Family Love!

I shot a really run family style shoot last weekends. What's up with all these people going outside for portraits in January? ;)

Here's a few...or a lot. 8 people!

A candid group shots


This cutie is a friend at Riley's daycare


Solo role call (minus the name part)...















FUN!!!


One of my favorite captures thus far :)


Sun Setting on the way home. This was taken on my iPhone! Can you believe it? It takes pretty good photos, but I don't recommend doing it while driving.

Rustic Engagement Session?

I shot a great e-session this week at my "secret" spot. They decided to get done in the middle of January. Crazy? Maybe. :)Here is just a few random eye catchers. I'm looking forward to their wedding in September!



I love eerie, electric pink swingsets.






I tried to make the seem serious and mysterious...


But they really arent!

#59- Check! + New Portrait Pricing

So I dropped my phone in the toilet...



But the good news is it was replaced by this thing of beauty!



"#59- Get a fancy phone."
I'm going to mess it up so bad! I drop my phones, bang my cameras, toss my kids (just kidding). Its already got a scratch, she will be put to good use though. Plus I got to cross off another 101!

New portrait pricing is in effect.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW NEW PORTRAIT PRICING AND INFO.

Last Chance

New portrait pricing is released in 2 days (1/23)!

The NEW Premium Portrait Session
$350
-time and talent
-$100 print credit
-private online viewing and order gallery

Everything is the same as the current session, except this new sessions have $100 LESS of a print credit. Prints and products are slightly higher as well, and I emphasize slightly.

To book with the current sessions pricing, contact me before the 23rd. You may save your session(s) for use at a later date. I will post the new portrait handbook with detailed pricing on the 23rd as well.

Also I want to mention that if we've had a session in the past you also receive a $50 discount on any future session (woo hoo!), that is written in the info booklets I give you during our session (in case you all forget... or don't read them!)

As mentioned previously, wedding rates will also be changing in the spring (or when I fill up my 2008 calender, whichever comes first). I do schedule a limited amount of weddings per year, availability is limited.

By the way I thought of really AWESOME contest to have. But I won't be doing it anytime soon, don't you love teasers?

Sorry for the rambling.

Happy Monday!!!!!

Snowy

Just a little bit!

I had Laila in a car seat carrier in one hand and my camera in the other. Thats skill. ;)

# 50- Check!

"50. Frame and display one of Riley's drawings."

Riley's artwork has finally graduated from the fridge to the wall.





This might need a little explaining. The big pink circle person with curly green hair, is of course Riley. I am in the green and Laila is orange. There is also a sun in the upper left corner, a few trees and clouds above our heads, a bird and purple grass! She drew another one of me today playing football, its very funny.

Also, this morning I perfectly ignored another task (#95. Meet, talk to and photograph a real Australian.).

I had a stranger come by to pick something up from me, during our small talk I noticed her accent and asked "Where are you from?". She replied "Australia, but I'm originally from New Zealand" then I just stupidly said "oh wow, I've always loved Australian accents".

She left. I sat down to finish what I was doing on the computer before she came and *ding* it hit me. There was my number 95! But I didn't take a photo. She probably would of though I was really nuts anyway, I still have 2.75 years to try again.

Shelby Leigh's 101 in 1001

I am jumping on the band wagon, creating a list of 101 things to accomplish in 1001 days! It took me a couple hours to compile this list but I am happy with what I came up with. I had to scale down my naturally ambitious mind and keep some things simple, if I wrote down all the things I came up with and accomplished them, I might not have anything left to do for the rest of my life!

Bookmark this post to keep up with what I've completed (or not) and post a link to your list in a comment for me to save.

The Mission:
Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.

The Criteria:
Tasks must be specific (ie. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (ie. represent some amount of work on my part).

Why 1001 Days?
Many people have created lists in the past - frequently simple goals such as New Year's resolutions. The key to beating procrastination is to set a deadline that is realistic. 1001 Days (about 2.75 years) is a better period of time than a year, because it allows you several seasons to complete the tasks, which is better for organising and timing some tasks such as overseas trips or outdoor activities.

Some common goal setting tips:
1. Be decisive. Know exactly what you want, why you want it, and how you plan to achieve it.

2. Stay Focused. Any goal requires sustained focus from beginning to end. Constantly evaluate your progress.

3. Welcome Failure. Frequently, very little is learned from a venture that did not experience failure in some form. Failure presents the opportunity to learn and makes the success more worthy.

4. Write down your goals. It clarifies your thinking and reinforces your commitment.

5. Keep your goals in sight. Review them frequently, and ensure that they are always at the forefront of your thinking.


MY START DATE: 1/12/2007
MY END DATE: 10/9/2010

KEY:
BOLD: Completed.
ITALIC: in progress.

1. Create a family photo album.
2. Learn another language.
3. Learn to play the piano (or other musical instrument).
4. Volunteer for a worthy cause.
5. Read 10 books in 10 consecutive weeks. (0/10) COMPLETED 4/2010
6. Photograph a wedding out of state. COMPLETED 10/18/2008
7. Photograph a wedding out of the country (US).
8. Vote. COMPLETED 11/4/2008
9. Open a studio/office space.
10. Skydive
11. Visit Europe for leisure. COMPLETED 7/2010
12. Get a professional massage. COMPLETED 05/2009
13. Take a picture a day for 30 days. (0/30)
14. Get another tattoo. COMPLETED 5/12/2008
15. Go on a picnic. COMPLETED 5/2010
16. Go on a cruise. COMPLETED 7/2010
17. Teach photography to someone.
18. Be published photographically. COMPLETED 2/09
19. Take a class on something new.
20. Try a new cuisine every week for 7 weeks. (7/7) COMPLETED
21. Eliminate my facial scar.
22. Read the newspaper everyday for 30 days. (0/30)
23. Buy a new car- bye bye Stella. COMPLETED 5/29/08
24. Go camping. COMPLETED
25. Join/use Flickr.
26. Throw a dinner party.
27. Go to the Renaissance Festival for the first time.
28. Buy a house. COMPLETED 9/25/09
29. Enroll riley and/or laila in a dancing class. COMPLETED 1/7/2009
30. Scale/keep the toys in our house down to two bins.
31. Buy an entire new pajama wardrobe.
32. Buy a new point and shoot camera.
33. Buy a fisheye lens. COMPLETED 3/15/2008
34. Launch promsessions.com.
35. Apply to 5 tv game shows. (0/5)
36. Knit a scarf.
37. Go on a photoshoot location scouting adventure.
38. Get a tax id number...finally (shhh).
39. Buy a right hand ring. COMPLETED
40. Get rid of my "i might wear that someday collection". COMPLETED 9/09
41. Donate blood.
42. Invest in a stock.
43. Take pictures of all the girls of the family in 08'.
44. Ride a horse with Riley.
45. Make 5 people i know watch The Secret, whether they like it or not. (5/5) COMPLETES 3/2008
46. Get up at 6 am everyday for 14 days and work non stop until a child awakes. (14/14)
47. Compile a list of 25 yummy vegetarian recipes (2/25).
48. Attend at least 2 photography workshops (2/2). COMPLETED
49. Attend a WPPI convention. COMPLETED 2/09
50. Frame and display one of Riley's drawings. COMPLETED 1/15/08
51. Study Buddhism.
52. Blog everyday for 30 days. (0/30)
53. Get into shape (i.e. when my love handles don't hang over my jeans) :)
54. Fly in a hot air balloon.
55. Sponsor a child in a third world country.
55. Fly in a helicopter.
56. Go Geocaching.
57. Clean my personal email box (only 1k+ emails/spam to go through!)
58. Replace all light bulbs in my home with compact fluorescent. COMPLETED
59. Get a fancy phone. COMPLETED 1/24/08
60. Give a compliment/praise a day for 30 days. (0/30)
61. Sing Karaoke. COMPLETED 12/08
62. Buy something from Etsy. COMPLETED 9/2008
63. Convert my home movies to DVD's.
64. Visit 1 of the 7 Wonders of the World.
65. Find the perfect "little black dress".
66. Adopt a pet. COMPLETED 10/2009
67. Reduce my worldly possessions by 101 things. COMPLETED 9/09
68. Get a fancy blog redesign. COMPLETED 2/2008
69. Create a logo I am completely happy with and won't change for many many years to come.
70. Become CPR certified.
71. Go to Chicago to visit old friends.
72. Enter a print competition.
73. Solve the Rubik's cube.
74. Learn off camera lighting.
75. Buy ShowIt.
76. Hold a super super fun contest. COMPLETED 6/09
77. Create a signature product of some sort.
78. Fire a gun. COMPLETE 3/2010
79. Take pictures of every completed task on this list.
80. Carry a camera with me everyday from the start of this list. (0/1001)
81. Buy a shootsac. COMPLETE 2/26/08
82. Buy a cooky cover for my shootsac. COMPLETED 2/26/08
83. Participate in a bridal fair.
84. Take at least one photo of all my relatives in Montana.
85. Take at least one photo of all my relatives in Maryland.
85. Edit and organize every last personal image I've taken.
86. Submit photos of Riley and Laila to at least 2 modeling agencies. (0/2)
87. Meet 5 photographers I admire. (5/5) COMPLETED
88. Go to Las Vegas. COMPLETED 9/13/08
89. Plan a surprise party. COMPLETED 8/09
90. Attend an Oprah show.
91. Visit B&H in New York and buy something.
92. Try a bedtime routine with Riley for one consecutive week. (7/7) COMPLETED
93. Buy a plant and keep it alive for 6 months. COMPLETED
94. Send out an e-newsletter every month for 1 year. (2/12)
95. Meet, talk to, and photograph a real Australian.
96. Photograph my best friend and her boyfriend. COMPLETED 07/09
97. Publish and sell at least 5 copies of a book on lulu.
98. Own a watch. COMPLETED 8/2008
99. Buy a lottery ticket. COMPLETED
100. Post a video on YouTube. COMPLETED
101. Donate $100 to charity for every task not completed (going big, more reason to complete them all!).

1/5/08 Wedding

I wouldn't call myself wordy so just enjoy photos from yesterdays wedding in Baltimore! This is what I'm doing with my lazy Sunday, so I apologize for the image overload. The last time I had photos up this fast was pre-Laila!

On a personal peeved note, my upstairs/directly above me neighbor got a new sound system installed yesterday and I have a feeling I'm going to be hearing this loud thumping bass all day from his video games. The same neighbor who got mad at my for nailing pictures in the wall last week. He's lucky I'm a bit more mature, but I can't promise mama bear won't come out if this goes on all night! :)


Last touches








Down the aisle!





Does this shot look familiar?


I got lucky here, someone elses flash went off at the same time. Nice effect!



A small celebration



A few portraits




First dance


Sweet cake cutting



Not!!


uh oh


All's fair in love and war.


Now for some real dancing. THere are always a few people at the reception that are little mire "into it" then the rest. These people win thise awards on my blog tonight...

Says it all!


He was on the dance floor longer than anyone.





One last dance.

2008 Pricing Release Soon

PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT: I will be releasing a slightly different/higher portrait pricing for 2008 this month! If you'd like to purchase sessions at the current price email shelby@shelbyleigh.com, and you can save the session for a later date. Wedding rates will also be changing in the spring!

Off to a wedding today!

New Year, New Senior.

Happy New Year! New year means BIGGER pictures.

A senior I photographed in downtown Annapolis last week...