Still Looking To Have Family Pictures Done?

I'll only be booking limited sessions in December & January.  So if you're interested in scheduling a session during those months you'll want to contact me about it soon so I can get you on the schedule. 

I still have a few sessions available in December & a few left in January too.


**if you're pregnant & wanting to schedule a newborn photo session but not sure exactly when your bundle will arrive. . . that's just fine.  Just e-mail me when your due date & then once your baby is born (or if you're being induced & have an induction date let me know) just let me know & we'll schedule the session then.**

Just A Reminder

That you still have until Thursday (Thanksgiving) to submit your nomination for my

Holiday Giveaway

And just to get you excited here's a little taste of what else the winning person/family will get on top of a photo session for their family . . .

- the complete collection of all 7 of Peter Breinholt's CD's (courtesy of Peter Breinholt)

- hair styling the day of the photo session (courtesy of Mindee Chidester)

- Girlie Accessories (courtesy of we're just tutu cute)

Stay Tuned for more of what's included in the prize package.

And don't forget that if the person/family you nominate wins the prize package you'll win a FREE mini session!!

Baby C

I'm just getting these pictures loaded on my computer & couldn't help but post this one. . . this baby was so snuggly, curly & perfect.

I've had so many great sessions lately & have been editing like crazy lately so expect a whole lot of new posts here soon. . . and you can probably expect to see some more of this cute little guy too!

November Monthly Special. . . a Giveaway!!

I'm a few days late in posting this month's special but I promise it's been worth the wait.

I have to admit, we're getting into my favorite time of the year.  I just love the holidays!  And, this time of year I always sit back and think about all the many things that I am so thankful for.  Now, I know that for many this last year has been a rough year thanks to the lovely downfall of the economy and other from other varying circumstances.  Many people we know and love have lost their jobs, homes and have had a very difficult time 'bouncing back' and may be having a hard time right now.  So this month rather than offering a "special" I'm going to have a little giveaway with a little perk for anyone that enters. 

So here it goes. . .

We all know of 'someone'.

You know. . . 'someone' who has had a tragedy, is struggling to stay afloat, is raising a family while holding down more than one job, or is always giving selflessly despite extenuating personal circumstances. 'Someone' who can't afford a photo session for their family, but who would cherish it this holiday season and for years to come. 'Someone' who truly deserves a year-round reminder of just how special they and their family are.

You know 'someone'. We all do. I guarantee it.

I want to know who they are, and with your help I want them to know how much they are appreciated, loved and cared for this Holiday Season by giving them a FREE photo session.
(and some other goodies to go with it - I'll post about those as we get closer to the submission deadline) 

Oh, and the best part? The person who nominates the winner will recieve a Mini Session of their own. What better reason to show some love could there possibly be?

But wait. . . there's more. . .

Just for nominating someone you'll get $5 off of your next photo session with me!  That's reason enough right there to nominate that 'someone' in your life!!

 

The winner must live in or be willing to travel to the Utah Wasatch Front area for their session. Tell me who you know, what they're experiencing, and why they deserve a photo session. Please include a way to contact both yourself and the person you're nominating. You can nominate more than one family

but. . . sorry you can't nominate yourself

Then, e-mail your nomination to vivienvanleeuwen@yahoo.com - by midnight on Thanksgiving Day. The winner will be announced on Dec 6th (my birthday) just in time to get their pictures done before Christmas ... so start thinking of that 'someone' in your life and get nominating! I can't wait to read all of your entries! 

**If you or someone you know would be interested in contributing to this giveaway in any way,  (to make it an even more special experience for the winning family)  please e-mail me at vivienvanleeuwen@yahoo.com before Dec 6th - Thanks!!**

Become a Fan on Facebook

I recently started a 'Fan Page' on Facebook so come on over & become a fan!!

Click Here to become a fan!!

Made Me Laugh

he other night I had a really fun session with a cute little family (you'll see them here shortly) over at Wheeler Farm. When I pulled into the parking lot it was PACKED - I go there frequently & had never seen it like that before. Now it's no secret that it's a really great place to have pictures done, but man it was insane! There must have easily been 50+ photographers there during the hour or so that we were there. We had to be careful where we shot to avoid getting people in the background & had to wait for (or not shoot at) many of the places we'd planned to use, oh yeah & at one point someone from the farm came over to us & told us that the people running the wagon rides were complaining that photographers were not getting out of their way so they were having to wait. So I thought I'd humor you with a picture I got as we were moving from one area to another. . . I think you can see 4 different groups getting pictures done in just this one picture (not to mention all the groups you can't see but are right there too - there are groups where there are red stars too). It was nuts. . . though we sure got some great pictures (with nobody in the background - thank heavens) that evening!

Baby H

Yesterday I helped out on a newborn session with one of my photo friends, for one of my friends' 9 day old baby boy. Isn't he precious? I couldn't help snapping a few pictures while they were here. . . he was too cute. . . and so perfect! Congrats G, C & big brother T on Baby H !!

Turning One

Fuller Family

Weekly Assignment

You'll probably get sick of seeing my weekly assignments on here, especially since I've had some really fun sessions lately that I'm trying to pull favorites from but haven't posted quite yet - so stay tuned for those here very soon.

This week in my photography group our assignment was to shoot in full manual. If you're not familiar with SLR's - full manual means that the photographer controls everything rather than the camera setting it for you. When I first got my 'new' camera 2 yrs ago I was so overwhelmed trying to learn manual. Shortly after I got my camera I came across some classes being taught by one of my favorite photographers. By the time I finished her 101 class I was feeling very confident in using manual & have never gone back!

I was so excited when our theme for this week was announced since it's something I do all the time (ok, I don't use my manual focus as much as I'd like but when you're shooting kids that can get tricky).

My pic(s) for this week's assignment come from my session yesterday (you'll see more of this adorable gal shortly) - they're straight out of the camera