once you get your headshot make sure you update every profile you use online – especially the personal profiles you use for business.  This includes your website as well as your LinkedIn, twitter, and others for example.  As an extra tip within a tip, consider how you use your different profiles.  For example you may use facebook purely for personal purposes and therefore you may not want to use your professional headshot for your facebook profile.  That’s fine, but be aware that just because you’ve distinguished your personal profile as personal that doesn’t mean that how you conduct yourself there may not impact your professional reputation.  It can – absolutely.

We hope this helps and we wish you success!  What other tips do you have that have helped you for getting great professional headshots as a client or taking them as a photographer?

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Frameable Faces Photography
**********************************************
Frameable Faces Photography is a small biz retail mom & pop shop of Doug&Ally Cohen located in the Orchard Mall in West Bloomfield, Michigan, United States Of America!
************************************************
Ally & Doug can be reached at the studio at tel:248-790-7317 or emailed at mailto:info@frameablefaces.com
************************************************
Snapchat: http://snapchat.com/add/frameablefaces
Facebook: http://facebook.com/frameablefaces
Twitter: https://twitter.com/frameablefaces
YouTube: https://youtube.com/frameablefaces
Instagram: https://instagram.com/frameablefaces
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/frameablefaces
***************************************­*******
Being “Frameable” is an attitude, a community, a way of life – a life you would want to celebrate and display on your walls for all to see!  Tell us… ARE YOU FRAMEABLE?
**********************************************
Join the Frameable Faces Community – sign up for our email newsletter for the best of the week in the Frameable Faces World!  Click here!

Class of 2013 Frameables!

School is in session and we couldn’t be happier with the group of seniors we have photographed so far from the class of 2013!  These young people are so inspiring and we hope you are inspired by these images.  This is a huge year for these kids (not to mention their parents) – like the first big step on the yellow brick road of their adult lives with all the promise, excitement and adventure of a future that is laid out in front of them to make it whatever they want it to be.  That is what you will see in these images – seniors who want the most and aren’t afraid to go for it!  We love our seniors and we’ve had a blast so far with this group – great relationships being built, great stories, great sessions, great times.

There will be more to come, but for now enjoy our first group from the class of ’13!

Senior Portraits, High School Seniors, Frameable Faces Photography, West Bloomfield PhotographerHigh School Senior Portraits, West Bloomfield Photographer, Frameable Faces PhotographyWest Bloomfield Photographer, Frameable Faces Photography, High School SeniorsHigh School Seniors, West Bloomfield Photographer, Frameable Faces PhotographyWest Bloomfield Photographer, Walled Lake Central, High School Senior PortraitsBloomfield Hills Andover, West Bloomfield Photographer, Frameable Faces PhotographyWalled Lake Central, West Bloomfield Photographer, Frameable Faces PhotographyWest Bloomfield High School, West Bloomfield Photographer, Frameable Faces PhotographyBloomfield Hills Lahser, West Bloomfield Photographer, Frameable Faces PhotographyWest Bloomfield High School, Frameable Faces Photography, Allyson CohenWest Bloomfield Photographer, Frameable Faces Photography, High School SeniorsBloomfield Hills Andover, Allyson Cohen, Frameable Faces PhotographyRoyal Oak High School, Frameable Faces Photography, West Bloomfield PhotographerWest Bloomfield Photographer, Frameable Faces Photography, Allyson CohenBirmingham Groves, Frameable Faces Photography, West Bloomfield Photographer

Our Cover Baby is Growing Up!

Remember this little angel face???  Frameable Faces Photography Brochure 2011

Well, she’s back from gracing our brochures and is now a big girl!!!  She just turned two and was STILL such a blast to work with!
Family Portrait, Photography, Frameable Faces, Allyson Cohen, West Bloomfield Photographer
Since little Miss H was born, she’s been a fun one to photograph.  This time, she was all on her own schedule.  She was absolutely adorable and kept Ally moving (because Ally LOVES H, she totally didn’t mind chasing after her!).  We were able to get a bunch of really great images from the session…It’s always so much fun to watch our past “baby planners” grow up into little people.  It’s such a blessing to have amazing clients like L and M that trust you to capture their sweet little ones.  Yet another reason we love our job…We meet the most amazing people, get to hang out and have fun talking with them, and photograph some awesome kiddos.  Personality and all…H is one of our favorite Frameables!!!

Little Miss HDaddy's Little GirlThe Happy Family

Photos of Total Cuteness!

Child photography, Frameable Faces Photography, West Bloomfield PhotographerYou might recognize this little one.  She and her family have been around the studio for quite awhile now.  When we first met “E”‘s parents, they were having her big brother photographed for his newborn session.  That was two years ago.  Since that time, well, we’ve sort of adopted the S family.  Or they adopted us.  When we found out that E’s mom was pregnant again, she gave us the ultimate compliment.  Aside from asking us to photograph her belly (which currently graces the inside of our current brochure!), and the newborn session of the new baby to be….  She told us that she and her husband J wanted US to be the GODPARENTS of their newest family member!  Of course, Ally cried, and we said yes!

West Bloomfield Photographer, Child Photography, Frameable Faces Photography
Well, we had E’s newborn session almost 7 months ago and she came back into the studio this past Saturday.  And being a true Frameable, she was a total rockstar!  Full of smiles and personality.  And she LOVED the flower pot!  How cute is she????
West Bloomfield Photographer, Photography, Frameable Faces
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again….our Frameables are the best!  We love each and every one of them.  And in Frameable form, the S family were clients when they first came in to the studio…  And they left as family.  As literally as you can get!
West Bloomfield Photographer, Frameable Faces Photography, Child PortraitsFrameable Faces Photography, Metro Detroit Photographer, West Bloomfield Photographer

The B Boys Being Boys!

You’ve heard the saying “Boys will be boys”?  These guys were no exception!  But they were completely and totally adorable!  Lots of laughs and LOTS of personality!

Mom was a bit worried that we wouldn’t “get anything good” from this session and she warned us before the session that the boys might give us a hard time.  But since we’re complete “professionals,” we were able to get some awesome expressions!  You know how we do it… silly words and of course screaming really loudly…You know…Totally professional!  Ahhhh….the things we do for our clients!  Ha!!!

 

Whole Lotta Love!

Family Portraits, Frameable Faces Photography

You may have noticed we (and other frameables) have fallen in love with this pose...

If you’ve ever met Doug, you’ll know that he’s a total music freak.  There are very few people our age that can even come close to his eclectic tastes and can have the level of music knowledge to have a conversation about it.  And then came these guys…..

When we met “M”, we knew that she was an exceptionally cool, down-to-earth girl.  Then when we had the photo session and she came in with bags, yes BAGS, of clothes for her family, we knew she’d won Ally over.  During the photo session, which was filled with laughter, cuteness, “boy” jokes and fun chit chat, we were able to capture some really great shots of these guys.  Supremely photogenic takes on a whole new meaning with this family.
 Child Photography, West Bloomfield Photographer
At the end of our time together, M was talking with Doug about music and she was totally holding her own with him!  Y had to take the kids down the hall for some yummy Mickey Mouse pancakes, but it was pretty cool to hear M and Doug chatting about Joe Walsh – M is bit of a rock and roller!  That’s why we’ve aptly named this post after a classic rock song – Led Zeppelin’s Whole Lotta Love!
Gotta love super awesome families that you just totally get!

And We Laughed, and Laughed, and Laughed….

What a fun family to be able to photograph!  From the moment we met S, we knew it was going to be a fun one!
 Family Portrait
There are lots of fun stories that have come out of this session, and when we say that we laughed and laughed…we really did!  C and S are some seriously amazing sisters with an amazing dad.  Brilliant, beautiful and so freakin’ funny!!!  This family kept Ally on her toes with their fun antics, awesome personalities and silliness.   There were some definite “behind the scenes” images taken that C made Ally delete immediately, lots of emotions and a WHOLE LOTTA giggles!  Even younger brother G got in on the laughs!  And he was a total rockstar, too- flashed us some award-winning smiles and everything!!  Little sister princess S was a total diva.  She loved dressing up in the tutus and posing.  And she’s not even 10 yet!!!  Watch out, Daddy!
 Father and SonDaddy and his Girls
The M family was a definite joy to have in the studio!  Probably one of our most fun sessions!  Stop by if you’d like to see some of the outtakes from their session!  We’ve got some really GREAT ones!  Ha ha ha!!!!!!  Just kidding!  😉

Family Fun, Brotherly Love!

Family Portrait, Frameable Faces Photography, West Bloomfield PhotographerWe ordered up a perfect day for this session with a family we’ve known for a long long time, and it was a blast!  The boys had a lot of fun clowning around (which provided for some hilarious outtakes) and we had so much fun photographing them.  We were actually the first people to randomly bump into them on an Ann Arbor sidewalk minutes after they got engaged years ago, and now they are a complete family!