Monday, October 27, 2008

Announcing....XOX Boudoir!!!!


Come on now...Boudoir photography is just the hottest thing right now. Not only are gals glaming up for their partners but even more so; for themselves! It's not only a fantastic confidence booster but it's tons of fun too! Studio Blue has just launched a whole entire site dedicated to, you guessed it, Boudoir Photography! You can book personal shoots and even boudoir portrait parties right online. We also are so excited to offer the First Ever, Boudoir photography site that also carries an entire line of lingerie. Check us out at XOXBoudoir.com and be sure to enter coupon code NEWXOX for 40% off of any purchase until Nov. 27, 08. Enjoy!

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Holiday Portrait Time :)


Yup, it's that time of year again! Holiday Portrait time! What better gift to give to family than a holiday photo they will cherish for years and even generations to come. Give the gift that keeps on giving. Come in for a holiday session as a great opportunity for photo gifts and even holiday greeting cards. Schedule your session today. Spaces are limited!

Off to NYC...my favorite city in the US.


As I get that twitch, a little shake and an antsiness running through my body I realize what's going on. It's called withdrawal. I have a serious addiction to big cities so badly that on a whim I've forced my family to pack up the strollers and a picnic lunch just to go to NYC for the day at the park. I know you're thinking..."Hello there Tina, there are parks EVERYWHERE!" Yes, I know that. But the fast pace, the crowded streets, the amazing architecture that covers every inch of every building and the characters you see in the city are second to none. It's just one of those places we all fit into. So, I'm overdue! And just in time too. Lucky for me the Photo Plus Expo is this week and it's in NYC! My favorite of favorite spots. I'll keep you posted on my trip. Until then "I LOVE New York!" Do you?

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Kylah and Mike ~ Congrats!!!

Congratulations Kylah and Mike! Their wedding (despite the rain) was breathtaking! Every detail planned out and some really awesome locations including the Glen Island Harbour Club in New Rochelle, NY. Thank you for sharing your day with us!

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Studio Blue...we missed you!


Back by overwhelming popular demand....drum roll please....Studio Blue Photography. For those of you wondering about the ever lasting name additions we have seen over the last 6 years I have the story here! I have also been asked many times how we got our start. So, here goes!

Six years ago, I had just turned 22 years old and had my son Zack. Igor and I married very young with me at the tender age of 20 years and 1 week old! We were high school sweethearts who met at our first job at the local McDonald's. And were inseparable ever since. We married while still in college and I was an art education major and he was in engineering and the air force. I had received my first camera (a blue 110mm) when I was 5 years old and have taken pictures ever since. Throughout high school I had studied photography and film and video non-stop and if you were ever wondering where I spent my study halls, it was in the dark room. It was a true love. It was well known throughout the school that my "dream job" would have been to be a photographer and I often told people, "just watch, some day I will own a studio". It seemed so rediculous to think that, but hey, we all have dreams. While in college, I worked full time as a manager for a department store and attended college full time also. It was busy but I loved every minute of it! Interacting with people was just so fun. Making friends with random old ladies or little kids or helping that dad find that perfect holiday gift was what made my job so rewarding. The People! That still remains true to date and is still what I love most about my job. So anyways...after having my sweet Zack, I had not realized that for me to return to work and pay for daycare would cost me more than what I was making working full time! That was quite a shock and we reached a brick wall. It was at that point that I stopped and said to myself, "You know what? I'm going to do this!" I had spent my high school and college life dreaming up a wonderful job and putting practice into it but never actually thinking it could happen. This was the push I needed. So, Igor and I built a website with the photography I had done over the years and we waited. A short time later, I got my first call and first booking! We were sooo excited to get (at that time) the $50 deposit because it meant we could finally go grocery shopping! There was a light at the end of the tunnel. Our first year, we ended up photographing 9 weddings. The second year, we photographed 20, the next 32, and the next 45! The business continued to grow and we were ever grateful to each and every couple that admired our work and our dedication. My business started out under my name: Tina Parsadanov Photography. Once I hit a point where I started hiring employees, I thought to myself that it might be a little rediculous to say, "I work for Tina Parsadanov Photography". That's when we adopted the name Studio Blue. The name Studio Blue came from a photograph I had taken while on our Annual R&R in Cape Cod. It was a photograph of my son pointing to the ocean (he was 18 months old). You can see the photo below. As you can see, the ocean is blue, and the sky is blue and the blue just seems to completely dominate the photograph. The blue represented the sky (air) and the ocean (water) both of which are needed sources of life. Life is what we photograph. Studio Blue = Studio of Life. So, after much "trying to reinvent ourselves", we are back! And We're back with a BANG! Studio Blue has started several new programs being implimented this week that we are so terribly excited about! I will mention one....a new Portraits for Life program. For every wedding couple we have photographed over the years and those upcoming into our future, you will receive a "Portraits for Life" membership allowing you free portrait sittings for, well, your life! It's our way of saying THANK YOU! You are the very reason that we have grown to be what we are today. We cannot say thank you enough! Please look forward to other new programs being offered that will show our appreciation for having such fantastic clients! We are truly blessed! Thank you and God bless you!

Friday, October 3, 2008

Tricia and Billy ~ Congratulations!!!

The beautiful wedding of Tricia and Billy. I can't say enough about how perfectly it went. The locations were breathtaking from the enormous Congregational church in Hartford, to city hall and then the new Gershon Fox Room in the old GFox building. The whole day was gorgeous.

Date Night

Oh my gosh, the sweetest thing ever!! About 4 weeks ago Igor and I started having weekly "date-nights" and we alternate who plans it. It has been so fun! We have only gone so far as to cooking a gourmet meal at home after 8pm when the kids are tucked in and dreaming of sugar plums and then we dress up and then surprise the other with our fanciful dish in a room of candle-light followed by a card game or movie. I should start posting those recipes because they have been to die for!!! So, although I have no pictures :( ...I did want to let you know what we did last night because it was just the best ever. So for the past 6 years (pretty much since our son Zackery was born) I have always mentioned in passing that I really miss being able to go to art museums. Young children and art museums where you cannot touch, just a BAD combo! So as a surprise, Igor arranged for a sitter to come. I was swept away at about 5:30pm having no idea where we were going. And...we went to the Wadsworth! We spent 2 hours there oohhing and ahhing over the beautiful pictures and pots and just amazing creations and the use of color and balance and framing and composition. It was awesome. Then at 8pm, we headed to a reservation at my absolute favorite restaurant; Max Downtown. I have cheap taste apparently ;) For anyone who has never been to Max Downtown, it is a beautiful restaurant that is very modern eclectic. They have a piano bar on Thursday through Sunday and they serve wonderful steaks, chicken, and wine, etc... We enjoyed their Rhode Island style calamari and then for dinner we had the gorgonzola and carmelized onion stuffed filet mignon served with these tiny and strangely round carrots and a potato augratin. Just amazing. They also do host smaller events such as rehearsal dinners and we have even shot a wedding here so if anyone is looking for a really NICE place to go out or have an event, I highly recommend Max Downtown. Their staff treat you like gold and they have the best food and service I have ever had. (That's why it's my favorite!)