my heart

I never thought I'd be the mother of boys. I wouldn't have it any other way.

NEW! Portraits a la Mode

I'm so very excited about this new line! Now, when you order wall portraits (8x8 and up) of the images on your CD, they will come mounted on styrene (to protect the print from folding, bending, sagging, etc.) with a delicate linen texture and a STUNNING metallic finish. It's subtle so as not to draw attention from the image, but adds just enough depth to make the image oh-so-touchable. I now have several of these prints hanging in my home and I LOVE them! They are absolutely gorgeous!

In other news, I've now opened the calendar for booking through April '08 and due to a very good change in my schedule, I have been able to lower the prices just a touch on some of the CD collections. For those who have already booked a session for '08, the reduced prices are all yours (I didn't think you would mind too much ;-). Please visit http://www.pinkletoes.com/ for the new package selections.

Oh, and there are still some openings for this special offer, but the deadline is quicky approaching.

posting palooza

Goodness, I must be lonely tonight. Posting like crazy! Today, we had an impromptu visit to The Ranch and on the way home, noticing the BEAUTIFUL light of sunset, I just had to pull over at the coolest little location and snap a few pics.

This building was SOOOOO cool.

Just wish my subject had been a tad more willing. This is his "Okay, I'm smiling, mom, can we go now?!" face. You might recognize a similar look here.

From playing ball yesterday.

mas coco

A few more random shots from the Baby Coco session that I thought were fun. On a proofing spree...gotta take a little break every now and then. (Part 1 of the shoot)

Isn't this the coolest crib ever????!!!!

And, R, don't worry. When we do your real maternity session, I promise we'll see your face!

in the mood for love - special offer

I often get asked if I do weddings. The short answer is no, but I do quite enjoy sessions with couples in love--and it's kind of nice to work with subjects over the age of 2 ;-) once in a while.

So, in honor of Valentine's Day that is quickly approaching, I am offering a limited-time engagement/bridal package. If you are looking for engagement and/or bridal portraits, here's the scoop:

1. Contact me by Feb. 14th to schedule your engagement and/or bridal session(s).
2. I will waive all creative fees for those sessions! Instead, you will only need to pay the $100 pre-paid credit (per session). The credit is non-refundable, but it is good toward the purchase of your images on CD and will secure your date(s) and lock in prices.
3. We can schedule your session(s) for any time in 2008, but to receive this offer you must contact me by Feb. 14th and send in payments by Feb. 21st.
4. Sessions will be scheduled on a first-come, first-serve basis, and these spaces will fill quickly.
5. This is for engagement and bridal sessions only.

Current clients: feel free to pass this special offer along and as always, you'll receive a $20 credit good toward your next session for any new client that books.

For this post, thought I'd pull up a few oldies. The first image is from my anniversary last year. The second pic is of a SUPER fun couple I worked with in '06 and I'm so excited because I've been invited to photograph their baby due this summer. I love it when these things come full circle!

backhoes and birthdays

Sigh. He turned 4 this weekend. Which means, he's one year away from going off to school and that I've only been doing this mom thing for 4 years. It's heartbreaking and exciting all at the same time. Gosh, I look back at pictures over the years and can't even imagine that this is still my little boy. Even when he's giving me his "OKAY, mooooooom. I'm smiling, now take the picture," uber fake smile, he's still cute as all get out.

Oh, and you'll be happy to know he got his beloved manure spreader from his Grandma. The world is right once again.

And I had to take a shot of this beautiful stack of pancakes hubby made for breakfast this morning. I so wish he would open up his own little cafe. Yummy stuff.

And I finally got around to hanging up these stacks of 8x10's I've had laying around the house for about a year now. I really love how these collages turned out. Thought I'd share.

Download of the month

Click on the picture above to get a version to use as your desktop wallpaper (when the screen loads, right-click and "save as"). I know it's a leeeeetle early, but I {heart} Valentine's Day. (Never mind the fact that our Christmas tree is *still* up, allowing for that beautiful heart bokeh.)

Oh, and I have a favor to ask...any of my past clients, if you are a Mac user, could you please e-mail me? I have question for you. Thanks!

And already, some new stuff!

Introducing the new Belly 2 Baby softcover flip-book! This may be the coolest thing ever! Start the book to see your best maternity images, but then (here's where it gets good) *flip the book over* to reveal the best newborn images!

The Belly 2 Baby flip-book comes with 75 matching 5x5 flat announcements, too:

You can purchase these in addition to your image CD or substitute it for the 10x10 hardcover book in the Decadence collection. See pricing on http://www.pinkletoes.com/ for more information. And be sure to view the "confections gallery" for more images.

Also...thank you to everyone who has taken the time to respond to the client survey. Your feedback is invaluble! I will post the results here once everyone has had enough time to mull it over. And, I *will* respond so that your questions or concerns don't go unanswered. Until then, I did want to let you know that thanks to the great suggestions sent in from the survey, I did add TWO gift selections to the Decadence collection instead of one. You can now choose any two of the following: a storyboard, a set of petits fours, or wallet brag book as part of that collection.

I've had lots of people asking if they still qualify for the complimentary set of petits fours. Those will go to the first three officially *booked* sessions (meaning creative fees have been paid), so while I've had lots of booking inquiries, those petits fours are still up for grabs until the session is secured.

Thanks again for all of your kind comments regarding the new website. It means a lot that you took the time to check it out. Stay warm and I'll talk to you soon!

Now open for booking!

So many things to talk about at once! The new http://www.pinkletoes.com/ is now live, so be sure to check it out! This also means that I am now accepting sessions through March '08, so if you've been waiting for the notice, here it is. And..the first three clients who book will receive a complimentary set of "petits fours" with their image order (a $100 value). What are "petits fours" you ask? Here's a taste:

Petits Fours are a set of three 5x5 and/or 5x7 images printed on metallic, textured paper, mounted on foamboard nested in individual coordinating easels. They are adorable and perfect for desktops, shelves, or gift-giving.

I'd also like to announce some important changes for 2008:

1. Instead of selling individual prints, I will now only be offering high-res. digital negatives on CD, giving you the freedom to print whatever you want in whatever sizes you want. No more having to decide on the spot between a 5x7 or an 8x10...now you can have it all! You will still be able to order products (canvases, books, enlargements, etc.) after you choose your images for CD. The pricing structure has changed because of this so please be sure to review that information on the site as well.

2. Proofing will now be done via online galleries. As much as I love visiting with everyone during in-person proofing sessions (and I am going to miss that), unfortunately, my schedule isn't going to allow for it right now. But this also means you will be able to view and receive your images much faster!

3. Proofs will be done a bit differently this year as well. The images that you see in your online gallery will go through basic processing to adjust color, contrast, etc., but I'm going to reserve fine retouching (fixing blemishes, enhancing detail, texturizing, etc.) for the images you decide to purchase. The proofs in your gallery will still look great, but the images you select will be perfect!

4. Coffee table books have taken a HUGE step up. This year, they will have double the pages (40-sides), pages will be thicker with a satin varnish coating, and will feature a matching printed dust jacket. Images of the new style will be up soon in the "confections" gallery on the website.

5. Maternity sessions can be booked separately, but you will receive a complimentary 1-hr maternity session when you book your newborn session. Maternity images are sold separately (no minimum), but you can have them all by purchasing the Decadence collection for your newborn or the Baby's First Year package.

6. I will only be opening the calendar for booking a few months at a time to help spread out sessions a little better. However, if you are expecting or are interested in birth photography, I ask that you please contact me as soon as possible so we can determine our options.

7. And finally, I'm now offering "A Day in the Life of..." sessions. Please visit the gallery and "special sessions" section on the website for all the details.

Whew. That was a lot.

My goal this year is to give you higher quality products and images in a shorter amount of time, so here's hoping these changes help us get there. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask. Thank you again for an absolutely amazing 2007 (if you haven't already, check out the Year in Review slideshow) and I'm looking forward to an even more incredible 2008.

lil' valentine

I had a little visitor come by my house today. Isn't she sweet?

a day in the life of...

... the H family. This is something a bit different for Pinkle Toes--an all-day lifestyle session, or "A Day in the Life of..."--capturing the lives of typical families, doing their typical family thing. I think it's beautiful.

I've known this particular family for almost a year now (they're all over my galleries on my website ;-)) and I couldn't think of a better way to spend the day than hanging out with them. I can't believe how many wonderful pictures I now have to wade through, but thought I'd share a few of my immediate favs.

(Dad makes killer hot chocolate.)

(Mom and E made some killer waffles.)

I knew the second I took this one that I would love it.

Field trip for some ice cream.

Bathtime.

I also knew the second I took this one that I would love it.

A little quiet time for mom and dad.

I cannot thank you all enough for letting me paparazzi you ALL day. You were so at ease and couldn't have made this any easier. I'm so glad you called me last year to take your maternity portraits, because look where we are now. It was the perfect "Day in the Life of..." session today.

I will have more information about scheduling this kind of session when I launch my new website, which will hopefully be before we take our Christmas tree down. That gives me at least a few months, right? ;-)