Two of my favorite people

This is my wonderful, fabulous, gorgeous friend "L" and her little "G", who happens to be about 10 days younger than my little "G". The boys adore each other almost as much as the mommies do...almost.

I'm BAAACCKKK.

I am sure you all just missed me terribly ;). We're back from our amazing and relaxing cruise. I am frantically trying to catch up with emails and will hopefully have responded to everything by tomorrow or Tuesday. And I'll throw up a few vacation pics soon as well! For now, here's adorable 18 month old "A"!!!

Congrats!

I had originally said that winners from the big kid poll would be announced tomorrow, but as I have a very busy day tomorrow, and I know who the winners are, why wait?

Winner(s): #3 for the girls and #1 for the boys. Each will win a free session and a free 11x14 print.

First runner up: #9, will receive a $50 print credit on a session booked within 1 year.

Second runner up: #4 will receive a $35 print credit on a session booked within 1 year.

All other contestants, (because you all deserve something) will receive a $20 print credit on any session that takes place before July of this year.

Please email me at courtneyvickersphotography@yahoo.com to schedule your session. Bear in mind that I am almost fully booked for April already, so scheduling ahead is a good thing.

I love 7 year olds.

Doesn't this just remind you of how cool you felt when you lost your front teeth and you could stick a straw through the hole and sip your drink?


Also, if you are coming to the page to vote and the poll does not pop up, try refreshing your page. It should bring it up! The voting will end tomorrow morning.

Ok...

Really. I have asked very nicely that everyone only vote one time. Please do not make me disqualify anyone or pull the contest altogether. That's not fair to these kids, but I am really out of other options. Thanks.

Edited to add: I do realize that many of you have a large network of myspace, playgroup, and other friends, and the votes for your child may reflect that. I have just had 3 different moms ask if there is something they are missing in this whole thing. So, go ahead EVERYONE and plaster the link all over your various groups of connection to raise ALL the votes up fast!

Hmmmmmmm

OK, something is up with my poll. I have contacted some of the moms and several personal friends to try and figure it out. Apparently, the host I am using for the poll is not always working. It is not supposed to allow multiple votes from the same IP address and computer, but in looking at the sheer number of votes I have determined that it is blocking some, but not others. I can't find another poll host that does block multiple votes. All I can do is ask that everyone please only vote ONE time, even if the system allows you to vote more. In the spirit of keeping things as fair as possible, I am going to restart the poll. It is a big tipoff when the numbers rise to over 100 votes for a few kids in one day, so I am asking that everyone please keep that in mind. I do realize some people have a large network of friends, and that is fine but the numbers were just going up WAY too fast. Even the moms have agreed something is up! Vote for your favorite again!

Get all your friends together

Here are the finalists in the "Big Kid Contest." I had over 20 entries, and couldn't make the decision myself, so I had a few third-party judges help me narrow things down a bit. All of this kids were adorable, of course, but we tried to pick ones that had that vibrant spirit I am looking for. Please don't feel bad if your child was not one shown here. I just couldn't have a poll with 25 choices (13 is bad enough)!
You may vote once for your favorite contestant. If you're just dropping by, feel free to vote as well! The poll is on the lefthand side of the page. Have your friends and family come vote too!!!

Also, I have already decided I am going to award two 1st place winners, one boy and one girl(those with the highest number of votes) plus the two runners up.

Ok, enough of my gabbing, here are the pictures (in no particular order)!

Correction

My previous blog is dated March 9th (not sure why since I wrote it yesterday) and is causing a bit of confusion on the contest deadline. The deadline is today March 11th, at 1 pm. So you still have 4 hours!

What's a Storyboard?

I would say 85% of my wonderful clients ask me this at some point. Since I am not terribly good at explaining it, here are some visuals. Names have been changed on these to protect the little ones... They can be done in virtually any size and are customized to your taste.
Oh, and if you or your child are in one of these mock ups and you want to purchase one, it will be discounted since the hard part is done already!

Also. Tomorrow at one pm is the deadline for my March contest. The entries have been steadily rolling in all week, so don't forget to get yours in if you have not yet done so!

The beat of a heart

This past Saturday I had the absolute pleasure of going and taking pictures at the Heart to Heart reunion here in Tampa. While I normally prefer a lot of natural light and such, I found myself challenged in a very dark auditorium. Thankfully, I had my external flash and diffuser with me! This is a fantastic event for children who have been or currently are still patients at St. Joes for heart related issues. My friend Michelle has a little girl "K" who has a myriad of heart conditions, and she asked if I was available to come down. What a wonderful, fun time I had. These kids were truly the greatest, and the amount of love and joy in the room was evident the entire time.A few local sports stars even came out to sign autographs. This event was sponsored in part by an orginization called Mended Little Hearts, which has several branches throughout the country. To check out the Tampa Bay area chapter, go here http://www.mlhofstpetetampa.org/ . If you choose to make a donation to this wonderful cause, I have something special for you at your next session.

Also: I have not recieved any entries into the contest detailed in the previous blog. :( If anyone knows anyone who might be interested, please direct them here!

New Contest.

Alright everyone...fire up your cameras, and drag your "big kids" out for a photo shoot!!!!
I am desprate to shoot some older kiddos, and I know you know people who have them . Don't get me wrong. I LOVE newborns, babies and toddlers. They are fun to work with and keep me constantly on my toes. However, there is something to be said for a 6 year old who's up for fun and willing to play it up for the camera! Here are the guidelines:
* You may submit one non professional (you did not pay someone to take it) image of your child(ren) age 4-15. You must live in the Tampa Bay Area. Please include Your first and last name and the child's first name (will not be published) and age. As well as your phone number, and a correct email address.
* Image needs to be emailed to me at courtneyvickersphotography@yahoo.com by March 11th.
* I will select 3-4 of my favorite images, and post them here for voting, which will run from March 12-March 16. Winner will be announced on March 17.
*Winner will receive a free session with me in April and a free 11x14 print.
*First runner up will receive a $50 print credit to use on any session booked with me in the next year.
* Second runner up will receive a $35 print credit to use on any session booked with me in the next year.
Ready......Set......GO....

Housekeeping

Just a few things you may want to know:

-I have set up a business email account, courtneyvickersphotography@yahoo.com . I am starting to take up too much space on my presonal account. Of course, if you're just saying hi, please feel free to use the old one, but I will try to book all sessions and place orders out of this new one.
- My 2007 pricing is up on my website. Again, if you were previously booked you will fall under the old prices. If you do not have a copy of the old pricing, please email me.
-I will be out of town during the week of March 18-25. Just a heads up if you are planning on booking an April session, you may want to do it before that point.
-I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

A newborn and an almost two year old...

Equals one busy mommy! But she invited me over anyway to capture her cuties! Thanks "W" family!