Cristy Nielsen Photography

OUR BLOG HAS MOVED!!!

2008-07-08T21:12:00.001-04:00

We have moved to a much fancier NEW Blog! Come check us out at: http://cristynielsen.com/blog/

:)

Ever wonder what it's like?

2008-07-07T13:48:00.002-04:00

Ever wonder what it is like to have a session done by us? Ever wonder what it is like to be a photographer? We have a crazy fun life and we love it! Here's a collection of images from the last few years of John and I doing our thang... we are so lucky and blessed to love what we do so much! We have had such a great journey with our business, have met the coolest people, gotten the opportunity to work with so many amazing families who have become friends! Thank you to all of you who have supported us, shared in our dream, and allowed us to capture your lives! We love you!

Gosh, check out these two hotties!

2008-07-07T10:30:00.004-04:00

Dang these guys have some serious chemistry! This is my midwife Kelli's beautiful daughter Michelle and her man Dustin. They will be having their baby girl at home in mid August! Jada Taylor is already very much loved and adored! Can't wait to meet her in another month or so! Had to share these with you all... too hot not too! We shot these in New Smyrna Beach, it was the most perfect day! After that we headed to The Garlic in New Smyrna for dinner... if you haven't been you MUST go there! The mood and food is phenomenal!

Woo hoo! We're in 4th place!!

2008-06-20T12:19:00.003-04:00

WOW! We're so excited! We are currently in 4th place out of a LONG list of photographers in WESH 2's contest for best photographer in Central Florida. Thank you to all that voted, and to those that have supported us and helped us on our journey!! If you haven't yet voted, please click HERE!

Another share... kids are so cute!

2008-06-20T09:49:00.002-04:00

Shay is learning to write words, I've been trying to let her just do whatever, and spell it how she thinks it's spelled, then work on the spelling later. If she's writing I'm happy, and she seems to like it more when there is less pressure of "doing it right"...lol. So yesterday she brings me this picture and I thought it was the funniest cutest thing. Had to share... yup I'm a Frtogfr...HA!

Just another thing to go GREEN!

2008-06-20T09:36:00.002-04:00

This is a random post, but thought it was definitely worthwhile to share. We are doing our best to go "green" at home and also with our business, so this is yet another step in that process. We've always been into doing things naturally and doing whatever we can to help the planet, so this is so exciting for me!

My recent birth clients Nandi and Jason showed me the diapers they are using for their son Bodhi. They are called G Diapers. I came home and checked them out and researched a bit and realized just how cool they are. They are what they call hybrid diapers, half cloth, half disposable. The outer cover is cloth, then there is a inner liner which holds a disposable pad. The pad itself is made out of cellulose, which is what helps trees hold their water and is totally biodegradable and breaks down in 50-100 days in a landfill or compost vs the 500 years it takes a normal disposable to break down. You can also flush the peed on pads, you tear them up and put them in the toilet and they just break up. They are seriously cool... and I'm not usually one to post about diapers...lol.

I bought baby C a starter set, extra cover and case of pads. We got them today and they are the coolest things. Since it's part disposable you only have to wash the covers occasionally when they get wet or soiled. They are so darn cute too, so that is a bonus. She can put on a t shirt with the diaper and look cute as pie! They aren't super expensive once you buy the covers. The inserts are just a little more than disposables, and the benefits are far greater! The little things like this really do make a huge difference in the world, I'm so glad we won't be throwing away diapers anymore!

If you have been looking for a eco friendly diapering solution these are it! Check out their site for more info! I'm officially SOLD on the idea! And I think Camdyn digs them too...lol. The covers are so cute too I may just get a few in different sizes for the studio to put over clients disposables! Here's some photos of the little monkey to show the fit and style. Yes she is already sitting up and just turned six months a few days ago! How time flies...wah!

A Jenny and Brian Update!!!

2008-06-19T11:11:00.003-04:00

We got sit down and have dinner with Jenny and Brian at Johanna & Ozzie's wedding. We did their wedding just over a year ago. It was really nice to see them and catch up! They are building a house in Lakeland! That is super exciting for them and it's coming along, they hope to move in by fall! They are both doing great and enjoying married life. Had to share these two shots of them. They are so darn cute... love them!! A huge thank you to them for sending Johanna and Ozzie our way!!

Woo hoo! We made the A List on Channel 2 again!!!

2008-06-18T13:13:00.001-04:00

We made the A list for photographers on WESH Channel 2 again this year. This is quite an honor and we are so excited! To go vote and leave your comments, please click HERE! We'd love to win, but we are definitely thrilled just to be on the list.

:)

Hugs and Prayers for Alana, Don and baby Vance!

2008-06-18T08:38:00.003-04:00

Wow... I got an email from Alana last night that baby Vance had been born early. 4 days after we did their maternity session and at 34 weeks pregnant they were driving on a road trip and she started bleeding. They went to the nearest hospital in St Pete and she was told she was having an abruption (placenta tearing away from uterine wall) and that Vance would need to be delivered immediately! They put her to sleep and then delivered baby Vance at 4 pounds 11 ounces. I can't even begin to imagine how scary this must have been for them! Vance is doing great though and they are working on getting him to eat and gain weight so that he can come home! Hopefully I'll do his newborn session towards the end of the month. Needless to say my jaw dropped when I read that email, so our thoughts and prayers are with them! So glad everyone is okay... and to think that I questioned that we may have done her maternity session too early...ack! Now I'm glad we had the session when we did!

:)

Baby Bodhi... beautiful baby boy!!!

2008-06-17T09:56:00.004-04:00

Here's some images from Bodhi's newborn session. He's so cute and makes the cutest little faces... thank you again to Nandi and Jason for inviting me into their lives... they are such amazing people!

Sarah and Michael... Congrats Guys!!!

2008-06-17T09:32:00.005-04:00

Here's some photos from Sarah and Michael's wedding from last weekend. The ceremony was held at Winter Park Presbyterian Church, and the reception was at the beautiful Winter Park Racquet Club. Sarah looked radiant in her gown from The Collection, and Michael was beaming as he watched her walk down the aisle. These guys definitely like to giggle and laugh, and it's contagious. They definitely enjoy each others company and are a great couple. Here's some favorites from their big day!

A shot at the church!

Sarah... breathtakingly beautiful!

Flowers and rings... my two favorite things!

The way they look at each other just brings a smile to my face!

The sunset coming through the window was just kissing them with this golden light, we had to catch it!!!

Beautiful sunset for a beautiful couple!

This shot cracked me up... them totally sucked into each other, and it appears their parents are scheming something in the background.

This was caught by John and I just love it... totally different from our norm. The sun was beaming in on Michael's ring which now adorns his ring finger. Great shot John!

Couple more Kelli shares...

2008-06-17T09:00:00.004-04:00

John and I drove out to New Smyrna on Friday for the weekend, and stopped into Nandi and Jason's on the way to do Bodhi's newborn session. They wanted some beach shots, so we ended up going there at the end of the session. Kelli was in the area so she met up with us for some beach shots with the babies. I missed getting one with her of baby C thus far, so I was thrilled to get these! I asked if she thought she could manhandle two babies at once... little Bodhi is so small in comparison to our munchkin. And I have to sit back again in awe of Kelli and the care she provides for women. I mean what OB would EVER come out to do this (much less the BEACH) with their clients?? She has become more than a midwife to us, she's become a friend, and is like family. Had to share these... loved this moment and that we were able to get such special shots for her in such an amazing place!

Whew... what a weekend!!

2008-06-17T08:06:00.007-04:00

We decided to take the weekend OFF... something we rarely do. It was Father's Day weekend, so what a good reason to head out to the beach with our neighbors Rick and Nicole and their 3 girls. Rick's family has a place right on the water in New Smyrna and it was amazing! We got some much needed time away from the computer, away from the hubub of business and normal life, and enjoyed some quality time with our girls. I didn't get time away from the camera however, as it seemed there were photo taking opportunities everywhere! Here's some from our weekend, had some fun playing with each of the girls for photos... and low and behold they didn't even seem to mind!! We're back, back to work, and picking up where we left off. A huge thank you to Rick and Nicole for inviting us to come with for the weekend, we had a great time and really needed the time away! Hope you enjoyed your Father's Day too!!

Some night shots...

This is actually the sun... it was so bright I had to severely underexpose,
so it looks like the moon! Still a cool shot I thought...

I saw this and just had to shoot it...

The 4 oldest girls... after a long day of swimming and sand!

Since I threw everyone else under the bus with photos it was only fair I
share one of me too... with baby C.

Miss S, gosh she is so stinkin cute!

John, something about his hat backwards I just love...

Happy Father's Day Babe... I Love You!

Some of J... she's growing up so fast, I'm sure her mama will agree!

Shay... she got so much sun, and loved the beach!

Poor Nicole may hate me for this, but I had to share this one!

Baby C is sitting up already! She turned 6 months this weekend!

K... those eyes can make anyone smile.

Another awesome daddy... Rick.

How do you thank someone that has changed your life??

2008-06-12T10:29:00.009-04:00

I'm not even sure where to begin with this post... I'm feeling this overwhelming feeling of gratitude and love for my midwife Kelli Johnson. I photographed Nandi and Jason's birth with her on Saturday and Sunday and it brought back all of the reasons why I chose her to deliver our baby girl here at home. She is truly one of the kindest, most loving, and nurturing women I have ever met. She believes in you and your dreams when you can't believe in yourself, she picks you up when you fall, and all the while has this smile that just sets you at ease. All it takes is one look from her, or simply her entering the room and all is okay.

I remember when I was looking for a midwife while pregnant. I never even considered going to an OB, I just knew I wanted a midwife. At that point I was thinking a birth center. I met with several in the area, the one I really liked was too far from home, so I decided to consider a homebirth and knew Kelli would be my first choice. I had been to a birth that Kelli attended about a year prior to that, and was so impressed with her and loved her right from the start. So I just knew that she would be a good fit before we even had our formal appointment with her. John was a little leary at first, but our first visit with Kelli left him confident that it was the right decision, he bonded with her immediately and had no reservations about our choice in a care provider. I remember feeling elated after our meeting with her when he agreed to move forward in the homebirthing direction. I just felt it my heart it would be perfect!!

Every prenatal visit was like going to see a friend. I never felt rushed, never felt like I was just another client, we would often talk for an hour or more. We went to her home, where it is peaceful and one of the most beautiful pieces of property I have ever seen. Certainly a change for me from my first pregnancy where I sat in a cold and uncomfortable waiting room with numerous other women, sometimes waiting an hour or more for my turn to be seen. I loved that my oldest daughter could take part in all of the appointments. She got to help with the blood pressure, and the doppler. I was so glad that she was able to be fully immersed in the experience as well, and I think it helped her to bond with her sister so quickly, knowing that she was a part of it all.

I remember when she arrived for our birth, I was in the tub in our bathroom. Until that point I had been nervous, tense, and just feeling overwhelmed. Literally the moment she walked into the room it was like a huge weight came off, like I was able to just be in the moment, to go with it, and to let go of my fears and hesitations. I put my faith and trust in her completely that she would take care of me and my baby to assure that she came into the world in the most peaceful, safe, and loving way. My birth experience was something that I will truly never forget... it's something that has forever changed me as a woman, as a mother, and it stays with me now when I attend the births of others.

At Bodhi's birth this weekend it brought all of my feelings for Kelli back to the surface. She truly is a warrior of birth, protecting women and their babies from the traumas that birth can sometimes bring. This weekend just only reinforced what I already knew... that she is meant to be delivering babies, that it is her calling and gift to this world and the women that are lucky enough to have her care for them. Nandi and Jason had a hard birth, first babies usually take their sweet time. Not once did you see anything other than peace on Kelli's face. She was there with them, in the moment, giving all of her energy and love to them, to the process, and to their baby boy. After Bodhi was born, one by one, each of us that was there went to Kelli for a hug... and as soon as she hugged us each of us broke down into sobs of tears. It's like with her hugs she gives you the internal signal to just let it go... to let all of the emotion just spill out. She is so strong in labor that she keeps everyone else strong too, and when it's all over and everyone has a chance to breathe and really take in what's happened, she is there again to comfort you and to let go of all the tension and savor the moment.

Again I can't begin to even figure out a way to say thank you to Kelli who has cared for me, loved me, loved my husband, daughter and baby girl. It's so hard to find the words to say thank you for something that special. I mean how often does someone come along and change your life in that way? How often does someone show you the power within yourself to believe and know in your heart that you have made the right choices for your baby? How often does someone just come along and make you a better person and a better mom just for knowing them? I think back about my birth and am so proud, so happy, and so content with how it all turned out. I couldn't have dreamed of having the experience the way we did, and feeling like it was so complete and so "right". I know I have the best midwife, who has taken my fears and shown me how to get through them, who has showed me the other side of birth, and how to trust myself!

To Kelli: You have changed my life and the lives of countless others. Those of us who are lucky enough to have you in their lives know exactly how I feel. It's something most unspoken and unsaid, but definitely felt in the heart. There are no words strong enough that can express the depth of our gratitude and admiration. We love you!!!

I have attached some of my favorite photos from our birth, and from Nandi's to show Kelli doing what she does best. She is truly an amazing beautiful soul with a huge heart for her pregnant mamas and their families! If you've had the pleasure of having Kelli attend your birth, please add your comments!!

A thank you to Margie Schulz for her amazing captures of our birth (she also took some of the ones of Nandi and Jason as well!).

First heart tones check when she arrived at our house...

Supporting me as I relax in the big tub.

Maggie and Kelli doing counter pressure on my back. That is some serious teamwork!

Our baby girl, being safely brought into this world with her help.

Big sister Shaylee helping Kelli get her new baby sister all bundled up. Yesterday she told me she wants to be "Miss Kelli" when she grows up. Kelli made quite an impression on her too eh? LOL!

The patient watcher and keeper of good loving energy!

She has to get her own photos too...

Hip counter pressure, she has the strongest arms of anyone I know!
She has the stamina of a LION!

Margie captured this... I love this moment, hopefully
I comforted her in the ways she has always done for me...

I turned around and saw her doing this and knew I just HAD to get a
photo. Her poor back was hurting, so she was doing this to straighten it out.
Crazy strength she has!

Just love that calm and peaceful smile...

Getting the supplies ready... she's always prepared!

My favorite shot of her ever I think... all 3 of them just have this peace about them.
Like they know something amazing is about to happen!

HA! Made ya look!

Just a beautiful moment during a normal birth!!

Heart tones on baby...

One of my favorites of Jason... he just lost it as soon as Kelli hugged him.
I don't think there was a dry eye in the room at that point!

A HUGE Congratulations to Nandi & Jason!!!

2008-06-09T15:06:00.007-04:00

This weekend was quite a crazy one for me... John and I had a wedding scheduled for Saturday night and I knew Nandi was due to give birth at any moment. Well Saturday morning I got a text message that labor had begun... so I got in the car and drove out to New Smyrna to attend baby Bodhi's birth. I had to leave for the wedding in the afternoon and was really torn and didn't want to leave them with an incomplete story of the day, so my good friend Margie (who photographed our birth) just happened to be visiting us for the weekend and she graciously offered to drive out so she could help while I went to the wedding. I drove the hour back into Winter Park and shot Sarah and Michael's beautiful wedding, then drove back to New Smyrna when I was done.

Nandi and Jason had a long day of labor, but it was the most beautiful experience for those that were there. Nandi was so strong and Jason was such an amazing support to her. Both grandmas were there as well and they were also amazing. One of the best parts for me was that this birth was attended by our midwife Kelli Johnson of A Mothers Nature Midwifery who also delivered Camdyn. So that in itself was extra special for me. I have bonded with Nandi and Jason since doing their maternity photos about two months ago, and they have become such wonderful friends. I am proud of what they accomplished with Bodhi's birth... it was another amazing homebirth experience I will never forget.

So a huge congratulations to them! It was an honor to be present and a part of Bodhi's birth. Stay tuned towards the end of the week for more photos from Bodhi's newborn session. Another HUGE thank you to Margie for always being there for myself and my family. She is a true friend and such an important part of our lives!

And yes another cutie patootie newborn too!

2008-06-06T16:02:00.007-04:00

Welcome Angelica!! She was born 8 days ago and was welcomed home by Andrea and Scott. I did Andrea and Scott's wedding two years ago, and was delighted to be able to do a newborn session for them in their home. Here's a few of their princess baby! She's so beautiful!!!

Wow...another beautiful maternity!!

2008-06-05T22:56:00.006-04:00

I've been so blessed lately with these drop dead gorgeous beauties who have come in for maternity photos. Alana is one of them... she's 34 weeks, but you'd never guess that she is that far along. She and her husband Don are expecting their first baby boy who they will name Lance. I'm sure with parents this gorgeous he'll be a cutie as well! Check back in July for his newborn session! Here's a few from their session!

Sawyer's Newborn Session!

2008-05-28T14:21:00.004-04:00

Gosh this little dude is so cute! I went for a visit to Kelli & Roja's on Monday and did Sawyer's newborn session. He was nice and sleepy and we were able to move him around without bothering him too much. I always love doing sessions in people's homes... I just think it's so much more personal. Here's a few from his session.

Quickie preview for Johanna & Ozzie!!

2008-05-25T18:03:00.002-04:00

Here's a preview of Johanna & Ozzie's wedding. They are headed on their 55 day honeymoon backpacking trip tomorrow so I wanted to make sure to share a few! It was a crazy day. It was hot, rainy and humid, hello Florida in May! It was a beautiful wedding and everyone still had a great time! More to come very soon!

:)

Welcome baby Sawyer!!

2008-05-22T15:46:00.005-04:00

Congratulations to Kelli & Roja! Little Sawyer man was born on Monday at 10:31 am and weighed in at a whopping 9 pounds 7 ounces! He's quite a big dude and so stinkin cute already! He looks a lot like his daddy and has a ton of hair! I'll be doing his newborn session on Monday, so stay tuned! The first shot cracks me up... that is Kelli headed into the OR. Her last hurrah with her prego belly!

Lesley and Brent... married in St Pete!!!

2008-05-16T22:20:00.005-04:00

This was a VERY fun wedding. We drove down to St. Pete to do Lesley and Brent's wedding last Friday. We spent the night in the very beautiful and swanky Vinoy Hotel. It was a beautiful day and we really enjoyed getting out of town for some fun!! Lesley and Brent looked amazing! Here's a few photos from their day... more to come!!

And oh my goodness... their cake was one of the coolest cakes I have ever seen! Little mini cakes all arranged into one big one. John had the idea to light it up from behind with our video light... the cake glowed, it was just too cool! And it was soooooooooo DELISH!!!

Email down...

2008-05-14T08:42:00.002-04:00

If you have tried emailing me at cristy@cristynielsen.com it is not working properly right now. I am in the process of switching servers so some things are taking longer to propagate. Please try emailing jcsnielsen@earthlink.net if you need to get a hold of me immediately.

The regular email address should be back up and going sometime this afternoon. Thank you for your patience!

Call out for Models!!!

2008-05-13T19:34:00.002-04:00

We are currently looking for models for a fashion designer that we will be working with sometime in June. We are looking for women who are more petite and a size 2-6, and men who are 5'8" - 6' tall and slender to medium build. Latin or Hispanic look is preferred as this is a Latin inspired clothing line. You will receive copies on CD of all images taken of you. Please submit a headshot and full body shot for consideration via email to cristy@cristynielsen.com .

Kelli and Roja... maternity!

2008-05-13T14:03:00.004-04:00

Meet Kelli and Roja, Kelli does our hair, gotta love her! She has such cool funky style and she's an awesome person! I will be at the hospital with them as they have their little boy on Monday, so say a prayer for them! Here's a few images from their maternity session. One more week guys! Enjoy every last minute of your pregnancy!

Why you hire a professional photographer for Mother's Day...

2008-05-08T21:35:00.005-04:00

This was posted on my photography board... thought it was too funny and had to share.

Ahhh... we got family photos done!!

2008-05-07T10:21:00.004-04:00

Yes even the photographers get family photos done on occassion! Last Friday we hooked up with our good friends Chad and Mary Beth North of North Star Photography. We all exchanged services for some family photos and they turned out great! Their 12 year anniversary is coming up this summer and they wanted some for the party they are having to celebrate, so we all decided to get a move on it and get some done too. Thought I'd share... thanks MB and Chad for helping us create some rockin images for our walls! YAY! Here they are!

Had to share this video of my friend Julie!!

2008-05-06T14:30:00.004-04:00

My friend Julie Williams in Utah was featured on the news for her efforts in volunteering for Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep. This organization has a network of photographers for bereavement photography for babies who pass away at birth or are still born. Often these are the only photos that families have of their child. To view the video, click HERE and HERE... there are two segments. It's such a beautiful story and tribute to Julie who many of you have met.

:)

Miss Lilie... Please read!

2008-05-02T15:53:00.003-04:00

Meet Lilie... she is 18 months old and struggling with numerous health challenges. I was honored to photograph her and her family who were visiting from Wisconsin this past week. Yesterday I drove out to Daytona beach to do her session. Here's a few preview shots of her session. She's such a beautiful baby girl! I will have the rest of the images up sometime early next week, so please keep checking back to see the rest! To learn more about Lilie and her story, please visit her site on Caring Bridge.

Nandi... stunningly beautiful!

2008-04-27T08:51:00.006-04:00

This is Nandi and Jason. I had the honor of photographing their pregnancy last night in New Smyrna Beach. They will be having a homebirth with Kelli Johnson of Mother's Nature Midwifery who also delivered our baby girl as well. I'm so excited for them and can't wait to see their new baby soon! Here's their session!

Why Does Custom Photography Cost More?

2008-04-21T08:33:00.008-04:00

I loved this article by Marianne Drenthe... I often find myself at a loss for words when explaining to people just how long a single session takes from start to completion for my clients. This is a prime example of a regular portrait session, so if you can only imagine what a wedding entails in editing and what photographers call "back end" time. With both John and I shooting for 8+ hours at an average wedding, when you think about just the editing of the images, and then add in album creation, the amount of back end work is often upwards of 80 hours per couple! Good thing I love what I do and enjoy that part of it as well. Just thought I would share this... it's quite an accurate account of just how long everything does take!

February 27th, 2008 by Marianne Drenthe of Marmalade Photography, Chicago

Digital technology is brilliant. The digital revolution has brought amazing flexibility and amazing amounts of control for the photographer, the hobbyist, the professional, the amateur. With flexibility comes a price though. Camera equipment is still considerably more expensive when you factor in its’ lifespan, the need for additional resources for processing those images, the time it takes to get a usable image and the effort that goes into all of this.

Even though you pay $1.99 for a print at your local drugstore and paying for film is pretty much a thing of the past (although you still pay for memory) you may be wondering why you may pay upwards of $40, 50, 70, 90 for a custom photography print. Some photographers hear this statement every once in awhile:

"How in the world can you charge $60 for an 8×10 if it costs me less than $2 to print at the local drug store?"

The answer is multifaceted and has a lot to do with the time, aforementioned equipment costs, artistic vision and reputation of the photographer, expertise and the usual costs of running a legitimate business.

TIME of the CUSTOM PHOTOGRAPHER:

Approaching it from a time standpoint, for instance let’s imagine if you will that you have hired a photographer who has work that you love and that is travelling an hour to your on location session. TIme break down:

session prep time (30 mins - 1 hour, includes equipment and back up equipment checks + vehicle checks)
one hour travel time TO session
15-30 minutes prep time at client’s home
90 minutes-2 hours with client photographing subject
one hour travel time FROM session
30-45 minutes uploading time from digital cards from camera to computer
30-45 minutes time spent backing up the original images
2-5 hours editing time to present you with a diverse gallery of edited images
1 hour prep time getting ready for ordering
2-3 hours time with client for ordering images
1 hour sorting through and checking order
30 minutes-1 hour prep time for delivery
30 minutes-1 hour getting order shipped
any additional phone time or time needed for add on ordering, shipment issues, quality issues

As you can see, average client time for a session ranges from just under 13 hours to 19 hours dependent on the photographer’s level of service. This is time dedicated only to your session. When the photographer charges $150-$300 for the photo shoot you are not just paying for the two hours of session time, you are paying the photographer for 12-19 hours complete time for your session.

COSTS of the CUSTOM PHOTOGRAPHER:

Regarding equipment costs, a good quality professional camera with a selection of good optical quality lenses and digital storage mediums and computer set up can run from $10,000-$30,000 costs dependent on the photographer. Even though you can purchase a really good quality digital SLR for about $2100 there are still other costs related to photography. A good lens for portrait photography can run up $900 to $2500. A dependable computer system with software loaded for business and creative usage can run $2500 to $8000 dependent on the photographer.

Then come lab costs for specialty products. A good photographer knows the lab is integral to their success. Photography labs dedicated to the professional photographer often cost more and offer a range of products that allows the custom photographer to continually offer new, innovative products for you, the discerning client.

Discussion other costs of running a photography business could take awhile so we’ll skip the intricate details. There is of course much more: including costs of running the business, taxes, studio rental/mortgage if the photographer has ownership of a dedicated studio, vehicular costs, costs of advertising/marketing, costs of sample pieces that the photographer will likely bring to your session, etc.

APPLES to ORANGES:

Often times clients will mention to their photographer that X studio in the mall/department store only charges $25 for an 8×10 or they may mention other things related to discount photography chains. The fact is those discount chains make their money on volume, not on customized 1:1 service. According to several articles at the time, did you know that in February 2007 a rather well known discount department store that started in Arkansas closed down 500 of their portrait studios across the nation? The reason is simple, you cannot make money on 99¢ "professional" prints if you do not sell enough of them. Interestingly enough - those same studios that offer the loss leader packages often charge much much more for their a la carte pricing (as high as $40-50 for an 8×10). The whole reason the big department stores began offering portrait studios in the first place was to get you, the savvy consumer, in through their door so that you could spend more money with them in other departments. Your "PORTRAITS" are considered the true "loss leader".

Going to a chain studio, as a consumer, you don’t have the benefit of 1:1 attention for 2 hours at your home where your child is allowed to explore, play and be comfortable in their home environment, nor do you get the experience that many custom photographers are known for or the lovely captures of natural expressions. You simply get a bare bones, "SAY CHEESE" experience. Keep this in mind when selecting a photographer.

REPUTATION/EXPERTISE of the PHOTOGRAPHER:

Being in demand, being well known for quality work, having a good reputation often costs time on the photographer’s part. Their expertise comes at a cost, their time learning their craft and learning the intricacies of lighting and the commitment put forth on their end to create a persona about their business that oozes professionalism. A great number of photographers go a very long time from the time that they purchase their first good camera to making money at the business of photography. Many photographers, when first starting out, rush in thinking that the business will be easily profitable in no time, how expensive could it be to get a camera and use it to create their dream? They often neglect to factor in the cost of business, the cost of equipment, software, back ups, etc..

Being of sound reputation, a better professional photographer knows that they must always reinvest in their business to create the reputation of being top notch. To create good work good equipment, reliable equipment, back up equipment is a necessity. The photographer who desires to be known as better/best/unparalelled reputation-wise knows that the most important thing they can do for their business is reliability and dependability. This is how reputations get built. Good work often is a wonderful side product of building that good reputation.

I hope this (lengthy) article helps shed some light on WHY a custom photographer is a better choice for your family’s memories. The photographs that are produced as a result of the professionalism and dedication that your photographer has will be cherished for a lifetime (or more) and great thought and consideration should be placed into hiring who is right for your family’s most precious investment.

Had to share this...too stinkin funny!

2008-04-10T15:26:00.006-04:00

Yesterday I was trying to get our oldest daughter to clean her playroom, something that is always a challenge and brings out a serious case of the grumpies with her. I thought I would turn it into a game and "race" her to see who could clean up the fastest. So I said "ready, set, GO". As soon as I said that the baby literally freaked out, and the pouting and fussing ensued. I wondered why she was so upset, and why that would bug her so I said it again, and YUP she got upset again... then of course it was so cute that it was funny. Poor girl just got tortured by mama so I had to get it on video. So here it is... her little pout in all it's glory. Seriously who would think that ready, set, go would freak a little one out so much!
And a close up of Miss Pout!

Natalie & Robeson's Wedding!

2008-04-03T10:34:00.005-04:00

Last Saturday we shot a beautiful wedding for Natalie and Robeson. It was such a gorgeous day outside and everything went off without a hitch. It was a ton of fun and they both looked amazing! The wedding was at Winter Park Baptist Church, and reception was at Maison Jardin in Altamonte Springs. They left for their honeymoon on Sunday, but Robeson kept it a surprise from EVERYONE! So no one has any idea where they are right now... can't wait to hear where they ended up once they get home! Here's a few photos from their wedding, more to come soon!

Photographers are crazy...lol.

2008-03-31T15:46:00.004-04:00

Someone posted this to my photography group this morning so I thought I would share. I've gotten some crazy photos of John shooting in really weird situations, laying on the ground, shooting funny things, etc but this was cracking me up!

CLICK HERE TO CHECK IT OUT!

Cheers! Happy Monday!

Amy & Hunter!

2008-03-23T17:31:00.005-04:00

These guys were such a blast to work with. They got engaged in January and we did their session at Hunter's family's lake house where he proposed. It was a fun shoot, and we really enjoyed working with them. They are getting married in December in Dallas, TX. We'll be doing Amy's bridals in the fall as well. It was a really beautiful day for a photo shoot, a bit windy, but we made it work. As we were leaving we got John's truck stuck in the sand and it took John and Hunter about 20 minutes to get it out! That was a first... we've been stuck in snow before, but never sand! Here's their session, such fun!

Girls Night OUT Parties!!!

2008-03-20T12:53:00.007-04:00

CNP will be offering Girls Night Out parties for intimates sessions. Each $225 session will include a half hour of shooting time, and a 20 page 5x7 softcover book of your favorite images. Each book is custom designed, all images in the book are retouched, and make great gifts for that special someone in your life.

Kelli Durrant, Winter Park's fabulous makeup artist and hair stylist will also be available upon request. These sessions can take place at the studio or in your home. A minimum of 4 ladies will be required to book a party. As a hostess if you book six or more of your friends your session and book are complimentary. We'll have wine, chocolate, and a ton of fun! If you've wanted to have a intimates session this is the time to do it, and it will save you $450 off the normal rate.

All ladies must pay for their time slot in advance. If you are requesting hair and makeup assistance, that will need to be requested in advance as well. Please call 407-619-1359 to schedule your evening of choice and gather your friends for some fun!

Trash the Dress! Looking for former brides and models!

2008-03-15T11:25:00.002-04:00

Hi there ladies!

So I am finally getting around to wanting to schedule some Trash The Dress sessions. If you don't know what I am talking about please go to Trash The Dress!

I would love to do several sessions in April for some of my former brides and models that would like to wear their dress one more time for the sake of art. While your dress may get dirty and need cleaned afterwards, we won't "trash" it literally. Brides and models must be willing to get wet, possibly in a hot springs, beach setting, etc. And also looking for a few "urban" type looks in downtown Orlando during the day, at night, in alleys, etc. Those that participate will receive a printable disk of their images in exchange for allowing us to play. We are looking for shots to submit to the Trash The Dress site, for our website and for samples of our work. All brides and models must sign a release for us to display the images in order to be considered. We are going for "out of the box" looks, sexier and not your average bridal session.

If you are interested please zip me an email back and let me know which days and times are good for you. I'd love to get a group of brides together for a shot with several brides in one image. Saturday afternoons and evenings in April are preferred. Thanks for considering this, and hope to hear back from you!

:) Cristy

A Horse, An old Jag, A MoPed, and a Sunset!

2008-03-08T23:38:00.008-05:00

Ozzie and Johanna ROCK! They were sent to us from Jenny & Brian whose wedding we shot last year. Ozzie was a groomsman for Brian. They were so fun! We did these at the Johanna's parents house and Max her horse has been hers since she was a child. The weather was cold today...brrrr...and very windy! Gotta love it when couples do what you ask... I told them to kiss and *ahem*... I blushed they got it sooo right...lol. Their wedding is in late May, so stay tuned! Here's their engagement slideshow!

A plea for help...

2008-03-06T10:26:00.001-05:00

Imagine having a beautiful child.
Imagine finding out your beautiful child won’t survive past two years old.
Imagine having ONE wish for your child.
Imagine everyone banding together to make the wish a reality.

This is the story of Lilie’s family, and this is me (and hopefully all of you), committing myself to find a way to make this happen! Lilie is terminally ill. She has been diagnosed with GM1 Gangliosidosis. It is a rare, incurable lysosomal storage disease (enzyme deficiency) that will ultimately take her life by what research shows. . . by the age of two. She will continue to degenerate, go blind, have seizures, and eventually lose all ability to move and succumb to this disease. She is all but blind and her mom (Jen) is spending her last days enjoying what life is left in her daughter.

All Jen wants to do is take her daughter to the Ocean before she dies and Make a Wish will not grant them the wish because she is under two and they believe that Lilie will not get any benefit from it that it would only benefit the FAMILY… Jen is devastated.

Visit their Caring Bridge page here: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/lilieclark

This family is a dear friend of a good friend of mine. I’m asking for your help. Myself (along with a couple photographer friends of mine) would love to be able to get them to Florida. If we can get them to Florida (there are 6 in their family), they can stay with family…but with tons of medical expenses, right now it just isn’t possible.

So I’m asking for your guys’ help….anything that you could donate to this fabulous cause….$5, $20, $500…I get approximately 500 visits to my blog daily, if each person donated just $10, we could have $5000 in just one day…that would be A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!!! Put yourself in their shoes, imagine having one last wish for your child.

I have set up a Paypal account for the donations. If you are willing to help out, please go to Paypal and send funds to the following address sulrich@neb.rr.com.

Caroline & Scott's Wedding!!!

2008-03-04T12:39:00.008-05:00

Wow! What a weekend! Caroline and Scott's wedding was beautiful! Everything went off without a hitch thanks to Susie and Donna from Wonderful Weddings of Winter Park! They were the coordinators of the day and did an absolutely amazing job! They were always there when we needed something and that made our jobs so much easier! Thanks Susie and Donna!

The ceremony was held at the First Presbyterian Church of Downtown Orlando. What a beautiful church! The reception was held at Interlachen Country Club, again totally gorgeous and they did a fabulous job! The food was sooo good, and the service was impeccable! The girls had their hair and makeup done at Stella Luca Salon in Winter Park, and of course they were all so beautiful! The flowers....ahhh the flowers just stunning! They were done by Lee Heard. The colors, the arrangements, the tables, everything was so elegant! Videography was done by Perfect Sky Productions, thank you to Sky for working so well with us. We hope to do more weddings with you again in the future! The cake was made by Linda Kotch, everyone commented on how yummy the cake was! The live band was Complete Desire out of Atlanta, GA. Man can they put the beats down... such fun!! Trolley transportation was provided by Mt. Dora Trolley Company, that was such a fun way to get to and from the ceremony and something we've not done before!

Here's some sneak peeks from the wedding (yes more than a few)! Congratulations to the happy bride and groom who are on their honeymoon in the Virgin Islands!! More photos can be viewed on Caroline and Scott's Wedding Website!!I'm telling you the flowers were beautiful!Scott... right before the ceremony.

Caroline and her dad Mike... the look on his face and him trying so hard not to cry... makes me tear up!

Snuck this one in as they were closing the doors at the back of the church.
From the church balcony...
The wedding party.
The bling...
Back of the trolley fun!At Interlachen

First Dance

The send off!

Ahhh can share Caroline's Bridals!!

2008-03-04T11:47:00.004-05:00

Since the wedding has come and gone I can now share Caroline's bridal session. We shot them at her parents house in Winter Park and really had a great time. Working on the wedding photos now. I'll post a few to preview soon!

Took a day OFF!

2008-03-04T10:59:00.008-05:00

After the long weekend shooting Caroline and Scott's wedding and rehearsal dinner, John took the day off, as did I, and we took the girls to Seaworld. We hadn't been there in quite a while and we always enjoy it. Here's a few shots from out day courtesy of our point and shoot... I'm starting to realize that not all photos have to be perfect... I spend so much time worrying about perfection that I often miss the moments that we will remember the most with our family. So point and shoot it was yesterday... nice to not have to drag the "mack daddy" camera around with us all day! Days off don't last long...back to the grind today!Grandma bought these glasses... such Jackie O don't cha think??

Getting big, lil miss thang is 11 weeks already!I could sit at the dolphin tank all day...literally!Daddy and his girls!The girls and I taking in the serenity under the dolphin tank.

These guys were too cute, all snuggled up sleepin!

She sooo badly wanted her picture taken here!

John had the idea that we should take this shot everytime we go to Seaworld. We can see how much Shaylee grows since the horses are always the same size!

Took this while John was riding the rollercoaster.Ahhh the end of a long day... gotta love babies sleeping so peacefully amidst all the noise!

Two of my favorite brides!

2008-03-04T10:52:00.005-05:00

I love all of our brides, but rarely do I get to do anything fun with them without a camera in my hand... after Caroline's wedding we went to 310 Park South for a few cocktails, and Graham came to join in on the fun, so I wanted to get a photo with them (thanks to John for taking it!). Both of these girls are awesome and we really enjoyed both of their weddings so much! Had to share this shot... I felt like schlumpy stuck between these two hotties, but ahhh such is life! Images from Caroline's wedding to follow soon!

Another beautiful bride!

2008-02-19T16:32:00.004-05:00

We did an awesome bridal session this past Saturday with Caroline! I can't show the images until after her wedding but WOW... what a beautiful bride she is! Aren't I a tease?? Scott is a very lucky guy and I can't wait to see the look on his face when he sees her for the first time!! We must be doing something right, we get the most beautiful brides!!

:)

Natalie & Robeson Downtown Engagments!

2008-02-19T16:30:00.003-05:00

You may remember Natalie and Robeson from two weeks ago. We shot them at the beach and they allowed us to take them downtown again and play with some new lighting stuff that we've been working on. We hit Church Street in downtown Orlando and found some awesome spots to shoot! Here's the slideshow from that session!

Some photos of US!

2008-02-19T15:28:00.003-05:00

We were lucky enough to have photos of us taken by Tanja Butler-Melone of Contemporary Expressions Photography. She traveled from Denver for convention and we got the opportunity to have her shoot our new image for our websites. A special thank you to Tanja... girl you rock!!

Convention was a BLAST!

2008-02-19T12:58:00.006-05:00

Well we are back from convention and I'm finally getting around to getting some of my normal stuff done. The convention was at the Embassy Suites in Orlando, we ended up staying there the entire time to save us from traveling with two kiddos and dragging all of our stuff back and forth. John's mom was in town so she helped watch the kids which was so helpful! We had a great time, got tons of inspiration and ideas for 2008, and got to see lots of our photography friends again! We had fabulous speakers David Jay, Garrett Nudd, Doug Box, Jen Hillenga, and Mike Fulton, just to name a few! All of the speakers did an amazing job and we learned a ton from them! Here's a few images from the events. We had sooo much fun!Cher, my other "stepmom"...lol. She's taken me on as one of her own children and I just love her!Some fun time watching Garrett Nudd shoot a beautiful bride!
A shot from one of the workshops about photographing children. Our little girl ended up being a model, can you imagine having 100 photographers chasing you down with cameras? YIKES!The convention planning committee (missing John, he took the photos!). That's me second from right.
And a very special Congratulations to my friend Barbara who won Best in Show for her awesome image! If you haven't seen her work you can check it out HERE!

Convention was so great this year! Can't wait to fly to Phoenix for next year's events!

MIA for a few days...

2008-02-07T19:28:00.001-05:00

John and I are in South Orlando for a few days at a photography convention. We will not be replying to emails until Monday, February 11th. Please bear with us as we spend 5 days learning and enjoying hearing from the best photographers in the industry!

:)

Natalie & Robeson!!

2008-02-04T12:27:00.001-05:00

These guys were so much fun to work with! They are just giddy about each other which always makes getting great shots so easy! We will be doing a second engagement session with them in downtown Orlando at night in two weeks so stay tuned! Their wedding is March 29th and we are really looking forward to it! Here's the slideshow of their session. Enjoy!

We are smiling!

2008-02-01T12:21:00.002-05:00

Camdyn is full of smiles these days. She loves to make eye contact and gets the biggest grin when you look at her! She already seems so aware of her surroundings and enjoys being talked to and all of the interaction. Here's a few snapshots that we took yesterday. I got them both to smile at the same time which is a first! YAY!

Graham & Travis' Wedding Album!

2008-02-01T12:15:00.001-05:00

Check out the wedding album preview for Graham and Travis! This is one of the my favorite albums I've ever done. Looking at it totally brings back all the fun of their wedding day. It was such a beautiful and fun wedding! To view this album in a larger format please click HERE! Enjoy!

Elora is 9 months!!!

2008-01-26T12:06:00.002-05:00

Wow! I can't believe how big Elora has gotten! She's got the most beautiful eyes! Here's the slideshow from her session.

She's SIX weeks already!!

2008-01-25T11:37:00.002-05:00

Man time flies! Can't believe it's already been six weeks! Had to share these few. She's learned to smile so that is a ton of fun. She's an easy going, cuddly little girl and we are so in love with her!

Caroline & Scott

2008-01-22T11:00:00.001-05:00

We had so much fun with Caroline & Scott. They were our first official session back from maternity leave and we both felt so inspired to step outside the box a bit and get creative. These guys were great sports even during the VERY cold funky Florida weather. Their wedding reception is at Interlachen Country Club in March and should be a blast, so stay tuned for that! Here's their engagement session. Enjoy!

Starting to fill the appointment calendar and a Valentine Special!

2008-01-07T11:05:00.001-05:00

We are now officially back to taking sessions starting in another two weeks. If you are trying to get in before the end of January, please contact us to book your session now. February 1st we will be back in full swing!

We are currently running a $100 off special on our Intimates sessions. These sessions are two hours long, and include a 6x6 album with your images. Retouching is included on all shots. These are a wonderful gift for your husband, boyfriend or significant other for Valentine's Day! To assure Valentine's delivery you must book your session soon! Gift certificates are available for anyone who may want to purchase an intimates session for that special someone in your life.

:)

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-25T01:24:00.001-05:00

Our first studio visit!

2007-12-21T23:10:00.002-05:00

We took the girls to the studio today. Funny with clients I try to get creative and do different things, but with our kids I'm just happy if I get them both in a shot and... lol. Here's a few that I wanted to get for our holiday cards. Wanted to wait for our baby girl to get here to add her to the cards so we're a little late this year!

Our beautiful home waterbirth... a not so short story.

2007-12-19T21:21:00.001-05:00

Ahhh... life is grand with a newborn in the house. We all just can't seem to stop smiling, and are giddy over our new little lady. She's quite the little person and definitely has her own personality already. We just can't stop staring at her... she consumes every moment of our day lately.

A little about her birth... many have asked how it happened and for me to tell the story, so I thought I'd share.

I had been having contractions for several weeks that were annoying, but not doing much of anything as far as giving me real labor. Finally on Saturday morning, labor came. It started at about 9:45, by 10:30 I was in the tub in our bathroom breathing through each contraction. Things really started progressing and John called our midwife and doula at 11:00. They both arrived at 11:30 and things really started getting going by then. We had already called our friend Margie to come and photograph the birth and she arrived at the same time as our midwife and doula. I swear it was like once they all got there my body just let go and did what it needed to do. I spent the first two hours in our bathtub, and John got to work on filling up the inflatable tub that we had rented for the birth. It was bigger than our regular bathtub so I was able to get fully immersed in the water and get comfy. I swear those tubs saved me... without the water I don't know how I would have coped.

My midwife Kelli and doula Maggie both coached me through the contractions once they arrived. Kelli checked me and I was 5-6 centimeters, which I was relieved that I had FINALLY made progress! She told me not to be surprised if I transitioned quickly as she could tell that I was going fast. I had to laugh and ask her "is this my warning that it will happen, or you telling me that it will"... I got her little smile and a uh huh...lol. I got into the inflatable tub and once in there dilated to complete in a matter of a few contractions. Kelli and Maggie both told me to listen to my body and if I felt like pushing to just do what came natural to me. I tried a few pushes and didn't like it... I was trying to find a position to get comfortable and tolerate the pressure I was feeling. It was really hard to find a place and way to sit that worked for me, so Maggie ended up kneeling behind me and I wrapped my arms around her back to support me. John and Kelli each held a leg while I pushed and that seemed to be the way that worked for me.

I remember being hot and heavy into labor and questioning whether I was really ready to give birth at home, but reminded myself that I made this choice for a reason and knew I'd get through it, even if I had to mentally just check out to get there. I felt like I was in a trance, just barely on the edge of being aware of what was going on around me. I knew who was there, heard them talking, but didn't really pay much attention to what was happening. I was so focused on just trying to relax and stay in control of myself. I'm actually quite proud and surprised that I did so well in staying in the place I needed to be... staying calm, collected, and just letting all the tension go away.

At first when I started pushing I didn't think I was doing anything, so it took me a little while to figure out where to push, once I figured it out it was only a few pushes and she was out. I remember the feeling of the burning as she was crowning, and also remember the lovely curse words that flew out of my mouth. YIKES! As soon as she was born I remember instantly feeling HUGE relief, like all of a sudden I went from the most intense pain I have ever felt, to complete and total peace with a slippery newborn on my chest at 1:23 P.M. It was the most surreal feeling I have ever felt in my life. To then sit back and take it all in was even more surreal. To watch John cry, and try so hard not to lose it completely, to watch the way he was looking at me with such pride and love, made me fall in love with him all over again. To see the look on Shaylee's face when she saw her baby sister for the first time... all of that was beyond anything I had imagined. To get out of the tub and into my own shower, and then into my own bed was such a cool thing. To have gotten through labor without any IV's, medications, tubes, needles, etc was the icing on the cake. To get up and take our little girl outside in the beautiful Florida afternoon sun on the day she was born... so freakin cool!

We had the experience of our dreams, one I will remember for the rest of my life. It was everything we wanted and more. Our birth team was beyond amazing, they came in and supported us with everything we wanted, made sure we were taken care of, left us feeling completely honored to have had them there. Each person that was here took part in making Camdyn's birthday a beautiful one. It was by far better than I imagined that birth could be. I knew it would be empowering, beautiful and a joyous day, but I had no idea just how special it would be and how much it would bond John, Shaylee, Camdyn, and I as a now bigger family. I still sit in awe thinking about Saturday and what it meant to us. I look at our new little girl and just can't believe how she made her entrance into this world in such a peaceful and loving way.

A huge thank you to those that were here, you know who you are... you all made our day so beautiful. We love and cherish each one of you for being here for us at this most special time! Our friend Margie captured our day with the most amazing photos I think I have ever seen. Here is the link to the slideshow she put together of Camdyn's birth. These photos are such a treasure to us, and we are so glad that we have them to remember that day. Click HERE to watch!

Also, here's a few photos of miss Camdyn. Just some snapshots, we're headed to the studio on Friday to do her official newborn shoot, but for now here's a few more. Thanks to everyone for their support and well wishes on the blog, in email, and the phone calls. We are truly blessed to have such wonderful friends in our lives!

She's HERE! We proudly welcome...

2007-12-16T02:05:00.001-05:00

Camdyn Jewels Nielsen

Born 12/15/2007 at 1:23 pm

8 pounds, 2 ounces, 21 inches long

Waterbirth at home with 3 hours of labor

Such an amazing and beautiful experience!

I'll post more details later, but wanted to let you all know she's here and everyone is doing well! Shaylee is a wonderful big sister and we are so thrilled to have had our birth our way and for everything to turn out so wonderful. A special thank you to our midwife Kelli Johnson, Doula Maggie McCarthy, and friend and photographer Margie Schultz for capturing the photos I have attached. What a crazy hectic day and wonderful day!

Taking her sweet time!

2007-12-11T08:56:00.002-05:00

Well Saturday was our due date and it came and went with no baby yet... she's apparently pretty stubborn and has her own date in mind. We went to our midwife last night and things are progressing, just not as quickly as we had hoped they would. I'm trying to be patient and realize that things will be harder once she arrives, but it's a hard thing to sit here and wonder when she'll come! Julie had to go back to Utah yesterday, so that makes me sad to know that she won't be here to witness the birth, but she'll be back in 7 weeks for our convention here in Orlando and get her baby snuggles then. So say a prayer for us that our baby girl comes soon and arrives happy, healthy, and safely in our arms! We'll continue to update and keep you all posted!

Here's two quick photos of Shaylee to tide you over... probably one of her last photos as a only child. She's so excited to meet her baby sister. She keeps talking to the belly and last night told the baby to "send the signal" so she can be born. She's been so patient, and I know these last days are just as hard for her as they are for us. By far the moment I am looking forward to the most if the first time Shaylee holds her sister. I think I will just lose it and turn into a pile of mush...lol.

Julie and I did a family shoot yesterday!

2007-12-06T13:31:00.001-05:00

So I know I said my last shoot was a while ago... thank goodness for Julie coming to town so we could squeeze this family in. May of you may recognize CJ and her family. They came to me for maternity and newborn photos and we did their big group family portraits yesterday. A huge thank you to Julie for working your magic during this session. I always love working with you and watching you do your thing! Here's a slideshow from the session.

One more day...

2007-12-02T13:13:00.001-05:00

One more day till Julie gets here. I pick her up at 4 p.m. tomorrow and I'm so glad that she'll be here for the birth of our baby girl. We finally finished getting the baby's room ready today. She won't be sleeping in there, but we got all of her clothes and everything in the closet organized so that it's all done when she gets here. It's so weird to see little clothes hanging in the closet again. And to see some of our favorites from when Shaylee was a newborn is pretty wild as well. Can't believe Shaylee was ever that small.

Anyway, one more day... Julie was only here six weeks ago and it seems like forever! She's running crazy trying to tie up all of her loose ends in Salt Lake City so that she can be here for a week and take some much needed time OFF! The fact that she is packing up, leaving David and her 5 kiddos and coming to help us still blows my mind. I am so lucky that I have the best friends in the world to help take care of Shaylee, John and I. Tamu will be around also, and Lesa will have Shaylee during labor. I swear I don't know what I'd do without those 3 women in my life!

Here's two photos, the first of Lesa, me and Tamu. The second with Julie and I. Can't wait to get photos of our new little girl with my favorite girls in the world!

This is GREAT!

2007-11-29T14:52:00.001-05:00

As many of you know we homeschool our daughter. This was posted to a homeschooling group I am a part of and not only did it crack me up, but it really hit home. Thought I'd share...

http://www.secular-homeschooling.com/001/bitter_homeschooler.html

Hooked on Henna!!

2007-11-28T18:47:00.002-05:00

I'm hooked on henna... love these things! Thought I'd share the latest tat. This was done by several of my doula and midwife friends. Each took a turn painting a bit of it and it was so fun! I'll be looking at this during labor and reminded of all of my support from my birth buddies.

No baby yet...

2007-11-28T18:40:00.002-05:00

I've gotten lots of emails and calls over the last few days asking about our birth. No baby yet... we expect she'll come sometime next week. Think she is waiting for her Auntie Julie to get here to make her debut! I'll definitely post some photos and keep you all updated! Thanks for all of your emails and well wishes. We are all SO excited to meet our new little girl!

:)

It's BLACK FRIDAY! CNP 2008 Special!

2007-11-23T09:15:00.001-05:00

Rather than wait in long lines today, give the gift of photography for the holidays! Today and today only we will have a Black Friday special for 2008 sessions. If you've been waiting to try Cristy Nielsen Photography, now is the time to buy a gift certificate and save big on your session!

This "Double Your Dollars" sale will apply to sessions and orders from 2008 sessions only. For example, if you purchase a gift certificate for $300 it will be worth $600. $500 becomes $1,000, etc. This is a special for session fees and prints for regular sessions only. If you know ahead of time that you will be scheduling a session in the spring or summer, you can purchase this ahead of time to save you money when your session comes around. You must purchase your gift certificate today to receive this special. **Some exclusions apply. **Please call or email Cristy to find out more information at 407-619-1359.

Happy Thanksgiving!

:)

Our last wedding before baby comes!

2007-11-21T08:29:00.002-05:00

Last Saturday we did Jennifer & James' wedding. They were both totally gorgeous and the wedding was so fun! They got married at Mead Gardens in Winter Park. The weather could not have been more perfect, the lighting was incredible! They are now on a road trip from San Diego to Northern California for their honeymoon! Just thought we'd share some favorites from the day. It's kinda funny to me, they are both high school teachers... teachers just don't look like what they used to! They could seriously both be in magazines!

I'm hoping to have their wedding website up this evening. You can view it HERE!

Our Baby Shower!

2007-11-19T11:09:00.001-05:00

Our neighbors Lesa and Rob threw us a baby shower yesterday! Thank you guys for organizing and thank you to my MIL Mary Sue who sent goodies from Hawaii and planned out all of the games for us! Here's the link to photos if you'd like to check em out!

Our hiatus has begun!!

2007-11-19T10:25:00.001-05:00

We are officially done with sessions and wedding until mid January. I apologize to anyone that we can't fit in for holiday photos. If you still have orders you have placed, don't worry your orders have been placed and will be ready before the holidays. We have about 2 1/2 weeks till our new baby girl is officially due. I've been feeling some contractions a lot lately, so I'm not sure if she's going to stay put until the due date or not. I'm trying to hold off until at least December 3rd so that my good friend Julie can arrive to photograph the birth.

We are having this little one at home, so please say a prayer for us in the upcoming weeks! Thank you to everyone for your patience and support with our pregnancy, and to everyone who got in early this year to allow us to have this much needed break for our family. I will share baby photos when she arrives, and let you all know when we plan to resume a normal schedule. We do have a waiting list started for first available appointments, so feel free to contact us if you would like to be added and have first dibs on the calendar for 2008.

I plan on spending the net two weeks tying up loose ends, completing holiday orders and getting ready for next year's specials and promotions. We have lots of great stuff to come for 2008, so get ready!! I'm also planning on spending lots of time with our daughter and enjoying the last days of being a mother to one! The holidays make me thankful for all of the blessings we have been given, and for a nice breather for us to enjoy each other!

Thank you again, the support, love and encouragement we have received from our clients, friends, and family has been amazing! We love you all!

:)

Tomorrow last day for 2007 half price print sale!

2007-11-13T09:52:00.002-05:00

I've received several requests for gallery reloads for the 2007 half price reprint sale. This is a reminder that tomorrow is the last day to request your gallery be reloaded and to place your order. Any orders placed after tomorrow will receive our regular print pricing. Thank your for getting your orders to us in a timely manner! :)

Exciting News! New Custom Client Services Sites!

2007-11-08T12:33:00.001-05:00

We've been working long and hard on this new idea and it's finally come to a close and is ready to be previewed. We will now be offering each client who has a session with CNP a custom website to share their photos with their friends and family, and to have all of their slideshows and images in one place for viewing and ordering. It's such a cool thing and I'm really excited to share it with you all. It will be your main place to go for any questions you have about your session, to confirm your appointment and to access everything related to your session.

To see a sample please click HERE! This is a wedding site for Graham and Travis. Portrait sites will look a bit different, but this is to give you an idea. All sessions from here on out will come with this service.

:)

ONE Week only half price reorder sale!!

2007-11-07T12:05:00.001-05:00

Starting today, and expiring next Wednesday we are running a half price off reorders sale for clients who had sessions in 2007. All prints 11x14 and smaller are half off. Canvas prints 16x20 and larger are 25% off. To qualify for this sale you must have placed an order after your session in 2007. Please contact Cristy via email at cristy@cristynielsen.com or phone 407-619-1359 to get your order gallery loaded to choose your prints. Orders placed after next Wednesday will receive the regular print pricing. This is a great deal for gift prints for family to arrive in time for the holidays!

Also pay attention to the blog because we will be running a one day Double Your Dollars Sale on the Friday after Thanksgiving for sessions in 2008. For example, if you spend $200 you will receive a $400 gift certificate to use in 2008. This can be used for prints, session fees, etc. This is a great gift idea for friends and family and gift certificates for the holidays are available.

Thanks for your continued business! We love offering specials to our client families during the holiday season!

Yes some more maternities...lol.

2007-11-04T23:46:00.001-05:00

These were taken on Marco Island last weekend when we went down for Graham & Travis's wedding. We hit the beach again Saturday evening to capture these. Some were taken by John, some taken by my good friend Julie Williams. So glad we took the time to do these, they may be the last ones we do. We will see! Less than 5 weeks to go! I'm going to start offering beach maternities to clients! They were so much fun to do and it was such a good thing to just relax, get my feet in the ocean and just be in the water.

Sneak Preview for Donna & Greg!

2007-11-04T23:22:00.002-05:00

Here's a few photos from the wedding we did last night. It was so beautiful on Lake Mary at their friends home. It was cozy, quiet, and a very enjoyable evening. Amazing couple, great food by Arthur's Catering, beautiful cake, and FUN party! Thanks Donna and Greg for trusting us to capture your evenings events and the love the two of you share! Hope you are having fun in the Dominican Republic! Congratulations!!

Holiday Deadline is TODAY!

2007-11-01T15:04:00.002-04:00

If you are placing an order for holiday delivery, the deadline is today. We have 3 slots left for appts in November, and will not be resuming sessions until after the first of the year. Please keep this in mind when trying to schedule your session. We will be running a half price sale for 8x10's in two weeks, so please pay attention to the blog to order your images. This sale is only good for sessions that took place in 2007, and for clients who have already placed orders with CNP. Those of you who have orders in process should hear from me for pickup within two weeks. Thanks for your patience as we prepare for the birth of our baby and plan our family leave!

:)

Ahh Graham's Bridals!

2007-10-31T13:30:00.001-04:00

Since I can share now...lol. Everyone else has seen her in her dress, so I thought I'd post a few favorites from her bridal as well.

Graham & Travis finally did it!!!

2007-10-31T13:19:00.001-04:00

They got married!! We traveled down to the Marco Island Marriott this past weekend for Graham and Travis' wedding. It was SO much fun! We were lucky enough to have the help of our friends Julie and David Williams to shoot the wedding. They flew in from Salt Lake City for the weekend.

Graham was gorgeous of course, and Travis was lookin mighty fine in his tux. I'm sure everyone that went had as much fun as we did. Here's some preview photos. It was hard to narrow it down as to which ones to sneak peek to you all, but here's several favorites. The rest should be done in about a week. To view the rest of their photos click here!

Thanks Graham and Travis for having us capture your day. And thank you to Lyles and Dan for sending Graham and Travis to us! What a fun couple, thank you!

Enjoy!

A few of us!

2007-10-30T16:52:00.002-04:00

I've gotten a few emails wondering if we had done any more maternity photos, and we actually got to the studio last weekend to do some, so I'll share a few. We are now 34 weeks pregnant and can't wait to meet our new little girl!

Enjoy!

Six month old Andrew!

2007-10-23T11:32:00.002-04:00

This was a fun session! This little guy is such a cutie. I am so lucky, I get to photograph the cutest babies in town! Thanks to Ashley and Ray for having me. You guys have a beautiful family and I really enjoyed my visit with you! Here's their photos!

Noah is almost 18 months!

2007-10-23T11:29:00.001-04:00

Sheri and Chris wanted to get Noah in a bit early this year so that they can make sure to get holiday photos before we have our baby. Noah is almost 18 months! Still cute as ever, and man his hair is getting curly! Here's his session!

Hugs to Mary Beth North and family...

2007-10-17T18:53:00.001-04:00

Sending hugs and love to my good friend and fellow photographer Mary Beth North and her family today. Mary Beth's father passed away yesterday morning. Please think of their family in the months ahead.

Ladies! Plan ahead for Valentine's Day!!

2007-10-13T09:41:00.001-04:00

We are running a special for January for "His Eyes Only" intimates sessions for Valentine's Day. This session include 2 hours shooting time, a 6x6 Art Book with your images of choice, full retouching on all images, and a 25% discount on prints ordered from the session. Book in October, November or December and receive $100 off your session. A max of 6 clients will be given appointments in January for these sessions, so please book soon to reserve your date. All sessions must take place before January 21st in order to get your book back in time for Valentine's Day. If you haven't seen our intimates website or sample albums, please email us for the information on how to view. Here's a few sample images from other sessions!

Elora is Six Months!

2007-10-08T15:11:00.000-04:00

Wow, can't believe this little peanut is already six months! And oh my what a cutie! Thought I'd share her slideshow from her session over the weekend. Stay tuned, you'll see her again in January when she is 9 months, and then again at her year session!

CNP Joins Think Pink Photography!!

2007-10-08T15:03:00.000-04:00

In honor of my Mother In Law Mary Sue, my Step Mother Jane, and Aunt She She, CNP has joined with Think Pink Photography in supporting women with Breast Cancer. This has directly affected our family and and the families of my friends and neighbors so I knew this was a great cause to support. Through the Think Pink Photographers Network we are helping breast cancer survivors and their supporters to celebrate life through charitable photography sessions. Any individual who has been diagnosed or completed treatment in the last 12 months qualifies for a complimentary session.

CNP clients will receive a complimentary session, 20 5x7 prints from their session, and a 25% discount on any additional purchases. To find out more about these sessions or request one, please contact the studio. To find out more about Think Pink Photography and find a photographer in your area click HERE!

Cute couple from last night!

2007-10-04T16:49:00.000-04:00

Had to share our shoot with Jennifer & James last night. They will be getting married on November 17th and will be our last wedding before the baby comes. Stay tuned for their wedding photos!

We are LIVE!

2007-10-03T14:25:00.000-04:00

So the site has been moved, shopping cart is live, all is well! Check out both sides of the new site. I'm pretty excited about it. It's been a long time coming, so this is an exciting day to have it up and running. Some people are still having trouble seeing it as it cycles through the internet, but probably by the end of the day everyone should see what I see. I'd love some feedback, so please let me know what you think!

Click HERE to check it out!

:)

Shopping Cart will be down for a little while...

2007-10-02T13:13:00.000-04:00

The process of moving the site to a new server is going well. Today the shopping cart will be moved which requires a bit of time to get it all up and running. I will be extending open galleries by a day to allow you the extra day to place your orders. I apologize for any inconvenience. I'll post when it is back up and running. It will be closed down temporarily for the move.

Thanks!

:)

Happy Birthday to my Brother!

2007-10-01T16:21:00.000-04:00

It's my little brother Scotty's birthday today... ahhh he's getting older which is quite odd for me. He lives in Maine and I miss him terribly! So to my crazy brother, I love you, miss you and hope you are having a great day! Here's a photo of Shaylee with her Uncle Scotty taken at our step sister Jessica's wedding in August.

Website Update!

2007-10-01T16:18:00.000-04:00

I just wanted to let you all know that I will be pulling the website to a new server over the next few days. It might encounter some hiccups with the site and the shopping cart system, so please be patient while we make this transition. I'm excited to get it all moved over and it will mean the site will respond better, have less downtime, etc. I'll post again when it is all moved over. Please also stay tuned for the new version of our portrait site. I'm very excited to unveil that as well!

:)

Ahhh session I WISH I could share...

2007-10-01T11:39:00.000-04:00

BUT I'll just have to tease you until the end of the month! I did Graham's bridals this weekend and OMG she is stunning! We are totally looking forward to this wedding and know it's just going to be a rock the house fun night. John, Graham, her sister Jen, and friend Kiese and I had a great time together on Saturday night. Graham is one of the most beautiful brides I have ever seen, so be prepared Travis, you'll be buckling at the knees buddy! I'll share her photos after the wedding. Can't spoil the surprise!!

:)Publish Post

Adorable and fun family!!

2007-10-01T11:32:00.000-04:00

This family came to us from a bride of ours Graham. Thank you to Graham for sending them our way. They were so much fun, and their little girl Kinsley is so darn adorable! She's talking quite a bit at 2 years old and I loved listening to what was in her little brain. Too cute! Here's their session!

My Belly Bumpin Buddy!

2007-09-28T11:16:00.001-04:00

Meet Monique! She is about a week more pregnant than I am, so we had a great time sharing stories and comparing belly bumps. She's such a cutie and we had a great time during our session. Had to share her photos!

A whole new look!

2007-09-22T19:17:00.000-04:00

Had a break in the action today, so I spent a bit of time working on getting my new site up and running. Kim Townsend from Simply Splash was the creative guru who put together my new logo and splash page... LOVE her! I am loving the new look and having a good time tweaking it and making changes. I've always felt my site wasn't quite "me", so my goal with this one was to make it very much ME! Well... me and John...lol. He loves it too tho, so we are good on that front. If you have a few check it out! The portrait side of the site will remain the same for a while, but will probably be changing soon also. The wedding side tho is a whole new site and weddings now have their own dedicated site. Take a peek! I'd love to get feedback, so let me know what you think!

www.cristynielsen.com

Enjoy!

Prayers for a fellow photographer!!

2007-09-18T17:10:00.000-04:00

Please take a moment today and say prayers for a photographer from my photography group, Laura Wolff and her family. This morning they lost their home in a housefire. It's a horribly tragic situation and there are no words really to express the pain that I am sure they are feeling. They lost most everything... So please think good things for their family in hopes that they can begin healing and rebuilding their lives and her business.

Taking the weekend OFF!

2007-09-14T18:49:00.000-04:00

John and I will be headed to the Dave Matthews concert this weekend and we are SO excited! Just wanted to let you all know in case you try to email and I don't respond. Will get back to you all on Monday! Have a great weekend!

:)

Prepare for some changes!

2007-09-12T09:14:00.000-04:00

I am currently redoing the website! I'm so excited about this and can't wait to share it with you all! I am splitting our wedding photography section off from our main site and giving it it's own place to be displayed. It's been a work in progress for quite some time and hopefully will make it easier for our brides and grooms to see our work in a way that is more organized and appealing. The more I work on it, the more I love it, so I hope you all do too!

I'm looking for a few testers for the site, to play with it, give me some feedback, and make sure everything is working okay. If you are interested, please email me at cristy@cristynielsen.com and I will provide you with the link to check it out. It should be finalized and all up and running within two weeks, so keep checking back for more updates!

You know those people in your life...

2007-09-08T09:00:00.000-04:00

Those ones you just can't live without... I am blessed to have many of those people in my life. I swear all of my friends were given as gifts to me, they push me, challenge me, wake me up when I'm being an idiot, and make me laugh till I feel like I'm losing my breath. Julie is one of those friends. I have written about her before, spilled my feelings if you will. BUT... I had a dream last night and she was in it, so I figured I would post about her today.

We met a year and a half ago in Chicago, IL at a photography convention. Who would have known that this girl that is soooo totally different from me would turn out to be a dear dear friend that now I can't imagine my life without. We spent the weekend learning about photography and really didn't get a chance to talk or connect much... until we shared a cab to the airport. I was running late... SHOCKER, and scrambling to get my plane. I knew she was pure gold when she called me as I got to my gate to make sure I had made my flight. Ever since that day we have talked almost daily and our friendship has blossomed into this beautiful, loving sisterhood that still baffles me, makes me cry, makes me miss her like crazy and makes me want to jump on an airplane to Utah like once a week just to see her smiling face, Sesame Street PJ's and hear her laugh.

She is coming here in six weeks to shoot Graham and Travis' wedding with us. She'll be leaving her 5 kids with her inlaws and bringing her hubby David along for the fun. It's their anniversary weekend, and John's birthday so we'll all have a nice adult weekend of celebrating. We'll be traveling to Marco Island for the wedding and renting a condo there to enjoy a long weekend of R & R, fun, and I'm sure tons of giggles... we tend to do that like teenagers! She will also be coming back again in December to be here to photograph the birth of our baby and stay for a week to help out and keep me sane while I begin my transition as a mother of two!

I have tried not to think about when she is coming because it seems to drag the time on... but I woke up this morning dreaming of us having a waterfight on the beach, and it hit me that we are so close to our fun weekend...YAY! Anyway, this girl means the world to me... she's made me appreciate life in a way I hadn't before, made me see how precious family, our friends and relationships are. She's one of those people that you just hold onto with everything you have because you know they are a gift in your life. She's been plunked into my world for a reason... I wish she lived closer, but it also just makes me appreciate her that much more. I'm also totally excited for her to meet my other two best buds who I can't live without... Lesa and Tamu!

Love you Jules... see you SO soon! Don't hate me but I had to add my fave shots... and yes we are TOTAL cheeseballs...lol.

Don't usually share boudoirs and intimates...BUT...

2007-08-31T23:42:00.000-04:00

Thought these were not too overly sexy to share, so I had to had to post a peek for Carmen. She traveled to see me from Detroit, Michigan for her 36th birthday and for this session. I was thrilled to have her fly in for this shoot, and she's my first boudoir client to do so. She had a thing for pearls, for red, and for high heels. Talk about gorgeous lady in red, yeah well boys, she's single and this is her.

Gorgeous Carmen! Sneaky peaky...lol.

Real Living's Grand Opening!

2007-08-29T10:10:00.000-04:00

We had a great time last Thursday night at Real Living's Grand Opening event! Tons of people came out to show their support to Jim Hirschhorn and Tony Marino. There was amazing food, great company, and lots of fun to be had. Here's the photos from the evening. John and I walked in and immediately fell in love with the display of our images on the walls. They did a great job putting them up, arranging them and showcasing them! Thank you for giving us the opportunity to showcase our work in such a grand location! Congrats to Jim and Tony for the opening of their Real Estate office. I'm sure you will be a wildly successful!

Jayden turns ONE!

2007-08-29T00:28:00.000-04:00

It seems my studio has been taken over by one year olds lately... so many of my client's kiddos are turning one right now. Altho this time last year I was busy with all of their maternities...lol.

Anyway, here's Jayden. What a darn cutie he is with his bright blue eyes. He was a bit tired tonight and not quite in the mood for cake, but we managed to get lots of shots of him. He's grown so much since he was a bitty newborn. And he's quite the little charmer.

What an AWESOME family...

2007-08-25T23:39:00.001-04:00

Meet Tom, Kim, Emily, and Michael... these guys were so fun and so easy to photograph. They were sent to us by their friends Cindy and Zac after they lost their home recently in a fire. Sadly all of their photos were lost with it. There are no words to say how that must feel. I know for me, photography is a huge part of my world and to lose the captured moments of those memories would be so hard.

We knew it would be hard for these guys emotionally, but it really made me realize why photographs are so important... but even more so, why they are so lucky they still have each other. It made me really appreciate how quickly things can change in life, but yet how love and family will still pull you through.

Tom, Kim, Emily, and Michael... John and I are so thrilled to have had the opportunity to give you something to start anew. We had a great time and really enjoyed our session with you. Thanks to Cindy and Zac for sending them our way and giving me a good reminder of life and all the gifts is brings, even in hard times.

Here's their slideshow, I was going to wait until tomorrow to peek, but couldn't help myself. What a beautiful family, and beautiful kids. I tell you Tom and Kim... you are in trouble with both of them...lol. When they hit the teenage years the boys will be calling for Emily, and the girls for Michael. Might as well chain them in their rooms now! LOL!