I LOVE capturing LOVE!

Being a Photographer really is the best job! Not only do I get to hang out with AMAZING people (my clients really are wonderful!) but I get to freeze time for them. I get to freeze that moment in time and let them have it forever. Being able to capture the love the parents have for their kids and the fun they have together is priceless! That's what Family Sessions are all about. Being able freeze that moment in time to help you remember all the joy your family brings you.

This Family Session was exactly that! The kids ROCKED. The parents ROCKED. We ran around, and played and just had a GREAT time! You can definitly see the love in these photos!

Christmas Card Mania!!

Well, Christmas Cards have finally been sent, so now I can show you all the fun I've been having!! I love designing cards. It is just one of my many creative outlets I have/need. Do you ever have one of those days where if you don't do something creative you might just go crazy?! Well I do, especially in January and February when photography is slower. I wonder what random  piece of furniture I will paint or what fun item I will find on  the side of the road to claim as my own. Ahhh......the possibilities....
But for now, I have been extremely busy photographing lots of super cute families and designing fun cards for them.
Here is just some of what has been keeping me busy this month:

. . . and, of course MY Family!  I love pictures of my kids! The family picture was taken by the wonderful Brain Harr . (It was weird being on the other side of the camera!) So happy to have such a cute picture of my family.

it's the most wonderful { busy } time of the year . . . .

I LOVE Christmas Time! Especially now that I have kids. I  have enjoyed getting to tell Owen about Santa {he is still not so sure about him though, he doesn't like men in hats with beards...} and also crack up every time he puts baby Jesus into his toy train for a ride.

I also love Christmas because I get to photograph SO MANY beautiful families! The hardest part is waiting to  blog a bout them since I don't want to  spoil their super cute Christmas Card pictures! So,  since I can't post  pictures quite yet I will show you newest idea. CHRISTMAS CARDS!!

This year I began designing Christmas Card templates. Some of my clients were looking for an extra special way to display their photographs  from our photo session together. So, I began to design a few and then the creative juices just started flowing! {I always love when that happens!!} 

Want to know the BEST PART?!? I am offering TWO FREE 5x7 card template for you right here! You can simply add your own photo and print! Print it at home, or send it away to be printed. You just have to order it as a 5x7 photo.

You can check out more of my card templates on my ETSY !

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

To download: Click on either image below and it will open in it's own window. Right click and choose "save image as" and save it somewhere on your computer. Open it up in a photo editing software like Picassa{free} or Photoshop and add your own photo!

Catching up

Having great roommates is SO IMPORTANT!! We've all had our fair share of no so good ones, so when we have nice ones we appreciate it! So many of my roommates have been so encouraging to me and my photography. One of the first weddings I photographed was for one of my roommates! She flew me to Arizona and that's when I realized that I was the luckiest girl alive. I would get to make money while doing something that I LOVE!! Thanks to her I pursued my passion for photography and now I am a Professional Photographer. All that to say that I was very excited when another old roommate of mine asked me to take some pictures of her cute family! 

I loved getting to meet her adorable family!! Her daughter is GORGEOUS and so happy! I really enjoyed catching up with her and felt so blessed to get the opportunity to photograph them!

self portrait

This is my son, Ryder, 1 week old. I could not wait to take this photo. I proudly wore this shirt while pregnant, but had purchased it for the purpose of taking this photo. It makes a point, and makes it boldly. I understand the controversy that comes along with a statement like this, which is why I was not sure if it belonged here on the blog. I try to keep the blog filled with joyful moments filled with lots of family love, but to me this picture is EXACTLY that.
So here it is:

LOVE  for LIFE, no matter how small. 

TWINS!!!!

I am pretty sure it is every photographers dream to shoot newborn TWINS! Well, at  least it has always been MY dream. I LOVE photographing newborns. They are so cute and pliable! So when my friend Sharon told me she was pregnant with  twins I was  ECSTATIC!  I am looking forward to capturing these twins as they grow! So stay tuned for more of these  cute kids!

A little newborn love

I LOVE Newborn Photography! I am always so excited when I get the call saying it is time to schedule the Newborn Session cause they have just been born! They are so cute and tiny.They sleep SO soundly! We even put this little one on a Tequila barrel (her dad is in the business). 

She is a CUTIE!

Sweet Ivy

 this little girl is SPUNKY! I LOVE HER! She is one of the funnest kids I have photographed in a long time! Her HUGE smile cracks me up! I can't wait to photograph her entire beautiful family later this year!

What I've been up to . . .

Welcome to my little man! I just LOVE being a mom!!

I also love having my very own newborn to photograph!

Two boys is a TON of FUN!

AND THE WINNER IS....

#4 AND #26!!!!!

CONGRATULATIONS to Andrea Nader and Erin Noie!!!

THANK YOU to everyone who entered!

Winners were picked courtesy of www.randomizer.org

For those of you that sent your email; you will receive an exclusive Post-Giveaway email with tons of great promo codes from the vendors that participated. So, if you had your eye on something special you can get it!!
For those of you bummed about missing out of the FREE PHOTO SESSION, I am offering you all $50 OFF any photo session you book before July 1st!! {we don't have to take the pictures before July 1st, just have your session paid for and a date picked out!!} If interested you can contact me at info@strawnphotography.com ! DON 'T MISS OUT ON THIS GREAT DEAL! You know you are past due for pictures of your cute family!! Don't forget that you will need pictures for CHRISTMAS CARDS! So might as well book it now and save yourself some $$!!

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO PARTICIPATED!!!!

SUMMER LOVIN' GIVEAWAY

I LOVE Giveaways!!!
So...I have decided to hold one of my own to kick off summer! YAY! There will be 2 lucky winners!!! Each winner will receive a FREE photo session with me, Emily Strawn Photography. Each winner will also receive a prize package full of exciting things for both you and your kid(s). There will be one BOY prize package (shown in blue) winner and one GIRL prize package (shown in yellow) winner!!

Here is what you get:

{ boy package }

{ girl package }

So, do you want in on the best giveaway EVER? There are many different ways to enter! So be sure to take advantage of one, or all of them!!

Let me tell you how:

1. 'Like' each of the participating vendors' Facebook pages. Let them know Emily Strawn Photography sent you over!! Then come back here and comment that you did it (you will leave ONE comment for 'like'ing ALL the vendors. Also, please specify in your comment if you want to win the boy or girl package)!! I have made it easy for you, I made a list of links to each of the vendors facebook pages below these instructions.

2. Give Emily Strawn Photography and the fabulous SUMMER LOVIN' GIVEAWAY a shout out on your facebook status. Then come back here and comment again that you did that! (at the end of your comment please specify if you want to win the boy or girl package)

3. Buy something from one of the vendors' amazing Etsy shops! Come back here and comment about what you ordered and from who! (at the end of each comment please specify if you want to win the boy or girl package)

4. Give up your good 'ol email address here: GIVEAWAY EMAIL FORM . Don't worry it wont get spammed. It will just let you in on the SUPER post-giveaway EMAIL OF DISCOUNT GOODNESS! Many of the vendors are offering a discount on their items for a week after the giveaway for all of you who didn't win! Then, come back here and comment that you gave your email! (at the end of your comment please specify if you want to win the boy or girl package)

So that is at least FOUR ways (or more if you like to shop!) for you to enter into the SUMMER LOVIN' GIVEAWAY!! Remember to leave a SEPARATE comment for each thing you do!

The SUMMER LOVIN' GIVEAWAY starts 12:01am PST June 1, 2011 and ends at 11:59pm PST June 11, 2011.

SO GET BUSY!!

Here are the links to the vendors Facebook Pages:
STRAWN PHOTOGRAPHY

DAPPER DUDES

BAYAN HIPPO *this is their etsy page, they do not have a FB page*

LINE OF JUDAH

SEBASTIAN SEVEN

PIP AND BEAN

SO ABIGAIL

WHATEVER FITS

WEEPEREAS

GO PEA GO

NAKATE

ETERNAL EDEN

HEARTWORKS BY LORI

PERRY FINALIA

The legal stuff they make you write:
Winners of the Summer Lovin' Giveaway must come to Los Angeles County to take advantage of the free photo session offered by Emily Strawn Photography. Emily Strawn Photography is not required to travel more than 10 miles outside of the San Fernando Valley for the photo session. Emily Strawn Photography is not responsible for any prizes that are not delivered. Prizes contain no monitary value and cannot be traded in. This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook. You are providing your information to the vendors of the Summer Lovin' Giveaway, not to Facebook. The information you provide will only be used for contacting you if you are a winner and sending you promotional emails. Entering a comment means you acknowledge that this promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook. No purchase necessary to win. Odds of winning dependent on number of entries received. Prizes will be delivered from each vendor by the mail carrier of their choice. The winner will be selected at random from a pool of all entered comments. Sweepstakes hosted by Emily Strawn Photography.