seedlings photography {the blog}

I’m about to head out of town to attend a photography convention – a huge opportunity to take some classes, meet other photographers, and explore fabulous new products for my fabulous clients! Please pardon any delays in responding to messages. Before I sign off for a week, I wanted to share images from another session as I’m still playing catch-up.

Meet darling Scarlett…

(Don’t you love a good crying photo?)

And while I’m gone…keep an eye on the blog for The Nursery Contest finalists and your chance to cast your vote!

~ Jennifer

Say what!?

You still haven’t entered for your chance to win a free session?  There’s still time, but not much! Deadline for entries into the Nursery Contest is end of day tomorrow, the 28th.  Send in your snapshots, and your little one could be the star of a photo session, just like little CJ up there.  (I’ll share more of him later!)

Find all the details for contest entry here.

Is your baby between 5 and 12 months old (ideally sitting!)?

Do you have a super cool nursery?

Would you be interested in winning a free session?

If you answered yes to all three of these questions, we would love to see pictures. What’s in it for you? A chance to win a free photography session featuring your baby and your nursery! We would like to see between 1-4 photographs of your space. At least one photograph must include your child in the nursery itself. We are looking for creative use of light, color and design elements. Images must be taken by you or someone in your family (we are really saying “please don’t submit images taken by another professional photographer.”)

All submissions must be received by midnight, February 28, 2010.

Entries will be judged by a panel of photographers who will narrow down the selection to no more than 5 nurseries. The finalists will be posted on the Seedlings Photography blog and the winner will be chosen via a public voting poll. Voting will occur between March 7-March 13, 2010. There are specific rules around voting that will be clarified during the voting round of the contest.

Winners will be announced on March 15, 2010.  Winning session must take place between March 22 – May 22. Winners must sign a release to allow Seedlings Photography to display images on blog, website, Facebook Business Page and any other print or web materials as deemed appropriate.

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Don’t live in Pittsburgh? Have friends across the country? Check out these photographers who have nursery contests running in other cities! Their contest, terms and conditions may vary, so please make sure you read the details with care.

Birmingham, AL: Stephanie Fisher Photography
Northwest Alabama: Jennifer Weddington Photography
Denver, CO: Laura Werner of Vibrant Life Photography
Connecticut: Crista Acosta Photography
Central Indiana: Kristi Hibbetts Photography
Metro New Orleans, LA: Amy Drouet Photography
Frederick, MD & Washington DC/Baltimore metro: Shey Marin Photography
Boston, MA (including North Shore & Metro-West): Kristina Young Photography
Mississippi Gulf Coast and Pearl River County: Emotional Imagery by Brandi Head Photography
Central New Jersey: Kim Schmidt Photography
Northern New Jersey: Christie Adams Photography
Cincinnati, OH and Northern Kentucky Area: Jessica Wright of Memories That R Precious
Columbus, OH: Andrea Roberts Photography
Philadelphia and Main Line, PA: Bernadette Uzcategui Photography
Rhode Island and South Shore of Boston: Amy Ro Photography
Houston, TX: Kerri Mathis Photography
Northern VA/Washington DC: Little Moon Photography
Seattle/Bellevue/Tacoma, WA (and surrounding areas): Susan Berman of Whimsical Photo Design
Spokane, WA: Jaidean Baker Photography

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The Fine Print.

This is our contest, we make the rules. We have researched many different ways of voting and there are pros and cons and hanging chads in just about every method out there. This is how we have decided to run our contest, if it’s not a fit for you, we respectfully accept your decision to decline participation. We also know there are ways to work around the system, so we will actively monitor IP addresses and research anything that appears to be fishy. We reserve the right to disqualify any entry that appears to be suspicious.

All participants must agree to sign a model release allowing images to be displayed on participating blogs. Winning participants must sign a release allowing images taken by participating photographers to be displayed on web site, blog, Facebook and print advertising sources. Participants must also agree to standard Terms & Conditions of participating photographers.

Winning participants will receive a complimentary 30-minute mini-session from Seedlings Photography plus (1) 8×10 print and (2) 5×7 prints of their choice.  Additional products may be purchased at 10% off regular prices. The session will take place in the winner’s home, focusing on nursery and baby. Participant must reside within 20 miles of Pittsburgh.  Regular session terms and conditions apply.

We require an electronically marked consent that you are entering this contest voluntarily and that participating photographer is not promising any winnings or other compensation for participation.

If you’d like to enter the contest, please click HERE to complete all the necessary information and submit the form.

If you’ve got a little extra wall space, here’s your chance to beautify it!

Please contact me with any questions!

Why, yes! Yes they can. Friend and colleague Andrea Roberts of Andrea Roberts Photography in Columbus, OH, recently had the opportunity to beta test the fabulous new photo texturing program from Totally Rad Actions called Dirty Pictures. Lucky me – she used one of my photos in the process. Below is a before and after.

Clean…

Dirty…

Take a look at Andrea’s blog to see a variety of applications on images from fabulous photographers from across the country. Sometimes, getting dirty is a good thing!

~ Jennifer

The recipient of the “Giving is Awesome” giveaway was nominated by Kara McMonagle! I’ll be contacting you soon with further instructions. Thank you for your submissions!

2009 is already off and running and soon you’ll be seeing a new look for Seedlings Photography. Until then, I wanted to share some images of the new coffee table albums that are now available. I absolutely love the clean and simple look of these albums and I hope you do too.

Each album features up to 30 images from your session, 5×7 in size, printed directly onto thick photographic album pages. The album itself is 9″x9″ and features a customized, waterproof photocover. You really need to see a book in person to appreciate how impressive they are.

We are also offering a mini version of this album with a leather cover – a perfect way to keep images from a belly session or to give the gift of newborn images to the grandparents.

Happy 2009!
- Jennifer

a Very Merry Christmas, a Happy Hanukkah, a Healthy and Prosperous New Year, or a Jolly Good Time celebrating any other holiday of choice!

I will be taking some time off to enjoy the holidays myself and may not be prompt in responding to emails and phone calls over the next week and a half.

In the meantime…don’t forget to get nominating for the GIVING IS AWESOME giveaway! I’m sure there are plenty of deserving people out there… tell me who they are!

The amazing Kristen Kalp of Essential Imagery has begun a wonderful movement involving hundreds of photographers across America, each giving away services to a worthy family this holiday season. I’ve decided to participate and hope you will help me make this a success – spread the word!

The scoop:

You know someone. You know someone who’s experienced a tragedy, is struggling to stay afloat, is raising kids while holding down more than one job, or is volunteering selflessly despite extenuating personal circumstances. You know someone who can’t afford custom photography, but who would cherish it this holiday season. You know someone who deserves a year-round reminder of their family’s spirit, love, and beauty.

You know someone. I guarantee it.

I want to know who they are, and I want to give them the chance to experience complimentary custom photography — over $1500 worth, to be exact. A session, a complete set of digital files, and a set of bordered 5×7 prints. It’s in your power to give them the artwork they deserve this holiday season.

Oh, and the best part? The person who nominates the winner receives a $250 gift certificate toward prints. What better reason to show some love could there possibly be, people?

The rules:

*The session must be for maternity, newborn, baby, or toddler. If this type of session is not suitable for your nominee, please view the list of participating photographers for a better match.

* You cannot nominate yourself, and the person nominated must sincerely be incapable of purchasing my services. (Being unable to make mortgage payments for a two-million-dollar-vacation-home in Paris does not qualify as sincere financial need.)

* The nominee must reside in the Pittsburgh, PA area. Tell me who you know, what they’re experiencing, and why they deserve my artwork. Please include a way to contact both your nominee and yourself as well.

* You must e-mail me the full story : info@seedlingsphotography.com.

Entries must be received by 12:00 noon, January 1st. The winner will be announced on January 5 — get nominating! I can’t wait to read all of your entries!

Open your heart to someone this holiday season — and thanks for giving me the opportunity to open mine.

With love,

Jennifer

to get ready for the coming holidays. Seedlings Photography offers custom holiday photo greeting cards! Cards are double sided and press printed on fine art papers. Below is just one of the designs available for 2008.

If you’ve already completed your session this year and are interested in cards, please contact me for more information or to view additional designs.