THE BLOG HAS MOVED...

In case you couldn't tell, the blog moved to www.leslidabneyphotographyblog.com. Please join me there!

Thanks!

Lesli

NEW 2009 Holiday Cards

October 1 is tomorrow. Yes! You know what that means?? The holidays will be here before you know it! Of course, you need to get your family photo taken, so book that NOW (and I don't care if it's not with me. Just do it. Photographers are CRAZY busy in October and especially November). You wouldn't believe how many people will call my in DECEMBER for family photos and expect a card to be made and shipped to them in 24 hours. Not gonna happen:(

So, although I absolutely love photographing, I've also found that I enjoy making cards, announcements, and books for people. For the past 3 years, I've quietly designed special products like this for people and now this year I've decided to promote holiday cards.

Anyway, here's a sneak peek at a few of the 2009 holiday cards. This is NOT the entire collection, so contact me if you're interested in seeing more: lmdabney@comcast.net, http://www.leslidabneyphotography.com/. You can also see a few of the 5X7 folded cards and flat cards here: www.pickyourholidaycard.com/5x7_folded and www.pickyourholidaycard.com/5x7_flat.

If you already have a favorite photo that you would like to use on your cards, that's fine!

Send it to me along with a copyright release (if it was taken by a professional photographer).

Orders will be taken until November 21. After that, a rush fee will be applied.

Oh, and here's the most important part: If you order $100 or more during the month of October, you receive a 10% discount. Just mention that you read this on the blog or Facebook. How's that? Now get moving! Happy holidays!

Giving

My sweet friend Robyn is one of the founders of an organization called Girls Run located in The Woodlands. Their motto is "I Am One Young Voice, But I Can Change The World." The group's mission is "to empower girls to be leaders in their community, fundraise for local and national cancer initiatives all while developing and instilling an enthusiasm for fitness and running."

I've always known Robyn as a huge supporter of the fight against cancer. She is one of those people who gives. A lot. I would be willing to bet she is also a very content person. In my latest Professional Photographers of America newsletter, this was the lead-in sentence: When you give from the heart, you get back more than you expect. Along with many other resolutions for the up-coming months (I don't wait until the new year to make them!), one of my goals is to give more; however, I'm not expecting to get back anything other than the satisfaction that I helped someone else in a small or big way.

So, I did donate a gift certificate to the Girls Run fundraising auction this weekend (thank you for telling me about it, Robyn!)

If you're interested in learning more about Girls Run, visit the website: www.girlsrun.net.

Meet Elizabeth--SENIOR 2010!

Sooo. . . how many times did I say, "Oh, this is so cute!" after snapping a photograph of Elizabeth?? I wish I wouldn't look at the LCD screen so much! I can't help it! Cute really isn't the best word for Elizabeth. She's more than cute! She's. . . lovely. But that would've been weird to say, "Oh, you're so lovely!" over and over again. Maybe I should just keep my mouth shut until I have something profound to say? Yeah, right.

Elizabeth is the drum major at her school as well as the editor of the literary magazine. Impressive! However, I was even more impressed with her demeanor during the photo shoot. She's easy-going, yet poised. A very confident girl with a creative flair that ranges from music to photography. I must say, I'm at ease when I think of young people like her as our future!

Thanks to her mom, Allison, for choosing me to photograph this beautiful young lady!

Happy Birthday, Arden

Our air conditioner quit on us tonight. Perfect timing: we are moving AGAIN to another rent house. Soon. In about 1-3 weeks? I can't sleep. No surprise. Most nights I crawl into bed with Arden. "Mommy, will you lay down with me?" is her whimper. I tell her she's too big for me to sleep with her every night. But secretly I don't mind. I grab her hand, and she falls asleep quickly while I stare at the dark ceiling trying desperately to remember everything I can about her as a baby.

We were in the 1915 Bethlehem house. Her crib and room furniture were black, walls light pink, carpet taupe. I remembering photographing her for the first time when she was only 2 weeks old. I used my 35mm camera with black and white film. I framed the pictures. I still like them. She had this doe-eyed face, observant. I loved laying her out on the floor after a bath and massaging her little body while lullabies played in the background. She would kick her legs with delight and coo. I'd stare at her and ask her who she was going to be when she grew up, what was she going to sound like. I longed to hear her talk. How would she sound? Those evenings were so calm and peaceful. I can't get that time back.

We were in the front living room of the Bethlehem house. The large-paned window let the light in and I held 5 month old Arden in my arms as we waltzed around the room to George Strait's "You'll Be There." She sometimes fell asleep while I danced with her.

These times have passed, and I can't get them back. I can't stop thinking about this, even though I know you are supposed to "live in the moment." What's done is done. There's no turning back. But I'm afraid I am a person of memories. I can't let them go. I long for those days, but I know I will one day long for today. So, I guess it's true. We should live in the moment.

My first-born will be 5 on August 14. She starts kindergarten August 24. Here's to you, Arden Jean. I love you!

Amazing Gracey

Little Miss Gracey was a joy to photograph! She's 2 and her grandmother Nancy, dubbed Lolli by Gracey (and grandpa's name is Pop!), wanted me to photograph her and make a book about being 2. She stole the show as we all watched her "barbeque" and "cook" in her play kitchen, read to us from one of her many books, play with her princesses and castle, look at herself in the mirror, twirl and dance in her precious pink/purple tutu, play the piano, and last but not least--pose on my vintage suitcase.

I've known Nancy for a while. She's so easy to talk to, very classy, and extremely down-to-earth. And what do you know? Her son Brad and daughter-in-law Melissa are the same way! Oh, and of course, Gracey was a delight. She never had a single meltdown and remained calm and compliant for the entire session!!! Amazing! Okay, Lolli (sorry if I spelled your name wrong!), Mom and Dad, here's a sneak peek. The slideshow/gallery will be ready by the end of the week:

Strike a Pose. . . Vogue!

Okey, dokey. Here's my last post of the evening before crashing, getting a few hours of sleep, and heading off to Playa del Carmen, Mexico! There's no way I could leave without posting about these two beauties. Kelly and Maggie called me about taking their senior pics after they saw their friend's pics that I took. I love to get clients through word of mouth because that means they've seen my work and like my style. Chances are we will work well together because of this. And we did! Both Kelly and Maggie were wonderful models! They were very enthusiastic and had their own ideas about what they wanted, even suggesting poses. They really got into the session and gave me some amazing expressions, as evident in these shots:

Maggie's brunette hair and Kelly's blonde hair look very chic when paired together:

I couldn't stop admiring Maggie's shoes. I'm sure she got tired of me asking her to show them off in the pics! I love this one of Maggie. She looks so serene and beautiful.

Kelly was a master at giving me some great expressions. This one is fabulous:

Ladies, your slideshow/gallery will be live when I return later next week. Congratulations on your graduation and future at Texas A&M!!