Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!

The winner of the Senior Photo Session Giveaway is...

Morgan Meadows!



Her Mom, Tammy, entered her for the giveaway- Tammy and I went to High School together - what a small world we live in.

Congratulations Tammy and Morgan! I'll be contacting you very soon to set up a date and time
for your photo session. Yay!

<3 Kerri

Fergie

If you've ever been to my house, you've been greeted by this bouncy ball of ears and fur.  She was a huge part of my life for 15 years, and Thursday, August 25 2011, we had to say goodbye. 

She had stopped eating, and barely drank any water.  She had a hard time getting around, and lost a ton of weight.  10lbs according to the vet.  I took her in on Wednesday, while they ran some bloodwork we discussed teeth cleaning, arthritis.  When the bloodwork came back, the doc layed it all out for me.  He said, if it was my dog, I'd spend the day hugging her neck, and bring her back tomorrow for euthanasia.  Although I knew she wasn't in good shape, it hit me so hard, I could barely breathe.

We came home, and I tried my best to spoil her.  She wanted to nap, so she got to snooze with me on our big bean bag.  I stayed home with her all day, helping her go outside, trying to make her last day easy.  She got her favorite treat - potato chips.  Ahh, the life of a dog.

The next morning was tough.  Jason and I took Fergie at 8am, and I could tell she didn't have the life in her that she used to. Maybe she knew.  All I wanted to do was end her pain.

The outpour of prayers, kind words, and some anecdotes have showered me with the support of my family and friends.  And those of you who knew her, knew that she was my sweet girl, my baby, my little bear, my Fergie.  I'll see you again someday, sweet baby girl. I love you.

In my parent's garden

Poster dog for Accolade Chem-Dry

August 25 at 7am

Basket of flowers from Jessie, Morlyn and Abby - referencing her zipper eating! :)

Card made by Mia Ernst

In my parent's back yard - she was maybe 2 or 3 years old.

In front of Lake Mirror Tower, Fergie and my first place together.

By Tim O'Brien

2009, when Fergie and Jason first met.

The "queen" didn't really like the new Kitten, Sparrow.

Photo Editing - Before and After

Contrary to popular belief, photography is more than point and shoot.

90% of the time, a professional photographer should be able to compose & expose at the exact settings necessary to produce the killer shot. But that 10% (or more) is the part that will drive us CRAZY. Thus, the editing process (or post-production) is an equally important step in the photography session. Good photos can come Straight out of Camera (SOOC) - but killer, amazing photos have spent some time in post-production.

The sheer amount of options - levels, curves - plus the infinite amount of subtle pixel modification - healing, covering up - make for some long hours in the editing room. So, don't discount the hours spent in front of a computer, or how far better your final photos are, even if you never saw the originals. (We don't really like showing those off.)

This is a pretty good example of what can happen in that 10% - shadows where I didn't want them, tan lines, and what happened to the life in her eyes? 30 minutes to 1 hour later, I got a decent photo. Spent a little more time, and there's the killer image.

Photo Session Giveaway - Senior Photo Session

The end of summer is coming, and school is starting, cooler weather is (hopefully) on its way.  Time to get senior portraits made!  What will you want to mark the memory of your senior year, more than some killer photos of you?  These aren't your parent's senior pictures.  They focus on you- your personality, you interests/hobbies, extra curricular activities, or any fun ideas you might come up with.  All will be professional quality pictures you and your family will want to show off.

The Session Includes:
2 hour session - up to 5 wardrobe changes - on location in Lakeland or surrounding areas - Session includes 200+ photos taken, 12-18 hours of post-production editing, and 30-40 final images.
Included: CD of web-resolution, copyrighted images.  Prints may be purchased for an additional charge.

A $250 Value!


To enter:
- You must be (or be a parent/grandparent of ) a High School student entering your senior year.
- You must FOLLOW the blog
- You must leave a comment on the blog, stating why you'd like some FREE senior photos made, and your e-mail address.
- You must live within Polk County.

The winner will be chosen in 2 weeks (August 27, 2011) through Random.org, and announced on this blog and on the facebook page.

Maternity

Last October, I had the exciting opportunity to photograph my 2 BFFs in their 8th month of pregnancy.  That's right, both Jessie and Brooke were pregnant at the same time!

Babies + Kids

I really love photographing little ones.  Here is just a sampling from some of the sessions I've taken.

Gonzales Family

I had the pleasure of photographing the Gonzales family last year, they are a hoot!

The family decided to do some "dark" photos together, a la Addams Family. I really love the way they turned out.

Food Photography

Food is one of my greatest passions - making it and eating it.  I love the act of cutting an onion, and the sound that raw meat makes when it comes in contact with a hot oiled pan.  The smell of butter browning, the steam rolling off a pan... ok I'm getting hungry.