Photography by Evie Curley-336-285-8341

If it does, please don’t tell me because seriously I don’t think my heart could take it.  I had a session this morning with the sweetest little boy you’ve ever seen.  Had I known what was in store for me at this shoot today, I would have better prepared myself!  It made me feel just a twinge of sadness that these days of cooing infants and little fingers curled around mine are far behind me.  But in the same moment it hit me what a blessing it is to be able to spend time with little ones like this and capture these precious, fleeting moments for their families.

In addition to being just a bundle of cuteness and light on his own, he has such a nice, cool mom and an awesome dog named, Grace who loves him very, very much.  Grace is a gorgeous Weimaraner with a huge heart and she just loves him to pieces!!  She was watchful and kept her eye on me at all times.  I could tell they are going to be such good friends and have fun together!

Without further adieu, here is the little man from my session this morning.  Isn’t he just adorable?  He was actually cooing at me when I took this shot.  He was PRECIOUS!!!

Here is Grace, very close to her baby and watching me!

And, no you’re eyes don’t deceive you.  That is a new logo I’ll be officially unveiling this week!!!

For a while now, a wanderlust has settled over me and it made me want to live somewhere other than the South.  I’d love to pack up my kids and move to Europe or New Zealand.  That would be ideal!  But, with my husband’s job, it’s much more likely that we would move somewhere stateside (if at all), and until recently I was of the mind set that up North was where I’d like to be.  See, a few years ago, my husband took me on a trip to New England and I fell in love with the crisp air and the surrounding landscape.  The rocky beaches and tidal pools at Kennebunk, the cool shops in Portland, all the covered bridges.  I could just imagine it all in Winter and living in the South means that we really don’t experience Fall and Winter like the upper part of the country.  Until this week.  This week, all the snow we’ve had here has really been a salve that has soothed the burning desire I had to move.   Not to say that the snow hasn’t been fun because we have absolutely had a blast in it!  We went sledding the other day and it was more fun than I can even begin to describe!!  The best thing about the snow was it happened over a weekend and my husband was able to enjoy it with us. It’s always nicer for me when he’s around, too.  The thing is, I only like it for a day or so and this little flirtation with snow this week has clued me in to the fact that I think the fantasy of a snowy winter season is much more appealing to me than the reality!!  LOL

They’re predicting more snow for us this weekend, or ice which would be awful. And all of this cold weather has lead me to the conclusion that I really am a Southern girl in my bones.  Weather-wise at least.  ;)  I don’t think I would survive a winter up north though I am happy to visit and appreciate the beauty while I’m there.  At any rate, I cannot end this post without sharing a few of our photos from our big snow event.  I swear, I probably gained 5 lbs because of all the eating and baking I did while we were stuck indoors!  Anyway, enjoy!!!

You can see more on my Flickr page here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/whimsigal/

Yesterday’s announcement from Apple regarding the iPad prompted me to write this post today. You see, my husband has long been into all the latest gadgets. In fact, he spends some of his time inventing some, although they never see the light of day.   I won’t be at all surprised if we end up with an iPad at some point this year.  Well, I’m not really that into gadgets unless they have something to do with photography and then I’m interested. But he has passed his fascination on to our boys.  They are totally into video games and are always looking to take things to the next level.    Their interest in playing these things does ebb and flow and but recently, they have been on a kick.  All three of them have!   Take a look for yourself.

Here is what I saw when I went in to check on them the other night. The house had gotten very quiet, which all moms know could be a bad sign, so I proceeded to investigate the source of the silence.   In times past I have found one of my kids writing on the wall, another was giving himself tattoos with magic marker.   What I found  this night both entertained me and warmed my heart.  I love seeing my husband hanging out with the boys.

They all have their technology of choice……

And they each were intently focused on whatever they were playing.

And every so often they would check out the awesome feats that one of them had accomplished:

There are times when I wish that my kids were more into books because that is something I enjoy but they really just can’t get into reading for pleasure. Instead, I find joy in the fact that for even a few moments, they can sit and play games with their dad, and just accept that this is one thing that they are really into. I need to try and be more into it for their sake.

So, have you figured out where the title of this post came from? It’s one of my favorite movies….I thought it was dynamite!

First person with the correct answer will get a $10 gift card to Starbucks!!

Oh boy.  When I prepared for my session on Monday, there was nothing I could have done to prevent me from being completely bowled over by this little boy.  A 10 months old he is already a heartbreaker and his parents are going to have their hands full, let me tell you!  The moment I arrived he was nothing but sweet and full of smiles.  He has the most amazing temperament I have ever seen!  His mom also happens to be one of the warmest and friendliest people I have ever met, too so it’s not surprise that this little boy would inherit such traits.

Abby is one of the first people who contacted me about the Complimentary Sessions that I am offering.  There is still one vacancy left so, if you are interested in one, please email me at evie@eviecurleyphotography.com.  There will be more of these sessions posted in the coming weeks, so stay tuned!!  I wanted to share these sneak peeks from our session.  These are just a few of my faves and believe me, there were A LOT that I loved!!!  These images have received my special Artistic Edits.  If you are a regular follower of my blog, you will remember that I have moved towards offering Fine Art files to my clients.  These images are ones that I felt called to edit beyond the regular steps I take and I would love to know what you think!  Abby, I hope you love these as much as I think you will. Your gallery will be available in the next day or so!

Isn’t he just adorable???

Wow, things have been moving at a crazy pace here and while some things have gotten done, others are still trying to be completed.  I have a new gallery to post featuring all the Fine Art Images that I want to start showcasing so all my clients can see what I’m talking about.  I hit a bit of a kink and will have it worked out in the next day or so.  Thank you for your patience.  :)

Tomorrow I have the first of several Complimentary Shoots scheduled and I’m super excited about that!!!  You will have to be sure to check back on Tuesday or Wednesday for a sneak peek or two from that session.  It’s going to be great, I can feel it!!  For those who are interested in a Complimentary Session, please read HERE and, please be advised that I only have ONE space left for the Complimentary Sessions!!!!  They filled up so fast.  Please be sure to look at the other special offer at that link though because it’s a real value, too.

I have another exciting announcement to make but it will have to wait until tomorrow!!!  Until then, enjoy this pic of my shaggy-haired oldest child.  Doesn’t it make you think about that Coke commercial from the 70’s?  I’d like to buy the world a Coke….or am I TOTALLY dating myself with that?!  LOL!!!

It has been so long since I had a baby to photograph and man, am I itching to do just that!!!  This year, a new baby is joining our family, courtesy of my sister and her husband, but he’s not going to be here until March!  So, in order for to me to get my fix, I’m offering two things to mommies in the triad.  See below for details!!!  If you know someone with a newborn, baby, or toddler, please send a link to this to them!  If you are interested in either of these, please call me at 336-285-8341 to schedule!

This offer cannot be combined with any other offers, gift certificates, or credits. For the calendar to be dated 2011, the session must be held after June 2010.

Happy New Year to you all! Did you have a big celebration or did you ring in the new year while you were sleeping? We spent New Year’s at with my sister and her husband and my niece and had a wonderful time. We played board games with the kids for a while and then we watched the movie, “The Hangover” until it was time for Dick Clark and Ryan Seacrest to come on. A side note here, I loved the movie. Perhaps I’m giving away too much about how twisted my sense of humor is but, honestly, I laughed until I couldn’t breathe. I’m a big fan of Old School, Wedding Crashers, and Anchorman, too though. Anyway, we had a great time and stayed up way too late. The next day, I woke up with the WORST crick in my neck and it’s still there. Not as bad as it was but I haven’t wanted to be on the computer too much!! Hopefully it will go away this week. On January 1st, we had the traditional ham, black-eyed peas, and collard greens in the hopes that it will bring us good fortune, good luck, and good health this year. I’m not a big fan of black-eyed peas or collards but will eat them once a year!!

I’m kind of sad that the holidays are winding down. It has been really nice having my husband around so much and the boys have certainly enjoyed seeing him as much as they have. Tomorrow is going to feel like a big shock when I look over at Sean’s chair during the day and he’s not sitting in it! It can’t last forever though and gives us something to look forward to next year. :)

Even though the last couple of weeks were a “vacation” for me, I did spend some time working. I know, that’s naughty, but I wanted to put the final touches on my new plan for 2010 and I am SO EXCITED to finally be able to tell you all about it!! 2009 was a great year for me. I met a lot of awesome families and I learned more than I can possibly express. It was my journey through 2009 that brought me to where I am today with my new plan. For 2010, I’m going digital. Yep. You read that right, my main focus is giving you all the usable digital files from our session. All of my main Collections include every edited image from your session with me. At the very least it will be 20 images but likely there will be many more than that. This is something that many professional photographers are loathe to part with, and understandably so. It can be scary thinking that someone out there has the files and might edit them on their own and THEN claim that the professional photographer did it. However, I know that the people who come to me, do so because they like the work they have seen me do on my site and just want the digital files so they may order as many prints as they want for themselves and their families without spending a fortune doing so.

Also included in my collections this year are Fine Art Edits. These are prints that I have paid special attention to and will look like a work of art that you will want to hang on your wall. In the next few days, I will have a special Fine Art Gallery added to the Gallery Links at the top of the page so you can see what I’m talking about.

I am incredibly excited to offer my clients every usable image from their session. It has been hard for me to go through and judge whether a client will like one expression better than another and I’m so happy to have found a way to offer all the files to you.

If you are interested in knowing more about my 2010 Pricing, please give me a call at 336-285-8341 or send me an email at evie@eviecurleyphotography.com. I’m working on posting all the details as far as pricing goes on the web and there will be more details posted later this week under the Information tab above.

Oh, and here’s a peek at something I will be posting about later this week!!! I have a special offer to make and it has something to do with this!!

I’m sorry for the delay in the announcement of the winner of the $1000 photography giveaway but I was trying to speak to the winner beforehand to be sure they didn’t mind their details being shared with the internet world first. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to get a hold of them! Becky and Jason Miller were nominated by Becky Holloway though and she wrote a very compelling letter about why they should be chosen to receive the gift of $1000 in photography and in the end, I agreed. The winner is going to receive a free photo session and all the session images on CD, which is really worth more than $1000!! They are a family who has endured a lot of trials and tribulations and they are still managing to hold things together. Because Becky’s nomination was the one that was chosen as the winner, she will receive a $250 print credit that can be applied to prints and other items with a paid photo session. Congratulations to the Millers and congratulations to Becky and thank you for participating!

I hope everyone has had a wonderful holiday season thus far. We are gearing up for New Year’s Eve around here. The boys have asked me if we could have a “Party” and I said yes. Really, it will just be the boys and me and Sean but that’s party enough for me! I’m wondering if anyone has any big New Year’s plans this year? Do you have a tradition that you observe every year? Please share!

Yes, you certainly can.  And at Snapfish, Shutterfly, Target, Walgreens, etc, too.  This is a comment that comes up a lot when people begin discussing custom photography because people see prices like $30 for a 5×7 and can’t understand why it would be that price when it’s so much less expensive at the drugstore.  I’m going to try and help you understand the reasoning.

A custom photography session is a lot different than having your Aunt take a couple of snapshots for you at the family reunion.  The custom photographer puts a lot of thought into your session, taking into consideration the goals you have and the plans you have in mind for your finished artwork.  The whole reason to choose custom photography is because you want someone who can take your ideas, and your needs, and translate that into images of your family that you would not be able to attain on your own.  Or maybe you have seen their work and you want to go with whatever ideas they have for a shoot.  Regardless, you want to see how THEY see your family and, hopefully after researching the work of several local photographers, you settle on one who you feel the most comfortable with.  I cannot stress this part to you enough.  It is SO important for you to interview the person you’re going to work with, just to get a feel for their personality.  You need to know if you will gel together and feel comfortable on the day of the shoot.  Maybe you’re a shy, reserved person.  You might be overwhelmed by someone with an ebullient personality and need to find someone who can appreciate that.  Maybe you have kids who don’t like hand puppets and trickery that some photographers use to get the shots.  You need to know that ahead of time, too.

Custom Photography is about more than finding the cheapest person and showing up for a couple of pictures.  It’s a process that deserves a lot of thought and planning, from where to hold it to what to wear.  I’m not saying that your Aunt won’t take some nice photos and indeed, if you’re in a pinch I’m sure they will work out great!  But when you want to do something really special to memorialize your family, custom photography is the way to go.

Back to the $0.13 print at Costco.  That is the cost of the paper and the ink they use.  It doesn’t take into consideration the time and effort put into making an image worthy of printing.  Custom photographers adjust color and digitally clean up images until they look perfect.  These are things that take skill and time to get right and that is what you are paying for when you pay $30 for a 5×7.  Your custom photographer has invested a lot of time in honing their skills and learning their craft.  They see what they do as creating a custom piece of art for your family.  You wouldn’t expect a painter to only charge you for the canvas and the paints they use to create a portrait for you and photography is the same.

I’m not writing this post to be preachy at all.  Before I got into photography, I didn’t understand the reasons it was more expensive than going to Sears or Wal-Mart.  It was simply because no one had ever explained it to me.  I hope that in 2010, you will choose to have a custom photography session.  It’s a lot of fun and you will be so glad you did it!  If you’d like to interview me and see if I’m the photographer for you then please call me at 336-285-8341.  I’d love to talk to you about my style and the manner in which I work.  If you think we’re a good fit, it would be my great pleasure to work with you!

Here is one of my favorite photos of the year.  I’d love to create something like this for you, too.

This weekend, I had a very challenging shoot.  “Challenging in what way?”, you might be asking.  Well, one of my local photographer friends had asked me if we could swap family sessions and I agreed.  The thing is, whenever I shoot another photographer, it’s nerve-wracking.  More nerve-wracking for me than shooting a wedding could ever be.   I feel very self-conscious about everything I do on a shoot like that but this one was great!!!

Many of you who read here will recognize the subject of these photos.  It’s the lovely, and extremely talented Andrea Halsey of Andrea Halsey Photography.  She is very funny and doesn’t take herself too seriously as you will see in the photos here.  In spite of the fact that we are technically competition, we have become fast friends over the last few months and it’s a friendship that I am really happy to be a part of.  We get together and talk for hours and it’s really nice to be able to talk shop with her!  Andrea, my husband says thank you for that.  LOL  What is awesome about our swap is, she got copies of the files and is developing them with her style and she generously permitted me to do the same.  You will have to check out her site in the coming days and look for her post on what her creative take is on these same images.  It’s fascinating to see how two photographers can do something totally different with the same image.

Anyway, I just wanted to share a few photos with you all here.  There are so many that I really like and I haven’t even gone through all of them yet!!  Andrea has a really sweet, patient husband and two gorgeous spirited children.  I had so much fun with them and can’t wait for my turn in front of the camera!!  Enjoy!!