The Fabulous Miss M

I had the pleasure of taking Miss M out this week. It was cold, but she was such a trooper!  I have wanted to get her in front of my lens since I met her, and so glad she came out! What a beauty!

Best (and by best, I mean worst) DIY portrait contest!

So after much ado, the elusive Facebook fan contest is here!  Now traditionally, you'll see cutest kid contests going on.  Here are my thoughts on that: 1) All kids are cute and 2) I'm not very traditional!
So here's what I'm wondering: Have you ever tried to take your family picture on your own? Ya know - position everyone, set the timer, run across the room trying to beat the blinking red light only to discover when you look that you have a wonderful picture of your family on the couch and you sprinting across the room?!  Yup, I have some of those!
So because of my strange sense of humor, and because I know most people appreciate a good laugh, I want to hear and see your worst attempt at a DIY (do-it-yourself) portrait. It can be a bad picture with a funny story or a great picture with a great story about how you finally captured it!  All you have to do is:
1) Make sure you're a fan of Cristin Emrick Photography on Facebook. Only my fans are eligible to enter/win.
2) Leave a comment here on the blog that you're entering the contest, and
3) Email me your story and picture (subject line "contest").  Please include your name and contact information in the email. cristin@cristinemrickphotography.com
I will post the photos with stories to my Facebook page. Unfortunately, Facebook doesn't allow "voting" anymore, but of course you can tag yourself (an easy way to spread the word), like, or comment if you so choose (but that IS NOT a requirement to participate)!
A winner will be selected on February 15th.  1st place will receive a FREE session with 1-8x10 and 2-5x7's. The runner up will receive a $25 gift card to be used toward a future session!  If I receive more than 50 entries, I will give another $25 gift card to the second runner up, so make sure to tell your friends and spread the word! (Prizes cannot be redeemed for cash)
Now, I know this is boring, but there is some fine print (just a little!)
* One entry per family.
* You MUST own the rights to the photo. I will not accept photos taken professionally.
* Entries will be accepted for judging until 11:59pm on February 14th.
* Only emailed photos can be accepted.
* By entering you are agreeing to the contest rules and giving permission to Cristin Emrick Photography to use the photo for advertising in relationship to this contest and for publication on the Facebook page.
* Winner must sign a release form allowing Cristin Emrick Photography to use the images in future marketing and/or portfolio.
* On-location shoot must be booked within 30 days. Session can take place when it gets warmer - I'm a baby in the cold, so we can wait til springtime! For travel outside the Hampton Roads area, a travel fee will apply.
* Additional prints and products available at retail price.

Above all, first and foremost, last but not least, HAVE FUN! I can't wait to see the pictures!

Entry one:

The momma explains: I was trying to take a cute picture of the boys so I could make Valentine’s Day presents for my family. What I got was this. They were not happy to have to sit together on the little bus. Literally two minutes later, their dad came home and they were all smiles. That picture wasn’t nearly as great as this one!! 

Operation: Love ReUnited | Smithfield, VA

This week, my time has been spent at Navy Ombudsman training. After over a decade married to the Navy, I decided being an Ombudsman (not by myself, of course, but with one other lovely lady!) is something I would like to do before my husband retires.  While at this course, I have had the honor of meeting some fantastic women, who like me are "diggits" and love the Navy and their sailors with gusto!

It is families like these who inspired me to become part of the Operation: Love ReUnited organization (from here on referred to as OpLove).  OpLove offers military families with a deploying or deployed service member free custom photography sessions.  Each family is allowed 2 per deployment, and many families choose to have a pre-deployment and a homecoming session.  I am a firm believer that military families have a tough job, one of the toughest around.

Being a Navy wife in a blended family with between 2 and 4 children at home, I can tell you some of the things a deployment means to me.  When I hear deployment is imminent, I make a mental list of the ball practices, choir concerts, doctors appointments, teacher conferences, sleepovers, community service events, and birthdays I would then have to do as a single parent.  I then make a separate mental list with all those same things on it and then some of the things my husband will miss while he is away.  Even something as trivial as reading a bedtime story takes on so much more meaning when you either a) do it every night for 3-6 months as a spouse or b) CAN'T do it any night for 3-6 months because you are giving your time to your country.

As I sit here typing, I have tissue in hand. Yes I'm crying. I'm crying because I remember deployments and how they stressed my family AND made it stronger.  I'm crying because my children are amazing for having dealt with it and come through it all as incredible people. I'm crying because I know how strong a couple has to be to hold together a military family.  And I'm crying, because we probably won't have any more deployments in our Navy lives, and that causes mixed feelings for me.

So, for the military families out there, I donate my time and some photographs of your families during happy times.  This is what I can do to show my support and appreciation for the sacrifice you make everyday. This is why I am an OpLove photographer.

A New Outlook | Portrait Photographer | Smithfield, VA

I am not one for New Years resolutions. However comma I felt the need to promise myself I would start a blog this January and never look back!  Looking back through the last 5 months, I realize how much of a whirlwind I was in!  Honestly, I was scared to start my own business, which is why, I believe, I kept coming up with excuses to not do it.  Fortunately for me, I have the support in my life so I was able to jump in feet first! Of course, I have made some mistakes. We all do.  Photography is natural to me. Business administration is NOT!!  Hopefully over the next month, the kinks will get worked out, and CEP will be the best it can be! Stay tuned for updates, contests, and givewaways over the coming months!