Did Christmas get away from you this year? Don’t worry! Send beautiful customized Valentines instead! These are perfect for family, school friends, engagements, anniversaries or just because you love to show your love. Sessions are available through January 31, 2014 in studio or outside. Bring your own props and ideas or let me design a valentine for you. Every session is uniquely you! Book your session now before they are gone!
Jesse contacted me a few weeks ago about head shots for a new business venture as well as photos of his daughters. When his girls stepped out of the car I almost died. What a dream for a photographer. The big smile is obviously inherited here. These gorgeous girls and their loving dad are beautiful people in every way.
Fall mini sessions are here! These sessions are limited to 45 minutes Monday through Friday only between now and December 6, 2013. The cost of $165 includes tax and 5 digital images loaded onto a CD or USB drive. You can choose morning or evening to catch the sun lower in the sky during it’s most golden hours. This will give your photos that beautiful warm glow that cannot be reproduced by any photoshop magic. Fall mini sessions are perfect for holiday cards, and time slots will fill up fast. Email me soon to reserve your spot! melaniegphoto@gmail.com.
I’m always slightly apprehensive when I meet a new client. I guess you could say it’s a character flaw, but I am a pleaser. I want people to like me. So, when I headed to the Wilson County Fair to meet with the winner of my most recent Facebook contest, I was a little nervous. Afterall, she was 17ish and I’m… well, not . Kim’s a senior in high school. I’m a mom of a middle-schooler. She’s is getting ready to embark on some of life’s most exciting journeys. I’ve travelled a few miles. We messaged via Facebook before the session, and I convinced her to come out to the fairgrounds for her winning photo session. My nervous attitude quickly melted (as it always does) when I started snapping shots of this bright young lady. Her parents came with her, so I asked where they were born. She responded that her dad is from Mexico and her mom is from Guatemala. This is where time slowed and the years between us melted away. I explained that I had been to Guatemala twice on medical mission trips when I was a pre-Med major at Lipscomb University. She literally stopped and looked at me. Kim explained she also wants to go to Lipscomb, be a doctor (Pediatrician), and go to Guatemala on medical mission trips. Whoa. That was a pretty specific thing to have in common. From then on, she was my sister. The world is a small place after all, and I have a kindred spirit in a girl who has the world at her feet. I was honored to be her photographer. Meet Kimberly Gonzalez, my 2013 Senior Contest winner.
The Fair is here! Can you smell the excitement and the fried food? In Wilson County, TN, we have one of the largest county fairs around. It is a perfect combination of carnival, craft show and fair. You can compete in hundreds of categories with your fellow county residents for the coveted blue ribbons. There are animal and livestock shows, talent shows, beauty pageants, hypnotists, magicians, and nightly special performances at several different stages. Many different artisans also come to show and sell their hand crafted items. There is more to see than time to see it, and I do attend the fair more than the average person. Here are a few tips from a seasoned fair goer like myself to make the fair more enjoyable.
1. Bring hand sanitizer. Seriously. Have you heard of the swine flu? You don’t want that.
2. Allow the kids and yourself to indulge in a few fair food treats (it’s only a fried Oreo), but bring your own water bottle to cut cost and sugar intake. Use the sanitizer first.
3. Buy the carnival “ride all rides” armband/hand stamp instead of buying tickets. This is much more economical and vastly simpler. Our fair offers these armband/hand stamps at a discount on opening night and before noon on Saturdays.
4. Go to the side shows, and support the artists and contestants in the talent shows, beauty pageants, etc. I love to find the winners later as they are carrying their trophies/crowns and congratulate them. The smiles you get in return are phenomenal.
5. Check out the animals, livestock and other competitions. See who/what won that blue ribbon. I am a much better judge of a prize winning chicken because of the fair. These are life skills, people.
6. Ride the ferris wheel and take a picture at the top. It’s beautiful up there.
7. Go through the vendors tents and see who can get the most pens and post-it pads.
8. I have found the best deals on food is usually at food vending run by charitable organizations such as the Rotary Club or Lion’s Club, and their burgers and sandwiches are usually better. This saves money for more fried candy. Use the sanitizer before you eat!
9. Watch the artisans such as the broom maker or blanket weaver, and let them show your kids how things can be made with your hands. Hands were not made for texting alone…although, there is a texting competition too.
10. Let yourself be a kid again! Have fun! Just think, this is WAY cheaper than Disney, and it’s so much closer. Don’t forget the hand sanitizer.
