Okay…I’m breaking all the rules here! I almost NEVER post from the same session more than once…but, since my sweet friend has told me that she has developed some sort of OCD issue with hitting refresh in the hopes that I would post one or two more…I shall oblige. (I think that means she likes ‘em!)

So…here are a couple more of my beautiful friend and her handsome hubby…

Doesn’t that just make you want to get your pictures done with just you and your hunny?

Well…I know I promised more announcement updates yesterday…but, sorry…my day got away from me in a HUGE way! So…I’ve got a couple more for you tonight!

This announcement is very dear to my heart. I was recently accepted to participate in an amazing volunteer program called Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep (NILMDTS). This program and it’s volunteers offer bereavement photography services, free of charge, to families who are grieving the loss of their newborns to stillbirth or other complications prior to or after the birth of their precious babies. I am very humbled to have been accepted to volunteer with this organization and to offer my services to these families during the most tragic time of their lives. So…in support of this organization…I am donating $50 from every session fee for regular sessions that are booked between now and July 15th.

The sessions can be held at any time during 2008, but must be booked by July 15th to participate in the donation. For those who book their session before the 15th…you will also be credited with a $25 print credit to be used toward the purchase of prints, canvases, albums, or boutique items from your booked session. If you plan to book a Holiday Session then this is the perfect time to do that…you will be contributing to an amazing cause and your gift will help to ensure that this organization is able to continue to bring healing to grieving families.

Please feel free to email me if you have any questions regarding NILMDTS or my participation in the program. 

Holiday Sessions are already beginning to be booked. This year I will be doing holiday sessions during the months of September and October ONLY. I’m so sorry for the big bold ONLY, but in order to give my family the Christmas that they were robbed of last year I have to set this deadline. So…I will not be taking any bookings for holiday portraits past November 1st (and that date is already taken! ;o) So…especially if you are wanting a weekend session…please book soon…those few Saturday spots will go quickly.

I’ve been asked if I plan to do any Holiday Mini Sessions this year…and the answer to that is…YES! I will be doing ONE day of Holiday Mini Sessions this year…and there will only be 12 mini session openings.

The Holiday Mini Session Collection – $375

Saturday ~ October 4th, 2008

9am-11am & 4pm-6pm

Sessions will be 15 minutes long for Family Groups only. There will not be time for any individual portraits or selective groupings within the families. These sessions are solely for the purpose of getting a great family photo for your Holiday cards.

The Holiday Mini Session Collection includes the following:

• Session Fee

• 6-8 professionally edited images to choose from in a password protected online gallery

• 100 Custom Designed, Linen Textured, Press Printed 5×7 Holiday Cards with envelopes – these are GORGEOUS and not at all like what you see in retail stores.

• 16×20 Mounted and Matte Coated Print

• & 4 5×7 Prints for Gifts

Well…more announcements to come! Tomorrow’s Friday! YAY!

Til Next Time,

S

Why do I even try???

Yep…this is what I get when I attempt pictures of my own. Seriously cracks me up…now…a week and a half later. But, I confess to you all that I was not in a chuckling kind of mood at the time. You should see the others…the MANY others…of my 2 year old standing perfectly where I tell him to stand…with his eyes glued shut. Won’t open them for ANYTHING. It’s pretty funny…he’ll actually stand all attitude-ish (just like I want him to for the picture), but the minute I bring my camera up to my eye…BAM! Eyes closed!…and that’s the way they stay…until he senses that I’ve moved on. Funny stuff eh? Yep…maybe I’ll get this in a great big canvas…

So…I promised announcements…and announcements you shall get!

But, I’m going to pace myself here. It’s been a long three weeks or so and so much has been going on that it would take all night to share all of my exciting news. So…over the next few days you’ll get lots of updates on what’s going on with Treasure the Time Photography as well as lots of session peeks. I’ve got lots of sessions to blog about because I had stopped posting on Typepad after they changed their posting interface and made images look like funky mosaics. Sad ending…

But, here I am in Blog-Heaven (HA! I just noticed that’s like Hog-Heaven! It must be late…)

So…for the first exciting news…

Photographers…this is for YOU!

P H O  T O S H O P    W O R K S H O P

ILLUMINATE YOUR IMAGES – AUGUST 23rd – 9am to 4pm – $375

Location – TBA (in the Gilbert/Chandler, AZ area)

This workshop is specific to photographers. I will strictly be teaching Photoshop techniques that apply to the professional editing of images.

Workshop Will Cover - my complete workflow, using Bridge, color management, layers, masks, adjustment layers, curves, retouching, various sharpening techniques, layer blends, using actions, creating your own actions, using filters, textures, the liquify tool, batch processing, working with & creating brushes, saving less than ideal SOOC images, cropping techniques, saving & sharpening for the web, keyboard shortcuts, LOTS of fun tips and tricks that I use regularly in my processing, & MORE!

Everyone will receive a CD containing several of the same images so that you can edit along with me and learn as we go along. The images will have varying issues that need editing so we will use them to cover a range of techniques.

Workshop Will Include - a workbook for note taking, a DVD with some of my own actions and templates, a chance to win a couple of great door prizes, a Q & A time for all of your “it’s driving me crazy” questions, a day of hanging out with some FABULOUS photographers, and a catered lunch.

***I will NOT be covering RAW image processing or RAW presets in this workshop. I shoot JPEG and the workshop will focus on processing JPEG images. If you shoot RAW or RAW+JPEG you will still benefit from the workshop, but we will not be covering any techniques unique to RAW images.

What to Bring to the Workshop – Preferably a laptop with Photoshop CS3 or CS2. If you do not have CS3 or CS2 then please consider upgrading prior to the workshop. If you do not have a laptop then just come prepared to take lots and lots of notes. You will be able to go home and apply everything you learn…and some people learn better by just watching and taking notes than by following along on their computers. A Pen & Notebook (you never know if you’ll need more room than what’s in the workbook!) and…of course…Your Camera…not that you’ll need it for the workshop itself…but, you know you feel lost without it! It’s in our blood…it’s the way we roll! Besides…workshop pictures are always fun!

You will leave with a new excitement for working with your images and with the ability to transform and illuminate your images in a whole new way!

To Register - please send an email to sandi@treasurethetime.com with WORKSHOP in the subject line. I will reply with a Paypal invoice and a link to the registration form.

More NEWS coming tomorrow! Stay tuned!

I feel like I have soooo much catching up to do! It’s been weeks since I’ve had any blog posts worthy of reading…our move was hilarious! It just dragged on and on and on…and I was waiting for my new blog to be completed to post anything (caught a lot of slack for that one!) But…thank you for your patience! I’ve gotten so many sweet emails asking where I’ve been…when I was going to post something…anything…so, I can’t tell you how thrilled I am to be BACK and how warm and fuzzy I feel from all of your emails. Thank you!!!

I have so many exciting things to tell you all! New WEBSITE! New BLOG! New ACTIONS coming very soon for photographers! New and EXCITING SESSION INFORMATION! New DISPLAYS! New PRODUCTS! and a New SWEET LITTLE ASSISTANT! Lots of fun stuff to let you in on…but, first…

I am SUPER thrilled to share these images with you of my very dear friend and her hubby! These were taken to celebrate their anniversary (this is a growing trend…and I must say…I LOVE IT!) Super romantic stuff! Who knew that Phoenix, Arizona photography could be so pretty in the deathly hot summer?

Awww…I love happy endings.

And…how about those HUGE images??? Such FUN!

So…as for the announcements…I will keep you waiting just a tad more…just until later tonight when I have a chance to sit down and share ALL the fun stuff going on!

But…for right now…I must dash off to make Bean Burritos for the fam! (My hubby could eat bean burritos for every single solitary meal for the rest of eternity and be a VERY happy man…no joke!)

Chat at ya later!

S

Okay…so I don’t have time to do a full blown post right at this moment because I’m off to see my chiropractor and take my son to the doctor to finally get the okay to toss the leg brace boot! But….I promise that once I return you will get a VERY EXCITING post with lots of fun announcements as well as some HUGE images to check out! 

It’s all NEW! It’s all GOOD! and It’s all EXCITING!

A HUGE shout out to Theresa Stanton – Design Focus Studios for designing me this fabulous, amazing, new blog! I’m SO SUPER HAPPY with it…and I’m telling you this woman is as patient as the day is long…and so sweet to put up with my never ending list of “little” changes. THANKS THERESA!!!

So…to the rest of you…all is finally right in my blog world again! Check back later today…lots of fun stuff coming your way!

Til Next Time,

S

Warning…this will NOT be the most exciting blog post you’ve ever read! I am NOT happy with Typepad…they’ve changed their whole posting structure (you should here the crying, screaming, and gnashing of teeth throughout the photography world) which makes our images look really, really bad. And…to make matters worse, there seems to be no rhyme or reason…some pics are okay, some not so much, some just plain awful.