Here are some of my favorite images from the Frill Prom Preview 2012.  Now all of you can relive this amazing evening.  The girls were so beautiful and full of energy!  What a wonderful show!

Thanks to Jan Moore for a wonderful story in today’s Statesboro Herald.  The event was again, a huge success.  2012 is going to be one of the best prom seasons ever!

I am often asked about the Lori Grice “difference.”  Many of you, who have never given me the opportunity to photograph you or your family tell me how my images look different.  You love my “look” and know they are different – but you really don’t understand the complete difference.

Nearly two decades ago, I decided to take my difference to another level – as a reward for my clients.  I have heard the horror stories about standing in line for hours to see Santa – only to have your child freak out and not get one usable image.  DeWayne often shares his memories of standing in line outside (in the bitterly cold weather) of the local Sears store in Claxton to see Santa.  His first picture of Santa – does not include Santa at all.  In fact – the only lap he would sit in was his mothers.

This is how we began creating the perfect Santa experience at our studio.  Every year this event sells out.  We open it to existing clients – many of whom book a year in advance.  I have tried to explain this experience – but have never done it justice.  This year, Reagan Daly booked a session for her son and wrote an incredible account of her experience with Santa.  Reagan is the editor of Moments Magazine a publication of the Statesboro Herald.  With Reagan’s permission – we are sharing her article her for you.  I would like to thank Reagan for spending time with us and giving us the opportunity to photograph her and her son.

This is an amazing event and one of our most popular.  Call 912-764-7274 or email us at info@lorigrice.com to reserve a Santa session.

Monday, November 14th and Tuesday, November 15th at the Studio in Statesboro

$299 per session includes:

1 – 8×10 from your session and your choice of

4- 5×7’s or 25 Holiday Cards

We have the Santa dates confirmed with the North Pole!

These are very popular and very limited sessions due to Santa’s extremely busy schedule! 

Don’t procrastinate…call 912-764-7274 or email info@lorigrice.com RIGHT NOW!  For those of you who have never experienced a Lori Grice – Santa session – you do not want to miss this.  These are so special because of the incredible experience we create for you, and your children with Santa.  During the session your children get exclusive and personal face time with Santa and Mrs. Claus.  It is not rushed and you do not feel pressured that someone is standing in line waiting while your child tries to decide if they like Santa this year or not.  We have lots of magical tricks and assure you that you will get at least one picture with Santa and your children in it – no matter how they feel about the Jolly ‘Ole Guy.  So to make sure you are not the one standing in line at the mall for hours between the crying babies….book now by calling 912.764.7274 or info@lorigrice.com

Our sessions allow you and your children 30 minutes of one-on-one time with the Jolly ‘Ole Guy!  Best yet, they will have plenty of time to go over their list in excruciating detail with Santa.  You know he likes lists!  We also encourage you to bring  your video camera to record this experience that neither you nor your children will EVER forget.                         

After months of planning and working with our marketing team and designers we have officially launched our new website.  In focus groups and conversations with you – we learned that you wanted our site to have more IMAGES.  You LOVE seeing Lori’s amazing work so now you can see her work easier and quicker on the new site.  For those of you who have Apple devices like the IPAD or IPHONE you will be happy to know that our new site is Apple Friendly! 

Many of you told us you want more content and you want to read more about Lori’s artistic journey and personal life – we have also completely renovated our blog as part of this “remodeling” project so you can follow as much as you like.  We can’t wait to get your reviews. Please share your thoughts with us.  We hope the site inspires you and touches you.  Many of you will recognize your family or your friends or neighbors here. If you recognize someone on the site, please help us share with them our new site.

At the bottom of the home page you can now go directly to Lori’s Facebook page where you can “like” her, tag images and see more galleries of her work.  You can also join her on twitter and linked in through the homepage also.

The site will continue to be a work in progress as we add more content and images weekly so keep checking back.

Book a session soon and you might just be our next – new feature on the blog or website.

It is my favorite time of the year – Fair Time!  What a wonderful tradition that is celebrating it’s 50th year in our community – thanks to the Statesboro Kiwanis Club.  On your way to the Midway and of course the famous Pancakes and Sausages – check out our booth.  You may recognize yourself or a friend there! 

We are launching our new Five Times in a Lifetime campaign at the Fair.  EVERYONE is a photographer these days.  I assume you know at least ten friends who are moonlighting as photographers.  We wish them all well and understand how hard it is to tell your neighbor, relative or close friend – NO!  Especially when they are working you over to be their newest photography client.

However, there are FIVE times in a Lifetime that you really should not experiment with semi-pro or hobbyist – moonlighting photographers.

This includes:

1. Your Baby’s First Year – Expecting, Birth, newborn, three month, six month, nine month and one year are portraits you will never be able to recreate.  There will be no other year of your child’s life that they will develop and change more than this precious first year. Choose me for one or all of these and you will be so glad you did!
2. Five year Portrait – this is a critical portrait – documenting your child’s sweet and tender stage – before they begin their physical changes into childhood.  We prefer to do this before they loose their first tooth.
3. Senior Portrait – this is a defining portrait session.  This session is your child’s opportunity to express their individuality in the most special time of their life. It is their last opportunity to express who they are as an individual through portraits.
4. Bridal Portrait and Wedding Photography – Every year, on our anniversary we love to go back through our wedding album and see how much we have all changed!  It allows us to relive one of the most wonderful days of our life. At the very least, choose me to create a Bridal Portrait that will remind you and share the emotion and joy of this incredible day for the rest of your life.
5. Generational Legacy Portrait – This is the portrait of your entire family that will become the centerpiece of your home.  It is what you are most proud of – your family.  It is the portrait that captures this wonderful moment in time and shares your incredible legacy for generations to enjoy.

Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/lori.grice.photo and share with us the one time in your lifetime you wished you had booked me as your portrait artist – or share a time in the future you would like me to photograph you.  Our judges will pick one lucky winner at the end of the week and they will get a FREE Lori Grice portrait session.

Exhibition showcases George Tames’ iconic images

In this photo, President John F. Kennedy is shown in the Oval Office February 19, 1961. The photo is one of many famous photographs that will be on display beginning Friday as part of an exhibit at the Averitt Center for the Arts.

By AL HACKLE Special to the Herald

    George Tames snapped a single black and white photograph of John F. Kennedy that does not show his face and yet has become emblematic of the American presidency.
        That 1961 picture, later entitled “The Loneliest Job in the World,” shows Kennedy’s back as he looks out a window of the Oval Office, the weight of the world apparently on his shoulders while he braces himself on a table.
    Other photos Tames took of 10 presidents in 40 years as a Washington, D.C., correspondent for the New York Times have become nearly as iconic. An exhibition opening Friday at the Averitt Center for the Arts exemplifies Tames’ photography.
    Tames died in 1994 at age 75, leaving the New York Times and the world a wealth of historic images and his daughter memories of growing up near the center of power.
    Stephanie Tames, a Statesboro resident since 1989 and a journalist and artist herself, has undertaken the labor of cataloging her father’s work and selecting the images for display. 
    “It’s given me an opportunity to go more deeply into his work than I ever had before just growing up with it,” she said. “I’m really just thrilled to be able to share it.”
    “Private Presidential Pathways” will be on display May 6 ­— June 15. Exhibition catalogs will be available for $5, but entrance to the Averitt Center’s visual arts exhibitions is always free.
    For Friday’s debut, “Private Presidential Pathways” will be open to the public from 5:30 —
7 p.m. A children’s educational event about presidential history will be part of downtown Statesboro’s First Friday events.
    At 7 p.m., Stephanie Tames will be on hand to share her father’s stories with Averitt Center
members and their guests at the exhibition’s opening reception.
    Jim Mones, Director of Photo Archives for the New York Times will make gallery remarks. In the Emma Kelly Theater a special DVD of George Tames in a variety of interviews on National Television will be on a continuous loop.
    “Presidential Pathways” is sponsored by Lori Grice Photography and Dr. Larry Hubbard.
    The Averitt Center’s main gallery is open Tuesday-Friday from 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. and on Saturdays from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

It is such an honor to partner with the Statesboro Herald annually to recognize 20 of our communities most impressive leaders under the age of 40.  It is so inspiring to meet, photograph and get to know these impressive young leaders.  It certainly makes you feel good about the future of our community.  Congratulations to each of you!

Reposted from GSU’s Center for Entrepreneurial Learning and Leadership Publication

March 11, 2011 by Brittanie Barber Leave a Comment

Lori and DeWayne Grice

It is evident after meeting this husband and wife duo that giving back plays an important part in their lives. The couple strives to live according to the “Rick Warren concept” of living on 10% and giving away 90%. But had it not been for one photograph, the Grice’s may not have been able to play such a vital role in their community.

Since the age of eight Lori has had a camera in her hand when her Uncle entered the photography business and later founded Regency Photo.  When she was 18 years old she had the opportunity to attend her first Georgia Southern football game. Working her way through college in her uncle’s photo lab, it was a rare occasion when she got a Saturday off to go watch the Eagles. Given that opportunity, she was sure to take her camera with her. She snapped many shots but one in particular of a Georgia Southern Eagle running the ball, with his teammates cheering him on in the background, for a touchdown.  The owner of Archibald’s, which is now Gnat’s Landing, saw the photo and asked Lori for a print for his restaurant where the famed Erk Russell frequented. Coach Russell fell in love with the portrait and requested that the action shot be used in GSU’s marketing campaigns.  Erk’s endorsement of Lori’s work gave her the boost she needed to launch her highly successful photography business.

“My aunt actually said after that ‘it’s such a shame that you have reached your peak at 18,’” laughed Lori.

DeWayne, Lori and their daughter Edie Grace with GUS before an Eagles’ game.

DeWayne started off as a co-op student at GSU where he later graduated with a BBA in entrepreneurship.  While in college, he co-founded Cable Ad Concepts, a consulting agency for Northland Cable.  In this role DeWayne helped establish the advertising, production and news divisions in Northland Cable systems throughout the southeast. While managing Cable Ad Concepts, then Georgia Secretary of State Lewis Massey convinced DeWayne to come to Atlanta and help lead his gubernatorial campaign. In 1997 DeWayne founded Z to A Solutions, a nonprofit and political fundraising company. DeWayne’s company made a tremendous impact in the political and nonprofit arena by raising more $20 million in the short time he presided over the company. But this fast paced life wasn’t quite right for the couple who wanted to start a family.

John C. Maxwell, a successful leadership development author and motivational speaker, spoke to Lori and DeWayne while they were trying to figure out their path and said to Lori, “you have no idea how lucky you are and how wonderful it is to know what your gift is.” He also challenged DeWayne to find his gift, and DeWayne knew that leading political campaigns just weren’t his primary gift. So, DeWayne merged his company and returned to Statesboro full time to join Lori in her photography studio downtown.

Photography is more than just a portrait session and portrait sales for DeWayne and Lori, they pride themselves on their work and their community involvement.

“It doesn’t matter who we photograph, we have made it our goal to be proud to display our prints in any home across America,” said DeWayne.

In 2002, just 14 months after the birth of their daughter Edie Grace, Lori was offered the opportunity to travel to France and train with other professional photographers on a Thursday, on Friday she was chosen for Georgia Trend Magazine’s 40 under 40 and the following Monday she was diagnosed with Cervical Cancer. After being diagnosed, while holding her baby in her arms, Lori realized that if she couldn’t beat the cancer the only memories Edie Grace would have of her mother would be captured in portraits. Lori was reaffirmed of the power and importance of her job as a family’s portrait artist.  The cancer was caught early enough that Lori did not have to undergo Chemo-therapy.  After several surgeries and treatments, Lori is living cancer free. But she looks at life and photography in a new way.

“The greatest gift of the cancer, I realize, is that every day that I go into the studio I create the images and memories that may be someone’s last. So no matter how I feel that day I have to give my A-game.” says Lori.

Statesboro’s Averitt Center for the Arts as it stands today. The efforts of DeWayne Grice and community members led the renovation of a dilapidated bank into the arts center.

On top of their commitment to quality, the couple is dedicated to building their community. Lori and DeWayne played a fundamental role in rebuilding Downtown Statesboro. As President of the Downtown Statesboro Development Authority, she played an integral role in the redevelopment of several downtown buildings that were in ill repair including what is now City Hall. DeWayne was appointed by Statesboro professionals and then Mayor Hal Averitt to restore an old bank and movie theater into the successful Averitt Center for the Arts. DeWayne was a charter member on GSU’s Board for the Center for Continuing Education. DeWayne led the effort to restructure the largest nonprofit organization in the world, the American Heart Association, by streamlining the organization and creating just 12 regional offices instead of 51. DeWayne served as Chairman of the Southeastern Affiliate of AHA and as a national board member. Lori is an activist and national spokesperson for the HPV vaccination and early diagnosis and treatment of cervical cancer. They were the first husband and wife team to be listed in Georgia Trend Magazine’s 40 under 40 and have both received gubernatorial appointments. Lori has been named Georgia Photographer of the Year in 2007 and twice named International Photographer of the Year. She is 1 of 2,000 photographers nationally certified out of the Professional Photography Associations 20,000 members. Lori was only the 14^th photographer in Georgia to be inducted into the prestigious American Society of Photographers.  In 2008, Lori was chosen to create an ornament for official White House Christmas Tree by First Lady Laura Bush, after being nominated by Congressman John Barrow.  Lori was the only photographer to be chosen. Currently, Lori and DeWayne are integrally involved in founding the Hearts and Hands Health Clinic in Statesboro.  DeWayne serves as the President of the clinics’ Board of Directors and they are committed to raising awareness and funds for the clinic, which offers free health care to those in the community, who have lost or cannot afford health insurance.

For more information about the husband and wife team or to schedule a Portrait Session please visit their website: lorigrice.com

For over two decades, Lori Grice has been the portrait artist of choice for Legacy Portraits.  From traditional portraits on canvas, to hand painted watercolor and oils – Lori’s Legacy Portraits have become a southern tradition.  No home is complete without a Lori Grice Legacy portrait.  Email info@lorigrice.com or call 912-764-7274 to learn more about Lori Grice Legacy Portraits.