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First of all, big thanks to the Kay, Birdie, Christi, Grace, Lacey, and Paige for entering the contest. I really do love to see what my clients end up doing with their images. That is a downfall of the digital age, I think… not knowing what you do with the files once you get them….

…. hmmm, where was I…..

 

Oh right. WINNER(S)!

 

in first place with the most unique (meaning if someone liked and commented on the photo, I only counted it once  comments/likes …. and winner of the grand gallery wrapped canvas award:

Kay’s pics are truly ART… and it was with hers and Chip’s (her husband) forethought into their session that this was possible. We grabbed this chair from their dining table as we walked out the door for the shoot… and lookee there! what a perfect way to decorate the kitchen with a personal and artistic statement! Love it, guys! Email me your mailing address and we can talk canvas image options! CONGRATS!

 

 

as much as i enjoyed seeing all of your displays, there were TWO others that really got me. i was originally only going to pick one for my “fave” of the bunch, but i just couldn’t decide between the two. so then i thought, “well, you are THE chelsea of the CHP business… you are entitled to pick more than one if you darn well please.” so i did.

1. this was by far the most creative entry. i mean come on, ya’ll…. family pics in the COOP! i love it. and because i sometimes feed these chicks (and since we are on the subject, i am also known around these parts as being an egg-whisperer…. uh huh), i am a bit partial to their chic (ha ha) environment. so, Grace, you get an 11×14 wall portrait of your choice for the Creativity Award!

2. this gallery just made me tear up. i am so lucky to meet such cool people that become such sweet friends…. and it is especially awesome when i get to be THE photog to capture such significant milestones. Lacey has their engagement session, wedding pictures, and then baby and first family photos when they went from 2 to 3 of them all up on the wall. Lacey, you too have an 11×14 wall portrait of your choice for the Make-Me-Cry Award!

 

and… because i am a sucker for people that participate in my contests, the rest of you, (Christi, Paige, Birdie) have a little something coming in the mail as a little “thank you” for participating.

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i know i posted this in a private note to some of my clients, but i wanted to share on here as well….

here is my favorite gallery wall (created by the oh-so-talented Grace, of the Coop fame above) in my own house. and here is a little story of the WHY behind putting up pictures and documenting family life….

“just this morning, Adelaide looked at this wall (the one in the picture) and she longingly said, “mom, when can we go back to that spot, where sydney and i are in the picture [color picture of them in low right side]? i loved going there. it was so much fun. how old are we there? when can we go back?” i smiled. and was so thankful i grabbed that shot with my point and shoot. its one of my fave pics, too, as it reminds me of a sweet time I had with my girls before #3 was in the picture. “

 

THANK YOU AGAIN FOR PARTICIPATING!!! More fun to come soon……

 

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Yes, first. Which means there will be more…. so definitely stay tuned. I am really excited about them!

First up is a contest I have been dreaming about for awhile. I absolutely love seeing my images as many of your facebook profile pictures and in other various online spaces, but I know there are some closet interior designers out there who have come up with  creative ways to display the images in your homes. I don’t know about you, but in this digital age (for which there are many virtues) I find it very difficult to get my images off my computer and backup drives and onto the walls in my home or into photobooks and albums. These images aren’t meant to collect digital dust, folks! The beauty of portraiture is in the moments and milestones and momenteous occasions that are captured. I want my girls to bounce down the stairs each day looking at images that constantly remind them that they are part of a close-knit family that has fun together, that creates adventurous memories together and that love each other dearly. Photographs speak 1000′s of words, remember?! I want to look at my own walls each day and remember the moments that have flown by so fast… the moment when my 6 year old was 6 months (wasn’t that just yesterday??!). Seeing those images helps give me perspective. And lets face it, moms and dads out there… sometimes we just need to see a picture of that adorable little cherub on the walls, because at the present moment, we are seeing them as little tasmanian devils! Perspective. Perspective.

CONTEST #1 ~ Show Me Your Walls! 

WHO – current and previous CHP clients

WHAT – i want to see what you have done with any CHP images in your home or work space…. canvases, gallery walls, framed prints, nursury walls, etc.

HOW TO ENTER – take a picture of any CHP pictures in YOUR home or work space. then, email it to me (chelsea at chelseahudson.com). i will submit them to a contest album  (Show Me Your Walls!) on my CHP Facebook Page (HERE). i will give you through the weekend to send me your images. you must have your submissions in by SUNDAY, January 15.

HOW LONG – starting Monday, January 16th, voters will have 4 days to vote on the images. i will announce the winners on Friday, January 20th!

PRIZE(s) – the submission with the most votes will win an 11×14 canvas (either from their own session images, or from my fine art collection). i will also be picking MY favorite display and will be sending the winner a little something special in the mail! (gotta keep a sense of surprise and intrigue going!)

** note: if you, like me, have been dragging your feet on the whole digital files-to-walls thing,  don’t worry, there will be another wall art contest later this year. maybe this month’s contest will give you the inspiration and kick-in-the-pants you need to get those images up and enjoyed by all! 

Sooooooo, ready, set………. GO! Head over to the CHP Facebook Fan Page and watch for the submissions as they come in! I can’t wait to see what you are doing with your family, wedding, kids and newborn photos in your home. And, I have to admit, I need some inspiration for my own home decor! IMPORTANT: Get your friends and family to “like” the CHP Facebook page so they can comment on the  entries. I will only be counting comments for eligibility.

 

 

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What a gorgeous time of year…. precisely why everyone wants to do their annual family pictures in the FALL! With peak color falling (ha!) around the second week of November, we were deeply buried in moving preparations and posting fall family sessions fell through the cracks! Here is a quick recap of some of my favorite images for fall 2011:

the Virgin Family – last year they were new neighbor/friends… this year they are some of our dearest neighbor/friends… our kids absolutely love each other. the family simply cannot take a bad picture if they tried. holy cow. we caught some amazing light at Brookside Gardens and had a lovely time together!! 

and the Perieck family…. our original session, down on the beautiful DC tidal basin was a bust because it was soooooooo cold. Poor little Max couldn’t even dream of smiling. So we met up in my neighborhood and enjoyed some late season color AND Max’s beautiful smile.  

and then there are the Knowltons… dear friends and neighbors who are especially cool to me because they have chickens. oh yeah, and not just any chickens, chickens with attitude and personality. and their son, Jeremiah, is one of our favorite little friends in the ‘hood. I took Adelaide with me on this shoot, as my assistant, and she sang and sang to Jeremiah to get those classic Jeremiah smiles and laughs! My cheeks were hurting after this session, from all the smiling and laughing I was doing behind the camera! 

and finally, the Fortunato family…. I had the honor of meeting them and working with them this past summer, and we were able to squeeze in a Fall session before it was all said and done. Ollie is a DOLL…. his smile and big blue eyes are just to die for. I so enjoy working with clients through the year(s)… it gives me much joy to help document and see the growth and milestones of these kiddos! 

 

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First session of 2012…. and I can’t think of a better couple to be posting than Amy and Allan. Of course, I am slightly biased because Amy is my awesome sister-in-law. We are going to shoot their official engagement session later in the spring, but Amy and Allan wanted to do a “bike” theme for some of their upcoming wedding paraphenalia. Biking brought them together and they really got to know each other over many miles of riding, so it was/is a fitting theme.

January 1st here in the DC area was beautiful-then rainy- then cold- then sunny- beautiful again – then cloudy…. it was crazy. But the heavens opened up for us and we did get some sweet sunlight  here and there. So looking forward to both the engagement session and wedding coming up this year! Love you guys!!

 

  

 

 

 

 

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Greetings and welcome to the new chelseahudson.com experience!

I am blessed with an incredibly talented sister in law here in the area who redesigned my logo and general branding theme this fall. I couldn’t be more excited about it! You can read a bit of the process that Elisabeth used to create this new look on her (amazing) website – Silk Road Studio.

This fall was a busy one for me! We ended up having to find another house to rent as our previous landlords put their house on the real estate market. It was a crazy somewhat stressful time, but we did find a house in our neighborhood that fits us to a T. The thought of leaving our neighbor-friends was more than I could handle, so I am uber thankful to have found the new place. We moved in exactly one week before Thanksgiving. And we hosted about 12 people for Thanksgiving dinner. *smile* Actually, it worked out wonderfully that way. I was forced (with the help of some super talented and gracious friends) to get the house (at least the common living spaces) set up in record time.

However, because of this move, many of my fall sessions fell through the cracks, blogging-wise. I aim to remedy that now, as I was thrilled to work with some repeat clients as well as some new clients.

So please stay tuned for some fall family portrait posts coming up….

… there are even some chickens that will make it to the blog!

 

 

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it was a joy to meet up with the Potter family once again this fall! i so enjoyed capturing their fall pictures last year, and it was just fun to see how the kids have grown up. AND we will be neighbors in just a few short weeks! the light at Wheaton Regional Park was superb this evening. love it!

AND…. check out the new watermark on the images… just a wee taste of a new brand direction that my ultra talented sister-in-law, Elisabeth Kvernen, of Silk Road Studio has designed for me. i am very excited to launch the new design soon… but for now, just the watermark. what do you think??!

 

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I had the privilege of roaming around DC Sunday evening.. rain and all… with this lovely couple. And I do mean it was a privilege. Rose and Dave are two of the kindest (to one another as well as others- like me , most authentic, easy going, and oh-so-in-love couples I have ever met. Really. It is just a breath of fresh air to be around them. Not only do they love each other, but you walk away from them realizing how sweet and cool it is that they LIKE each other so much. Truly they are a match made in heaven. I am beyond thrilled not only to be able to capture their wedding next year, but also to get to know them as friends.

We met at Union Station and proceeded to jump around to some very amazing, significant places in the city.. both historically and personally (for them). I love it when a couple really puts some thought and effort into the location of their engagement shoot. And boy did they! We started at the Capitol grounds and then went to Potenza… a sweet little restaurant with some serious history. Dave and Rose went their for their first date. Dave also proposed to Rose there. The staff and management at Potenza were more than accommodating to us and even let us shoot some pics in the very booth that Dave proposed to Rose in.  I love love love it! These pictures will be all the more meaningful and emotive in the years to come. After Potenza, we made our way to Georgetown University and were able to grab a few shots at Rose’s alma mater before we lost the light.

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Yes, it was like the hottest day of the year so far. Yes, we were all alternately sweating and cooling off. Yes, it was rough.

But, OMG, just look at the result?!

Baby L was just a doll. A stoic doll (ha ha!) but a doll nonetheless. She is just a couple of weeks younger than Nadia, and it was so fun to see so many similar traits that seem to be pretty standard at 8 months of age.

The light, the family, the smile and laughter and the beach…. wow. Obviously they all amounted to an equation of near perfection! It was such a pleasure to meet you all, Rossotti family and help document this special time in your lives!

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Grace is another neighbor who has become a good friend in such a short amount of time! We go to the same church (25 minutes north of here). And now John and I are attending a small Bible study group at her house in the neighborhood. Her husband’s name is John, too. And her son, Jeremiah, is already a neighborhood favorite of my girls! And they are raising backyard chickens. We are definitely meant to be friends.

When I first walked into Grace’s house, I was seriously AMAZED by her incredible interior painting/design work. WOW! It is truly a work of art and something I haven’t ever seen before (and i have seen some awesome, creatively designed spaces). When she mentioned that she was working on getting her website updated and was wanting to document her most recent work, I was ALL over it. Oh and yes, she has been featured on HGTV. I just think that is too cool. Oh and please, PLEASE, check out her “Ode or Faux Finish” at the bottom of her “Information” page here. It’s awesome.

I love photographing creative works of art, and LOVE promoting friends’ businesses that I am truly 100% behind and 100% impressed with. And I love that she is “local” and I can highly recommend her work to the awesome local neighborhood listserves and networks in this area.

If you live in the MD,VA,DC area (or even NY and PA)…. and you are wanting something new, fresh, original, memorable done in your house, contact Grace. A mural? A completely original and modern wall treatment? Consultation? Contact Grace!

 

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