And the winnder is...

Jill! Hopeful #1, you're the winner. I used a super technologically advanced method of randomly choosing a person... see the pictures below. :)







Jill, if you will e-mail me I'll get your address and send your Bruster's giftcard out in a jiffy! If you don't have Bruster's (or for some insane reason you don't like ice cream)... let me know and I'll give you something equally good. :)

I can see you..... and a prize!

About a month ago, I signed up for Sitemeter which is a website that tracks visits to other websites. Each week I get a spiffy e-mail that tells me how many people visit my blog, where they come from, and who they were referred by. It's totally awesome. If you have a blog or a website I definitely recommend signing up for it.
With that said, I'm totally overwhelmed at the number of people who visit this blog. Sometimes I think that no one reads it... :) If you read this blog, tell me here. How did YOU get here? How did you find out about The Bond Between Us? Leave a comment on this post.
Be rest-assured that you'll be seeing a lot of action on here in the next few weeks. I've got at least one session a week, and often one for each weekend day. And while that means a lot of work for me, it also means that you'll be seeing a lot of cuteness on here!





Oh, I did mention a prize... didn't I? Leave a comment in this post tell me hello, how you got to this blog, who you were referred by, what you're looking forward to the most this summer, whatever. I don't care. You could even tell me what you had for breakfast.
On Friday, I'll randomly select a commenter and he/she will receive a gift card to Bruster's Ice Cream! And, unless you live in the middle of nowhere, I know you have one near you. If it happens that you don't, let me know... we'll figure out something.

Uh-ma-zing.

Did you catch that? Amazing. That's the only word I can use to describe the Boudoir Marathon I had last weekend. Well... maybe there are a few more.

Wonderful. Fantastic. FUN. Beautiful. Bold. Confident. Sexy. Comfortable. Dreamy. Flirty. AMAZING!

Thanks so much to the three ladies I worked with on Saturday, their comfort in trusting me as their photographer, and kudos to showing off their outer and inner beauty! Boudoir sessions are about so much more than looking sexy for your husband/partner. They're about feeling comfortable in your own body, showing off the confidence you have, and celebrating your beauty!

I'll leave you with some of the details from the sessions... I'd show more, but unless I have permission from the ladies, you don't get to see faces. :)

He did it...

... he graduated high school. I'm officially old. Officially old because I remember when he was born. I heard his first scream as he entered the world. I remember his phases growing up... Barney, the Power Rangers, his fascination with the Buffalo Bills NFL football team, his love of Japanese animation. And now he's an adult. Wow.

This weekend I took a trip up to Atlanta for his high school graduation. The event was at the hockey arena where the Atlanta Gladiators play. 700 graduates. Amazing. The entire bottom level seating was almost full. And the graduation itself was actually interesting! Amazing.

As the official photographer for the family (hahaha) I obviously brought my camera to capture Brian's big day. Here are my favorites from the collection... not only of the actual graduation, but the obligatory family pictures too. Goodness, I sound like a wedding photographer. :)













I managed to get a few portraits after his graduation party. I'm amazed that he actually cooperated. Usually he runs when I put my camera to my face... that, or gives me a funny face.





Brian and Mom



Brian and Yours Truly (the sweet picture)



The Real Sibling Picture



Brian and our grandparents



Brian, Mom, and Mom's fiance

Valdosta Junior Woman's Club - Woman of the Year

The 52nd Annual Woman of the Year Brunch was hosted by the Valdosta Junior Woman's Club on Saturday, May 16. Three women from the community were nominated by their participating volunteer organizations and were judged to receive this award. Rebecca Daniels was nominated by the March of Dimes, Leigh Ann Hogan was nominated by the Junior Service League of Valdosta, and Maggie Davis was nominated by Leadership Lowndes.

Not only were these women present, but several past winners of the Woman of the Year award were there too. It was overwhelming to be in the presence of such dedicated and amazing women! Leigh Ann Hogan was awarded the title of the 2009 Woman of the Year, and gave a wonderful speech about the importance of service in our community.

Here are some images I captured during the brunch. You may click on the image to view it larger.



If you are interested in reading more about this year's brunch, you can read an article printed in the Valdosta Daily Times. Or, you can get more information about the Valdosta Junior Woman's Club here.

Krista is 4 months old!

I love families that "get" photography. I love that I get e-mails from families months in advance telling me not to forget a session coming up. I love seeing Facebook updates of families saying "pictures in an hour with Kelly... I'm so excited". I love families who are excited about photography!

The M family is this kind of family, and I love them for it! When Baby Krista was born they bought my Bloomin' Baby package which includes 4 sessions during a baby's first year, a complimentary maternity session, and an album showcasing images from all five sessions. So, I was super excited when Krista's mom and I started talking about Krista's four-month pictures.

When I got to their house Sunday morning, I saw the coolest thing ever and was excited that they wanted pictures of Krista inside of it. Krista's grandfather made a cradle for her... brought it here to Georgia, both grandpa and dad helped put it together, and stained it to match her crib. Amazing work! Here are some of Krista in her cradle:





M told me that Krista has been doing very well on her tummy lately, so I couldn't wait to capture some bobble-head action pictures of her. I was amazed at her head control, and couldn't resist sharing some of the images.



Then we did my favorite part... diaper pictures! There's something so sweet about chunky legs and belly buttons.





After a bunch of playing, Krista was knocked out. She looks like a baby-doll to me here.



And finally, a cute family shot. We were afraid to move Krista so we wouldn't wake her up, so mom and dad moved to her. :)



Thanks again, M Family, I had a fun time with you as always. See you in a few months!!

2nd Annual Boudoir Marathon

Last year, four ladies joined me for a "Celebrating Beauty" boudoir marathon session. I had the most amazing time, and so did the ladies (and their husbands). Here are some of the reactions I got:
"You made me feel beautiful in my own skin... thank you."
"I knew she was beautiful, but WOW." (husband of a client)
"You were incredibly professional and made me feel as ease during our session."

This year, my hopes are to go bigger and better. Since the addition of my new albums, I can't wait to see how beautiful the boudoir albums will be in showcasing your favorite images from the session. I'm hoping to schedule the marathon session either the weekend of May 30-31 or June 6-7, in time for arrival just before Father's Day. If you've never considered giving your husband or partner boudoir pictures for a Father's Day gift, think again! Birthdays, anniversaries, or "just because" gifts are awesome too! I honestly don't think you need an excuse to celebrate your beauty!

E-mail me at thebondbetweenus@gmail.com for more information or to sign up!

Pricing is $180 and includes a 60-minute private session at a beautiful hotel and a 20-sided leather album to knock his socks off!