PUPS!

Last weekend I had the pleasure of shooting the PUPS Reunion in Randolph, NJ. If you haven't heard of it yet, this is an awesome group of people working together for a great cause. Being someone who knows the joys of owning a rescue dog (see earlier photos of Brodie...and don't worry, I'll post more of her soon!), I also know what an important cause this is. There are far too many dogs without a home, for various reasons. The people from PUPS help get these wonderful puppies to caring and loving families by rescuing them from dangerous situations. Check them out here for more info: www.pups.petfinder.org/ Click on "Happy Endings" to saw awwww! and "About Us" to see how serious and important the cause really is.

And don't forget...October is Dog Adoption Month! If you're looking for a new family member, please consider adopting. You will save a life, and I promise your pup will be eternally grateful.

Here are some of my favorite shots (it was SO hard to pick!):

And the winners are..........................

The votes have been tallied, and WOW did a lot of people vote! I received hundreds of emails! Hundreds! The grand prize winner lead by about 15 votes, and the second place winners were SO close, I had to pick three!

So...the moment everyone has been waiting for...

BUT FIRST! I've also decided to throw in a FREE engagement or post-wedding session for ALL 6 couples! AND...all couples should check their emails, because I'm adding in even MORE goodies for all of them! What can I say, I'm feeling generous!

Now, the winners of the free photography package are.......

ANA & CHRISTOPHER!!!!!!!!!! Congrats!! You two will receive all day coverage of your wedding, a DVD of 4x6 digital proofs, a YouTube slideshow, online photo hosting/ordering, and discounts on albums, prints, etc...

Second prize is the same package for $600, and includes a $100 print credit! Second place goes to:
Vivian & Victor!
Jamie and Anthony!
and
Heather and Tim!
Congrats to all three couples!!!

Third prize winners receive 40% off my normal rates, as well as a $300 print credit!
Congrats to:
Ben and Kim!
and
Cindy and Ted!

Congrats to all of the couples! I can't wait to work with you! A big thank you to ALL who entered, and ALL who voted! Your participation means a lot not only to me, but to these couples as well!

And the fun's not over...stay tuned for additional contests coming soon. And don't forget to add me as a friend on Myspace and Facebook to get discounts of your very own. Have a great night!

The votes are flying in! (and some new deals!)

All I can say is...I am having a hard time keeping up with all of these votes! These couples have got some dedicated friends and family! I haven't even been able to respond to all of the votes, but I'm trying! I won't give any hints as to who's in the lead...BUT....I will say that it is a very close race for the top 3! Keep the votes coming in!

In other news.............

If you know someone (or you are someone) who is getting married in 2008 and still has not booked a photographer...I am slashing 2008 wedding rates for last minute bookings! Please contact me for more information...all I will say is that I'm offering some really great deals :)

Those who have been putting off booking your engagement/portrait sessions...do it soon! I am almost completely booked for October at this point...I have a few dates left and some in November. Contact me today to book your session! I will be throwing in a special gift for all October and November bookings for what I am calling my Fall In Love engagement session. Sessions are only $150 through the end of 2008, and anyone booking (or who has already booked) will receive a free gift with their photos!

Have a great night :)

Matthew!

Went to visit my little buddy Matthew (and his parents!) recently. I simply can not go visit without bringing my camera! (Look at that face, you wouldn't be able to resist, either!)

These two are actually a few months old...but I found them while looking through some photos and I fell in love with them:



These are from my recent visit:



New favorite!!


And this photo proves that sometimes making a mistake winds up much cuter than the picture you had originally planned:

How about some new photos??

The contest votes have been pouring in!!! (see next post for info...and vote!) It's really heartwarming to see how supportive and caring the friends and families of these couples are! I hope you all know that your friends and family are really pushing for you (and happy for you!!)). It's really amazing to read all of the wonderful things they have to say.


Anyway, a few weeks ago I told you about my back to back shoots...well, in between I had some time to kill. I was walking toward the subway to start heading to Brooklyn (to hang out by the water while I waited) but was drawn in to Washington Square Park by some Beatles tunes (if you don't know about my love of the Beatles, skip down a few posts to my Wedding Tip!). I liked what I heard, so I decided to stick around and listen. I was SO happy I did! I unfortunately can't remember the band's name or their website, but I've asked the lead vocalist/bass player, Tate, to fill me in. These guys drew a crowd of both young and old alike, and kept everyone rocking with their variety of great songs. Toward the end, a young lady who was auditioning for American Idol hopped on stage and belted out some Aretha. She was awesome! What a great way to kill some time between shoots :)

**ETA: The name of the band is The NY Streets. If you ever get a chance to give them a listen, do it! You'll be glad you did!**

It may not be November yet, but is IS time to vote!!!

The entries are in and I've picked the top 6!! (6, because last night at 4am I selected 5...but apparently can't count at 4am and actually picked 6! And due to my error, an additional 3rd prize will be awarded!) Now these couples need your help! And, it'll take just a minute! Look over the couples stories and photos below. Pick your favorite, and send an email to PiconeVote@gmail.com with your choice. That's it! (Isn't that simple?) Only ONE vote per email address will be counted, so please only send your vote once :)

Once the votes have been tallied, I'll be sitting down with Jennifer Long of BeyondBeautyBasics.com to look over the top 3 vote-getters and determine the Grand Prize Winner. (Award will be based on a combination of total votes and the original contest entry email). Don't forget, all of these lucky couples will be walking away with a prize! GOOD LUCK TO ALL!

Now, onto the couples...

Jamie & Anthony
These two have been together 3 1/2 years and will be getting married on June 20th, 2009 in Great Neck, Long Island. They heard about me through some brides on LIWeddings.com, and had such sweet things to say about my work!
They write: "We would really like you to be our photographer because we love your work. I have seen some of the work you have done on some of the girls profiles on LIWeddings...I actually loved it so much that I showed it to my fiance. I have heard that you are a lot of fun to work with also. I believe that that a photographer is very important part of your special day, pictures capture all of those amazing moments you never want to forget."


Heather & Timothy
Heather and Timothy met on a blind date 5 years ago. Their wedding will be on 11/6/2009 in East Patchogue, NY. Both are working really hard right now to pay for their wedding, and Heather is also working on her Masters in Education (while planning a wedding? Woah!).
Heather writes: "We're fun loving, kind and generous people and that refllects in pictures of us. We want a beautiful, classic wedding but it is hard finding vendors, especially photographers, who will work with our budget. We're not getting help from anyone else in paying for the wedding, so it would be a blessing if for once, we could get some help and win our photography package...It would truly be a miracle to not stress over money!"


Ana & Christopher
Ana and Christopher will be getting married on 4/3/09 (less than 7 months away!) in Livingston, NJ. They picked a location that is both unique and gorgeous (she sent me a link)! Ana's description really gave me a great feel for it before I even looked at the photos: "The moment we stepped in my fiance and I felt like home. And thats exactly what we want our quests to be...not just one party, but a party where they can have fun and feel like they are among people who cares to each other. I simply loved the fact that they have just one party at a time - I have seen pictures of wedding there which were very personal. Some couples decided to put picture frames along the cocktail area, such as by the fireplace and the library. Your pictures bring me exactly this sensation....of a natural work, the natural beauty of people who love each other. I found the place of my dreams for my wedding and you would be the photographer of my dreams too. I really wish this dream comes true!"


Vivian & Victor
This couple is planning a wedding for May 24th, 2009 in Mineola, NY. I met these two a while back for my free engagement shoot session (look waaaaay back to some of my first posts :) ) And the picture they sent me is one from our session. I was originally unavailable on the date of their wedding, but due to a postponement, I'm now available! These two are working to pay for their wedding despite some bumps along the way and keeping a very positive attitude throughout. They were excited to learn that I am now available on their date (and were also excited to enter the contest!) They write: "Victor and I want you as our photographer because you are a wonderful person to work with, you care about the details of each photo and most importantly you are always on time as you promised. We met you during your free engagement shoot and our family and friends and especially us love our engagement photos. Your photos are amazing. They are very detailed and beautiful. You pay attention to everything that we say during our engagement shoot. You did not force us in doing anything or posing in any way that we don't like. Most importantly, you make us feel comfortable and at home when taking pictures. We want to win because from the bottom of our heart we really want you as our wedding photographer for our wedding day!"


Cindy & Ted
Ciny and Ted will be getting married on October 3rd, 2009 in Sparta, NJ. They picked a great time of year-my 2 year anniversary is just 3 days later ;) These two sent a bunch of really cute photos, so I had a hard time picking one! (how is it that everyone who entered this contest is gorgeous?!?) In an excerpt from her short but sweet entry, Cindy writes: "I'd love to win the contest because like every wedding budget, a free photographer is a dream:) And your pictures are great, they are artistic and edgy, but still about the couple."


Ben & Kim
These two will be getting married on October 10th, 2009 in Wall, NJ. They met at Rutgers, and have been dating 5 years. They were engaged this past June. These two were actually entered into the contest by Kim's sister-in-law, Jasmine (who has had her own anniversary shoot rescheduled far too many times due to rain, but I digress...). From what Jasmine writes, Kim's family is a very tight-knit one, but also very welcoming. Her in-laws have always made her feel like a part of their family. Regarding Kim and Ben, Jasmine writes: "...from my own experience I know wedding planning is something that is stressful for all brides as they try to satisfy everyone else's wishes while trying to preserve not only their own ideas and stay within budget (always the hardest) I thought entering Kim and Ben in this contest would be a way to thank my "new" family for welcoming me like they did 5 years ago without reservation and let them know how appreciate I was of that."


So that's it! These are the couples! I hope you've enjoyed reading the shortened versions of their stories (I'm keeping the full versions to myself, sorry!). I definitely loved reading through them all, and these 6 really jumped out at me due to their stories, and the photos in which you can just see the love they share. I can't wait until I can write a blog with each of their wedding photos :) Good luck to everyone! Voting begins NOW and will be over at 10pm eastern time on 9/26/08. Winners will be notified on or before 10/1/08. Send your pick to PiconeVote@gmail.com

THANKS!

Well, the submissions are in!

I'm having SO much fun reading through these entries for FREE wedding photography! GREAT job by everyone!

Now for the judging portion...The first part of the judging will consist of a poll. I'll be uploading the photos, and writing a little blurb about each couple. I'll also announce an email address where everyone can send their vote to.

For round two, I've teamed up with Jennifer Long, Senior Editor of beyondbeautybasics.com (which is an awesome site, if you haven't checked it out yet). Jennifer and I will be reviewing the top 3 vote-getters to decide who will win the top prizes!

Best of luck to everyone who entered! More details will be up tomorrow!!

In memory...

Take a minute to hug those you love extra tight today. Thank you to all of the brave men and women who help us stay safe everyday.

Tip of the week...Weddings

As those of you who have added me on Myspace and Facebook might already know, I've decided to add advice and tips to my blog. These will cover all kinds of topics...weddings, photo shoots, etc...With so many of my readers getting married soon, and with my 1 year anniversary just a few weeks away, I decided it would be appropriate if my first tip had to do with weddings.

I got married last October, and I have to say I followed my own advice with this one and it was the best move ever.

Make sure your wedding reflects both of you. It sounds so silly, but some people just skip right over that part. Even if you just do one "you" thing, make sure it's there! A wedding is such a personal event, so showing a bit (or a lot!) of your personality makes a big difference, and people notice! For example: my husband and I are really into music. Neither of us wanted organs playing in the church, so we decided to hire an acoustic guitar player to play music we like to listen to. Our guests came in and were seated to classic (and current) rock and roll love songs. We then switched to The Beatles for the ceremony. The bridal party came in to "And I Love Her", my father and I walked to "Here, There, and Everywhere" and we left the church to "Til There Was You" (the lyrics of which had been printed on the invites to all of our pre-wedding festivities). We also had quite a few good laughs during the ceremony (okay, so we're not the most serious of people!).

Other "us" things we did? I wore pink shoes, he wore sunglasses for our introduction into the reception hall, and our cocktail hour food consisted of things like pigs in a blanket and wings. Our photos were decidely goofy and unposed (mainly because we're a bit goofy ourselves!). I could go on, but I won't bore you!

My point is-Your wedding day is exactly that...YOUR day. Do what you want, and don't worry about what others may think. If you're happy with the way your day reflects you, that's what really matters. Oh, and make sure to take a few moments to stop and soak it all in. It really does go by as quickly as they say!

Site Updates and Holiday Photos

I'm having such a great time reading the contest entries, keep them coming! (To see what I'm talking about, read the next blog).

I'm busy working on some updates for my website now. The goal is to make it more simple to find what you're looking for. I'll also be adding a bunch of newer photos. I'm really excited!

Also, I'm now booking holiday photo shoots! These packages are for kids, adults, families, pets, or anyone else you can think of! Packages start at $125 and include holiday greeting cards! Shoots can be booked now through November 15th, so that cards and any additional photos can be delivered well in advance of the holidays. Shoots can take place at your home, in a park, or wherever you'd like!

Also available: calendars, enlargements, canvas wraps, assorted gifts, etc...

Shoot me an email for more information and availability! PiconePictures@gmail.com