Contest Time: Unique Portraits

As I sat this afternoon working on some of Courtney and John's photos from my last giveaway, I realized it has been quite a few months since my last contest. Well it's time to change that, but this time I'm going to do things a bit differently. Capturing colorful portraits of my clients' lives is one of my favorite things about this job, but when they present me with a quirky idea or location for their shoot that means something to them personally it takes things to a whole new awesome level. So here it is:

If you could have professional photos taken of yourself that not only show you, but that capture an element of your life that makes you the awesome unique individual that you are, what/where would you choose? Do you and your boyfriend share an affinity for bicycle rides through the city? Or perhaps you and the kids head down to your favorite local ice cream shop every Saturday night? Maybe your friends don't understand just how cute you and Spike are each time you take him to the dog park, but if you had that perfect picture to show them they would get it.

Whatever it is that makes you tick, if you would like your photo idea to become a reality just leave a comment here on the blog or over on Facebook telling me a little about it. The more unique the better! Next Monday I will be choosing one individual to receive a $300 gift certificate which will allow them to get that idea out of their head, have me put an awesome spin on it and get it on to their walls.

*Bonus points if your idea involves a location as cool as this (preview of an upcoming post)*

Hollywood Comes to Town

Summer is in full swing so I hope everyone is surviving the heat out there. I've just arrived back in town from spending a week down at the beach with my best friends Josh and Julie who flew in from Los Angeles. We had a blast and I can't believe they have already headed back to the land of the rich and famous. Luckily I snapped a few photos of them before they left that scream of Hollywood.

In other news, the last few weeks I have:

- Attended a Pirate Festival
- Purchased a new shiny camera
- Nearly escaped with my life from a movie prop junkyard/crazyhouse
- Sharpened my pottery making skillz

So look for plenty photos to come!

Courtney & John: Family Time

Courtney was one of the lucky winners from my Facebook fan page giveaway a few months back, and decided that she would love to have some portraits of her family taken at Maymont. Working with children is something I have been hesitant of in the past, but I let Courtney know I was always up for a challenge. After a blistering week of temperatures in the triple digits, we finally found the perfect day to venture outdoors. I absolutely love how these turned out, and I think Jack and Harlan have eliminated any doubt I had that children can be full of awesome.

Jack knows you can't let things get too seriousSometimes you just need to run...Some alone time
Possibly my favorite of the day, no one said having kids can't be epic: