The Little Black Dress... Essential Elegance

Tis the Season!

The holidays are finally here! This is the most exciting time of the year, when there is plenty of Christmas cheer and holiday parties galore! So what better time than now to start getting our wardrobes ready for all of the celebrations? Well, here are some tips to help get you ready to step out in style this season.

As women, the single most important essential in our holiday arsenal is the Little Black Dress! The little black dress is a must-have fashion staple for any woman who likes to get dressed and go out on the town. It is a timeless look that is versatile and practical all at the same time. It's the ideal go to option when you have a special event to attend and you have no idea what to wear. Whether the event calls for an after-five look or something simple and informal, this one item in your closet can be easily transformed into something amazing with just the right accessories. The little black dress communicates style, class and sex appeal in a very subtle way, and it is easy to wear for just about any occasion!  

Now accessories are going to play an important role in how you present your overall look. From dainty earrings to choker necklaces and even layered pieces, you can decide just how fancy or conservative you want to be. You can choose from high heels to low heels or whatever suits you (psst... the higher, the better. Trust me.) However you choose to accessorize, if you cater to your own unique personal style, you can never go wrong. Remember though, that the whole purpose behind wearing a little black dress is to be sexy (oh and flirty), so don't be afraid to be adventurous with your accessorizing. It's your night, so feel good and have fun!

Thank you so much for visiting our blog! Keep up with the Team at Photography by Sean Ponder by visiting our website at PhotographybySeanPonder.com or on FaceBook at Facebook.com/PhotographybySeanPonder (Like our page!). You can also follow us on InstaGram at Instagram.com/PhotographybySeanPonder. We follow back! 

Until next time, Peace, Love and Light!

Angela

The Creative Director
  




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The Dynamic Duo - The TEAM at Photography by Sean Ponder

Like we always do at this time... The Dynamic Duo is BACK!

Since this is the first blog of 2014, allow us to extend our warmest, "HAPPY NEW YEAR" regards to all of our readers! We are glad to be back after the holidays and other life circumstances brought us to a bit of a stand still. However, like anything else, we have to always proceed in faith that we are exactly where God wants us to be, doing what He wants us to do and being the example He wants us to be. I must say that building this photography business has brought us face-to-face with a wealth of challenges, but at the same time, it has awarded us a lot of great opportunities and a chance to meet and network with some really outstanding people, and for that we are truly grateful.

Well, after a brief hiatus and putting everything on hold, we FINALLY decided to delve into our long awaited promo shoot for The TEAM. Kind of corny, but I like to refer to what I have always known the acronym for T.E.A.M. to be... Together Everyone Achieves More, as something to live by while we continue to work on our dreams. We love having something that we can build TOGETHER. This business is our passion and we are enjoying every minute of the journey. We are learning and growing TOGETHER, and although we may not always agree, the lessons learned are well worth the late nights and occasional stress we experience.

For our photo shoots, I decided to give the stylist in me room to step forward and be more prominent. While I allowed Sean to simply be who he is (he usually doesn't budge when it comes to comfort), I decided to experiment with plenty of color and a totally new look! It was a lot of fun, and in the end, I think all of the looks worked for me. What do you think?

The TEAM at Photography by Sean Ponder

The Photographer & Lead Visionary

The Creative Director & Stylist

  

On Saturday, March 8, 2014, we will celebrate seventeen years of marriage. Those kinds of numbers really help to put things into perspective. We have two phenomenal sons (ages 14 and 9) whom we would go to the ends of the earth for, a great life, and a business we could literally see building and growing into an empire. As long as ideas keep flowing, we will continue to keep moving in the direction we are led... TOGETHER (#TeamPonder). If we could offer anyone advice when it comes to starting your own business, it would be to never give up on your dreams. Put less faith in yourself and every ounce into God and the vision He has given you, and then put in the work required to be successful. He will give you everything you need to get started, but it is all up to you to make the first move. Let's start the process of making our own dreams come true in 2014. Wishing you the best!

Thank you so much for visiting our blog. You can find out more about us and our style of photography on our website at www.PhotographybySeanPonder.com. Like us on FaceBook and follow us on InstaGram and Pinterest!

As always, be blessed!

Angela
The Creative Director

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Why Photography?

When we decided to dive into the wonderful world of photography, it really wasn't a dive at all, but more of a stroll along the shallow end. Just to give you a little bit of history, my husband picked up a camera for the first time as a teen. It was his grandfather, John Ponder's Nikon. He was following in his footsteps, by taking snapshots during regular church events. Once he entered college, his days of taking photos had ended (for the moment), while he focused on a degree in Business Management, and later getting married and starting a family.

Fast forward to 2007, almost 20 years after he took his last photo, he picked up the camera once again; but this time it was definitely a different kind of experience. Although he was only using a point and click camera at the time, he soon realized the way in which he captured images was a far cry from the simple "point & shoot" shots he took before. He truly had a God-given gift. He knew instinctively, if he wanted a certain angle, he would need to bend into it, or circle around his subject, maybe stand on a fixture above or lie on the ground below, just to get what he saw through the lens to meet with his vision. He uses this ability to adapt to his full advantage. He also discovered he had a lot more to learn beyond using the automatic or manual settings and the flash on his Nikon, if he wanted to create a memorable PHOTOGRAPH, and not just to take a picture.

He began purchasing photography equipment and backdrops and taking online courses, to improve on his technical knowledge of the equipment, the lighting, the editing process, and a host of other skills he would need to be successful. Above all else, he would need to shoot and shoot OFTEN, critiquing his own work, and finding areas of improvement with every single image taken. Eventually, he went from simply liking photography, to living and breathing it. He had found his new passion. He is now well on his way to developing his own unique, innovative style.

Now, as his wife and a freelance writer in my own right, he asked me to join him in this new and exciting endeavor. He felt I had a lot to offer in helping to build the brand. It only made perfect sense! I could carve out my own personal niche in the grand scheme, while still helping him to develop a solid brand and reputation for quality with his photography. I focused on studying creative posing, ways to promote, pricing research, and of course, blogging. We also needed to know the business side of photography, so I tackled that as well, including building client relationships.

We are side-by-side at each and every shoot, which has expanded my role to include directing the shoots, from start to finish. Eventually, what began for me as the title of "Administrative Assistant", quickly transformed into the title of "Creative Director". We love being able to work together doing something we truly enjoy, and even more, we love the responses we receive from our clients!

Here are a few client testimonials...

"I had a wonderful experience working with the Ponders. I loved the locations picked out by Angela. They were fierce & edgy! I can't wait to use their expertise for my daughter's graduation pics. I'm looking forward to working with you guys again very soon!" ~ Sheteka A.

"We have been more than pleased with the superior quality of Photography by Sean Ponder.  Their attention to detail, the clarity of the photo, and the unique angle shots have created cherished mementos that we will enjoy for years to come!" ~ Anita J.

"I recently had the opportunity to work with the awesome husband and wife duo, Sean and Angela Ponder, of Photography By Sean Ponder.  I was made to feel welcomed and at ease during my photo shoot, from the moment I arrived. The quality of the photos was exceptional! I have received many compliments and comments regarding the professionalism of their work. I was quite pleased with my experience. You all will go far. You both are humble and strive to give your best. Your blog niche is, to me, one of a kind. I don't know if anyone else does that, but it adds a little something extra to the experience. You two made me look and feel like I was about to walk into my destiny. You all did an amazing job! Truly, you brought my journey to life!" ~ Millette M.

(*A special thanks to each of you for sharing a word about our service!)

If you're looking for an "Out of the Box" photography experience, book us NOW!

  

Thank You so much for checking out our blog. You can also find us on FaceBook, Instagram and Pinterest at Photography by Sean Ponder, and on Twitter at @Sean_Ponder. Stay tuned for more to come!

Blessings!

Angela

The Creative Director

Visit us on the web!

www.PhotographybySeanPonder.com

www.behance.net/PhotosbySeanPonder

 

A "Mother's Day" Photo Shoot

Every Mother's Day, I ask my husband to take photos of our sons and me. They have grown so much, that I want as many photos as I can get of them, while they are still young. We have always been very big in capturing photos of them to track their progress, from childhood to adolescence to manhood. It is an exciting time in our lives, as we watch these two very independent young men come into their own, and discover their own gifts and talents. They have actually both become pretty curious about photography, which I am sure makes their father very proud. We decided to teach them early to always have an entrepreneurial mindset and develop the desire to come up with creative concepts, work for themselves, and endeavor to make their own money on their own terms. Once you've lived and you've learned, it is important to teach the next generation about their potential to do more and to be even greater!

Now, back to the photo shoot...generally, every photo session with our kids involves giggling, loss of focus, constant movement, a little irritability, and lots of TIME. We have found them to not be the easiest subjects to work with, possibly because they are our children, and our lives are filled with non-stop laughter on a regular basis. They seem to struggle with getting serious when we're all together.

Our eldest son seems to appreciate getting on task as soon as possible to get the job done, so he can quickly return to the things that teenagers do, but our little one just can not help himself. He is truly a character and literally keeps us in stitches! Well of course, since I am the session coordinator and creative director, I had the task of directing the vision for the shoot and deciding exactly how I wanted the end result to come across. This can be VERY challenging when I am in the photo myself, but I made it happen. What we didn't realize during the shoot was that my husband never stopped shooting, and managed to get some really great outtakes. We generally do not even share these types of images, but they were so funny, we just could not resist! The facial expressions of our little one are priceless!

So after some smile coaching, instruction in what direction to face, and lots of giggling, we finally got it right. Working with our own kids certainly makes photographing other children seem like a breeze!

Final Image



Thank You so much for checking out our blog. You can also find us on FaceBook, Instagram and Pinterest at Photography by Sean Ponder, and on Twitter at @Sean_Ponder. Stay tuned for more to come!

Blessings!

Angela

The Creative Director

Visit us on the web!

www.PhotographybySeanPonder.com

www.behance.net/PhotosbySeanPonder