Voting ends September 8th at 11:59 PM EST and you can only vote once so make it count! The winner will receive a complimentary 2 hour photo session with me worth $250 - and just in time for holiday portrait season! Best of luck to all of the participants - I’m excited to see the results! Let the voting begin (and don’t forget to recruit your friends and family to vote too)!

Parker Renee:

Sydney:

Gavin:

Aiden:

Gracie:

Patrick:

Ilana Paige:

Mackenzie:

Hayden:

Maggie:

Halie:

Erin MacKenzie:

Devin:

Tyler:

Adriana:

CLICK HERE TO VOTE!

]]> http://www.autumn-photography.com/blog/?feed=rss2&p=1164 http://www.autumn-photography.com/blog/?p=1159 http://www.autumn-photography.com/blog/?p=1159#comments Thu, 19 Aug 2010 19:14:22 +0000 admin http://www.autumn-photography.com/blog/?p=1159 Someone forgot to tell my body that I’m 30, not 90! I’m taking a few days off while my body adjusts to some new medications that are basically knocking me on my butt 24/7 and I’m recovering from a couple of small but very painful injuries at the same time. Rest assured, I’m still here but sitting at my desk is pure agony right now and it’s all I can do to just keep my eyes open. I hope to be back at my desk by the weekend.

Entries will be accepted now through September 1st, 2010 and voting will be right here on the blog September 2nd - 8th. The winner will be announced September 9th and will receive a 2 hour portrait session (you choose - portraits of your child or the whole family!) just in time for holiday portraits!

You must be the parent or legal guardian of the child you are entering and *photos must NOT be copyrighted* (snapshots are perfectly acceptable!)

Here’s my cutie:

So, Vermont… Vermont is lovely just about any time of the year but I have learned my lesson and will not be returning during a record breaking heat wave. We stayed at my in-laws’ ski cabin which is small, has no air conditioning and only a few small windows that don’t open all the way. The real kicker was having only one fan. I wanted to bring another one up as I anticipated my internal organs cooking under that roof but with 3 adults, a child, a 50+ pound dog and a kayak there was just no room in or on top of the car! Ugh. Never again. We spent a lot of time at Echo Lake swimming, kayaking and barbecuing and then went up the hill to a private pond owned by friends of the family before heading back to broil in the cabin. It was so scorching hot outside that my Floridian butt actually went into the lake. The last time I attempted that (at the same lake on a not so hot day) I ran in at full speed, dove under the water, jumped straight up into the air screaming a blood curdling scream and made an exit so fast that I think I may have walked on water. Of course, when I looked up every single beach goer at this quiet, peaceful lake was staring at me with their eyes bugged out, probably wondering what drugs I was on or what my mental disability was. I simply raised my hand and said “Sorry - Floridian!” and I swear it seemed like every one of them shook their heads and laughed at my idiocy. I honestly wonder how often that happens. Even with the disgusting heat this week and inability to get a good night’s sleep, we had a great time. We even got my Dad out in the kayak! Getting him in and out presented a small challenge considering his prosthetic legs can’t get wet, but we love a challenge! Sean brought the kayak to the end of the dock and my Dad sat down, took his legs off and scooted in. He had a great time and loved having another new experience.

Some snaps from the last week:

Jaedyn’s birthday cake that I spent 3 days making (and my first attempt at fondant)

My nephew Nolan cuddling with Jaedyn on the Fourth of July

Jaedyn singing to Nolan

Love that smile!

The chubbiest feet I ever did see (and FAST too!)

Jaedyn and her sparklers - she’s concentrating so hard!

Her attempt at making a heart for the camera… and a few distractions along the way!

Of course I had to include some fireworks. We didn’t get the best spot this year as far as photos go but we enjoyed our view anyway!

And my Dad kayaking legless in VT… way to go Dad!!!

Hello haze. Can’t you just SEE the heat?!

Sessions are fun and relaxed - no boring studio here! No creepy old guy telling you to blow a kiss at the camera or gently place your hand under your chin and tilt your head to the left. These are not your typical senior portraits - these are all about YOU! We’ll go to a few different spots and explore - bring a bunch of outfits so we can get a good mix of looks and attitudes.

Not just anyone gets to be a senior rep - you must be outgoing and like having your photo taken. I will only accept a very limited number of seniors from each school so if this sounds like you, contact me today before the spots at your school are full! Just send me an e-mail at info@autumn-photography.com or a facebook message - send me your name, age, high school, city, contact info, a recent photo of you and why you think you’d make a good senior rep! If I think you might make a good senior rep I’ll contact you with a few additional questions and give you more details. =)

“Urban Farmers League is a youth led organization designed to combat environmental and social injustice, by creating a platform for the youth to have equal participation in the future of our community. With the creation of urban farms we not only provide a space for youth to express but we are also able to provide the community with high quality of life, mitigate environmental degradation and provide a space for organic food to flourish.

Goals:

1. Create a community of youth leaders

2. Reduce ,Reuse ,Recycle

3. Beautify our community

4.Provide organically grown nutritious food to low income families and individuals

5. Provide a venue for youth culture to thrive”
How awesome is that?!

John was nominated for my project (”Newburgh: Focus on the Positive”) to recognize and reward Juniors and Seniors at NFA that aren’t falling into gang life or getting into trouble and are doing something positive. It was a difficult decision to make, but John was chosen as May’s winner and received a complimentary Senior Photo Session with me, along with 40 wallet sized photos (that he gets to choose!) and some images for use on facebook and myspace. I am accepting nominations through the end of November and will be choosing one teen per month from now through the end of November. Please nominate an awesome teen at NFA (class of 2010 or 2011) that is staying out of trouble and doing something positive so that they can be recognized and rewarded for their efforts! So much emphasis is placed upon those who are getting into trouble and the “good kids” aren’t getting the recognition they deserve. I think it’s extremely important to focus on the positive and tell these young adults that we’re proud of them! If you know an awesome teen at Newburgh Free Academy please nominate them and spread the word! You can nominate by sending me an e-mail at info@autumn-photography.com - just tell me their name (first and last), their graduation year and why you think they should be rewarded (ANYONE can nominate - you can even nominate yourself!)! I’ll need some way to contact them if they’re chosen too so please don’t forget to leave me some form of contact information so I can get in touch with them!

John chose Algonquin for his session because it’s a place he visits often and he loves horticulture. Being new to the Hudson Valley, I actually had not been there before - I loved it!

http://urbanfarmersleague.blogspot.com/

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Urban-Farmers-League/290247189855?v=wall

http://newburghcircle.com/2010/06/09/teens-find-hope-in-planting-seeds/

Don’t forget to check out her blog too - new images, give-aways and lots of fun stuff!

This weekend’s wind storm brought down some large branches in our yard and onto our roof. We were without power for an excruciating 11 hours. Just as I started to move from bored and irritated that I couldn’t do any work, I thought about those who have gone through (and continue to go through) so much worse and realized that just the simple fact that I have a home and a bed to sleep in makes me a lucky person. Of course, I slept on the couch last night because my head hurt, but that’s totally beside the point. The power came back on this morning and we surveyed the branch damage outside. As I stared at my roof wondering how we were going to get the big branch down without tearing down the gutters, ripping the power lines down and damaging our property, a neighbor I had not yet met stopped and offered to bring over his extension ladder and help us out. Rainbow.

I’ve had too many “rainbow” moments in the last 2 weeks to mention but suffice it to say that I have the most amazing family, friends and clients a girl could ask for. If you want to give someone the hope of more rainbows than rain, please consider donating to The American Cancer Society - Relay for Life. One of my dearest clients, Laurie, has started a team called Strides for Hope in honor of her Dad who is currently fighting brain cancer. It would mean a lot to her family and to me if you would join the cause in whatever capacity you are able.

I hope all of the Moms had a wonderful Mother’s Day… I got to spend the day with my girl so I’d say mine was fabulous!

Finishing up editing 3 sessions and hopping between 5 different album designs at the moment… working on getting them all out soon. One of these days I’ll catch my breath and get this blog caught up with the good stuff you come here for - photos!