Today we put up our Christmas Decor.
Thanks to my bff pinterest, I was able to do a lot of really cool things around the house for super cheap.
I’m nothing if not frugal when it comes to household stuff, photos/heirlooms are a different story!
Old Vase + Garland + Ornaments + Garnish = $5 (Dollar Store)
Old Bowl + 3 Candles + Ornaments = $6 (also all from the Dollar Store)
Same idea- Pinecones + Ornaments = $2
My favorite ornaments on the tree are the sparkly ones. We do blue & silver, I made a "red room" in the front with red and gold muted.
I am also doing a Christmas card banister, making my own wreath, hanging giant snowflakes in our open space and making an old ornament chandelier.
I’ll post pictures soon. For now, day 4 is all about the Christmas decor. Enjoy!
My blog today is all about new life.
Because isn’t that truly the reason we celebrate on December 25th?
On December 1st, my beautiful niece (second born to my big brother)
Entered this world happy, healthy and loved.
Thanks to the snow storm that day, I wasn’t able to see her until yesterday.
Of course, I’m in love.
He won’t admit it yet, but I think my little man is too.
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Yes, technically I’m a little late.
After seeing 3 clients today I was running behind!
Can’t have Christmas without lights of course
Woah!
Little Man and I went out to the lights in Downtown Castle Rock with
the girl who I share The Studio (303) with Debra Dean and her kiddos.
Just fun playing with NO natural/ambient light and lots of xmas lights
I’m challenging myself for 3/25 to NOT be my kiddo 
After spending most of 2011 with my head in the clouds (and my face behind the camera)
I decided that I would take my December hiatus to challenge myself to a daily photo project.
25 days of Christmas.
Day 1- SNOW!
It hasn’t snowed here since OCTOBER (no joke) so December 1st was a day to celebrate.
(Not to mention my sweet baby niece was born today)
My little guy and I went out to celebrate one of the best parts of Christmas…snow.
Enjoy (there are a lot)
Had to add a Tilt Shift Photo of my footprint- We LOVE DC in this house (see Dav's Jacket!)
I ADORE the movement in a tilt shift lens!
Manual Focus TS lenses often cause blur- but I loved this too much not to post.
Toys. Duh.
Boys
Snowflakes + Tongue = Fantastic
I adore this child.
Hey, if I don’t make it to day two I can just say that my kiddo is the spirit of Christmas, right?!
+
=
(That's my little man, Davs, up there. Circa 2009)
I’m exaggerating, just a little.
It can’t save your life, but it could save your marriage.
If your husband is not quite as nice as mine, it could possibly save your life.
The story of how professional photography, an honest person (and Facebook) saved me from a well deserved beat down.
About a month ago, I lost my wedding ring.
My wedding ring is not the most expensive thing in the world, but it’s very sentimental.
In fact, it’s so sentimental, that I took a photograph of it (with my other rings) at my own wedding.
(it's the adorable blue one on the left)
This is a common “detail shot” among photographers. Showing off the bling.
I got artsy when we were on the beach after the ceremony and took a quick shot.
Apparently this photograph is good for more than just showing off the rock (ha ha….yeah I’ll stop)
After I lost said ring, I retraced my steps back to a church who has… a FACEBOOK page!
Yup.
Lo and behold, I posted on their wall…and someone responded.
But, she needed more than a description.
Enter my professional photo, that everyone thought was in vain.
I might be a little extreme but I believe professional photography (and a few other little miracles)
saved me from…
If you go back a few posts, you can see me talking about “not being a studio photographer”
but yes, I am a co-owner of a studio space!
A few of you came out to our GRAND OPENING and saw our space in June
but I thought (since I was in there cleaning today) I would take some updated snapshots of our cute little baby…
(please forgive the crazy lighting, wasn’t trying to go pro with these!)
Panorama view of our little space
(hey look, I had BOTH my Martilena bags with me today! ^)
Front wall when you walk in, canvases!!
Our little dress up corner, overflowing with capes today courtesy of the Supehero Mini Sessions 
Our little baby booties from a local consignor and the cutest little girl in Castle Rock rockin' the canvas!
Back of the store- where we show people the awesomeness of their photos (unless you are Amy and Joey!
Nope I’m not a “studio photographer” but I love having this space.
And I share it with one of the most rockin’ chicks around.
Work in progress!
The digital age is upon us and no photographer can resist the call…
Okay that sounds seriously intimidating or incredibly cheesy. But honestly, you can’t be a photographer these days without confronting digital.
Do you sell digital files? Can I have my digital files? Why are your digital files more expensive than a print?
I saw an article today from Take Off Your Mommy Goggles (love them!) about digital.
http://networkedblogs.com/luiuK
And i think it’s probably the most well written explanation of what we as quality professional photographers worry about when we hand over digital files to our clients.
I had also seen a great explanation on Chelsea Lewis Photography’s blog about the benefits of professional prints
http://chelsealewisphotography.com/blog/?p=2786
That being said, I do give my clients digital files. I’ve gone back and forth and up and down over the past four and a half years but there is no right or wrong answer to this debate. I do believe there are compromises.
I try and educate my clients on the benefits of using a professional lab for large prints and products.
I display during consultation sessions the differences between a professional print and one done in a consumer lab.
I give my clients the freedom to own their images in a low resolution format (up to 8×10)
I honor my clients and trust them to use me when they are putting works of art on their walls.
If you have ever had the “digital debate” with your professional, please understand we’re not trying to hold you hostage.
We trust you with your images, we know that they are priceless to you.
We are just trying to give you the best service possible (and still feed our families too).
Take the time to understand what digital means in the relationship with your professional. Everyone is different.
Like I said, there is no right or wrong to this debate.
Only what works for you
And in case you needed a little visualization, here’s some comparisons done by other talented photogs
(http://www.facebook.com/JayneePetersonPhotography)
Go ahead and put those in your scrapbooks, photo albums…but please respect your walls! They need love too!
Who says you need a studio for fantastic photos?
Where did we get the idea that “lifestyle” wasn’t professional?
Who said you need a label to do what you love?
Meet- Ariah. This little cutie is, of course, family. She is my precious niece.
I’ve had a lot of people asking me how I can work within a studio, still market lifestyle and not sound like a total nut.
Who says you have to be a label?
Do not get me wrong, I think narrowing your focus is the best thing you could do for your business.
But who says a “lifestyle” photographer can’t show something in studio?
This is what I adore about lifestyle photography. We took photographs of Ariah in my mother’s front entryway.
Yup, that’s right next to the front door of a home.
It was special because that is her grandma’s home, it meant something to her father.
I didn’t pose her or put her on a backdrop, which means it is considered a lifestyle shot.
So many of my clients are afraid to let me in their home but if they knew that there were a hundred different items surrounding this small area we photographed Ariah in, they wouldn’t worry so much!
(by the way, a well lit photograph is always professional no matter what the setting. My studio partner Debra Dean does beautiful natural light. To me it’s like saying, “you can’t consider a painting done without oil paint professional”. Art is art and if you love the end product, who cares how it was created?)
When I went lifestyle, I had a really hard time giving up THIS. The studio cake smash.
I’ve done several “lifestyle “cake smashes and they’re beautiful, but give me a cake and a tutu and I’ll play all day.
This totally defies all “rules”….we had her on a white sheet on my mom’s front porch.
Yet, with the correct lighting and setting, it looked like we were in my studio.
I want to do what I love. I want to push the limits.
I want to be a lifestyle photographer who uses a studio.
I want to let people to look natural but dress their kids up in silly outfits.
I want to be a contradiction, which is me.
For all you whom have asked me how/why I co-own a studio I say, because I love what I do and I am comfortable with who I am.
So next time someone schedules a cake smash, they’ll have a choice whether or not they want to clean up their bathroom!
The last month has been an absolute roller coaster for me.
I promise to spare too many details…
In early June I took two back to back trips; the latter of the two was a trip out to California to photograph a beautiful simple beach wedding
^Check out that bride!!
I even got to have my beautiful mom as a second shooter (how cool is that!)
And of course, my little man and I had a blast
Shortly after arriving home (very shortly…like, the next day) I photographed yet ANOTHER wedding
The new Mr. and Mrs. Benneman!
You would think, with all these weddings lately that I’m a wedding photographer. How deceiving I am!
No joke, only the week after we had our grand opening at our new studio.
Honest to goodness, I’m not sure how I haven’t fallen over yet.
The Studio 303 is our cute little spot in Downtown Castle Rock. All of my favorite places to shoot are nearby!
A lot of people have asked me if this means I’m “going back to studio work”
Like the notorious cake smash!
To answer everyone’s questions- no, I’m not “going back to studio work”. But, I do now have a dedicated space to show products, do sales (curse the horrible online shopping cart!!) and have a cake smash that the parents don’t need to clean out of their living room.
(this little cutie was the very first person to christen the new space!)
That being said, I still see the value in studio work and I know that for some clients it’s easier to come to me.
I had just as much fun getting this new adorable gerber baby inside of my studio and I was happy to accommodate.
Have I totally overwhelmed you yet?
I promise that the weddings, the cake cutie, the beautiful gerber baby and all of the oplove sessions I’ve done over the past month will get their own blog post.
In the middle of all of this chaos, I’ve been dealing with my own personal issues at home.
I want to say thank you to every friend, client and colleague who has reached out during our times of struggle.
I believe my business has led me to the most amazing people and kept me strong.
Thank you to all of you for your understanding, patience and love. I’m looking forward to a new month and lots of happiness.
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A year ago this past Sunday, my family celebrated an incredibly important milestone.
We had made it through the hardest year of our lives together.
It has only been a year since a very catastrophic event changed our lives forever…
to be quite honest, there were times that we were unsure of whether or not our little family would be together.
We spent Sunday celebrating the fact that through the support of our wonderful family & friends
(and some very very hard work on our part) we are still a family.
We are blessed.
Snapshots of our morning at Little Monkey Bizness
Little Man & Daddy at Breakfast
Ended with some Peachwave...Uh, YUM. Yes the "I don't do actions" girl busting out some faded actions!
Little Man is SUCH a clown
And I totally encourage it. I laughed at him the whole way home!
Through a lot of faith and love, we made it.
I know in my heart that we are better people and a stronger family for making it through this.
I am so proud of you Daddy (and Little Man). You two have stolen my heart.