Monday, December 14, 2009

Senior Pictures in Kent


Senior portraits are becoming a large part of sketch studio of kent. We owe thanks to all of the seniors who have trusted us with their future memories of when they were young. That's why we try to bring out the personality in each and every senior. And the process couldn't be simpler. You come in for a 15 to 20 minute consultation so we can get to know you and your interests. At that time, we can schedule a photo shoot for a future date. After the photo shoot, we post your images online in a personal, password protected gallery and let you go at it. View your images, send links to your family and friends so they can be part of the decision making process. It's fun! On a budget? We can accommodate everyone! Just give us a call to see what we can do for you. We take great pride in everything we do so all of our work is guaranteed.

Check out our senior samples @ sketchkent galleries

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Holiday Portraits

Check out the holiday portrait samples!

Monday, November 30, 2009

Happy Holidays!


Well, Thanksgiving is over and my stomach is especially thankful for that. As usual, I eat way too much, and it was absolutely delicious. I didn't want to offend the cook so I thought it was appropriate to eat a couple extra helpings!

I thought that I would post an image to showcase some of our photoshop work and to wish everyone a happy holiday. If you thought the Iguana was really wearing a Santa hat, I apologize for ruining your imagination but I like having all of my fingers! This was taken on Sanibel Island in Florida a few years ago and shows what some creativity and a lot of luck can do. As I sat on my balcony being extremely lazy, which is what you do when you're on vacation, I looked down and saw the lizard. Frantically, I ran for the camera, fortunately not injuring myself in the commotion, and with my long 300mm lens I captured one of the most beautiful creatures that I had ever seen on the island.

If you're looking for scans, retouch, collage work or photoshop work, sketchstudio of kent is the place to go to create your one of a kind gifts. We are starting to feel the holiday rush but can certainly accommodate any of your needs. If you're looking for a family portrait, give us a call at 330-608 1893 to schedule a time. We have over 200 holiday card templates to choose from so you can bring in the family and we'll do the rest! Pretty sweet.

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Kent Roosevelt students pay the studio a visit





Thanks goes out to Mike McClure, photography teacher at Kent Roosevelt, for bringing in his photo 2 classes to check out the studio and get a brief description of studio photography. We had a great time and ended each class with a group shot!

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Fall senior portraits at sketch studio of kent






Ahh. My favorite time of the year. Luckily, we have had many high school seniors pick this time of the year to have their senior portraits taken. The foliage is about as good as a background can get [outside that is!] and the weather has been great. Here are a few of my favs. We still have some times available this year for those interested. If you want to lock in a fall time for 2010 you can set your appointment in advance.

Sunday, October 18, 2009






It's been a busy couple of weeks. Thanks to all of the high school seniors that have come into the studio recently. We truly enjoy the interaction between seniors and ourselves. Some friends accuse us of photographing seniors because were getting older and can't let go of the past! What?...Ok, maybe there is a little of that...Ok, maybe a large part...Ok, we feel old and that's totally the reason. At any rate, it's great fun listening to music, which seniors are welcome to bring in, meeting new personalities and trying to capture that personality with the camera.

sketch studio of kent received a real treat when Tia brought in her kids Jakub and Jerimiah into the studio. It's been a couple of years since the last shoot and since they both model it's time to update their comp sheets. We designed their last ones which turned out great and will be putting together the new ones once the images from the shoot are selected. Selecting the images will be tough because there were so many nice ones. Here are several.

Saturday, September 26, 2009

Personalities galore!



It pays to have a warehouse as a studio. You know, just in case you want to bring in your Yamaha 250! Yeah, that's right...Gina brought in her huge dirt bike as a prop. If I were a dog I would have been wagging my tail! Thanks Gina. Good stuff. I had to post the image of my past bike, even though it's a bit embarrassing after seeing the bike Gina brought in. I guess I didn't look so cool after all. The truth is that photo is not of me at all but of Jesse Boulton, state champ motocross rider! who was also photographed in the studio with all of his trophies and gear.

We have plenty of room for whatever your needs. Large props? Band? Family of 20?... no problem. Well, you may have a bit of a rough go trying to coordinate 20 family members. That's never easy!

We are always increasing our number of props, background colors and patterns, and general capabilities at sketch studio of kent, like adding custom designed graduation cards to the list. Stop in for a consultation to see samples. All it takes is a 15-20 minute consultation with Geri or myself to explain the process and to get to know you and some of your interests. After that, we spend some time gathering ideas to make your session personalized to reflect your interests and tastes.
We have been getting great feedback from everyone who visits the studio.

For those of you on a budget, our pricing structure is based on $170 session fee, which includes our detailed retouch to all of the images ordered. We take great pride in our retouch ability and have been getting great feedback on the results. After the initial session cost, the price depends on you and how many prints you want. You create your own package!
The prints are amazing and can shipped directly to you.

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Music Photography in Kent




Geri and I both love when we have an opportunity to hang out with musicians at the studio. Corey came in to the studio for part two of his photo shoot and fortunately brought his guitar in. We had a great time getting creative with the lighting while enjoying "The Who Sell Out" CD. Good stuff!

At sketch studio of kent, we can not only take the photo's for your new CD but we can also design the cover art.

Monday, August 24, 2009

Child Portraits at sketch studio of kent

Ava stopped in for a quick session to use for her acting/modeling projects. Good luck Ava! She was in the Hanna Montana movie and is becoming quite the celebrity! And thanks to her parents, she is really down to earth and enjoyable to be around.

At sketch studio of kent we have created several "rep" cards for those looking to become models or update your info and photo's for modeling agencies. We will take the photo's and custom design a rep card/sheet to suit your taste and personality without breaking the bank.

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Roosevelt Senior Shoot






Great shoot! Harper paid a visit to the sketch studio of kent warehouse for a quick senior shoot. We went with the gray seamless paper, red wall and the blue wall [for those seniors who want a customized color...just let us know and we will create a color all of your own!] We were able to wrap things up in the time we had and came away with some great shots. Thanks Harper!

Back to school is right around the corner. Time to start thinking about senior portraits. One of your stops when shopping around for quality, price and convenience should be sketch studio of kent. We will sit down with you for a quick consultation and to schedule a photo shoot to remember.

Our quality is our driving force. We are passionate about our quality and back up all of our work with a full guarantee.

Our prices are very reasonable and you determine how many and what size prints you want not a package. You can easily and safely proof and order your prints online and have them shipped directly to you.


We are conveniently located in a warehouse in kent with great parking and easy access.

Feel free to bring your ipod in for our player. We love to hear fresh music while we are shooting. Visit our website at www.sketchkent.com to view our portfolio! See you soon!

Monday, August 17, 2009

And the winner is...





Congratulations to Angela. She was the winner of the 2009 Heritage Fest raffle. Welcome to Kent Angela! It was great working with you.

For all of you high school seniors out there shopping around for senior portraits, we would love to show you our capabilities and process. Visit the sketch studio of kent website for more details!

Sunday, August 2, 2009

Fire Safety Safari


Never a dull moment. As soon as one pays attention another one starts picking his nose [mostly my son Miles.] But after it was all said and done we had some great shots and had a great time hanging out with the parents. It certainly helped that the new game Printing Concepts developed and designed was fun enough to keep the interest of the children. The best aspect of the game is that it teaches safety.

We love kids and have a great time photographing them. That's why we are so successful at getting them to smile and enjoy themselves. It doesn't hurt having a 5 year old boy to keep me on their level and in check.

Monday, July 6, 2009

July 4th weekend




Wow, what a great weekend! Perfect weather for the Heritage Fest in downtown Kent on Saturday. Geri and I had the sketch studio of kent booth set up on the hill [I'm still walking with a lean] across from the old studio. Thanks to everyone for stopping by and filling out the entry form to win a free two hour session and hanging out with us. It made the 12 hour day seem like, well actually it still seemed like 12 hours, but thanks for the great company! This years Fest was especially exciting because we created the new 56 page Central Portage County Visitors Guide and they were hot off the press just in time for the fest. They turned out great! We added quite a bit of content and a bunch of new images from around town. You can contact the Kent or Brimfield Chambers for a copy.

Geri and I both took quite a few photo's during the fest. My highlight was watching Peggy and Brad play a smokin version of Whole Lotta Love! [www.peggyandbrad.com] Fortunately, the sky was so blue, there was little need for a polarizing filter [I'm mostly saying that because I forgot mine!] The polarizing filter is the key to making the sky a deeper blue and can take an ordinary photograph and give it great depth and contrast between the sky and the clouds. These filters are not very expensive but can really make a huge difference in the images that you take. If you have different sized lenses you can purchase adaptor rings that can make the transition from a larger or smaller lens to the filter. Campus Camera is the place to go for "anything photography."

sketch studio of kent spokesmodel program


Our spokesmodel program is a “Rep” program that lets high school juniors and seniors earn portrait credits that goes towards senior pictures and albums. This is an opportunity that your parents will be excited about. Not only do you earn portrait credits but if you go above and beyond representing us, you will receive a special bonus! Not only are you saving them money but you will get a chance to have cool, contemporary portraits from your very own photo shoot that will make you look and feel great.

We are currently looking for high school juniors (class of 2010) in each of the high schools in Portage and Summit County who would like to be a spokesmodel for sketch studio of kent.

This is what a sketch studio of kent spokesmodel will get:

  • Complementary photo session at the studio and an outside location during your junior year.
  • A set of 10 images web resolution (watermarked) for personal and web use. Perfect for Myspace, Facebook or screensavers.
  • 40 spokesmodel (Rep) cards. Wallet size collage of your photo session.
    Participate in our incentive program (Earn senior portrait credits based on the number of referrals).
  • Refer 5 people that book a senior session and your senior session is absolutely FREE!
    For each additional referral, you will earn $20.00 credit towards your senior pictures and albums.
  • When you have referred 20 or more seniors, you get the EXTRA bonus of choosing one of the options below:
  • $100.00 Gift Card to Dick’s Sporting Good Store or
  • Special Spa Treatment at Di Bellezza Hair & Spa located in Stow.
    You have your choice of 3 of the following options:
    30 minute massage
    Mini Facial
    Mini Pedicure
    Mini Manicure
    Makeup application with instruction
    Shampoo & blow dry
  • Every senior who comes in with your spokesmodel card will receive a free 5X7 of their selected image.

In return as a senior spokesmodel, it is your job to get our studio’s name out there. Let your class mates know that we exist and that there is a fun fresh alternative to the traditional senior portraits.

If you are interested either email us at
geriann@sbcglobal.net or
call for an appointment at 330-608-1893.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Monday, April 6, 2009


Monday, March 9, 2009

Portage County Photographers catch the sunset for a Senior Portrait moment!


Matt and I had a great time with Trenton and his parents at Uncle Pat's place out in the country! It was a little crisp but worth it getting some great shots at sunset. I thought you would enjoy a photo of the photographer in action! Just remember that we will do formal shots at sketch studio of kent and then travel to get your outside moments all within 2 hours!

Friday, February 27, 2009

Photography in kent ohio


We put in another long day yesterday painting the studio and had a blast doing so. Chuck's mural is progressing well and should be complete with another week or so. Geri and I have been experimenting with some new background colors and decided to add a blue to see if it would make the cut. Jackie and her daughter came in just in time for us to take some shots. They really turned out nice! Thanks Jackie! The two of you made the background look even better. 

We are still in the process of resizing images for the revised website and will blog about it upon completion. You can view more images on our website at www.sketchkent.com or galleries at www.sketchkent.smugmug.com

Sunday, February 22, 2009


sketch studio of kent is continuing the process of renovations to the studio! We are fortunate to have extremely talented local artist Chuck Slonaker of Studio Swank slapping up some paint. The mural Chuck is painting is great and progressing very well. Chuck is an amazing person. He is committed to making other peoples lives better through kindness, insight on things like people, consciousness and politics and he is one the most generous people I know. If you know Chuck and you have said thanks to him for any favor he's done for you or a friend his comment 100% of the time is "oh please." From landscapes to portraits to politics his work is not only important and relevant to himself but also to many others. I can't think of anyone who is close to Chuck who hasn't been given one of his paintings. I always get excited when we arrange to get together so I can photograph his new work and we can just sit and as we call it "solve all the worlds problems."  To date we haven't solved all of them but we are getting really close! You can view chuck's paintings on at www.sketchkent.smugmug.com

I will make a note on a future blog when I get a sense of completion. Thanks Chuck!

Friday, February 20, 2009

Photography in Kent Ohio




That was fun! Justin came in for a 2 hour studio session this week. Geri and I were entertained with great music when he had his violin out. I felt like we should be paying him! He plays violin, rugby and is interested in his path of education. Now that's a man.

Our lighting and new background worked out well and I'm looking forward to the new colors we will be introducing soon. Currently we use several colors of seamless paper backgrounds and have painted walls and floor for a more unique look. We also have painted panels and props to leave each high school senior shoot with a wide variety of great images. Our studio is large enough to have several stations set up at once to make the process smooth. Add to these benefits a consultation and clear direction through the entire process and you are left with a great experience. We've had some great success in capturing the real personality of each senior and appreciate the opportunity to work with all of them. 

We are in the process of updating our website but you can still view our site and our galleries


Thursday, February 19, 2009


I have been asked on occasion why pay extra for a f1.4 lens? Is it worth the extra cost? My answer is probably. I know, a pretty anticlimatic answer. Here's my take: The photo of the jellyfish was photographed at an aquarium in very dim light. Since I didn't have a tripod and I needed the shutter speed a least at a 60th, I would not have been able to get this shot without this great little lens [50mm.] So, the time will come when you wish you had this capability but the frequency is what will determine the value of the upgrade.

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Senior Portraits in Portage County




Looking for a quality photography studio for your senior portraits? One that will capture your true personality? We would love to meet you and your family for a free consultation and to show you samples of our work.

We had the pleasure of photographing Gabe from Roosevelt yesterday. The shoot went very well and we were able to capture many creative and unique poses. Our set up included lockers and a weight bench with weights that is stored in our warehouse. In addition to the setups at the studio we will be bringing a couple of the images into our digital studio to create some custom designs. We will post them to the blog once completed. 

Not sure if I had more fun working with Gabe and Geri [master of the pose] or talking shop about cameras and gear with Mark...Gabe's Dad. The whole family was great.

I look forward to the next shoot.

Monday, February 2, 2009

Portraits in Portage County



I hope everyone is enjoying the nice weather. My son Miles made his way to the studio to stand in with a friend. The photo shoot went well! I was once again reminded about the attention spans of 3 and 4 year olds and how crucial it is to capitalize on a short window of opportunity. It's nice to have the opportunity to be around infants and children in the studio where there's never dull moment. We look forward to meeting more of Kent's finest! 

Although we photograph quite a few children, our capabilities are far more extensive. Whether you are looking for portraits in Kent Ohio or Portage County, give us a call to schedule a time to have photographs taken of your infants, children, high school seniors, families, etc. 

You can view our galleries at: www.sketchkent.smugmug.com

or our website at: www.sketchkent.com

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Senior Portraits go graphic


We were lucky to have an opportunity to photograph Kent Roosevelt senior Jasmine. She was as great a model as she is a basketball player. We converted one of her images to give the photo a little kick and to to create some type treatments with her name, etc. Before we photograph a senior we like to meet for a consultation to get to know the new client and their interests. This has a big affect on how the images turn out. With the new studio located at 716 North Mantua in Kent ohio we are centrally located in Portage County and have enough room to have several sets going at one time. Geri and I both look forward to a great senior season and great shots. You can visit our website at www.sketchkent.com or go straight to our galleries to view images we have taken in the past.

Monday, January 19, 2009

Senior Portraits in Kent Ohio






Geri and I welcomed Kent Roosevelt senior Brittany into the studio for another senior portrait. The photo's came out great and were uploaded to the gallery section of our website www.sketchkent.smugmug.com the following day for proofing. Prints can be ordered directly on line and there is no minimum order. We understand that budgets are tight and because of this, you have the option to order just the images you need or want. If you would rather come into the studio and go over the proofs in person we would love to see you again. Senior portrait reservations are booking up and we look forward to a great 2009. Call now to reserve your senior portrait session at 330-608-1893. We are located at 716 North Mantua in the back of the H-W Fairway building about a mile from Kent Roosevelt high school. You can also visit our website at www.sketchkent.com 

keyword search: 
- senior portraits in portage county
- seniors in portage county
- senior photography in portage county
- senior portraits in ohio
- senior portraits in akron




Sunday, January 18, 2009

product Photography in Akron


sketch studio of kent has long been photographing products from Akron based companies. In the past when times get tough with the economy, businesses begin to withdraw from advertising and marketing. One thing seems to be consistent in tough times...the companies that are willing to spend some money will get more exposure at a potentially cheaper rate than in good times. This economy is no different. We offer prices that reflect our economy and images that reflect the quality of your products. Our large studio gives us the capabilities to photograph products both large and small. Call 330-22-1274 to see how we can make you look good. View our galleries at www.sketchkent.smugmug.com

 

Winter in Portage County


Wow, what a cold winter so far. Maybe I should look into Chapstick stock. You know when the windows look like this image it's cold out. This photo [in my kitchen] was taken recently with a 70-300 Sigma lens set to give a shallow enough depth of field to increase the artistic elements throughout the image. I will upload a few images to the gallery section of our website where all of our prints can be purchased. Geri's personal galleries containing her more creative images are highly recommended. One of my personal favorites. 

Speaking of lenses, we just added a new camera, lens and lighting equipment to our existing gear to increase our capabilities.

As usual, all of our equipment is purchased from Campus Camera in Kent. Dan and Rich are great to work with and have been giving me great advice, products and services now for 10 years. 

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Family Portraits in Kent Ohio


Visit www.sketchkent.com or www.sketchkent.smugmug.com

Monday, January 12, 2009

sketch studio




After many weeks of hard work the studio is beginning to take shape. We are so excited to provide you with such a great photo experience in this unique location. Give us a call or visit our website at www.sketchkent.com to see how we can help you create awesome memories! 

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Product Photography at sketch studio of kent


We had the pleasure today of photographing some great ceramic pieces by local artist Justin Crowe. Justin's work has many unique qualities that take the clay through a transformation of colors, patterns and textures using different chemicals and techniques. You can view more of his work at www.justincrowestudio.com 

sketch studio of kent has been photographing paintings, sculptures, fashion and jewelry for over 9 years and has the facilities and equipment to photograph products both large and small. You can view our portfolio at www.sketchkent.com and www.sketchkent.smugmug.com

We are in the process of revising the sketch studio of kent website and should have it up and running within a few weeks!


Sunday, January 4, 2009

Photography by sketch studio of kent (on location in Ellicottville, NY)



























Let the winter games begin. I hope you enjoy snowboarding & skiing as much as we do. Our son is on the Snowboarding Team of Holiday Valley and he is training in slopestyle, rails, halfpipe and park skills. Team members compete in regional & national USASA events as well as Holiday Valley sponsored events. I will be covering the major events and posting photos on sketch studio's web site. I will make sure to send you a personal invite to check out the photos of your children! Let's make the snow work.





For more pics on EVL winter sports go to http://sketchkent.smugmug.com/Geri%20Strange/685880. The gallery will be updated on a weekly basis, so enjoy!


Friday, January 2, 2009

Photography in Kent Ohio


Happy New Year! Geri and I are looking forward to the new year at sketch studio of kent. We have added another Nikon to our gear and have been focusing on creative setups and lighting techniques. One of our goals is to get our website http://www.sketchkent.com revised and updated so people can see the latest images and capabilities. We have several senior portraits under our belts and look forward to photographing the class of 2010. We have been adding to our inventory of props at the warehouse so our options are always increasing. 

We are located in the back of H-W Fairway building at 716 North Mantua, across from Diggers, in the warehouse.  

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Senior Portraits at Kent Roosevelt


The following is the copy from an ad that we have created. It gives a good idea of our senior portrait process:


It happens only once in a lifetime. And whether you want it to be a big deal or not, sketch studio of kent has the ability to give you that once in a lifetime experience. We bring out your personality with creativity and quality while making the process enjoyable and inexpensive. To fully accommodate your personal expectations you can choose to come in to visit the studio for a consultation before the shoot and stop back to proof and order prints. Or for those looking to simplify the process, you can also proof and purchase individual prints and even merchandise online. On a budget? You can create your own package.


sketch studio can create that memorable experience that will be appreciated for years to come. We are versatile and back up all of our work with a full guarantee. So, if you’re looking to get away from the ordinary senior portrait look, we would like to sit down with you to see how we can create a unique personal experience. We are located in the back of the H-W Fairway building. Studio entrance and

parking off of Cuyahoga Street.

Monday, December 15, 2008

sketch studio of kent enters warehouse district


We're putting away the cleaning rags and pulling out the cameras again! The move to the warehouse district of Kent is now complete and we are getting close to officially opening the doors of sketch studio of kent. We have recently been painting and cleaning and will be adding props soon to round out the look. Chuck Slonaker [Studio Swank] was kind enough to stop in and paint some custom backgrounds on the walls to add to the unique look and feel of the new studio.

We did put the paint brushes down long enough to get involved in a great photo shoot involving a new dress created by Hanna Hall. Thanks to Morgan for modeling the dress and Hanna, James and Mimi for your help. You did a great job!

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

On location at Upkeep


We had the great opportunity to spend the day at Upkeep Boutique and Canine Spa last Saturday the 6th to photograph many of Maybelle's furry clients. We had a lot of fun that day and everyone seems really happy with the images. We try to come up with a unique look and feel with the background and props every time we set up on location or in the studio. This shoot was no exception. Anyone looking for dog grooming services should give maybelle a call. Her website is: 

http://www.upkeepcaninespa.com 

She is amazing...kind of like Dr. Doolittle. After a shoot like this we post all of the images to a gallery on our website: http://www.sketchkent.com > galleries, so people can purchase prints and merchandise directly.

Thursday, December 4, 2008

MS at Landerhaven


Thanks to everyone who showed up at the Multiple Sclerosis 2008 Dinner of Champions. It's amazing to see so much compassion at one single event. As always, Landerhaven did a wonderful job with the food and hospitality. Thomas Zenty, CEO of University Hospitals, received the Norman Cohn Hope Award and gave a great acceptance speech. sketch studio of kent was fortunate to be hired to photograph the event and look forward to a continued relationship with the MS organization. They created a wonderful event!