And the winner is....

I am please to announce the winner of my April Facebook contest, one of my long time clients, Jamie Levin!

She was in the hospital on bed rest pregnant with twin girls during the promotion and with all the time she had on her hands, she was able to get in a lot of friend and family participation in the contest and all her hard work paid off! She won the shoot for her beautiful daughters, Kaia and Elyana Levin, who were born on April 19th, 2010!

We got together last night for their much anticipated and hard earned photo shoot. I was pleased to see that they were both asleep when they got to my studio, thinking I'd have an easy shoot...you'd think I've been doing this long enough to know better by now.

Needless to say, when working with babies they're never as easy as you hope and with twins, it was double the trouble! Don't get me wrong, they were sweet and adorable, but it seemed like every time we got them situated one would start to fuss. As mom worked on settling that one down, the other would start to act up. What was supposed to be (in my head) an easy one hour, turned out to be a long and bumpy two hours. But never the less, I enjoyed every minute of it and can't wait for my next opportunity to photograph these beautiful babies!

Here are some of my favorite shots from last night....I will post more soon.

FREE PHOTO SHOOT GIVEAWAY!

That's right, I'm giving away a FREE 1 hour portrait session, and big discounts for EVERYONE who participates!

How to enter...

If you've ever had your photos taken by Stacy Marie Photography, then you need to post one of your favorite photos to my photography Facebook Fan page http://www.facebook.com/pages/Salt-Lake-City-UT/Stacy-Marie-Photography/353906323916 then tell ALL your friends to become a fan and vote for your photo. The way you can vote is by leaving a comment on the photo. The photo with the most votes will win a FREE 1 HOUR PORTRAIT SESSION! The session can be on location or in my studio and includes the high resolution CD with all the images and the copyright release!

Haven't had your photos taken by Stacy Marie Photography yet? That's ok, because EVERYONE that votes on a photo will get a portrait session for 25% off!* That's a 1 hour portrait session (regularly $125.00) for only $93.75!! Or a 2 hour portrait session (regularly $175.00) for only $131.25!! And yes, they also include the high resolution CD with all the images and the copyright release. PLUS, the 2 hour sessions includes 2 locations!

So, go to http://www.facebook.com/pages/Salt-Lake-City-UT/Stacy-Marie-Photography/353906323916, post your favorite SMP photo on my wall, and vote. Tell everyone you know cause you need the most votes to win and the more people that vote the more people will be able to take advantage of my 25% off discounts!

*Free portrait session can be an individual, or family portrait session. Does not apply to an extended family photo session. Discounts do not apply to photo shoots that are already booked. Contest starts 3/30/10 and ends on 4/10/10. Free shoot and all discounted shoots must be booked by May 31, 2010.

Amy

I always love shoots that are out of the ordinary. The more dramatic and crazy, the better with me. I welcome people's unique ideas and spontaneity. This was one of those shoots.

Amy came to me with a crazy Alice in Wonderland sort of idea and it totally rocked. I loved everything from her crazy hair and makeup, to her willingness to try any pose I put her in. She was super easy to work with and really knew how to move with the camera.

Check out some of my favorite shots and let me know what you think!

Chelsey and Bradyn - Engagements

I took these engagement photos back on March 2. We started up the canyon, then took a few at Temple Square, where he proposed, and ended the session down at the Great Salt Lake. They are both super photogenic and easy to work with. I had a lot of fun with this shoot. The weather, despite a little wind, was awesome that day and the timing could not have been better as we caught an amazing sunset to finish off the shoot!

Here are some of my favorites:

New Facebook Fan Page!

I just created a Facebook Fan Page to keep my friends and clients updated on my latest news and to reach out to more people. So if you're not already a fan, you should become one! You can stay updated on my current photo shoots, see my latest photos and be aware of specials, events and promotions before anyone else! If you're already a fan, then continue the support by spreading the word! http://www.facebook.com/pages/Salt-Lake-City-UT/Stacy-Marie-Photography/353906323916

Please don't hesitate to leave your comments or shoot me an email, whether you have questions about how I created some of my shots, would like to leave some feedback, want to inquire about scheduling a shoot, or you just want to say hi! I always love to hear from my clients and friends and it's nice to know who's out there.

Theresa and Larry - February 24, 2010

I had the privilege of photographing some of my favorite clients down at Shaw's cove at Laguna Beach this past week. I first met Theresa and Larry back in September 2007 when they hired me to photograph their wedding, in beautiful Millcreek Canyon. They are an older couple with so much spark and charisma, I had so much fun working with them and capturing their wedding. About a year later they hired me again to take some fall portraits of them so we went back up Millcreek and took some fun shots with the beautiful fall foliage. Now, two and a half years later, they have since relocated to California and hired me once again to take some portraits of them.

Last Wednesday was the shoot and the weather could not have been more perfect. We were the only ones on the beach and the shoot was stunning and as always, so much fun!

Here are a few from the day...

Booking your wedding photographer

Did you recently get engaged? If so, it's time to start planning the most important day of your life! One of the first things you should book is your photographer. There are a few things to consider when looking for a photographer, and I have dedicated this blog post to helping you find the perfect wedding photographer.

First, figure out your spending limits. It's always good to have a budget when planning a wedding, but I strongly urge you NOT to skimp on your photography budget. Remember that no matter how beautiful your flowers are, or how delicious your cake may be, your wedding photos are your biggest investment because after all is said and done they are the only things you have to look back on. Your wedding photos will forever preserve your favorite moments from your big day!

Second, figure out what you like so you know what to look for. There are a TON of wedding photographers out there and each of them have a different style. Some are more traditional, some more modern and edgy. Some prefer the classic black and whites while others use more bold striking colors. Some use a lot of posing and others just shoot candids. So look through magazines, ask your friends who took their wedding photos and check out some wedding expos to get a feel for what's out there and what you like.

Third, schedule a consultation. Now that you know what you like and have found some photographers that you love, if you're having a hard time deciding, set up a time to meet with each of them to talk about your wedding and give the photographers a good idea of what you like and what you're looking for in a wedding photographer. Find out who's flexible on dates, prices, and packages. See if they offer the copyright release with your wedding photos. Some photographers do provide this, which gives you the ability to print and use the photos however and wherever you'd like, so it's a HUGE bonus. However, not all photographers give that up, so make sure you find out if the photographer you like, provides the copyright release. Also, don't be afraid to communicate with the photographers so they know exactly what you like and what you don't like! Any photographer that is not willing to cater to YOU and your style, is not worth working with. Some photographers out there have a certain style and certain "poses" they always use no matter who they are working with. So make sure the photographer you choose is willing to work with you, cause you don't want your photos to look like everyone else's.

Finally, and most important, now that you've found a photographer you like and have decided to go with them, MAKE SURE YOU SIGN A CONTRACT WITH THEM! I strongly recommend that you stay away from any photographers that do not require you sign a contract when you book them! Unfortunately there are a lot of scammers out there who are taking advantage of the wedding and photography industry and I've heard way too many horror stories from brides that did not protect themselves with a contract. So make sure they have one and read it over very carefully. You want to make sure that the contract not only protects the photographer, but that it also protects you!

Planning your wedding should be fun but it can get stressful. So hopefully this will help in at least one of your planning steps and take some of the stress out of it.

Please check out my website, StacyMariePhotography.com and see if I have what you're looking for! I offer preset and customizable wedding packages. I am very flexible and I work very hard with each of my clients to make sure that their photos truly bring out their own personality and style and make each photo shoot beautifully unique.

If you are interested in setting up a free consultation with me, please email me at Stacy@StacyMariePhotography.com.