So here is our sneak peak from April with a gallery and uploaded Facebook albums (and a canvas display wall diagram) all coming at you!  It might be fun for you to see my logic in suggesting canvas displays, and I have a few others I need to complete (Terri Lee)…. so maybe I’ll share that thought process as well!

Back to the boys.  Love these two.  They are doing SO well at sitting.  I would be they are even better two weeks later, so when I am there at end of this month, we’ll have way more to show you as these guys develop, the grass is greener, the temps are warmer and we move outside!  I already have grand plans for those rose bushes and just wait ’til I can get into that barn!

We might need to revisit the baseball theme next month so I can do it up right!

So this totally adorable family won the nursery contest.  And you can see why.  They are very cute, very put together, very creative, and most important, very happy!  I had such a great time getting to know them.  I came home and immediately sized up my mismatched upholstery issues and was motivated to finally decide on some fabrics.  Then I painted the kid’s [Owen's] bathroom.  It would be nice if I was this inspired every day.  But really, this home/nursery has all the little touches that I never think to complete.

This family is also just really neat.  I love meeting families who are just really in sync and so clearly love each other.  It is so evident in how they interact that they are threesome that is just blessed to be joined together.  Baby Paige is adorable… and she’s going to be a beauty.  She has a great little attitude, complete independence (I’d bet pretty soon they’ll hear “I do it myself!”), but still knows enough to snuggle in with her mom and dad.

Thank you for a great morning, and for participating in my contest.  I am thrilled I was able to capture your family as it is today.

An explanation.  Sometimes I shoot a session and immediately run home to blog.  This is usually the case if I am not behind on blogging OR if I get home and no one is home bugging me, and making me answer the never-ending question “Why do you come home and immediately race up to that computer?”  Sometimes I shoot a session and immediately proof it because of specific conditions and it’s done, blogged and in the can super fast.  And sometimes I have a hybrid of those things and I don’t blog until the session is proofed, but the bonus is a big blog sneak peak and the client gets their blog/slideshow/gallery all in one shot.  I just figured I’d explain that because it’s not that I forget about people or jump people ahead in the queue… it just depends on what harddrive I have with me and which child is needing me.

Catching up with Wendy and Gerard was great.  I hadn’t seen them since our wedding and now we are combined 5 kids into it and both finally seeing the light with kids being a tiny bit more self-sufficient and self-entertaining.  We commiserated over how your life becomes a time warp and a time suck and how even though you wouldn’t want it any other way… man, it is HARD being a parent [and a spouse].  I am thinking parenthood is a lot like the weather in New England — one nice day makes up for twenty days of rain, snow and wind! Anyway, she looks amazing, her family is beautiful and we decided there is no way we can let another five years go by.

I am off to Austin mid-week for an amazing wedding, so hopefully before I leave I’ll blog the 2-3 sessions that are all proofed and about to go out to some very cool families I spent time with last week/weekend (including my nursery contest winner and a very awesome family with a very awesome house).  And tomorrow is another installment of the Jack & Will Show!

On that note, I am outside pretending to garden with the littlest terrorists [this actually means I put on a garden glove, stand with a shovel, and play with my iPhone and when I hear Owen I pretend to weed and dig -- and occasionally keep the kids from running into the street].

Is your baby between 6-12 months old (ideally sitting!)?
Do you have a super cool nursery?
Would you be interested in winning a free session and mini-print package?

[contest information will be pinned to the sidebar until the contest is complete!  check there for details and updates!]

If you answered yes to all three of these questions, we would love to see pictures.  What’s in it for you?  A chance to win a free photography session featuring your baby and your nursery!  We would like to see between 1-4 photographs of your space.  At least one photograph must include your baby in the nursery itself.  We are looking for creative use of light, color and design elements.  Images must be taken by you or someone in your family (as in “please don’t submit images taken by another professional photographer.”)

All submissions must be received by midnight, March 5, 2010.

Entries will be judged by a panel of photographers who will narrow down the selection to 5 nurseries.  The finalists will be posted on the Kristina Young Photography Blog and the winner will be chosen via a public voting poll.  Voting will occur between March 10 – March 17, 2010. There are specific rules around voting that will be clarified during the voting round of the contest.

Winners will be announced on March 19, 2010. There will be 2nd & 3rd place prizes also awarded — gift certificates to Kenzie Kids (Wellesley & Dedham) & The Flat of the Hill (Beacon Hill)!. Winner must schedule session so it takes place between March 27 – May 8, 2010. Winners must sign a release to allow participating photographers to display images on blog, website, Facebook Business Page and any other print or web materials as deemed appropriate.

To enter, complete the following submission form: http://kristinayoungphotography.com/blog/nursery-contest-submission

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Don’t live in Boston? Have friends across the country? Check out these photographers who have nursery contests running in other cities! Their contest, terms and conditions may vary, so please make sure you read the details with care.

Birmingham, AL: Stephanie Fisher Photography
Northwest Alabama: Jennifer Weddington Photography
Denver, CO: Laura Werner of Vibrant Life Photography
Connecticut: Crista Acosta Photography
Central Indiana: Kristi Hibbetts Photography
Metro New Orleans, LA: Amy Drouet Photography
Frederick, MD & Washington DC/Baltimore metro: Shey Marin Photography
Northern VA & Washington DC: Amber Scruggs of Little Moon Photography
Mississippi Gulf Coast and Pearl River County: Emotional Imagery by Brandi Head Photography
Central New Jersey: Kim Schmidt Photography
Northern New Jersey: Christie Adams Photography
Cincinnati, OH and Northern Kentucky Area: Jessica Wright of Memories That R Precious
Columbus, OH: Andrea Roberts Photography
Philadelphia and Main Line, PA: Bernadette Uzcategui Photography
Pittsburgh, PA: Seedlings Photography
Rhode Island and South Shore of Boston: Amy Ro Photography
Houston, TX: Kerri Mathis Photography
Seattle/Bellevue/Tacoma, WA (and surrounding areas): Susan Berman of Whimsical Photo Design
Spokane, WA: Jaidean Baker Photography

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The Fine Print.

This is our contest, we make the rules.  We have researched many different ways of voting and there are pros and cons and hanging chads in just about every method out there.  This is how we have decided to run our contest, if it’s not a fit for you, we respectfully accept your decision to decline participation.  We also know there are ways to work around the system, so we will actively monitor IP addresses and research anything that appears to be fishy.  We reserve the right to disqualify any entry that appears to be suspicious.

All participants must agree to sign a model release allowing images to be displayed on participating blogs.  Winning participants must sign a release allowing images taken by participating photographers to be displayed on web site, blog, Facebook and print advertising sources.  Participants must also agree to standard Terms & Conditions of participating photographers.

Winning participants will receive a complimentary session focusing on nursery, baby and/or family as outlined by participating photographer.  Additional items may also be included.  Regular session terms and conditions apply.

We require an electronically marked consent that you are entering this contest voluntarily and that participating photographer is not promising any winnings or other compensation for participation.

]]> http://kristinayoungphotography.com/blog/2010/02/baby/its-a-nursery-contest/feed/ 1 http://kristinayoungphotography.com/blog/2010/02/business-logistics/gallery-mounts/ http://kristinayoungphotography.com/blog/2010/02/business-logistics/gallery-mounts/#comments Tue, 09 Feb 2010 17:10:24 +0000 Kristina http://kristinayoungphotography.com/blog/?p=2260 I just received in an awesome batch of Gallery Mounts from this session.  Gallery mounts are beautiful, ready-to-hang pieces that come with a black or white edging.  The images is heat sealed on to a beveled wood substrate product and then coated with a finelinen texture.  They come in mini-mount sizes for 4X6 and 5X7 prints in 3/8″ thickness, or for full size prints 8X10 and larger, typically in 3/4″ thickness.

I shot almost this exact same series last year and I loved it.  When I started shooting today, Christofer actually said “mom, we have to take off our shirts and go to Janey’s room, it’s brighter”  Love him and his insane memory for detail.  He even knew he should lay down and try to talk to her from a pillow.

Anyway, these are going to be the start of the gallery on the 2nd floor so I can see them every single day when I get up in the morning.  I am so excited!

Alexis and I probably met when she was somewhere around one and I was somewhere around 5. We spent summers splashing around on Swim Team, batting around tennis balls, and I think she became like this awesome golf superstar. At some point in there, I think it was established that maybe we were somehow Greek relatives in that way that you are with someone 5X removed (waiting on a call back from Yai-ya). So we also lived in the same town. And we also went to the same high school. And now our mothers live about 4 houses apart from each other. We go to the same pedi office. And her daughter is friends with my niece Alden.

So that’s how I know Alexis.

We had a great session at her beautiful home downtown, with her wonderful husband and adorable kids. We did everything I like to do in a session, sit nicely for a portrait, jump on the bed, each chocolate and run outside. That makes me happy! Anyway, I flew to Belmont, grabbed the kids and then promptly napped them just so I could get up this sneak peak! Yay!

I was having a conversation with these kiddo’s uncle today when it rang like a bell in my head that I never blogged this session. And so I zipped home and here you go! Here’s what else I loved about this session… it was rainy and freezing and the kids nicely came inside and sat down and played CHESS! Seriously, how cool is that?

I am also blogging this because I wanted to show you the super cool new way I can show images… Neat, right? [Click the initial image to start the slideshow, then hover and a "next" tab will appear on the top right of the image, click off to close the slideshow!]

I shot this session with this one.  It was the perfect late afternoon in the fall, leaves still pretty, weather warm, but a little bit crisp.  I was so happy to be shooting this entire family since last year I just captured the boys.  I was also excited because we really like these guys!  They were first introduced to us through Guy & Erica when we moved to town, and since then we’ve gotten to know them and their boys and we are so happy to call them friends!

Anyway, this might be one of my most favorite sessions and the images have made their way to my updated web site (yes, finally new images).  So my apologies for the delay, enjoy!

I have this exact same image in B&W from last year…. I hope I can take a variation of this next year too!

Quite possibly my favorite “parents” picture.  Ever.

So until the next shoot, here they are!