Product Photography

A little contest to win a {Day in the Life} Session- Wisconsin and Nationwide Child and Family Photographer

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I am a firm believer that most people appreciate the art of photography and if given the choice, they choose their photographer based on quality and value, not just price. And as a mother myself, when selecting a photographer to capture our family moments, not just quality but the option to purchase our session images with permission to print is also a must in this digital age. Luckily, there are lots of talented and professional photographers available. And with that, the choice becomes more and more difficult each year. But every year when it is time to update our portraits, I choose the same professional photographer, not just because she is a dear friend, but because these moments are irreplaceable, and why go to the trouble of planning a session if I am unsure of the resulting product.

This is the part where I educate you, the current and future client, about selecting a professional photographer. And if you are one of the lucky ones to call yourself  a professional; you should always strive to do better, educate yourself, and be part of not just the photography community but your client’s community. Be more than just a mom with a camera or someone with a great photographic eye, become a legit tax paying professional photographer and respect the profession. Everday someone new, sometimes a few someones, purchase a DSLR, start a facebook page and bam, they are a {professional} photographers. With a zero threshold profession, I am sure you, you yourself, have considered becoming a professional photographer. Don’t lie; I know I make it look easy right. And it is really just my fancy pants camera capturing those great moments, right? Let me reassure you, we all start somewhere, but please when you have taken the leap to be part of this creative profession, consider more than just the images as a hallmark of your work, consider what it takes to be a professional and produce professional quality portraits, and get paid for your time and talent. Think about making this career choice, respectable and know the difference between a snapshot and a crafted professional image with proper lighting, exposure and composition.

So on to the good stuff, I am often hired to photograph a moment in time, but rarely I am hired to photograph a day in the life documentary session, where I am there for several hours just documenting daily life as it unfolds. I have done this with both my boys and looking back at those images, it brings me right back to everyday life and what is most important; the relationships our children have with us. And I want to give this gift to one lucky family.Here is a sampling of some of the families that have allowed be to be part of their lives through portraits.

I have been privileged to be a small part of my clients life through portraits but I want one family to have me as their own personal paparazzi, to capture more than just a few moments of there short lives. Here are the details on how you can win a {Day in the Life} Session. Keep in mind, you do not have to be a Wisconsin resident, you can be anywhere in the greater United States to participate in this contest. I love to travel and would love to share professional photography with fans and families outside of my state of residence.

1.) Like First Moments Photography on Facebook. If you already like First Moments, THANK YOU.

2.) Tag yourself in this image on facebook.

3.)Copy and past this Comment to your facebook wall, “I want Danielle from First Moments Photography to come photograph my family at our home in _____(name city and state). Make sure you tag the studio facebook page so the comment shows up on the studio’s facebook page.

4.) Come back and comment on this blog post, use the blog comments, not post to facebook comments. Comments will be moderated and entries must include all the steps above to be included in the contest.

4.)  Random  generator will be used to select the winner based on the blog comments.

The fine print:

One family will be selected and will receive a complimentary {Day in the Life} Session and complimentary portrait CD of the best of the best of the images selected by Danielle herself from this documentary session. Open to All US Residents. For families outside of Madison, Wisconsin; all travel expenses will be included as part of the contest but it is suggested to stay at your home at least the night before the session to be there for your families morning routine. Sessions must take place before June 1st, 2012. Comments/Entries will be accepted on the blog until 9pm (CST) Monday, March 5th, 2012. The winner will be announced on facebook on Tuesday, March 6th.  And feel free to refer everyone your know to the contest.

Did someone say Cupcakes?

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Anyone who know me, knows that I love anything that starts with a “C” and ends with a “ake”. And when a client posted some personal pictures on facebook of a her daughters smash cake from Cupcakes A Go Go, I just had to venture to the west side of Madison to check out the new retail location. And can I say, the store is eye candy itself but the cupcakes and cake pops were why I stopped and will continue to go back. I picked up a dozen for our trip to Nebraska for a photography workshop and thought I needed to document how beautiful these cupcakes an cake pops were. So enjoy.

And for all those who enjoy the finer details, feast your eyes on the beautiful swirls of frosting and the display of each flavor just makes you want to try every flavor. My weekly favorite is the smores cupcake, just a few seconds in the microwave and it brings back fall memories of camping.

And I the piece to resistance was the smash cake, although not what I typically use for a smash session, it was just too delicate and beautiful to smash so I took some shots of the detail before we had fun during the session. And we all enjoyed a little of this cake after the smash session was over.

And if you like what you see, visit them on facebook for information on daily specials and more information but please do not blame me for overindulgence from these images.

{Smash It, I’m One} Portrait Event

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So you know the best way to celebrate your first birthday, well any birthday for that matter, is with cake. My mom has ingrained in me the desire and need to have birthday cake at every birthday. Really any excuse to have cake, mother’s day, half birthday, cabbage patch kids birthday; any excuse to celebrate and have cake. And yes, I did say cabbage patch birthday’s, we had one every year when growing up.  And one the best memories I have from childhood is the birthday cake that my dad would get my mom every year that said “Happy 29th Birthday” even though, mom had really passed that milestone many a year back. So when celebrate my mom’s birthday every year, we have to have a celebratory “29th” birthday cake for my mom. So you can see how excited I was to do a product shoot for an online company that sells personalized onesies called Dylbug.
What better way to showcase the milestone birthday session than with cake.