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Monday, January 24, 2011

Two Drawings


Are y'all ready for a chance to get a great deal AND help a wonderful family adopt two orphans? 

I couldn't be more excited about this year's adoption fundraiser drawing! Watching a loving family open their home to an orphan is one of the few things that brings tears to my eyes.

Meet Steve and Nicole. 


Ladies, you know that girlfriend you have that blurs the lines between being a friend and a sister? That's who Nicole is to me. She's been there for me when I needed her most, engaged in more deep and encouraging conversations than I could count (while consuming an Olympic-sized pool worth of Starbucks), watched me give birth, and been such a part of my life.  To know Nicole is to love her. When my sister-in-law hung out with her for the first time, she later told me that Nicole was "one of the most genuine people I've ever met."

 Nicole and her husband Steve, who happens to be my hubby's good buddy, have two wonderful kids. I'll never forget listening to my phone message one Saturday in June.

"Alyssa, we need to talk.  There's something I need to tell you."

She and Steve felt that God was calling them to adopt, not one, but two kids. So this year, a little boy and a little girl from Ethopia will hopefully joining their family. Right now, their life is filled with all the work of an adoption process which of course involves high costs. 

So to help raise money for their adoption, we are doing two drawings. 

The winner of each drawing will be able to get a photo shoot and the CD of the processed images for $350. A regular sitting fee is usually priced between $100-$200 and the price of the cd is $500. So winning the drawing gives you a major discount! The photo shoot can be used for family, kids, couples, high school seniors or a newborn portraits.

Best of all, EVERY PENNY will go toward the adoption fund for this family.

There are two drawings this year because the wonderfully talented Janelle Bradshaw (who also happens to be Nicole's sister) has agreed to help out. One drawing will be for a session with her and one for a session with me. 

Janelle's work is gorgeous! She has done our family photos for a couple of years now and took the photo above.  You can view her photography HERE and HERE

Please note that Janelle is in Gaithersburg, Maryland and I am in Fairfax, Virginia. We're both willing to drive but obviously within reason. So keep this in mind when choosing which drawing to participate in.


Now for the details and rules!
 Please read them carefully before submitting your name:

*By entering your name in the drawing, you are agreeing to pay if you are chosen
*If you want your name put in the drawing, email me at: alyssa@alyssaannephotography.com by midnight on Monday, January 31st.
*Please specify in the email whether you would like your name put in Alyssa or Janelle's drawing (or you can double your chances by placing your name in both!).
*The winner will be chosen randomly and announced on this blog.
*The $350 is due within two weeks of the announcement of the winner.  If the winner does not pay in this period of time, a second name will be drawn; and the first will no longer be eligible.
*After you have paid, you will be mailed a gift certificate for a session and CD for you to use at your convenience. There is no expiration date.
*New and returning clients alike are both welcome to submit their names.
*The gift certificate may not be used for appointments that are already scheduled.

So start submitting those names, and let a friend know about it, too. Let's help Steve and Nicole bring their kids home!

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Arabelle {3 months}

This weekend I was back at Arabelle's house to see how much she's grown! Even at 3 months, she was all female, wanting to catch my eye and have a cooing version of a conversation. And aren't her blue eyes and rolls downright cherub-like?!

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If there are 25 different comments on this post in the next 5 days, Arabelle's mom and dad will get a free 5x7.

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Winner!

Thank you to everyone who voted giving this contest well over twice the amount of votes as last year's! It's time to announce the top three...

Now don't you hate it when a reality television show is about to announce an elimination or winner; and they have to drag it out with a long pause and the inevitable commercial break? Maybe I should cue some overly dramatic music and stop the post right here.

Naah!

So here we go...starting with the photo that came in 3rd place.


Second place goes to:


And the winner of the 2010 Favorite Photo Contest is:
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Congrats to little Maren and her parents!

Friday, January 7, 2011

2010 Favorite Photo Contest!!

It's here- the annual favorite photos contest! Thanks to all my fabulous clients who made 2010 a wonderful year!

The difficult job of narrowing it down to 12 of my favorite photos from last year is complete. Now that I've done the nominating, you're job is to be the judge. Just cast one vote at the bottom of this post. The prize for the winner is a $75 credit toward any prints or other items you want from the winning photo's session.

PLEASE NOTE: ONLY ONE VOTE PER PERSON. 

The contest will run for one week closing at midnight on January 14th.

So here, in no particular order, are this year's nominations:

#1
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#2
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#3
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#4
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#5
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#6
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#7
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#8
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#9
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#10
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#11
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#12
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Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Runners-Up Pt. 2

Here's the last set of runners-up.  Just two more days until the contest begins...

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Monday, January 3, 2011

Runners-Up to the 2010 Contest

My favorite time of year on the blog has become the annual favorite photo contest, and the 2010 edition is only days away! I had more trouble than ever this year narrowing it down to the final 12 contest photos.  I even solicited the help of my mom and three sisters because I was staring at 21 photos not wanting to cut a single one!
The photos that made the final cut were the ones that spoke to me the most as pieces of art. I loved the lighting or the perspective. However, this fall when our own family photos were taken by a friend of mine, it was funny how different I looked at those photos compared to how I look at a client's photos.  Suddenly I found myself scrutinizing the look on my child's face or whether or not the position I was in made me look like I'd eaten a case of donuts before the shoot. So I understand that my favorite may not have been your favorite, and that's why this year's first place prize is a $75 print credit toward anything from the session the winning photo was taken during.
My plan is to have the contest up and running on Friday; but for now, here's the first of two installments of some of the photos that were runners-up...

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Keep watching...there's more to come!!

About Me

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Mom of four, genuinely happy wife, photographer (though who's not these days), decorating wanna-be, coffee addict, laundry mountain climber, recipient of grace through faith.