Author: alison@tinyblueorange.com

Pro-ject 365 [n. proj-ekt, -ikt 365; v. pruh-jekt 365]: 1) Taking one picture everyday for one full year.

Yes folks. I am at it again. This is my 3rd time attempting the dreaded Project 365. Third times a charm, right? The past two years have been failed attempts. Year one (2009) I made it about 5 months in. Year two (2010) I only made it 2 months before calling it quits. However, each time I find I grow creatively and I’ve learned something in the process so I really can’t say that each year was a full failure.  It’s the project that initially sparked my passion for photography. Project 365 and I have a love hate relationship.

In 2010, my Calmer jokingly decided to join in with me. We all thought he’d quit. I gave him a month.  Me with my fancy DSLR. Him with his trusty pocket camera (cell phone) by his side. As he put it “I was the Bizarro to her Superman. The PC to her Mac. The Puck to her Finn.” Well one year later he proved us all wrong. He can proudly state that he successfully completed his project 365. And I am so glad he did. The visual diary through his eyes of our wild ride in 2010 is something I will cherish forever.

This year will be different for me. My Calmer taught me you don’t have to achieve perfection to enjoy this project. You don’t need the perfect shot each day. The right composition. Uploading. Editing. You don’t need any of it. It’s about making and capturing memories. Cherishing moments, big and small. Capturing the mundane details and the big achievements that make life worth living.

This year my 365 will be ALL via my trusty pocket camera. A cell phone 365. One stop shopping for shooting, editing, uploading, and captioning. Once taken my pictures will automatically arrive at Flickr, Facebook, and Twitter.  A much more manageable approach so that this year I can finish!

I hope you’ll follow along with my 365 journey as this year unfolds. As the year progresses I hope to post a monthly montage of my favorite shots. But since I can’t leave a blog post without a photo I’ll leave you with yesterday’s 365 shot. One of the mundane details. But one of my favorite places to relax and unwind hang out with good friends.

She turned 16 weeks yesterday. Not sure where the time is gone or how we got here. But we sure are having fun along the way! Her personality is really starting to shine through. Right now her hobbies include: smiling, eating, putting everything in sight her mouth, puffing out those chipmunk cheeks, and kicking her feet as much as she possibly can. And, since I missed Family Friday this week I thought I’d share some of the shots I was able to capture of our growing girl over the weekend.

In my ever continuing quest to creatively grow as a  photographer I have begun an online class this month with the amazingly talented lifestyle photographer Brooke Snow.  I am super excited to begin this creative exploration and can’t wait to share my upcoming sessions here on the blog with all of you!

In prepping for class I am seeking models for sessions scheduled to take place between January 15 and February 5. If you are interested, or know someone who might be interested, please read the following for all of the details and share with your friends.

Models must have fun personalities and a willingness to be spontaneous and creative.  Models will be required to sign a model release form but will be compensated with a 10-15 high resolution images and full printing rights.

1) Family Models

Date(s): Saturday January 22nd or Sunday January 23rd

Location: Session to take place in your home. Must be within a 30 mile radius of Loudoun County, VA.  Must be willing to allow furniture to potentially be moved for the shoot (all furniture will be put back after the shoot!)

Family Description:  Family with 2-3 children.  Children must be preschool age or older.

2) Couples Models

Date(s): Saturday January 29th or Sunday January 30th

Location: Loudoun County, VA (must be willing to photograph a portion of the session outside).

Couple Description: A young (or young at heart), fun couple – either engaged or married.

3) Teen Models

Date(s): January 15th, February 5th or February 6th

Location: Loudoun County, VA (must be willing to photograph a portion of the session outside).

Teen Description: Young, outgoing girl or guy ages 16-20.

If you think you fit the description and are interested in participating in this project, please email a current picture to beryl@beyoungphotography.com.

Big changes are underway both in daily life and with BeYoung Photography as a whole! Exciting stuff is brewing over here and I can’t wait to share it all with you during the upcoming weeks. 

It’s been awhile since I’ve posted any personal updates but as you may already know my Calmer and I expecting one of the littlest big changes of our lives on or around September 24th.  As of now I am still shooting and have some fun sessions coming up in August. However, I will be closing up shop in September to prepare for our arrival and will be taking some much needed maternity leave through most of October. This past weekend we began work on her nursery and things are starting to feel much more real.

Even though this little one is on her way soon,  it’s still not to late to sqeeze in a last minute portfolio building session with me. I still have a few openings in August and if you book by the end of this week (July 31st), I am still offering a waived session fee and 50% off my print and collection prices with your signed model release form.

On August 1st there are big changes coming for the business starting with the end of my portfolio building and the official launch of BeYoung Photography.  A new website, new look and feel for the blog, and new fall specials (yes, right now it is a good time to start thinking about family photos for those holiday cards!) are all coming your way. I hope you’ll stay tuned and help me celebrate all the changes that are in store during the next few months.

August is here and so is the brand new look and feel of BeYoung Photography!  The past few months of portfolio building have been an invaluable time of growth and opportunity I am so excited to officially launch this business full force.  One of the biggest changes you’ll notice is the new logo and colors that have arrived.  Suzy Rohan of Chicago Lily Red Design is the graphic artist and designer behind this new logo and I was so excited to have had the opportunity to work with her to develop the BeYoung Photography brand going forward.  Suzy was truly able to make my simple, organic, fresh, and relaxed style come to life.   I hope you’ll take some time to head over to the new webpage and browse around.

BeYoung Photography Webpage

To celebrate the launch I’ll be announcing a new Holiday Minis special later on in the week. It’s not too early to start thinking about your annual family holiday photos.   Space for these sessions will be limited so get ready to contact me soon for booking information. This will be an offer you won’t want to miss!

This past weekend I had the pleasure of working with the L. family.  Mom Sheri contacted me a few weeks ago looking for some updated pictures to document this time in her 2 year old Alex’s life.  We met up in the historic town of Waterford and spent the morning at the Waterford Mill exploring all it had to offer.  Alex and his family were a breeze to work with and I loved the innocent curiosity, exploration and imagination that Alex brought to the table for our session. It amazes me how at this age kids can find fascination with all the simple things nature has to offer.  Sticks, leaves, grass, and dirt were Alex’s playground on this summer morning and he had a blast.  L. family I had a blast as well and I hope you enjoy this sneak peak of our morning out and about in Waterford.  It was great getting to know the 3 of you and I can’t wait for you to see the rest of the images very soon!

I am so excited to announce the arrival of my 2010 Holiday Mini Sessions. It’s not too early to start thinking about updated family photos for your upcoming holiday cards and gifts.  These sessions will be limited so contact me early if you are interested in booking as I expect them to book up quickly! Stay tuned in the next few weeks for more information about the Holiday Minis, including samples of the professionally designed holiday cards I’ll be offering as part of your mini session package. 

One year ago today my Calmer and I received some life altering news. We were pregnant with our first child, full of dreams, expectations, hope for the future and the changes that lie ahead. On this day one year ago we were scheduled for a routine ultrasound excited to hopefully find out the gender of our first baby and begin planning our new life. Instead, this day one year ago was the beginning of a downward spiral of earth shattering news that no parent ever wants to hear.  She was sick, she was broken, and the pregnancy was no longer viable and would not last much longer.

We were devastated. sick. broken. changed.

I share this not for sympathy.  Or remorse. Or tears. I share this because losing our Bella Rose last summer set me on an amazing journey.  Through all the tears and sorrow I found passion, and hope, and new life. Photography got me through the bad days and led me to new (wonderful!) friends and new opportunities.  Be Young Photography has been a labor of love this year and I know Bella has been guiding me the entire way.  I can’t wait to continue along this journey and I have bigger plans, dreams, and partnerships growing in the coming months.

BUT, in the short term my Calmer and I are again getting ready to chart a new path. We are expecting again and have a daughter arriving sometime in the next month.  Pregnancy has certainly been different this time around but  we could not be happier.  On a recent trip to Tampa I went from photographer to subject which gave me some insight as to the nerves that come with being in front of the lens instead of behind it.  There is definitely a huge level of trust that comes with allowing someone to capture you in pictures.

Your emotions. feelings. inner beauty.

I feel so blessed to have been trusted enough and be asked over and over again this year to capture images of families, babies, children, and couples that will be hung on walls, viewed in albums, and cherished for years to come. And, I am so glad I trusted some of my fellow Launch Workshop ladies with my maternity photos. I will certainly cherish the images they captured of me during this special time.

my apprehension. my joy. my protectiveness. my love for a growing belly and new life on the way.

Tina Cardoso of Howie Mac Photo was one of my fellow Launch Workshop photographers and I am featuring some of her images here. If you live in the Tampa, FL area she has recently launched her business and you should totally give her a call. You won’t be disappointed.

Today I am in my 35th week of pregnancy and I am getting ready to take a little hiatus from sessions and shooting so I can nest and relish in the joys that come with being a new mom.  I’ll be on maternity leave for all of September and most of October but plan to make my debut back into to the photography world with my Holiday Minis on October 30th! (Have you booked your holiday session yet? Space is limited so don’t delay if you want in on the action).

In the meantime I’ll still be blogging and sharing insights (and plenty of photos!) on mothering a newborn, photography tips, session ideas, business news,  and everything in between.  I hope you’ll continue to follow along as my journey continues.

This session has been 5 months in the making.  For a family of busy business professionals finding the right time for photos was tricky and we’ve been trying to find the perfect session date for quite awhile.   I was so excited to finally be able to squeeze a session in with these guys before my upcoming maternity leave next month, and boy was it well worth the wait!  10 month old baby Addi is just a doll and her mom and dad are full of love and devotion for their little girl.

We spent a morning at the Loudoun County Master Gardener’s Demonstration Garden located at Ida Lee Park in Leesburg enjoying the plants and flowers, singing songs, and playing games. Even the family dog Dory came along for the morning and was so happy to run around the great outdoors with her family.  Addi is also one stylish little girl (with two very stylish parents!). Just check out her adorable outfits, cute hairbows, and matching shoes!! It’s only a matter of time before those shoes are made for walking and she’s moving all over the place.

C./N. family, thank you so much for a lovely session at the Ida Lee Gardens.  I had a great time with you all and I hope you enjoy a little peek of some of my favorites from our morning together.  The rest will be on their way soon!

Ok folks, nesting has officially begun in the Young household.  I seriously can’t believe how quickly 9 months has passed and we’re super excited about welcoming baby Brielle Rose into the world in only a few short weeks. (Yep, that’s her name for those of you who haven’t heard – Brielle or just Brie if you’re so inclined). My Calmer and I took this weekend to pick up some last minute baby necessities, I’ve done my first load of newborn laundry, and life seems to be slowing down just a little bit in anticipation of her arrival. I don’t think our calendar has been this empty EVER.

Remember the hard work going on to get the nursery painted a few weeks ago? I thought you all may like to see the final “reveal” of our hard work. I am hoping the calming ocean blue walls, vibrant pops of lilac, and sea-life accents will provide a soothing environment for our little one to grow and thrive.