making wishes {kingsport tn children's photographer}

We were getting ready to run to the store - the kids and my hubby were outside waiting for me {sooo typical}.  I run outside ready to go and my hubby stops me and points to my daughter.  I look over to see her sitting amidst hundreds of dandelions, decked out in her girlie dress {haven't seen her in pants in over a year, no joke} and her favorite pair of shoes at the moment - striped rain boots.  

The sun was shining through the trees behind her - it looked almost magical.  If it were me, I probably would have raced to the car and went on my way - but I'm so glad my hubby saw this moment and helped me to stop and really see it too.  I grabbed my camera and somehow managed to talk her into throwing a headband into her {wild & crazy} hair.  

What's even more magical about this moment is that she actually LET me snap a few pics of her.  All my friends know how much she does NOT enjoy having her picture taken.  I blame it on the fact that she's had a camera shoved in her face since the day she was born.  I always tell her one day she'll be happy I took so many pictures of her.  haha  One day.  I just love these pictures of her... I can't believe how old she's getting.  It really does go by way too fast.  

I wonder what she was wishing for.

visual aid - a closer look at some of my favorite products

I am such a visual person.  If I heard "5x7 spiral bound book" {for example} I don't know what kind of image I'd have in my head, but I'm sure it wouldn't be anything close to what a 5x7 spiral bound book actually looks like!!  So for my fellow visual learners out there I put together some images that should hopefully give you a really good idea what some of my favorite products look like!!  

Things have been kind of slow around here, which has actually been nice - I've had a chance to {almost} catch up on editing/albums/orders etc. and scratch a few things off my never-ending to-do list {take pictures of products, check}.

So here are some of my favorite products, or products that I get asked often what they are.  

To start off with - hands-down my favorite product... Gallery Wrapped Canvases:

Next up are mounted prints.  All prints 11x14 and larger are mounted for protection.  Here's what "mounted" looks like.  Basically the image is mounted onto a thick board (roughly 1/4" thick) which prevents it from warping or bending.

Now the standout mounts.  These are another one of my favs.  They are similar to the mounted print in that the print is mounted, however these are mounted to a thick (1/2") styrene plastic.  They are very lightweight and sturdy.  They come with pre-drilled holes in the back for hanging which comes in handy, but they also look super cute sitting on a shelf.  The edges can be black or white.

Yet another one of my favorite products are my new spiral bound books.  These little books are soooooo stinkin cute!!  They include a custom front and back cover, or can have an easel on the back for presentation.  The front and back covers are mounted and the pages are printed on professional photographic paper.  I love the rounded edges!!!  These cute little books are awesome for showing off the images from your session or giving to family members.  They come in several different sizes: 4x5, 4x6, 5x5, 5x7 and 8x10.  

Last but not least I thought I'd take a couple pics of a product that not too many people know I offer: Gift Certificates!!  Talk about an awesome gift - and one that will continue to give and give for years to come.  They can be purchased for any amount, and they're cute too!

I think that's all for now!! Stay tuned for a fun giveaway I have in the works... HINT: mamas with little girls will love this one!!!

 

mine {kingsport, tn family photographer}

You would think as a "mom-tographer" I'd post more pictures of my kids.  Well I WISH I could!!  Those little stinkers will hardly ever let me take their pictures.  I'm seriously considering hiring another photographer to take pictures of them so at least I'll have some good ones!!  I always joke with clients who are apologizing for their children's behavior that no children could be more difficult to photograph than my own!!  HOWEVER - once in a blue moon they let me, and I take FULL advantage!  This time it was Mariah - who's normally the more stubborn of the two.  I just love seeing pictures of them.  It gives me a small taste of how (I assume) my clients must feel when they see the images of their little cuties.  I need to get better about just getting out the camera and capturing the day to day stuff that I'm sure I wont remember in 20 years.  I want to capture these moments because they fly by wayyyyy to fast.  It seems like suddenly they are both so big, which means I am getting old.  Eww!!  They truly are my world.  My wild and crazy world.  I love them more than words can express and am so grateful for each day I get to spend with them.  Here are a couple that I snagged while we were playing at Nina's house last week...  =)  Aren't they cute??

MOM CHALLENGE:  Break out the point-and-shoot and snag pictures of your kids TODAY.  Try to enjoy this moment in time with them because in only a short time you will look back and realize it's already over!!!  <3

2010 Favs {Johnson City, TN Photographer}

On a whim the other night I started gathering some of my favorite pics from this past year.  About three hours later I finally finished!  It was so much fun going through all the pictures and seeing all the faces I've had the pleasure of shooting this past year (hahaha - that reminds of a shirt I saw once that said "I shoot babies" - with a picture of a camera on it)  But really, I love the feelings that pictures can give you.  They remind you of memories, or just times in general - like summer.  Speaking of summer, I miss it!  I miss the SUN!  I so ready for warmer weather... 

Here are just a few of the images from the gallery that I created on my Facebook Page.  Click {HERE} to view them all!!


Changes

Every night as I lay down to go to sleep I stop and think.  I think about things that happened, things I accomplished, things I didn't accomplish, things I did right, things I did wrong, things I need to do the next day - you get the point.  I just think.  Well last night as I was doing my nightly 'thinking' I just kept going over of all of these changes I want to make with my business this year.  One of those changes is how I write and interact here - on my site/blog.  To be more specific, I want to be more personal.  I want you to get to know me.  I really am fun, I swear - but you can't tell from my posts can you??  BORING!  So if you don't care about what I have to say, that's totally fine, just skip it and look at the pictures, which a lot of you probably do already.  But for the record one of my business goals for the coming year is to just be ME and let you - my clients, friends, family and readers - get to know me.  It's gonna be FUN!

Speaking of getting to know me - guess what I LOVE  ?  COMMENTS.  I love comments!! I love knowing what you think of my images (or anything else for that matter) and I love knowing that people are looking at my pictures!!  It makes my day!  So if you have a second to let me know your thoughts - please do!  

A few other changes I will be making:  I will be adding a few collections (or packages) and other fun products to my product list which I will be announcing soon.  My pricing will change a bit for the new year as well - so check my pricing page for an updated list soon.  Who knows what else will change, but I have lots of ideas!!!  Now it's just a matter of finding TIME and ENERGY to make them happen!

Happy New Year!  Thank you for making last year such an awesome one for Brandilyn Davidson Photography.  I am so excited to see what 2011 has in store! 

OH!! One new change I forgot to mention is the 'Search' link at the top of my site.  This is an awesome feature!  You can type in anything your little heart desires (Senior Portraits or Weddings for example) and it will search all of my posts for the key words you entered!!  Cool huh?  Give it a try!

It's a Giveaway - Sweet Thangs Confectionaries!!!!

Owner Leah Stacey of Sweet Thangs Confectionaries has had a passion for baking for since she was little, but has only recently turned that passion into a business.  She specializes in Pralines, Fudge, Specialty Cakes, Cookies and more... basically anything sweet - she can not only make it, she can make it BETTER (I'm convinced she has some 'secret ingredient' she's hiding in the back)  She will be giving one lucky winner a batch of her homemade peppermint bark to kick off the holiday season.  For your next sweet tooth fix, give her a call or email:  

Sweet Thangs Confectionaries - Sweets for every Reason and Season

423.262.9513     sweetthangsconfectionaries@gmail.com  

You'll be happy you did!

 

To enter to win Sweet Thangs Confectionaires Peppermint Bark you MUST:

Become a fan of Sweet Thangs Confectionaries on Facebook by clicking {HERE} AND leave a comment that you heard about her from Brandilyn Davidson Photography (on her wall)

THEN, come back to THIS POST and leave a comment telling me you did this.  **ONLY comments on THIS POST will be entered to win!

 

FOR EXTRA ENTRIES

(Leave 1 comment for each on THIS POST - each comment counts as one giveaway entry):

Become a fan of Brandilyn Davidson Photography on Facebook.  Fan already?  Leave another comment!

Place any order with Sweet Thangs Confectionaries

Copy & Paste this to your Facebook Wall or Twitter Page: " Sweet Thangs Confectionaries giveaway hosted by Brandilyn Davidson Photography!!! Enter to win HERE: http://bit.ly/c2BCsR " (Facebook and Twitter count as one comment EACH - do both and get TWO more entries!)

Good luck - winner will be chosen by random on Thurs. November 18th

the great american bake sale {johnson city tn photographer}

I am so happy I was able to be a part of such a great event!!  Thanks again to everyone who participated - by baking, volunteering time or buying goodies!!  Despite the {extremely} cold weather we had a great turn out!!

The Great American Bake Sale is a national fundraising effort that encourages Americans to host bake sales in their communities to help end childhood hunger.  100% of the proceeds will go towards this mission.  Did you know that nearly 1 in 4 children in America will struggle with hunger??  That's almost 17 MILLION kids!  I can't think of a better reason to load up on homemade goods and give what you can to children who need it!!!

I am so happy to announce that we raised almost $800 for the cause!!!!  Our goal was only $200!!!  Thank you again to EVERYONE who helped out in one way or another, it amazes me what we accomplish when we work together as one and how many good and giving people there are out there.  =)  I wish I would have taken more pictures, but here's a little glimpse into the day.

spontaneous {johnson city tn children's photographer}

So there was a new location I wanted to check out, and I thought I'd get Mariah to let me snap a few shots of her.  I got her all prepped: she helped picked out an outfit - we bargained, let her know how long it would take, what we would do afterwards etc.  We were all set.  We finally get out there and of course she doesn't want to do it.  I always hear all these other photogs who say their kids LOVE having their picture taken.  Well - not mine.  In fact, it's the extreme opposite!!  And it makes me so sad...  Anyways, of course I got nothing at the beautiful location, but as we're waiting in the car for Dad to get some snacks she's all smiles and actually seemed happy about me taking her pic!!  Go figure!! Oh well - I'll take what I can get!! I sure love this little girl... I still can't believe she's in school and growing up so fast.  I miss spending time with her so much.

soaking up summer {my recent adventures}

I realized I haven't posted for a bit now... life has been crazy!!!  I have SO MANY images to edit and albums to create - apologies to my wonderfully patient clients who are waiting.  I'm working hard to get everything done!!  In the midst of everything, we've taken trips to both California and South Carolina and my baby girl just started Kindergarten!!!  Whew!

So to give you something to look at, here are some of my favorite images from our trip to Hilton Head Island, SC.  It was BEAUTIFUL and the beaches were amazing.  I didn't take many pictures - it's so hard for me to enjoy the moments when I have my camera in hand.  I'm either photographer or wife/mommy... and I'm still working on finding the balance between the two.  So, I decided to enjoy it rather than document it, but I did pull out the camera a couple times so we'd have something to remember the trip by.  It was so much fun.  If you've never been - plan a trip!!  It's great for families, couples and individuals.  Did I mention the beaches are AMAZING??