We're Moving!!!

A happy Monday surprise for you!! The Studio Hampton Roads is moving!!

We've been so blessed by your constant support and partnership that it's time for us to find a new home that will offer you more creative options, a more professional environment and an even more flexible studio setting to host your clients...and maybe even a few more surprises that we will be sharing in the weeks and months to come!

We will be planning a big grand opening in September, but as we prepare this new home for you, we did want to encourage you to reach out to us for bookings even if the calendar looks full. Why? Because our very first surprise is...we'll have multiple shooting studios of varying price points and stylings so that there is a perfect place for everyone!

We're working a few people in to the new space here and there as we are able, and once September comes, we'll be able to host multiple bookings at once, so if you're planning in advance for Fall/holiday clients, don't fret if the calendar has appointments on it. We're aiming to never have to turn anyone away again!

Thank you again for your love and commitment to what we do. Serving you and providing the perfect environment for you to create art brings us great joy and we are over the moon to be taking steps to serve you and your clients that much better.

Stick close to the FB, G+, Instagram and Twitter feeds, because we'll be releasing fun little sneak peeks in the coming weeks as the new location gets styled and staged with all kinds of fantastically beautiful new pieces for your creative pleasure.

We love you, Hampton Roads!!!!!

XOXO
Somer & Katy

 

Happy Anniversary to The Studio Hampton Roads! 

The past year has been filled with busyness, overwhelming blessings and more community support than we could have ever imagined. We'd like to thank you and show our love by offering a super special anniversary rate!

With gratitude and joy!

Somer & Katy

There have been so many new clients signing up to use The Studio and we know it's only because of you.  So for that, we'd like to start a program that will give back to you as you give to us!  We couldn't do this without you and we're so appreciative of your continued support!

Featured on

Female Entrepreneur Association: 

Katy Blevins was stuck in a job that was putting a damper on her creative energy. The day she picked up a camera was the beginning of new career for her. Today she and her business partner are creating unique ways to thrive in the very competitive world of professional photography.  Read how she did it here: http://femaleentrepreneurassociation.com/?p=13739

  

Meet Somer, our marketing, social media guru and personality behind The Studio Hampton Roads

Good Morning Hampton Roads!!

A little bit about me...  For the most part, I tend to be a private person. However, there’s a pin going around on Pinterest that states “I’m Shy at first, but I do the stupidest random stuff when I get comfortable with someone.” That sums me in a sentence. I’m observant, take my time to get to know someone and don’t like putting everything that happens in my life out to the world. I open up, as I get comfortable. I love making others laugh; heck I love making myself laugh. Sometimes I get to laughing so hard at myself it becomes much funnier (probably because I start putting a silly story behind it in my head). I’m sarcastic, fun loving and loyal. I’m a work at home mom (WAHM). I take care of my two beautiful little girls; prep for little man who should be making is arrival any day now (or at least I hope) and run The Studio Hampton Roads. My mind is always going. I love being a part of something bigger than myself.

In 2001, I decided to join the Marine Corps and ended up with a flight contract and got selected to fly the “fat girl”, as we affectionately call the UH-1N Huey.  Three tours to Iraq and 9 years later, I decided to get out as Kevin and I were expecting our second child.

I have so much love for my family, and much like Katy, I work better under pressure.  After picking up a camera to capture the everyday moments of life, I knew I wanted to do more with photography, so I began learning as much as I could about photography and started a small photography business.

After moving to Virginia from San Diego, I knew I wanted to submerse myself in the local photography community. After about a year and a half, I decided to start looking for a place that could be used as an alternative to hotels for photographing women. It didn’t have to be a big space, but it had to be clean, affordable and tasteful. I was shown a place right behind Behind The Veil and while it was rough around the edges (to say the least) let’s say it had the potential to be perfect. ☺
After some paint & new flooring, I couldn’t have been happier with the place. But truth told I didn’t know if anyone would be interested in using the space, and never did I imagine that the photography community as a whole would welcome The Studio with opens arms. From Day 1, I have had nothing but support from the Hampton Roads area as a whole and I am completely overwhelmed with gratitude.  Want to learn a little more about how The Studio HR came to be? Check out 'Fufilling a Community Need'.

If Katy is the “man behind the curtain”, I guess I am the Wizard in front of it. ☺ I run most of our social media platforms for The Studio to include:

 Twitter 

 Google+ 

 Instagram 

Pinterest

Facebook

Triberr 

BlogLovin'  

YouTube 

(Standby for this one, it should be fun!) 

I love interacting with people and genuinely want to connect and share! 

If you'd like to keep up with me personally, you can find me here on social media:

Twitter

Google+

Instagram

Facebook

The Method Behind the Madness: A Little More About our Resident OCD Biz Manager, Katy Blevins!

Hey there, Hampton Roads! 

I joined Somer at The Studio HR on January 1^st of this year and I could not be more thrilled to serve our local photographers, artists and small business owners. Providing a creative and professional environment in which others can excel and ultimately provide their clients with the very best is very important to me, and these past few months with The Studio have been a whirlwind of activity. We are so excited and so grateful for the very generous community support of our little adventure and have so many awesome plans in the works for future ways to serve you better.

For those of you who don’t know me from the Hampton Roads Creative, where I met Somer and work alongside her and a team of others to moderate a community forum for local artists and small business owners, I’ll give you a bit more of the inside scoop of my crazy life.

I’m a full-time working Mom of toddler twin boys and a teenage daughter. I’m married to the love of my life and we have the world’s most annoying bull dog. And a handful of fish. My Monday-Fridays are spent at a locally-owned software company working in administrative support to the sales department and my weekends are generally spent nurturing my own photography business, which specializes in weddings, engagements and boudoir.  I also teach basic photography skills to new camera owners and my most recent adventure is a new mommy blog called Chaos& Kiddos: Mommy’s Survival Guide. Suffice to say, time is a hot commodity these days and I’m almost always wearing multiple hats simultaneously. Thankfully, multi-tasking is in my blood and I work best under pressure, so life is good. I am blessed beyond measure, have the sense of humor of a small child (I love puns!!!!) and thrive on laughter, music and art.

Photo Courtesy of: Somer Anne Photography

What’s my role at The Studio Hampton Roads?

I am the man behind the curtain, so to speak. I manage all bookings via thestudiohr@gmail.com, so when you email The Studio to inquire about renting the space, I’m the gal talking back at ya! I follow the bookings from start to finish, manage the calendar (in all its glory and quirkiness), and manage most of the accounting, invoicing and record keeping. I live to have all of my little ducks in a perfect little row, so manning the organizational and operational side of the business is the best fit for me. 

I look forward to continuing to grow The Studio, serving you better, fostering positive community environments in which small business owners and artists can create and work, and meeting new people in our area and beyond! 

If you'd like to keep up with all things Katy, here's the rundown of where to find me on social media:

Twitter

Google +

Instagram

Pinterest

Bloglovin'

Facebook - KB Photo

Facebook - Chaos & Kiddos

Follow The Studio Hampton Roads!

Welcome to The Studio Hampton Roads blog! 

This is a new piece of the puzzle in our adventure as small business owners, so the direction, content and all that jazz are still coming together, but we did want to start off with connecting the dots so that you can keep up with us on social media. We love to follow fashion, local news and other small businesses, photography and all kinds of randomly fun stuff! We're inspired by art, those blessed with talent near and far, love to laugh and can't wait to share our personality and how we see the world with all of you! 

We could never have imagined the amazing response we've experienced since opening The Studio Hampton Roads and we owe that to you! Thank you doesn't even begin to cover it and we can't even begin to describe the many tears, overwhelming awe and excitement we have felt as we've moved through this past year. We couldn't do this without you and we are eternally grateful for your love, support and continued creative delight with The Studio Hampton Roads. We aim to continue to exceed your expectations, bring new and exciting ideas and opportunities to you and share our hearts with Hampton Roads and beyond! 

Here's how to keep up with The Studio Hampton Roads: 

Website

Twitter

Facebook

Pinterest

Google +

Instagram
BlogLovin'

Here's how to keep up with Somer, our social media extraordinaire: 

Twitter

Google +

Instagram

Here's how to keep up with Katy, our amazingly organized booking master: 

Twitter

Google +

Instagram

We have a couple of immediate items in the works for you! Stay tuned for some fun posts from each of us with a sneak peek into our personal lives and the crazy that makes our partnership work like a magical charm. We'll also be covering some basic policies and what to expect when you visit The Studio Hampton Roads to help with new visitors, which we are always excited to welcome!

First little tidbit of information to share is that The Studio is located at 508 N. Birdneck Road, Suite L in Virginia Beach, VA. For those that are familiar with Veil Studios (who serve a number of our clients fabulously well!), we are in the building right behind them. 

Daily rental availability is 7AM - 8PM. Business booking hours (i.e. when we are actively replying to booking inquiries and responding to emails and phone calls) are Monday through Friday from 8AM - 5PM. If you are interested in booking The Studio for your next creative project, you can email thestudiohr@gmail.com. 

When you inquire about booking, you will have to complete 3 simple steps within a 24 hour period in order to reserve The Studio for your use: 

1. Carefully read, complete and sign the legal rental agreement for Studio use. We admit...the contract is long and wordy. And long and wordy. But just like any other rental agreement for any other space or item, there's a whole lot of legal stuff to wade through for everyone's safety. 

2. Submit payment (either in full or via a 50% non-refundable/non-transferable retainer with the balance due in full 72 hours before your event). Payments can be made via PayPal or credit card. (Hint: We offer a 5% discount on your contract if you pay in full at the time of your booking!)

3. Submit a $50 security deposit check. Similar to renting an apartment, a security deposit check is a good faith gesture that you commit to treating the property with the utmost care. The contract and booking email explain this in greater detail. You can submit via check or via PayPal, and security deposits are fully refundable (pending post-event site check) or may be kept on file for future bookings. 

Lastly, we tend to book out 4-6 weeks in advance, especially for weekend bookings. Weekday availability is much easier to secure and can be done on the fly, but if you're hoping for Saturday/Sunday work, be sure to plan well in advance! 

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