Bellies
Brand New
Babies
Posted on March 23, 2010
March has been an extremely busy month for me - you may have noticed that my blog posts have been few and far between! But, I want to make up for that by announcing a BIG contest – the first Kimberlin Gray Photography “Cutest Baby and Child Contest”!
The Details
How do I enter my cute kid?
*Send a non-professional photo of each child to kimberlin.gray@gmail.com with the subject line CUTE KID CONTEST.
*If you wish to enter more than one child, send an individual photo for each. (If you win, the session will include all of your children, so don’t worry about picking between them!) However, you’ll be limited to two votes per day, so it may be a tough call if you enter them all!
*In the e-mail, please provide your child(ren)’s name(s), age(s), your name, e-mail address, and contact phone number. (This information will not be published; it is simply for my record keeping in case you are the big winner!)
*Ages: Children ages 0-9 are permitted in this contest; photos must have been taken in the past 6 months (give or take!)
*HINT: Try to get a close up so that we can see all those adorable features! Pretty eyes, sweet little lips, etc. are always striking.
What is the deadline for entries?
*You can start sending entries today, Monday, March 22nd and they must be received by Sunday, March 28th at 11:59pm EST.
How do I win?
*Voting will begin Monday, March 29th and YOU will decide who wins! That’s right, there will be a poll open to everyone – you, your family, and your friends will all be allowed to vote! Voting will end on Friday, April 2nd at 11:59pm EST. Winners will be announced on Tuesday, April 6th, 2010.
How do I vote?
There are two ways to vote each day:
1. A poll will be posted here on the blog. Each photo will be assigned a number and you will be able to vote for your favorite photo once a day. (The poll is set up to limit voting from each computer…after 24 hours, it will reset, and you can vote again).
2. An album will be set up on my Facebook Fan Page. (Become a FAN if you aren’t already in order to vote!) The album will be called “CUTE KID CONTEST” and you will simply comment on the photo that you want to vote for. It can be as simple as “This one’s my vote!”. Comments are dated and only one per day is permitted from each voter. NOTE: Comments posted to the Wall will not be counted! They must be entered on the photo inside the album!
*So, the photo with the most combined votes at the end of the week will win – and it’s up to you to get all your friends and family members to vote, too! Send them a link to the blog and the Facebook page! You can share it with them by clicking the “share” buttons under the post to make it even easier! If they FAN me, they’ll see automatic reminders in their News Feed on FB, too! 
Know someone with a cute kid? Click “Send this post to a friend” at the bottom of this blog post to alert them. Or better yet, click on the “F” and post to your Facebook Page!
Can’t wait to see your cutie-pies, so start sending in those photos! Good luck!
The Fine Print:
*Contest open to EVERYONE – whether or not you’ve had a session with KGP!
*Only legal guardians of a child may enter photos; entries falsely or incorrectly submitted will be disqualified.
*Amanda reserves the right to alter the rules and specifications at her discretion if the need arises and is deemed appropriate.
*No purchase necessary, you are under no obligation to buy anything!
*Late Entries will not be accepted and the date/time on submission e-mail will be used to determine eligibility.
*Winning session must be photographed no later than June 15th.
*Please do not enter if you live away from the Hampton Roads area, unless you are willing to travel!
Posted on March 20, 2010
Many clients ask me, “What would YOU choose to wear?” for a family session. They ask, “Does everyone need to match?” (Not unless you’re Oompa-Loompas!) “Should we wear white shirts and khaki’s?” (Not unless you want to look like everyone else!). “Should we buy something new?” (Only if you want to!) So today, I’m giving you a little insight into my “vision” of a coordinated family look – since tonight, we are having our own family portraits taken. I am so incredibly excited to have hired another local photographer that I admire. Yes, I hired a photographer to take our photos. Yes, I’m paying her – not getting it for free. No, it’s not cheap. But worth.every.penny. And I couldn’t be more thrilled. (And, yes, I’ll share some of them with you, don’t worry!)
I am hardly ever in pictures anymore. I am always behind the camera and decided a few months ago that I would really like to have the kinds of photos of my family that I am giving to my clients. Since my children both had birthdays in March (that’s why you haven’t seen much of me!) it seemed like the perfect time to document “us”. I scoured our closets and found out that #1 – I haven’t bought anything nice for myself in a long, long time. and #2 – We just didn’t have the right colors for the location we’ve chosen – a field in southern Virginia Beach. So, I went shopping. I started with the kids (HINT: It’s easier to find complimentary solid-color tops for parents after choosing the patterns of your kids’ clothes!) and found the dress for my 4 year old daughter at Dillards (Rare Editions brand). Then, I saw the cutest searsucker outfit (complete with matching searsucker hat and shoes – and jacket depending on the weather) at Crazy 8 for my 1 year old son. (HINT: With babies who are carried and/or crawl, it is better to have a one-piece outfit rather than a shirt and pants so that the diaper doesn’t stick out of the back!) Then, I found a coral colored top (that doesn’t match perfectly, but is close enough!), dark jeans, and coordinating jewelry at The Limited for me and my husband is wearing a polo shirt from Brooks Brothers and a pair of dark jeans he already has.
Here’s the complete family look {Excuse the half-hearted photo attempt…and imagine dark jeans with both adult tops. 
}
I can’t wait to see how the photos turn out. Off to get everyone all “gussied up” for our sunset photo session in the field! Can’t wait to share with you in a few days! (And will reveal the name of the photographer then!)
-Amanda
Posted on March 16, 2010
This sweet angel was only 6 days old when I met her. Newborns are so precious – I just love their itty-bitty features! Karen, thanks for letting me come into your home and capture your sweet girl during her first few days on this earth. What a precious gift from God:
And here is that photo in color…just for this sweet girl’s grandma!
This big girl obviously adores her new baby sister. She was so cute with her!
Here she is with her mommy – remember how great she looked at 38 weeks pregnant when I did her Maternity Portrait session?
And a few more just because they’re my favorites:
Posted on March 8, 2010
I am proud to say that my application was approved and I am now an official
Operation Love ReUnited Photographer!!
I first heard of Operation: Love ReUnited through a photography forum about a year ago. I thought it was a really great organization, however since I wasn’t in business, I didn’t feel ready to participate. But living in the Hampton Roads area, we are surrounded by military installations and I have never forgotten it in the months since launching my business. Imagine my surprise when I found that there aren’t very many photographers in this area who are part of this organization!
Many of my friends and fellow mommies are the wives of service members and I hear often about their husband’s schedules and deployments and how their children are dealing with their Daddy being away for such a long time. I was a military wife once (before we had children) and remember well how difficult those deployments were. Those with children feel that separation even more deeply and I respect Military Wives (yes, I capitalized that for a reason!) almost as much as I respect their husbands’ service to our country. There is no greater sacrifice than that of an American service member and hope that my gift to them can somehow help ease the pain of being away from their families while defending the freedoms we enjoy every day.
Here is an excerpt from the OpLove website:
————————————————
If you have ever been through a military deployment, there are no words to explain how hard it is to send the father or mother of your children off to some foreign, dangerous land, leaving you all behind…. Alone. And, it’s indescribable to watch their faces light up as their mother or father comes up the stairs of the airport after months, possibly a year or more, of not hugging each other. Emotions fly through the main lobby, it’s so very good to have them home. Your base’s Family Support Squadron will help you with your deployment. But the last thing on your mind when your wife or husband arrives home after a 4 to 18 month tour, is capturing all this love– on film. Most people are so overwhelmed with emotions they forget to simply point and shoot the camera they are grasping of their child’s first hug, or that single tear of relief from a mother being able to hold her twenty year old son again. With the help of Operation: Love ReUnited and local photographers near your base, you can.
How OpLove Works
Operation: Love ReUnited is a group made up of photographers who donate patriotic-themed sessions and albums to Warfighters – Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines – who are deploying for an overseas tour of duty, already deployed overseas, or returning home from an overseas deployment.
The program is pretty simple. To participate, use the OpLove Member Locator to find a participating photographer near you. Contact that photographer, tell them you’re preparing for or undergoing a deployment, and that you’d like to be photographed under the OpLove program. The photographer will schedule your session (time and resources permitting). Download and fill out the OpLove Client Form, and email it to the photographer. Also wear your uniform (dress or duty), and bring any other elements you want included – knapsack, sword, etc.
Every photographer is a little different, so ask your photographer what happens after your session. In a few weeks to a few months, an album of the images from your session will be sent to your Warfighter, at home or abroad!
—————————————————–
If your loved one is about to be deployed, is deployed or will be returning soon…as
an OpLove photographer, I offer you at no cost,
A patriotic session with you and your family (pre deployment)
A 5×7 album sent directly to your deployed service member
A Homecoming Capture with a CD of the images and DVD slideshow
As well as:
A 25% discount on any Specialty Item or print order from our sessions
To request information or to book and OpLove session, please complete this FORM.
Please visit Operation: Love ReUnited for more information as well as sample galleries from these sessions.
Posted on March 7, 2010
This young guy was a dream to photograph! His mom said her main objective from this session was to get a “non-cheesy” smile, so I brought along a little airplane to break the ice. I love how this shows the imagination and playfulness of a boy:
Even though it was pretty chilly, we sure got some super smiles! I hope you enjoy your sneak peek – your full gallery will be up soon!
