As most of you probably know, my sister, Diana, is preggo with baby number 2 and it's a GIRL!! I'm so excited, I can hardly stand it. Last weekend, we finally got a chance to go out and take some pics of the belly. So I'm going to share some of my favorites, but I also want to have a little contest. Here's the scoop:
- anybody can enter - you must include your name/email address so I know how to contact you if you win - include your guess for the day she will be born, time, weight and length
Whoever is the closest to her actual date/time without going over (on the length/weight) will win a $20 GIFT CARD to Target or I-Tunes. (Perfect just in time for holiday shopping).
Here's a little info to help you out...
1. Her due date is November 21st 2. With my nephew, she delivered 4 days early 3. I drove her to the hospital at 8 in the a.m and she had him before 3pm 4. She's already had some real contractions (but they went away)
That's it! I can't wait to see all the guesses. I'll enter mine too (but obviously I am not entering my own contest!)
One other thing...you do NOT have to have a blogger account to enter....just put in your guess and click on "anonymous" (but write your name in the text of your guess). It's that easy :)
And now for the pics....
Have a great weekend everyone!! I'll be shooting and editing.....this time of year is just a little bit craaaazzzzyyyy, but I love it :)
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:
15 minute session
10-15 proofs
1 5x7 and 1 sheet of 8 wallets
20% off additional prints
A treat for the kids after their session
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....
Get 1 entry into the drawing for every comment you leave on my blog between now and the end of September (1 comment per post).
Get 1 entry into the blog for becoming my facebook friend (search for Katie Balow Mathews). If you are already my FB friend, post a message on my wall.
Get 3 entries for putting the KMP blog on your Google Reader or other similar RSS feed. (Leave a comment here if you did it or it's already on there).
Get 3 entries for writing a blog post (if you have one) about Katie Mathews Photography and direct them here to see my work. (Leave a comment here if you did it).
Get 3 entries for posting about Katie Mathews Photography on your facebook status (for at least a few hours) and direct them here to see my work. (Leave a comment here if you did it).
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...
As promised, I have just sent out an email that includes the specials/giveaways I have put together for the rest of the summer. I hope it will help make up for the time I've been away! I'm super excited to do some fun sessions in the next few weeks! So contact Diana or I today to get on the calendar. Keep in mind I'll be booking for holiday sessions (yes, it's right around the corner) September - mid November, so if you want your pick of dates, go ahead and book that now as well.
Back in May, I sent out a survey asking for feedback on KMP, I really appreciate everybody that took the time to complete it. It has given me some great information and although I knew areas I needed improvement on, you all gave me some great ideas to help me accomplish it as well. If you put your name on your survey, I put them all in bucket and drew a name for a free session. Sorry for the delay in doing the drawing, but TERESA GANCE....c'mon down...you are the winner of a KMP photo session! Thanks again to all who entered/completed your surveys!
ETA: Ok so it's not your eyes...haha... for some reason this is coming up blurry when I posted it...I'll try to get it fixed tomorrow afternoon..but in the meantime, if you didn't receive the email blast, feel free to shoot me (or my sis/Diana) an email and one of us can forward it to you quick enough. Thanks! -K
ETA again: I can't figure out why it's blurry..lol. So you might be able to make out the words, or just shoot me an email and I'll send you a copy :)
Congratulations to EMILY AND STEPHEN!! It looks like I'll be going to Western NC in September to share/document your special day with you!!
Thank you to everyone who voted!
On another note.... most of you know I'm having surgery tomorrow a.m. I know I'll be in great hands but I can't help it...I'm scared to death and my nerves are absolutely shot today....so if you would say a little prayer for me today (and tomorrow) I sure would appreciate it. I'm working like crazy to get all my edits finished before tomorrow but it may not happen....so please be patient with me over the next week. Thank you :)
This is getting to be a pattern... me coming on here and saying I'm back I'm back and I'll get better...but I haven't gotten better. Shame on me. I've been working like a crazy woman on the Spring Fling at Anthony's school and everything in my life got put on hold to get it done. I mean everything. I should have some pictures that one of the parents (and my mom) took for me up soon as soon as I get them and you can see how much work I did!! But, back to this whole blog thing.... I do better with some accountability...so once again I'm going to promise to blog at least 4 days a week for the month of May. Since it's Wed....the week will start on Wed and end on Tuesday. If you "catch me" not blogging, you must be the first one to email me after midnight on Tuesday and you'll receive a free photo session or $50 in print credit.
So, back in April I held on a contest for free wedding coverage. I gotta say I'm pretty bummed at the lack of participation but I did get 2 very deserving entries. So, please read their submissions below and place your vote. Voting will end on Tuesday, May 12th and I'll announce the winner on Wed, May 13th!
Dori and Dean
This is how our story began:
Dean and I met at church. He was going through a divorce and I had already been there. As a Christian, I did what God lead me to do and that was to encourage him that this will pass. I had to encourage him that God was working in him through this trial and that the reward on the other side was far better than what he had previously had. Little did I know that would be me. I continued daily to encourage him and let him know that he had people there for him. Our relationship grew stronger the day that we were in church and I went to him to pray with him. God revealed to me that was the man that I would marry. I saw so vivid the image that I had longed to see in my husband. That image was my entire family in church, praying together and worshiping God. Dean and I had our first date on 08/Mar/08. It was my daughters birthday. That is the day that began the rest of my life. Dean and I have already gotten married, but we plan to have a ceremony hopefully in July or August. Our wedding will be small, but sentimental. We have four kids between us and they all are excited about being in the wedding. My dad and son will walk me down the aisle and give me away. My daughter and niece will be the flower girls, my step daughter and niece will be junior bridesmaids, and my step son will be the ring bearer. It will be a special day for us all.
Girl you know why I would want to work with you. We go back to the lovely days at Kohl's, your mom helped me get where I am, you take gorgeous pictures, and then when others ask who took them, I can say Katie Mathews.
Emily and Stephen
The Story of Emily and Stephen: I would venture to say not many people can say that they planned future children with their spouse before they actually met, but we can. Even fewer people, I suspect, can openly point to a specific day and time when God opened a new window of possibilities and then promptly pushed them both through it; into a future together. I know this sounds crazy. But truthfully, Stephen and I can. Its not been the easiest or simplest endeavor of our lives but this is our story - Our perfectly imperfect love story to tell our grandchildren one day.
See we are members of a swiftly dying breed of couple-dom who met and have survived high school, college, and many other pitfalls together. Not always in the same zip code, not always eye-to-eye, but always together in every sense of the word that truly matters. I called Stephen a friend long before I called him anything else - we had similar musical interests (yep total band nerds), similar packs of friends, and similar classes. It was there in 10th grade biology where we wound up genetic lab partners asked to draw pictures of our offspring based on our traits. Funny how life works, huh? He was the eternal nice guy, never in the spotlight yet always managing to find a little. And until our stars aligned I never thought of him as a possibility. We truly lived right under each other's noses for the better part of a year, interacting periodically but ultimately dating other people.
Then came God. I was utterly frustrated by my experiences in love a few months later after letting boys, well one specifically, ruin my heart. I found myself humbled and broken before my church's alter on my knees. I knew no where else to go. I was tired, broken hearted, and very angry for letting people waste my time. I pleaded to God to send me the person I was meant to spend the rest of my life with because I was fed up with wasting my time on people who didn't matter. The next day Stephen White asked me to prom. True story. That along with the subsequent trials and tribulations of the past 7 years are the testament to why I believe we are blessed to have each other.
Our story may sound epic on scale but truthfully it is just the easy natural progression of us, walking through life together. That's why on our wedding day, our outdoor ceremony will be just that. An easy, breezy affair smothered in candlelight, fall colors, and music to dance to, while surrounded by everyone we love. And based on Katie's beautiful photography we think she is a perfect fit for our day. We're working on planning our life together and that life, especially post college and some grad school, has not come without a price. So to have this gift that captures the essence of our day together would mean the world because that's exactly what Katie's photography does - it seals a moment in time. And who wouldn't want that?
Yes, we ended up going to separate colleges 200 miles apart. But that didn't stop us. No, it hasn't always been simple or even conventional. But that didn't stop us either. And as a testament to our love, on September 26th, 2009 I will marry neither my sweet high school boyfriend, nor my beautifully well-intentioned fiancee - I will marry my person. Because that is what he is in every way. We are not completed in each other. We are two whole people who wake up everyday and actively choose us. Us as a goal, a priority, and a future.
Now it's time for you and your family and friends to vote on who you think deserves to win wedding coverage from KMP. Only one vote per person. Thank you!
Times are tough these days so I want to do my small part to help. So spread the word to your friends, family, coworkers, neighbors etc!!
I am giving away one of my wedding packages to a deserving couple!
The package, valued at over $2,300, includes: - Full Event Coverage with Katie Mathews - Two Photographers covering your wedding - Entire Wedding Day Image Collection Disc - One 11x14 Wall Portrait from your wedding day - 25% off additional prints - Photographs placed online to view and share with guests
What Must I Do To Enter? Submit a photo of you with your spouse-to-be. Write a creative story about yourself. The story does not have to be long, but must contain how you met, it needs to describe your wedding, and say why you want to work with Katie Mathews Photography. All entries must be received by April 30th. Email your entries to katie@katiemathewsphotography.com
Who Qualifies? Your wedding must take place between May 15, 2009 and December 30, 2009. Some dates are already booked, but you can check with me when you submit your entry. You must also be wiling to Pay It Forward. Obviously, you're not going to give away a wedding package, but you must promise to do something grand for somebody else if you win!
Who Will Win? I will let my blog readers vote on who they think should be the winner, but ultimately I'll have the final say. I am looking for a fun, touching, and creative story about you and your wedding. The more creative your photo and story are, the better the chance you have to win. I am also looking for a deserving couple that may not otherwise be able to afford a professional photographer.
Additional Rules: - All entrants must follow all rules included in this section as well as the above sections. - The wedding must take place within 120 miles of Wilmington, NC OR (unfortunately) the winning couple will be responsible for my travel expenses. - You cannot currently have a contract with a wedding photographer. - You cannot break a contract with a wedding photographer to enter this contest. - Full Event Coverage is not to exceed 10 hours. - Winner must be willing to sign a contract and model release with Katie Mathews Photography.
OK, first things first...who won the Girlfriend's Contest???!!?!?
With 52% of the vote.....congratulations Carlie and friends!! You have won a super duper fun photo session with me and you will each receive an 8x10. And you'll get to be super models and have your pics on my blog and website :) What is better than that? haha
Colandra and Chapin were tied for 2nd place! So, I've decided to do a mini girlfriends session for you and your friends as well!!!!!!!!! You will each receive a 5x7 from your shoot and you'll also get to star on the blog and website. How awesome is that?!? So, ladies....all 3 of you need to contact me to get your sessions set up. In the meantime, I'll be working on pricing and packages for Girlfriends sessions so if you're interested in getting your gal pals together, shoot me an email and I'll be sure to get you the details first!
Thank you to everyone for taking the time to vote! I hope you enjoyed it. Very soon, I'll be doing another giveaway and it's a BIG one!!! Let's just say if you're getting married in the near future, you'll want to stay tuned to the blog for a special announcement!!
OK, now onto a fabulous rockin maternity session. Jana took the time to compile some of her favorite maternity shots she had seen on the internet. When we got together, we had a blast trying to replicate some of those shots. Jana was very daring to bare all! And the best part...she has given me permission to share them with you so you can see a different side to maternity pics. I think these were done very tastefully and they are very artsy! I know that not everybody wants these type of pics, but I encourage you to bare as much as you feel comfortable with since the pregnant body is so beautiful.
