I can hardly stand it, I’m so excited. It’s time to finally launch my brand new photography blog!!!
Here’s the new address: www.katiemathews.com
“Run” over there right this second! There are lots of new changes and I’ve also announced a new contest – you could win a prize worth $900!!
Be sure to bookmark the new address!!
I am almost finished with the blog…almoooooost. With any luck, I can finish it this afternoon. But first, I get to go to the hospital and meet my newest client who was born yesterday, and then I get to go to the doctor…oh lucky me! haha. So keep watchin the blog for all the latest and greatest.
In the meantime….I dare you to look at this collage and not smile :)
Happy 3 month birthday, Lillian!
I really do have good intentions of blogging every single day. Yet, somehow the days get away from me!! So I thought I’d do a quick re-cap post.
1. I am still going to do my Fit and Fabulous Friday post on a weekly basis….starting this friday..lol. Seriously. I promise! It wasn’t because I did bad, it was because I couldn’t come up with a halfway decent pic of myself for the day that I said I would post. Guess I’d better work on that. But so far I have lost almost 13 pounds and 13.5 inches in just 3 weeks. My doc wanted me to lose 7 (in 6 weeks), so I am definitely doing good! Can’t wait to share here more about that as my journey continues.
2. My new logo is finished and I love love love it! My new blog is almost finished. I will be unveiling both this week along with all my new pricing and product options. There is also something new (that I know you’re going to like) that will be added on to every session I do!
3. When I unveil the new blog, I will also be announcing a new contest. It’s going to be good and the prize will be worth participating! Keep coming back this week for the big announcement!
4. My sister had to go back to work last week after her Maternity Leave. It has been adjustment for me too, because I now have a new helper in the office. Isn’t she cute?!?
My niece Lillian will be with me 3-4 days a week while her Mommy and Daddy are at work. Her spot will open up at daycare in the beginning of May. So if you talk to me on the phone in the next 2 months and hear a baby…that’s why :)
5. I have lots more to share but will have to do it later….I’ve got a new blog to put the finishing touches on so I can show it to you all!! Have a great week!!
The presents are wrapped…..the tree/house is decorated….the candles are lit…the Christmas music is playing….it’s my favorite time of year!!!! I can’t believe that tomorrow is already December 24th! Where has this year gone?!? We haven’t had the easiest year in our family but we sure have been blessed! Today is a special day for me…exactly 6 months ago today I made a life changing decision (which I won’t be sharing the details of…) but I am so very thankful today. My life is so much better and I just can’t wait to celebrate the birth of Jesus with my family and friends! I am absolutely giddy…I don’t know who is more excited…me? or my 6 year old? haha
I’ll be taking some time off over the next 2 weeks to spend with friends and family, but will still check email and hopefully I’ll get a bunch of blogging done – I have TONS of sessions to share and I want to get caught up before I start my 2010 sessions! Response time to email may be a bit slower than usual, but all of the sessions are edited and pics are delivered…so you shouldn’t need anything anyway :) (But if you do…shoot me an email)..
Merry Christmas to you and yours from The Mathews Family!!!
I know I know…I have not blogged in like 3 weeks. Where have I been? Well right after Lillian was born my brother and sister in law were here for Thanksgiving and then on Black Friday….my husband started throwing up (fun) and by Sunday my son had it and by Monday I had it…it was an ugly ugly week…we were all so sick. In the meantime, I edited almost 30 photo sessions and shot about 10 more….and then we had more family in from out of town. Add to that…orders orders orders….and holiday cards and well…me and my new computer have been getting very well acquainted!! Oh yea and we did the PPD Holiday Party this past weekend too. Whew! I’m tired just writing about it all..haha.
So I have lots of sessions to share with you and plan to do that very soon, but in the meantime I needed to let everyone know about the holiday deadline(s) for ordering cards and prints.
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 17TH is the LAST day you can order prints/cards if you want them here in time for Christmas!!!!
And because a post is no good w/out a picture….this one just cracks me up – here’s one from one of my recent family sessions.
UPDATE - Friday, Nov 20th... My sis is in labor!!!! Hooray! Contractions are not super close at the moment but we think today is the day so good timing since hubby is working hard on my computer transition! Pray for quick, painless (haha) labor for my sis....pics will come soon after she's born of course! :)
I wanted to post in case anybody needs anything in the next couple of days. I got a new computer – hooray! It’s going to double my productivity (at least – possibly more) because it’s going to be so much faster. Unfortunately there is no easy way to move the info over to the new computer and there’s no “good” time to do it. So soon as I finish this post, I’ll be shutting down my current computer and won’t be able to work (i.e. edit, place orders, etc) for up to 48 hours. The good news is..that once the new one is up and running, I’ll be able to edit much much faster and I anticipate being able to fly through my current edits. There is still plenty of time before the holidays, so no worries….everyone will get your proofs, holiday cards, etc in time. It’s like when your flight is delayed and they make up the time in the air..haha…hopefully when the new computer is ready…I’ll make up the time in the air! In addition, my sister is still pregnant so I will be taking at least a day off when she has the baby…but hopefully she’ll have the baby in the next 24 hours and while my hubby is working on my new computer I won’t lose any additional working time!
Thanks for your patience and understanding….this new system really is going to improve turn around from here on out….
Have a great night!
Katie
P.S. I will still be available by email (and phone), I’ll use the hubby’s laptop…so turnaround on emails will be a little slower, but I will still answer them.
And I have to include a pic...most of you have probably seen this but it's one of my favorite pics from a photo session I did with Anthony.....I'll share more later.
I'm wrapping up my holiday sessions for 2009. I might be able to squeeze a couple more in, so if you want one, contact me ASAP. All prints/card orders need to be in by December 8th to insure they are here in time for the holidays. Keep in mind, payment must be made in full before I place the order(s).
I have some new holiday card designs for this year. Holiday cards are 5x7 and are really heavy duty (I love them! My print company does a great job!) Regardless if it is a one-sided design or two-sided, sets of cards are $45 and come with envelopes. You're welcome to pick a design from my 2008 cards if you don't find a 2009 one that you like. Most text can be changed, just let me know what you would like. Holiday card orders can be emailed to me directly. Include the card design number, quantity, text, and the pics you want. As always, feel free to email or call with any questions!
2009 Holiday Cards
Card #1
Card #2
Card #3
Card #4
Card #5
Card #6
Card #7
Card #8
Card #9
Card #10
Card #11
Card #12
Card #13
Card #14
Card #15
Card #16
The hubs and I are leaving in just a few hours (uggh...who needs sleep anyway??) to go to Minnesota. We'll be doing a few photo sessions..seeing family and friends and freezing our butts off...should be a great time. I'll be back in a week and will hopefully get to blogging more regularly...hopefully.
Just a reminder...I've only got a few sessions left for the rest of the year and I still have some holiday mini sessions available. I will be checking email daily so feel free to contact me this week about booking - I'm bringing my calendar. Any orders etc that I haven't already taken care of and edits...will be done when I get back (I'm almost completely caught up....amaaazing :))
I'll leave you with 2 cutie pics from my fall minis last weekend....(I'll be sharing more when I get back)...
Wouldn't you know it? My hard drive crashed Sunday night so I couldn't do a blog post yesterday..uggh. Luckily I'm married to my own "geek squad" and he has me back online and he saved all of the data (hooray!) The only thing I lost was a days worth of time working on the computer....something I hate to lose, but it could've been worse.
So, as promised..I'm back with another session to share as well as a contest and the info about my fall mini sessions!! First, let's talk mini sessions. (I'll send out an email later this week so here's your sneak peek so you can book your session early!)
What: Fall Mini Sessions with hay bales and pumpkins. Bring the kids with or without their costumes. If there's time you can have them do a quick change.
Where: My house - in front of my garage (same location as last year) 216 Woodland Dr, Wilmington - near Cape Fear Hospital
When: Saturday, October 10th and Saturday October 17th (9-11am both days). Depending on demand I may open up another date. I will also have limited evening sessions (5-6pm) Monday, Oct 12 and Tues, Oct 13.
Session includes:
Cost: Only $30
To see some of the sessions from last fall, click here.
I expect these sessions to go quickly since a lot of people have asked me if I'm doing them again, so call (910-297-5378) or email katie@katiemathewsphotography.com ASAP to reserve your session! I can't wait to see the kids again this year!!
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And now for info about the contest. Since I haven't blogged much in the last 3 months (for various reasons I've already explained), I really want to start blogging more frequently and if I do that...I need an audience :) I need your help to get my readers back....or some new readers would be nice too. So...for the rest of September when you do one or more of the following things, I will enter you into a contest for a FREE HOLIDAY mini session (different from the fall one I just posted about). The holiday mini sessions usually include a pack of holiday cards as well as a 20 min session at a location around town. It's approximately a $100 value! Soo..here's the deal....
And that's it... I will announce the winner on October 1st! Thanks for your help :)
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Finally...here's another session I did back in April. Katie and her hubby Matt both have 2 brothers. So all 6 of us got together and did a shoot at Greenfield Lake and Downtown. They did this for Mother's Day and birthday presents for the parents - great idea!! And we had a lot of fun :)
Here are Matt and Katie...aren't they cute?
Here's Matt and his twin brothers...I admit...I am bad with names...but I do remember these guys were a trip...
And then Katie and her brothers....also really nice guys...
After a quick change of clothes..we headed downtown...
Hi all! I'm excited to announce that this week I'm back to work full time...and things are better than ever. Those that have had sessions in the last month will probably tell you their proofs are fabulous (I hope..haha) and they got them much faster than in the past (and I was only working PT). I know I still have a little more catch up work to do from when I was gone (mostly orders and design work - i.e. storyboards and collages) and I hope to have those all finished by the end of next week. So if you are still waiting on something..I haven't forgotten you I promise!
On Monday, I'll be announcing a contest/giveaway on the blog...so be sure to come back and check it out. Also, I'll be bringing back the fall mini sessions in October...so I'll be announcing those date(s) next week.
I have tons of pics to share that were never blogged....but I also have tons of new sessions to share. So for the next few posts...I'm going to share a bunch of the old stuff and then we'll move onto the new stuff :) I don't want you to be bored...but most of my clients tell me they love being featured on the blog...so I don't want to miss anyone! You can also see sneak peeks on my facebook page. If you are my FB friend, I will tag your photos on there and you can then have them on your own page to share with family and friends. I can't figure out how to post a link to my page...so just search for Katie Mathews and you'll find me. The pics I share on facebook and the pics I share on the blog are usually different.
The Scott Family
These guys had never had family pics taken before! So I was honored (and a little nervous) to do their first session. We decided to do a sunrise shoot at Fort Fisher... it didn't go so good. The sand gnats were really really really bad. (REALLY bad!) They were biting us up terribly. Combine that with 2 kiddos that had to get up super early and it wasn't exactly the fun experience I would've like for them on their first every photo session. We did the best we could and got some keepers, but we did do a short re-shoot of the kiddos a couple of weeks later. Here's a couple from Fort Fisher...
Here's a few from the Arboretum...the kids were in much better moods...it was a gorgeous evening and there were no sand gnats...score!
Cameron and DJ
Yet another session from back in April... Cameron has already had their beautiful baby girl and is back to work...time flies huh? haha This couple is great...a lot of fun...we did their maternity session at the Arboretum...they were willing to do anything I asked and we had a beautiful evening.
Baby Finnley
My dear friend Lesley became an auntie for the first time in April. Her brother and sister in law had adorable little Finnley. I went out to the hospital and took some pics for them.
Here she is with Daddy..
Here she is with Mommy..
And finally a cute one of just her...
About a week later I went to their house for some newborn photos... they live at the beach and they love love love surfing...which is where her name came from....they had surfboard all over the house so of course we had to incorporate that..
The Piner Family
Finally..the Piner family...also shot in April. We went to Carolina Beach and did some pics at the boardwalk before heading onto the actual beach. It was a lot of fun and these boys are just adorable!! Here's a few of my favs from this session...
I hope everyone has a nice weekend. My Mom and I, along with my sister's MIL are throwing a shower for my sister on Sunday which I'm totally looking forward to. I can't wait for the arrival of my niece in November!
Finally...I'm sure you all remember where you were 8 years ago today...I was at work and we had a tv in one of the waiting rooms...we crowded around the tiny tv and witnessed the 2nd tower get hit. I'll never forget. Thank you to our military men and women who have fought or are fighting for our freedom ...and thank you to the firefighters, police officers, EMTs, etc. Today, I'm thinking and praying for those that lost their lives and their family and friends who were left behind. God Bless!
