Awesome Give Away Photographers!!

Check this out!!  Paint the Moon *love their stuff* is having a give away for a ton of awesome actions!!

Matilda Jane Trunk Show!

I am hosting a Matilda Jane Trunk Show on Wednesday October 6th from 7-9 at my home.  I would love to see you there!  I will be giving away a 1 hour 2010 Holiday Session at the show.  Matilda Jane has girls (little to tween) clothes, but also has some amazing pieces for the Mommies!!  Message me if you want to join us and I will give you my address!

 

Finding Joy - Week One

I signed up for this on line class and it is finding your joy, finding you are beautiful and getting in pictures...self portraits.  So I get out my wedding dress and try it on...it fits!!  Here we go...

Happy 3rd Birthday Grace!!

Dear Grace,

I can't believe you are already 3 years old.  I know you think you are two, but you are THREE!!  I can't believe that it was not even three years ago that we got the call that you were ours!!  You were 5 days old before we even got to meet you.  It was such a special day for us...we were parents FINALLY!!  You were so tiny but we prayed for you for so long and I couldn't wait any longer.  Thanks for coming to us 2 months early!  You have turned into quite a little lady.  You love to talk.  You love Dora.  You love Dinosaur Train.  You have your own opinions about things.  You aren't too happy when things don't go your way.  But you are still precious.  You still call your blankie "brr brr" and although I want you to say it correctly, I secretly think it is so cute!  You LOVE animals.  When we were in the Dominican recently we had to keep you from touching all the puppies you saw.  I know that was hard for you.  I am so excited for you to start pre-school.  I know you are too and that you want to bring everything with you to "my kool".  Thank you Grace for blessing us with you for the last 3 years.  Our lives have never been the same since you joined our family.  We love you to the back of the stars!!

Summer Mini Sessions

Here are all the details for the summer mini-sessions.  The sessions will last about 20-30 minutes each and include up to 4 people ($25 additional per person).  Location is at a private home in Alpharetta off of Buice Road (details to follow upon booking your session).  Grounds are amazing!  There are horse fences, a beautiful pool, multiple levels with sitting areas, a lake, open grassy fields, beautiful flowers, horses across the street, and many other amazing options for breathtaking photos of your family!

Session Option #1 - Digital - $100.00 investment which includes an online gallery of your pictures (approximately 2 weeks after your session), a disk with photo rights for printing your own photos up to 8 X 10 including 5 images that you choose from your session.  20% off a la carte prints, books, canvas, framed prints.  Additional images can be purchased for $15.00.

Session Option #2 - Prints - $150.00 investment which includes an online gallery of your pictures (approximately 2 weeks after your session) (3) 5 X 7's & 12 X 12 Photo Collage (unframed including 9 photos) with customized text, and 3 mini accordion albums that are perfect for you to carry in your purse and give to the grandparents.  20% off a la carte prints, books, canvas, framed prints.

Session Dates:

Tuesday, June 8th 10:00 AM, 10:30 AM, 11:00AM, 7:00 PM (booked JT), 7:30 PM, 8:00 PM

Rain Date: Thursday, June 10th

Saturday June 12th 10:00 AM (booked AT), 10:30 AM (booked AM), 11:00AM (booked JF), 7:00 PM, 7:30 (booked JS) PM, 8:00 (booked JS) PM

Rain Date: Sunday, June 13th

Session Fee is due in full (via PayPal Invoice) upon booking your date and is non-refundable, but transferable to another Mini-Session date in June or a later date.

Sneak peek for June Mini-Sessions location!

I am working on the final touches to the June Mini-Sessions.  Looks like it will be the week of June 7th 1-2 days during the week and 1 weekend day.  Here is a sneak peek 

of the beautiful grounds of the private home where they will be taking place.  

The location is off of Buice Road in Alpharetta.

The importance of YOU in photographs*

I read this today on the Creative Momma and it is SO true.  I wanted to share it to inspire YOU to get in photos!  And to remind me to hand off my camera so I will be in them too!  I handed my 5 year old the camera the other day to show off my new doo!  He did a great job!  So go find yourself a good photographer and get in the pictures!!  Hint, get your hair done that day...cause mine never looks as fabulous when I do it myself!

The importance of YOU in photographs*

by JESSICA on MAY 11, 2010

As women, as mothers, as photographers it’s just the card we’ve been dealt. We are often the ones behind the camera. We’re the ones that see the tiny moments every 5 seconds unfolding that deserve capturing. We’re the ones that want to document the days of our children that we know will be gone tomorrow. And, most likely we’re the ones that know how to use the camera.

Yet, there will be a time when we will sit down and will pour over old photos. We’ll laugh at the captured temper-tantrum, cry over the momentous events and sigh over the freshly bloomed flowers we caught one late, Spring afternoon. Will we – in the piles of memories – find ourselves? Will our kids know what their days and moments looked like with us? At future weddings and even funerals will slideshows include photos of us (not just photos we’ve taken)? At our 50th wedding anniversary will we be able to laugh at all the fun looks we went through as a married couple?

It boils down to this: BEING IN FRONT OF THE CAMERA IS JUST AS IMPORTANT AS BEING BEHIND IT.

Your children will thank you. Your friends and family will thank you. You will thank you.

So, what are some ways you can work at making sure this happens?

1. ONCE A WEEK

Make it a goal to get into at least 1 photo a week. This can happen by handing someone else the camera, setting it on a timer or investing in a wireless remote.

2. DON’T BE OBSESSED WITH PERFECTION

This is two-fold. 1. Who cares what you look like in the photos? Don’t you want to be remembered for who you were even fresh out of bed, not just dolled up? Absolutely! Make-up or no make-up, you are perfect just the way you are. 2. The photo taken of you does not have to be contest-worthy. Don’t feel as if it needs to be taken with your DSLR (if you even own one). Use your camera phone or your point and shoot. Don’t worry about editing it pretty and posting it to your family blog. Just smile and archive it.

3. TAKE PHOTOS FOR NO GOOD REASON

It’s 6 p.m., you’re eating dinner with the family – it’s the same thing you do every night. But wait. It won’t be the same thing you do every night forever. Take a photo. There’s nothing big happening, but at the same time there is. It’s family dinner. On a Tuesday night. 2010. Everyone’s happy and Jimmy has funny bangs because he cut his own hair. Your flowers are in bloom. The sun is setting low. It’s an average day today. It will not be an average picture tomorrow. Promise.

4. TEACH SOMEONE HOW TO USE YOUR CAMERA

And, then go out for no good reason and get a few good photos of you and your kids. Or you and your girlfriends. Have your husband or friend take a picture of you riding your bike, sewing, sleeping. Whatever it is! Just capture it. I promise these are the types of photos you will love most later on.

5. INVEST IN PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHS

Last Fall I realized that I have very few photos of me. Honestly, it made me really sad. I don’t feel for one second that I’m in my prime, but I am. I’m young and happy and I have my hair and teeth. And, something else really important. I have a really creazy-wonderful relationship with the man of my dreams. It’s just him and me and our crazy dog. One day (soon we hope) we’re going to wake up to a house full of kids and will not be able to remember what these days we’re living were like.

Once I made this realization I quickly scheduled a photo shoot with a professional photographer here in town. I made sure to find someone whom I adored artistically (he shoots only medium-format film) and who I knew would give us final photographs we would love to frame within our home.

Since I’m a professional photographer myself we were able to barter services and I was given the rights to the images. But, had we not made that agreement I would have paid *good* money for the images. I don’t just see pictures. I see 7-years of incredible memories and love and life and laughter, tears and travels and a team. We are a team. These pictures remind me of that every single day.

Since then I made a book of our favorite 12 images and on the other 8 pages put notes of things that describe our lives today. Inside jokes and random bits, movies we love, countries we’ve traveled to. Feelings on infertility and our desires to build a family. I know this book has now become a family heirloom. And, it has spurred me on to do it again this Fall.

Every year I want to pay for quality photographs so that I can continue to create “memory” books. With me in them.

Creative Mamas, I invite you to see yourself for who you are. You are a child, daughter, sister, friend, wife, mother. You deserve to be preserved. Take those steps to be remembered for centuries to come. Your family will be grateful.