Charlotte, NC wedding photographer, senior portraits photographer » Charlotte NC photography- weddings, senior portraits, headshots, family photography in NC

Nothing beats adopting a dog for Christmas! NMAR has a brand new website that is extremely easy to navigate. Check it out and please consider giving a pup a home this Christmas! If you aren’t ready to adopt but would like to give to a good cause, please consider making a donation. They need all the help they can get to keep the dogs fed and warm through the winter! Access their holiday fundraiser through the main page. You can find other pet listings across the country on Petfinder.com.

My heart goes out to animals who have been abused. If I could take them all in, I would! I’m hoping that if I share the story of Kiki, someone will give her a good home:

KiKi is sweet and playful 4 year old. She gets along well with other dogs and people. She loves to snuggle. She is house/crate trained and does well on a leash. She does come with a few life scars. Her ears were cut off with scissors and she has a large scar all the way around her neck from a collar. But you would never know how badly she has been mistreated from the loving girl you see now. Kiki is heartworm negative and on preventative, spayed, and up to date on shots. Adoption fee is $100.

Congratulations to North Mecklenburg Animal Rescue! They won $50,000 from Pepsi to build an indoor animal shelter. In the past 10 years, they have found homes for over 2,000 animals. Their original location in Harrisburg was devastated by a flood last year. Funding was desperately needed to rebuild the shelter. I’m so happy for Beth and all the wonderful people who keep NMAR going. We adopted Kaya from them 2 years ago and would highly recommend NMAR to anyone interested in adopting. Check out the contest here and pet listings here. The adoption fee of $175 includes shots and spay/neuter. Here are a few cuties that are currently available:

What better way to get back to blogging in 2010 than with the wonderful news I received last November! A representative from the Knot Magazine called to tell me that I had been selected as one of their 2010 picks for best NC wedding photographers. Only five other Charlotte wedding photographers made the list. Check out the current issue of the Knot NC magazine to find top-rated venues, florists, cakes, etc! :)

Soooo….the time has finally come to hire an office assistant. It’s either that or go insane with the 14 hour days. Yes, I have been sitting in front of the computer for 12-14 hours a day for the past several years. I have too much work piling up and not enough hours in the day to finish it all.

I normally shoot up to 25 weddings per year. I’ve found that 20-25 is just too many for a one-person business. In addition to hiring someone to help me out, I plan to accept a much smaller number of weddings next year. I pride myself on having a quick turnaround on wedding galleries, album designs, and print orders. Taking on more weddings than I can handle definitely slows me down!

With so many other demands to meet, I can’t possibly keep up with my blog. I still need to blog a few 2008 weddings, not to mention all of my April- September weddings-yikes! I’m so excited about having a helping hand and also about photographing only a limited number of weddings next year. This will allow me to provide the best customer service experience from start to finish..and that is my ultimate goal! I want you to know that I care about you and your experience and I want it to be the BEST that it can be. Think about it…when was the last time you had amazing customer service?! I challenge you to think of one recent example that stands out….bet ‘cha it will take a while! ;-)

Since photographing Shelby’s senior portraits, I have been lusting over some Chuck Taylors….I mean, so what that I’m now 30-something…do you really have to be young and hip to sport them? They are the most successful shoe ever with shoe sales near 1 BILLION…yep, you read that right - illion with a B! =o I think I will be adding them to my Christmas list this year. I can’t believe another Christmas is just around the corner! Where did 2009 go!?

I’m so excited to start concentrating on what I’m most passionate about…senior portraits! Many of you received an email from me about this new venture in January…wow, where has the time gone!? If you didn’t receive that email, you probably heard me gushing over my seniors at networking meetings to anyone and everyone who would listen! I have been taking baby steps over past months to make it a reality. When wedding season kicked off in March, I had to move this project to the back burner. During the busy wedding season I eat, breathe, and sleep weddings! There is little time for my family much less another business!

Now I just need a little help from you! Please cast your vote for your favorite logo below. I am thrilled with the wide array of designs provided by the designers at 99designs….they are a very talented and diverse group! Of 95 total designs so far, I have narrowed it down to 5 favorites. New designs are added every day until the contest expires Monday at 10pm. Keep checking for new designs and keep the votes coming!

If your favorite isn’t listed in the poll, choose ‘other’ and fill in the blank under it with the number of your favorite design. Click ’share’ to share with friends on Facebook…please share the poll with juniors and seniors if they are in your network- I would love to get their opinions! My network tends to be middle-aged and out of the loop LOL! =)

I’ll announce the chosen logo on the blog at noon on Wednesday. To view the contest click here.
Thanks in advance for your votes!! I can’t wait to get your feedback!

I’m launching a new brand specializing in ONLY senior portraits. If you have been on my blog at all lately, you have seen me gushing over my seniors! I absolutely love working with them! This has been in the works since January, but I’m just now getting everything lined up! I would love a little feedback on the logo design contest I recently started at 99designs. The contest has only a few days remaining. There are already 46 designs! I have eliminated a few. New designs are added every day so please check it out over the weekend and let me know what you think by leaving a comment below. I wanted something that represented me….a down-to-earth, progressive, treehugger…bet ‘cha didn’t know I was one of those, huh? ;-) Click here to view contest.

Adding a sneak peek of Shelby’s session…can’t post a blog entry without a picture!

For the past year, I have been linking to my personal facebook page on the blog. As a result, I have a feeling that some of you know a little more about me than you would like! I just created a fan page here- check it out! The first 100 fans will receive $75 off portrait sessions plus an 11×14. They will receive $150 off wedding packages and all wedding files ($500 value). Offer expires November 1st. If you have been considering scheduling a portrait session or a wedding consultation, there is no time like now! I will be running special promotions on Facebook throughout the year.