Back to School Kick-Off Sale!

It's back to school time!!!! I can hear the growns already! Trust me, I'm married to a school teacher, they dread going back as much as the kids do! Well, in celebration of all of our new changes and updates we're making; we're running our 'Back to School' blowout special. Half off session fees - making them only $30 for a 2 hour session + if you book and complete your session before October 1, you'll receive a coupon code for 20% off your first order!

This half price session fee offer is good August 1 - September 30, 2007.

Give us a call or email if you'd like to schedule your senior session with BWDPhotography!

BWDLife

I've been on a role today! Whew! While we're working out the last details of the new site, I felt compelled to add SOMETHING of relevance to the site, added a blog today. Making it a new priority to update at least once a week after today (initial launch day). The mission of our blog will be to stay in touch with our clients, future and prospective clients and give you an insight to our creative eye. Plus, by reading this, you'll be able to take advantage of some specials we'll advertise only here. Throughout the rest of today, we'll add some more of our summer and spring weddings and give you an update as to what's in store for our company over the next few weeks. You'll also get some of the DL (down low) on what makes great sessions, tips for choosing your outfits and more by reading here. Just look over to the right under categories to narrow down your search!

We've tried to really cut back on our photography and have chosen to only specialize in two main areas that we truely love. Weddings and seniors. If you're in the market for family, children or event portraits, we're happy to refere you to some other great photogs in the area that really excell at this aspect of photography. We've found that cutting back has allowed us to really focus more attention to every single client, spend more time processing images from weddings and senior sessions and actually has let us have a family life now! (Super important).

Orders - we try to place one large order a week to our lab. This not only saves us money, but we're able to save you money too because we can work in quantity discounts. Usually, depending on work loads and sports schedules (since Shawn's a high school coach of 3 sports) we try to get things done on Wednesday. That's not always the rule, but certainly our goal.

Weddings - with the new revamp (and actually this one has been in place for a few months) we limit our weddings each month. No more than 3 a month and we will do no more than 25 each year. It's all on a first-come, first-serve basis. A standard, nonrefundable deposit of $250 is required to hold your date. We will then not open that date up again for anyone else. It's ONLY your day!!

Great Wedding Hints

We find that some of the best weddings we shoot come down to great details. Something fun (which is a theme with us I'm finding as I write), something that's totally unique about you as a couple. Special details doesn't mean necessarily breaking the bank by any means - you can totally find inexpensive ways to pull of classic looks and doing something completely different with your big day!

• Personalized bouquets - accessorize your bouquet with something personal. If a parent or grandparent has passed on, incorporate a small, tiny picture of them into your design. Then they're with you the entire time in spirit and you can have a way to remember them once again in your wedding pictures.
• Color - find great, bold, even daring colors in your bouquets and bridesmaids bouquets. Calla lillies, tropical flowers, orchids, tulips - in oranges, reds, whites, purples, greens can all really be the perverbial 'cherry on the top' for your big day.
• Favors are a great way to say thank you to friends and family who've shared your day with you. If you and your partner are into music - create a cd of some of your favorite music and then create an easy personalzied label and case cover! Personalized M & M's - these are great (and a personal favorite) you can add your name and wedding date AND get them in your wedding colors as well!!! Small boxes of chocolate or candies, wrapped in a simple ribbon with a photo tag of you and your new spouse. Bookmarks are another great thing to give out (and practical as well) PLUS BWDPhotography can help you with that! It's a little bonus service we offer to clients!
• Birdseed - okay, everyone throws it, try something new - make some inexpensive and easy to do paper cones out of colored paper. Fill them with confetti (if you have a paper shredder, buy colored paper and run it through a couple of times) it's a great way to leave the church. Sparklers, if done right, these are great. You want to be sure and have guests spread far enough out you and your honey aren't getting burned on the way to the car. Custom pon poms, make your own - tie some ribbon/string in your wedding colors around some dowl rods and let guests shake them as you leave.
• The Send-off - many couples wait until they're really ready to leave the reception to get the formal 'send off' image. Try doing this when you leave the church or ceremony location. You'll often times have a much larger crowd and you'll be able to get much more memorable images this way. If you plan to party well into the night, you'll want to keep this in mind!
• Flower Girls - if you plan on incorporating children in any way into your big day. Be prepared. Smaller, younger children aren't always prepared to wear a big bulky dress and then walk down the isle in front of strangers. They can get scared and tears and start to sprout moments before they walk down the isle. Consider having older children walk with the younger ones, pulling them down the isle on a waggon, etc. Brides, don't get your feelings hurt or feel like your day is ruined if one of these little ones backs out on you. They're kids and totally unpredictable at any time. We've seen everything from children sprinting to the front, lingering talking to guests as they go down, adament refusal to wear a dress or flat out temper tantrums because the wedding time is so close to bed time!! Our hint, be flexible.
• Instead of a traditional guest book that you're likely never to read after your wedding day, let guests sign a signature mat another great service BWDPhotography can provide for you. This way, you have a great custom piece of artwork to display in your new home, you can read and re-read all of the messages guests write to you and truely treasure that memory of your day forever!
• Co-Ed showers - not the bathing kind, but rather the gifting kind. Co-ed showers are really hot right now. This way both the girls and the guys can get great things they both want, need and will use. Lawn mowers, grills, weed eaters, pots and pans, towels, water hoses, even trash cans - weddings are like graduating from high school and you won't have another chance to strike it rich in the gift department until you have your first kiddo. Ask for everything you think you might could ever use or need! Guests will like it too because it can give them more variety when it comes to gift buying time. Check out Easton's Hardware when you go to register, they have an awesome selection of all things girly and for the guys too!
• Save the Date cards - here you get to be creative and have some fun! We've seen (and done) everything from postcards, bookmarks, greeting cards, flim strips and more for clients. This gives clients something to hang on the fridge and serve as a reminder about 3 months out that your wedding is coming up (and they need to buy you a gift). Plus, we can help you with this and add pix from your engagement sessions to them to make them super personal!

Why Take Bridal Pictures?

Bridal pictures are like test driving a car. You may love the way the car shines on the lot, but once you drive it, you hate it. That's what bridal pictures are for. Test drive your hair style, make sure the dress fits, see if you really like the veil or not, play with your make-up, etc. A great test run before the big day. You want to try and schedule your bridal pictures about a month out from your wedding (sometimes longer if your schedule is busy). This will allow you time to make any changes you need to in your wardrobe before hand without stressing out.

Remember, weddings should be FUN! You should be able to enjoy every single minute of your day (and people should be able to enjoy being around you.) Plan ahead, remember to prioritize and take some time for yourself on occassion. Bridal sessions are a great way to really get some jitters out of the way, have a photo shoot all about you and get to be a true princess for a day.

Bring along mom, maid of honor, close friends, siblings, whomever you like. They'll all be there with you on that big day, why not share this moment with them too. Plus, they'll learn how to bussle your dress (which we highly recommend), how to zip/tie/fit you into your dress properly (we've seen some doosies of ways to keep your dress on!).

Most of all - HAVE FUN ON THIS DAY!!!!

Engagement Sessions

When you're getting ready for your engagement session - keep a few things in mind.

• Engagment pictures should serve a dual purpose - have something to put in the newspaper but also be something to share with friends and family.
• They should be about you as a couple. If you have a favorite place, hang-out, hobby, let us know and we can try to incorporate that into your session.
• Go beyond the traditional! Try something new, fun, flirty, sexy and romantic!
• If you want something to display at your wedding, let us design a custom engagement collage for you. We offer custom framing at a fraction of the cost of going to get a pre-set frame at a discount store and the craftmanship is incredible!
• Wear something that can coordinate with each other. You don't have to be twinkies, but at least in the same color families or dress style. Bring along some outfit changes - something casual and something more dressy.
• You'll love your pictures if you follow some of these tips!

What's Hot This Year...

What's hot for 2008 senior pix?

• Color and Patterns - Incredible jewel tones (purples, emerald green, teal, gold/yellow, turquoise) thse are all the 'it' colors this season. Jaw dropping patterns like leapord, zebra stripes, they're all making a big splash this year. Plus, they can really ad some sizzle to your pictures! Polka dots are very big this year. Geo patterns in circles, square, etc. can really draw your eye into the picture and make it pop!
• Vintage - anything vintage is still hot. Think - 'raid your mom's trunk in the attic' and dig out great scarves, jackets, purses and more!
• Denim - great denim in rich textures and colors. Something that fits great everyday and can really make you feel at ease any time!
• Add-on's - fur (faux or not) are great this year. Find it on collars, hemlines, jackets, etc.
• Key pieces - A dress or coat in a single color.
• Make-up - natural & glowy.

Bring It - Senior Session Tips

We always hear 'what should I bring' or 'what should I wear' when we book our senior clients. Well, here's a quick run-down of things you need to keep in mind when you plan your session.

• Why do you want your senior pictures to say about you? Something, fun, witty, 'parentally approved' sexy, stylish, classic?? The possibilities are endless. Remember, in 20 years, you're going to look at these pictures with your own kids, what do you want THEM to say about you?
• Bring lots of looks! We allot about 2 hours for our senior sessions. The more outfits you bring along with you, the more proofs you're going to see and more choices you'll have. Don't just bring a couple of shirts and a pair of jeans. Shake it up a bit. Every wear a baseball cap? Bring it. Wear sunglasses? Bring 'em. Have a favorite outfit or prom dress? Bring it! Even if you layer our shirts, you're able to maximize your look with a simple wardrobe change.
• Hair and make-up. Girls, you'll want to wear your make-up a tad heavier than normal. Bring along extra powder, a brush and mascara. Wearing more mascara than normal will really bring out your eyes and allow them to 'POP'. Guys, be sure to shave the morning before your session. Don't try new hairstyles right before. Be sure you cover up tan lines - they WILL show. Avoid tanning or sunburning right before your sessions.
• Girls - don't be afraid to pull your hair back during your session. Gives you an entirely different look on things.
• Clothing: choose something classic (parents will love), bring something fun and trendy (all about you), be adventurous (bring a prom dress), bring hats, caps, sunglasses, letterjackets, baseball gloves/bat/ball etc. Bring your iPod and cell phone with you! Try to stick with solid colors (Plaids are really the worse thing to wear). Prints can sometimes take away from your images. If you have writing on your shirt, make sure it's something clean and simple.
• Ironing. I HATE ironing almost as much as I hate doing dishes, but it is a necessary evil from time to time. You'll want to make sure everything's nice and pressed before your session. Wrinkles will show and we can't do much about that.
• If you want 'glamorous' pix - bring that type of clothing!
• Oh - don't forget to bring along jewelry, rings, necklaces, changes of shoes, etc.!!!

You've waited a long time for your regin on top! Make the most of it and have fun with these pictures. These aren't the 'mom makes you' type pictures - prepared to laugh, joke, and overall, have a lot of fun!

Summer Senior Sessions

The following are just a sampling of just a few of the sessions we've had this summer. With all of the rain in June, we had to do a lot of schedule shuffling and rescheduling and now our July and August are full of '08 seniors!

Waiting and Anticipating...

Waiting, anticipation, anxious...all words that totally express how I'm feeling about the new website debut. I'm like a kid just days before Christmas seeing lots of pretty packages under the tree but not allowed to open them up quite yet. I'm never good at waiting once I've bought a new toy/clothes/shoes, etc - gotta try it out immediately! The new website - with new domain name, logo, galleries and more are a few more days away - I hope everyone likes the new sites (hint, hint) and can easily manuver around everything. The waiting is killing me though!

Please make a note that not only will our website change: www.bwdphotography.com, but so will our contact email: info@bwdphotography.com Make sure you change everything on your computer!! We will cancel the .net website in a few months (after we make sure everyone has made the correct changes.)

These changes are coming after months of debate, decision making, choices and an overall need for a complete redesign/revamp/update of everything we do. (And well, we find people have a hard time spelling 'barbed' correctly) We're hoping that this new overhaul process will make things speedier and easier for both us and our patiently waiting clients.

We appreciate your business and friendships over the last few years!

Macie's Bridals

Macie, not only a fashion designer of coture wedding gowns, but also my very most favorite 'baby' cousin's new wife had me shoot some bridal pix for her. The day didn't go exactly like we'd had hoped (the dress wasn't finished was the BIG issue of the day), but after some convincing she was a trooper and we got some great pix anyway. We took off to the state capitol for some images and shot for about an hour. She's a great model and I'm happy she found such a great hubby (even if I'm a little bias).

We had to do a little camo in the photos to hide the areas of the dress that weren't quite 100% to her standards, but after the initial tears of the day, we were good to go. She was a trooper all things considered.

Our first road trip!

This July we took our very first extended road trip vacation. After months of planning and worrying it would turn into a 'Griswald Family Vacation', we took off and headed east. We visited Hot Springs, AR; Memphis, TN; Nashville, TN; Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg, TN; and finished up in Ashville, NC. And of course made the trip back home. A little shy of 2,500 total miles driven and Kal slept a total of 5 hours on the road! 3 from Ashville to Nashville on the return leg and then about 1.5 hours as we pulled into OKC to Lawton. Oh, and she slept briefly from Knoxville to Pigeon Forge. Unbelievable!

I decided to put my 'mom' hat on for most of the trip while Shawn took a majority of the pictures. Well, except a few when Kal could grab my mini cam and clip a few pix on her own. (She's been with mom one too many times on photo shoots I'm finding out).

We were gone for about 8 days that were packed with adventure and fun. Certainly not a trip I'd love to take any time soon again (a little too much time in a car for my taste). But it was certainly a great time to build a lot of family memories that I will cherish forever. And the best part - no one got sick!! Whoo hoo!!! This is a rarity for us. Our last go at a vacation resulted in Kallie throwing up for 3 days (mostly on me) leaving early from the skiing trip with the rest of my family and going straight in to the doctor! NOT my idea of fun!!!! That trip sort of stuck with us so we packed every single drug we had at home to head off any possible sore throat, cough, upset stomach, vomiting and well, everything else!

I was able to give Shawn and Kallie a tour around Nashville, a place I've spent time in over the years, took a tour of Graceland, where Kallie scored a pink Caddie magnet (of course), saw the Biltmore Estate which was unbelievable, did some wine tastings with Kal getting in on the fun with tastings of their grape juices. Took in Dollywood, a Ripley aquarium and too many more things to list. It was one of the best vaca's I've ever taken!! Had two of my most favorite people with me and now it's back to work!

My daughters favorite things...

I think the second best thing I've ever done in my life (second to marrying my husband) is being a mom. She's almost four now - which is totally hard to believe - and I swear, she makes me laugh every single day! Her little personality is so witty and quick, I'm amazed at her some times.

At this point in time her most favorite things are "HOT pink" - everything has to be HOT pink. Clothes, cars, toys, sometimes food...she's in the process of wanting to repaint her room her favorite color. However after painting that room too many times to count now, neither Shawn nor I are up for that challenge. It does scare me though thinking at four she's ready to redecorate - what's in store in the next 10 years?!?! She's also a strangely huge fan of the Food Network, or as she calls it, the 'yummy show'. Paula Dean and Rachel Ray are who two most favorite cooks. She can sit mezmorized for hours watching those two on TV. I've never seen a child do that. And because she has this inate love of cooking, she loves to help mom in the kitchen. I let her have a little ley way and have a bigger hand in things that I probably should at times, creating more work when it comes to clean up that I'd like, but if she has a passion for it, why not?

Currently she feels that mom needs to be in the market for a new 'hot pink' car. We play a great car game as we drive down the road - "yellow car" is the name of the game, but really we seek out yellow, orange and especially pink cars.

Oh - and her favorite singers - Fergie! What 3 1/2 year old can quote lines from "Fergalicious"??? Seriously?

These are all things that make me laugh and roll each day - she comes up with the wildest things to say and do. It's made Shawn and I realize she watches EVERYTHING and soaks it all in like a sponge. Being her mother is absolutely amazing!