Announcing a special newborn promotion! If you are expecting a new baby between January 1st and March 31st, book your newborn session today and receive 25 complimentary birth announcements + one free 8×10 print!

Be sure to reserve your spot on the calendar early ~ newborns must be photographed within the first 10 days of life!

You know someone. You know someone who’s experienced a tragedy, is struggling to stay afloat, is raising kids while holding down more than one job, or is volunteering selflessly despite extenuating personal circumstances. You know someone who can’t afford custom photography, but who would cherish it this holiday season. You know someone who deserves a year-round reminder of their family’s spirit, love, and beauty.

You know someone. I guarantee it.

I want to know who they are, and I want to give them the chance to experience complimentary custom photography — over $1600 worth, to be exact. The winner will receive a free photography session with me, plus all the session images on CD and a custom image box full of 5×7 prints. It’s in your power to give them the artwork they deserve this holiday season.

Oh, and the best part? The person who nominates the winner receives a $200 print credit. What better reason to show some love could there possibly be, people?

The rules:

* You cannot nominate yourself, and the person nominated must sincerely be incapable of purchasing my services. (Being unable to make mortgage payments for a two-million-dollar-vacation-home in Paris does not qualify as sincere financial need.)

* The nominee must reside within an hour of Raleigh, NC. Tell me who you know, what they’re experiencing, and why they deserve my artwork. Please include a way to contact both your nominee and yourself as well.

* You must e-mail me the full story : christy@christyjohnson.com

The deadline for submissions is December 20th. The winner will be announced on Christmas Eve — get nominating! I can’t wait to read all of your entries!

If you don’t know someone that could use this, please spread the word! Post it on your blog, facebook, myspace, email it to your friends and family. Open your heart to someone this holiday season — and thanks for giving me the opportunity to open mine.

With love,

Christy

I just wanted to take a moment to thank all of my awesome clients for a fantastic first year in business. You all have made my dreams come true, and I am humbled that you entrust your memroies to me. Thank you.

Just a little administrative note during our busy season: Christy Johnson Photography will be closed from December 15th-January 5th. All orders must be placed and paid in full on or before December 1, 2009!

If you are expecting a baby, please contact us right away to get your spot on the calendar reserved! Newborns are photographed within the first 10 days of life.

Now, back to work!!

1. This morning’s breakfast conversation:
Macy: I have a problem.
Daddy: What’s your problem?
Macy: It’s a secret.
Daddy: It’s a secret? What’s your secret?
Macy: It’s a mystery.
Daddy: Oh, a mystery?
Macy: It’s a mystery. The car said bye-bye in Chinese.

Huh? Must be some sort of secret-spy code speak. I half expected ten tiny ninjas to come bursting through my ceiling.

2. Claire is at the stage where she rolls onto her tummy and can’t get back. Eleventy-thousand times a day. And night. The joy.

3. Have I mentioned Claire has a bit of a temper? She gets this little pouty lip, then scrunches up her little face and just lets loose. Her face turns red, the tears start flowing, and she is LOUD! Kind of makes me wonder what we’re in for when she hits the true tantrum age!

4. While Claire can roll from back to tummy, but not yet tummy to back, I think she is *this close* to sitting up! So many milestones at once! Her hair is also turning blonder and getting longer, which is funny for us, since Macy didn’t grow any hair until she was almost two!

5. We held Potty Training Boot Camp at our house this weekend, and I think it was a raging success! We started Saturday morning with a ceremonial trashing of all the diapers and pull-ups, and we had a celebration that night with balloons, party hats and brownies! There have been a few accidents, of course, but she has stayed dry ALL NIGHT for THREE NIGHTS IN A ROW!! WAHOOOOOO!! I think she has been ready for a while now…we just needed a few days in a row where Mike and I actually had time off together where we had nothing planned!

6. Speaking of time off and no plans, I also thought this past weekend would be a great one to UNPLUG. I first saw the idea on Jodie’s blog, and thought this past weekend would be perfect to give it a try! Of course you know what they say about good intentions! I think I have gotten so used to GO GO GO all the time that it takes some practice to slow down. So while I did spend a LOT of time just playing with my girls and hanging with my hubby, I did work on some editing, answered a ton of emails, and updated the website . I did stay away from Facebook, Twitter and my Google Reader, which is an amazing feat!

7. Speaking of Google Reader…how do you stay up to date with your favorite blogs? (Such as mine. Right?) My preference is Google Reader, where I can get my daily sustenance. I subscribe to photography blogs, family bogs, design blogs, and so on. Love it!

8. The photography business is going fantastically well, and I just can’t thank my clients enough! It has been such a blessing in my life and I’m so excited to see where we go from here!

9. Like I mentioned above, I made a few updates to the website. Check it out and leave a comment here to let me know what you think!

10. Today is the last day of my 4-day weekend. I just. don’t. want. it. to. end. Back to reality tomorrow!

11. Bonus pictures of my two little loves!

Just checking in with an update on session availability! Anyone who knows me will tell you that I am a serious planner by nature. As always, I have left room for newborns. If you are expecting, contact me right away to have your due date penciled onto the calendar!

August ~ 2 spots

September ~ 1 spot

October ~ BOOKED

Don’t forget about our current promotion!

Yes, I know it’s 100 degrees outside. I know you’re dreaming of white sandy beaches, not white Christmases; drinking margaritas on the patio rather than eggnog by the fire. But I’m kicking off the Christy Johnson Photography holiday season with a fun promotion that you don’t want to miss!

Book your family portrait session before August 31, 2009 and you will receive a set of 25 free holiday cards! Fall sessions are already booking up, so email me right away to claim your date!

The fine print:
~Promotion includes (25) 5×5 or 5×7 flat press printed cards.
~Family sessions include up to 4 individuals in an immediate family.
~Session will take place at your home or at an outdoor location in Raleigh.
~Session must take place by November 20, 2009.
~Creative fee is required within 5 days of booking.
~Additional holiday cards are available for purchase, in sets of 25. Inquire for pricing.

Happy Holidays! (Tee hee!)

Friends and clients often ask me how to take better pictures of their children on an everyday basis, so I thought I’d do a blog post for everyone. Keep in mind these few simple tips to improve the photos you are capturing of your children!

1. Get low! Getting down on a child’s level is key. Squat down, sit on the floor, lay in the grass. The difference will be more photos of her beautiful face versus the top of his head.

2. Keep it simple! Avoid distracting backgrounds to let his star shine brightest. Bright colors or a busy background really draw the eye of the viewer away from your subject.

3. Go natural! Posing is fine, but if you’re like me, you get nothing but “say cheese!” fake smiles. Hang back and capture your child in action…running through the sprinklers, concentrating on a puzzle, giggling with her sister.

4. Be prepared! Carry your camera in your purse or diaper bag to capture the unexpected, picture-worthy moments when you’re out and about.

5. Take it easy! Picture-taking can be stressless if you stress less. So you didn’t get the perfect shot you had envisioned? Just try again tomorrow. You don’t want your child to associate the camera with feeling pressured. If it’s not fun for him,, it won’t be fun for anyone!

And a bonus tip: Hand the camera off to someone and step into the frame too! Your child doesn’t care if you are having a bad hair day or if you need to lose 20 pounds. Just get in the picture!

And just a few fun ones of my big girl Claire, since a post isn’t a post without a picture!

The Consumer Products Safety Commission has issued a recall for play yards under these brand names: Kolcraft Travelin’ Tot play yards, as well as other similar play yards manufactured for Carter’s, Sesame Street, Jeep, Contours, Care Bare and Eric Carle. Some of the units have a bassinet and/or changing table. Some models have a mobile, vibrating unit or a parent organizer.

These play yards were sold between January 2000 and January 2009. Get more information here.

To all my hometown peeps: I will be in the Richmond area July 18-19 and have space for 2 additional sessions while I’m there! If you are interested in booking, let me know!

When you purchase digital files from your session, I also include low-resolution, watermarked versions for uploading to your own blogs, websites, Facebook, mySpace, etc. I do this in an effort to protect not only my copyright, but also your photograph. Because you never know when your Christmas card photo will turn up in a Czech grocery store ad! Check out this newstory!