Senior season is in full swing! The phones have been ringing off the hook and sessions (especially fashion and top model) have been "flying off the shelves"! (No, seriously, we only have a few more dates available to get these sessions. Call today to book yours!) We are so grateful to have so many loyal clients, new and old.

At Impression Studio, we always want our client's to look and feel their best and most comfortable. Almost always, that is achieved when photographed with someone that they love. Which is why, one of my favorite things (I have oh so many favorite things...) about senior season is our option to add on to your session package.

Not everyone realizes how rarely they get family pictures or portraits of their children taken until they are calling to book their child's senior session. Since it is summer, most families have both of their children home and will bring the second (or third or fourth) along to the senior's session. Having the option to get a few images of their kid's together is something parents are able to cherish, forever!

Our add ons aren't only for siblings, but also for friends and boyfriends/girlfriends! Senior year is a big deal for anyone, but having your best friend at your side is a great feeling. Having a piece of this journey documented and looking back on it, is priceless! With boyfriends and girlfriends, often the only images couples have are from a school dance or covered in sweat after an athletic game. Getting a nice image in your everyday (but probably extra nicely ironed) clothing, is a great thing to have in a frame and to hold on to!

We are excited to announce this month's special which is: $15 off your session if booked in the month of August and $30 off your session if it is booked in the month of July! We also announced last week that we will be holding a day of confetti sessions at Wallingford's one and only, Confetti Bar on August 19th! These sessions can be stand alone sessions or added on to senior sessions. All senior sessions are fun but theres something about Confetti Sessions that make them look and feel even better!

Make sure to call the studio today and ask about our senior sessions as well as our senior session add ons! We can't wait to hear from you and make some fun pictures with you!

From the vintage couch, to the big furry bean bag, gold unicorns and everything in between The Confetti Bar screams FUN!

I was so excited to work with Jess and in this space. Last week's styled shoot took place in The Confetti Bar but it had a completely different vibe to it. Being able to really show off the space in the light (literally and figuratively) it's meant to be seen, was exciting. Jess had some great things to say about her space and her job, take a look!

“Hey! My name is Jessica and I, along with my husband, Clifford, own and run The Confetti Bar - the coolest confetti shop on the block, specializing in unique and custom confetti mixes for events and special projects! While we have been operating online out of our home for about two years, with clients all over the world in a multitude of industries (including companies like Neiman Marcus, Kate Spade, Twitter, Boston Children’s Hospital, the Smithsonian, etc.), we knew it was time to expand and get our first studio.

Since we both live and grew up here in Wallingford, we knew we wanted to be right in the center of town. We try to work with local businesses a much as possible, and we really wanted to bring our company's colorful, creative spirit to our local community. We’re all about celebration, fun, and happiness and aim to spread that around as much as possible! In our gorgeous new loft new space, right above Gaetano’s Tavern on Main, we not only plan to expand out growing online business, but we also want this to be a creative space where people can come to have fun! We’ll be offering our own classes, workshops, and events, as well as offering the space for birthday parties, bridal showers, and special events.”

Jess is such a lovely woman and I've really enjoyed getting to know her, so much in fact, that we've decided to collaborate again! In case you missed last week's announcement, we’ll be offering Confetti Session Add On’s for the Class of 2016. Keep an eye out for some more information on the ad on's and as always, thank you for reading! 

Keep up with Jess and The Confetti Bar at these links!

party@theconfettibar.com www.theconfettibar.com Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, & Pinterest! Be sure to visit our blog for more ideas & inspiration!

If you own a business in town and would like to be featured on our Focus on Wallingford series, comment below or contact me HERE!

It's that time of year again, we are in the midst of prepping our 2016 Senior Catalog for mail out! We have spent the last few weeks choosing images and designing layouts and it hasn't been easy. Every year we seem to have the best clients and we want to feature every one of them!

Like anything else though, choices have to be made. Here were the three runner-ups for the cover

 Alexandra Monico - Lyman Hall                        Bobby Carey - Sheehan                         Amber Clausen - Cheshire

And a little back story on each photo...

Alexandra - Whenever we photograph on location we make sure to schedule them for the end of the day. We want to get the best light possible! In this particular image the way the warm light is hitting the rocks behind her and the natural mix with the highlights in her hair is almost magical. The cream dress adds to the tonal balance in the image and gives it a nice and calm feel. 

Bobby was supposed to spend the second half of his session on location. The weather wasn't looking great and we were going to reschedule but decided to use our outdoor studio to at least add some variety in his session when we had the chance. Right before heading inside we noticed the storm clouds rolling in and we took one last shot. It made for one of our (and his) favorite images of the whole session! We love the drama the clouds add to the whole image.

Amber had a great session. She really managed to express herself through her outfits and variety of final images chosen. This particular image has stood out to us since the beginning. The solid color but subtle pattern in her dress against the summer foliage really made her pop and your eyes immediately drawn to her. Her natural smile is something we love to capture and we felt that this image represented our approach to senior pictures the best! 

Ultimately, we chose Amber because we just loved the overall feel the image brought. Alexandra and Bobby's images did make it inside the catalog along with many other seniors from last season!

The catalog offers great tips for you senior session (or any photography session you may have) coming up! 

There are also some special promotions that can only be found inside the catalog but as a reader of our blog, you can get a glimpse at them, too!

Call the studio today to book your senior session! There are so many options for add ons and we love to hear any ideas or visions you may have. 

Keep an eye on your mailbox for a catalog or contact the studio to ensure you can get a copy once they are complete!

If you've been in Downtown Wallingford you know we have a variety of restaurants, bars and options for nightlife but there's only one place to get ice cream, candy and cupcakes! Mr. D's is not only a fun place to hang out but the product is extremely tasty.

I've known Ann and Bill DeFusco for a number of years and they have allowed me to photograph inside their space a number of times! (You may recognize it from last week's styled shoot post) They are so lovely and I'm excited to share a piece of their story...

"I had this idea a while back: one day I’d like to open a bakery, ice cream parlor, and candy store, all rolled into one! All I had was this idea. One day while driving through downtown Wallingford, I spotted a “for rent” sign. I knew, right at that moment, this is it! This is the place that I'll open my shop! That was six years ago.

I’m proud to say that Mr. D’s will be celebrating its 5th year in business this coming July. Mr. D’s offers cupcakes baked fresh daily using original family recipes. Our ice cream parlor proudly serves Wallingford’s own Pralines Ice Cream and we offer over 250 varieties of confections and nostalgic candy. Not only that, but we also serve up delicious smoothies, bubble teas, milkshakes and other gourmet beverages. But wait, there’s even more! Our toy department offers toys for kids of all ages. See you at Mr.D’s!"

Thank you for sharing, Ann and Bill! Make sure to enjoy the spring and summer ahead and poke your head into Mr. D's for some treats and toys! 

If you own a business in town and would like to be featured on our Focus on Wallingford series, comment below or contact me HERE!

When I officially became the owner of Impressions Studio in 2010, I was very excited knowing my business was located in Wallingford, CT. This town is small enough that everyone feels familiar and nothing is too far away. Over this (very long) winter I came up with the idea of a blog featuring Wallingford business owners and their stories! For our first post we have two great businesses, Dad's Restaurant and The Crush Club.

First up, Dad's Restaurant located at 740 North Colony Road and owned by Chrissy Barton

 "I have been in business in Wallingford for 12 years. Dad's is like family, I am seeing third generation customers! It's not like going to work everyday , I have made so many friends and the customers are so loyal and just great people. Everyone that works at Dad's has been there since the beginning of my journey, and I am blessed everyday :)" Chrissy Barton

Next up, to get us excited for some spring weather and grape growing season we have The Crush Club

  - Located at 65 So Colony Road and owned by Amanda Bracket and Deana Morin. 

"There are some big changes happening at Wallingford’s Mirco-Winery."

If you haven’t heard of The Crush Club, they are a winemaking facility where YOU come and handcraft your own wine starting from fresh grapes in the Spring and Fall. The whole process takes about a year and five visits to the winery. Making reds, whites and roses… There is sure to be a wine for your palate.

In January, Amanda Brackett and Deana Morin purchased The Crush Club. Amanda has been with the winery since the beginning. She started as the winery manager and then began taking on more winemaking responsibilities. She is now the head winemaker. Deana began as a customer and quickly became a permanent fixture. She started with sales, expanded into event planning and then evolved into the business manager. 

Wallingford is quickly becoming a destination for Connecticut wine. With three vineyards within minutes of The Crush Club, Wallingford is an ideal spot for The Crush Club to plant its roots. Owner, Amanda Brackett, says:

"The Connecticut wine community is a small community, especially in our corner of the world. We all need to work together. The Crush Club doesn’t do the same thing that the other local wineries do, in that, you cannot purchase a bottle of wine from us. You have to come and make it… By having a concentrated network of wine providers in our small area, consumers are able to make an event out of their wine tasting excursions. Visiting more than one winery in a day adds a value to their trip. We have had customers in the past that come on a Saturday morning, crush their grapes and then head up the hill to Gouveia or the folks that went to Paradise Hills and then attended one of our blending classes. Rosabianca Vineyards is just a stones throw away in Northford. And now our ‘Wallingford Wine Trail’ is rounded off nicely with Gouveia’s new wine bar, The Library. We have become a destination rather than a pass through and local should support local!"

The girls have some big changes coming down the pipe. They plan to offer more winemaking packages, classes and some new events. Their new website is set to launch May 1^st!  For now, to keep up to date with happenings at The Crush Club like their Facebook, facebook.com/thecrushclub."

Comment below if you are interested in having your business featured.  Or, mention your favorite Wallingford business and what you love about them.