Today, Mary braved the retail world and took Isaac and Gretchen to get some studio portraits done. As if this first solo trip wouldn't be difficult enough, Mary decided to take a 45 minute drive to a new studio called Portrait Innovations in Avon, Ohio.

Personally...I thought Mary was crazy to go that far. However (though considerably lighter in the wallet), the results were outstanding and I'm glad she decided to brave the trip.

Mary was impressed with their selection of props and thought the photographers were quick to shoot which resulted in some fabulous pictures. Most of all Mary was impressed with how they reviewed the proofs.

Imagine the image of your child on a 40" LCD Monitor. How can you resist? I know Mary didn't! Anyway, Mary was able to choose the poses, zoom in or out on the pose and pick any special effects she may want. Only the pictures she wanted got printed, so there's no waste. Because film doesn't need to get developed, the photographers are liberal with their shots, which in this case amounted to more poses that were bought.

The bonus...you get a CD with all the images that were taken. Now these images can't be printed, unless you want to make a postcard stamp out of the image. However, the images are perfect for web based applications. Hmm...I wonder if those can be used? Can you say Gierlach Gallery? Yes, a few select images are up in the gallery. You'll have to wait until we send out the birth announcements to see Gretchen's Up-Close Picture.

Mary would highly recommend Portrait Innovations. So, if you're looking to get pictures done, hit their site and do a location search. Even at an hour away, it's worth the trip.

(Yes, you have to buy a certain package to get the image CD)

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