So I’ve tossed this around and around and around. Every year I do my Fresh Faces contest. This year I’m not going to do it. I apologize to those of you who look forward to it every year, but this year I thought about something that has a little more Umph to it instead of people just looking at someone’s picture and voting for who they believe has “the look”.

This year I want to do something to emphasize growth, change, improvement, admiration and inspiration. I want to be able to share the accomplishments of others.

Image above by Mushir

I want to take a moment to allow for people to focus on themselves or those who are an inspiration to them or others. Around the time of the new year we’re all making changes. We have resolutions. We get a new hairstyle. We get new clothes. We lose weight. We volunteer more. We become a mentor to someone else. We decide to take the leap and follow our dreams. We overcome hardships. We persevere through the ups and downs. It is a time of reflection.

There are a lot of people around me who have decided to make life changes for themselves. I think it would be an inspiration for others to see stories of these people who have made changes and made a difference.

If you are one of those people who has made a change somehow, or know someone who has, NOW is the time to be recognized. No accomplishment is too big or too small.

Submit your nominations by using the form found here. You may enter as many people as are deserving.

Selected entries will receive a free photo session valued at $125! They will also have the opportunity to share their story with others. This will not only be a session, but a journey of discovery.

The number of selected entries will be based on the number of entries received. So get those entries in and help me discover all the incredible people out there!

With it being a new year, I thought I would revisit some pictures and try some different edits. Softer than what I’ve done in the past. Just experimenting. As always, comments are welcome.

I first had a session with this little man and his momma a year ago.

Back then he was a bundle of energy. And this year was no different. Due to the wonderful Texas weather changing very 30 seconds, we had to stay indoors, which is not my favorite place, but we made it work. I arrived after only getting slightly lost (stupid toll road). Lil’ Man started out just wanting to see all my gear. He was enjoying moving my tripod up and down, and seeing the umbrella that I used. I made a deal with him right off the bat that if he let me take his picture, afterward, I would let him take some pictures. That seemed to be a good deal which worked for all of 5 seconds. LOL. Then momma stepped in with Smarties. (Note to self: keep a roll or two of Smarties in the camera bag from now on. It’s always good to have material to use for bribery on hand.)

Just look at how big he’s gotten in a year’s time. (Look out ladies. He’s working on that killer smile.)

He is a sweet, loving boy who loves his momma, his grandparents, and dinosaurs. During our session, he had to show me the sound that a Tyrannosaurus makes. Loud, scary, big roar!

He also showed me that he had an umbrella like I did. Even thought his umbrella was more interesting since mine was only white. He told me about all the animals on it. Not only was this a fun shoot, but very educational.

And, yes, I kept my promise and he got to take a few pictures himself. Mostly of the carpet and of blurry feet, but it was fun. I’m not done editing, but I thought I would give Momma a sneak peek. How can you go through these and not want to share?!?!? I can hardly wait to get the gallery up. Definitely can’t wait until the next time we get to have a session and maybe then the weather will cooperate!

I have been editing Stef’s pictures, and I just had to share one more. It’s so difficult not to share them all! But I have to save some as a surprise for her and her lovely momma.

For this one, we wanted an urban feel. We went downtown to some of the alleys. Stef drew 2012 on this door in the dust/dirt/griminess/whatever is on an outside door near the street. I love the way this one came out.

Oh…and just a reminder before the reveal of this picture, I’m still looking for more Senior Superstars for Georgetown and the surrounding areas. If you are a 2012 Senior, or know of a 2012 Senior who may be interested in promoting my services and getting free stuff and even a chance at cash, fill out or have them fill out an application here.

Now for the picture, because what is a post without a picture!

And as always, comments are welcome!

OK. For the record, I didn’t fall off the face of the Earth, or down a well, or get sucked into some vortex never to return. I’ve just been busy, busy, busy. Busy at my day job, busy trying to enjoy summer, busy editing, busy thinking about different projects. But enough about that. What I would like to do is introduce you to my new Senior Superstar for Georgetown High!

:::::::::drum roll::::::::::

Stefanie Schutz! So if any of you attending Georgetown with Stef want or need your pictures taken and like discounts and some free prints, see Miss Stef for a referral.

I’m still editing from our session, but we did have fun going to several locations, even though it was like a million degrees. Stay tuned for more pictures of our adventures featuring smiles, fun, and even a bit of glitter!

I’m also still taking applications for a few more Senior Superstars, so if you’re interested, please fill out the application here.

I would like to thank the people that were giving me a proverbial swift kick in my arse. I haven’t been the best blogger out there. But I do have excuses. Out the wazoo. Well…only one excuse really. I’ve been busy. I have learned how long it takes to edit 8 sessions. A long freakin time. LOL. I had 5 shoots for the pediatric office and 3 other sessions. I am proud to say that I finally finished them all. Everyone has been advised of their galleries, so I think it’s safe to post some peeks now. Well, they wouldn’t really be peeks if they’ve already seen them, but we’ll call them that.

So here are some sneaks from some of these sessions.

First up was the brother and sister who are children of a high school friend. It was a good way to start off the day. They were very cooperative until brother got hungry near the end, but we got some shots before then. We found a really good spot in a big tree. Big brother D loved this spot.

Little sister L got to play in the lantana with the umbrella.

My second session was with 3 sisters. Sister 4 couldn’t make it because of work, but maybe we’ll have a session later. We pulled out the umbrella again for this session.

The last session of the day was with a wonderful little man. Perfect way to end a busy day of sessions.

He and his momma were having a blast.

The next day was a session with a fabulous teenager. She was a joy to work with. She knew her angles and was comfortable being herself. I captured some great shots during this session.

I love how this one is so fully of personality. Thank you Miss M!

Then I did a shoot for a new client (friend of a friend from work). We headed out to the Domain for some fun.

We tried to get the fountains to cooperate, but that was one of the most frustrating times of the day. It didn’t seem like there was a set pattern. Random water spouts is a challenging subject to work with.

I then had a Quinceanera portrait session. We headed out to Southwestern, hoping to beat an incoming storm that was looking to roll up. Fortunately, the storm never made it’s way over us.

We found a wonderful archway with some columns.

My next session was with a return client. I’ve done several shoots with her and her family. She’s an up and coming musician and was looking for shots to use for her business cards and other promotional items. We headed downtown for some laid back shots.

It started getting dark. I pulled out the old OCF and kept snapping. I think we got some nice ones, even though we could hardly see anything. Thank you Miss B for a fun time, and for bringing Miss W who was a great flash holder!

My last session was my Seester and her BF and his daughter. Again, we headed out to Southwestern and some locations around Georgetown.

Love you, Seester!

As always, comments are welcome!

Are you a 2012 Senior? Do you want to have great pictures that capture the fabulousness that is you? Are you willing to share your experiences with others? Would you spread the word about our work?

If you answered yes to all of the above, then you just might be the perfect candidate to be one of our Senior Superstars!

Our Superstars get some great deals! Free sessions, free contact cards, and free $$ for referrals.

For more details, please see our Senior Superstar page. To submit your application, please use this form.

2011 Seniors, it’s not too late to schedule your sessions! For Georgetown Seniors we do have a cap and gown on hand for those shots for the parents!

I know this little man’s mommy is anxiously awaiting a sneak peek, well the whole gallery, I’m sure. Unfortunately, I’m not completely done editing, so the gallery isn’t up yet, but I didn’t want to disappoint her 100%, so I’ve included some sneaks for her!

I was excited when I saw that his momma submitted his photo for my Fresh Faces contest. I had the pleasure of photographing his mommy in 34 degree weather at the same location while he was still warm in her tummy. We diligently watched the 10 day forecast starting 10 days out. 30% chance of rain, 50% chance of rain, then back down to 20% chance. We even adjusted the shoot time by an hour hoping to miss the incoming storms. We were determined to capture this little fresh face come heck or high water. And that’s just what closed half of the park, high water. Areas affected by flooding were closed until further notice. So all the idea I had in my head had to be quickly adjusted. No cake shoot where I wanted to do it with a flat ground.

Improvise, improvise, improvise.

So I trotted around the park, (obviously missing some of the postings about closure), until I hit big orange nets. So I went back over all the spots in my mind and decided on a few. And just in time, for up drove momma, Little Toot, and big brother. He was not one to stand still for very long. Happy little boy, always on the go. But such a serious face. Momma and big bro tried every trick in the book to crack a smile. Some worked, for split seconds. Was that all we needed?

We shot for a bit, and after a quick wardrobe change for our little superstar fresh face, headed over to the playscape where his two favorite activities were banging on things and climbing up the slide. Of course he didn’t get very far, but it was amusing for us. Ladies don’t swoon over what is about to be shown next. It might just be total adorableness overload.

After some play time and swinging with big brother, we headed down to the pond to catch some fishing shots. I have one that I absolutely LOVE, but I’m saving that one for momma’s gallery. Sorry, readers. Maybe momma will get a print to hang up and you can go visit it.

After fishing was nakie time. OK not completely nakie, but down to his skivvies…uhhh Huggies. Two of Toot’s favorite things were up next, nakiness and cake. Mmmmmmm. And this little man not only had 1 cake from his most thoughtful mommy, but another cake from yours truly. What kid doesn’t need two cakes? One of sugar, spongy sweetness, and the other of chilly, smooth ice creaminess. In both cakes, all he was really interested in was the candle. No matter where it was, he tried to get it, lick it, stick it on the cake for more icing. There were protests when brother took the candle and tried to hide it. So we gave it back and made it work.

A few minutes and two cakes later, everyone was covered in icing. Toot from head to toe, and mommy and me almost as much. But it was yummy and fun. (There was no diet that day for anyone. We couldn’t resist the temptation of either delicious frosting and cake.)

It was a fun session that kept me on my toes. We scored some cake smashing pictures, captured some brotherly love, and snapped the fresh face. Thank you to all who voted in our contest, making this little man one of our Freshest Faces. And thank you to his Mommy for sharing this absolute joy of a munchkin with me and with you!

Last weekend I spent some time shooting with this little guy and his fabulous mom,and his uncle and his family. Little Man J hasn’t met a stranger. He got all of the car a little quiet, but soon warmed up. He was a ball of energy which we all tried to corral. Waving, smiling, running, making the funniest faces. He definitely kept his mom on her toes.

Also, during this shoot I used the “It’s better to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission” rule. Apparently, the property is now marked Private Property, and you are supposed to check in at their office. Which is all find and dandy if their office hadn’t been locked tighter than Fort Knox when we arrived (us and other photographers.) But we didn’t injure any structures, flora or fauna (except the flower that Little Man trompled on as we left, but it was a dandelion so weeds don’t count, right?)

So without further ado, here is a sneak peek for this special little guy and his mom.

Our Fresh Faces Contest is now open for entrants! Slight change since my last post about the contest – I’ve included a Babies category! So now we have a total of 5 categories! Why make babies and children compete against each other as they are all so cute.

So if you think you or someone you know would be a great Fresh Face for Verde Photography, head on over and submit the entry. Please read all rules carefully as there are requirements and timeframes for discounts to be valid. Please keep these in mind when submitting your entry.

Pictures are required for the entry as the public will be voting! Pictures cannot be Professional as there are copyright laws upon which we do not want to infringe. So pull out those camera phones or point and shoot cameras and snap a picture to submit! Prior Fresh Face winners are not eligible for entry. (Sorry, but you can submit others and help get them votes!)

If you have any questions before submitting your entry, please email to heather@verde-photography.com.

Good luck to everyone!