We're coming to Wilmington!

We can't stay away...I joke with Jordan about opening a studio in Wilmington someday, we're there so often. And here we come again! We've chosen three weekends when sessions will be travel fee-free, if we can get four sessions booked for each weekend. We'll be so happy to see you "regulars," and we're hoping to meet some new folks as well (hint-great time to send us some referrals and earn a free session)!

*The deal is, you must email us through our official website to book the session, so we're sure to have all of your contact information. There's a link at the top of the blog, so click away! We'll be happy to book you over the phone as well (our number is listed on the contact page of our website), but we're no longer booking through facebook as it's often hard to reach people there. We'll pencil in the first four people who contact us for each weekend, and will then email you four a contract to sign and return with a deposit to secure your date officially.

Here are the dates & times we've chosen so far (one more in late June may be added if any of you are interested):

*Times chosen are flexible, we can always work around naps/games/meals, etc!

Saturday, April 24th: morning session (9:30) *taken*

early evening session (5:30) *taken*

Sunday, April 25th: morning session (9:30) *taken*

late afternoon session (4:00) *taken*

Saturday, June 5th: morning session (9:30) *taken*

early evening session (5:30) *taken*

Sunday, June 6th: morning session (9:30) *taken*

late afternoon session (4:00) *taken*

Sunday, June 27th: morning session (9:30)

late afternoon session (3:00) *taken*

The evening sessions are a great time for beach photos (roaming around Wrightsville and actually on the beach)...I do miss getting those shots just an hour or so before the sun sets! We can also come to your home, downtown Wilmington, local parks, gardens, etc. We're always open to new locations, so if you have an idea please let us know!

I'll keep this post updated as we have requests for sessions to let you all know which spots are still available. Dates in red and marked *taken* have been booked. We hope to see you soon!

Lily Dog & Chloe Cat

We spent Sunday late afternoon/evening with the Grays this past weekend, first watching the Olympic Gold hockey game, then enjoying some yummy Kanki dinner. Christina was asking about how often we do pet photography, and we've still yet to do a session specifically for pets...it's usually a pet in with the family if said pet is up for it. :) Since I had my camera with me, why not practice on their cuties, Lily & Chloe? They are such sweet animals!

Playful Lily :)

I think she was a little confused by my camera, and why I wasn't playing with her!

I love this Chloe shot :)

nom nom nom

Just relaxing at the bar...

...and beneath the tv

I love this look she was giving me :)

Such a pretty doggie!

No pictures, please!

They play very well together :)

Even though Chloe sprang away just in time to be out of focus, this makes me giggle every time! :)

Thanks Lily & Chloe, for putting up with my camera in your face! :)

The Levens Family

We met this gorgeous trio at the park for a sunny but chilly session over the weekend, and had so much fun! Jordan was so excited to learn that they are such huge hockey fans, and all the guys wanted to get as many shots as we could as quickly as we could, so we could all go home and watch the gold medal hockey game! Thank goodness for DVR. ;) Here's a tiny sneak peek of what we came home with!

This was the most interesting slide...no sides to it at all, it looks like a giant blue twisty tongue! Or an airhead candy. :)

Caught Cooper on his way to find Jordan as they played hide-and-seek!

Bubbles are always a hit, especially on windy days, and especially when they smell like grape jelly bellies!

This is one of my favorites :)

This bridge was great for running shots...the perfect length!

I believe this was another hide-and-seek moment :)

Caught this one between Daddy tackles!

Another fun bridge shot!

The bridge was quite tall, so I grabbed a shot of Cooper through the side :)

USA jerseys and hands in :)

365 Project

Jordan recently upgraded his camera, so now we both have the same amazing camera bodies. A great way to learn what your camera is capable of is to shoot with it frequently. So, I suggested Jordan do the 365 project, and take one photo each day for a year. When I was learning to shoot manually, this is what I did. So, I started it again with him, and we're now 21 days in! Here are a few of my faves from my first three weeks. :)

Day 1/365: The Sweetness

Day 2/365: Georgia Faye with Looks that Sway

My best friend's girl, she is so gorgeous!

Day 6/365: Dressed Up in My Office

Trying on dresses for Lerner School's auction night. Might I add that I love my office? :)

Day 7/365: Sissy Kisses

Day 8/365: Tim & Monica!

Snow kept most away from our annual Valentine sugar cookie party, but Tim & Monica showed and we had a fantastic sugar cookie double date :)

Day 9/365: Cookies Everywhere!

My favorite is the purple tree cookie, I still haven't eaten it!

Day 12/365: "Peent Fort"

Because Camryn always asks for the pink fork when we eat at our place...this is how she says it :)

Day 14/365: Target & Lo-Yo

Two of the places we frequent :) Local Yogurt has the best frozen yogurt with the best toppings!

Day 15/365: Evening Photo Walk

Both taking our photos of the day at night in our neighborhood :)

Day 16/365: The Trees at Southpoint

After a yummy dinner at California Pizza Kitchen...their tortilla soup is the best!

Day 19/365: Cheese on the Rocks

Camryn has the biggest "cheese" grin ever :)

"Happy birthday dear Erik, happy birthday to you!"

One of my bosses (haha) has a birthday today: little Jackson & Camryn's daddy, Erik. Now I know that whenever I gift either you or Amy anything, it usually involves photography (hey, it's what I do:), and your little ones. But really, how can I resist, they're such beautiful gifts! I mean the kiddos, not the photographs, just so you know. :)



So I was sitting here wondering how to display a few recent photos, when I thought of looking back about a year ago, to see how much Camryn and Jackson have changed. It's one of the things I love most about working with these kiddos. You can count on me having photos of them from nearly every month of the year. So Erik, you're a year older, and so are these cuties.



Jackson's transformation over the past year isn't as visible as his little sister's, besides the fact that some of his babyface puffy cheeks are gone. :) The photo of him from Jan '09, middle left, is where you can really see it. In the top middle photo he almost looks like a middleschooler to me! He's looking a bit older these days, but he's also noticeably wiser. He's gone from questioning everything and listening to answers, to still questioning everything, and at times correcting me, and telling me how and why. He's one of Camryn's best teachers (which can be good and bad :)...you should see him read books to her, it's the darn sweetest thing the way he points out this and that to Cam. It was nearly a year ago when we were wondering if he was ready for kindergarten. By last summer, he was raring to go, and I knew he was 100% ready. Such an intelligent, thoughtful, caring little lad. I'm excited to see photos of him a year from now, he's growing so quickly.



Camryn's transformation over the past year is quite obvious physically. A year ago, she had very little hair, and now she has silky goldilock curls that look so cute when pulled into ponies. And that toothy grin...well that's been there for quite some time, the girl's all smiles and teeth you know. :) Still the same sweet, angelic little voice, only now we hear it much more often. She's still learning so many words, but speaking full sentences, and often times grammatically correct sentences! All giggles and a little attitude, it's been so much fun watching her grow.



Another thing that has grown over the past year is the love between these two. It's always been there and been obvious, such a great and caring love. Whether sitting on the couch watching a movie, or just taking a break from playtime, these two almost always want hugs, kisses, and snuggles. So very sweet and loving.

Erik, hope you enjoyed a quick look into the past, and I know you'll enjoy every minute of the next year with these cuties. With Amy and I both photographing as much as we do, it's easy to catch a quick glimpse back in time. So, enjoy it while it's happening, and we'll keep on documenting. Jordan and I wish you a happy birthday weekend. Give the little ones hugs for us! :)

Blowing Rock, NC

On Friday night we left for our mini mountain vacation in Blowing Rock, NC. The combination of snow coming down during what was normally rush-hour traffic time, and the fact that NC is ill-prepared for dealing with snowy roads, meant that our regular 2 1/2-ish hour drive was extended to a 4 1/2 hour drive. But, we made it to our condo at Chetola resort, and met up with our peeps who were already there. After a few drinks and several rounds of Catch Phrase (with a few adapted rules in the end), we headed to bed to rest up for an exciting Saturday.

On Saturday we woke up to a winter wonderland, and it was still coming down. After a yummy breakfast and a bit of lounging, we headed to the outlet stores down the street for some winter wear...especially because Jeffrey had no boots and was scraping his windshield that morning wearing boat shoes! :) The majority of the stores were closed, but Jeffrey found some boots in a shoe store, and Calvin Klein was open, so in we went to find Rob a warm hat, and Christina and I made it out with a $200 winter coat that was on sale for $30. Score! We decided to head to Walmart in Boone before going home, as we'd seen a sled-perfect hill on our way out of Chetola. However, no sleds were found..so Amanda and her clever self grabbed a $9 Disney Princess sleeping bag. Slick and very preschool chic, I must say.

Back to the condo we went, and prepared to head out for some snow fun. There was sledding, in, on, and sometimes without the Princess sleeping bag. The hill was so steep and difficult to climb, at times we saw each other sledding down just by plopping backwards. :) After much fun in the snow, we went back in for hot chocolate and hot baths. We emerged later in the evening for dinner at Makoto's, a delish Japanese hibachi restaurant which insisted on filling our stomachs to the point of near explosion. Delicious. And the night wouldn't have been complete without Jeffrey's attempt to drive the Jeep up what we figured were some stairs, from one parking lot to another, in an effort to avoid turning out of said parking lot and finding the correct one. We were on a mission to get to the grocery for snow cream supplies, but when we finally got there, they were closed! So, back to Walmart again. Only this time, as I slid off of Jordan's lap to head in (we were crunched in the back seat:), I whammed my knee cap right smack on the Jeep door. It's still smarting quite a bit! Oh well, in we went for snow cream materials, and then we were back on the road to Chetola. Said snow cream was made and devoured (even though it was a bit soupy), and we eventually retired for the evening.

Sunday was skii day for the others, but Jordan and I had planned to ice skate instead. We ended up spending more time watching other skiiers and snowboarders while sipping cappuccino, and decided not to skate since it was decidedly warmer on the observation deck where there was no wind. After lunch at the ski resort, we hopped over to Kilwin's for some chocolate for the ride home. Sadly, we were then back on the road.

It was a fantastic weekend, and I cannot wait for another! Here are just a handful of pics from our sledding adventures. I've been wanting to shoot some snow pics for ages!

Great flying snow pic with Christina & Jeffrey!

Christina's sledding face :)

That hill was seriously hard to climb!

Priceless look on Rob's face :)

Jordan and Jeffrey, right before diving over the hill head-first!

Jeffrey's in there somewhere, I do believe

Amanda and the Princesses!

Lookout below!!

The whole bunch of us :)

Love snowy kisses :)

Send 'Em Over!

Our business is growing quickly, thanks mostly to word-of-mouth from our very first clients. We want to keep this going, so here's some info on our 2010 referral program. None of this $10 off, free 5x7 nonsense. This is your chance to get a free session. And if you're an out-of-towner, all you have to pay is a small travel fee, and if we book other sessions in your area on the same date/weekend, that cuts your travel fee in half at the very least!

Anyone can do it. Simply send us five new clients, and we'll set up a complimentary session for you. Maybe you know someone who's seen our work and has been meaning to contact us? All they have to do is mention your name when booking. If you send us five of those folks before the year's end, free session for you!

We met a lot of wonderful people last fall, and got some wonderful photos for families to use as gifts and holiday cards, and of course for everyday enjoyment. By this fall, you could be booking a complimentary session with us to do the same thing.

If our card didn't make its way to you through snail mail, check it out here for details. Click on the photos for a bigger view. And as always, feel free to email us with any questions! (mindysea@mac.com)