and the winner is………..

Jacy Gansz!  She will win a 5×7 Ellie frame in Yellow Gold!!  Congratulations Jacy.  I will be in touch! 

Thank you to everybody who commented on the post!  Each of you will be receiving a 10% off coupon for an Organic Bloom frame!  Thanks again to all my wonderful friends and fans!

If you would like to see and/or order images from the show, please visit the website at www.chasingfirefliesphotography.com and click on ‘proofing.’ in the menu bar.  The password is Suess (with a capital S)!

And to celebrate the show Chasing Fireflies Photography is giving away a FREE 5×7 image from the show to one lucky person who makes a comment on this post!  So post something below…a review of the show, your favorite character, how proud you are of your child, or maybe what you think of the photos!  But make a comment and be entered to win the photo!

A winner will be chosen by random draw on Monday, August 22 along with the giveaway for the 5×7 Organic Bloom frame (if you haven’t entered to win that giveaway see the post below or click here!)….see how things just go hand in hand around here?  Good luck to all, and I hope the images bring a smile to your face!

“You’ll miss the best things if you keep your eyes shut!”  – Dr. Suess

As you know the studio carries the fabulously, amazing Organic Bloom frames.  They are handcrafted, and made with loving care by the highly talented Bloomies team.  Professional Photographer Magazine in their August 2011 issue published a product roundup spotlighting frames, and of course The Organic Bloom frames top the list!  What more, the magazine asked Mrs. Bloom to send along some photographs so one could be chosen to accompany the article and what do you know?  A photo by Chasing Fireflies Photography was chosen to display the product.  You can see a snippet of the article below, but to see the entire product roundup click here!

It’s my dream to one day to be featured in PP Magazine as an up and coming superstar in the business…and well…this is a start right?  Honestly, I couldn’t be happier than to be chosen to represent the beautiful frames from The Organic Bloom!  They are a wonderful, hard working company focused on customer service…just the kind of company I like to partner with.

So… in celebration I’d like to giveaway a 5×7 Organic Bloom frame to one of my fans.  How do you win?  Simple.

FIRST, ”LIKE” Chasing Fireflies Photography and The Organic Bloom on Facebook (if you’re already a fan just skip this step).  SECOND, post the comment ”I love @Chasing Fireflies Photography and @The Organic Bloom!” to YOUR Facebook page (be sure to include the “@” symbol to link back to us)!   THIRD, come back here leave a comment on THIS POST telling me your favorite “single” frame from The Organic Bloom.  Mine just happens to be the Fonzie in Pumpkin!  You get one entry and the winner will be chosen on August 22, 2002 in honor of my beautiful daughter Gabby’s 9th birthday!  (She just happens to be the gorgeous little girl you see in those frames!)

That’s it, easy peasy!

Again, a huge thank you to my faithful fans as well as any new ones and a special shout out to the entire Bloomie team – “Hi guys!!”   Good Luck!!

(gorgeous model + stunning location)2 fab photographers = amazing photosession…you know we are advocates of higher education around here!  Feast your eyes and stay tuned!

Oh, and I hope you had a fabulously wonderful 4th of July!

Whitley Pollet is an amazing photographer who recently gave up digital and returned to the art of film shooting…and let me tell you, it was fate.  Her images are just breathtaking and I knew once she made the switch complete it was only a matter of time before I dusted off my old film cameras and headed out to Oklahoma!  As hard as it is to believe, I did officially start my photography career shooting film, but quickly swapped out my trusty Canon Rebel for something a little more current.  Working with Whitley I have to wonder why on earth I did that.  Shooting film, composing your shot, breathing and trusting your vision was so relaxing compared to the hectic trap I’ve fallen into shooting digital.  As I said before, it fed my soul.

Now, it’s been sometime since I’ve been to Oklahoma, and never in my photographic journey, but boy was I a happy camper.  At this time of year Tulsa is lush and green…tall, grassy meadows everwhere I looked, quaint little towns, majestic old barns…a photographers dream locale.   Whitley could have scheduled a photosession with an ogre and I would have still been smiling.  As it was, we had the amazing pleasure of shooting a gorgeous couple, Cherish and Scott.  Could they have been any cuter? 

We arrived at this location just before sunset.  I could have shot for hours….but I had to keep reminding myself…”You only have 12 shots…make the most of them.”  Well…ok…not really 12…but I was trying hard to keep myself in the film photographers frame of mind. However, being that the camera I was shooting with is at least 30 years old and untested in the last 20 of those…I couldn’t resist picking up my digital camera and capturing a few shots.  Here is what I got with my 5dmkii…Ican’t wait to get my scans back and compare them to these!

And on a side note….thank you for your unending patience with me Cherish and Scott!  Hope you love your images!

First I had the opportunity to meet up with AMAZING fellow newborn photographer Leah Jent of Leah Jent Photography in Albuquerque.  She is seriously a baby whisperer.  Please, if you haven’t already, check out her work do so.  It is scrumptiously squeezeable!  She has a fabulously calm demeanor about her, nothing rattles her, and she’s just the sweetest person you’d ever want to meet.  Looking forward to my next newborn session because, now that my kiddos are officially out of the baby stage, I need a little baby time!  I will be blogging images from this session soon…WITH a little surprise for one lucky mommy-to-be out there.  So, if you or somebody you know are expecting…stay tuned!

After that super quick session, I drove all the way to Kansas to spend some time with my own mom and dad!  My girls got EXTRA spoiled…drinks at QT, lunch at Freddy’s and dinner and bingo at “the club”.  They also had a great time at their annual summer art camp in Wichita.  I’ve got lots of new work to get framed…and upon thinking about that…I think I just might share a few tips on how photography can help you with your kids’ artwork.  Stay posted!

As if all that weren’t enough, I then took a short detour out to Bartlesville, OK to shoot with one of my bestest photographer friends Whitley Pollet!   Whitley is a fabulous film shooter and has gotten on my case more than once about me using my old cameras for studio decoration rather than their actual purpose.  She swore that she could teach me a few tips and tricks on becoming a better film photographer.  Little did she know, I’d take that challenge and drive all the way out to her in hopes that some of her magic would rub off on me!!  Since my film has been sent off, I can’t actually say that I will ever convert strictly to film once again…but I will tell you that my film cameras are now dusted off…and to feed my love of photography, will remain so ever more.  Stay tuned for Whitley’s latest wedding here to ask yourself “Why did we ever switch to digital?” My shoots with Whitley were amazing.  I can’t even begin to explain how much it fed my soul.  There was more than once I took a look at my surroundings, the models and my friend and thought…well…I might have just died and gone to heaven.  So, my first session with Whitley will be blogged here today.

Now, surely you don’t think that is the end of my vacation excitement do you?  Is that actually how you think I roll here at Chasing Fireflies Photography?  Nope…I came back to Kansas to pick up my girls and wound up in my fist official tornado (well not an ACTUAL tornado, but close enough for my comfort!).  Anybody who really knows me, knows that I’m pretty much chicken of most things, but tornadoes happen to be pretty darn close to the top of the list!  While I was freakin’ out inside, I tried to not let it show THAT much on the outside.  Really, it was a pretty amazing thing to watch (NOT the actual tornado) but the storm brewing at least.  I can easily see why there are people out there who are fascinated with chasing them….although the name of this business will NOT be changed to Chasing Tornadoes Photography….EVER!!! 

And if all that wasn’t enough, yup, there was more.  My husband called the day before I was planning on leaving to ask, “If we are evacuated, what do I need to back?”.  Ummm…I did one of those cartoon things where my mouth hangs open and I shake my head back and forth real quick.  You know that thing??  Anyhow, it seems a wildfire had broken out just north of little ole Raton.  And not any little wildfire…it actually ended up burning more than 27,000 acres and literally burned RIGHT UP TO city limits!!  It was pretty scary for awhile there, and my house is STILL a mess from frantically making piles of important documents, family photos and kids Christmas ornaments in anticipation of a possible evacuation.  Thanks to God that while the area suffered major damage around our watershed, the firefighters did an amazing job of containing it and keeping it from town.

So, you could say that I had a pretty jam packed 8 days of excitement.  Let me take you through the journey with photos now.  To start with….here is what I came home to.  I missed the actual flames but there was plenty of smoke to go around!

Track Fire – 2011

And what an amazing photosession it was.  I LOVE photographing seniors.  They are always up for new and creative ways to express their passions and personalites and I get a huge kick out of making amazing photographs with them!  Plus they make me feel cool and young which, as I find myself creeping closer to 40, is a really good thing!  Because you know I often feel like somehow I got thrown into light speed and have suddenly found myself looking down the barrel of my own 20th class reunion!  ACK…did I honestly just admit that?

Well enough about me…on to the unbelievable images we got of Derrick!  I really enjoyed this session, and I hope you all do to!  Thanks Derrick for being such a “sport”!  Wow…that was lame…but truly I am cooler in person!

One last note…I am already booking 2012 seniors and filling up fairly quickly.  As most of you may know I’m still recovering from a serious back injury and so I will be booking on a limited basis until August.  If you want your senior photos taken while we still have green grass and leaves on the trees please email me at chasingfirefliesphotography@gmail.com or call the studio at 585.445.2340!

But, I need to send an extra special congratulations to MY 2011 Seniors!  This year I only photographed four seniors due to my health issues, but these four kids would honestly restore your faith in the younger generation!  They were so respectful and full of life and just about the nicest kids you’d ever want to meet!  But most of all they trusted my vision and between them and me I think we came up with some pretty amazing images! 

Dustin, Samantha, Chante and Derrick I wish you much luck on your new adventure.  Remember to always stay true to yourself, remember your humble beginnings, and when you are rich and famous I’d like to take your photographs again!

Truly, congratulations graduates!  Thank you for letting me be a small part of this amazing time in your life!

I knew that I have been missing my work…BUT I didn’t really know HOW much I’ve missed it until I got to the location and met this family!  Once we got going…I just couldn’t stop smiling!  My back seemed to hold up pretty well, thank the good Lord! 

Schuster Family, et al…I hope you love your sneak peek.  You have a beautiful family inside and out and were just a joy to photograph!  I will send along the password to your gallery this evening!

And the winner of the 2012 Senior Photosession & Collection Giveaway is……

JACY GANSZ

Congratulations Jacy! 

Thank you to each and every one of you for participating.  I had so much fun and look forward to next Black Friday!