My new Blogsite!

Hello All!  I am excited to share my brand spankin’ new Photography blogsite!  Eventually, it will be everything I need for a blog and a website in one!  Also, I was able to transfer all of my old posts and comments so there is no need for you to return to this blog ever again!  Please share this with anybody you know!  One more thing, I have been loving my time with my family, and I still intend to keep things pretty low key, but I just love photography so much, and I want to begin doing to do a few more shoots lately.   Sigh.  So, if you are still interested in talking about having pictures done by me, please feel free to call 🙂

See you all at my new site:

www.melaniejadephotographer.com

My sweet Boys: Henry’s after bath

Well, we have been sick for a little over a week now, and my poor Henry has an ear infection from all of the congestion 😦  But, I have been so happy because of my new mattress!  Now if only I could learn how to fall asleep at night as my brain doesn’t seem to have an off switch!  So, last night my determination to not lie there awake until 1:00am, I counted down from 100 about 3 times!  Every time I imaged the number I was counting and each number look me deeper and darker then the last.  Finally I found myself at 3, 2, 1, 0…and then I was just sitting in a little room in my brain.  I Imagined there being windows and light sheer curtains, quite pleasent.  I sat indian style in the middle of the empty room, and practiced great restrain by not allowing my thoughts to go anywhere else!   While sometime in my mental time-out, I found slumber.  Ahhh, it was amazing!

Also, in a moment of crazed bravory, I trimmed myself some bangs.  I think I love them, but I just don’t know yet, hmmmm.

No Worries!!

Hello All,

I just want to assure all of my current clients and brides that I am still working for them to complete their orders, pictures, credits, and albums!  You are still able to contact me for anything you may need regarding your current pending orders. 

I LOVE what I’ve been able to do with Artisan Photographics and I have loved all of the wonderful people that I’ve worked with!  As Missy takes the company to another level, I have decided that I would take a break until my children get older, because I feel that I would only hold her back if I tried to do EVERYTHING that is required to run a growing business.  So, I will only be her biggest fan and supporter as she enters another wonderful year with Artisan Photographics/Missy Cochran-Photographer!  I will even do an occasional photo shoot with her and I plan to be a second shooter at as many weddings possible in ’09!  So, I’m not really all the way gone, but my focus is being redirected to my family instead of business.

For those of you who have worked with me and would recomend friends and family to contact Artisan Photographics, please do!  Missy is amazing and would be able to do all that I have done for you and more!  She is really excited for this year as she is incorperating some really fun and creative ideas.  Please send your friends to her, since I will not be taking on any new jobs.  I completely trust that she will take great care of them.

Thank you to everybody.  You can still get to my blog through Missy’s, and I will still post personal entries as well as other pictures, should I have the opportunity to shoot with Missy on occasion 🙂

Mel

Happy Birthday to ME!

Well, I am not one to get all excited about my own birthday, but I thought I’d show you a couple cute pictures Missy took of me the other day!  I am absolutely uncomfortable in front of the camera and have not felt like I was very pretty in pictures, but I have to say that these are pretty good 🙂  Thanks Miss!!!

simple.digital.home

Well, this would be my first official commercial job which I was able to do for an awesome business called Simple Digital Home (click on words!).  It is a local business here in Salem, but I’ll be taking more pictures for him up in Portland soon!  So, here’s just my favorites so far.  He does everything you need to have an amazing entertainment room, and keep it looking simple, easy, and modern.  Check it out…

In the two following images, the mirror turns on and becomes the television screen!! It’s so cool!

Jason & Karina: Album Start

So, here are some spreads that I have been working on for Jason and Karina’s wedding.  I LOVE THEM!  I think they are so beautiful and clean.  As most of you all know, we have been leaning at lot toward this look, so if you are interested in switching over to this type of album, you will get almost double the spreads that you would get with our old style.  The pages are also much thinner which allows for more spreads in one book.  The images are actually printed on the paper and then covered with a protective laminate (optional, in case you want to use for signature book, etc.)

Anywho, I’m thinking of using this wedding as another demo…let me know what ya’ll think so far!

My sad contest…

Well, I got a whoppin, 5 comments so far, ha ha ha, it was worth a shot, but love goes out to you die hard crazies out there who participated ;P  Thanks!!!

Brownies!

Today we made brownies for fun…I didn’t plan to take pictures, but Jackson was being too cute, and my creative mind was just screaming, “there’s a shot, there’s a shot, YOU SHOULD HAVE YOUR CAMERA OUT!”  So I grabbed it to capture the last few pictures opportunities.  He soon wanted to clean himself up…too sweet.  Such a big boy!

He’s so cute, but that’s just me!!!

My boys! & First Blog Contest EVER!

These two are getting so big!  I just played around today with lighting in my house just getting a feel for what works and what doesn’t work…I’m still not confident yet in what I’m going for, but I loved these ones just cause their mine, and if they turned out, it was an accident!  I just need to be more consistent, and then I’ll feel better.  Let me know what you think!

Also, I’d like to know who is out there and who checks out mine and Missy’s blogs on a regular basis!  SO, I’m running a little contest…I will be giving away a $20 gift card to Borders Bookstore to the person who leaves the 20th comment on this blog entry!  Tell us a little about who you are, what your all about, anything you’d like to share about yourself.  This will be fun!

Jackson cooperated suprisingly well, but I was letting him do what ever he wanted…even pull Henry ALMOST all the way off his bed!

These three just make me smile…I think Jackson is so sweet!

Jackson loves picking at his feet! Funny little quirk…

Jackson had to go down for a nap, so I played in other parts of the house with Henry…this was very spontaneous, so my house may not look the cleanest! Ooops.

I did a lot of stuff inside, but I really liked a lot of these. It was just way too hot to “work” (no AC!!!!), so we went outside and cooled off.

And, the sleeping prince 🙂 He’s been funny lately and has been setting up his sleep spot on the floor next to his bed, or on my comfy recliner. Another funny little quirk 😉

35th Wedding Anniversary

My Husband’s parents had their 35th wedding anniversary yesterday, and we celebrated on Saturday by throwing them a nice party!  It turned out really great, and much fun was had by ALL!  But, I don’t take any credit for the actual planning, as it was my very talented Sister In-Law, Monica, who was the mastermind behind every wonderful detail.  First off, she had Dan & Helen’s original wedding cake recreated (as close as possible that is!).  She told us of her adventures in finding the swan figures and cake topper, and being led into the attic of the store BY the store owner to look at all of the vintage, still-in-the-package, cake toppers!  Check it out…

The Celebration took place at Dan & Helen’s good friend’s place, Belle Vallee Cellars (Corvallis, OR), which was very nice.  I love the natural ambiance that comes in from the skylights above.

Check out the cake topper monica found for this “vintage” cake…

And the swans…all were on Dan & Helen’s original cake!

I must say, out of all the weddings I have tasted food at over the last couple years, I believe this food stands way out! I went into the kitchen and complimented the chef…and he gave me his information. Monica even said that everything on the menu was organic. I was just in heaven over how suculant the salmon filet was! SO, IF YOU’RE DYING TO KNOW MORE, contact “That Food Guy” at 503-910-4690. Jerry Crane is serving all of Oregon and also offers Music and DJ services. thatfoodguy@gmail.com

Mingling with friends and family that have come to know and love Dan and Helen…

Helen and her Cousins

Monica shared a few memories from their past, and the rest is history…

Then, MY husband gets up there and tells a few embarassing sories about his parents (well, Dan mainly)…

(Here Dan is disowning his son!)…

Dan says a few words about his amazing wife

Helen shared her serect to success “Cherish your Husband”

Here’s Monica, probably laughing at something somebody is saying. Thanks Monica!

I couldn’t be happier to have Dan and Helen as my Father and Mother In-Law. I have always been grateful for their love and good example. I was thinking about how well they have treated me as their “daughter” and I feel that they have loved me unconditionally. They are so happy to support Kevin and I with anything we’ve tried to do. They are wonderful granparents to our children, and I can’t thank them more for that, on top of evrything else! Thank you, and happy 35th!