Congrats to Suzanna, winner of our Shugar Shugar giveaway!!!

Be Young Photography is about to get a whole lot sweeter right….NOW!

A few weeks ago through the amazingness of social networking paired with my late night craving for something sweet to snack on I stumbled upon local home based cupcakery Shugar Shugar.  Owner Kay and I hit it off immediately and I am so excited to be working with her on some images for her brand spankin’ new website (coming soon!).

We’ve also been discussing teaming up at Corcoran Vineyards in Waterford, VA to offer cupcake & wine tastings along with my fall mini photo sessions this year. Now how AWESOME would that be?? Photos, wine, and cupcakes. Perfect combo. Mark your calendar for September 4th and I’ll be announcing the rest of those details soon.

Anytime cupcakes are involved I think deserves a time for celebration, and it’s been awhile since we’ve done a giveaway here at Be Young Photography, so let’s give away some cupcakes shall we?!

Winner will receive a 24 pack of Shugar Shugar’s mini cupcakes in 4 different flavors (a $36 value). Winner must redeem by Oct. 31st 2011. Limited to flavors of the week. Free delivery in the areas of Leesburg & Ashburn VA.

You have 3 ways to enter (enter all 3 way and increase your chances of winning each time!)

1. Leave a comment here on the Be Young Photography blog. Tell me “What is your favorite flavor of cupcake?” (my personal fav is chocolate peanut butter! nom nom)

2. Go become a fan of Shugar Shugar on Facebook by clicking HERE. To mark your entry complete – leave a note on their wall telling them “I’m a new fan Be Young Photography sent me!”

3. Become of a fan of Be Young Photography on Facebook by clicking HERE. To mark your entry complete- leave a note on our wall telling us “I am here to win cupcakes from Shugar Shugar!”

We’ll be taking entries until Friday August, 12th, with a winner selected at random and announced on Monday August, 15th. Good Luck!

I absolutely adore this family. We go way back. Sara and I were first year teachers together. Adopted our first fur babies the same year (both of the kitten variety). We bought our first homes during the same summer. Both got engaged a year later. Bought new cars during the same month. Got married during the same month. We’ve always seemed to travel down the same path, and have shared in some major life milestones together.  How bummed was I to have her and husband Sean move cross country to San Diego 3 years ago? Devastated!

However, during that time we both shared in another mega milestone together: the birth of beautiful baby girls only 5 months apart. And now that they’re back on the East Coast we’ve vowed that our two little girls will grow up to be great friends!

The M. Family has taken up permanent residence in North Carolina but were up for a visit recently with Sean’s parents in Purcellville when they decided to cash in a Be Young gift certificate they got back at Christmas.

Sweet baby Keira is 15 months old and is truly a bundle of 1 year old energy. The weather may have been hot for our session (another 100+ day), but Keira found her own way to cool off in the neighbor’s fountain.

What a joy it was to reconnect with this family after a 3 year long distance friendship. M. Family, you know how excited I am to have you back on this coast and I can’t wait to watch our girls grow up together.

Karen and I are coworkers who met 5 summers ago. She was my mentor as I was going through a job switch and taking courses to get my certification in Instructional Technology. We met the summer I was getting married and many of my assignments required me to create documents using desktop publishing programs.  She was my editor and reviewer as I created my wedding program and guest newsletter all while receiving school credit to boot! Who knew that summer would begin a fabulous friendship and I’d have the amazing opportunity to take her own engagement photos a few years later?

Todd and Karen met through online dating, but Karen puts the story behind their meeting so much more beautifully and eloquently:

A year and a half ago, my grandfather passed away and at his service, his coffin was covered with red roses. Several members of our family requested a rose as a keepsake. Although I very much wanted one of my own, I didn’t ask, and regretted it afterward. His service was on a beautiful October day. That afternoon I took my dog, Tessie, for a walk at a gorgeous park across from my house. Midway through my walk, I sat down on a bench near a waterfall to be alone in my thoughts. Out of the blue, a man approached me and said hello. Noticing I was upset, he offered me a single red rose that he had cut from a rose bush along his own walk. Within seconds, he had disappeared.  I was overcome with the feeling that he was sent to me by my grandfather to show that he would be with me always. Unfortunately I met Todd a few months after my grandfather passed away so they never had a chance to meet. I can’t help but feel that Big Ed might have had something to do with our meeting.

It’s no surprise that when Todd proposed he came not only with a ring but also carrying a single long stemmed red rose. We returned to their proposal spot at Brambleton’s Legacy Park for much of our shoot and even with the 100 degree temperatures outside they both made the most of an evening together. There was lots of laughter, lots of love, and lots of excitement for what’s to come.

Congrats to you both, I can not wait for your big day next July. xoxo.

 

Kerri was originally supposed to be an attendee at the March Momtography 101 class. Then life got in the way (as I am sure it can do juggling a houseful of kiddos!) and she contacted me needing to reschedule for another date. When she discovered the next class would not be until June we explored the option of doing a one-on-one session together and I am so glad she decided to take the plunge! A fellow small business owner herself at With Love Design, she was hoping to expand her design offerings to include photography as well.  She is now diving head first into building her portfolio and is on her way to doing great things with her photography.  Kerri is truly an example of what a little bit of knowledge, a good deal of practice, and a lot of drive, desire, and motivation can produce and I am so excited for you to meet her here on the blog today!

Momtographer and Aspiring Photographer: Kerri G.

Camera: Did my mentoring session using a Canon 50d. But during my mentoring session, while expressing some of my frustrations to Beryl, she suggested I might be able to alleviate some of those frustrations by using a full-frame body. So…a few weeks ago, I upgraded to a Canon 5d Mark II and L-O-V-E it!!

How many kiddos: 3

Age(s): 5, 3 and tomorrow my baby will be ONE!

Tell us a little about what makes your kids tick.What are their interests, hobbies, favorites. What makes them unique?

Tyler (5) is full of energy, like ALL. THE. TIME! This kid starts out the day like a rocket taking off and doesn’t slow down until he crashes. He loves to play and entertains himself very well. (He has one heck of an imagination.) He’s a typical 5-year old boy who thinks that there is nothing more fun that to be playing with cars or blowing up the bad guys! He is very persistent and observant and uses these qualities to his advantage. 🙂 Lucas (3) is completely different. While he is also a ball full of energy, he is more subdued than Tyler. Also very observant, you would never catch him trying to “outsmart” mommy. He’s a pleaser and a nurturer. I almost always hear “I missed you, Mommy” after being away from him (even if only for a few minutes). He is caring and always thinking of others. You will never find him taking the last cookie out of the bag, but rather trying to figure out a way to break it into multiple pieces evenly to share with all of his friends or siblings! Kate (1) is my girly girl. Don’t know yet if she WANTS to be a girly girl, but after spending the first four years of motherhood as a momma to boys, I am SO excited to get to buy pink now, too. 🙂 She is a momma’s girl who LOVES daddy (and her big brothers) dearly. She’s a determined little one and I can see her being a handful for us in the near future as she is determined to do anything that big brothers do!

Tell us what you love most about being a mom.

Hmmm…this is a hard one, b/c I know that this is the job that I was made for. I LOVE being a mom – period. I love the cuddles and snuggles I get from my little ones. I love seeing the satisfaction on their faces when they finally succeed in that task they’ve been trying so hard at (and the satisfaction I feel knowing I helped them achieve that goal). I love butterfly kisses and bear hugs. I love story time and hearing them say “cuddle with me, Momma”. But most of all, I love that I was chosen to be the earthly parent to these wonderful little beings and that I get to experience each and every one of their “firsts” in this crazy adventure called “Life”.

Biggest frustration(s) with your photos pre-mentoring?

Un-sharp photos and noise in my photos.

What was the best tip or trick you learned from our time together that you were able to use right away?

How and where to position my subjects to make the best use of my light, so that I could keep my ISO down to reduce the amount of noise in my photos. And also how to meter correctly, to give my photos the proper exposure.

What is the BEST moment you’ve captured of your kids or family ever on camera. Anything special come to mind?

Well…My name is Kerri and I’m a picture-holic (LOL), so I have SO many pictures that it would be hard to pick one I think. But, one of my all-time favorites is this of my two little guys kissing their little sister on the head at the same time. I mean how lucky did I have to be to actually catch this on camera?

One of Beryl’s elves told us you’ve been following along with her Christmas in July email gifts this month. Anything you care to share about what you’ve learned or the photos you’ve captured?

I especially love the last gift that was sent about having a plan. I’m a huge planner and list-maker (in all aspects of my life), but when it comes to photos, I often find myself picking up the camera and shooting, without really “thinking” about what I’m doing, and in turn missing the shot I was really looking for. So, Gift 7 (making a plan) and Gift 1 (making a list) are two great lessons for me.

Why should other local moms consider attending a Momtography 101 class or a one-on-one mentoring lesson with Beryl?

I was originally slated for the larger group Momtography class (a gift from my husband). But, due to timings and other commitments, I was unable to attend the session I had registered for. When I emailed her to tell her I needed to cancel, she was super understanding and said she could move me to the June session or we could do a one-on-one instead. While it was a little more investment to do the one-on-one, I was super eager to take her class and knew it would benefit me greatly to have some real one-on-one time where I could pick her brain and also have hands on guidance with lighting/posing and manually shooting with my camera. I would HIGHLY recommend her Momtographer class (I got the materials as part of our one-on-one) or a private (or even group) mentoring session. She is so professional, such a photo lover and a wonderful individual too. If you take a Momtography class OR do a mentoring session with her, you will NOT regret it. I cannot even begin to express how grateful I am for the time I spend with Beryl and all of the amazing knowledge she shared with me.

Before mentoring: Left

After mentoring: Right

When the high temp for the day is 118 scorching degrees and the meter has read over 100 for the entire week just take Brielle’s advice…

1) Stay indoors and dress cool

2) Eat, errrrr…..i mean read lots of books.

3) Play peek-a-boo

4) Get conductor daddy to take you on a train ride.

5) Relax and stay chill!

Sometimes it can be really hard to follow advice.

• Everything in moderation. (right after I’m done scarfing down this pint of ice cream…)
• Don’t sweat the small stuff. (as the internal dialogue drones on – “does so and so like me? does this dress make me look fat? oh my gosh, did I have food stuck in my teeth that whole time?!”)
  
• Only bite off what you can chew. (while my to do list continues to grow exponentially…)

I am frequently asked for advice. From my family (whose house should we spend the holidays at this year?). My friends (should I break up with him?). My coworkers (what software should I use to do this?). My clients (what camera should I buy?). I like giving advice. It makes me feel appreciated. I am a people person. I enjoy talking through issues. I love to teach what I know. And I seem to always have an opinion.

But lately I’ve had a problem. I can’t seem to follow my own advice.

This month has been Christmas in July here at Be Young Photography. If you’re on “the nice list“ I’ve been sending 2 gifts via email containing photo tips for take better pictures of the special little people in your life. Are you on the list yet? Don’t worry, if you’re late to the party I’ll be sending an archive of all the gifts at the end of the month.

This week as I sat down to work on “Gift 6” a funny thing happened. I almost couldn’t bring myself to push the send button.

Because the gift I was about send was advice I am hard pressed to follow myself.

Don’t forget those un-planned, un-posed, lifestyle images! Take a snap as those kiddos are zoned out in front of the TV. Or taking their afternoon nap. Or eating lunch. Or sharing a special moment playing with their sibling. It’s just as important to capture them in everyday life as it is to plan out special shots just for you. In 20 years you’ll want to have every expression, every age, every moment bottled up so you can look back and remember. Start capturing those everyday shots today and bottling up those moments.

Going “pro” has certainly been a double edged sword. I love having the knowledge and know how to stage beautiful images. I love the fun that comes with being able to think creatively and make art behind the camera lens. But, I am my own worst critic as well. If the house is a mess I don’t want to shoot. If we are in our pajamas and having a chill day I am too lazy to shoot. If I’ve been behind the camera all week photographing other people’s families I am too tired to shoot. If the big fancy camera is tucked away in my camera bag and all I have is my compact camera I am too proud to shoot. As a pro I don’t want to post shots that “don’t make the cut”.

And now, as a result of ignoring my own advice, my portfolio of family images has suffered.

I resolved in that instant, the moment I hit send button to pick up my camera phone which was sitting right next to me. I snapped a few photos. And I breathed a huge sigh of relief.

Because in that instant I started following my own advice.

How about you? What advice do you find it most challenging to follow? In life? In photography? Do you take enough family snapshots? Share your words of wisdom or a snapshot of your life here today.

What inspires you to photograph?

Children and family? The serenity and beauty of nature?  The simplicity of everyday life?

 

For me, it’s my Bella angel & my Brie baby.

 

The lessons they’ve taught me about family, compassion, love, creativity, and healing. Those are my inspiration.

What lights you up? Makes your heart sing so loud that you lose track of time? Gets you lost in the moment? Fills your soul with joy? And keeps you snap snap snapping away? Comment below and tell me. Or even better yet, show me.

I am a Pisces.

I am true to my zodiac description to a tee. Intuitive. Idealistic. Creative. Compassionate. Selfless.

I have two fish swimming in a circle tattooed on my back.

However, I am going to let you in on a little secret.

I hate the water.

I was never that kid that spent everyday of summer vacation at the pool. We were never that family that took the week long beach vacation laying out in the sun and sand all day. I hated swim lessons. And I dreaded putting my head under water.

So I must admit, taking Brie to the pool for the first time was quite an ordeal and much out of the norm for me.

She wasn’t too sure at first. But by the end I think she liked it. And so did I.

She might be the one to truly turn me into a Pisces, and actually love the water.

 

Yesterday I didn’t shower. (please feel free to follow with a chorus of “ewwwww gross” or “that’s disgusting” here). The desire to be clean just wasn’t there. Being on summer vacation, free from the “day job” has opened up a whole host of new schedules and new routines. And apparently motivation isn’t a part that routine.  I wake up, drink my morning coffee, plop myself down in front of the ______ (TV, computer, ipad, smart phone, insert your choice of technology device here), and zone out completely.  By the time I snap myself out of this bubble of brain zapping media it’s already afternoon. Another wasted day.  And this is why a shower at this point seems futile and irrelevant. So I just stink up my house until its time to go to bed and do it all over the next day. (don’t worry I do actually decide to shower when I can’t stand my own stink anymore).

Can you relate?

You know how it goes.  We get so caught up in the daily grind that we get stuck in rut. Or a funk that we can’t seem to shake.  Or something comes along that puts us in a bad place mentally. Ruts can be small and caused by routine. Or they can be much much bigger.  Sometimes, things are seemingly going along great in our world and then something happens to send it crashing to a screeching halt.  A bad day at work.  A relative gets sick.  A loved one passes away.

This rut I am in right now, for some reason brings me right back to the place I was in 2 years ago when we lost our baby girl, Bella Rose.  At 20 weeks pregnant I gave birth to her and she did not live. In an instant our world was changed. For someone who is Type A like me (a planner, a thinker, an organizer) this was absolutely devastating. The life I had planned for me, for us, was not going to be the one we would get.  In the months that followed I was in that same state of not showering, not interacting, and I felt very isolated.  That time in my life was so much more than being stuck in rut, yet so similar to today on many levels.

So how to we climb out of a rut? a funk? a bad day? a bout of depression?

Today begins my first e-course: Illuminate: Lighting the Path to Photographic Healing where we are going to be exploring just that. The course was designed out my own experiences in using my camera to heal from the loss of our precious first daughter, Bella. It’s a community for baby loss moms who have lost their “spark” to come and learn some new photography ideas and techniques to get out of their own personal funk.

In honor this new journey I am embarking upon with the Illuminate launch, I want to offer a few suggestions for those of you who may be in a creative rut and looking to heal your own soul through photography, take some time to reflect , and bring some change to your daily routine:

1. FIND YOUR ENERGY Are you are morning person or a night person? When do you feel your most you, your most friendly, your most easy going, your most energetic, your most emotional? This may be a clue to when you should be trying to tap into your creativity.
2. GO FOR A WALK  Make today the day you schedule in that nice hour long walk. It’s summer, the weather is warm, the sun is shining, there are no excuses for being indoors! Bring your camera along. Take pictures of anything you think is beautiful.  Unique architecture. Pretty flowers in bloom. The sun setting behind your house.
   
3. PICK A THEME Is your favorite color blue? Photograph anything blue you find this week.  Try to take a photo of something that represents each letter of the alphabet (A – photograph a apple, B – photograph a teddy bear, C – photograph your fresh corn on the cob for dinner, etc..). Nature lover? Photograph nothing but trees, flowers, and shrubs. Now go make a collage using this fun online mosaic maker.
4. MAKE A SCAVENGER HUNT Brainstorm a list of items you want to photograph and go find them! Better yet, find a list that has already been done for you. The Great Scavenger Hunt is a fun one to get some really obscure ideas. Or check out this Digital Photography School Group. They aren’t very active anymore, but they do have lots of previous lists to get your creative juices flowing.

Are you feeling inspired yet? Go take a shower (I’m about to get off my butt to go take one now!), get your camera ready, get snapping, and please come back and share what you’ve done in the comments below.

Let’s get out of the routine, find beauty behind our camera lens, and inspire each other.

Dear Brielle,

At 9 months old you are looking more toddler-like and grown up everyday. I can see my baby slipping away right before my very eyes.  I can sense you are just itching to move, to talk, and to grow into an independent little girl. Don’t grow up to fast, ok?

xoxo.

-mama