Lightbox's 5 Year Anniversary Recap!

Lightbox Turns 5!

We had the best time celebrating 5 amazing years of Lightbox on Tuesday, October 1st! Our natural light studio and event space has come a long way, and it felt so special to open our doors and celebrate with all of you.

All photos are courtesy of Ally Jeppsen Photography

We couldn’t resist setting up a fun photo op on our rolling backdrop, complete with a beautiful balloon install by Dreamy & Darling Creations. Our "In the Studio" design added a fun touch, and it was the perfect spot for everyone to snap a few pics and capture the vibe of the night.

What’s a party without snacks, right? Our “sips and dips” setup was a hit, with a mocktail bar from 417 Cocktails and some seriously tasty dips—spinach and artichoke, queso, and hummus with a mix of chips, veggies, and pita. So good!

LaLa Links set up their permanent jewelry bar, and it was a huge hit! Guests had the chance to purchase custom pieces throughout the night, adding a fun, personalized touch to the event. It was the perfect way for everyone to take home a little extra sparkle!

To top it all off, we gave away over $900 in prizes, including a Nespresso machine and a free studio photo shoot with Portrait Novella. We loved being able to give a little something back to the people who’ve supported us over the years!

THANK YOU!

This night was so special, filled with warmth not just from the fall-themed decor and cozy seating, but from the wonderful conversations and connections happening throughout the night. Whether guests were enjoying snacks, chatting over mocktails, or snapping photos at our backdrop, the good vibes were everywhere. We’re beyond grateful for everyone who has been a part of our journey, and a huge shout-out to Ally Jeppsen Photography for perfectly capturing all the fun! Here’s to many more years of Lightbox!

Meet The Team

The success of Lightbox over the past five years is all thanks to the incredible support from our community. While we’ve loved providing a space where creativity shines, it’s the people who’ve trusted us—whether for a photo shoot, event, or just to stop by—that have made it all possible. Behind the scenes, our team is dedicated to making Lightbox the special place it is: Hannah DeVries, our owner, pours her heart into every aspect of the studio; Bekah Knapp, our creative coordinator and socials manager, brings fresh ideas and energy; and Hannah Lyle, our studio assistant, ensures everything runs seamlessly. We’re honored to do what we love, but it’s the support from all of you that keeps us going!

Recap on the Modern Male Photographer's Shoot-Out

Have you noticed when you’re photographing male clients that posing them is a challenge? Yeah, us too! Which is why our last photographer’s shoot-out was to help photographers get more comfortable with posing male clients. A huge shout out to our models for this shoot: Alex, Ethan, Johnny, Asya and Blake!

Jennifer Quinn snapping a few shots in the Loft of Blake Compton.

For this shoot-out, we used our second space called, The Edison, for our second set of models. Have you seen the viral sunset lamp photos?
Here’s where to get your own sunset lamp projector.

Illuminate Photography using the sunset lamp to cast a colorful spotlight on Ethan.

Model, Ethan Hannaford posing for Illuminate Photography during the Modern Male Shoot-Out.

Color blocking is so in right now, so we decided to paint the rolling backdrop half black and half white. Paired with our beautiful couple models, these were some of our favorite shots of the day! Over the years, we’ve notice photographers finding it challenging to pose or put the focus on the guy in engagement or couples sessions. This set was designed for the photographers to work on posing and emphasizing the male model in the couples session.

Leigh Smith photographing couple Johnny and Aysa against the color block backdrop in the Loft.

Now for the photos!

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White Dove Photography

L. Louise Photo

Leigh Smith Photography

Eh Photo

Portrait Novella

Jennifer Quinn Photography

Illuminate Photography

Be sure to follow our socials below to stay up to date on our upcoming events!

Written by Hannah

Owner of Lightbox

The Up-cycled Photographer's Shoot-Out Recap

Who’s ready for a recap of our 3rd Photographer’s Shoot-Out at Lightbox? I know I am! The theme for this round was all things up-cycled! We partnered with Melly Reyes of Waste Less Apparel for this event! Melly gives new life to old clothing and was a crucial part in how this shoot-out came together! She designed and sewed outfits for each of our 4 models and GUYS! They were AH-MAY-ZING.

Our team at Lightbox created two sets in The Loft using items we already had at the studio and re-used items from the Habitat for Humanity Re-Store & thrift stores here in Springfield! We definitely had to think outside the box for these sets but we were obsessed with how they turned out! Being mindful of waste and as resourceful as possible has been important to our team since Lightbox’s doors first opened, so we are extremely pleased that we were able to pull this off! We hope that this inspires you all to look at re-used items in a new way and get creative when you are thinking of styling your next photo session!

Let’s dive right in!

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Meet Melly!

Waste Less Apparel was created out of the desire to be sustainable, attainable, & creative with the idea to waste less during our time here on earth. Every single one of these pieces are carefully created by my own hands with the environment in mind every step of the way.

As always, our favorite part of Shoot-Outs is seeing the photos by all of the INCREDIBLE photographer’s that come!

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BG STUDIOS PHOTOGRAPHY

RHIANON BROWN PHOTOGRAPHY

DYNAE LEVINGSTON PHOTO

HANNAH ARNZEN PHOTOGRAPHY

LAUJ.CO

ILLUMINATE PHOTOGRAPHY

LEIGH SMITH PHOTOGRAPHY

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A huge so much to everyone who participated in this shoot - out!

We are so thankful for you all and could not have done this without you!

Models:

Jonathan Kenney

Stephanie Dejue

Nkem Nkiruka Chigbogwu

Meghan Jeppsen

Coming soon:

A 2 day shoot-out & workshop! You don’t want to miss this!

December 5th & 6th

Follow Lightbox on Instagram to keep up with all the details!

Written by Bekah Schooler

Lightbox Creative Coordinator

Pantone "Classic Blue" Photographer's Shoot-Out Recap

On June 14th we held our 2nd Photographer’s Shoot-Out at Lightbox! This theme? Pantone’s Color of the Year, Classic Blue! This Shoot-Out’s set was a stark contrast from our first Photographer’s Shoot-Out, and that’s EXACTLY why we love putting these events together! It can be so easy to get caught up in your daily work flow as a photographer and participating in an event like this is the perfect way to ignite that creative spark again!

For this Shoot-Out we had 2 monochromatic sets in Classic Blue and bright white! We created a corner “room” for the Classic Blue set with our new vintage metal chair and for the all white set we used our white styling blocks and rolling backdrop along with other white elements to add a lot of dimension and texture to the set! For both sets we had a table of props for the photographer’s to use that included mirrors, a prism and dried white florals. This gave the photographer’s the opportunity to really get creative and make the set their own!

I’ll cut right to the best part, THE PHOTOS! We had such an amazing group of talented photographers join us for this shoot and all of their photos are INCREDIBLE! Check them out below!

Leigh Smith Photography

Jenny Nolan Snaps

Hannah Arnzen Photography

Rhianon Brown Photography

J Weter Photography

Illuminate Photography

DLP Lovestruck Photography

Capture Company 417

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And a HUGE thank you to our models!

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Kristina Khodai

Lauren Stockam

Lesley Lovelace

Vivien Smith

Mark your calendars!

Our next Photographer’s Shoot-Out will be on August, 16th 2020! Details will be release soon!

Written by Bekah Schooler

Creative Coordinator

lightboxbekah@gmail.com

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Q & A with a Photographer - Thomas Creative

Hi guys! Bekah here! Who’s eager to meet another amazing photographer in the 417 area?? I love having the opportunity to share 417 photographer’s stories and highlight their individual styles in this series! I think it is so cool to see the unique perspective people in the exact same field have!

Today I introduce you to the lovely Tamara Thomas of Thomas Creative! Let’s get to know her below!

Hi, all! I'm Tamara Thomas!

Along with my husband Caleb, I own Thomas Creative. I am a hobbyist turned full-time photographer. Last year, Caleb jumped on board and we added videography to our services. It's been the most fun doing this together. We call wedding days our day dates. We truly enjoy doing it as a team. It's so rewarding and fulfilling. We enjoy all types of photography. Anywhere from product shooting, family sessions, seniors, weddings, to making story videos for small businesses. If there is a photo/video need, we're down to fill it. We embrace it all! We have two beautiful babies. You can catch us location scouting, hanging at our church or enjoying popcorn and a movie when we're not shooting weddings or sessions.

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How long have you been a photographer? 

I got my first camera in 2012, but I'd say that photography has been my career since 2017.

How would you describe your photography style? 

True-to-color portrait photography/video. We love bright, vibrant colors and try to keep our photos and videos as nice and realistic as your eye sees them in person.

What is the most rewarding thing about being a photographer to you? 

Relationships. Oh my goodness, my heart SWELLS when I get to celebrate different seasons with my clients. Brides becoming Mamas, watching kids go from babies to toddlers, etc. My clients become friends. I get to be part of the best time of their lives. I just love it.

What is the best thing about your clients? 

I have some very loyal clients. There are a lot of amazing photographers in the 417 and I'm honored that they stick with me year after year.

What is your favorite thing to photograph?

This is a tough one because I truly love it all. I'd say I am best at family sessions. I have the gift of making buds with kids. Hearing clients say, "They never smile like that for photos." is the best pat on this photographers back.

What accomplishment are you most proud of?

FINALLY GOING FOR IT. For so long I would give away free sessions, turn weddings down, etc. because I wasn't confident in my skills. With a nice shove from my family, hubby and friends, I just decided to embrace this gift that God has given me and just do it. It's been so rewarding and I cannot believe that I have a full schedule of sessions year round. It's a true dream come true.

If you could give one piece of advice to yourself when you first started as a photographer, what would it be?

Stop being so hypercritical of your work and charge what you're worth. I would also say, don't be intimidated that there are a lot of photographers. Be true to who you are, continually work on your craft and the clients will come.

If you could give one piece of advice to your clients what would it be?

Celebrate your life, y'all. PRINT YOUR PHOTOS. You invest in these images, they belong ALL over your walls.

Do you have any photography influences? 

Seriously, y'all. You're KILLING IT. I love to show love to my fellow photogs. There are so many awesome photographers that I follow here in Springfield. If we're talking big influences, I love Jo Johnson. She's based out of Arkansas. We actually went to high school together and watching her flourish into an incredible photographer/mentor/business lady has been so inspiring.

What is your favorite piece of gear? Dream piece of gear?

I just went mirror-less with the Canon RP and I am LOVING IT. Lighter/smaller camera body has been a game changer on wedding days. If Caleb was answering this, he would be able to give you a full run down of all of the gear he would love to buy. He's a "gear nerd". I just try to learn the ins and outs of what I have.

What are some fun facts people may not know about you? 

In the 7th grade, I placed second in city for wrestling. I didn't even like wrestling. I just wanted to prove some boys wrong. I am still in the business of proving people who think I can't do something wrong.

What would your ultimate, dream photo shoot be?

I would love to shoot for a kids clothing line with my daughter as one of the models. She's stinkin' cute and since she was born she's been my practice buddy. Watching that 4-year-old spunk come out in front of the camera is so fun.

Where do you draw inspiration from?

I can totally get lost in the Instagram scroll.

What was your favorite part about using Lightbox?

I love it all. Climate control with nice natural lighting is so awesome. I don't have to worry about rescheduling due to weather. Can we talk about the staff? You guys are top notch!

How would you like to use the studios at Lightbox in the future?

I love mini sessions at Lightbox. Anytime Lightbox partners with The Vintage Rental Co for mini sessions, I'm definitely promoting it to my clients. I love them.

Thank you SO MUCH Tamara! You are so talented and we cannot WAIT to see your smiling face in the studio again!

If you want to check out more of Thomas Creative’s work, You can find them here:

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Written by Bekah Schooler

Creative Coordinator

If you are interested in being featured in the Q & A with a photographer series on the Box Blog, e-mail me at Lightboxbekah@gmail.com