Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas from my family to yours! Thank you to all of my clients who made 2011 a very successful year for us. We appreciate your business and hope to see you again in 2012. May you all have a blessed New Year!

Congratulations Robyn & Tom!

Congratulation Robyn & Tom! I photographed their wedding almost 4 years ago so I was thrilled to be able to photograph their sweet 1 week old baby, Sidney.

Now Booking Beach Portrait Sessions

Welcome to my blog! To view samples of my work and more information please visit my website at www.karastovallphotography.com.

We are now booking Beach Portrait Sessions. Call to reserve your session today 843-446-2051 or email karastovallphoto@aol.com .

The sitting fee is $85 for parties of 6 or less and $100 for parties of 7 or more and it is due at the time of the session.

Beach Sessions usually last 1 hour but please reserve 2 hours of your time. The best time of day for beach portrait sessions is about an hour before sunset. We do take posed shots but we also take a lot of "candid looking" and "fun" shots.

I recommend you schedule the portrait session for the beginning of your trip if you are visiting the area. That way there will be plenty of time to reschedule if it rains.

Solid colored clothing works best. Try to avoid stripes or "busy" patterns. Your group doesn't have to wear the same color but try to make sure the colors you are wearing match and don't clash. Children look great in bright colors or white. Feel free to bring any hats, hair bows, meaningful toys, props, etc. that you want to be in the photo with your child.

When photographing groups we usually start with the largest group and then break it down into smaller family groups, kids, couples, siblings, and any other combinations you would like. There is no set number of photographs that we take.

I usually do Beach Portrait Sessions at Huntington Beach State Park in Murrells Inlet. It is located about 25 minutes south of Myrtle Beach. I prefer to do beach sessions there because it has nice sand dunes and usually is not as crowded as other sections of the beach. There is another location at Myrtle Beach State Park. There is a pier there that is nice to use but the sand dunes are much smaller than Huntington Beach State Park so you are limited to using the ocean only as a background. I have passes for my car and 2 other cars to get into the parks. If you will be in more than two cars you will need to pay the per person park fee or we can meet at another location. I can travel to your location, however, there may be people or hotels that I cannot avoid getting in the photographs. There will be a per photograph fee to remove objects from photographs.

Proofs are uploaded to an online website for viewing and purchasing. You have 30 days to place your orders. We do also offer discs of the final photographs. Please call or email for a quote. Print prices are listed on the website in the "Portrait" section.

Please contact us with any questions you may have or to reserve your session.

Album Options

The Original Album holds either 4x5's, 5x7's or 8x10's depending on the size of the album you order . The 4x5 album holds 30 4x5s, the 5x7 holds 30 5x7's or a mixture of 5x7's and 4x5's. The 8x10 album holds 30 8x10's or a mixture of 4x5's, 5x7's and 8x10's. It comes in different colors. The cover can be blank, have your monogram, "Our Wedding", "Our Daughter's Wedding", your names, etc. People often put the wedding date in the bottom right corner. It can also have a square cut out with a photo in the center.

The Original Album

The Spine of the Original Album

The pages of the Original Album

The Original Album

The pages of the Original Album

The Cover of the Digital Elegance Album

The Digital Elegance Album has the photos printed on the pages like a book rather than inserted under mats. The pages are thick and hard. The cover comes in different colors. Monograms do not work on this album but you can put the writing of your choice or have a square cutout in the center with a photo in it.

Digital Elegance Album

Digital Elegance Album (above)

Cover of a Press Printed Book ( hard pages)

The Press Printed Book is a thinner book than the Digital Elegance Album. It has the images printed on the pages like a book and not inserted under mats. The pages are harder than the Coffee Table Book we offer and they come in gloss or matte finish.

Side view of the Press Printed Book

Cover of a Coffee Table Book

The Coffee Table Book is thin and has regular thin book pages. The photos are printed on the actual pages like a book and not inserted under mats.

Inside of Coffee Table Book

Side View of Pages of Coffee Table Book

Both the Press Printed Book and the Coffee Table Book can be used as a wedding album, engagement album, bridal album or as a photo guest book.

Below is an example of a sample Press Printed Book that could be used as a guest book. There is a large amount of white space in this sample album so guests can sign it and write personal messages. These are very popular today. Most people put regular guest books in a closet and never look at them again. The photo guest book is something you treasure and want to look at time and time again.

CoverPage 1

Pages 2-3

Pages 4-5

Pages 6-7

Pages 8-9

Pages 10-11

Pages 12-13

Pages 14-15

Pages 16-17

Pages 18-19

Pages 20-21

Pages 22-23

Pages 24-25

Pages 26-27

Page 28

Below is another type of photo guest albums we offer

This album has actual photos inserted in it and has black space for the guests to sign and leave personal messages.

The cover of this type of Photo Guest Signing Album

The front and back of the Photo Guest Signing Album

Pages are thick and hard

Monica and Brett's Engagement Session

I went to Greenville, SC for Monica and Brett's engagement session. I am from Greenville so it was nice to go home and briefly visit with my family too. I forgot how beautiful Greenville is in the fall. At the beach we don't have all the trees that change color and I miss that! We had a great time walking around downtown despite the rain and mud. The countdown to the wedding date has begun!