MAINLY… I don’t have one right now.  Yesterday, the file that contains instructions for Windows to boot up my operating system became corrupted and is no longer working.  What this boils down to is that my computer will not boot up.  It will start, but I get a lovely black screen with instructions on how to reload my operating system.  Well, I’m pretty tech saavy, but I would never attempt this by myself!  I am told that all can be repaired by tomorrow, but I ask for your patience.  There is very little I can do right now.  Proofing, ordering, galleries, the contest…..it’s all been put on hold.

UPDATE:  Well, bad news boys and girls.  What we thought was just Windows crashing is apparently the entire hard drive in which Windows was stored crashed.  I store my images on a separate hard drive and even back them up to an external, so everyone’s images should be safe, but it’s going to take a couple of days to get a new hard drive and get everything restored.  Please hang in there.

Here’s the carnage:

The contest - from the looks of it, there is a clear winner, but I still need to look through the data and make sure everyone’s vote only counts ONCE.  I heard reports that some people were able to vote multiple times.  This poll was set up to only allow one vote per person, but as with any technology, there are always ways to get around that.  So, with that being the case, I am going to track IP addresses in conjunction with the votes.  Only one vote per IP address will count unless it’s clear that there are several voters sharing a network IP.  I expect that have that done tomorrow.

UPDATE:  The winner of the contest will be announced tomorrow, Friday, May 1, 2009!

I still have my BlackBerry, so if you need to get in touch with me I can answer your emails from there.  Thanks for understanding!

and voting  BEGINS!!!  This was extremely difficult to narrow down the contestants.  There were 67 entries to the contest!  So, vote for your favorite finalist.  Voting continues thru Wednesday, April 29, 2009 at 5 pm.  The winner will be announced shortly afterwards! Please vote by using the polling device at the end of this post.  Votes submitted in any other form will not count!

VOTE HERE:

Here’s the contest!  This time it’s a Fresh or Familiar Face contest.  Here’s how to enter:

• Send a email with a picture of your little one attached to jennifer@authentic-images.com.  Make sure to use “CONTEST” as the subject. Pictures do not have to be professional quality, in fact I encourage you to send a snapshot.
• In the email, please list: Your name, your child’s name and age, your phone number and current address, and the name of the person who referred you.

THE PRIZE:

• A complimentary session, completely conceptualized by Jennifer.  Clothing will be provided, as will age appropriate props and choices in locations.
• A  full session album - a beautiful black leather bound album presented in a satin lined box for storage and safekeeping.  Contains 20-30 5×7 portraits from your session.
• Referring winner will also receive a complimentary session.
  

RULES:

• Children between the ages of  6 months and 12 years old are eligible to enter.
• The contest is open to anyone, so let your local friends and family know! If the winner is NOT a current or former client and was told about this contest by you….YOU WIN A PRIZE TOO! The more people you tell, the better chance you have to win, so spread the word!
• The winner must book their session to take place before June 30, 2009.  The prizes are NON-TRANSFERABLE and NON REFUNDABLE with no cash value, weekend session availability is not guaranteed, not valid with any other offers,  session location is at the discretion of the photographer, signed portrait agreement and model release required.  Session is only available to winning child, siblings not included.
• Depending on number of entries, finalists will be chosen by an independent panel of professional photographers.
• Once finalists have been chosen, voting will open up to the public.
• Only one entry per child allowed.

ENTRIES MUST BE RECEIVED NO LATER THAN FRIDAY, APRIL 10, 2009 AT 11:59 PM.

and a picture just because…

Pick out your favorite image of your little one and get it ready, the CONTEST will be announced tomorrow!!!!  Anyone can enter, so let your friends know too! If one of your friends happens to win and tells me they were referred by you, you win a prize also! It’s your chance to win THE BIGGEST PRIZE YET!!!!

And just because I haven’t posted a picture in a while…..

It’s been awhile, so I feel like it’s about time to have another one.  They are always so much fun!  This one, like my last birthday contest, is going to be open to everyone  and in this one you get to show off your kiddies!  THIS CONTEST HAS THE LARGEST PRIZE YET! I will have more information later in the week, so stay tuned.

“It” being creativity, inspiration, and focus.  I have found it useful to grab a child, new props, scout new locations and just shoot - no agenda, no pressure, no worries.  For a photographer, it’s like a good night’s sleep.  You wake up rejuvenated and full of ideas, this then translates into everything else.  Here’s some shots from my latest “it” sessions.