Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Northern Michigan Photo Studio Holds Contest for Students


Photographer Tony Hogrefe sits for a portrait in his studio.

Northern Michigan photographer Tony Hogrefe needed a plan help to drum up business for his new Alanson studio. Giving away free photos sounded like one of the proverbial “too good to be true” type of deals so why not make those that wanted one work for it? How about a photography contest for high school students where the winner receives a free portrait package?

Hogrefe, who has been working professionally for three years since studying photography at Kellogg College in Battle Creek, wasn’t really interested in taking pictures after leaving the Marine Corp in 2003. “The girl I was dating was a photo hobbyist so I suggested taking a photography class as something to do together.” said Hogrefe. “I took the class and fell in love with it.”

Moving back to northern Michigan this past December the Alanson high school graduate and Iraq War veteran was laying in bed one night when he thought up the idea for the photo contest. “I was thinking of ways to draw in business that would benefit myself as well as the client.”

The contest is open to all high school juniors and those seniors who don’t have their senior portraits done yet. Students may enter one photo that can be submitted either digitally or as a traditional print. Hogrefe will judge the images and the winner from each school will receive a free senior photo package with a retail value of more than $500.00. The only real catch is that in order for a school to qualify for the contest there must be a minimum of three entries from that school. Non-winning entrants will receive a discount on senior photo packages done by Hogrefe’s AMH Photography.

If the contest draws enough interest Hogrefe is ”planning on doing it as an annual thing.” As an additional benefit winning students will be able to display and sell their photographs at Hogrefe’s River St. studio during next summers Alanson Riverfest.


Photogarher Tony Hogrefe outside his AMH Photography studio in Alanson.

The full set of contest details can be found on AMH Photography’s website at www.amhphotography.com

5 comments:

  1. Awesome Tony... proud of you

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  2. Bravo! You do amazing work. Finally.. a diverse, modern, savvy photographer in Northern Michigan.

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  3. Yay! One of KCC's own, doing great! Northern Michigan doesn't know it yet, but you are it's best kept photographic secret! Great idea: hope it brings much business!

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  4. Exceptional quality at a fair price! AMH Photography captures beauty within the lens!

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  5. Best purchase we made all last year was having Tony do my daughters senior pictures. The pictures were awesome and we couldn't be happier with the results. We've had a ton of positive comments about her pictures. Keep it up Tony! You've got the eye for this career.

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