Santa - I know him

Santa Claus is returning!

Santa will be with us Saturday morning, November 13th. And, we're looking for a white Christmas this year. That's right, our set will not be the traditional "living room" set we've used in the past. We're planning on a white tree, white background, some snow-like elements and the like. All will be accented by traditional colored ornaments and accents, so your traditional Christmas clothing will still look great.

We'll post some photos of the set once we get it set up.

We have only a limited number of visits available. We will not be extending the event, nor will we be able to "squeeze" extra visits in. So, if you would like to schedule your appointment, do so now.

This year's visit will be hosted at Brittany's Dance Academy located next to Best Office Solutions and The Mane Attraction.

We've Moved!

A lot of factors come in to play when you make big decisions. The decision to leave downtown Waynesboro is no different. Rising overhead, poor economy, a desire to see my family all played major roles in our decision to move all our production home and close the downtown office.

We're still in business. Graphicsmith Studios will still be shooting seniors, school portrait and events, weddings, portraits and the like. First Edition Custom Printing will still be creating business cards, flyers, posters, note cards, programs and such.

We've got some great things planned, so stay tuned. If you've got any questions, contact us through the website, or call us. Our numbers aren't changing.

Oh, please pardon our chaos as we make this transition.

Seniors have arrived

The seniors have arrived and the heat is back with them. We've started slow with only three this week, but next week we will be busy, busy, busy. I'm glad Jessica and Mariah will be back. I hope they are ready.

We'll be posting photos from the various sessions very soon, so stay tuned. Check out the website, Facebook or our Twitter feed for more details.

Also, we'll update our online calendar in the coming days. If you haven't scheduled your senior session, you can check out the calendar to see if the slot you wanted is still available.


- stay tuned for more.

Down, and nearly Out

You can reach a point that is just on the other side of exhaustion that ultimately leaves you on your back.

Lori and I both reached that place this week. After shooting more than 26 Gigabytes of images (2200 between Center Stage and Jackson/Cowart) on Saturday, I was knocked off my feet all day Sunday. I sweated; I froze. My muscles ached (even my toes hurt) and the room spun a time or two when I got up. After feeling better Monday, I tried to get some work done.

I prepared for EBA's graduation, but shortly before it started, Lori was carted up in an ambulance and whisked away to University Hospital. A tingling feeling came over her, starting in a circle around her head. As it moved down, she felt sleepy. She said it was "a sleep I didn't think I would wake up from." She was driving when it first happened, so she pulled over and let it pass. After reaching her mom's house in Sardis, another wave came over her - this time worse. She could not shake it as her body became more and more numb.

Ambulance was called; EMTs loaded her up and away they went to Augusta. I got a call about all of this just as the EMTs arrived. I met the ambulance at the hospital. Fortunately, after a series of scans, x-rays and blood work, the doctor determined it was due to stress and lack of rest.

New Websites Launched!!

Our new website is finally launched, but since sites need constant updating, it may never be completely finished. We're still working on a few areas, so contact us with any questions. (The website address remains the same - www.graphicsmithstudios.com, so if you don't see the new site, just refresh your browser. It could still take up to 72 hours for the site to make its way around the net.)

Lots of new things are on the website, including four slideshow galleries and information on our portrait, wedding and senior sessions.

We integrated a calendar, so you can see when we are available, and we've even added a contact form on the calendar page so you can request more information about a particular date.

You can also join our mailing list, become a Facebook fan, or begin following us on Twitter. Contact form, guestbook, multiple galleries and links to two proofing galleries.

Our new sports and school site is now active (and we're still tweaking it when we can) and more content will be uploaded soon. A lot of legacy content from our other site will be moved over when we can make it happen. From our school and sports site, you can order prints, buttons, mugs and the like. But you can also design your own posters, memory mates and trading cards.

Our wedding and portrait proofing will remain the same. We love the way it works and I'd like to be able to show off its capabilities a bit more. Many fans and customers don't realize that you can display two images at the same time so you can compare them. You can tag your favorites and only display them or send them to me. You can also just place your order online.

I invite you to look around the new site and send us your feedback. Since website troubles surfaced last year, I've wanted to have a great way to integrate a lot of information you want into a site with lots of fun images and the stuff you want to see. This is a big step in that direction. As we continue on, let us know what other info you want and we'll see about getting it posted.

Oh. We've got a new logo, too. Let me know what you think.