Starlight Photography

Local Dive Event

2009-03-16T12:04:00.000-07:00

Mike, Terri and I spent last weekend at the 2009 USA Spring Region 9 Championship Diving Event, held at the Mission Viejo Aquatics Complex, the home to the famous Mission Viejo Nadadore Swim and Dive Teams. This event went on both Saturday and Sunday, and we had a booth set up where we were offering on site image selection and printing. We additionally offered custom posters and several other great photo products. There were local teams competing, as well as teams from as far away as New Mexico. There were a total of 4 events each day, with about 170 divers who participated in doing 6 dives per event. Mike and Terri photographed not only every event, but every dive in the event taking over 16,000 images over a two day time span, so you can imagine how exhausted they were come Sunday night. There were local teams competing, as well as teams from as far away as New Mexico. The weather could not have been better, and the people could not have been nicer. My niece has been on the Nadadore Dive Team for a couple of years now and I haven’t had the time to see many of her meets, so this was really great for me to be able to watch her take 2nd and 3rd place in the events she was in. Up until this weekend I never realized what a beautiful and spectacular sport diving is, and how talented all of the kids are. We want to give a big THANK YOU to the Nadadore organization for giving us the opportunity to photograph this local event. We were able to upload this event to our website to view and order photos, so go to our website to checkout some of the amazing images Mike and Terri were able to capture.

Crissy Alaimo/Account Manager

Starlight Holiday Party

2009-02-25T16:19:00.000-08:00

Hello out there in cyber space. It’s past time to update our Starlight Photography blog so here we go…
Christmas of 2008 was a wonderful time here in the studio as we invited our photo friends into our version of a winter wonderland. We enjoyed holiday sing-a-longs, cookie decorating and best of all a visit from Mr. Wonderful aka Santa Claus! Santa entertained us with stories about his exciting adventures and even gave a nice little gift to all the children. Next year promises to be better yet with more cookies decorating, singing and photographs with our pal Santa. Be sure to look for reminders right here about the special holiday party at Starlight Photography.

Annual Fall Portrait Safari

2009-02-25T15:32:00.000-08:00

Fall of 2008, my personal favorite season, was a time for apple pickin’. Our annual fall portrait safari found us in the lovely apple covered hills of Apple Valley in San Bernardino County. Not only did we take amazing portraits for our safari families, but we made apple cider, twisted rope, and dipped candles like the pioneers of yesteryear. What a fun and memorable time it was. Join us next fall for our safari and see what we have in store for you. This is a great time to get an apple pie, pumpkin and your holiday portraits done for cards and gifts.

Barack Obama Fundraiser

2008-09-10T16:51:00.000-07:00

If you want to have a say in this upcoming election and contribute to the Obama/Biden campaign Contact us and book you session NOW !

360° Virtual Tours

2008-08-07T15:00:00.000-07:00

Mike has been photographing for over a year 360° Virtual Tours all over southern California.

360° Virtual Tours are an excellent way to showcase your property. Visitors to your website can gain an uncompromising experience. If you own a Hotel, Apartment Complex, Restaurant, to name a few, your website visitors will have a virtual experience of being at the property all from the privacy of their home by the click of a mouse. Mike specializes in these tours, and can help you capture the quality and atmosphere of your property. You will benefit with quick turnaround, quality, and economical pricing.

Simply speaking, they bring your world direct to your customers desktop! The beauty of 360° Virtual Tours is that they completely immerse the user in the area that the shot was taken, making it feel like they are actually there.

See samples on our website by clicking here virtual tours .

Enable your web-visitors to see a fully interactive presentation of the facilities you offer from anywhere in the world. If you have a requirement for displaying a property, leisure facility, showroom, shop, museum or holiday location as a dramatic 360º Virtual Tour. Contact us for a brochure of our 360° Virtual Tours or to schedule your virtual tour.

New Website

2008-07-18T13:21:00.000-07:00

Finally our new website has been completed and is now live. Our new website shows our most recent work and focus of our company. This has been a long time in coming. Thanks to Hoopjumper for the new site. We still have more work to do on the site but the majority of it is online and is working.

Make A Wish Luncheon with Matt Leinart

2008-07-01T12:38:00.000-07:00

On June 25 I went out on my first assignment with Terri and Julia which was a charity event for the Make a Wish Foundation. Terri donated her time and talent for this worthy cause and I was glad I got to be a part of it. It was at the Marconi Automotive Museum in Tustin and if you have never been there it's pretty cool, especially if you are into cars. Their special guest was Matt Leinart who is a former quaterback of USC and is currently playing for the Arizona Cardinals. We set up the equipment in the VIP room and photographed Matt Leinart with all the genourous people who donated to the Make a Wish Foundation.

Julia is a huge USC Football fan, so when she got to take her picture with Matt she was very excited.

Crissy

2008-07-01T11:00:00.000-07:00

Hi, my name is Crissy Alaimo and I am a new employee here at Starlight Photography. I am very excited to work with Mike and Terri, and am so eager to learn as much as I can from them. I have always had a passion for photography and the way it tells your life story. Photographs capture moments of time that we will never see again and it amazes me how a simple photograph can be transformed into a work of art. Looking at some of Mike and Terri’s work I must say has left me in awe. They both have such an incredible talent and have photographed so many local families, businesses and organizations in our community. Although I have worked here only a short time, I can tell by the phone calls and clients coming by the studio that Mike and Terri have formed a lot of personal relationships with their clients. They truly care about not only the work they do, but the people they photograph, and that is what makes Starlight Photography so unique. I look forward to not only bringing in new clients but also getting to know all the ones they already have.

Girl Scouts!

2008-04-10T08:39:00.001-07:00

We love the Girls Scouts! We have had two troops come into the studio and we love having them. They can come in and see how a photography business runs and learn more about what we do everyday. Through this training they receive their photography badge and we take individual and group photos of the girls. We always have a great time, the Girl Scout program is an amazing opportunity for young women and we love to support them.

Garden Day 2008

2008-04-10T08:21:00.001-07:00

It's that time of year! We are promoting our Garden Day sessions! Below you will see the postcard that is being sent out throughout Orange County. While the first weekend we offered has passed, we still have another weekend to go!

May 17th & 18th

"What if I can't make it on either of those dates???"

If you can wrangle up at least 3 children to book sessions back-to-back we will schedule your session for a time that works better for you!

Book your session now by contacting us at:

949-859-3108!

Professional Photographers of California Convention

2008-03-26T09:58:00.000-07:00

It has been about 2 months since we attended the convention, but it took me that long to get some photos of the event. You would think that being photographers Mike or I would have taken some photos of our own, but no. I have to rely on the official event photographers to share my experience with you.

This was my first year attending the PPC Convention and I had a blast! It is always great to continue your education and fellowship with other photographers. Since I handle more of the business/marketing side of Starlight Photography I attended the classes that were geared toward marketing and business. A couple of speakers I saw were:

Craige Kienast

David Trust - PPA CEO

Margit Myl

Sandy Puc

Convention is a great place to get new ideas as well as refresh what you are already doing. Keep checking back to see the new promotions we will be starting and see the behind the scenes at Starlight Photography. Some up coming posts will include our experiences with Girl Scout Troop 616 and the Criminal Justice Training Center at Golden West College.

We are also painting the studio! Be sure to come see what we have done with the place!

Julia

Update that old photo!

2008-02-28T16:03:00.000-08:00

Are you looking for love online (match.com, eharmony.com, etc.) in the Orange County area?

Is your photo over a year old?

Did you have to cut someone out of your photo?

Are you holding an adult beverage in your photo?

Do you constantly apologize for your online photo?

Is your photo so dated that you can't get a date?

Does your photo make you look heavier then you are, older or scary?

If you answered "yes" to any of these questions then it is time for a new profile photo!

Insanity is defined as doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.
Do something different and have your photograph professionally created to emphazise your best qualities.

Be your best self!

Your profile photo(s) should compliment who you are and accent your best features. You should be proud of the photo you post on your profile. Having a professional photo on your profile shows that you are serious about finding that perfect person. It shows that you take pride in yourself and are willing to put yourself out there for others to see. This is not a modeling session. We will make you look like you. While some light retoiuching is offered, our objective is to show the real you, not the airbrushed version of you.

Are you a shy person? Our sessions are perfect for you. Our home studio creates an inviting environment for any personality. Mike or Terri will work with you to capture the essence of who you are and the image you would like to project. Your profile photo should not be about a gimmick, it should be you, genuine.

Starlight Photography is offering a special for those looking for photos to post specifically for an online profile. *We do not offer any prints with this session, but they can be ordered*

Our special for online profile photos:

$99 session fee

In the studio (on location is not available for this offer)

A disc of your 2 favorite photos

All images will be lightly retouched (additional retouching is available)

You can pick up your CD of images within 3 days of your session.

Other options are available at special rates!

For more information about this special or any general questions please contact us at:

949.859.3108

Make A Wish & Starlight Photography

2008-02-12T11:36:00.000-08:00

Here at Starlight Photography we have a passion for charities. In past years we have donated to many different charities and auctions. This year we wanted to really focus on one charity and develope a relationship with them.

Since Terri has such a passion for children and children's photography I thought the Make A Wish Foundation of Orange County would be the perfect charity to work with.

Our hope this year is to raise $5,000 so we can be a sponsor to a Wish child. We will be launching a year-round promotion so you, our clients, can help us raise money. Keep checking back for details on the Make A Wish promotion and how you can be part of it.

Until next time,
Julia

Who is Terri Lee?

2008-02-04T14:16:00.000-08:00

The second half of Starlight Photography's team is Terri Lee. Here is some information about Terri and her craft:

Photographic Craftsman, 2005
Photographer of the Year, Bronze level, 2005
Professional Photographers of California, Service Award, 2001

My beginnings in the photographic world stemmed from a passion for the fine arts, from a very young age. I have a formal education in Fine Art, primarily oil and watercolor painting. I have spent many hours in local and international museums and galleries, absorbing the styles and visions of both traditional masters and contemporary modern artists. My interests in the fine arts expressed themselves in various media, including oil and watercolor painting, sculpture and multimedia creations. Twelve years were spent, prior to picking up a camera, as a retouch artist, both by hand and with Photoshop. This contributed to a broad understanding of composition, color balance and posing. Having assisted my husband who is wonderful photographer in his own right, for many years, I learned many of the technical requirements of my profession. I have been very fortunate to study with some of the greatest photographers in the nation through my membership with Professional Photographers of America. By the time I began to create my own photographic expressions, I had a clear idea of how and what I wanted to say with my images. I continue to grow and explore ideas, themes and various artistic and political expressions for inspiration in my own work.

Mike and I have been married for 23 years. We have two grown daughters, and one granddaughter. We live in Mission Viejo, California, where we share our home based studio, Starlight Photography, with two dogs, three tortoises and two parakeets.

What is Starlight Photography?

2008-02-01T10:58:00.000-08:00

We are entrusted with the responsibility of artistically capturing the precious memories of our clientele. The images we create have immeasurable value because they capture a moment in time. A moment with magic, feeling and mystery that will never disappear.

Starlight Photography is a full service photography team headed by Mike and Terri Lee. Starlight Photography offers personal photography and commercial photography depending on your needs.

A little more information about Mike Lee:

Michael started pursuing his interest in photography at the young age of 10, the bug really sunk in at 12 while attending a class on basic photography in elementary school with his friends. The story is told over so many times of the magic that happens when you first see the image under the eerie orange glow of the safelight in the darkroom. Boom, the bug bit, from that time on Michael could not get enough information about photography, cameras, B/W film and processes, color negative and color transparencies.

Michael continued his pursuit and education of photography after High School with a formal degree in still photography and graduated with his degree in 1978.

1980 through 1993 was spent in aerospace engineering as a mechanical designer where Michael became extremely proficient in many computer programs including CAD.

1990 was a pivotal year, Terri and Michael decide it was time to jump into photography full time. With Terri being laid off from aerospace and Michael still with his job they decide on a transition. Terri was selling weddings and Michael was continuing the engineering work. 3 years later, Michael was only sleeping 3 hours a night and they decide it’s time Michael makes the jump.

Fast forward to the late 1990’s
Michael is President of Professional Photographers of Orange County in 1997, Terri follows in 2001,
Michael is now volunteering many hours of time to Professional Photographers of California and eventually becomes President in 2006-2007. To this date Michael feels that giving back to the industry that helped him achieve his goals has become part of his life. He continues to work for PPC as a COB.

Education:
West Coast School of Professional Photography 2007, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001, 1999, 1998
PPA Certified Photographer 1997
B.S.B.A. University of Redlands 1987
A.A. Degree Orange Coast College - Still Photography 1978

Professional Associations:
Professional Photographers of California: President 2006-07
Professional Photographers of Orange County: President-1998
Member Professional Photographers of America
Professional Distinction; Photographic Craftsman National Association of Photoshop Professionals

Mike specializes in commercial photography including architectural photography, event photography, food photography, school photography and much more. We will be highlighting more of Mike's work in the upcoming weeks.

Next week we will be highlighting Terri Lee and her amazing maternity and family photography. Here is a little taste of what to expect...

The start of our new blog

2008-01-31T08:11:00.000-08:00

Welcome to our new Blog. Thanks to Julia for pushing us to the next level in our website presence for all our clients new and old. So, I welcome your comments both positive and the unfortunate negative if there are.

Mike