Monday, November 29, 2010

Christmas Shopping...fa,la,la,la,laaaa...HELP!

Do you feel the same way about gift shopping that I do? Of course I enjoy shopping, hey, I’m a girl, it’s part of my genetic makeup. And I certainly enjoy making the people I love feel special and valued. Spending money, that's a mixed emotions kinda thing for me. Enjoy the spending, hate the counting up the totals afterward, he-he-he.

But (you knew there was gonna be a “but” in there, didn’t you?) I face the same challenge every year, finding thoughtful gifts that the folks on my list will enjoy and appreciate. Some years I feel like I do pretty good, others leave me feeling less confident. The real winners are gifts that get used, talked about or enjoyed long after the Christmas season is over.

That’s one of the reasons we started offering Gift Certificates at Memory Lane Portraits. Everyone knows how precious a great portrait is. It’s a wonderful memory that starts with the session and lasts for a lifetime. (You know something is valuable if folks are still hanging on to it years later.)Every year we get calls from folks saying their mother told them all she really wanted this year was a great family portrait for her wall.

Keep an eye out, tomorrow we’re starting a Limited Time Special on our Gift Certificates from Memory Lane Portraits by Rhonda Lester. If you’re one of the smart folks who signed up for our mailing list, you’ll get an email with details.


Also, if you're wondering, yes, we're gonna be taking sessions the week between Christmas and New Years--so get the gang together and let's plan a new family portrait for you. Growing, changing families often need new portraits every year, and everyone else about every 4 or 5 years. How long has it been?

Friday, November 26, 2010

Fallin' in Love: Wedding Photos from the Mountains






This was a new twist on wedding day photography for me, and a LOT of fun! David and Kacey had a small chapel wedding in Blowing Rock, NC. Most of the time I'm hired to start photographing before the ceremony starts. This time was different, their chapel provided a photographer for the ceremony.


But this family ought to win a "Fan of the Year Award" because they wanted something more creative and fun to celebrate the day. I arrived at the end of their reception, and I'll admit that felt kinda odd, you know, like I was late. I had a bad dream one night kinda like that, but that's another story. Then we headed out for a real adventure as we spent a few hours be-bopping around and taking photos of them.


We found a beautiful abandoned barn, a little covered bridge, and lots of surrounding areas where the trees were just awesome. Beautiful people, beautiful place, beautiful day--can't ask for more than that. Well....a little warmer weather would have been lovely, but we managed.




Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Welcome to the family, Brooklyn



Ok, I'm gonna sound like a grandma, but honest, I'm her auntie. Miss Brooklyn is just the cutest thing, don't you think? These are some quick photos taken at my brothers house a couple of weeks ago when I got to meet her for the first time.
It's been a while since we added a little girl to the family tree, that puts the count up to 7 nephews and 3 nieces (plus a goddaughter and two godsons, don't forget them.) Gonna be fun buying some little girl stuff for Christmas-woo-hoo!