Mini Sessions

It's not often I find someone that enjoys getting up early on Saturday. I personally love it. I sip a cup of coffee and watch the sun come up on the regs. Having a 5 month old miiiight have something to do with that, but I still love it.  Today I was thrilled to have some company! First I met the Eckermann's in Old Cloverdale. Sarah, is a natural in front of the camera. I told her to be 'whatever' and she knew exactly what I meant. She's the best whatever-er ever!

And here's Patrick. He definitely takes after his momma. Don't even get me started on those eyes - are you kidding? He could not be more handsome. 

Matt and Sarah, thank you so much for getting up early this morning to meet me. I think this picture alone made it worth it!!

Next, I met the Fuller's at Huntingdon. Man, I had some great models today. Kelley's smile lit up my frame. 

Gavin and Marley. I hope I get to shoot these two again.

Still at Huntingdon, I met up with the Lockett's. Augustine got this totally fierce haircut just for this shoot. Not really, but girl is lookin' good!

Love! This one defines my style. Fresh. Soulful. Happy. 

Augustine hoofed it all around campus in these shoes. She deserves to get some props for that. 

Whew, busy morning. I had SO much fun with all of you!! 

J* Wedding Workshop - Day 2

Jasmine talked today about defining your shooting style. She asked us to come up with three words to describe our style. My three words: Fresh. Soulful. Happy
Ok, so I am going to keep it real.. I haven't shot enough to actually have a style yet but that is what I WANT my style to be. Fresh. Soulful. Happy.

J* Wedding Workshop - Day 1

Today was the fist day of Jasmine's workshop on CreativeLIVE. I cried and I laughed, and then I cried some more. They're live in Seattle, so I had the whole morning to wait in anticipation.. MAN, did she deliver?! She gave her back story and talked about how she came to be a wedding photographer. She candidly revealed her insecurities and mistakes she's made along the way. When she shared the following blog post from 2006 she had me in tears...

Why am I such a chicken? I swear, I should just lay an egg to complete this metamorphosis. I mean, the chicken and I both share entities like feet, breasts, and pointed breathing orifices, so if I sprouted feathers tonight, I wouldn’t be surprised.

I need—need—to be willing to go out on a limb and ask people if I could take their pictures. I mean, I know couples who are engaged, so why can’t I bring myself to ask them if I could snap their engagement photos? For crying out loud, I wouldn’t charge them and I would give them a CD of all their pictures, so what’s stopping me? My fear. Of rejection. Of incompetence. Of embarrassment.

I need to do this. Just need to.

I. know. the. feeling. 
Did you notice that I said 2006? Yeah, she went from chicken Jasmine to J* in less than four years. Incredible! The rest of the day was packed with tips about branding, marketing on social media, second shooting and a wedding day walkthrough. So much information and I'm soaking it all up!

You have everything you need

Confession. I am such a blog stalker that I am about to blog about a blog.  

J* blogged here about seeing a poster and realizing she has everything she needs. I want that poster by the way (and my birthday is soon. wink).  It made me realize that I have everything I need to be successful. Everything I need is inside my head, swimming around like goldfish in a bowl. I am an artist and what I need is me!

Cutest Couple Contest 2010

This idea has been simmering for a long time and I'm so excited to finally announce the Cutest Couple Contest!


Did you just get engaged? Do you know someone getting married soon? Jessi D Photography is hosting a Cutest Couple Contest! Beginning August 11th you will be able to submit a photo of you and your sweetie to compete for a free engagement portrait session. The winner will also receive 1 8x10, 2 5x7's, and 1 high resolution digital image. To all the married folks out there … don’t hate, a contest is coming for you soon!
Contest details are as follows:

TO ENTER
* The photo must be of you and your sweetie
* You must be 18 years or older on the date of entry
* You must be getting married between September 18th 2010 and April 30th 2011
* You must have permission/rights to use the photo you enter
* Photos will be accepted from 12:01am August 11th 2010 until 11:59pm August 22nd 2010 (CST) via e-mail.
* Only photos e-mailed to [jessidphoto@gmail.com] with the Subject line Cutest Couple 2010 during the previously mentioned time will be accepted
* Include your full name, your sweeties name, how you met and your contact information in the e-mail (Couple name will be posted for viewing - ie: Soon to be Mr & Mrs Smith)
* Contest open to everyone, however if you live outside of a 30 mile radius from Montgomery, AL you must choose a location within 30 miles of Montgomery, AL for your prize shoot, or a travel fee will be charged .
* Jessi D Photography reserves the right to refuse contest entries

HOW THE CONTEST WILL BE JUDGED
* All entries will be uploaded into an album on Facebook by Jessi D Photography no later than August 24th 2010.
* To vote for a photo you MUST ‘like’ Jessi D Photography’s Facebook page
* Click 'like' for the photo you are voting for in the Jessi D Photography Cutest Couple Contest 2010 album
* Photo with the most 'likes' will be the winner. Comments and tagging are permitted, and encouraged, but WILL NOT count towards the total number of votes
* Voting will close September 5th 2010 at 11:59pm
* Jessi D Photography has the final say in who wins the contest
*The official winner will be announced no later than September 7th 2010

WHAT YOU WILL WIN
* The couple with the most 'likes' will receive a free mini photo session with Jessi D Photography, as well as 1 8x10, 2 5x7's, and 1 high resolution digital image (suitable for printing announcements)
*Additional prints and digital copies will be available for purchase at regular price
* Photo session must be booked within 14 days of winning, and completed on or before October 17th 2010
* Prize retail value of $150 is not redeemable for cash
* No other promotions or discounts can be applied

Please post any questions you have on this post, and I will be happy to answer them. I look forward to seeing your entries!

New Lens and Branding

I am anxiously waiting for the UPS truck. I ordered a new lens and it's scheduled for delivery today!! The lens is an AF-S DX Nikkor 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR (that sure is a lot of letters and numbers. Sorry to all the non-photo nerds out there.) and I cannot wait to look through it.

I've also been working on branding my business, sketching / editing and finally created a logo that I am quite proud of. Actually, I lurrve it! Big thanks to Brad Smith for helping me get it into Photoshop. Now I, I meaning John, have to figure out how to get the logo on my website and change all my watermarks. 

Take a peek ...