Drumroll please...

Hearing about people in need, especially around the holidays, turns me into a complete sap... so it's no surprise that when I read the submissions I received for the Giving is Awesome project, I cried at each one. I wish I could offer everyone who e-mailed me a free session and products but after a lot of deliberation, I finally decided on a winner!

Congratulations Roberts Family!

And just because the message pulled my heart strings, here's a blurb from the e-mail I received: "Please accept this as a nomination for my brother and his family… it is excruciating to watch your family member or loved one go through circumstances that seem impossible and that are out of your control to change in any way… I want him to never forget that people love them, people care about them, and that God has not forgotten them.”

I can't wait to get our session scheduled and share the images!! Stayed tuned within the next few months.

One photographer + robot perched on said photographer's head = smiling family

It's amazing what one person will do in order to hear giggles and see smiles from children. Real smiles... not stuffy ones.
This afternoon I met up with the Norris Family for their second annual holiday session with me. I love being able to see my clients grow up and find out what has been going on in their lives since we last met. Today's session was held at Valdosta State University. There's a gorgeous stone path that is flanked with camilla bushes and we took advantage of the quiet areas of campus.







A holiday card option:

Saying good-bye to an old friend

I can remember it like it was yesterday. The package arrived... and I tore that sucker open as fast as I could and embraced my first dSLR like it was a child. Since March 2007 I've shared many memories with my Olympus e-500 dSLR camera, both personally and professionally. In March of 2008, however, my Oly took the back burner to my new pride and job -- my Canon 20d. I always kept it close though, just in case.
After much thought and deliberation, I've decided to sell my Olympus. Here are the details. If you would like to purchase it, or know someone who would, please e-mail me. It'd be a great Christmas present... I'm just sayin'. :)

- Original box and manual
- Olympus e-500 body
- 14-45mm (1:3.5-5.6) kit lens
- 40-150mm (1:3.5-4.5)
- Olympus flash FL-36
- Flash diffuser
- Olympus battery and charger
- 2GB xd photo card
- Lowepro Slingshot 300

Selling Price: $600 (Paypal preferred)

Great for someone just entering the photography scene. I loved this camera and it served me well. And to break it down for you a bit, I priced everything on Amazon -- it amounted to around $950 brand-new.

Giving Is Awesome!

With the holidays rapidly approaching (13 days until Christmas!) I wanted to think of a way to give back. When I discovered Giving is Awesome , I knew I had to participate!!

Here is how it works -

You know someone. You know someone who’s experienced a tragedy or illness, is struggling to stay afloat, is raising kids while holding down more than one job, or is volunteering selflessly despite extenuating personal circumstances. You know someone might not be thinking of themselves, but who would cherish the moment this holiday season. You know someone who deserves a year-round reminder of their family’s spirit, love, and beauty.

You know someone. I guarantee it.

I want to know who they are, and I want to give them the chance to experience complimentary custom photography – $400 worth, to be exact. The winner will receive a photo session along with a CD of all edited digital files to fully decorate their home and be able to share with friends and family, a 12x12 storyboard of their favorite session image. It’s in your power to give them the artwork they deserve this holiday season.

Oh, and the best part? The person who nominates the winner receives a FREE photo session too! What better reason to show some love could there possibly be, people?

The rules:

* You cannot nominate yourself, and the person nominated must sincerely be worthy of this gift. (Being unable to make mortgage payments for a two-million-dollar-vacation-home in Paris does not qualify as sincere financial need.)
* The nominee must reside in the Valdosta area. Tell me who you know, what they’re experiencing, and why they deserve my artwork. Please include a way to contact both your nominee and yourself as well.
* You must e-mail me the full story : thebondbetweenus@gmail.com The deadline for submitting entries will be midnight on December 22nd, with the winner being announced on December 23rd. Get nominating... I can’t wait to read all of your entries!

Open your heart to someone this holiday season — and thanks for giving me the opportunity to open mine.

Last Minute Holiday Session

This afternoon (that was cold and windy, I might add) I met up with Erin and Trip for their holiday session. I've been attempting to get together for a shoot for the past few weeks, but between the nasty weather and Trip getting a cold, today was the first available time.
We met up at VSU's front lawn which provided a beautiful backdrop to our shoot. I haven't edited any pictures from the session, but I wanted to get this holiday card up for Erin to see. We're in a pickle trying to get cards ordered and delivered in time for her to send out to family and friends...

As with all of my holiday and special occasion cards, these are double-sided 5x7 flat panel cards.

Happy December!

It's hard to believe that the holidays are here. Christmas is only 20 days away!
With the winter days, however, comes yucky weather. And as an on-location photographer, good weather is kinda important to my job. :) With all of the nastiness that we had in town, there haven't been many opportunities to do photo shoots. Hopefully this weekend and next will offer good weather... because the shoots I had to cancel for last weekend are re-scheduled for then!
Stay tuned to the blog for lots of cuteness. I just wanted to write to make sure you didn't think I had forgotten about this 'ole thing.

New Product Available

Magnets. We often take them for granted. Wonderful little decorations on our fridge. And to be honest, I never once thought of offering them as a photo product. That is, until Brooke's parents put in a special request. And now, I'm in love with them!



Sized 3.5 x 5 inches and priced at only $10, photo magnets are perfect gift ideas for grandparents and other people on your list for the holidays! E-mail me if you're interested in purchasing photo magnets from your recent session, or if you'd like to schedule a session of your own!

Savannah : Project Door

When in the Savannah area two weeks ago for Amanda and Eric's wedding, I trekked the streets of the historic district for a scavanger hunt with my camera strapped to my back. One of the greatest things about Savannah is the architecture, and I just couldn't get enough of the ornate details of the doors around town. So, I made doors my special project for the morning.













And then, I saw these windows, and had to incorporate them into my photo project. :)

Amanda & Eric : Married

This weekend I'm in Savannah, Georgia and I just finished shooting Amanda and Eric's wedding. The weather could not have been nicer, sunny all day, although it did get chilly toward the end of the night.
Amanda and I have been chatting via e-mail since around March, and it was so nice to be able to put a face to the name I had been writing all these months. Amanda is so pretty, slightly shy, and is a great match for Eric who is the outgoing one! It's amazing how opposites attract.
Since I'm here in my hotel room, and there isn't anything wonderful on television, I decided to proof some of the images from today. I'm so excited to share these images, and to see how the others turn out!

Samuel & Celebrating Adoption

Saturday morning, I had the opportunity to photograph one of the cutest kids ever. Seriously. Samuel was full of smiles from the beginning of the session. I had so much fun walking around VSU's main campus with Samuel and his parents, who had driven from Tifton for the session.
Samuel's mom contacted me after seeing my information on the Celebrating Adoption website, a photography program that offers newly adoptive families a special photo session within a year of a child's adoption. This was only my second Celebrating Adoption photo session, but I hope to do more in the future.
Here are a few special shots from our session together.









If you're interested in scheduling your own Celebrating Adoption session, please e-mail me and we'll talk about specifics.

Brooke

The other afternoon I had the opportunity to meet Miss Brooke and her mom at the Crescent. Brooke's mom had e-mailed me her interest in having Brooke photographed at the Crescent and I loved the idea, but the Crescent has certain restrictions on photographing at their grounds. Thankfully, Brooke's mom was able to work out the specifics, and everything came together well. We were not only allowed to photograph in the garden area, but we pretty much had the whole place to ourselves!
Brooke is such an adorable 3 year-old, and we developed an instant connection. I was even invited over the play when our session was complete. She was full of expressions, and I'm happy to present a sampling of our time together.

World's Cutest Witch(es)

I love Halloween. Love it! I don't know if it's the dressing up part or remembering what it was like to be a kid with a pillowcase filled with candy, but Halloween has always been so much fun for me! I remember in middle school (and admittedly, early high school years) my best friend and I would go trick-or-treating in her neighborhood... there was one neighbor who always gave away full-sized Snickers bars. Oh my goodness!
This past weekend, Seanna and Makenzie came over with their parents for dinner, and while the food was cooking we decided to go outside and play. They always are dressed to match, and I couldn't resist taking some shots of their "World's Cutest Witch" t-shirts.







Also, a quick note... holiday mini-sessions are still available for those interested. I've decided to extend the dates available. So, if you're interested in a quick shoot for holiday pictures or greeting cards, either call or e-mail me to set up a session. $150 will get you a 30-minute on-location session and 5 full-resolution images on CD.

One and Five

I got a call from Trey and Lauren's mom a few weeks ago telling me that she'd like to have portraits made soon, since Lauren was turning one and Trey was turning five. I was so excited for this session, because I had a dream of a time with them back in March when I shot their family session.

I didn't realize how much had changed since then... but when you have TWO moving children instead of just ONE, things get a little tricky. :) As you'll see in the collage image below, sometimes I had to work my creative magic to keep the interest going.

In his usual form, Trey was such a poser for me. He did almost anything I asked of him... well, motified to his liking. For example, this image below is taken while sitting on top of a sewer grate.


Lauren was too cute in her little dress and walking around like she owned the place.


How to keep a 5 year-old entertained... offer him an acorn and tell him to pose it.


I just love this image of Lauren exploring her surroundings.


More of Lauren on the move.


Sure, in the other image he looked sweet and innocent. Something in this one might prove otherwise...


Finally, Melissa (mom) and I were talking about my new holiday card offerings and she mentioned that she wasn't a fan of the traditional red and green cards. Maybe something fun and whimsy is more your style?

Holiday Cards!

Whether you're a traditionalist or have whimsical attitude, we all know there's nothing better than seeing the cards friends and family send our during the holidays!
I've had a few people ask about holiday card offerings, so I thought to give these awesome cards their own post. Special thanks to my friend Jan and Mary for offering these holiday card templates. I can't wait to see how they look in person!