The Benton Family

So it’s not very often that I get to see our good friends “then benton’s” but not only did I get the chance to hang out with them all recently… I had the opportunity to take some wonderful photographs of their gang. We miss you Ryan and Kerry and hope you move back soon!

 

 

More of Ms. Dana… www.bamboosmiles.com

I couldn’t resist posting a couple more photos of my lovely friend Dana and her newest addition to the family.  If you are in Philly – you should check her out – her photos rock!  www.bamboosmiles.com

 

Punk rock isn’t dead

Isn’t that from a song?  I could swear it is but knowing me I’ve totally got it all screwed up, lol!  Anyway…. my buddy Julie and I had a little indoor punk rock session to play around with my new camera and see how well I could do shooting manual, indoor with kids jumping around, lol… let me tell you… it’s a challenge but I think we got some great stuff!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Check it out yo!

Ainsley:

 Ava:

Somethings just make you laugh:

Wouldn’t everyone like to sit upon a fridge?

a little bit of visual crazy:

Jump around…jump…jump… jump (can you feel my hip hop vibe come through?)

Ok I realize I am really bordering on overstimulation for you all here, lol!

 

Last one really!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Giving is Awesome

My friend Kristen started a fantastic organization last December called “Giving is Awesome” – here is a little info on the program and what she is trying to accomplish now   If you feel moved by what she is doing, please go vote for her:  She is teaming up with ConKerr Cancer to try and win a “Name your dream Assignement”  See more info below:

Essential Imagery

Giving is Awesome was founded in December of 2008. It was a simple premise: photographers give a portrait shoot and products to a family who deserves it, but can’t afford it. In the twelve weeks since then, over 530 photographers have donated over $550,000 worth of custom portraiture to families who couldn’t afford it. Artists in places as far flung as Australia, the Philippines, the United Kingdom, and Mexico joined in. Giving is Awesome is also featured in this month’s issue of Professional Photographer magazine, and we’re looking to continue to spread the word about giving. Lenovo and Microsoft are sponsoring the ‘Name Your Dream Assignment’ contest, which grants $50,000 to the photographer who wins to shoot whatever/wherever they would like.

What better way to spread the word than to load 12 photographers into a tour bus and hit up cities with Giving is Awesome shoots? The blog traffic generated by the tour would easily reach 50,000 photographers per day, thus multiplying the number of photographers who sign on for the 2009 version of Giving is Awesome. (The goal: 15,000 photographers for the 2009 edition.)

…but how would we decide who to shoot for those tour bus Giving is Awesome giveaways? Why, we would rely on our friends at ConKerr Cancer, an international charity, to provide our subjects: children currently living with cancer. We’d be bringing awareness of both utterly smashing organizations to light, spreading the photographic love, AND rockin’ a tour bus! Now we’re talkin’!

What if this project doesn’t cost $50,000? Easy! ConKerr Cancer receives the funds to purchase cameras for their chapter coordinators, less the expenses of the tour. This allows the impact of the tour to go much further than the people on the bus, or even the photographers associated with Giving is Awesome. It’s the ripple effect in its truest form, giving sparking giving sparking giving.

For more information about the organizations mentioned: http://www.givingisawesome.com & http://www.conkerrcancer.org

DIG IT? GO VOTE! Click that little ‘pic’ button in the upper left of the assignment details, when you get there. (You’ll have to register to do so, but I promise it’s worth it! Pretty please, vote?)

GO!! : http://www.nameyourdreamassignment.com/the-ideas/givingisawesome/giving-is-awesome-tour/

 

Meet my fantabulous roomie and our rockstar hostess

Some of you may know that I just returned from a few days in Philly where I was meeting up with some kick ass photographers to do a little “secret” sharing and fun.  I had the wonderful pleasure of meeting my friend Maggie who I had been chatting with online for over a year but just finally got the chance to meet her face to face and boy did we just seem like we’d known each other forever!  After we met up at the airport (Maggie is from AZ) we headed out to meetup with our good karmic host Dana!  Another photographer described Dana as the embodiment of love and good karma and I have to agree 100%.  She is so sweet and nice and I am still in awe that she let two strangers crash her pad when she just got over a bad case of strep throat AND has a 4 month old baby along with two other handsome little boys!  I can’t tell you how much fun I had because words are just failing me right now… but I can show you my new friends!

Maggie:

and Dana:

I have lots more photos to post of them when I get a free moment – we had the best time taking some pics of each other just before Maggie and I had to leave for the airport   More to come soon!

 

Unbeatable friends…..

While I was attending the workshop “Soulographer”, I met so many wonderful ladies!  Out of the group of around 25 ladies I ended up hanging out with 3 girls that I just think the world of and wish so bad that I lived closer to them so we could all “geek out” together and take fun photo trips and such…. I guess we will all just have to plan a yearly trip from here on out!

Introducing the fabulous, the fantastic, the beautiful (inside and out)…..

Danielle Marie in Indianapolis, Indiana:

 

Lyndsey Lewis in Fort Collins, Colorado:

 

Sara Morris out of Indianapolis, Indiana

 

THE ROCKSTAR….. SKYE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!