Happy New Year!

2011 is finally here! This makes it "real" for all you brides to be who have been waiting. It also means I'm only three months from meeting our baby boy... definitely makes it real for me (and a little scared at the same time!)

Needless to say, I'm taking April and May off, but other than that am gearing up for another great year of photographing your weddings, babies, engagements, families and more! Check the calendar on my website for up-to-date availability.

Happy 2011!

What's up with crazy reprint prices?

This is a venting blog... I was just sitting here thinking that I really need to put a "portraits" section on my website so clients know what my sitting fee is, length, location, etc. This brought to mind that most customers probably want to know how much they will pay to purchase the images they already paid to have taken.... which brought to mind the mindblowing knowledge that some photographers really enjoy gouging their customers!

I've heard of photographers who only give you an online proofing gallery for a week... (a WEEK!). How is anyone supposed to make photo decisions in just a week? I have a hard enough time getting all of our laundry done each week. Add to it working, running a household, and finding even a few minutes of personal time to catch up on the latest celebrity gossip... I personally wouldn't be able to figure out all of my order needs in just a week. It's obvious these photographers are playing off of people's excitement when they get their proofs, which perhaps is smart, but I still find a little disturbing/unethical/used-car-salesmanny.

Second, what's up with the crazy reprint prices? There's nothing I hate more than being nickled and dimed....nothing. Like, the airline industry is my biggest foe. Pretty soon here I'm going to be chillin with my baggage in the dark just to save $20. Anyway, I digress... over the past year or so I've come across some photographers charging upwards of $35, $45... I've even seen $60 for the first print (this is for a tiny print). This is price gouging at its worst! Who can swallow paying $60 for a single 4x6 print? Do these photographers not want their customers to order prints? Isn't that the whole point of having pictures taken by a professional??? so that you can enjoy them afterwards? I just don't get it. Make your money up front, and let the ordering process be a palatable experience for your client, not a "blood-pressure-going-up with every click" experience.

Ladies and gents, my reprints start at $2. Yes, two bucks!

New Site Launched!

I'm so excited that my new site has finally launched! There are tons of new images on the site, and they are bigger than before. You can see every little detail! Let me know what you think. I hope you love it as much as I do! {Mary}

http://www.cloud9photography.com/

Simple Wedding Packages Made Easy!

Hi girls and boys. If you're getting married in 2010 or 2011 you'll be happy to hear that I've recently revamped my offerings. I've lowered prices and made my packages more simple. Nothing bugs me more as a consumer to feel nickel and dimed, so I do my best to NOT do that to my customers.

In sticking with my theme of keeping it simple, I'm now offering two basic packages: one is called "Black" and the other is "White" (creative, huh?) Anyway, both include ample time to shoot your wedding and reception from the preparation shots through the bouquet toss. They also include online proofing, editing of all images, and $50-100 reprint credit (to put towards your print orders.) The "White" package also includes an engagement session and the disc of full resolution proofs! Of course, both of these are available a la carte if you choose to go that way as well. Easy as pie!

So I'm working on Jessica and Philip's proofs right now. They got married at the end of January on the day the entire city shut down due to snow and ice. (Remember that?) It was crazy cold and the streets were all abandoned, but the wedding went on! Way to power through, guys :) I'm glad I kept my 4-wheel-drive SUV afterall.

Here's my fave so far....

Help for Haiti... just by booking me as your Charlotte Wedding Photographer today!

Hey everyone... the devestation in Haiti is beyond words. I watch the Today show every morning and read the paper daily. I simply can't comprehend what these people are going through. I've already made my family's personal donations, but I was trying to think of what else I could do. Here's what I came up with:

For every package booked between now and the end of February $100 will be donated to the American Red Cross's efforts in Haiti. It's that easy! You get to check one more item off your wedding planning to-do list while doing good for those so much less fortunate than you and me. It really is that simple. Once your contract is received I will forward you the receipt from the donation YOU made happen.

New for 2010: Shoot & Share Option

Calling all brides! I've just announced a new package option for 2010 with special pricing if you book before the end of the month! "Shoot & Share" is essentially as the name describes. I shoot, you share. Easy breezy. Clean and simple. (insert more cliches here)...

In this age of "do it yourself" online photo options like Picasa software, Shutterfly albums, etc. I want to give my clients the option and control to do what they want with their images for one low price. I view it as a win/win, as you're getting my services for a much lower price than I typically charge AND you're getting all of your wedding day images in less than a week! Let's not also forget that it may sound like a good idea now to have your friend who's an aspiring photographer take your pics for free, but trust me a year from now you'll wish you'd have just spent the money on a real one. These are your wedding photos, people! They're all you'll have left when the day is a distant memory years from now.

I win because (as my husband will tell you) I LOVE shooting weddings and using my mad skillz, but I am not a fan of the hours and hours of post-process work I typically spend on each collection (this is especially true now that we have two little girls running around the house). My personality doesn't help either, as I'm a type-A who wants everything perfect, so a task that should take a few hours sometimes takes me 10+.

So here's the lowdown for all of you Pioneer Woman, Martha Stewarts who just want to do it yourself:

Cost: $1500

Coverage: 6 hours (additional available for hourly charge)

Images: I'll edit 25-50 of my faves. You get these and the rest of the originals within a week!

Release form: ditto to the above

Book now! The introductory price of $1500 only good through January 31! Price goes up to original on February 1st.

Fa la la la la....

It's the time of year again... went up to the mountains with my family yesterday and picked out a tree. This is one of my favorite days of the year. Cut a tree, eat at a local restaurant, then shop Main St. in Blowing Rock. There was even a few inches of snow on the ground this year which our three year old thought was, of course, the best part!

So I haven't posted anything in almost a month... not because I'm lazy, but because I've been too busy! As you probably know, pictures make great Christmas gifts so naturally all of my clients have been ordering like crazy. On top of that I've had several portrait, engagement, and bridal sessions in the last month. To top it off, I've booked three more weddings for next year. Brides... book now! I am only accepting one wedding a month in 2010 so once they're gone, they're gone.

I made one exception to my rule and double booked for January. I've got a sweet bride who was planning on a June wedding, but her fiance is getting deployed to Iraq early so they're shooting for New Year's weekend. If you've followed my blogs you know I love our men and women in uniform... so much I give them an automatic 10% off right from the get go. I'm looking forward to capturing some great memories for this deserving couple.

Merry Christmas to all!

p.s. Here's a pic of my kitchen. Another reason I haven't blogged lately... discovered that the ice maker hose came loose weeks ago and has been secretly ruining our floor. Everything buckled on Thanksgiving day. We've had very loud fans blowing for a week straight (24/7) and will hopefully get a new floor laid this week along with new cabinetry to replace the damaged. Thank you homeowners' insurance!

Editing my heart out...

The finish line is near... ok, not really, but I tell myself that to keep the motivation up. Just returned from a long weekend in Jamaica with my wonderful hubby. It was gorgeous... beautiful beaches, great snorkeling, fresh seafood... take me back! No, really, four nights away from my kiddos was about all I could stand. Isn't it sad? You try so hard to have an adult-only getaway once a year then end up missing your kids so much you can't wait to get home and hug them!

So anyway, I'm still editing my heart out. Almost done with Lauren and Jesse's wedding, then moving on to my July brides. Here's a little collage I put together for Lauren in the meantime.



I have been up to my ears in portrait sessions, and it's not stopping anytime soon. In the next week I have one engagement, two baby sessions, and one "new dog" session...LOL! I also have a mountain wedding at the end of the month before hanging up my camera for the year. I love photography, but I'm happy with my decision to take the fall off this year and simply enjoy my favorite season without having to run to a wedding every Saturday or cram up my weekends with portrait sessions. It gets crazy, y'all! Plus, I'm ready to watch some college football this year. Boiler Up!


Here's some Jamaica for you: Couples Swept Away

Audrey Reagan Vaca

Yea! She finally came. Audrey Reagan was born on Thursday, February 12th at 3:34pm. She weighed 7 lb 3 oz and was 19.75" long. She has dark blue eyes and brown hair. Everyone's doing well, and Ava is really excited to have her baby sister here. Thanks to everyone for the well wishes!

Baby taking her time...

I was due two days ago. TWO DAYS! Everyone says the second ones come early and fast, but not my little girl. She's taking her sweet time. If she doesn't show up on her own by Thursday, then I'm getting induced. I'm cool with this, but also a little scared. You see, I have a thing with numbers. My husband thinks I'm crazy. I only like even numbers. When we moved to Charlotte three years ago I made him switch our new phone number because it ended in 13. I picked out a new one, which ends "2100" and ever since then we get calls ALL THE TIME from people trying to call Sears. I've memorized their phone number (543-2100) so I can be of assistance everytime I pick up the phone and hear someone confusidly say "um... is this Sears?"

Anyway, Thursday is great because it's 2/12. Also, 12 is my alltime favorite number, and this Thursday happens to be President Lincoln's birthday which I also think is cool since he was one of the greatest Presidents this country has ever had. You've probably figured out what I'm afraid of, and that is FRIDAY! It's Friday the 13th! Can you imagine what a little terror this girl could turn out to be? Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Bogota, Colombia

So my husband and I returned from our mini-vacation to Bogota, Colombia last week. I know what you're thinking... you vacationed where? Yes, we went to the land of coffee and coke (the other kind.) No, in all honesty Colombia gets a bad rap. It's not nearly as dangerous as it used to be, as the good ole US has pumped a lot of money into fighting drug trafficking which as helped turn around the economy and weaken the FARC tremendously! Colombia is actually the world's grower of flowers and is also where most of the world's emeralds are mined from, so try to think of those exports the next time you read about Colombia :)
Anyway, my hubby is 1/2 Colombian. This was actually our second trip in 3 years to Bogota. We really had a blast! His father is from Bogota, and that side of the family is still in Colombia (my father in law is one of 8 children, so our family is very large down there.) Jim has literally dozens of cousins, second cousins, etc down there that he didn't really meet until just a few years ago.

Bogota is a city of 6 million people (NYC is 10 million). It's just enormous. It's 1.5 miles high in elevation, and is surrounded by mountains. It very much so reminds me of LA (esp the smog.)

We went on this trip because Jim's aunt was celebrating her 50th anniversary as a nun in the Catholic church. It was a really big celebration and about 80 relatives from all over the country joined us in Bogota for the celebration. Very few of them speak English, so the communication was hard, but luckily I brought along a LOT of pictures for them to look at and keep. They loved that! Sister Maria was so happy to have us there. Above is a picture of her hugging my sister in law (her niece), whom she's never met until now!

This is at the luncheon celebration for our family after mass Sunday. She was so happy to have everyone present. It melted my heart.

After lunch we went to the rear of the convent to take family pictures (yes, we actually tried to get all 85 of us at one time.) Anyway, here's a picture of Jim and his dad. Other than their outfits, the resemblance is tough, huh? Everyone in Colombia is very short, but Jim's Mom is 5'10" so clearly he got her height. When she saw all the nuns for the first time, she muttered "does everyone take short pills here?"

One day we went sightseeing around Bogota. It is the capitol of Colombia, and this picture is one of the capitol buildings. When we came in 2005 I was yelled at by armored guards for trying to take pictures of government buildings. This time they were present, but didn't yell at me :) I was happy about this, as I really loved the historical architecture and wanted to capture it.

August is the "month of wind" in Colombia. There are celebrations throughout the month. On every street corner people are selling kites and Colombian flags. This was outside a McDonald's right off their interstate.

I was returning to the salon by our apartment when I rounded the corner and saw these two little boys in front of me. Thankfully, I almost always have my little Canon PowerShot on hand, so I whipped it out and got a quick pic while I had the chance. True friendship...

Nuns, nuns, everywhere! Very intimidating, as I'm not Catholic. I think I was the only one in our mass to not partake in communion, but that's how the rules go. I don't make 'em...

Babies, Couples, & Fundraisers, Oh My!

What a weekend... In just one day I shot one baby (that doesn't sound right???), two engagements, and a black-tie fundraiser. The first was a newborn session for an old friend who just had her first. Baby Garrett was pretty cooperative, so all went well.

Later Saturday morning I met two of my brides-to-be and their fiances at a local park for some pre-wedding engagement shots. They both brought their dogs, which I love! Cowboy didn't like getting his picture taken, but we made do. He's a nice "baby" at 85+ pounds.

I rounded out the day by volunteering my services at the Sticks to Bricks (http://www.stickstobricks.com/) fundraiser at the Levine Museum of the New South uptown. It was a wonderful night raising money to build schools in Darfur. We also got a special treat musically, as an awesome artist named Damien Horne (http://www.damienhorne.com/) performed. He's part of the Muzik Mafia in Nashville (Big & Rich, Gretchen Wilson, Cowboy Troy etc.) and totally rocked the house. We bought his CD and have been listening non stop! I'm still recovering from my crazy weekend... pics will come later this week from all of the aforementioned.