Allentown, Bethlehem, Easton Child and Family Photographer – Christopher Elston Photography
Welcome! I am a portrait and lifestyle photographer based in the Lehigh Valley.
Along with my wife, Jen, we work hard so that you can relax at your wedding knowing you will be getting awesome wedding pictures.
Since we have two little girls, I also love to photograph children. I'm a location photographer, so I love to let kids be kids. I capture images on location where kids feel comfortable and where I can document real emotion (happy or thoughtful).
Use the 'Categories' tab above to go directly to what type of photography you are looking for.
Please contact me with any questions or just to say, "Hi."
Another awesome party at Magnolis in Orefield, PA
We had a lot of fun dressing in the most hideous outfits we could find and also growing the worst mustaches.
I was the “Bad Prom” photographer and had a fun time capturing couples special moments.
The ladies of Magnolias
Your hosts, John and Kim
Best Prom Picture Ever!
Do you like my creepy mustache?
They were voted King and Queen!
One of my favorite parts of working with my wedding clients is the engagement photography session. Several months before the wedding, we go to a location and have a lot of fun. It gives me a chance to get to know my wedding clients and it give them a chance to get to know my personality, my photography style, and get relaxed about getting their pictures taken. By the time of the wedding day, the couple has already seen what images of them will look like and it makes them much more relaxed on their wedding day.
Usually the couple will purchase a Wedding Guest Book from me with several images from their engagement session.
Here is Alice and Scott’s Wedding Guest Book:
View my previous post and my thoughts on my Wedding Guest Books at my previous blog post here:
Wedding Guest Book from the Engagement Session
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Please contact me here: CONTACT Chris
Some photographers do a Project 365 where they take a photo a day and post them in a blog or someplace else. Some photographers have photo journals on sites such as Flickr.
I spend a lot of my time with my professional cameras taking a lot of pictures for clients, family and for my self.
When I need a quick snap shot of something, I use my crappy cell phone camera.
Here is a video of a collection of images I shot with my crappy cell phone camera from the middle of 2009 to the end.
It’s my goofy photo diary; I hope you enjoy it.
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Please contact me here: CONTACT Chris
Recently Jen was at the BAPL’s Room to Grow Fashion Show & Luncheon.
She volunteered her time to take Social Media Portraits for the women that attended the luncheon.
Here is the my ad that was in the the fashion show’s program:
Here are the portraits from the day:
If you want to use any of these images on your social media site (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter), please click on the image for a larger resolution. Then right click and save your image to your computer.
More information about the fashion show: Room to Grow Fashion Show for Bethlehem Area Public Library
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Here is my blog post from the photo shoot for the BAPL Fashion Show commercial.
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Please contact me here: CONTACT Chris
Well it’s been almost a year since I have been attending the Lehigh Valley Tweet Ups. I wasn’t at the first one (I started attending at the second one), but I was at the one year anniversary party this month. It was held at the Allentown BrewWorks.
Here is an article from The Morning Call about it:
Face-to-face, tweeters are networking
Entrepreneurs take Twitter one step further for one-on-one contactBy Spencer Soper OF THE MORNING CALL
April 15, 2010
Insurance agent Donna Hosfeld uses Twitter to communicate with clients and find new ones. Lyle Richardson uses the social media tool to promote a delivery business he plans to open next month. And marketer Michael Drabenstott helps clients use it to build their brands.
All three mingled this week with other Lehigh Valley Twitter users at the Allentown Brew Works for the monthly ”LVTweetup,” where friendships forged online are strengthened through face-to-face contact.
Many attendees said they use Twitter for both business and personal reasons, which underscored the growing use of social media for commerce, not just chit-chat.
”It’s a powerful way to share information about a brand or category,” said Drabenstott, owner of the Bethlehem marketing firm Spark. ”It’s a way for our clients to form relationships with their customers, communicate back and forth and get customer feedback.”
Twitter allows users to send ”tweets,” which are similar to Facebook status updates or blog posts, except users are limited to 140 characters. Twitter.com had more than 21 million unique visitors in March, and its traffic has plateaued in the past year. Local users say it is a good way to market businesses, meet people and stay informed.
But tweeting alone doesn’t replace personal connections, which is why Forks Township resident Mike Andreano organized the first LVTweetup last year. The event was a success, and his social media training business Be The Bee has coordinated monthly Tweetups since that have become a tradition for local Twitter users.
Tuesday’s event, which drew about 50 people to the Brew Works, was the first birthday for the LVTweetup.
”It validates relationships,” Andreano said about meeting people in person. ”People want to put a face with a personality they’ve been following for months.”
He modeled the event after similar gatherings in other cities. The success shows that social media have taken root in the Lehigh Valley, he said.
”We are a metro area, like New York City and Philadelphia,” Andreano said. ”It’s putting us on the map with regard to social media.
At the event, people chatted over pints of beer and chicken fingers. They hugged and shook hands, often meeting for the first time people they have been communicating with in cyberspace.
”I feel like I know them,” said Donald Flad Jr., a Twitter user from Bethlehem after meeting an online friend for the first time. ”We’ve been conversing for months, so I just give them a big hug.”
Hosfeld, the insurance agent from Emmaus, has been tweeting for about a year. She compared Twitter to a print newsletter businesses have traditionally used to communicate with customers. Except the print newsletter might be done quarterly, require a lot of production work and cost to distribute, and become stale before it is circulated, she said.
With Twitter, the communication is quick, simple and allows for a dialogue with the customer instead of one-way communication from business to client, she said.
After the earthquake that killed hundreds of people in Chile in February, Hosfeld used social media to ask customers how they would prepare for a similar catastrophe.
”For me, the biggest thing isn’t always being on the hunt for new business, but retention,” she said. ”Social media lets us provide more value to our customers and retain them. It allows us to communicate with them in a way we never could before.”
Richardson, who is starting a delivery business, has been using Twitter for about a year. The Emmaus resident, who works as a security guard, said Twitter is an affordable marketing tool. He hopes to reach up to 10,000 potential clients through valuable word-of-mouth referrals through his followers and their followers since information on Twitter is easily shared.
”It’s great for a new business,” he said. ”It gets you exposed to a lot of new contacts and it doesn’t cost a lot. All you need is a phone or a computer.”
spencer.soper@mcall.com
610-820-6694
Copyright © 2010, The Morning Call
As I have done in the past, I set up a portable studio and took free Social Media Portraits for anyone that wanted them. And here are my images from that night. [Click on any image to see full size.]
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Follow me on Twitter at: http://www.twitter.com/celston
Come to the next Lehigh Valley Tweetup and follow http://www.twitter.com/LVTweetup
And visit Michael Andreano’s website at: http://thebeesbuzz.com for more information on social media and Lehigh Valley Tweetups.
See my other blog posts about previous @LVTweetups here: Previous Lehigh Valley Tweetup Blog Posts
Please contact me here: CONTACT Chris
My friends and neighbors Bridget & Shawn Huzar worked and consulted on the pilot episode of A&E’s Fix This Yard. They had a little premier party at their house this morning.
One of a series of head shots that I photographed for Bridget when she auditioned for the show
Another head shot
A screen capture from a Fix This Yard episode of Shawn Huzar
Here is an article from the Morning Call’s TV Watchers Blog:
Emmaus garden designer helps launch new A&E show
Categories: Reality TV
Posted by Kathy Lauer-Williams at 10:12:22 AM on April 9, 2010Huzar An Emmaus freelance garden designer known for her personalized designs is the behind the scenes inspiration instrumental for the new A&E series “Fix This Yard.”
Although her work is featured only in one episode, Bridget Huzar was tapped as the “off-camera” designer and expert consultant for the pilot of “Fix This Yard,” which airs at 10:30 a.m. Saturday.
Huzar wrote the script and advised co-host Amy Devers on garden design as she and Alan Luxmore helped makeover a Bala Cynwyd garden using several Lehigh Valley landscape businesses that appear on camera.
Huzar originally went to producer Nancy Glass’ studios in Bala Cynwyd to audition for the host of the new show after seeing an open casting call. Although she wasn’t chosen as the host, Huzar was asked to design the pilot and come up with script. Devers, a former host for DIY was picked to host.
“She basically plays me,” says Huzar, who doesn’t appear on camera. “I met with the hosts to explain the design and was there, on-site to coach them on correct terminology and methods, so the show felt authentic.”
Huzar says she was asked to pick from two homes near Philadelphia for the pilot. She interviewed the homeowners, did site analysis and conceptual design for both. After choosing the house, she did a final design picking all the plants, hardscaping, pots and water features and gave estimates for the materials and the estimated time to complete the job.
“The home was a craftsman in disguise,” she says. “It was an incredible transformation. It went from completely overgrown to winning an award for being one of the best gardens in Bala Cynwyd.”
During the project, Huzar used material from C&K’s Unique Garden Center in Quakertown and Lehigh Valley Home and Garden Center in Allentown. She brought in Mike French of French Gardens in Center Valley to install the garden.
“They are known for incredible attention to detail and experience in high quality installations,” she says.
Huzar oversaw all installation and did the staging of the furniture and decor. She also designed and created artwork for a children’s garden.”
The pilot was picked up by A&E, and Huzar was asked to continue as design consultant but she would’ve had to go to Los Angeles, so she declined.
She says they producers told her if the show is picked up for a second season they will shoot episodes in the Philadelphia area.
“It was insane,” Huzar says. “It was really short time frame and no money, but it was such a great experience.”
Check out Bridget’s website at: Bridget Huzar Garden Designs
Join the Facebook Group: Bridget Huzar Garden Designs Facebook Group Page
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Please contact me here: CONTACT Chris
I’m more of a visual person than a writer. So I’m lifting some words from my friend’s blog. Donna Hosfeld from Hosfeld Insurance wrote an awesome blog about businesses that give their customers the Rock Star Treatment. One of the businesses that Donna mentioned was Perk on Main on Main Street in my town, Emmaus, PA.
Here’s what Donna wrote about Perk:
“PERK ON MAIN, 332 Main St., Emmaus (Jill and crew will know your name and your favorite brew in no time at all! Leave room for light lunch or baked goods, she has both. Delightful bakery treats from Back Door Bakeshop of Bethlehem…another local business “doing it right”)
These are the kind of places where you instantly feel “at home”…you may not have a guitar slung around your hip, or a limo waiting…but you get “rock star treatment”…and what’s not to love about that?”
Jill Killo, from Perk on Main, has been in business for 3 years and she recently moved to a larger store a couple of blocks away from her original store on Main Street.
Last month she had a grand re-opening celebration with her loyal customers and several store owners from Emmaus.
Here are some images from that night:
Jill's friend made an awesome 'Perk' cake
PA State Representative Doug Reichley, Jill & family, and other Emmaus shop owners cut the red ribbon
Jill and her family
Visit Jill and her family at Perk on Main, 332 Main Street, Emmaus, Pa. 610-966-0203
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Please contact me here: CONTACT Chris
The Bethlehem Area Public Library will hold its first ever Fashion Show and Luncheon at the Hotel Bethlehem on April 28, 2010 to benefit the Room to Grow Project. We spent a morning at the Jane Roncoroni store to shoot the commercial for the show. Several local business women were the models.
Here are some of the images from the shoot:
Rocky Urich Productions – Commercial 8 from Rocky Urich on Vimeo.
I will be at the fashion show with a portrait set up. Please stop by to get a free Social Media Head Shot from Christopher Elston Photography.
More information about the fashion show: Room to Grow Fashion Show for Bethlehem Area Public Library
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Please contact me here: CONTACT Chris
One of my best clients is Bank of America Merrill Lynch.
Here is a magazine cover of The Spark Journal – A Quarterly Journal for the Retirement Plan Industry taken from a recent corporate head shot photo shoot with Andy Sieg.
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Please contact me here: CONTACT Chris
The January Lehigh Valley Tweetup was held at The Bookstore in Bethlehem, PA. I got there late, so I only had a chance to hang out with a few people. I was going to leave, but @Glennard turned out to be a beer aficionado and told me what to drink all night. We stayed until closing. The bookstore is a really interesting place. The owners (who also own the Tap & Table in Emmaus, PA) call it a speak easy. The door is hard to find… I actually drove past it a few times. It’s easier to find it on foot. There is a nondescript door that just reads “Bookstore.” Once you walk in, it looks like a tiny bookstore until you walk into the back. It’s all candle lit and has a great atmosphere. The beer selection is amazing. Like most of the Tweetups, I try to do something different with my camera. So this time I decided not to use my flash since The Bookstore is such a mellow place. I really pushed my camera because the bar is complete lit by candlelight. I forget what Glen suggested I drink, so I took some pictures of the bottles. Check out Glen’s website, Covering Art, Entertainment, and Dining around the Lehigh Valley and Beyond: The El Vee
February’s Lehigh Valley Tweetup was at Starfish Brasserie in Bethelehem.
I met Kristofor Sandholm, owner & head chef, early and he let me set up my gear where is wouldn’t be knocked over. He opened his whole restaurant to us, but I knew with this crowd that we would all stay at the bar. The bartenders and the servers at the Star Bar were awesome!
Usually at the Tweetups I spend a lot of my time taking pictures and I don’t get to mingle as much as I would want. I tried something different this time. I just bought an iPod touch and am in love with it. The night of the Tweetup I found an application that lets me interface the iPod touch with my MacBook Pro which in turn controls my Canon 5D digital SLR. The program is called DSLR Camera Remote by onOne Software. I’m still playing with it, but it allows you to change all your camera’s setting from the iPod Touch (or iPhone) and fire the shutter. It also has a intervalometer for taking time lapse pictures. I had fun taking pictures from across the room and away from my camera. I set the focus and exposure for the center of the room, so if people got too close the foreground was overexposed and out of focus. A few of the images are good, but I think this video makes up for the bad images.
Enjoy!
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Follow me on Twitter at: http://www.twitter.com/celston
Come to the next Lehigh Valley Tweetup and follow http://www.twitter.com/LVTweetup
And visit Michael Andreano’s website at: http://thebeesbuzz.com for more information on social media and Lehigh Valley Tweetups.
See my other blog posts about previous @LVTweetups here: Previous Lehigh Valley Tweetup Blog Posts
Please contact me here: CONTACT Chris
by Christopher Elston
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