THANK YOU all for the phone calls, text messages, emails and cards!!! :) We just got back from having "birthday breakfast" with my sister and her family. In a few hours we'll be heading to one of our favorite places in the world to spend a wonderful day together :) I'll do a b-day recap on Monday or so (since I still get to have a girls' day out on Sunday) :) Thanks again everyone!! XOXO!! Some PJ pics from last week........










Yeah, she was totally into it. Totally rockin' out with her eyes closed and making that face and everything....


I'll have to get an mpeg next time. She cracks me up :)

My nephew's 4th birthday party was yesterday (see, even when i'm not working, i'm "working" haha), and it was a blast! There was lots to do, but the highlight of the party was definitely the show put on by The Lizard Wizard (click here!)! This was the 3rd time our family has used them for a party, and they never disappoint! If you are looking for a reptile, amphibian and bug themed show, definitely contact them!! Anyway, here are some pics..........




The birthday boy holding a turtle (super cute custom bug themed shirt courtesy of Polka Dot Market (click here!) and Kat In The Hat Desgins (click here!))







PJ LOVED the "tortoise/turtle wash" and still hasn't stopped talking about giving the turtles a bath with toothbrushes......






Yes, even the adults were having a blast....







My niece (the daredevil) had NO problems holding anything....including this ALLIGATOR.....



.... this lizard......



......uhhhh new hair accessory?? Told you she was crazy ;)



Ok, see PJ here (in the middle)? Do you see how fired up and excited she is??



Now, notice anything about this pic?

(yeah, once she realized they were going to put the snake ON them, she was GONE! LOL)



FABULOUS cake made by our friend Jeff, as usual! Email him at rhinocakeco@hotmail.com for any of your catering needs! :) He rocks!!!



Complete with "guts" inside ;)





Don't these look fake?











No party would be complete without kick-a** favors (butterfly nets with goodies inside - including bug collecting jars with fake bugs inside ;)




I still can't believe he's 4 now.....especially since that means that PJ will be 4 in about 7 more months :( WAAAAAH!!

Today is my nephew's 4th birthday. His party is on Sunday, so i'm sure i'll have photos to share next week, but I just wanted to say Happy Birthday to my little "socklette" ("chocolate" in Mason talk) head :) Here are a few of my favorite pics of him....




Hahaha....still a fave :)

Q: Is there any way we can still book a shoot with you in time for holiday cards?


A: Unfortunately, I really can't take on any more shoots this year (or else I will be the worlds worst mom, wife, sister, daughter, aunt, friend.....AND photographer). There are many hours that go into editing photos after a shoot. As it is, I find myself only having time to edit photos when PJ is sleeping, while she's at preschool (which is only twice a week for 4 hours each day), or maybe for a teeny bit of time here and there when she isn't asking me to have a tea party with her, put on one of her gazillion princess costumes, read her a book, watch her do a puzzle, etc. If you're a parent, you know how hard it is to get ANYTHING done with a little one around. Imagine sitting at a desk editing photos and trying to have your "only child" keep busy all by herself. Yeah, hard....AND I always start feeling bad :( Oh and to those family members, friends, clients, etc thinking "See! That's why you should have another! PJ needs a baby sister or brother to play with!", ummm unless you are willing to come LIVE at my house for the first 6 months of that baby's life and wake up for all feedings, diaper changes, non-stop cry sessions, etc....then no ;) Oh and another part of the deal would be to come back and live with us when the terrible 2's hit ;)

Anyway, on top of that, Sept, Oct, Nov and December are not only my busiest months photography-wise, but they are also my busiest time of year in general (thanks to a million family birthdays, our wedding anniversary (6 years next month!), Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc).



The only options I can think of (or other people have suggested) are:
A) Having a waiting list. Basically I can start a list and IF for some reason another client has to cancel, then I will take the first person on the list and so on. The downfall to this is that the chances of a client canceling is VERY slim, and I would hate to anyone to miss holiday card photos.

B) Charging a "squeeze in" fee. As I said above, i'm extremely busy in those months, but if I was getting paid to stay up all night and edit photos, then it wouldn't be as bad ;) The downfall to this is that if the price was too low, I would end up with A LOT more shoots...and I just can't do that, so in this case, it would have to be a pretty high squeeze in fee to make it worth my time (since I will be killing myself) and so it's not "too easy" to get squeezed in.

Email me at julie@lot116.com if either of those sound good to you.






Q: What photography classes or workshops have you taken, and which do you recommend?


A: To tell you the truth, i've never taken a single photography or Photoshop (or Lightroom) class in my life. I picked up the camera one day and just started messing with stuff. I still have a TON to learn, so if any fabulous SD photographer's want to take me under their wing (*ahem* Ashley, Carrie.....anyone? LOL) and teach me a few things, I would be MORE than grateful (don't worry, i'm not out to "take clients"....I have plenty, so i'm just looking to learn more). Same with PP programs (Photoshop, etc), I basically messed around with settings and stuff, and taught myself. I've never been great with directions or homework (ask my dad ;) haha). I'm a hands on learner, so reading photography books is like reading japanese to me. Luck and messing around has gotten me where I am today :)







Q: PJ always has the cutest clothes! I love her style! Where do you buy her stuff??


A: I buy her clothes all over the place. If you've ever seen her closet (hmmm....I dare not take pics because it will show just how out of control I am, and it's quite embarassing LOL), it's INSANE. The drawers will barely open, and there is NO more room to hang anything.....so yeah...I have a problem. I can't stand it though, little girls' clothes are SO cute. I need to lose a ton of weight before *I* can even *think* about dressing cute, so yeah....I go crazy on her. Anyway, I love Etsy (www.Etsy.com), H&M, Nordstrom Rack, Old Navy, Baby Gap, Target, etc. I love fun, bright, funky stuff (especially for photos!!), and so does Punky Brewster....I mean PJ ;) I also love finding things that not every kid on the street will be wearing. Etsy is an AWESOME place for that. So much handmade/custom cuteness it's bananas. Last but not least, i'm a TOTAL bargain shopper, so even if I buy her WAY too much stuff, keep in mind that majority of it was bought on clearance or on sale ;) My husband (and my brother in law) are infamous for using the line "Just because it's on sale doesn't mean you need to buy it", but my sister's and I beg to differ ;) Hey, if it's 100+ degrees outside and there's a LONG sleeved shirt on sale for 97 cents at Old Navy....you bet your sweet bippy i'm buying it for fall/winter ;) Another cool thing about buying WAY ahead is that the chances of another kid wearing the same stuff the following year is super slim.







Q: I love that your print prices are so cheap. Will they remain that way?


A: I will actually be raising them (as well as the CD's) a little bit in 2009, but seeing as though my print prices are INSANELY cheap right now, even when I raise them, they will still be WAY less than most photographers. For instance, the average price that photographer's charge for ONE 4x6 is anywhere from $15 - $50 or more. WHEN my prices go up (on January 1st, 2009), I will probably be charging $5 for a 4x6 (I won't even say what i'm charging right now, because it's pretty embarassing ;) LOL). Why so low? I like being affordable. Even before I started doing photography, I would look at getting PJ's photos taken professionally. The session fees were always reasonable, but once I added up how much the prints might cost...I would freak out and pass. I just couldn't pay hundreds of dollars (session fee & prints) for maybe a handful of photos (small little 4x6's at that LOL). Needless to say, PJ has never had professional photos taken :( I definitely regret never having newborn photos of her taken, but at the same time, paying upwards to $1000 for photos just wasn't in our budget back then. I like charging what *I* personally wouldn't mind paying.



Alright, that's all for now. Have a great weekend everyone! :)

Today marks 6th months since my best friend's little girl was born (on February 3rd), and unfortunately went straight to heaven. I should have been taking Elyse's 6 month photos, which i'm sure would have included her sitting all cute, chubby and naked on their gorgeous hardwood floors....just smiling away at me, but unfortunately god had other plans :( Last weekend (when PJ and I stayed the weekend at their house) we went by and visited her and brought along some flowers and some incense (incense is burned in many cultures as a way to honor the deceased and offer prayers for their souls).....







We miss and love you Elyse :(