I Don't Care if it's in Arkansas

I want to shoot, go to, or be in a wedding in this venue:



Is that not unreal?

More of Beckham

I have yet to photograph a child I haven't almost immediately fallen head over heels for. It's just written into the fabric of my being; I love children. More times than not, however, when I'm on a shoot I'm able to balance my goal of "getting the job done" (i.e. taking their picture) with my innate desire to play right along with them. With Beckham, it wasn't quite as easy.

This handsome little man has a smile that could win a thousand hearts, a personality that is both joyous and mischievous, and a surprising talent for handling a soccer ball. I guess his name is even more suited to the little soccer player he is becoming.

His parents had some great ideas for different pieces they wanted incorporated into their session, and I was happy to oblige. There's nothing more exciting than having clients who know what they want and yet still offer me the creative ability to lead our time together.

As promised, here are more (and some of my favorite) images from Beckham's session:

Click here to see more photos from this session.

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like...

Christmas!

Okay, okay, so maybe that's going a little bit overboard.

But with Halloween candy down the aisles, the leaves just barely getting a hint of ready-to-turn-ness, and some places across the country getting snow, it has some of us starting to feel the Christmas itch. I mean, those of you who haven't already filled your closets with the gifts you bought months ago might not get it - but I know there's some of you out there who do.

It occurred to me just a bit ago that it was about time for me to get to work on my Christmas Card designs for the 2009 season. It's about this time each year when smart-thinking women (and the occasional male) begin making arrangements for their family's annual Christmas portraits and a creative card to complement and showcase her brood.

A few of last year's cards included these - the result of a family that loved both their sessions so much they asked for two card designs:

And one of my personal favorites (thought I might be a little biased):

With even more time and creative thought behind this year's cards, they are already turning out to be something I must admit I'm quite proud of. I will be offering standard card designs this year with some flexibility in color choice and stock of card. And don't fret, if custom-designed is your bag there's always room in my schedule - just know it's what one might call "more of an investment".

So these days I'ma designin'. But I can't showcase them just yet, because who knows, I might be offering a family portrait session deal to go along with them... but shhhh, don't tell anyone I told you.

Stay tuned for more information soon!

Preview: Beckham

Here's one of my favorites from yesterday's session at Dragon Park with a darling (almost) two-year old named Beckham and his lovely parents. I couldn't get enough of this kid!

More to come...

Restore Ministries

Sometime ago I had the pleasure of working with Lindsey over at Restore Ministries to do a promotional shoot for their counseling services as well as some of their products. Restore Ministries is an offshot ministry of the YMCA which provides hope and healing for people looking for change in their lives - be it spiritual, relational, emotional, or physical.

I love having opportunities to use photography to do as something as simple as help an incredible organization update their marketing with new pictures. If you're interested in seeing what a 30 minute shoot with a random group of people and a stack of books can be, check out the flash slideshow at the top of this page. My images from the shoot are all except for those where Scott is wearing a light blue polo; those are from an older marketing run.

The Marantz Duo is Spreadin' The Love

I'm a big, big fan of Justin and Mary Marantz.

First put on to them by the countless recommendations of Zach and Jody Gray, I was quick to take a look. And when the Grays believe someone's awesome, I'd better sure as well believe it myself because it's always true.

The Marantzs have an incredible style of photography that is both editorial in look and yet so personable and intimate with their clients. I love looking at their images from recent weddings, as well as reading some of their more thoughtful reflections on their life as a married couple, as photographers, and as people.

Now they're at it with an incredible opportunity for photographers to take as stab at winning some incredible prices, all in a request for feedback on where to go for their Spread The Love Tour 2010. That's it. They just want feedback and yet they've secured some INCREDIBLE goods for some lucky winners.

Find out more about their Choose Our Adventure contest!

Ready To Play?

As every photographer knows, there's something to be said about having good gear. In this stage of my business, I'm still working on acquiring the sorts of things that are pretty much essential to the variety of sessions I shoot. From weddings with Gray Photography clients to newborn sessions with itsy bitsy babies, good gear pays off. Gear that is versatile, affords you the ability to shoot in different types of settings, and well, doesn't break the bank.

For some time, I've had a great need in the lighting department. Getting my external flash made a huge difference, but most of what I've been able to work with in lighting has been on loan. And frankly, you can only borrow gear so many times before you and your friends get sick of it.

And as much as it doesn't seem like it'd be possible, given these aren't high-powered strobes, these gadgets can add the sort of dynamic to a session that just isn't possible without them. Below are some examples of images used with a basic set-up using the gear above:



I'm so excited for the possibilities!

Such Is The Life

Just looking at this picture calls to mind the mixed feelings of the last season of UT football. There is so much passion, excitement, and full-blooded football lust that mixes in the air of Neyland Stadium. But last year, it was as thought each fan was holding their breath only to be met with relatively continual disappointment.

But alas, it's a new era here in Tennessee, and I sure do hope this day bears fruit for all the hope that's been stirring in us Volunteer fans for the last year or so.

Regardless of the result, however, I'll proudly don my entirely obnoxious orange and yell at our television right alongside my dear husband who's a bit like a kid on Christmas today. All of his up-to-speedness on who this recruit is and where he's from and whom we stole him from is just so incredibly fascinating. Well, at least in that "I just want to watch them play football" kind of way.

Such is the life when you bleed orange.

Just An Aside

I love how things, in life, can sometimes come together in a way that is almost eerily fantastic. Most of this morning, I've been reflecting on how crazy last night was for the Neeley household. And all because of a website.

I realized this morning that I forgot to mention one of the coolest things about the experiment. It should be stated that in the process of building my site yesterday evening, all of the home page animation was built and timed before a song was even considered.

When Cliff pitched the prospect of placing music (which is, again, just one of the wonderful things about Showit) I toyed around with a variety of options, while he coached encouragingly from the sidelines. So back and forth I went. I'd painstakingly modify a song and embed it, feeling steadily more discouraged that nothing fit.

Four songs into the process, the final one was placed because when it was...

it matched the animation perfectly.

Needless to say, it was chill bumps and bug eyes all around as we sat there stunned. Speechless, actually.

And as ridiculous as someone might think this is, it was confirmation that somehow all of this fits into my greater story. The one where I am riding on faith and seeing pieces brought together in a way that only my God could orchestrate. This isn't just a business - it is a gift.

New & Improved Website

So, remember that one time you went to kristineneeley.com (okay, okay, I didn't want to embarrass you by saying how many times I really know you've been to my website) and saw a plain white landing page with only my branding and a clever link to my flickr page?

Sure, it wasn't a top-notch website but at least it got you somewhere photography related, right? But let's just be nice and say there was much left to be desired.

Well, for about three quarters of a year now, I've been working and re-working my whole concept of what sort of website to have, who to go with, what kinds of designers I could afford, and more. And I ran into quite a few unnecessary dead ends, all along knowing I'd probably end up dabbling in the world of Showit Sites.

And so that's where I find myself, now.

The customization and control Showit Sites offers is unreal; but it comes at a pretty penny. But even then, they offer a FREE version that has most of the best parts of a Showit Site so one might proverbially dip their toes in the water of the Showit world and decide whether it's utility truly applies to them or not.

There's something to be said of the feeling one gets after working with Showit in even this most basic form. I feel, in part, like I've conquered the world because I built my website entirely on my own.

And this, my friends, is just the start!

Using Your Gifts to Give

If you have no idea who Jeremy Cowart is, it's okay.

This post has only a little to do with him and a lot to do with an initiative that he's behind. One I fully support. One I believe, despite as simple and unconventional it is, can make a difference in people's lives. One with the propensity to give people, who might not otherwise have the option, an opportunity to celebrate the beauty of their lives - no matter what their circumstances.

It's called Help Portrait.

To find out more:

Watch the video...


Follow on Twitter....
Become a fan on Facebook...

And mark your calendar to give your gifts away on December 12th.