Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Portrait Parties--A Word from our Hosts



Our portrait parties have been very popular since the day we started offering them. After holding these parties for many years, we thought it would be nice to hear from you, the hosts, that pull these parties together.

Our first host is Greta Eskridge. Greta has hosted 4 portrait parties and she shares with us why she keeps coming back for more.

I attended my first portrait party with Dodgen Photography 5 years ago. Not only did I come away with wonderful pictures of my family, I also decided I wanted to host a portrait party of my own.

It seemed like an easy thing to do, a fun way to introduce my family and friends to Jeremy's amazing photography and also, a really easy way to earn some credit towards purchasing more photos from the session.

I was right. It was all those things. But after hosting my fourth portrait party this year, I have found it to be much more.

I host my parties in the fall. (That way there is plenty of time to order pictures for Christmas.) We have used three different locations and in those four years, our family of three has grown to a family of five. Hosting the portrait parties has been a fantastic way to document our growing family, as well as the families that join us each year. I love looking through each family's portraits to see how every one has changed from year to year.
It has become more than a party. It has become a tradition.

If you are hesitant about scheduling your own party or being a hostess, let me put your mind at ease. Judy and Jeremy make it easy. Finding people to attend won't be hard either, once they see Jeremy's photos.

I look forward to working with Jeremy each year for my portrait party. The pictures he takes are some of our family's most treasured possessions. I am so glad I decided to host that very first party. I look forward to doing it for many years to come.

In addition to this post, Greta is going to be a contributor to the Dodgen Photography blog. Greta is a stay at home mom of 3 kids. She is pursuing a new found love of photography, and writes two blogs of her own, Lilly and the Brothers and Picnics in the Park. Look for more posts from Greta on photography news, book reviews, craft projects and more.

















3 comments:

Lillian said...

My husband and I were introduced to Jeremy's Portrait Parties through our daughter Greta. We are now the happy grandparents of 6. We managed to get all of what was then 5 grandchildren to a location in Long Beach for family portraits 2 years ago, and I love those pictures. To my great sadness we were unable to make in up there last year, but look forward to being there in 2010 with what is now 6 grandchildren. Thank you Greta for the introduction.

simply brookes: said...

Wonderful idea. Would LOVE to not only host, but attend a portrait party like what you are offering. Don't suppose you'd be in the DC area anytime soon?

Love the chronicle of the family via photos. What smiling, happy subjects.

Greta, smile on! You and your family are gorg.

Jeremy Dodgen said...

Lillian, it was so fun to have your whole family at the portrait party a couple of years ago. Hopefully, everyone can make it again this year!

Simply Brookes, I would love to come out to DC sometime. I would need to schedule a few portrait sessions and portrait parties. If you want to drum up the interest, let me know and we can discuss dates and details?