For more information on the Coolwater Creek Event, click here to go to our other article about the event.

Here is what Treasure Valley Photobooths services are all about.

Forget old-fashioned two-seater photo booths, dusty curtain backdrops, and traditional boxy models. Capture the memories at your next event with Treasure Valley Photo Booth instead—we have a booth that we consider the next generation of photo booths guaranteed to be the life of the party! We’re talking more room than you’ll know what to do with. We’re talking glossy backgrounds available in eight different colors. We’re talking super sleek rounded edges, customizable exterior panels, and an aluminum frame. We bet you didn’t know photo booths had come such a long way. Just smile, snap, print, and voilà! Our booth’s stylish design and state of the art professional photography equipment will impress guests as they strike a pose and marvel at the expert quality pictures. Its instant pictures, instant fun—the perfect party favor—and because we like to keep things personal, a variety of customizable options are available for your event. Color photos?  Or classic black and white? A user-friendly touch screen interface prompts patrons to pick their preference. Blue backdrop? Maybe yellow instead? Our booth does it all, and we can apply your logo or special text with names, dates, or any message to your prints.

Perfect for:

Having photographed quite a lot of weddings and having seen how much the guest like photo booths I would highly suggest it for any occasion.  This gives your guests an opportunity to let their hair down and let loose and have some fun getting unique photos taken.  I have watched people have so much fun and the bride and groom get some extra memories of their special day to have with them.

 So give them a call today at 208-697-8331 or email them at trea...@gmail.com.  I know they are running some special for the month of May 2012 so check out their facebook page.

 Also while considering a photo booth for your wedding, don’t forget to choose Crane Studio Imaging as your wedding photographer.  We still have some availability this year so give us a call at 208-779-0183 and take a look at our website and facebook page.

What’s even cooler than this?  There will be five local photographer set up in different areas of the town to take your photos using the town as a backdrop.  What a great way to remember Mother’s Day 2012 and to update those old photos in your house.   Photo packages will be available for purchase, some of the photographers can take credit or visa logo debit cards but all can take cash or check.  Your photos will be available to you after the event from your photographer.

This would also be an opportune time for Brides seeking a venue or a photographer to see the grounds of the Coolwater Creek and interview some amazing photographers.

Here’s how to take part in the Mother’s Day Portrait Walk.  The date is Sunday, May 13^th, 2012 from 1:00pm to 5:00pm.  Contact Coolwater Creek at 208-887-7880 and there is a $15.00 admission per family.  Payment can be taken over the phone using your credit card or payments can be mailed in.

Advanced reservations are appreciated  for this event by calling: 208-887-7880 but you and your family can just walk-in and pay $15.00 at the door on the day of the event.

Coolwater Creek is located at 7355 S. Eagle Road in Meridian, Idaho.

We at Crane Studio Imaging want to offer a special for all of our newly engaged couples.   If you book a 60 minute engagement photo session by February 29^th 2012 you will get 30 digital images to choose from on CD and a three pack of 3 x 3 custom themed mini albums to remember your day.  Your mini albums will have up to 10 photos from your session.  The cost of Valentine’s Photo Special is $250, if you book your wedding with us by the deadline you will get this for free.  Book now and shoot later! You can even wait for the warmer weather and do the session in the spring.

All booking must be made by February 29th 2012 and a retainer fee of 25% of the session must be paid in advance or you can opt to pay for entire balance.  Email us or call us at 208-779-0183.

I have had the honor of photographing Kinsley even before she was born.  Mom had some awesome maternity photos.   So with celebrating her 1st birthday we decided to do a cake smash session and as you can tell from the photos she did an amazing job.  She loved the cake and a couple of time I actually thought she was posing for the camera.  She was absolutely adorable and I can’t wait to continue photographing her as she grows.

I am putting together a permanent cake smash collection where you can get 60 – 90 minute session, 15 digital photos from the session, 30 customized birthday invitations cards 5 x 7, smash cake, and a customized facebook timeline graphic of the session all for just $275.   The price is an introductory price as I do with all my new collection ad-dons so book now by sending us an email at l...@cranestudioimaging.com and we will get you on the schedule.  A 50% retainer is due at booking or you can pay for the entire session when you book.

The two winners of Crane Studio Imaging Diamond Candle giveaway are Heather A. from Middleton, Idaho and Rebecca F. from Caldwell, Idaho.  Emails will be going out to both of these lucky winners.

I wanted to thank all the people that helped me with the Wedding Show this year.  I wanted to thank my two staff members Noemi and Nikki for doing an amazing job, Marita from An Extraordinary Affair, Tami at Flutteryby Floral for doing an amazing job on our flower displays, Diamond Candles who provided the candles, the vendors who I met at the show, and all the amazing people that I got to talk to who came out.

For those of you who didn’t win we still have our show special coupon in the brochure with a $200 off coupon valid till the end of March 31, 2012.  So book a consult with us for your wedding and all you need to do is to provide a 25% deposit by the end of the March to get this deal.  Please bring your flyer with you to the meeting.  We ask all brides fill out our pre-wedding meeting form so I can get an idea of what you are looking for and have all your dates and current arrangements.  We look forward to working with you for your wedding photography anywhere in the Treasure Valley or Resort Areas of Idaho.  We also do destination weddings and have specials pricing for that.  I did have a lot of questions on if I did other photography besides for weddings and we do maternity, baby’s first year, family, senior, and corporate photography.

Please check out our webpage and like us on facebook . 

5 Minute Wedding Planning Form

We have an awesome giveaway planned with some Diamond Candles, all which contain a ring that can be valued at $10, $100, $1000, or $10,000.  We will also have a show special but the only way to take part is to get a brochure at our booth and talk with one of our wedding photography consultants.  So if you’re looking to save some money on luxury wedding photography, be sure to get one of our brochures.

 When it comes to wedding day preparations, do you pay any attention at all to the space in which it will all actually happen? A lot happens there in a short period of time and whether you choose to get ready at a private home, a hotel or at the venue, even though you have little or no control over the environment, there are some things you can keep in mind when selecting your space. This is just one of many details that will all come together to make a difference in your wedding day.

 I have enlisted the help of some professionals to provide a valuable glimpse of the room through their eyes so we can gain some insight from their experiences and to give you some valuable information to add to your checklists.

 Every wedding album has shots of brides, grooms, guys and gals, family members getting ready for the wedding. Every photographer has ideas on how to set those up. Some are of the toasts, the tears and the reflections of what is taking place. Over the years, photographers develop kind of a routine of what they think will work the best for your particular wedding and with what you have. However, these types of shots do not just randomly or candidly present themselves to be photographed. Great photographers will always take extra time (next blog watch for wedding day timelines) to make sure that those once-in-a-lifetime shots happen and are captured, and they will work hard to tell the story of your day in that very magical way.

 LISA CRANE: Crane Studio Imaging (http://www.cranestudioimaging.com/), Boise, Idaho. Lisa will be a featured vendor at the Nampa Wedding Show on February 4, 2012. Please come and check out her booth, visit her website, email, or call us at 208-779-0183. “The light is going to vary because of the time of day. I mean, there are some times when the light is harsh and other times the light is perfect. Like 2:00 p.m. light is harsh, but 8 a.m. an 6 p.m. the light is very nice.   I try to tell my brides to check out their venues a 2 weeks before the wedding at the time of their wedding to know where the sun light is going to be. This will help in placement of the ceremony.  You don’t want the ceremony to be in blinding sunlight or half light and half shade.  One other piece of advice of where you decide to get changed if your venue doesn’t have a big enough changing area.  I would suggest the Anniversary Inn in Boise.  Their suites are gorgeous and make an excellent background for your photos.  They are also downtown so they are close to many venues.”

 “Here is some advice for wedding venues. Changing rooms with track lighting with the yellow bulbs are the worst I have ever had to photograph.  The bulbs should be soft white lights and not the standard bulbs that give off a yellow glow. Those LED lights are pretty nice and give off a soft white glow, making great photos. On some girls the wrong lighting makes their cover-up appear to have a green tinge in photos. Venues thinking of adding some natural light in the bride’s changing area by adding a window is a great idea and the placement of the window should be towards sunset since most of your weddings happen in the afternoon.  Just make sure they have a curtain to be able to block the light if needed too. Natural light always makes the best for photos.  As far as wall colors, I like neutrals or light pastels.”

 CANDICE COSSEL, Serendipity Studios (http://beyondordinary.net/ ), Miami, Florida (previously Meridian, Idaho). Please check out their web site if you are not familiar with their photography. “The most important thing is natural light. Getting ready in a bathroom or under other lights not only looks horrible in photos (i.e. orange) but also can give a false appearance of the makeup. Natural light is essential. Number two is space. If you have a bride, her mother and 5 bridesmaids trying to get ready in a regular hotel room — it’s not going work! There is no room to maneuver and it feels stressful. The last thing about the space is clutter-free. I typically think homes are not a good idea because there is just so much stuff around. Clutter is a stressor. Also, it can make beautiful photos suddenly not so beautiful.”

 Candice also provided a short list of items that you might want to have on hand for those pictures of the small details that make your wedding albums special. These items should be on your checklist and with you in the room (wedding day timeline again).

 Here are her suggestions: “As far as what to have with you…Dress on a pretty hanger, rings (both bride and groom), jewelry, vein and/or hairpiece, shoes, garter, perfume, gifts (if bride/groom gifts are being exchanged), invitation, programs and any other special items.”

 Barbara Zubizarreta, who is a local stylist from Boise, Idaho, had done her share of weddings and always welcomes the ladies to come either to the salon (The Electric Chair downtown) or she will make herself available on site. Please call her at 208-440-1418. She now offers this piece of information for us: Plenty of electrical outlets, tablets for products and irons near the outlets and, of course, chairs. As stylists we tend to be very adaptable. Mirrors are a must – the bigger the better – and more than one. With more than a few girls getting their hair done and doing makeup or having it done, this is a must. Wedding parties sometimes get very large, add a few stylists into the mix and it can get crowded, so a fair amount of space would be great.”

 From my perspective as a wedding planner, I look at a few more items when helping a bride get her space ready. It is interesting to see these from a different perspective and now we can add a few more items to our own checklist.

 Thank you ladies for your contributions. If you have any comments or suggestions, please let me know on my FB page (An Extraordinary Affair) or you can email me, or check out the website http://www.extraordinaryaffair.com/ . Happy Planning.

Honalee Farm Event Center on site visit Friday 01/13/2012

This is their first season as an event venue and I decided to check them out for my clients.  Decidedly, not every venue will work for every wedding, so it is important to match the venue to the style of your wedding.  On this winter afternoon, it is hard to imagine the lush green lawns, the water in the pond with the summer sun reflecting off the fountain spray and refracting into a thousand little bits of color, pots of colored blooms scattered throughout with the large shade trees giving off just the right balance of shade for guests as they enjoy the outdoor ceremonies beside the pond.  That is what your summer ceremony will be like. 

The guests will enter through their own gate, with the drive looping directly around the pond and parking tucked away out of view.  There is a drop off area immediately adjacent to the building for any special needs guests.  The guests will walk down a winding path, over the bridge that reveals a small creek cascading into the pond, to see the building where the reception is going to take place.  This building has windows on east and west exposure that roll up, garage-door style, to bring guests that welcome breeze on a summer evening.  The double doors on the east side of the building open onto a large patio, which can be utilized as reception space, dancing under the stars, or a tent pad.  The owners are having a tent custom made to attach directly onto the building, so you could enter the tent directly from the building.  On the south entrance, there is a small porch at present, but there are plans to expand this out over the pond a ways for small intimate ceremonies or dinners with your guests. 

Toward the rear of the building is a commercial kitchen and the drive actually loops up almost to the door for access by your catering team.  There is a beverage area with a large ice sink and a lot of working area.  One of the large windows is positioned in this area and opens up wide for service out onto the patio.  There is a trend now to offer nonalcoholic choices or to go completely nonalcoholic, and there are two large garden carts which would be perfect for cool lemonade, punch or artesian water for your guests.  The sound system is state of the art, with speakers outside and in the building, and wireless capability for your officiant.  Plans are underway for a separate building for the ladies to get ready, with all conveniences kept in mind for that day. 

As with many venues, cost is a big factor and careful attention to budget is needed here.  It is very clear after speaking to the owners and taking a tour of the venue that they have really tried to approach their planning from every side – what works for the area, what works for the guests and what works for them.  Please visit their website for more details at www.honaleefarm.com or call them at 208-286-0533.  The property is located at 7010 Moon Valley Rd., Eagle, ID 83616.

Don’t forget to choose Crane Studio Imaging for your wedding photography, you can use our 5 minute wedding planning guide to tell us about your day and we can send you a personalized collection made just for you. For your wedding planning needs check out An Extraordinary Affair for planning your wedding and take the stress off you and your maid of honor.  They also offer a MOM package which is they have developed for our DIY brides.  We know those hours before the wedding are moments that can never be recreated and so precious for any mother.  We step in and take care of all the details, coordinate the vendors and ensure that mom can spend that time with you.  This is the best gift to show appreciation for all she has done to help make your day so special for you.   You can also call them at 208-861-2279 for more details.

We have more reviews of other Treasure Valley venues properties click here and here to see more.