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Heart Gallery Alabama Event

Heart Gallery of Alabama is hosting it's 2nd Annual Fotos, Frames & Fun event tonight at 6 pm at Ted's Garage. This wonderful organization recruits professional photographers to do portraits of the children that are in Alabama's foster care system. The portraits are then put in exhibits and on their website to show prospective adoptive families. Their goal is to help each foster child find their forever home.

I volunteer as one of the photographers for this organization, and I've also donated a $300 gift certificate to the silent auction for tonight's event. This can be used toward the session fee and prints or other products for a custom portrait session. If you're in the Birmingham area and would like more information on the event you can find out more on Heart Gallery's website or by calling (205)445-1293.

Helping Hearts {for Haiti}

Much like when Katrina happened, watching the news on the horrible situation in Haiti saddens and frustrates me. There are many incredibly brave men and women who are out there volunteering their time and risking their lives to help. I wish I was in a position and of strong enough constitution to do the same.

But I’m not.

So instead, I’m teaming up some great photographers across the country and together, we’re going to try to help. But, we need you, too!
Here’s the deal:
You can win a portrait session (your choice - newborn, family, you name it) with me:
This session will be photographed by myself anytime before May 30, 2010
Session can last between 1-2 hours.
Winner will also receive 20 fully processed, high resolution images on CD. Print to your heart’s content!

How to win:
Make a MINIMUM donation of $10 to the American Red Cross Haiti Relief Fund
Forward a copy of your receipt to julie@jlphotographyonline.com
Donation receipt must be dated between 2.02.10 and 2.09.10.
All entries must be RECEIVED by midnight (Central time) on February 9th.
Winner will be drawn at random and announced on February 10th.
You can enter as many times as you’d like, but each entry must be the minimum $10 donation.

Other details:
Session participants must sign a model release.
Session must be scheduled by May 30, 2010.
If the winner does not claim his/her prize by Feb. 12th or cannot claim the prize, then another winner will be drawn.
This program is not sponsored or promoted by the American Red Cross and we are not receiving anything in return for this effort.

Project 52: {2/52}

I spotted this old building on the way back from Auburn, and just had to stop. Ask anyone who has ever been on a road trip with me and they'll tell you that I'm constantly looking for things to take pictures of (and I don't mind pulling over on the shoulder to do it!). I love how blue the sky is and the way it contrasts against the rust on the roof and just the overall decay of the building.

Project 52: {1/52}

So, this year I decided to do a 52 weeks / 52 photographs project. I'm constantly taking pictures of everything-from mushrooms in my neighbors' yards to graffiti on the walls of a building downtown. Unfortunately, most of these images are never seen by anyone but me. This project is a great way to show off some of the things that I like to photograph just for fun. Each week, I'll post my favorite for that particular week.

I'm a little late getting the first few weeks posted, because I've been busy with client orders (they come first!), but I should be able to catch up. Thanks and I hope you enjoy!!




Sloss Furnace: One of the creepiest places in Birmingham. I love the flare was created by the lights on the buildings and I even love the grain - I think it brings out the atmosphere of this place.

sneak peek : Mr. N {Hoover Newborn Photographer}

This newborn session was my very last session of 2009, and it did not disappoint! Photographers never know what's going to happen at a newborn session because they're so unpredictable. This little one was the calmest baby I've seen in a very long time. He was awake for most of the session, and nothing we did seemed to bother him at all. And he's ADORABLE to boot!!







Hope you enjoy!!
Julie

Giving is Awesome : Winner Announced!

This was a really tough decision for me -- all the entries were so moving. I (of course) got very emotional trying to pick the winner. Here's the nomination letter for the family that I chose:

Dear Julie,
I’m writing you to nominate a family for your Giving is Awesome giveaway. My husband has a co-worker that I believe is deserving of this prize. Right around Thanksgiving, he and his family lost their home in a fire. As far as I know, it was completely destroyed and they lost ALL their belongings. Of course, we’re grateful that no one was there when it happened, and they all are still alive, but this is still a very difficult time for them. He and his wife have two very young daughters, and his wife is a stay-at-home mom. Christmas time is already a struggle for so many families this year because of the poor economy and this situation just made this Holiday season even more difficult for them. I hope you’ll consider this family in your giveaway. If you need any more information, please feel free to contact me.

Sincerely,
D.

So, I'll be contacting Miss D & the winning family this week to schedule both of their sessions. I'm looking forward to it. Also, if you nominated a family that wasn't chosen as the winner, I'll be contacting all of you as well. I have a very special offer for those famililes and the sweet people who nominated them. I told you -- it was a very difficult decision!!

I hope everyone is having a wonderful 2010 so far!!

Julie

Operation: Love Reunited

I'm proud to announce that I have been chosen to become a member of Operation: Love Reunited. This organization is a foundation of photographers who help deploying military families capture images to remember their time together before or after deployment. I'll be donating a session to these families and a session album of all images that I will send to the soldier overseas. I'm also including a wall portrait and a DVD slideshow to the family, as well as a discount on any additional print purchases.

If you know a soldier that is about to deploy or returning from deployment, please contact me or have the family contact me at julie@jlphotographyonline.com or (205)305-3086.

Giving is Awesome!

You know someone. You know someone who's experienced a tragedy, is struggling to stay afloat, is raising kids while holding down more than one job, or is volunteering selflessly despite extenuating personal circumstances. You know someone who can't afford custom photography, but who would cherish it this holiday season. You know someone who deserves a year-round reminder of their family's spirit, love, and beauty.

You know someone. I guarantee it.

I want to know who they are, and I want to give them the chance to experience complimentary custom photography -- $900 worth, to be exact. Whether it's canvas or albums, prints for Grandma, or a slideshow to watch over and over, it's in your power to give them the artwork they deserve this holiday season.

Oh, and the best part? The person who nominates the winner will receive their own complimentary portrait session and a mounted 11x14 print. What better reason to show some love could there possibly be, people?

The rules:

* You cannot nominate yourself, and the person nominated must sincerely be incapable of purchasing my services. (Being unable to make mortgage payments for a two-million-dollar-vacation-home in Paris does not qualify as sincere financial need.)

* The nominee must reside in Alabama or be willing to travel here for the session. Tell me who you know, what they're experiencing, and why they deserve my artwork. Please include a way to contact both your nominee and yourself as well.

* You must e-mail me the full story (please do not leave in a comment on this blog) : jlphotographyonline@gmail.com

The winner will be announced on Christmas Eve -- get nominating! I can't wait to read all of your entries!

Open your heart to someone this holiday season -- and thanks for giving me the opportunity to open mine.

With love,

Julie
JL Photography

Note: If you know a deserving family, but they don't live in Alabama, please visit www.givingisawesome.com to find a participating photographer in their area.

Christmas in July!!

I know it't still summer and (and 90 degrees), but it's time to start thinking about your fall sessions and, of course, those holiday cards. I've already started working on my designs for this year, and I think there are some really great ones!
Due to printing and mailing deadlines, I'm trying to get the majority of my clients done by November 1st.

To give everyone an extra incentive to book your sessions a little early, I'm offering a set of holiday cards (25) to anyone who books their session for August, September, or October. To qualify, you must book by July 31, 2009.

Miss A: {sneak peek} │ Trussville Children’s Photographer

This is little Miss A, who just turned three. She is the cutest little girl, and I adore her red hair. She wasn't too sure about my camera to begin with, but she warmed up quickly. She was very excited to get to play on the bridge and see the water. We even saw a squirrel! We had to cut our session a little short because of the rain (and mosquitos), but we ended up with some really good shots. Here are just a few....








Thanks for looking!
Julie

Quote of the Day

"Anger makes you smaller, while forgiveness forces you to grow beyond what you were."

- Cherie Carter Scott

I promise that I'm going to post a real blog soon. I'm working on a couple of sessions to blog, and still working getting everything moved over from the old blog.

Thanks for checking in!

Julie

Quote of the Day

"Don't be discouraged. It's often the last key in the bunch that opens the lock. "
~Author Unknown

Today has been a tough day for me. I'm not feeling well, but I'm trying to keep on keepin' on. :)
I looked for a quote about perseverance and this is what I came up with. I think it's a good one for today.

Thanks for checking in!

Julie

Quote of the Day

"Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there"

-- Will Rogers



I love, love, love inspirational quotes. I have them taped and pinned everywhere in my office. On my monitor, the keyboard, the desk, the bulletin board, the wall...you get the idea. I firmly believe that something you hear or read can change your life, even if it's just in a small way. It may be just what you need to get you going in the morning. For me though, some of these quotes are what keep me up at night. Literally. I'll be so tired, and think I can't look at one more image. I just can't do it. Then, I'll look around my desk and see something that will get me back in gear.



There is actually a story behind the quote for today. There is a fabulous photographer in Michigan, Amy Wenzel, whose husband, David, just found out that he has a brain tumor. She posted a blog about it, and linked to David's blog where he's updating about his condition. When I clicked on his blog, this quote was in the top of the sidebar. It struck me, because it was exactly what I needed today. Sometimes I get paralyzed by fear, both in my life and in my business. I realized today, that will get me run over.



Please pray for David and Amy as they go through this trial together. There are many decision that they will have to make about his treatment, so please pray that God will lead them in the right direction.



Thanks for looking!

Julie









Blogging seems to be the task that always slips through the cracks for me. I'm trying to get better, but I'm so far behind that sometimes I think, "Why bother?". Anyway, I'm going to try to start doing a Quote of the Day (QOTD) post everyday, and then hopefully, I'll start getting more sessions blogged at the same time.

The aquarium

Here are some pictures that I took on a recent trip to the Georgia Aquarium. Cayson is completely obsessed with anything ocean related, especially sharks. If it were up to him, we could live at the aquarium. He can even name and identify all the different types of sharks, and the hammerhead is his favorite!

Thanks for looking!

Julie

{anytime} Tosha

Tosha was working as my assistant at Whitley's senior session. She's great at helping the girls pose. She climbed up on this fence to show Whitley what to do and I snapped this. Love it!

Thanks for looking!

Julie

{senior} Whitley

These are a few of my favorite images from Whitley's senior portrait session. She's a beautiful girl! She was a little shy in front of the camera at first, but loosened up once we got on the playground!

Thanks for looking!

Julie

Model Call: Newborns

I need a couple of newborn models asap. I've just gotten some new props to use and I can't wait to try them out. I don't have any newborns on the books for the next month or so, and I don't want to wait that long. :)

Clients will receive a complimentary session, a generous print credit, and a discount on any additional products purchased from the session.

So, if have a newborn (or at expecting one in the next month) or you know someone who might be interested, contact me at jlphotographyonline@gmail.com or 205.305.3086.

Current Promotions

I just wanted to remind everyone about the current promotions we have going on right now.

Weddings -- All wedding packages are 25% off if booked before May 30, 2009. We extended this to give a few more people the chance to take advantage of this great deal. The contract must be signed and deposit received by May 30th.

Mother's Day Gift Cards -- Until May 17th, we are doubling all gift card purchases. This would make a great gift for all the moms out there, so get in touch with us if you're interested. She'll be so happy about this, she won't even care that it's late!! :)

Also, Father's Day is coming up June 21st. We have a great promotion in the works for all the dad's out there as well. We'll be announcing the details later this week.

Happy Mother's Day! (late)

I hope everyone had a very Happy Mother's Day! I enjoyed mine very much. I'm very behind on blogging, but I had to throw in a picture of me & my little one (okay, he's not so little anymore). This was taken on my birthday a couple of months ago, while we were at the Hoop Dee Doo Revue at the Happiest Place on Earth.