Portrait Parties!! | Northwest Arkansas Baby Photographer

Posted on January 23, 2010

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Look at my sweet nephew.  Wasn’t it just yesterday I was doing this guy’s newborn photos?  Geez.   Now he is a big ol’ rolly polly.   I’ve been using him as a guinea pig lately and decided that he could have a moment in the spotlight today for a little announcement.

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Do you want to update your wall photos but don’t want a full session?  Want to be able to get reward points towards prints or digital files?  Then book a Portrait Party!  It’s a fun way to get some great photos for you and your friends.  Contact me for more information.  :)

Casting Call | Northwest Arkansas Lifestyle Photographer

Posted on January 17, 2010

Today I went to my grandparents’ house and spent the day with them. After a yummy lunch and lots of talking, I set up my lights and camera to take a formal portrait of them as well as with my little family. It made me think of what kind of photographs I really wanted to be taking of them. The interaction between them and my children. The laughter and the smiles that were natural and at ease. My grandparents are not fans of the camera so I’m happy with what I got today, but it made me think of how I would want a family session to be. I found myself wanting to focus a little more on the relationships & connections in a family. To give myself the opportunity to experiment a little and give some new ideas a try, I’m officially announcing a casting call for models! Here’s the scoop:

*These sessions will be geared toward capturing one or two specific ideas so participants would have to be willing to agree to one of a few ideas.

*The session will be free of charge and will take place at the subjects home. Prints & products will be available for purchase at regular prices.

*A model release will be required allowing me to use the images on my website, for marketing, etc.

*Standard Raining Light Photography policies apply.

So what types of models am I looking for?

*A family with 2-3 children that are toddler to preschool ages.

*A family with a single baby three to nine months.

*A family with a single baby two to six weeks.

Please contact me for more information on the specific types of images I’m hoping to capture and if you or someone you know may be interested. A 5×7 will gifted as a thank you.

Good-bye, 2009! Hello, 2010! | Northwest Arkansas Lifestyle Photographer

Posted on January 1, 2010

2010.  It is finally here.  It brings soo many changes in my life, both personally and with Raining Light Photography.  This will be the year my daughter starts kindergarten.   Can she really already be at that point?  My son will turn 12!!  I can vividly remember twelve being a turning point in my life in so many ways and so I look to this milestone of his with bittersweet anticipations.  Our sweet Paeton will turn three!  She is so independent and headstrong now.  I can only imagine what she’ll bring to my plate this year.  Even though tiny Aryah is but seven weeks old at the moment, I know that soon I will planning to prepare for the first birthday of my last child.  I’m so glad I have many months before that one!  I’ll hit the big three oh this year.  As of right now, I’m okay with that.  My life is pretty sweet.  You may, however, be hearing screams from me around May because I’m not sure how calm I’ll be about it as the date gets closer.  ;)   Seriously, though, I think I’ll be fine with thirty.  It’ll be thirty-five that will most likely be scary for me.

Be on the look out for some changes for Raining Light, too.  I’m restructuring my pricing, completely revamping the boudoir line-up (and will be moving that aspect of the business to its very own site in the near future!), and implementing some new ideas into the wedding side of things as well.  There will be some new products, new packages with emphasis on digital, and a more streamlined process all the way around.  2009 was a great learning year and I hope that I can really make 2010 better!   I also hope to blog at least once a week and show more sides of Cherron as a person.  I realized this year that some of the greatest inspirational blogs from my favorite photographers, the ones that I can’t wait to check in the mornings to see who posted something new, were the ones that showed glimpses of their personal lives as well as the photography side.  I’ve decided that I need to do that as well.   I want my clients to feel like they know me well before the first click of the shutter during a session.   There is no reason why I can’t make my business the type that I WANT to run and not the type that I think people feel it should be.

So, yes, 2009 was great even though it was a slow year because of my pregnancy.  I learned a lot, developed a more solid idea of where I want to be in the future, and grew so much as a photographer and as  a person.  I’m so ready for 2010 to be even better!  I’d like to thank all of my clients in 2009 for such a fantastic year.  You were all an absolute pleasure to work with!!

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I hope that 2010 is a beautiful and healthy year for all of you as well!

xoxo

Cherron

Surprise! | Northwest Arkansas Lifestyle Photographer

Posted on November 22, 2009

Wow. So much has happened in the last few weeks. Where to start? Well, my maternity leave was supposed to start on the first of November, but I still had a few loose ends to tie up. In fact, I even had a session on the 4th that I squeezed in for a wonderful senior girl at the last minute. (I’ll be showing her sneak peek later today. :) ) I remember her asking about the pregnancy and I joked about how ready I was for the baby to be born. Typical banter for a pregnant momma at 35 weeks, right? It’s not the most comfortable of situations by that point, but if I would have realized how close I was to not being pregnant anymore, I’m not so sure I would have been joking about it!

The next day I had a routine appointment with my doctor as well as an ultrasound to check on the baby’s growth one last time before the home stretch to delivery. I have to have c-sections and my doctor likes to make sure that my babies are all looking good since they are taken at 39 weeks. I’m so glad that he does this!  The ultrasound showed that my amniotic fluid levels were really low.  Also, we discovered my blood pressure was very high and still climbing.  I was starting to show signs of preeclampsia.  Again.   I suffered through that with my first pregnancy and ended up having major complications as well. I knew how serious this could be, but I was only 35 weeks!  Towards the end of the pregnancy when I started to get really swollen, I told John at one point that I felt like I was starting to look like I did when I was pregnant with my son.   The thought that I might end up with preeclampsia again was a vague concern for me, but never did I think that I might end up with a preemie because of it.

I was sent to the hospital to be monitored and was told that it wasn’t known yet if a delivery would be that day, the next, or the following week, but there was no way I was going full term. After many hours on the monitor (all on my left side, too, ouch!!) it was decided that I’d have another ultrasound the next morning to check the fluid levels. If they were high enough, I would be sent home on strict bed rest to try and make it to 37 weeks. If they were not adequate, we would be having a baby that day. This plan, by the way, was formed about five that evening and I was starving!! See, I woke up late that morning and didn’t have a chance to eat breakfast before my morning doctor’s appointment. Since there was a chance that I would have to go into surgery, they wouldn’t let me eat anything all day until a game plan was established. Oh, it was a long, hungry day. I’ve never been so happy to see food!

The next morning the ultrasound showed that my fluid levels had actually dropped in the night. I was having a baby that day. Five weeks early. It was pretty shocking. I tried not to think about the bad things that could occur with an early baby. Besides, 35 weeks was a lot better than 30 weeks! Things could always be worse, right?

Aryah (Uh-rye-uh) was born on the 6th on November and weighed four pounds and thirteen ounces. She was able to breathe on her own and never required help to maintain her temperature. We were so lucky. She did have some problems with eating the first few days. She would get tired very quickly and wasn’t getting enough calories, so she had to have an NG tube, but even that obstacle was taken care of within days. I admitted into the hospital on a Thursday, discharged on the following Monday, but stayed in the hospital with Aryah until her discharge on that Wednesday. They let us take her home weighing only four pounds and nine ounces. She was soo itty bitty.

She is now two weeks old and weighs a whopping five pounds! Still itty bitty. Still very precious. Here is a snapshot that her daddy took of her while we were in the hospital.

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We are taking her official portraits tomorrow since John has the weekend off and can help out. :)

Christmas Mini-Sessions! | Northwest Arkansas Photographer

Posted on October 8, 2009

Wait. It isn’t even Halloween yet and I’m already talking about Christmas cards? That’s right! My maternity leave begins at the end of this month so I wanted to opportunity to offer mini-sessions for those that are asking for Christmas cards. There are two collections to choose from this year. Each will include a twenty minute session, 8-10 proofs to choose from, and one digital file, but one will include a 5×7 digital photo card for you to print off where you wish while the other will include a set of 24 5×7 press printed cards.

The sessions will be held outside over the course of two days, the 24th and 25th, with a few sessions held in the morning and a few in the evening. Payment is due upon booking and is non-refundable due to the limited availability of the sessions. If you’d like to see samples of the cards, have any other questions, or would like to book your session, email cherron@raininglightphotos.com!

Availabilty and a Baby Chef | Northwest Arkansas Lifestyel Photographer

Posted on September 11, 2009

Just the baby, cooking up some freshly cut grass. :) We had a BBQ with some of our friends and she thought she would help out with the meal. So cute.

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This weather we’ve been having lately is so gorgeous. I have two weddings in the next week and a half and just hope that the weather stays this nice and cool for them. I keep telling my husband that I hope it stays this nice until the start of winter. I would looove to be able to keep my windows open for the next couple of months. So beautiful.

I only have three more dates left available in September! It’s not too late to book a session! I know for sure that I’ll be open for a couple of sessions in the first two weeks of October, but may start my maternity leave a bit early so the last two weeks are still a bit up in the air. If you are wanting to book for Christmas cards, this would be the time to do it! :)

Share in my vision! | Northwest Arkansas Lifestyle Photographer

Posted on July 22, 2009

Time is flying by.  Soon I shall be tucked away for maternity leave and will have nothing to photograph but my new little baby and my darling family.  Woe is me. ;)   Sounds pretty perfect, doesn’t it?  My dilemia is that I currently have SO MANY ideas running around in my head that I would love to explore before this happens, so I’ve decided to run a sort of Portfolio Pricing special from now until my maternity leave.  What does this mean?  This means that anyone who books a session with me agrees to go along with my creative vision in exchange for a discounted session fee and 10% off orders.  Does this mean that I’ll have you running around and doing crazy things while I’ll chase you with a camera?  Well, maybe,  :)   but mostly it means that we’ll try out some of the ideas I have in my head to fine tune my style and produce some beautiful images to showcase my work.  There are some specific locations I want to try out for different types of sessions, a few new techniques I want to perfect, and I’m very excited by it!

Remember, ‘family’ session is defined by one person to five.  :)

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What’s that about Senior Specials? I’m offering a limited amount of sessions and products at a great price as I start to focus more on senior sessions in the future. Seniors who book with this special offer will get a session, fifty 411 cards, an 8×8 coffee table book to show off the images, along with three digital files with printing rights all for $200. What are 411 cards? They’re fun cards with an image or two on the front and information on the back, perfect for passing out to friends so they can have the information needed to keep in touch as everyone embarks on the next chapter in their lives.

Interested in a session? You can get in touch with me by using the contact form in the links at the top of the page, or you can email me at raininglightphotography@yahoo.com

Love is in the Air | Northwest Arkansas Wedding Photographer

Posted on February 14, 2009

Okay, lovebirds. Tomorrow is a big day for all the ooey-gooey romantic types, and I want to be ooey-gooey, too. How do hope to accomplish this? The time to announce my 2nd contest is here!

I love surprises, as I’ve mentioned, and I love giving, so I thought it would be fun for this contest to have the opportunity for both. I want to give while someone gets a great surprise. Do you know an engaged couple you absolutely adore? Do you think it would be awesome to surprise them with a fantastic gift because they are so deserving? Well, tell me how much you love them and why they are the best because the winners of this contest will receive 8 hours of wedding photography by me, an engagement session with all images on DVD, a bridal session with all images on DVD, a Day After session with all images on DVD, and all wedding images on DVD with printing release, and a Storybook album! That’s a value of over $2400! How’s that for love, giving, and surprise?! I’m so excited. :)

Here’s how it’ll work. Send in a photo and a letter telling me why you think that this couple deserves wedding photography. Are they the hub of your social circle, always making sure there is a place to crash? Do they volunteer for a great cause? Never afraid to lend a hand during a big move? Just an all around awesome couple? Tell me about it!

DEADLINE FOR ENTRIES 11:59 PM ON MARCH 1ST

Photos (1mb and under, please) and letters are to be sent to raininglightphotography@yahoo.com

Here are a few rules. The wedding will need to be in 2009 and in the Northwest Arkansas area. There will be no 2nd shooter, though there will always be the option of adding one at the normal rate.

Good luck and Happy Valentine’s Day!!

Contest!!! |Northwest Arkansas Lifestyle Photographer

Posted on February 9, 2009

I’ve wanted to do a contest for awhile now but wanted to wait for something special. New prices and digital collections are pretty darn exciting, especially when you are wanting a reason to celebrate. I will actually be announcing a second contest soon, so it’s double the fun with Raining Light Photography!

So, do you want photos taken by Raining Light Photography? Do you want FREE photos? How about winning a collection worth $450? The winner of the contest will receive my Light Mist digital collection which includes ten images on DVD with printing release, ten 5×7 reference proofs, and a 11×14 mounted wall print! Sound like a great deal? Yeah? Want to know what you have to do? It’s really simple. I just need some photos, that’s all. Simply email a snapshot (1mb or less) to raininglightphotography@yahoo.com with the subject CONTEST. The photo should be of the person or persons that you want to win the session. This can be a child, a senior, a family.. any one can submit an entry! Please limit four subjects or less or a $15 fee per additional person will apply. Also make sure that you have permission to use the photos in this event. This means no professional photos entered, please.

What happens after I receive the photos? I am going to blog the photos and post a poll for all my blog readers to vote on the winner! Photos can be submitted from tonight until 11:59 pm on Friday the 20th.

So, what are you waiting for? Send in those photos for your chance to win! And check back for the announcement of the second contest!!

Announcing New Prices!! |Northwest Arkansas Lifestyle Photography

Posted on February 8, 2009

Raining Light Photography is going mostly digital!!

I’ve created four digital collections filled with tons of goodies from just three digital images to all images with prints and albums. There is a little something for everyone. All collections will come with high resolution images in both color and black and white, a 5×7 reference print for each image, and a web-sized, watermarked file of each image to use on blogs or social networking sites such as facebook. A printing release will be given with each DVD as well with a printing guide so you can legally print out as many photos of you want for yourself and your family. A purchase of a digital collection will also allow prints to be purchased at VIP pricing for even more savings! And to make things even more simple, the creative fee is included in the price of the digital collections.

Want to book a session with Raining Light Photography but don’t want to go digital? No problem! Everything can be purchased a la carte with a $100 session fee and a minimum purchase of $150.

I’m still putting together the new digital versions of my Baby Bumps to Baby Bundles and the Senior Collections. The finishing touches should be ready very soon!

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All photographs property of Cherron McDonald and Raining Light Photography