And next up… I just got back from a whirlwind trip to NYC.  West coast to east coast and back in 36 hrs… the amazing thing is that I fit SO much in.  I got to hang out an entire evening with my very dear friends, meet amazing new people through a friend here AND do a workshop with a SUPER fun group.  We even had the talented & charming Rosanna Wolff come in and talk with us for the day.  All in all, one of my best trips to NYC yet (though I would really love some good weather one of these trips- please?  brrrr….).

We ventured out with four adorable models to hit the streets of Manhattan and take on a little punk, urban theme.  Couldn’t do punk & urban without thinking Knuckleheads (of course) and we also added one of my favorites pieces ever by Bits ‘n Pieces by Kristin- come on.. what little girl wouldn’t LOVE a Beastie Boys dress??  (sorry guys-  my little lady already has this one claimed) ;)  Thank you so much Lisa for having me out and to all the ladies that came.  I loved every minute and can’t wait to come back!

wardrobe: Knuckleheads Clothing & Bits ‘n Pieces by Kristin

new york | NY

I am not a person that likes to spend a lot of time in the digital darkroom.  I would much rather be out creating things to shoot or, let’s be honest- doing nothing photography related and living life ;)  I have been doing the same basic post processing since 2007 and have gotten it down to a science.  There are a couple of things I can guarantee when you look at one of my images… 1) I shot in manual.  This is the best way to ensure that you are exposing & creating the images that YOU want (not what the camera thinks is best)… 2) I have edited the shot with one of Nichole Van’s Flourish Actions.  Her Essential Color Pop is on every single image you see.  Even if I ‘play’ beyond, I use her for a base.  There are many FANTASTIC actions sets out there… I just found when I was trying to get my work flow as simple as possible that hers allowed me the greatest control in the least amount of time.  I love that you can erase parts of layers, adjust the opacity, turn them completely off… she gives you a bundle of goodness that you can completely individualize to your taste (& video tutorials on how to use them).  I also love that she updates her actions and comes out with new creations that are already customized to work with what you have.  Aaand she just updated everything!  She has a new batching feature with the color pop action I use (loooove… SO much quicker) and all new goodies for you to check out!

Here is where it gets good…

If you go visit her site and then come back and leave a comment on which product you like best and why then you are entered to win a $75 Flourish gift certificate! In addition she is offering my blog readers the coupon code ‘Flourish2011′ for 25% off.  If you combine that with her current multi-item discount that will give you up to 50% off.  Nice, eh?

You can check out Flourish Emporium here where you can find all of her actions, textures, presets, borders, and templates (plus the new versions of her Essential Color Pop, Essential Black & White, Antique Vintage and Urban action sets that I mentioned).  And if you visit her Facebook page here, you can download a freebie action, texture and template!

Hope it this helps some of you with the editing questions that you’ve sent.  I really do like to keep things simple (& pretty) so thank you Nichole for creating something that does that perfectly ;)

Don’t forget to check out her new site and comment below to win the gift certificate!!  I will announce a winner this Thursday :)

It was a jam-packed visit- I got the chance to hang out with Renee & photograph two of the cutest little girls, photograph one of my favorite families and meet a new family that I can’t wait to photograph again.  I also got to hang out with Kiki (The Measure Designs) and Jen (The Trendy Tot) for a night at Cheers.  (Yep- those are two Trendy Tot originals on the girls below… check the end of the post for a GIVE AWAY!)

Boston charmed me… I can’t wait to return ;)

And a couple of family sneak peeks… ;)

Now for the GIVE AWAY!!! Do you want the adorable dresses in the first session?  All you have to do is @reply me on Twitter or Facebook or comment here and tell me which one you want… I’ll pick a winner Thursday!

wardrobe: The Trendy Tot

boston | MA

Thank you SO much to the [Framed] Show crew for picking me (& those of you that suggested me to them- I owe ya… BIG) ;)  You’ve captured a day in my life in the best way possible.

And now with a silly grin plastered all across my face, I get to share this with you…

PLEASE check out the amazing [Framed] giveaways here!!!!

portland | OR

We moved this year so we have a different area to decorate (plus doing the same thing year after year just isn’t very fun) so the kids and I created some new garland for the mantle… we figured out how to make these cool snowflakes (saw one at the antique mall and instantly came home to google/make my own)… and we saw these cool little trees at the craft store- easy kid project…

I found a tutorial online how to make these beads out of origami paper… my own little take on it with extra ribbon and buttons sitting around the house…

they look WAY cuter on… very Anthro meets Crewcuts :)

One of our sets at the 777 Kids Shootout will be a tea party/forest/ZoZo creation of awesome decor so I decided to try my hand at making some props for that… Not perfect but I felt a great sense of accomplishment making them without a pattern!

And lastly… I am taking a leap and sending some of my work to one of my favorite companies (can I get a simultaneous fingers crossed from everyone… pleeeeease!!) so I created this little antique box, filled it with my images-candy-good vibes ;)

k- off to start on some more… on a roll and I think I have 9 shoots I need to be making stuff for… maybe I should be blogging an assistant for hire position!

Happy Holidays everyone!!!! ~S

Secondly… I have so much goodness crammed into this post I don’t even know where to begin!  I guess with pictures?  (since that’s what this is all about ‘n all)  ;)

I finished my 2010 Christmas card.  Let’s just say there were chainsaws & projectors involved… a definite first for me.  I’m pretty happy that it came rather close to the original vision.  I’m going for an 8 page booklet this year…

Next… I just opened registration for my workshop on January 19th in Jacksonville FL… you can find more info on the menoring & workshop page.  I am SO excited for this one… never been to that part of the country and I can’t wait to shoot there!

Okay… (drumroll please)…

Millie and I have been working our rear-ends off on this one.  It has become SO much bigger and better than I could have ever imagined.  We have amazing sponsors giving us ridiculously cute clothes, there is going to be drool worthy give-aways… and most importantly- the sets!  Let’s just say that I am so pumped about the 7 sets we are putting together for you guys and even a bit jealous that I have to stand back and let everyone else shoot them- haha ;)  Each design is an all original, never seen from Millie and I.  This is more of a portfolio building experience than a workshop with plenty of time to have your questions answered by Millie and myself and loads of adorable sets and kids to shoot. You can’t even create the sets we’ll be shooting in for less than $700! Here are the details you’ll want to be sure to get now so you can be ready to sign up when registration opens! Did I say SO excited?  ;)

Aaaand… here are all the details…

TRIPLE 7 KIDS SHOOTOUT!
7 sets! 7 hours! $700 :)

REGISTRATION WILL BEGIN AT 11(AM, EST) on Tuesday, November 30th! That means it launches at 8(AM, PST).

The registration link will be added to our facebook page at that time – http://www.facebook.com/pages/Triple-7-Kids-Shootout/175985699080536

WHO: Shannon Sewell & Millie Holloman

http://www.shannonsewell.com/

http://www.bludomain11.com/holloman/index2a.php

WHAT:
- customized for the kid photographer!!
- we are keeping our numbers low (6 people or below per set)
- 7 completely hand made, one of a kind set designs with the trendiest kids you’ve ever seen (sets will range all the way from circus themes to little aviator play dreams to tea parties set in magical ‘forests’) you’ll rotate through them all!
- custom made clothing & styling from popular designers
- plenty of one on one time with shannon and millie to have ALL your questions answered
- yummy breakfast and lunch to provide lots of energy for shooting
- rad giveways from over 25 of our fabulous sponsors throughout the day!!
- educational editing station to go over shannon & millie’s post processing

WHEN: Sunday, February 20th 8:30am-3:30pm

WHERE: Las Vegas, Nevada (exact location TBA after registered, the studio we’ll be shooting in is just a short cab ride from the strip)

COST: $700 (Limited to November/December registrations- starting January 1st registration will be $799)

REGISTER: We’ll post the registration link on our FACEBOOK PAGE on Tuesday, November 30th at 11AM(EST) / 8AM(PST).

*Registration is limited. All payments are non-refundable and non-transferable under any circumstance.

and just a first glimp at some of the amazing people involved…

… we will see ya there!!!

xoxo ~S

When Scarlette and I got together the other day, we had this lovely girl come out and do some modeling for the shooting portion of our day.  It was such a fabulous day… Scarlette showed me a cool new spot & I don’t think our model could have been any cuter…