It’s time to announce the winner of the Fall Harford and Cecil County Wee Cycle Child Portrait Contest.  It was a very difficult process to narrow the 1,241 entries down to 33 and then again down to 14.  Once I had the images narrowed down to 14, I solicited input from friends and family and I asked them to select and rank their top 5 images.  I counted up the votes and when all was said and done, we had a tie for first place.

To be honest, I wasn’t really prepared for a tie.  I didn’t have a plan as to how to break the tie.  Initially, I thought I would just look at the two winners and make an executive decision as to who the champion would be but when I looked at them, I couldn’t decide.  They were both cuties and they were both such a blast to work with.  Then I thought I would open it up to more voting but it could be a while before I ran into some people who hadn’t seen the images yet.  When I looked at the photos, I noticed that one was taken on Friday and one on Saturday and a light bulb went off, I would just have a first place winner for each day.  I emailed Blaney, organizer of the Wee Cycle event, and asked if this would be acceptable and she said it was a great idea.  So here are your winners, both will receive a $150 session with us, that’s a 2 hour session and $50 in prints.

Thanks again to everyone who stopped by our booth and talked to us.  It was a lot of fun meeting you and talking with you.  I hope you enjoy your child’s portraits.

Friday’s Winner

Saturday’s Winner

A photographer friend and I were having a discussion about how much we love what we do and how great it is to have a customer/client/friend who is moved by your work.    I know that on more than one occasion, my work has moved people to tears of joy and disbelief and that is just an amazing feeling and really, the point of my work.  I want to produce portraits that invoke strong emotions of joy and really capture that moment in time so that whenever someone views the portraits on their wall or in an album, they are taken back to those memories and get to relive that time once again.

Then our conversation changed slightly and we were talking about some friends and family we knew who were having a rough time keeping their head above water financially, or had even lost their job and were having a tough time finding work.  As we talked, I started linking the two topics and thinking of these people who were having rough times and who probably can’t even afford a wal-mart portrait package, let alone custom portraiture from a professional photographer.  Their kids are still getting older, their wives are still pregnant, their sons/daughters are still being born but they lack the expendable income in their budgets for portraits to capture these important moments before they are gone.

This could have been a passing thought, but another photographer posted a timely post on his blog with a call to action, a kick in the pants, to help others and to do some work for people who were having a rough time.  To capture their memories in portraiture and to bring them some joy in these tough times.  I’m not letting this call to action pass me by, I’m standing up and taking action but I need your help.

I want to help by offering a completely free custom portrait session including a print package, totally free of charge to someone who is having a rough time.  The family will come to our Aberdeen, MD studio for a 2 hour portrait session.  After the session, we will review the images and they will pick their favorites and I will put together a custom portrait package specifically designed for their family including at least one framed wall portrait (16×20) at no cost.  If you know of someone who has lost their job or is just having a really tough time keeping up with the cost of taking care of a family, please let me know.

I’ll need the following information:

• Your Name and whether you want the family to know you recommended them
• The recipient Family’s name and who I should contact
• Contact information for the recipient family
• Why you are recommending them
• Some information about their family: number of kids, gender and approximate ages

Feel free to Email Us or Call, 410-734-2770, with your recommendations.

I’m currently looking for children ages 0 to 7 years old.

Shawn Grimes Photography is in the process of testing new backgrounds, props, ideas, and techniques. We are looking for fresh faces to aide in this process and…We want you!

We will be conducting 15-30 minute TEST sessions on:
Saturday, June 13th, 2009
Sunday, June 14th, 2009

Please call or email for more information or to setup an appointment for your child’s test session
410-734-2770
shawn@shawngrimesphotography.com

Models may be called back for a free photo session. Images from the free session may be used for studio samples and marketing materials. All free sessions include a $20 print credit toward any photos ordered from the session. Additional compensation may be paid to models based on image usage.

Baby and Child Portrait Photography Contest Postcard

Capture each little moment of your child’s life!

Let us help document your child’s ever-changing stages with priceless portraits that will be with you for a lifetime!

Schedule an appointment with us from now until June 21st, and your child’s portrait will also be entered into the Miller’s Professional Imaging Baby and Child Contest. A range of prizes will be awarded from $500 – $,5000 in cash!

Portrait sessions are limited so please call today to reserve your child’s appointment.

CONTEST RULES
Children, infant to age twelve, are eligible. Portraits must be taken between January 1st and June 21st, 2009.

Shawn Grimes Photography Watermark