*this post will remain at the top, updates will show under this post*
AVAILABLE DATES:
sessions times depend on location ... please contact Gina to schedule your time. some of the available dates below already have a session on that day, so times may be restricted. other dates may be available. if none of the dates below will work, please contact Gina and she will try to work with your schedule.
i have had the absolute pleasure of photographing our dear friend's maternity pictures ............... about half way thru and towards the end of her pregnancy. i can't really say enough nice things about this couple. when they announced the news of baby on the way, i got chills from my head to my toes. they are the sweetest, most genuine couple, and i wish only happiness for them. i look at them and i am amazed with their love for one another, i am in awe of their strength. i feel so very blessed to be a part of their lives, and being able to document this journey ... this little blessing.
enjoy the below galleries, and check back soon for some pix of baby. we'll be at the hospital before you guys wake up :)
this year, i wanted to do something special for my top clients. very soon, my top 50 clients from 2009 will receive their own custom calendar, ready to hang! they will also receive a tin of referral cards, with their own photos on them!!
if you don't get a calendar, but are interested in purchasing one .... or getting additional calendars after you receive yours in the mail, please contact me. i will sell these ONLY for the month of february!!!
the top 50 was based on sales throughout 2009. if you didn't make the cut, but were close, you may be getting some referral cards with your on photos on them :) (see bottom photo)
i have been absent from here for quite awhile .... !! my apologies, i am seriously going to try to post lots of photos more regularly. i must say, i'm a bit overwhelmed at this point in my life ... but in a good way! 2009 flew by so quickly, i still can't really grasp it. it was a great year for me, personally and professionally. i made some changes on '09 that i was quite nervous about, but the numbers at the end of the year show me that it was a good leap to take. i am overwhelmed by my clients ..... i've met so many new people in the past year, it's probably the best thing about my job. many of my clients i email so much regarding their session, etc, that at the end of the day, i feel like we're old pals :) i am overwhelmed with my profession .... i know that i've stated this over and over on here, but i love my job so much that i want to work on it all the time ... meaning into the wee hours of the morning (working on getting more sleep!!) i love how i can capture photos for a family that they will cherish not for a short amount of time, but literally, forever. i have been told that pictures bring tears to their eyes, and i know they are always happy tears. what an amazing thing!!!
my year personally was just as overwhelming. i have surrounded myself with the nicest, most sincere group of people that i could possibly ask for. it certainly helps out when you know that everyone around you is genuine and sweet to a sense that it makes you appreciate life and even makes you giddy. on new year's eve when i gave a dear friend a really awesome, kick-a** photo of her car that used to be her father's, i really realized how seriously appreciated a gift of a photo can be ... we knew that she would love it, but my goodness ..... it truly does overwhelm me to a point when i have to step back and just ponder for a minute .... there is not any other gift that i have ever given anyone that has made them cry tears of happiness, or bring back tears of remembering a lost one, or any such sort of emotion. really, it's the only thing, ever, that i have gifted that brings such emotion. even as a child, i can remember putting together collages of photos of myself & my family and giving them to my parents, and i remember the joy on their faces. it's a gift that will always make a statement.
so, you get my point. i'm overwhelmed by all of the great things in my life, and i've taken this little bit of time since the madness of christmas orders to sit and try to embrace it. and also, try to think of what i want to do with it. i have met so many amazing people thru my work, and it has brought me so many opportunities. i have bartered with people that i just think have the coolest, most awesome things to barter, and it's so neat because in the end, we both win :) i now have THE COOLEST curtains that you could ever imagine ... seriously, i just stood there in admiration and wonderment when i opened the package from KRISTINE .... and i also have the coolest coverlet and pillow shams to go along with the most awesome curtains in the universe. oh, and let's not forget the christmas stocking ... all perfect and more than i could have ever asked for!!
things like logging onto the apple site overwhelms me .... what in the world will they come up with next!? it's crazy. i so remember my dad sending me an email when i was in college, and he said something to the effect of : "Dear Gina, I think I'm going to like this email thing. Miss you. Love from your Dad." it was a big deal that he got logged on and sent it, and it was a big enough deal that i printed it off!! at that point, and i'm not NOT that old ....!!!! we used email at school some, but i still sent friends and family hand-written letters ... oh, we would search for the "perfect" funny card, write a note, seal it, stamp, and on it's way. or, we would draw our own pictures ... but there were so many hand-written letters. i hope that our kids don't miss out on that, with the rush of texting and email, which most certainly is quick and convenient, but there was something cool about getting letters from people. and you can keep them, and look back later and laugh a bunch at how silly you were! yes, indeed it does overwhelm me that you can now snap a photo on your phone and have it on facebook for all of your friends & family to see within minutes. i think it's completely cool, but wow ...! it's insane.
and, on to 'no regrets' ........... my sister and i went to get sushi a couple of weeks back. we were chatting and like so many times before, our dad gets brought into the conversation. she retold a story about when she was sitting with dad one night, and she asked him if he had any regrets. without any hesitation at all, he said, "nope. i have not regrets. everything i did, all of the stupid and crazy things i did in my life, they have all made me who i am today. hell, i don't even regret having cancer! look at how close it has made our family." she has told me this story before, and it always gives me the chills. i think it's a great outlook to have. i see so many people in this world who don't appreciate the love and support that surrounds them, and maybe that did help our family to stay so tight? or maybe we would have always had that bond regardless? anyhoo, i think of what he said, and take that down a few notches for myself. of course i've done silly, stupid things, that i look back on and wonder what i could have possibly been thinking .... but that has, without a doubt, made me into the person that i am, and the parent that i am. and i'm good with it :)
well at this point in our lives, jae is about to lose her two front teeth, and we are all anxiously waiting. she knows that i can't wait to snap photos of it, i think it's the cutest thing in the world! she is doing amazing at school, she has picked up basketball, and is an absolute natural. she is everything that i could ask for of a 6 (almost 7!!!) year old kid.
harp is getting big, he is such a lovebug and is always hugging and kissing me. he wants so badly to be big, and i want so badly for him to stay small!! he can get on my laptop and log into games and just go at it ... more than i would have ever envisioned a 4 (just newly 4!!) year old ever being able to do. this little man melts my heart, every day :)
and jonah is the sweetest little thing, with a dry sense of humor that just makes me crack up laughing at the things that come out of his mouth. he's a smart little cookie, and probably one of the most ticklish little guys i've ever been around :)
so i look back on 2009 with a big sigh, thankful for the kids and thankful for my business and everyone around me. i am overwhelmed like most all parents are, it's a good thing and i wouldn't have it any other way. i just wish they would all stop growing so dang fast!!!
one more thing that overwhelms me is the amount of cute clothes that my daughter has. i did lots of shoots for children's clothing lines (which i am still interested in ... if interested, call or email!) and jae's clothes are taking over the house. and the really sad part is, she's barely worn most of them ... some have never even been worn. so i'm going to try to get my butt in gear to have a customer appreciation day this spring, where you can come out and see samples of things (my office is in the process of being covered by photos, from floor to ceiling!), check out products, and shop jae's closet. let me know if this interests any of you!
it's that time of year when i dream of a full night's sleep .... all while trying to get excited for the upcoming holiday that i am helping all of my clients fulfill their print and cards orders for. simply put, i'm exhausted. however, i always realize at this time of year how much i truly do love my job. i get to see lots of repeat clients in the fall, i'm watching their kids grow, which is amazing. and then while i'm editing photos in the wee hours in the morning, i come across images like the ones below, and am sometimes just dumbfounded. and i realize, i really am one lucky girl ... to be able to capture these moments is such a treat for me! i thank each and every one of you for taking the time and energy to schedule your sessions (trust me, i know it can be stressful!!! .... will post our fall pix at a later date) and please know that i enjoy each and every moment of trying to portray "my" view of your family in a way that you will admire.
it's the coolest thing in the world when my clients text me photos of the canvases or displays in their home and tell me it is their 'little happy place' .... it's so cool to see my work in your homes!! i'm in an amazing position, and i do realize it, daily :)
so below, just a few recent favorites. this winter i will update my blog with tons of new photos. some of my favorite photos ever have been taken this fall, so i am excited to share!
pic below : i was sitting on the floor changing lenses and mom was changing baby's diaper. i look up and see this, hit shutter, and couldn't believe i actually got it! speaks volumes to me :)
i don't think any words at all are necessary for the below shot ... just pure sweetness. she's the little sweetie who won the contest earlier, her parents somehow brought in over 8,000 votes ...!!!
and this family below : their session was just perfect. the boys are some of the cutest and sweetest ... will post tons more later.
