Rainy Day Giveaway

I'm learning to like Mondays...do you believe me?

I will celebrate my efforts with a giveaway...what could be better? chocolate pie would actually be better but that is hard to mail.

In honor of this Monday....the opening act for September, test your macro skills and guess what this is. And yes, the winner will receive a prize...however what that is will remain a secret.

If you guess correctly what both images are, you'll get an extra little treat.
Leave a comment with your guess. Winner will be announced Wednesday.



(the other images were too hard...try these instead!)

Pearls & Skittles

pearls are simply divine



skittles...simply divine-r

I'm shooting a senior session tomorrow at Agecroft Hall...an absolutely beautiful historic landmark in Richmond.
vintage chair
vintage dress
old suitcase


sooo excited!

Freedom-424

while girls in America plan their wedding fully equipped with $25,000 budget, women in other third world countries only dream of a night in peace, or just a warmer than usual night. there isn't anything wrong with a big wedding, or even a large budget, but we would be selfish to think everyone was as blessed as we were.

Below is an attempt to rescue one of these girls from captivity. Sam Stroud, a Lynchburg based wedding photographer, is auctioning off an all-inclusive wedding photo package to raise awareness. I highly encourage you to take a look and think about purchasing a ticket. The winner will be announced November 7, 2009.

_______________________________________________

THE REALITY

You cannot get married.

You will never find true love.

Your entire existence is only to bring someone else pleasure.

You are nothing more than a body… unless someone shows you a way out.

Right now, as your eyes scan this sentence, this is the reality of more than 300,000 women in Thailand alone, who are engulfed in sexual slavery.

Right now, as you plan your Big Day, two children are being sold into slavery

Right now, as the diamond shines bright on your left hand, you have the opportunity to change the life of a woman in bondage, AND your wedding day in the process.

THE DETAILS

· Who: Sam Stroud Photography

· What: Sam is auctioning off a wedding photography session for a wedding taking place in 2010, worth $2,150. This package includes all-day coverage, a 13×10 coffee table book and an engagement or bridal photography session. All fees included, including travel!

· When: The winner will be drawn at the 2009 Central Virginia Bridal Show on Nov. 7^th, 2009(You do not have to be present to win) and here online as well

· Where: The Kirkley Hotel, Lynchburg, VA and online at www.samstroudphoto.com, Contest location includes travel to wherever your getting married. I like to travel.

· Why: For every raffle ticket purchased, the proceeds go directly to Freedom 4/24, a ministry which aims to rescue women from sexual slavery, while providing money to supply them with alternative means of survival.

· How to Help: Simply purchase a $10 ticket for your chance to win free wedding photography. There is no limit to how many you can buy. In fact, the more you purchase, the more chances a woman in slavery has to escape forever.

-above photo copywright of freedom:424-

friends

When I was in elementary school, the first day of school was always bittersweet. I was happy I had fresh new Lisa Frank school supplies to use but sad that I would have to make new friends. I didnt think the other kids liked me (lets face it...i'm kinda weird) so I would go home and complain about no one liking me. My mom would encourage me to make friends by simply talking to them and finding something in common with them...easy as pie. Before I knew it, I was sailing through the year and writing Abbi and Kristin BB4E on everything.

Who knew that same concept would follow me for so long? I just wanted to write a bit about networking..just a fancy term for 'a supportive system of sharing information and services among individuals and groups having a common interest'. simple.

The line of work we have chosen is hard, it's challenging and it requires patience but it is one of the most rewarding fields you can find yourself running through. It presents money issues, balance and requires you to be on your toes at all times. It promotes relationships, strengthens creativity and self-esteem.
With that being said...it is so important to find other photographers who will encourage your work, offer constructive criticism when needed and inspire you on a daily basis. Find a few blogs that give you ideas, help you with format and are a few steps ahead of you. Don't compare your work to theirs-simply see what they're doing and use it for your own improvement. There's a lot of beautiful photographers out there who have passion and it is painted all throughout their images. Go, find them...and when you do, tell them what you admire about their work.

Here's a few that I adore.
Sarah Rhoads
Caroline Joy
Jamie Delaine
Melissa Oholendt
Rachel Williamson

A photographer friend of mine, Amanda Mae, just got some new cards. Aren't they beautiful? Go check out her site, you won't be disappointed!

Penny Pinchin'

'Your total is $8.14'
You have the $8 no problem..but the .14...no where to be found.

That is the dilemma that got me into this whole money-saving mess. I used to carry very little change which would cause me to break bills all the time...resulting in lots of change weighing down my purse, cluttering up my desk....everywhere. I used to view change as a useless form of currency until one day...I counted all of the loose change lying around.

$47
That's right....Forrtttyyy Seveeennn bucks just out of nowhere.

Now...I dont spend change. When the cashier says...'$8.14' I smile and hand her 9 crisp dollar bills and smile at the pile of change she pours into my hand. One day, nick and I will combine all of our spare change and use it for our honeymoon. That's certainly a goal worth working for.

toria tomlinson : senior

heres a sneak peak of a future post i'm working on : toria tomlinson senior session.


'here, here, and here, he pointed to his heart and mind and ears'





The last place we went to was a mosquito infested swamp...poor us, we got eaten up by the fierce creatures. why did God create mosquitos anyhow? all they do is drink our blood.

Wendy & Todd Couple Shower

I thought it was necessary to post the engagement pictures BEFORE the engagement shower photos...it only made sense.

I was so thrilled to be a part of this shower..The Harrisons (soon to be joined with the Woodburns) feel like family. The kids at this party were absolutely adorable and everyone had a blast. I only lost my lens cap once!.....maybe twice :)

I'm looking forward to doing Lila's one year pictures very soon!



-girls in awe of Lincoln's cuteness -



-Evelyn taking my picture-



-the bride and the little people-











-the adorable Lila (this is Todd's neice)-



-isn't this precious?-



-opening the framed engagement photo I gave them-



-Wendy's mom, sister Julie and grandma-

Try to get through this Monday with a smile. Watch this video and you can't help but smile!

Wendy & Todd-Engagement

Apparently, I overlooked a very special engagement session! I realized that I posted a Sneak Peak but never a blog post just for this session. My bad!

Wendy and Todd practically grew up together-they are the classic high school sweetheart story...except there was a few year pause in between high school young love and now. They truly love each other and they were a joy to work with, not to mention great friends to Nick & I. You may recognize them from my website main image :)











quite possibly my very favorite



nick took this one...its my other favorite



drinking up the sunlight


-site of proposal-

I wish you both a happy wedding on 11/1/09!

Julie Marina Aseltine

About 8 years ago, I read an article from Brio Magazine. I was hooked. 3 months after I subscribed..well..my mom subscribed...in my..ehhh...12th issue? I read an article about requesting a pen pal. You would send in your information (name, birthday, common interests) and they would match you up with one of their other Brio subscribers to send letters to.

Fast forward two weeks------------------------------letter in the mail.

Who is it from? Julie M. Aseltine. We wrote about silly things like what foods we liked, our favorite color and how annoying our brother (her) and sisters (me) were. We were young and thought it was absolutely wonderful to have someone on the other side of the country that cared about us. Did I mention she is from Huntington Beach California? Well she is and our birthdays are on the same day. We both just turned 21. Cool, huh?

Now I go onto the more exciting part of the story. We still write...we still send hand-written letters and photos...we still acknowledge birthdays and christmas and whatever kind of holiday thats important to us with small gifts and encouragement. I have never heard her voice, seen her in person but I know she is beautiful...on the inside and out. She knows me well and I know her just as well. I know that she's a bit stubborn, she adores all that is nature and bikes and she has dreams higher than the sky. She's strong, brave and can climb a mountain in .27 seconds. okay...not really but she's an awesome rock climber'ist. ha.

Cue Julie.

She's a heartbreaker. Beautiful, Huh?

Today when I got home...after several months of hearing from her little, I walked in my room to a beautiful package just waiting to be opened. Inside....this.

This may not be that big of a deal to anyone else but it is to me. I love buttons, birds, trees and it matches perfectly in my room.

-doesnt it look fabulous on my bed beside Lucy?-

and as always, a handwritten note.

I love you, Julie :)

Leslie & Eric l Couple Session

Leslie has been a good friend of mine for as long as I can remember, literally. She's dated some real losers (no offense les!) so when she asked that I take some pictures of her and her VMI-reallycool-treats her like a princess-boyfriend Eric, I was all in. Eric is a history buff so we went to Violet Bank in Petersburg and we had a good ole' time....even though it poured.

Always radiant

Rain Rain you can stay

Just a sneak peak of Leslie & Eric's Couple Session :)

These Shoes

Yesterday, I was on Caroline Joy's blog (amazing!) and her entry sparked a blog idea....since I have been seriously slacking.

Where would I be without all of the support from family and friends, encouragement and love? Maybe the same place, but not nearly as happy or satisfied. That thought led me to think about how thankful I am for what the Lord has provided me with over the past few months (specifically). More than I deserve, thats for sure. I get to spend my time with the most adorable couples, I own the coolest gear around (in my opinion) aaaaaaaaand I get to blog about it! Everything about what I do makes me happy...even editing until 2am.
could there be a greater joy?

To me, these shoes represent hard work and dedication. The poor things are falling apart but I'll keep them forever....or until nick makes me throw them away :)

I tried to portray my brand through my card. Lovely and simple. Mission accomplished?

I got this lifesaver for my birthday. Her name isn't Tom Tom because she isn't a boy..her name is Jane Jane and she helps me get to all the cool places I see without getting lost...most of the time.

hey..buying in bulk is cheaper! thanks nick!

More to come!
Leslie and Eric-Couple Session
You should be jealous of Eric's modeling skills.