Happy New Year! Engagement Portrait Giveaway (and mini sessions still available)

Here comes 2010! I am super excited about this year, are you?

And here is a little gift to some lucky couple - somewhere out there -



Woohoo! I had such a great time reading everyone's ideas last year, and the winning shoot was such a rad success, that I wanted to do it again this year. What will this year's entries bring??

Now - a few new rules - and a few of the same ones -

For this year's contest, I am still looking to give away one free engagement (or any couple, or newlywed, or best friends, or 50th anniversary) session to a lucky pair. And I would still love to hear your most creative, fun ideas and locations and props and color schemes, whatever comes to mind. BUT I will need to stick relatively close to home this year - so please keep in mind that I will be 7 or 8 months pregnant for this shoot ;) and propose locations accordingly. While I want to explore an exciting location and idea, I would love to keep it to Sonoma County (although anywhere in the Bay Area is open game), and I will probably not be scaling any mountains with camera gear. But this doesn't mean we have to do a boring shoot - sometimes it's easiest to be creative within a set of restrictions, so I hope to get lots of great ideas!

To enter, just email (j@jessamynharris.com) your ideas to me in the next 2 weeks. I will choose a winning session on Friday January 15th, and will schedule the shoot for late January or early February (possibly late February if it works best for everyone's schedules).

You can be a current client, former client, potential client, a friend or a stranger. You must be willing to sign model releases for me, so that I can use the images for stock and promotion. The winning session will include shooting time, online hosting, and an 8x10" print of your favorite shot.

Finally, if you are interested in a portrait shoot for yourself, your family, you and your partner, or a pet, I do have a bit more availability in January and February for my discounted mini portrait sessions, and would love to sign you up for one of the available dates. Here is more info on that special.



Thanks again for a wonderful 2009 (best year yet, with even better to come) and Happy 2010!!

the Jess Flood Events crew!

I photographed these gorgeous ladies back in mid July... wow, how time has flown! I just haven't had the opportunity to blog the photos yet. But I'm thrilled to do so now, on the eve of a super fun shoot we are putting together for Style Me Pretty... just wait until you see the prettiness!









Jess is the planner behind Melissa and Brett's fabulous wedding this past spring, and we are totally in cahoots for some great weddings and photo shoots in the coming year. Yet another reason 2010 is going to be the best yet: the awesome Jess Flood Events team!








You might recognize Meredith from her gorgeous wedding (also back in May). She is also the creative genius behind the encaustic pieces I offer. It's wonderful to have such nifty lady friends!









Heather:









Carly:









Ramona:









What a batch of beautiful, talented women! I can't wait to see what Jess and Meredith are currently putting together for our big shoot tomorrow... pray for no rain!

Pregnancy photos - 25 weeks

Getting bigger so quickly!

Merry Christmas and Belated Hanukkah and Solstice!

Thank you to everyone for such a wonderful year. I look forward to 2010 being the best yet, and am so excited to see what joys it brings.

xoxo

J

Devon's Homemade Christmas Tree

We don't usually get a tree, or just a baby, plantable one if we do (and we're rapidly running out of room for tree planting). So this year we weren't planning to do one at all, until Devon came up with this awesome, crafted tree from random pieces of stuff in our garage. I am so in love with it!







He used a tomato cage, some green fabric from the scrap bag, a piece of our former apple tree (RIP), origami star (also made by Devon), some free bamboo flooring we got from a friend, and Christmas lights. It is my favorite tree ever.







And maybe we'll even figure out where the actual box of Xmas ornaments is before Friday!

Update: I scored some family ornaments from my parents, and took a few more shots of the tree with more ornaments (and more presents!!)





Here's an ornament I made in preschool - finally I "inherit" it from my parents for our little family! In the photo, I'm wearing my classic "Girls Can Do Anything" awesome 1970s t shirt... oh, how I wish I still had that T for my girl!

Jenna, Maya, and Diane, Old Adobe State Park and Green String Farms, Petaluma

More awesome cousin time/ portraits from Thanksgiving week!! This time, from my dad's side, my aunt Diane and her two adorable daughters, Jenna and Maya.

I like the shots of Jenna sort of in between poses:









Cute, cute girls (very sassy and smart too):













One of my favorite moments was when I asked the girls to lean in forehead to forehead like this - and then Maya said, "I don't want to look romantic with Jenna!". Little sisters are awesome!







Pretty ladies:



Maya busted out this casual pose all on her own - the girl knows what works!



She also helped Jenna strike a few poses:







Maya seemed a little nervous about the cacti - we promised her they wouldn't jump out and get her but she wanted to stay far away from the needles:





Jenna got obsessed with collecting buckeyes:













Then we drove to Green String Farms. Diane is heavily involved in organic, local, sustainable farms and nutrition back in Georgia, so I knew they would love it here (plus - goats! chickens!). They bought my baby a Green String onesie, so cute!