Madelyn

I was so honored to be contacted by Glenn "The Funny Songman" from Q-104. I am a loyal listener and was thrilled when he e-mailed me to see if I would be willing to photograph his beautiful baby Madelyn. She is absolutely adorable!



Thanks Glenn and Stephanie!!



P.S. In order to promote traffic in the comment section of my blog, I am giving away a $25 Church Street Gift Certificate to the 4th person that leaves a comment on both my blog and Glenn Anderson's blog on Q-104. It must be on his "Madelyn photography post". Just click here : http://babyspace-glenn.blogspot.com/

Noodle

I just wanted to post Noodle's ( "Nuno" as my Nephew calls her) latest picture. She is softer than she looks!

Fun things to do...

I just wanted to share a couple events that I'm so bummed that I will miss. First of all, one of my FAVORITE food establishments in Lorain County is the ever so popular Church St. Bar and Grill in Amherst. I LOVE their BBQ double baked wings and fresh cut fries.

Anyhow, this Saturday May 3rd ( in honor of Mother's Day), Church St. is hosting the 1st annual Mother's Day brunch. If you have any problems reading this ad, feel free to give them a call. Reservations are requested by Friday.

In honor of Mother's Day I am having another contest. Since Mother's Day is on the 11th, I am giving away a $20 gift certificate to Church Street to the 11th person that e-mails me with something wonderful about your Mother you would like to share.

I'll post the other event info later in the week.

Good luck on the $20 GIFT CERTIFICATE!!!

Best Birthday Present EVER!

Bill and I just got back from the WPPI Convention in Las Vegas. While we were away I received the best birthday gift of my life. My sister had her baby! She is beautiful! Vivian Joy Cruz (they named her middle name after my middle name :-)

I'm so excited for her...St. Patty's Day Birthdays ROCK!!

Congratulations...I love you!!!

My Favorite!

Chad is a past groom of mine and an excellent musician! Check out his pix at our new studio!

1st studio portraits

On Saturday, Bill shot the first portraits in the new studio. They just happen to be my awesome family! I'm so excited about the lighting in there. There are huge 8 foot windows that bounce around the most beautiful light.

For any seniors out there that still have yet to be photographed, we are running a great winter special. Give us a call @ 440-366-5189.

~Becky

Tip of the day

One of my clients was here the other day placing her order for baby portraits. She was talking about how important her photographs were to her. She said she just doesn't splurge on anything except for portraits of her children.

As we were talking I mentioned how everytime you hear about a home fire, besides the family/pets, the most important thing that a family might lose are the photographs. Think about it...if your house burned to the ground, would you miss your t.v. or your couch? Would you miss your clothes or your dishes? All of those things are meaningless. The one thing you would miss would be your pictures (both amateur and professional). They are memories kept alive by little pieces of paper.

Which brings me to the wonderful thing she does! She keeps the actual photographs at her house and the takes the negatives/cd's to her parent's house. What a great idea! With very little effort you could save yourself from a lot of unnecessary loss.

Have a great weekend!
Becky

And the winner is...

drum roll please...NANCI HARDWICK!!! You are the winner of the first official Studio 60 at the Old Schoolhouse contest. You have won a $50 gift certificate to Fine Bella Salon & Spa in Avon Lake. Congratulations!

Thank you to everyone who e-mailed. Thankfully there are some great proof-readers that helped correct some of my mistakes (I'm sure there are more).

Check back to the blog often for more upcoming contests!

Becky & Bill

Last Few Hours

It's not too late to enter for the Fine Bella Salon and Spa $50 gift Certificate!! Even though I go to bed at 9, any e-mail before midnight tonight will be entered. Check back tomorrow to see if you're the winner!

Thank you everyone for all your feedback!

Good luck and stay warm!!

NEW WEBSITE!!!

Yeah...it's finally ready! Our new website for Studio 60 at the Old Schoolhouse is ready. The web address is http://www.studio60portraits.com/. E-mail me through the site and let me know what you think.

Anyone who e-mails me through the site between now and February 11th will be entered into a drawing to recieve a $50 gift certificate to Fine Bella Salon (http://www.finebella.com/).

A great Valentine's gift for yourself or your sweetheart. One entry per person please.

Thanks for checking it out!

Wow...What a year!

Let me start by saying Thank you to all of my wonderful clients! I lOVE photography and if it weren't for you, Becky's Photography wouldn't exist. I have a few announcements to make...

First let me say that the "Friendship Animal Protective League" is having a fundraiser this weekend and it's not too late to enter your pet in the photo contest. Just take a photo and $5 there and enter your adorable pet. Which leads me to my next announcement...

For the first time I was able to enter because we finally have a pet (besides a hermit crab). The newest addition to our family is "Noodle". She is a 4 month old Bichon Frise. I bought her for Taylor and Trevor for Christmas but by the time they met her, she was already named and sporting a "sparkling" pink collar. Sorry boys! Here is her adorable pix...

We also have another addition to our family...A NEW STUDIO!!! I'm so excited and will blog with the details next week. Bill and I are going to Professional Photographers Of America for the next 4 days to learn the in's and out's of running a retail studio...wish us luck!!

Dave & Joey

I love this time of year! The leaves are so beautiful and the temps are perfect (for me anyway). Yesterday evening we got together with Dave & Joey to photograph their engagement portraits. I didn't tell my boys what we were doing because I knew it wouldn't take too long and we were going to the park where they can play and run around. They ended up catching this crawfish! It was huge!

Thanks Dave for being such a good sport and posing on playground equipment! Joey, you have a keeper! Sorry Trevor, that your crawfish wasn't so lucky!

Happy Halloween!

What a blast! Last night we took 2nd place at Church St. in Amherst! Move over Blue Man...here we come!

Fox 8 Contest

Thank you for your nomination Gail!!!

I wanted to let everyone know that I was nominated in a best wedding photographer contest. Please click on the link below to vote or post comments.

Thanks for your support!
Becky :-)


http://myfoxcleveland.cityvoter.com/Contests/ShowCategory.aspx?contestCategory=1645

Furry Friend Fotos

Do you love your furry friend? Here is the perfect opportunity to have he or she professionally photographed while helping out one of your local animal rescues, Love-A-Stray!

Feel free to visit their website at:

www.love-a-stray.petfinder.com

Seabrook Island

These are a few images from Seabrook Island. The best part was crabbing. Trevor is checking out the catch of the day!

MY 1st CONTEST!

I've just realized that this post will show up before the last (see previous blog for explanation).

Since my boys are very meal deprived...I am holding my first contest. I am not...and I mean NOT going to win the "mother of the year" award. I need a lot of help:

The 1st person to e-mail me a dinner recipe with 5 ingredients or less will receive a complimentary family portrait (in the fall, in the leaves and tons of fun!) w/ a framed 11x14!

You can e-mail the recipe @ bpix@oh.rr.com

Taylor, Trevor and their mom thank you ;-)

+

The good 'ol days...

Just this afternoon my mom was over looking through the family photo files. I'm sure she was looking for the last family vacation pictures...Seabrook Island...the long lost pictures...you know the ones exactly 1 month ago. They try not to harp on me about seeing them (I'm sure they don't realize that I have 6 weddings to post and 7 albums to assemble). When I got home this evening, this was the picture on my computer.

Since this picture was taken (last june) Taylor has grown as tall as me and Trevor's hair is as long as mine...yada,yada,yada. I'll post the last "VACA PIX" tomorrow...I promise.

In the meantime, I didn't realize that as the boys are growing, so is their appetite! They let me know that am not cooking enough meals for them (as I brought them McDonalds at 9 p.m.)

As a result I am holding my 1st contest....drum roll please...

1st day of school!

Yea!!! School has started. Taylor and Trevor switched back to the public school and I am very excited. Not only can they ride their bikes but they are home for an extra 2 hours everyday.

Trevor said that he really didn't feel like the "new kid" since he already new about 30 kids in the 3rd grade.

I'm very excited about working out again with my friend Barb. I took the summer off and have a lot of catching up to do. She is an animal!

I've never posted images from our vacation (which was unbelievable). There are too many to pix. I will post them soon with rental information on Seabrook.

Have a great day!

Vacation Time!

This is how I feel about not working for almost 2 weeks!! I love photography...just need to recharge :-)

Just wanted to let everyone know that I will be gone Thursday August 2nd until Tuesday August 14th. I'm so excited! 4 generations of my family will be staying just south of Charleston in a beautiful home at Seabrook Island. I am so thankful to the family ( I've had the wonderful opportunity to photograph both daughters' weddings ) for extending this invitation to us.

If you need to reach me, you can leave a message @ 440-366-5189 and I will call you back on the 14th or if it's urgent, feel free to call my cell @ 216-973-0156. You can also e-mail me @ bpix@oh.rr.com.

I'll be posting vacation pix when we return :-)

Becky

Is this Costa Rica or Elyria??

I am completely freaked out!! This spider was found by my son Trevor and his friends Alex and Hunter in our basement. I will be moving tomorrow...

Little League North Champs!!

Congratulations, Trevor and Team!!!

You are all AWESOME!!

more pix

Senior Special

Check out Jacqueline's session from yesterday! She was so much fun!

Believe it or not, the time is now. If you are going to be a senior next year, now is the time to have your senior portraits taken. I agree that it seems early, but once you start back to school scheduling is next to impossible. Between sports, work and school your year will fly by.

Every year I have seniors calling to have their pictures taken in April or May before graduation. While it can be done, it adds way to much stress to you and your parents. That is why I am offering a senior special for the month of July.

Session fee for the month of July= $30 & bring a friend for free!!! (2 seniors for less than the price of 1)

Call today to schedule your session! 440-366-5189

I love weddings!

This weekend I had the opportunity to photograph the wedding of Heather and Tom. They were a great couple! It's so exciting to be back into the swing of things. This was the start of a big season that I'm really looking forward to.

I have to mention that if anyone tried to e-mail me yesterday...I didn't get it. Sorry. Somehow all my e-mails are GONE!! Please retry...

Have a beautiful day!

Pig Pen...

Help! I need help!! Everyday my son, Trevor, comes home with more colors on his shirt than a box of Crayola crayons. I thought sending them to a school that required uniforms was a great idea...WRONG!! I had visions of military school students with their polished black shoes, shirt tucked in with a nice black belt.

I want to know...where did I go wrong?!?!?

If there's ANY advice out there...I need it.

Vegas...

I've been to Vegas at least 10 times (our photography seminars are always there). This was not only the first time I've actually seen the "Welcome to Vegas" sign but it's also the first time that I've had the opportunity to photograph a session there. Sarah and James (my 07-07-07 wedding) happen to live there. Sorry to all the other four hundred and thirty seven brides that called for that date!

I had a great time photographing them. The session took about an hour but we only shot for a total of 10 minutes. The other 50 minutes we spent in their SUV driving 2.4 miles...LOL! Anyone that's ever been to Vegas understands just how true that is!

Sarah and James, I'm looking forward to spending your whole wedding day with you! I'll try to keep us out of trouble with the law!

Back in O-high-O!

Heather are George are flying high in sunny Ohio!

New Business Card

Well...it's finally time to breathe! I love this time of year...very little photography going on (except those brides and grooms that wait months...no, years to order). I'm not complaining! I love staying moderately busy. I am in the process of shooting an ariel job...as soon as the weather cooperates. If anyone needs ariel photography, give me a call. Joe Schmidt is a great pilot with a cool little helicopter!

I'm definately staying busy with marketing, networking and seminars. My mom is in Utah visiting my sister and her family. I wanted to post these new business cards, since she's the first person I would show, but she's not here.

Bill and I just got back from the SENIOR PORTRAIT ARTIST seminar in Texas. It was awesome. There were so many amazing portrait photographers there. I am very excited about everything we learned and if anyone knows of any high school juniors in need of senior portraits...it's not too early to contact me. I have wonderful pre-season sign up bonuses!

Well, I have to run...I mean skate (roller skating with the boys' school tonight)!

VanValkenburg Grandkids

This is for you, Mom! I love you!

Happy New Year

I just wanted to share the 1st family portrait of 2007 with you. It is my sister and her family. It was so nice having them here for 2 weeks. The highlight of their trip was the night we spent at Kalahari in Sandusky. It was awesome! I highly recommend Kalahari for a quick little family trip. Sammy was so good! He loved the water and just like his Aunt Susan, he likes to people watch.

Like many of you, I have made quite a list of New Year's resolutions. My clients will be happy to know that one of them is quicker turn-around time for your orders. I have made a few changes in production that should speed up the process this year. If you are still waiting for orders that you didn't need for Christmas, I am hoping to have them all done by the time I go to Texas for the Senior Portrait Artist Seminar January 16th. If you are wondering...please don't hesitate to call or e-mail me.

I will also be posting special promotionals soon...keep checking back for more info!

I want to send out a very special Birthday wish to my Grandma! Happy Birthday, Grandma Van! We love you!

Merry Christmas!!

I loved Christmas this year with my nephew, Sam!! He was so fun to watch him with his new toys. I just wanted to share his 1st Christmas pix.

Happy New Year!

While I'm patiently waiting

for Trevor to finish his homework (10 minutes before it's time to leave for school), I thought I would take these frustrating few moments to let you all know that it's not too late to order holiday cards. If you have a special wedding or portrait image you would like to share with family and friends this holiday season just give me a "ring" (that's not a hint for you Bill!). It only takes a few days.

With all the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, take a few minutes each day to "breathe". Like Alan Fee (the best morning talk show on Q104) says, "be at peace".