Adventures in Flowers

Some of you know that my Mom was a florist. So....having helped out during busy seasons (I will refrain from talking about Mother's Day at a flower shop) I have a heartfelt appreciation for florists and the talent, hard work, and mess it takes to make something beautiful come to life out of a tangle of plants in five gallon buckets.

Thus, when John Herron of Herron House commissioned me to create a new image of him to be used in his ad for Triad Weddings magazine, I was excited. John's an amazing wedding floral designer. His resumee reads like a "Who's Who" in the floral and design industry. He has both a creative mind and an awareness of what photographs well, which makes me happy. I've always admired his work, and love his outgoing, spunky attitude. If you ever need a smile, John Herron has one ready for ya!

I'll admit, it was bittersweet to enter his place. It's been three years since I've set foot in my Mom's shop, and the scent was unmistakable. I had time to wander around and reminisce before we took off on our adventure.

What adventure? Well, if you want flowers in December, what do you do? You go to a floral wholesalers warehouse, of course. Now I've been around little shops, but this place was amazing! With coolers the size of my house, and live greenery and flowers of every shape, size, color and texture, I was in sensory overload. The owner was gracious and gave us the run of the place, and I could have stayed all day-if it had been warmer, burrr!

We spent a couple of hours, and created a number of images to be used both now and later. The one selected for his ad was taken in "the big cooler" with shelves full of buckets of greenery for our background. to make him and the pink flowers stand out.

The Triad Wedding magazine will be out in January, and yours truly will have an ad in there as well. If you know anyone planning a wedding in the Triad area, let me know and I'll send them a copy of the magazine. And if they haven't found a photographer yet, I'd love to talk to them. ;-)

http://www.rhondaswebsite.com/

A Wedding Photographers Dream

Check out this beautiful couple! I had planned to have a few photos up last week to share with everyone, but with Christmas just around the corner life is crazy at the studio. (Sorry guys!)

Cydni and Patrick had perfect weather for their outdoor fall wedding at Walnut Lane Bed & Breakfast in Pleasant Garden, NC. Let me assure you, just in case you're wondering, days like that bring joy to a wedding photographers heart. I had been watching the weather forecast with a prayer in my heart, particularly since it rained endlessly for days leading up to the big event.

I loved their idea of a morning wedding with brunch for the reception. They even had an omelet bar! They made sure every detail was perfect, all the way down to the charming leaf shaped bottles of maple syrup that they gave as favors. Now I got a few hundred more images to get

ready….and maybe some pancakes to make.

Halloween Fun

We had a great time celebrating Halloween here at the studio!

For starters, he Northwestern Randolph Arts Council held their Faces of Fall workshop here featuring pumpkin painting for kids. Let me just tell you, we have some talented little people in our area.

At the same time, we were photographing kids in costume for our charity fund raiser "Boo for Two." Thanks to all of you who came and participated! The Community Outreach of Archdale Trinity (COAT) and The Mother Baby Foundation need all the help they can get.

We (translated I) decided it would be fun to build a scarecrow for the set. Well...it WAS interesting. Ever build a scarecrow? I hadn't. My intern/helper from Trinity High School, Kaylan Provence, hadn't either. Good thing she's such a good sport. Finally, with some added help from the Nelson brothers, we got him put together and the boys dubbed him "Bob." Next time maybe I'll go online to find some suggestions on scarecrow construction methods. Maybe. And maybe there won't be a next time.

I think Bob and I made a cute couple for Saturday. It's been a long time since I dressed up for Halloween, and it was a real hoot.

If you missed being here for Halloween, Bob's still hanging around to meet you. He's been greeting guests outside the front door for a few days now. Don't know how long he'll wait, it's kinda cold out there at night lately.

Pumpkin' Season

I love Fall! The cooler temperatures, the vibrant colors of the trees, the renewed focus on family and relationships. It's just a beautiful time.

I dropped by Wal-Mart about 7:00 yesterday morning on my way to work (yes, I often go to work that early--long hours is one of the joys of self-employment) and picked up some beautiful potted mums and a big pumpkin and a lot of little baby sized ones. And you know how I am, I just couldn't resist capturing a few shots of the props--nothing better than fresh flowers! Anyhow, back to my story. The cashier wasn't very busy in the garden department, and she actually came over and helped me dig through the humongous box of pumpkins because she was sure there were some bigger ones in the bottom. She was right, and I was reminded of the joy of giving and receiving.

I've been reading a book that is talking about that same thing, so I guess that's why I noticed it. By helping me she added a big smile to her face, and another one to mine. Isn't it nice how God designed us to take pleasure in helping one another?

Welcome to the world, Little Miss Olivia

Sometimes I just love my job. Ok, most of the time I love my job, but some days are particularly wonderful. Like the day I got to create beautiful newborn photos of Olivia.

This is Little Miss Olivia, she's perfect and beautiful, and I just have to tell you, when I heard she was expected my heart sang. Not only because I thought I would have another sweet little one to photograph, (she is sweet, and I do get excited about new babies to photograph) but because of the history I have with her parents.

You see, I'm a volunteer photographer for an international organization called Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep (NILMDTS.) We provide infant bereavement photography free for families suffering the loss of a baby. Karen and Travis were my very first session for NILMDTS, and they hold a special place in my heart. Their first child, a beautiful little angel named Travis Jr., was lost due to a birth defect, and I photographed this precious family in the hospital shortly after his birth and passing.

I've done a number of sessions for Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep since then, but none are as strong in my memory as Travis Jr.'s. His family are powerful role models for grace in difficult times, and my experience with them made a huge impact on me. I've prayed for them often over the past couple of years, and hoped they would have their hearts desire of more children.

So YEAH! When I met Olivia my heart melted. She's not only an answer to prayer, she's also one lucky little girl to have a loving home and two strong, faith-filled people for parents. Plus she has the cutest little toes! I'm going to enjoy watching her grow up. Yes, I am.

Back from Texas

OK, you know how folks say you don't appreciate what you've got until you don't have it anymore? And that little diddy about not seeing the forest for the trees--that's basically the same thing. Well....I certainly have a new appreciation for the lush green landscape that surrounds our little part of the world called North Carolina.

I enjoyed my trip to Texas, learned a lot and made some great new friends. But I had a little eye opener. I sat beside an 8 year old Texan on the plane trip down, and she was quite the little traveler. She's been to Hawaii and oodles of other places. I asked where her favorite place was, and she surprised me by saying North Carolina. I asked why, thinking she had a favorite family member there or something, and she surprised me again by saying "Because it's so green."

Turns out they don't get as much rain as we do, so things don't grow as well. Also turns out that the hotels try to compensate for the fact that it's blazing hot outside by trying to freeze you to death inside. Now some of you are saying, "Wait a minute. I know how you are, and you freeze all the time." OK, that's true. But everyone in my workshop was saying the same thing. And my roommates and I would back off the AC, then the cleaning lady would crank it all the way to high when she came. Burrrrr.

Anyhow, I learned some great stuff, and you'll be seeing some new things at the studio soon. Very soon. Until then, let's take a moment to enjoy the smell of the grass. Ummm, good.

Texas-here I come!

OK, I have a few various emotions going on here, ranging from excitement to apprehension. I'm gettin' ready to leave for the airport--going to Dallas Texas for a photography studio workshop. I can't wait for this trip, but I've never traveled alone before so it's a new adventure.

I'm going to learn a lot, make some new friends, and get to visit a new place. Can't wait to get back and put all my new found knowledge into practice. Gotta go now and finish packing!!! Bye.

Links, Links, Links.

If you just read our latest e-newsletter, you're probably here to find links to all the stuff we mentioned. OK, here goes:

Facebook Fanpage for Memory Lane Portraits: http://www.facebook.com/rhonda.lester#/pages/Memory-Lane-Portraits/107575799973?ref=ts
While you're there, we're trying to get over 100 fans, so help us out and click the "Become a Fan" link! Having 100 fans will let us have some special privileges with FaceBook, so come on, help a sister out!
And...post a testimonial about what a great time you had here, and how much you love your portraits--you might end up on our website!

Baby! Baby! Event:
http://www.triadmommies.com/
Baby!Baby! The Triad’s Largest Charitable Baby ShowerAugust 23rd, 1-5pm at the Embassy Suites Conference Center in Greensboro, NC. Proceeds go to support The Mother Baby Foundation, run by my good friend and Lactation Consultant Barb Carder, also known as Aunt Barbie to oodles of Mommies and Babies. You can check them out at: http://www.motherbabyfoundation.org/

Leaders for Literacy Book Drive: http://leadersforliteracy.blogspot.com/
Just remember, this site isn't quite complete, so some details may change.

If you're reading the blog, but didn't read our latest e-newsletter, and you want to be sure to get them from now on, just go here: www.RhondasWebsite.com and go under News to subscribe for free!

Artist Reception-You're Invited!

I've been honored with an invitation from our local Arts Council for a private exhibit of my work at the Historic Regan House until August 14th. Of course, I accepted.

For one thing, the Regan House is BEAUTIFUL! It's on the National Register of Historic Places, and I've long admired it. It currently is home to Ed Price Realty, and they are the gracious hosts for the Arts Council's meeting and exhibit space. (That's my painted rendition of it in the photo above. The larger version is on display in the exhibit.)

In addition to that, I've been working on a line of Fine Art prints for a while, and finally have several of them completed. This is the perfect way to debut them, and I'll keep my fingers crossed that they are well received. I have a number of other pieces in progress, plus more that are in my head just begging to get out and find their way to paper or canvas.

Besides all that, this is the first ever private exhibit the Northwestern Randolph County Arts Council has hosted. How cool is that!

You can stop by anytime M-F from 9:00 - 5:00 to enjoy the exhibit. Or....

This Sunday afternoon, (Aug. 2nd) 2:00 - 4:00, there will be a reception in my honor. Live music from Blood Kin Gospel, light refreshments, tours of the Regan House, the exhibit, prints available for purchase, and a chance to visit. Consider yourself invited, and bring a friend or two. Free admission.

See ya after church and lunch on Sunday!

Art Gallery Was a Success

It was great to see some of you last weekend at the NWRC-Arts Council Annual Art Exhibit. I'm sure you were blown away, just as I was, at the diversity and caliber of work being exhibited. I must have gone through that exhibit 10 times over three days, and each time I found new pieces to enjoy. Looks to me like this little corner of the world has some serious talent.

There was an amazing range of mediums: oil paintings, wood carvings, pottery, porcelin, acrylics, drawings, photography, mixed media, watercolors, hand-made dulcimers, even a beautiful sculptural piece made primarily from weeds. And the list goes on.

I had the opportunity to meet Mark Brown of Theatre Art Galleries, and to benefit from his critique of my first pieces of Fine Art Photography. He was gracious, and had actually selected one of my pieces as one of his favorites, and told me that a couple of my prints initally fooled him into thinking they were paintings. He also gave me great insights into the world of art shows. Thanks Mark!

Northwestern Randolph County Arts Council Annual Art Gallery Exhibition

If you're looking for something fun to do this weekend, come explore the Annual Art Gallery Exhibition in Archdale! Randolph County Community College's Creekside Campus will play host as we proudly display beautiful and varied works of art. Creekside is a beautiful place for a picnic and a walk, and it's right on Hwy 311, just about 1/2 mile south of I-85.

Last year was my first time at the show, both showing and looking, and it was a blast! There were so many beautiful things to see, and this year promises even more variety with new categories. You can expect to find pottery, woodworking, textile arts, paintings, drawings, photographic art, (my fave) and even kids art. Some will be available for purchase, so if you need something special as a gift or to treat yourself--this is the place!

I'm going to display something new at this show--part of a series of fine art photographic prints I've been working on for over a year now. The originals will be available for sale, and if you're there when I am (and I'm on the committee in charge of the exhibit, so I'm going to try to be there most of the time.) there just might be some small reproductions available for purchase as well. Just maybe....

Open to the public on Friday, July 17 from Noon – 8 p.m. and Saturday, July 18 from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Hope to see you there!

Photographs Help Detect Childhood Cancer

OK, I know that's a scary title. And I normally like to be upbeat and positive and keep things on the lighter side. But sometimes you gotta mix a little salt with your sugar I guess, and sometimes it's important to pass along information.

I was re-reading a copy of Professional Photographer magazine today, and found an article I had completely forgotten. It was from January of 2006, and back then I wasn't blogging or didn't have an email newsletter, so I didn't share this information with the masses. As soon as I read it today, I knew this information needed to be shared.

According to the article, photographs can reveal the presence of a form of childhood eye cancer called retinoblastoma. When the flash unit on a camera is too close to the lens, red eye often results. "But with a relatively small group of children, the flash sets off a white-eye reflex, and the pupil of one or both of the subject's eyes appear to bw white in the photograph. The effect may appear over the entire pupil, or show up as white specks."

"White-eye reflex is the primary indicator of retinoblastoma tumors in children. About 350 new cases a year are discovered in the United States, almost all of them in children under age 5."

"If you do detect a white-eye reflex in a photograph of a child, it's imperative to tell the parents something might be amiss, and advise them to see an ophthalmologist-not an optometrist-as soon as possible, with copies of your photographs in hand."

Early detection translates into saved vision and lives. Tell your friends. And pay attention to your snapshots.

Fun Day at the Library

It seems like this Summer I'm going to be teaching a lot. And that's OK, because I enjoy teaching. I had an amazing group of teens for a class at the Archdale Public Library last week. They were so quiet and respectful, it's as if they knew we were in a library...ha, ha.

In case you didn't know, I'm a real bookworm--I have 3 library cards and I always have a book that I'm in the middle of. Archdale is the newest library in my card collection, and I'm really excited about it. The staff there is WONDERFUL! Anyhow, their theme this summer is Get Creative, and I'm thrilled to be part of the activities they have planned for patrons.

Ok, enough rabbit chasing, I'll get back on track. There were 13 students in this group, and we spent some time talking about composition and perspective, and cropping. After the boring stuff, we had some pizza and went outside to Creekside Park to enjoy the day and take some nature photos.

One of my students shared some of her shots with me via email, and this is my favorite. I like the super-low perspecive she used, and the square crop. I hope you can see the little ducks waddling along in the center. Thanks Shay!

Virginia Professional Photographers of America

I had the privilege of speaking to a group of pros in Virginia on Monday, to share some of my experiences and suggestions on photographing babies. Many of you know, babies are my very favorite subject to photograph--and yes, I know, I'm not quite normal. But I really do love it! Except for the pee, nobody likes that part. But really now, it's not all that bad.

We had a beautiful little 3 month old model, and even though it was far too late in the day to be photographing a babe, she was wonderful! Just wonderful. God was smiling on me, and Brianna was the little angel he was sending that smiling message through.

Being a Virginia native, I really enjoyed teaching in my home state, and getting to know some of the photographers there. What a great group of people.

They Grow Up So Fast

Well...it happens even if we don't like it. Babies grow so fast it just defys logic. My great-nephew Jacob came by to see me today, on his way home from his first ever trip to the beach. It's a long drive from Myrtle Beach to Virginia, expecially when you're only 8 months old, so Aunt Rhonda's is a good half-way point. It's a good pit stop, get a fresh diaper, fill up on milk, loads of hugs and kisses, take a few photos, more hugs and kisses, and off you go again.

It seems like just a few weeks ago we were at the hospital welcoming our little 4 pounder to the world. He was so tiny, it was scary. Full-term mind you, just TINY. Not an ounce of fat to spare. Not true now, he's got the cutest little rolls of pudge on his legs. Love it! Fat rolls are so adorable on babies, and it just makes me want to squeeze.

And would you believe that his first tooth is in already. Not that you can see it, mind you. There seems to be a string attached to his tongue so that when you get him to open his mouth his tongue comes out at the same time. It's pretty funny.

Jacob is the first baby in our family in a few years, the first of his generation. It really helps me appreciate what my Mommy clients are going through as they progress through our Baby Club program...they really do seem to change almost overnight. I know it's going to sound corny, but I'm so honored to be able to capture these beautiful stages of their lives so we can continue to enjoy them for many years to come.

I love my job, both as an Aunt and as a photographer.

No....Thank YOU!

Sometimes you just have a good day. You know, not necessarily anything you can put your finger on, just a simple good day. And then there are those days when everything is kinda average, and someone does something really nice that turns it into a great day. I had one of those today.

Last week I photographed a family, not exactly an "everyday" session since the subjects included a four legged family member. Plus we had two babies (cousins) that we photographed together. The dad asked if he sent me a testimonial did I have a place that I could use it. I said "Sure, I can put it on my blog." You know, it was nice that he was happy enough with our services to ask something like that. Most people would never actually get around to sending in the note. (I'm the world's worst for good intentions that never make it any farther than my own mind.)

Then today I got the following testimonial in my inbox...and after you read it you'll see why I'm having a great day. Thanks Mike!

"My wife and I are extremely pleased with Rhonda and the professionalism and expertise she brings to every photo shoot. Our son has been part of the Baby Club and he has enjoyed the photo sessions each time we have visited.

Rhonda is very patient and works with him in order to get the best quality shots. She has even shown her patience as our dog has joined us for one of the photo sessions and Rhonda was very accommodating to everyone, including the dog. Her patience, professionalism and expertise has delivered nothing but quality photos as we expected.

We highly recommend Memory Lane Portraits and Rhonda to anyone looking for professional photography. Thank you, Rhonda"

Mike Hague, Manager, Sign Mine, Inc. High Point, NC

Up, Up and Away

I'm taking a Leadership Class through the Archdale Trinity Chamber of Commerce and it's been a wonderful, interesting, eye-opening experience. Sort of like field trips for adults. Last week we had "Economic Day" and had the opportunity to visit some of the larger scale industries in our area. I learned that Tony the Tiger actually lives in Archdale. It's true, I saw him with my own eyes--who knew, he keeps a very low profile. I would say that I never see him at the local grocery store, but that's not exactly true, now is it?!

This photo was taken by Andee Edelson from the Randolph County Partnership for Children. (Thanks Andee.) I'm getting ready to take a ride I will never forget--several stories high on a crane in the storage facility at Hafele. I had no idea such technology existed right here in little ol' Archdale. Quite a ride!









Our adventure also included tours of:
-A John Deere musuem in Trinity--which I never even knew existed
-SSG/Brand Intense--there's some serious marketing technology going on in that place
-Trinity Furnitures manufacturing plant--facinating
-Linwood Hall--an amazing architectural gem hidden away in Trinity

We also got to enjoy speakers on Industrial Recruitment, Growth Trends, and have a hands-on exercize dealing with commerce. I'm sure you can imagine how tired my little pea brain was at the end of the day.

I can't wait for next month's adventures!

Kisses, Kilts and Elvis

Hey, I want to share a very memorable wedding from last fall with you.

Obviously, this wasn't my typical wedding. Not even close. But that was what made it SO MUCH FUN! Well, that and the fact that I feel I have at least two new friends, David and Laura Posey Grimes. Plus the dogs, let's not forget the dogs, so that's at least four new friends.

Ok, let me back up and clear some of that up. Back when I first sat down with David and Laura to talk about the possibility of being their wedding photographer, I did something very routine. I asked about what they had planned for their day. But their answers were anything but routine.

They were going to have an outdoor wedding in the fall at a private location (I LOVE photographing outdoor weddings) with a Scottish theme, and an Elvis impersonator at the reception. Plus fireworks, real ones. Add to that mixture an attractive, fun, easy going couple that are clearly in love, and you have a photographers dream. Or at least this photographers dream.

The weather was wonderful, and the ceremony was beautiful. So beautiful it captured the attention of the editior of a widely distributed magazine published by the McNeill Clan. They featured David and Laura's wedding in the magazine, along with using several images of their decorations in another article, and to top it all off, "we" made the cover with one of their wedding day photos. What an honor!

I've been photographing members of the Grimes family for several years, and it's been nothing short of a genuine pleasure. I'm starting to feel like family, they treat me so well.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot...the dogs. They weren't invited to the ceremony, but the engagement session wouldn't have been the same without them. Cute pups!

Yes Professor....

I had the opportunity to speak to a group of aspiring photographers as a guest lecturer for a college in Hickory this week. A friend of mine is teaching this course, it's a Business of Photography class...not their favorite one I'm guessing.

It was interesting to see the diversity of the students, from teens to grandparents--all with different styles and goals. They were a great group, attentive and with good questions. They will have a real leg up in their businesses because of this course.

Statitistics show that most start-up photography businesses fail, and many many more never become profitable, usually for lack of good business practices. I feel very fortunate to have earned a degree in business, and some real world experience in the industry before setting out on my path. Some days, that doesn't seem like nearly enough, but we're hanging in there!!

In times like these, it's hard to know what to do. Here's my thinking. If we would all use a little of my Mom's favorite strategy, we would see the economy improve drastically. Her technique was simple, "When the going gets tough, the tough go shopping." Now that's a stimulus package!

Ssssssomething interesting happened the other day....

We recently took a trip to Charleston--that was a blast. We were blessed with the most amazing weather, and enjoyed our "second honeymoon" to the hilt. This was the "real" trip to celebrate our 25th anniversary--a few weeks late due to Randy's schedule, but the little visit to Pine Knob Inn allowed us to start the celebration on our actual anniversary. It's Feb. 10th if anyone wants to send a card next year. LOL

On the way, we made a little side trip to visit some good friends. Clarence and Shirley Mathis served as missionaries in Honduras for several years, and we developed a close friendship during that time. They played tour guides/hosts during the two missionary trips I took there, and Randy and I have enjoyed having them stay with us on their visits to the States. They're back stateside full time now, and settled down next door to Shirley's daughter Carol, about an hour outside of Charleston.

More about the time in Charleston later, right now I want to tell you about what happened while we were visiting with Clarence and Shirley. I was diddybopping along in the woods (diddybopping is hillybilly for walking along without a care in the world, just in case you didn't know.) taking photos of pine cones and such when I nearly tripped on this HUGE snake, and I mean huge. Did I mention he was huge?

He coiled himself around my legs, started squeezing, and nearly ate my camera. I was so scared! But there was no way I was going to file that insurance claim, I grabbed my camera out of his fangs and quickly turned on the flash and started firing away. The light from the flash blinded him, and it was enough to allow me to escape, but just barely! I got myself back to the house where I belonged. Right after snapping a couple of shots to share with everyone. Whew! Gotta love that new Nikon! Takes a "lickin'" and keeps on clickin'.

OK, maybe that's not exactly how it happened, but it could have..... Alright, I see the way you're looking at me, enough already. Here's the real story. His name is Bubba, and he belongs to Carol. I must say, sometimes I do things that surprise even me. And sometimes Randy surprises me as well...even after all these years. Bubba is 14 feet long, and weighs about 110 lbs. He's a little underweight right now, it being the end of winter and all, can you imagine that! I can't relate, but it sounds nice to need to put on a few pounds. I can give him plenty of advice on how to do that.

I've never touched a snake before, much less one this size. I was really shocked that he's smooth to the touch, kinda like patent leather. I expected a snake to feel scaly and rough, and kinda creepy. You know, snakey.

Carol has a few more veeerrry interesting pets, many are rescues from her career as a vet tech. Her collection includes two wolves, two buffalo, a raccoon, a lynx, and there's also a few more normal critters hanging around. You know, like horses, dogs, cats and fish. Me, I just have Randy, and I have a hard time just keeping up with his care and feeding.

Professional Photographers Convention

Wow, I'm excited and tired all at the same time. It's been a big, big week, starting at 4:00 in the morning on Saturday and ending yesterday around 5:30 pm. I just got back to my desk after 5 days in Raleigh at the Professional Photographers of North Carolina convention. We had ourselves a large time, with speakers from all over the nation demonstrating lighting and posing techniques, talking about ways to offer the best in customer service, and sharing the latest gadgets, gizmos, ideas and software finds.

But better than that, I got to spend some time with my fellow photo geeks. It's a lot like a huge family reunion when our association has an event. We have over 600 members, but it feels like we're all good friends. Lots of hugging and catching up gets done at the state convention. My Mother loved to say, those photographers are a strange bunch, aren't they? I think she had visions of every wierdo in the state converging at our convention. We're not all wierd, but a lot of us are. I will not be discussing which side of that line I fall on, thank you very much.

We have a great trade show every year with all the latest goodies and a chance to ask the techie experts questions and get my hands on some of the latest gear. I found a great remote for my camera, and can't wait to use it. I tested it out a few minutes ago, and it's amazing! I was able to trigger my camera to fire through two walls, not exactly my normal use for a remote trigger, so I think it will hold up to my everyday requests of it.

Plus there were some social events, a Tailgate Party on Saturday night. I missed most of it, because I'm on the Print Team and we were working late. Print judging was held on Saturday, and I have worked with the print team since I first joined PPNC about 10 years ago. I'm usually the person who calls out the titles of each print as it is presented before the panel of judges. You know, use your gifts and all that...my big mouth makes me a natural choice as the person behind the microphone.

I submitted prints for judging this year, with the goal of getting one selected for display in the exhibit at the hotel, and the secondary hope of scoring high enough to be considered "worthy of merit." I really lucked up, as I had FOUR prints displayed, with two of those judged as "merit prints."

You might have a hard time believeing this, but I went without a camera. I didn't want to drag it around to all the seminars, and didn't feel safe leaving it in the hotel room, so I didn't take one. (So of course we get the prettiest snow in years!!!) If I can get the photo from my cell phone copied over showing me with my prints, I'll post it here. But no promises. There's some technology I'm savy with and some I'm not, cell phone cameras aren't my strong area. Neither is texting, but that's another subject.

Oh yeah, about the snow. I am blessed to have friends on the Photography Committee (assigned to photograph all the events at convention) and was able to get myself an assignment to take snow photos, with their camera of course. It was a blast!

One interesting piece of information I found out, I was the only photographer in North Carolina to receive their Certified Professional Photographer designation last year. The certification process is rigerous with an in-depth test and then a review of your images by a panel of judges. I'm so proud to have achieved this milestone, it's been a goal of mine for a number of years.

In other exciting news, at least exciting for me...I was elected to the board of directors of the PPNC at the business meeting on Sunday night, and then sworn in at our formal banquet on Tuesday. When I get the photo of the swearing in ceremony from the Photography Team, I'll post it here for you as well. This is the second time I've served on this board, and I'm really proud to be here. This association has been a huge part of my professional growth, and I'm happy to be able to return the favor to the membership by serving on the Board of Directors and speaking at various events.

I've got four speaking engagements lined up, one as a guest lecturer at a college near Boone, one to a Pro Group in Virginia, a seminar for the PPNC's Western Guild event, and a ProShare class that will take place at my studio in January. Looks like it's gonna be a busy year!

I was awarded a gold chevron at the banquet, for having earned 100 credits (enough credits to have earned my Fellow of Photography-F.Ph.- degree a second time.) When I received my F.Ph. I was awarded a medallion on a black ribbon, and the chevron is designed to go onto the same ribbon. I have no intention of failing to continue to study and gain more education in my field, so maybe before my career is over I'll earn another chevron.

I have some great inspiration from Jennifer George-Walker from California ( http://www.jwalkerphotography.com/jenniferggallery/index.html) that I want to try out, so if you know of anyone who is 8 months pregnant and willing to be my model, I want to talk to her. I'm also looking for a family with a newborn babe, less than a week old.

Ok, I gotta go find some bunnies....
Until later,

Rhonda

Open House was a Hit!

Thanks everyone! We had a full house for the Open House 10 Year Anniversary party. I know it was Valentine's Day, and some of you had plans, but I was amazed at how many people shared part of their day with us. It's very humbling to have so many of you both as friends and as clients. My clients are THE BEST!

To be honest, I was a little afraid that I wouldn’t be able to remember names, I’m soooo bad at that sometimes, particularly when I get in a tizz. (That's Rhonda-speak for the mad frantic rush I get in when I have taken on more than I can get done it the time allotted.) I’ll see someone I know, and remember all kinds of little details about them and their family, even have flashbacks of specific photos I’ve created for them, but not remember a name. But I think I did pretty good, I don’t think I called anyone Fred who was really named Sally. At least I hope not.

I was particularly pleased to have our honored guests Joe and Joyce Nelson, formerly of Nelson’s Photography, with us. They were the first ones to have a photography studio in our space, and it has been a true joy to get to know them. Joe shared with Vanessa and me how he and Joyce had things when they were here, and we discovered that some of the cabinets we’re using in our office were built by Joe. They started with about 1/3 as much space as we currently occupy, so I feel pretty spoiled. Maybe they didn’t collect as much Just Ultra Neat Knick-knacks (J.U.N.K.) as I have?

Daniel Pendell won the Grand Prize of the painting, and Caitlyn Councilman took home Mr. Nelson’s beautiful wooden vase. Congratulations to both of you. We’re still working on notifying all the winners of the other prizes, so if you haven’t heard yet, don’t give up hope…you still have a chance.

The kids had fun with the piñata, and it was harder to break open than I expected. We, OK they, also discovered that the pieces made great party hats. Yeah, fun! The ladies enjoyed the nail station, thanks Amy for being here; I really enjoyed getting pampered with the paraffin wax treatment myself. Of course there was too much food left over, but we’re recovering nicely. I only gained a couple of pounds, and that could have been much worse.

In hindsight, I should have slowed down and taken many more photos. I guess I should have hired someone to photograph my event! LOL. My friend Mynda pitched in and took several shots for me--thanks Myn--so most of the photos you see here are hers.

On a related but separate note, we’ve had a sign installed to help you find our building. It went up just in time for the open house. After all these years of being incognito, it feels strange to be on display for the public. But I'm excited about it (doesn't take much to excite me, huh?) since it seems like a step forward for the studio.

I'll write more soon, in the meantime, take care!

Rhonda

A little R&R for R&R-Celebrating 25 years

Yes, it's true. Randy and I just celebrated a big milestone, our 25th Wedding Anniversary. I was feelin' pretty cool about it until one of my friends, who was my maid of honor at the wedding (love you RK) congratulated me on our Silver Anniversary. Silver! Wow! That's where the old folks have a party and serve a wedding cake with a big silver 25 on the topper. That's just not us! We're still young....aren't we?

Now let me point out that we were only kids when we got married. Wee children mind you. I was all of 17, and he was 19. (If you're doing math in your head, let me save you the trouble, I'm 42--are you happy now?) Let me also point out that life would have been much easier if we had waited until we were older. Thankfully we don't have kids to try to convince of that fact. Also, we were raised in a very different "neck of the woods" where it wasn't really uncommon for people to get married that young. OK, I think I'm through pointing things out.

Anyhow, being busy modern people....and young and adventurous to boot...we decided to celebrate, but didn't really have the time. We have a trip to Charleston planned later in the year when we can both get free, but it didn't seem right to let the "actual day" come and go with no acknowledgement.

I was looking for somewhere to sneak off for an overnight stay when I stumbled across http://www.pilotknobinn.com/ and found the cutest little log cabins for rent, almost in our back door. It's little tobacco barns that have been renovated. I didn't tell Randy what I was doing, but made the arrangements, pretended to be going in to work for the day and snuck back home to pack and finalize everything. I had a friend "steal" his vehicle, and whisked him away-a.k.a. kidnapped him- for a mini vacation.

We had the best time! This place has a beautiful setting, on a dirt road in the woods (a lot like where I grew up, but it even had indoor plumbing, unlike our house when I was a babe.) There were hiking trails, a small swinging bridge, a darling little front porch with rocking chairs, a two person tub and a real wood burning fireplace. It was a little piece of heaven. And don't get me started about the breakfast they served...wow. I mean WOW!

Before you ask, I took the photos myself using the self timer on my camera. I didn't have my tripod so I don't want to tell you the crazy things I did to perch that camera in a workable spot. That's some of that "don't try this at home" stuff.

We will be looking for excuses to go back, because anyplace this beautiful in the wintertime must be something else at other times of the year. Thanks Jennifer and Will for making our stay extra-special. We'll be back! And we know you'll leave the porch light on for us.

By the way, Randy and I decided to renew that marriage license for another 25 years. We're still pretty fond of each other. It may sound like a cliche, but it's awfully nice to be married to your best friend.

A Decade Later....

Wow! Ten years. Can you believe it? It was 1999 when I started Memory Lane Portraits, and "they" are right, time does fly when you're having fun. There have been ups and downs, but I still love the thrills and challenges of my work, and the joy of capturing so many priceless moments for my clients. There's nothing more satisfying to me than creating something beautiful that will be enjoyed for years.

Sorry, didn't mean to get all sappy there. I can't help it.

Anyhow, we're thinkin' this calls for a celebration. Right?! So we want everone to come join us for a Open House Party on Saturday, Feb. 14th (yes, that's Valentine's Day) from 1:00 to 4:00.

It's going to be a lot of fun. We have a harpist coming to play for us (you will be enchanted by young Miss Taylor Ann), a nail technician setting up to do nails, plus refreshments and Valentines of course.

If you throw in some roses and movie tickets and it will be the perfect date for Valentines Day. Oh yeah, we'll let the kids have some fun with a piniata around 2:00. Plus we have new products to introduce--portrait jewelry to canvas wraps and paintings--we can't wait to show you!

Not only is this our 10 year milestone, but it's 38 years that there has been a photography studio in our building. Joe and Joyce Nelson opened up Nelson's Photography in 1971. If you (or someone you know) was photographed by the Nelsons, please come by during the Open House and say "Hi!" to Joe and Joyce. We're going to have a special door prize drawing just for their former clients. Someone is going to win a joint session with Joe and myself, and a 16x20 portrait. That's worth over $200.

But the prizes don't end there, that's just the beginning. We've got over $3,000 in prizes to give away! Check out this list:

• 25 people will walk away with $50 gift certificates for FREE sessions.


• Enter our online drawing -send your name, e-mail address, and phone # to vanessa@rhondaswebsite.com with PICK ME in the subject line. We'll be giving away another 25 gift certificates for FREE sessions* worth $50 each. And yes, you can enter online and at the Open House for a chance to win in both drawings.


• Mr. Joe Nelson has created a one-of-a-kind wood vase to be given away--see the photo here, he may not be photographing clients anymore, but he certainly is still making art. (Makes me wish I could enter the drawing myself, but Vanessa and I figured it wouldn't look good if we won it.)


• $50 gift certificate for the winners choice of Premiere Jewelry.
• Gift Certificate from Taylor Ann for a personal harp performance-great for your church, event, party or even to cheer someone up a the hospital or nursing home.


• GRAND PRIZE - 15x30 framed portrait in our NEW Masterpiece Paintings finish, valued at over $1500.

Hope you can come, and bring a friend. See you there!

*Gift Certificates valid for sessions completed by May 1st.

Having Class on a Snow Day!?!

About a year ago, the Professional Photographers of North Carolina's East Coast School contacted me about hosting/teaching a ProShare class. These are full-day seminars offered to professional photographers at the teacher's studio. I've done some informal one-on-one teaching at my studio, but never with a group.

I thought it would be a lot of fun, and I was right! Plus I was honored to be asked. So...I started planning, thinking, and organizing. As the day drew nearer we got busy putting together information packets, and lining up models and making arrangements for food. Then came the cleaning and sorting, all that stuff that is against my nature, lol. Good thing I have Vanessa here to keep me on task. It's a lot of work to put an event like this together, but the studio was cleaner than it had been in ages. I thought I had it all "in the bag" but as my hubby, Randy tells me, "if you want to hear God laugh, tell him your plans." So it snowed.

Unfortunately, one student couldn't get a flight out from Maryland--between the Presidential inauguration and the snow, she was fighting a losing battle. But most of my class was already in town for a photography seminar, and they said they wanted to go ahead, despite the 2 or 3 inches of snow.

Well, I grew up in the mountains on a curvy, dirt, one-lane road, so I'm certainly not going to wimp out because of a little snow. I put the Jeep in 4 wheel drive, and did the slip and slide dance all the way to the studio. I have a healthy respect and knowledge of driving in snow. But let me tell you, we don't get enough of the fun white stuff around here for people to learn how to drive in it. You have to watch out for the weather, and watch out for the people who get out there and try to drive in it.


We spent the day focused on my specialty--BABY PORTRAITS! Understandably, most of my models didn't make it, but we had plenty to do. Special thanks to Barb Dudley from McDonald's for sharing some of her time to talk to us about marketing (and they have the best hot chocolate!) And extra special thanks to 4 month old Zane for bringing his Mommy and being our cute little model. What a sweetheart!

This was the best group of folks! I feel like I had a room full of friends by the time the day was over, and it was kinda sad to see it end. I learned a lot from my group, and hopefully they learned at least a few things from me. We shared loads of ideas and inspirations. I shared my lighting and posing techniques, we talked about props, backgrounds and clothing selections for baby portraits.

I can't wait for my next opportunity to teach. It will be a few months and I'll be headed to Virginia to speak to a group of pros there. I must say, having my studio at my fingertips was quite a luxury. If I thought of something to show them, it was right there. Maybe we'll have a wonderful group in Virginia like this last one.....

Wedding Season

Believe it or not, it's wedding season. Well, to be more precise, it's wedding booking season. January is when we typically see a big increase in calls from brides-to-be who are planning their big day.

With that in mind, I thought over the next few weeks I would share a few images from 2008 weddings. I used to work in a studio where we did 50-60 weddings each year. It was not only an overwhelming amount of work, (the average wedding requires 50-70 hours of work to complete) but it became hard to remember who was who. I decided back then that when I opened my studio I wanted to give each bride the personalized attention she deserved. That's why I do a limited number of weddings each year, and I always feel like I end up with new friends after each one.

One of my favorite wedding couples from 2008, Eric and Shana Cheek Johnson, had their wedding featured in Comfy Magazine! How cool is that? Pretty cool if you ask me.

Their wedding was a beautiful, well planned affair, and they were such a joy to work with. Shana and I met several years ago in a business networking group. I knew even then that some day she would make a stunning bride and a loving wife for a very lucky man. Eric is a lucky man indeed, and he's not too hard on the eyes either. Ladies, he's married!