J. Love Photography had the opportunity to create an album for a couple who renewed their wedding vows after 20 years of marriage recently in  Hawaii. The photographer gave them a CD with loads of images on it and my prospective client had neither the time nor the interest in figuring out what to do with them. I stepped in and created a beautiful album for her of those images, images of mine, and even images she had taken on their trip. She gave it to her husband as a surprise for his birthday a few months later. I scanned images of their original wedding and faintly placed them within the album where they weren’t obvious, but almost gave the effect of a ‘memory’. Their comments about the album I created for them renews my belief that images of important events in our lives with an album to grab and share and relive the moments is worth every penny we pay for them.

You might have seen the album I did similarly for a couple for their 50th wedding anniversary celebration. And I’ve done such albums for things like large family get-togethers, a woman’s journey into feeling beautiful again after having children, a group session of siblings, a baby’s first year, engagement sessions, and on and on. Many people buy a duplicate album for someone close to them as well, especially for weddings and baby’s first year. All of the album examples here are double page spreads.

If you are considering making the investment in professional portraiture, consider making an album of your own or having your photographer create one for you. If you feel like it’s too much extra to invest, many photographers, such as myself, have layaway plans. We understand and want to do what we can so that you can enjoy and share the art we created for you for years to come and not store it in a box or worse yet, never have any record of  the priceless moments in your life at all.

Where: Riverside Art Center at 76 N. Huron Street in Ypsilanti

When:  Saturday, November 20 from 10 to 3 pm

J. Love Photography will be there with greeting cards and a few small fine art prints.  There will be all kinds of holiday treasures to nab for friends and families at affordable prices such as paintings, photography, jewelry, folk art, glass art, ornaments, books and journals, and more. Come early, visit the other cool galleries and shops in Ypsilanti, and have lunch at one of the great spots there. Every time I venture over to Ypsi, I’m always glad I did. As a bonus, the Riverside Art Center has a current exhibit that is worth seeing as well, Life Inspired Art by Steve Allen.

Admission is FREE. Check it all out. Hope to see you there!

WHERE:  Faith in Action, 603 S. Main St, Chelsea, MI

WHAT: Free portrait sessions for individuals and families in need

Help-Portrait.com was founded by celebrity photographer Jeremy Cowart. Help-Portrait is a community of photographers, coming together across the world to use their photography skills to give back to their local community. In their first year, December 2009, more than 41,000 portraits were given by 3400 photographers and over 5000 volunteers were involved. Help-Portrait became a global movement in 543 locations in 42 countries.

On December 4, 2010, photographers around the world will be grabbing their cameras, finding people in need and taking their picture. When the prints are ready, the photographs get delivered. 

12 local photographers in and around Ann Arbor are working together this year in Chelsea and hoping to photograph up to 100 individuals/ families. This is our first year doing this in this area and we are hoping for a great turnout and a well-put together event. If you know of a needy family or individual who would like to be our guest, please have them contact Faith in Action directly to set up an appointment for that day at 734-475-3305.

This is about GIVING the pictures, not taking them. These portraits are not for our portfolios, websites, or for sale. Money isn’t involved here. This holiday season, we have the chance to give a family something they may have never had before—a portrait together.

A little bit about our friends at Faith in Action:

Faith in Action is a community supported, faith-based assistance and resource agency for families and individuals who need a helping hand. It serves the area within the Chelsea and Dexter school districts.  In 2009, over 5,000 separate services were provided that impacted over 14,000 lives with clothing, food, utility shut off prevention, eviction prevention, health care, transportation, and other emergency services. Founded in 1980, Faith in Action is the lead agency providing safety net services in western Washtenaw County. We are so happy to be working with Faith in Action. They are providing us with a place to photograph our guests this year as well as supplying us with the guests themselves, volunteers, and so much more. 

Please watch this video that Help-Portrait shared on You-Tube. Contact me directly if you can give or know someone else who can give the following things we need: makeup artists, hairstylists, either cash donations for us to be able to purchase frames or 1 8×10 and 1 5×7 frame per individual/family. We don’t want to just give them a portrait. We’d like to be able to give them framed portraits. Thank you for spreading the word!

This month, J. Love Photography will donate  a portion of its proceeds to breast cancer research in honor and celebration of these women! Be sure to attend J. Love Photography’s “Girls Night Out” Shopping Event to help the cause and start your holiday shopping early. Anyone having portraits made as well as holiday cards, etc., during October will also be helping the cause!

I recently created this Vintage Tapestry montage of  snapshots and professional portraits of the colorful, wonderful, amazing women from whom I came; my mother, my grandmothers, my great-grandmothers, my aunts, my great-aunts. I am so proud to be born of these women. As some of you know, when my father graduated from medical school, my mother, my grandmothers, and my great-grandmothers had their photograph taken by my father. This portrait is one of my most valued possessions. I wear it in a Jewel Kade photo charm. I keep it framed on my desk.

So today, “Give thanks for the women who came before you and show you the way.”

Several kids are rewarded yearly with their portrait on the wall all year when they have no cavities! We spend part of a day together with lots of kids having a good time as they entertain me with their spirited little selves. Sometimes I even talk the moms and dads into joining in.

Although I love them all, I posted two of my favorite No Cavity Club kid portrait that make me smile every time I see them! Kids are so funny aren’t they?