Love, Me Blog

I am looking for a business person who would like to share my studio space and look after things while I’ll be traveling back and forth between here and Denver.  You’ll have a cozy little office all to yourself and we’ll share the rest of the space.  It is super cute, full decorated, has a projection room and full kitchen and bath.  It would be perfect for a graphic designer or anyone just needing an office space to work out of … also perfect for anyone who needs a cute space to meet clients.  The studio is in newly renovated Old Town Roanoke and truly is the perfect location right off of Oak Street, yet secluded enough so its nice and quiet!

If you think this sounds like the perfect fit for you, please email me at crystal@lovemephotography and we can talk about details!  Feel free to pass along to anyone you may know of that is looking into getting a commercial space, but is nervous about making the leap! This could be the perfect opportunity

So, by now you have heard about the 2010 the World Should Know Calendar and read my shameless promotion to sell 2010 Calendars … after all, Love WINS in 2010!!!

Well, I’ve decided to up the ante … BIGTIME and I am so stinking excited to do it because after all, Giving is Awesome!  Last year I participated in the Giving is Awesome campaign founded and carried through by my lovely friend Kristen Kalp.  All of you nominated families that were deserving of a complimentary photo session and I had the pleasure of meeting the Jones Family last year during our shoot in January.

Well, this year, instead of having a nomination contest, we wanted to give you the opportunity to spread your love.  We are offering …

A Complimentary Photo Shoot AND the High Resolution Files with a Print Release from your session to ONE person who has purchased a 2010 The World Should Know Calendar!

Total Giveaway is worth $2250!!!!

The fine Print

1. The shoot must take place in the Dallas/ Fort Worth Texas area before July 2010.
*If you live out of state and want to make a trip to Texas, you can win!

2. The session is for one immediate family or siblings, a couple, or individual (no events or large groups)

3. Proof of your donation to Revive Africa by purchase of at least one 2010 The World Should Know Calendar

5. You can enter more than once by purchasing more calendars. Each calendar equals one chance!  OR spread the word via facebook, twitter or your own blog.  Each link where you did so equals another chance!

6. You can enter for other people too

To enter:

1. Make sure you can be in DFW by July 2010 for the shoot OR know the person you are entering for wants a shoot with us

2. Purchase at least ONE calendar  (make sure to use drop down menu if you want it shipped or want multiple calendars)

Quantity

1 Calendar $15.00 2 Calendars $25.00 1 Calendar plus shipping $18.00 2 Calendars plus shipping $28.00

***EXTENDED*** Winner will be drawn the on Valentines Day (February 14th)!  THERE IS STILL TIME!

If you win, we’ll contact you via email and announce your name on the blog Now, go spread your love and encourage others to do the same!!!

XOXOXOXOXO Love, Me

Many of you have followed Love, Me’s journey to Africa and back.  If you missed it from the beginning on this year you can go back and read about it starting HERE. Not only did you follow, but many of you lifted us up in prayer and gave what you could (we received donations from $5 to $1000 an raised over 3K in just a few short weeks).  Now its time for us to have the immense pleasure of sharing with you only a small part of what was made possible because of YOU.  This project has truly been a labor of love. I’ve hidden many of the photographs I took while I was there away, storing them up like treasures waiting to be unveiled (and there are still many more that we hope will make it into a book eventually).

The Calendar was created as a way to spread our LOVE and to give you the opportunity to do the same. We wanted to give back to charities we believe in, the ones that we feel spread HIS love in real, tangible ways.
There was no doubt in our minds what we thought the world should know in 2010, thus our choice for this year’s calendar was an easy one. Because Love, Me traveled with Revive Africa to Sierra Leone this past March, we were able to experience first hand the desperate needs of 94 beautiful orphans in the tiny village of Wellington. Hopefully the images of these children and the insights drawn from numerous first hand experiences, beautifully written by Paul Shabay, co-founder of Revive Africa, along with his brother Chris, will give you what YOU need to know in 2010.
Whether it’s the realization that the starving children you see on TV are, in fact, real little souls with hopes and dreams not unlike our own, the confirmation that you really can make a difference in their lives simply by purchasing this calendar, or most importantly, the illumination that their is a God who is with us in this battle against poverty, hopelessness, and death and He is ever so present and alive in the spirits of these remarkable children.  Just look into their eyes and listen … because He has something incredibly powerful and personal to say to You.  Thank you for showing your love, and thus, spreading His.

Here’s what others are saying about the 2010 The World Should Know Calendar after they purchased! (note: neither of these woman have traveled to Sierra Leone or have ever met these children in person)

“Beautiful!  Amazing! I finally had a chance to sit down at my desk and really look at the calendar. One of my favorite things are childrens’ fingers and toes (so cute!) – the back cover brought me to tears!  Can’t exactly tell you why, it just hit a nerve!”

“I love the calendar! The photos are just beautiful…awesome! And I love the words, the quotes and the personal touches. [details about each child she connected with through the calendar and what the words said about them, let's just say she had several favorites] … I could go on and on. They are all just lovely~ very powerful photographs. Thank you so much for putting your heart into your work on behalf of the least of these. God is moving in the hearts of many and truly blessing these children through you, your gifts, your obedience, and your servant’s heart…”

LOVE WINS IN 2010! Help us reach our goal of selling 2010 Calendars!  Because all printing costs were taken care of by our generous sponsors, every single penny you give toward the calendar will go directly to the orphans. We have potential to raise a MINIMUM of 25K if all calendars are sold!!!  That equals REAL change folks.

So, buy a calendar or two, give some away as gifts, forward to your friends and family, and/or offer to help us sell a few.  Feel free to pay via paypal below if you are long distance or contact us via email at info@lovemephotography.com for local pickup at our new studio in old town Roanoke!!

Quantity

1 Calendar $15.00 2 Calendars $25.00 1 Calendar plus shipping $18.00 2 Calendars plus shipping $28.00

Thanks for spreading YOUR love this holiday season   Blessings!

Now, here is a sneak peek at the full calendar.

Oh my goodness.  I don’t even know where to start with blogging again! I have SO SO much to share with everyone and I know there are still people out there impatiently patiently waiting on me.  (I’ve gotten all those emails!)  2009 has been a remarkable year for Love, Me Photography and I feel very blessed.  Blogging has taken a serious backseat to editing and processing orders in time for the holidays.  Tomorrow is my birthday and Friday my baby girl turns 3! I can’t believe it!  I’ve promised myself some much needed time off and one special little girl lots of mommy time coming up. I’m hoping during the next few weeks to be able to share all the families I’ve had the pleasure of meeting and working with this fall. It’s been a whirlwind for sure.

A note to clients:  All orders have been processed and are at the studio ready for pickup, so watch your inboxes!  I will be here from 9-2 on Thursday for anyone that wants to drop by and pick up their orders. If that time doesn’t work for you, please just email me and we will work out a better time.  Also, if you have tried to call me in the last few days (possibly week) my phone has decided to stop ringing all together.  It’s crazy timing to be having phone problems, but the funny thing is that for months I have been waiting for my birthday to get an iphone!  My contract is up as of yesterday, which means I can officially switch over to AT&T and enter the world of greatness

A note to photographers: I’ve received several emails with questions about all sorts of fun stuff lately! I don’t want anyone to think I wont respond, I literally just don’t have time to reply to each individual email at this moment, but I hope to get to that very soon! I also am going to start blogging some photographers FAQ for everyone to read and hopefully answer many of same questions in one spot.  So, thanks for being a fan (its so humbling) and thanks for feeling comfortable enough to reach out to me. It truly means a lot and I hope to give back what I can!  Thanks for your patience.

OK, now for the fun part. I had the honor of photographing Sutton a while back for her senior year! I just love seniors in general, but Sutton was especially fun to photograph. She is obviously gorgeous, but she also was so sweet and relaxed! We had such a great time dodging traffic and driving all around one of my favorite places on the planet to shoot … good ‘ol Decatur, Texas Because Sutton doesn’t necessarily need her senior pictures before Christmas, her ordering session has been pushed back week after week, so that is why she is the first for me to share after my blogging hiatus!  I promise to share a little peak of each family from the fall eventually!

I had such a hard time narrowing down which images to share. I just loved them all!  Hope you enjoy.

Because everyone always wants to know … this next one is my absolute favorite.  sigh: lovelove.

and the last one.  a close second behind my favorite.  Is she not stunning?

I just realized that several of these are serious. She actually has the most gorgeous smile too!  lucky

OK, I had to go back and add a super smiley one to show off her personality and beautiful smile!

I admit it.  I did this on a whim and most photographers think I have completely lost my mind … (even I sort of think so )

I am giving everyone the chance to steal ALL my time, talent, travel, blood, swears sweat, and LOVE (and some tears too) by scheduling a COMPLIMENTARY session with me.  If you book your session by JULY 1st, you will get just that … a complimentary session just like the ones I typically charge $150-$250 for.  Every penny of your investment in custom photography will go toward artwork for your walls or your images in fine art coffee table books to tell your story.  So, hurry and call before I regain my sanity! And if you were planning to grab the highly coveted fall family or senior session, or you are pregnant and wanted some newborn images, you better call me before the deadline as well!  Sessions need only be booked by July 1st and can take place anytime in 2009 and a 350 retainer is required to book your session.  AGAIN, every penny goes toward your images!

If I am called crazy … that’s okay! It has been fun to book sessions with people I may not have otherwise had the opportunity to photograph and know that every penny they spend will go directly to artwork of their loved ones. With that said, I highly doubt this will happen again You may now return to your normal programming!

And because I know my BFF, Rachel, will kill me (told you I’m crazy) and because all blog posts are boring without a photo, here is a sneak peek of my HOT best friend who will soon grace the cover of a Missions Fitness Workout DVD “Home-Based Bootcamp” set to release NEXT Friday!  I will post a picture of the actual DVD cover and more information on how you can purchase your own copy as soon as I get it!  Not only would I pay LOTS of money to have a body like Rachel’s, as an added bonus 100% of all the proceeds go to provide food, clothing and other necessities to the kids at the Wellington Orphanage.

I always say I have the BEST clients and I honestly mean it!  Because of that, I am always seeking to find every way possible to show my appreciation.  Whether its hunting down great locations, meticulously hand detailing all my images, etc.  I really want Love, Me to be set apart from other businesses, because quite frankly, I think my clients are “set apart”.  I am always on top of the newest trends and hottest products in the photography world.  It doesn’t mean I will always offer the trendiest stuff out there because I really desire to maintain my style and artistic vision, but more importantly want to create timeless images and keepsakes.  My primary focus is always on the images … capturing the innocence, the love, the connections, and hopefully those extrodinary moments, all with the desire to tell a story … YOUR story.  I dont want the keepsakes I create for you to be like your 1980s prom dress that your daughter pulls out of closest, not to reminisce with you about your glory days, but to bring to her middle school sleepover as a punishment for whoever loses “truth or dare”.  Anyway, Love, Me has some incredible new products we are introducing very soon, and one of them are the new image videos everyone will view at your ordering session.  Until now, we have been doing slideshows, but these new DVDs are similar to a movie trailor, telling the story of your session in a cutting edge production.  Anyway, I think they are pretty sweet and I hope you do too! You can also check it out on facebook, where its posted directly on my wall!

Enjoy!

I am so excited to share the wonderful news I just received.  Woodbine House chose my photo of Sayer Riley (and his sisters … sort of ) for the COVER of Gifts II, the second edition to the popular Gifts : a book about how children with Down Syndrome enrich lives.  I am so honored and humbled once again.  Wow!

Before I share the cover photo, I want to share a few things.  First of all, I have had the wonderful privilege of photographing several children and families with children with Down Syndrome over the last year. Haven’t ever known or really been around people with Down Syndrome, I must say, the first few sessions were nerve wracking for me.  “What if I’m not good with these kids?” “What if they hate me and my camera?” were some of the thoughts in my head.  After session number #1 (Sayer’s session oddly enough) was a success, then my second session (Cute little Gabby, which is still one of my very favorite sessions to date), then three, then four, then five … and so on, I realized just how much these little angels had affected me and opened my eyes to a world of Gifts I had been missing out on.   So much so, in fact, that I get so giddy when I book another family with a child with Down Syndrome AND I am in the process of getting my full SKPA (Special Kids Photography Association) accreditation. So, thank you.  Thank you to all the families that have trusted your little ones with me and giving me the opportunity to capture the essence that truly makes them all Gifts … to all of us!

AND, one more special note before the picture, although I am sure you already stole a peek!  I was beside myself when Fran called me and told me that they chose Sayer’s picture and not necessarily for the reason’s you may think.  Of course I am proud that it is my photo, but more than that, I just knew how very much this would bless this family.  You see, Lisa, Sayer’s mom, was diagnosed with ALS (commonly referred to as Lou Gehrig’s Disease) the DAY after our session.  I don’t have to go into all the details about what this means for her and her family for you to realize how heart wrenching this is.  My wonderful Aunt, who is a friend of Lisa’s, set up this SITE in honor of Lisa and her family and to help raise awareness and support for their family.  Please check out her story and the many ways you can help!

The other AMAZING news is that when I told Fran about Sayer’s mom, Lisa, she spoke with the awesome folks over at Woodbine House, and I just received confirmation that they are also awarding Lisa’s family with a matching $250 award (which I will also receive for submitting the winning photo). How stinkin cool is that?  I haven’t decided exactly what my $250 award will be used for, but I do know that it will be going toward our upcoming calendar project with The World Should Know, which we hope will become a staple for Love, Me every single year as our way of giving back.  Let 2009 be the year you give back in anyway you can!!!  Stay tuned for more ways to give to the orphans in Sierra Leone as well.

So, here it is (for those that played by the rules )