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Kevin and Melodie ~ MARRIED!

Posted on February 6, 2010

What a fun, meaningful, inspiring wedding this was. John, my husband, was a groomsman in this wedding, and I had the honor of shooting the wedding.

First of all, Kevin (a.k.a. Sarge to those of us who went to school together at John Brown University) and Melodie both grew up as missionary kids in Liberia. But they never met while they were kids in Africa. Fast forward many years and one day Melodie saw Kevin’s picture and blog as part of a missionary kid blogring…. She was immediately drawn to Kevin’s “manliness” and ruggedness. But Kevin was headed to the Sudan to do some mission work and Melodie was headed another direction. On a whim, she sent him a message on his blog… something to the effect of “God bless you on your mission in Africa.” And that was all it took. They wrote letters and emails while in separate countries and even continents. After quite some time, they were both in the USA at the same time and during one of the emails back and forth, Sarge Kevin suggested that they continue their conversation over coffee… even though he was in another state at that time than Melodie. But they met, and as cliche as it sounds, the rest really is history. Kevin moved to Liberia last year with a construction company to be near Melodie, who was volunteering for Acres of Hope taking care of many orphans and also doing some counseling.

Their story gets even better… Right before Melodie was air-vac’d out of Liberia to London because of some severe health issues, Kevin proposed. I have a feeling life is going to be somewhat of an adventure for these two.

The wedding was a fusion of Liberian culture….. and snow. Lots and lots of snow. Not so African, but definitely adventurous. Especially since we all traipsed out in the freezing cold to capture the african-inspired-wedding-turned-to-ice in real time. Brrrrr…..

Melodie incorporated many of the precious Liberian children who have been adopted by loving families here in the USA. It was so precious to see these children dressed up and participating in their own fairy tale of sorts.

As for us JBU (John Brown University) alumn, we had a ball together. I love photographing friends and helping freeze-frame some of the most significant moments of their lives for all time. I love seeing the jokes and laughter… I love seeing God fulfill their greatest dreams. I found myself smiling behind the camera over and over again, shaking my head even at times, remembering the early days and how none of us ever dreamed we would see the day Kevin Sarge got married. (you would have had to have been at the rehearsal dinner and the after party to understand why… ah, the stories, the stories)

Kevin and Melodie, I am SOOOOO thrilled for you guys. I am so thankful we got to be a significant part of this momentous occasion. Although I mourned the loss of the sunlight and warmth with you, Melodie, I so appreciated your “hey, who cares! I AM MARRYING THE MAN OF MY DREAMS TODAY” attitude. I loved watching you interact with your brothers and sisters and kids from Liberia. There was no room left for doubt about where your hearts are…. I pray God’s richest blessings on your marriage and life together!

Here are just a couple of my faves from the day… you can see more on my facebook page!

PLEASE VOTE!!!

Posted on February 4, 2010

SWEET!!! Another contest! This time I am asking you to vote for my photo in someone else’s contest. :)

A couple of months back I entered a photo into one of MeRa Koh’s contests… I just got a sweet email message from someone I didn’t know who voted for my image and I was like “WHOA! I made it!” So fun. So if you have a second, could you check out the finalist images on MeRa’s blog and vote?? That would be awesome. Of course I would love for you to vote for my image (the first one but really, there are some sweet images there that will tug at your heartstrings… go with your gut. THANK YOU!!

DID I FORGET TO MENTION THAT A RANDOM VOTER GETS A  C A M E R A?????!!!

This the is image I submitted… still an absolute fave of mine for capturing real, raw emotion. You can read all about the contest theme and understand why I chose this one.

Baby Maxwell and Family

Posted on January 28, 2010

And now they are four…. What a beautiful family! Remember THIS SHOOT?? Well, it was a pleasure to meet the newest member, little Max. And he turned out to be as stinking cute as his big brother and was so fun to “work with.”

Here are just a few faves from their session…

Jennifer & Christopher ~ Engaged!

Posted on January 18, 2010

Or rather, as they refer to themselves… Jenny and Topher. These guys have SO MUCH FUN together! It was really awesome to watch a couple that is obviously crazy in love with each other laugh so much together… I found myself smiling behind the camera as well as in front of my computer as I processed these.  What a great building block for the marriage they are preparing for. Jenny and Topher, your pics are so FUN and real… I hope your wedding day is half as fun and memorable as this session was. I tell every client that the BEST images are always, 100%, hands down, you being uniquely YOU and this particular session is a perfect case in point… you guys danced together, sang together, jumped and ran together, kissed, hugged, and even smiled with your eyes (top model style, oh yeah!). Love it!

I tried to narrow down my favorites, and actually I did leave out a few faves because I think Jenny and Topher have some special plans up their sleeves for these images and I don’t want to spoil the fun.

Blessings to you guys these next couple of months of wedding planning! Have FUN!

And the WINNER is……

Posted on January 14, 2010

Wow, I just have to say something first. 256 comments in all! WOWZA people! Way to go! I wish I could send huge wall portraits to all of you… thankfully I didn’t have to make the choice or we would be at a complete standstill. And way to go on getting your friends and family involved - I was totally floored with the sheer amount of comments that flooded my inbox! Comments and votes for all of you. So congrats for all of you… I love how very emotive and special and memorable these images are for you all.

So Stephanie and Amanda - you guys are just killer! It came down to the wire and the difference between your image votes was only 8 votes!! And the winning image is:

CONGRATS AMANDA AND JERROD!!!!! I will be getting this to you in a couple of weeks. I hope you have picked out a wall and place of prominence because this image is just PERFECT. If no one saw any of your other wedding images, this one could sum up the two of you, your love, and your wedding in one image. Love it!

Steph and Jon, you guys were such a close second…. I will be sending you guys a little somethin’ somethin’ in the mail as well. It will be a surprise. Steph, this image is one of my all time favorites ever… I love all of the symbolism people read into it as well - stepping into your new life… going through a new door in life, etc.

Lacey & Mario, Jeff & Jordan, and Gabe & Andrea, I loved hearing what YOUR favorite images were, as well as your friends and family… here are your most voted on images:

RANDOM VOTER AWARD

Thanks for playing and voting to EVERYONE who participated!!! As for the random voter gift card…… the winner is:

JESSICA - jessicastitcher@yahoo.com

Jessica, email me and let me know if you prefer an itunes or starbucks gift card!!! Thanks for participating with us!!

First CONTEST of Twenty-Ten!

Posted on January 11, 2010

Ok, so I had such a hard time picking my personal favorite wedding shots from this past year! I could pick no less than 5 from each wedding… Sorry, it is what it is, folks. I picked these particular images because they 1. made me FEEL something or remember something from that moment, 2. made me SMILE or outright laugh, and/or 3. still took my breath away when I looked at them again.

CONTEST DETAILS:

1. Vote! Vote! Vote! Get your family and friends, cousins and coworkers, neighbors and roommates to vote.

2. Every person has ONE vote for your ONE favorite image. (lets be mature and honest here folks)

3. Post a comment listing which image (i.e. 1-B, 4-D etc…) has your vote and why.

4. If you post on your facebook status and ask your friends to vote for their favorite image, post a comment with a link to your status update and I will add another vote to your favorite image (let me know which one it is).

5. You have until WEDNESDAY at MIDNIGHT to get your votes in. So get cracking, yo!!

THE PRIZES:

1. the winning image will be enlarged to a 16×20 mounted wall portrait and sent to the clients in the winning image.

2. there will be a drawing for a starbucks or itunes gift card for one lucky random voter.

HAVE FUN and GOOD LUCK TO ALL MY AWESOME CLIENTS!!!!

** disclaimer ~ these are in no particular order of preference… they are all my favorites so basically i just got to vote for 25 of my favorite images :)**

Jerrod & Amanda

1-A

1-B

1-C

1-D                                                                                                                                   1-E

Jon & Stephanie

2-A                                                                                                                                   2-B

2-C

2-D                                                                                                                                   2-E

Gabriel & Andrea

3-A

3-B

3-C

3-D                                                                                                                                   3-E

Jeff & Jordan

4-A

4-B

4-C

4-D

4-E

Mario & Lacey

5-A                                                                                                                                   5-B

5-C

5-D

5-E

Thailand ~ in living colors, textures, patterns, and shadows…

Posted on January 10, 2010

My unofficial photo assignment for my trip to Thailand was to capture the look, feel, taste, sound of Thailand through abstract colors, patterns, textures, shadows, lighting etc. Although I didn’t get to do a few of the excursions I had anticipated, I felt like I still accomplished my goal with the following… some are traditional shots, others more abstract. They ALL take me back there…. to the sounds of the streets, the thai language, the taste of the food, the peacefulness of natural surroundings, the sound of the tide rolling in, the feel of the water on my feet. My photography takes me places… and I don’t even have to leave my computer! I love that.

Locations:

Chiang Mai, Thailand

Tharnthong Resort, Thailand

Kaw Kwang Resort, Koh Lanta

Somewhere in the Andeman Sea

Maesa Elephant Camp, Thailand

Bangkok, Thailand

Old Town Lanta, Koh Lanta

Back from Thailand….

Posted on January 10, 2010

… finally back from a three week family vacation in the exotic land of Thailand. What fun we had… what sights, sounds, tastes, and experiences we had. As I finish up editing “just a few”  of my favorites out of the hundreds of images, I realize what a blessing these experiences are for our family. Traveling over to Thailand took 3 days and was pretty much as miserable as it could possibly be with a 4 year old and a not-quite-two year old and me being sick the entire way. Traveling back took only one day… one 38 hour day, that is. T I R I N G to say the least, but oh so much better than the three days like before. And everything inbetween these two journeys was just plain awesome. Some of the high points:

• visit to an elephant camp, complete with a family ride on an elephant
• overnight stay in a fairytale jungle resort… tolkein style. AMAZING.
• seeing my 4 year old discover the fun of taking pictures!!
• numerous jaunts in and around Chiang Mai with the family
• shopping the night market several times
• a week spent at a beach resort on Koh Lanta (Krabi Province)
• a day of island hopping with my hubby (snorkling, swimming through a completely dark tunnel in a rock to see an open air cave, walking along a white sand beach)
• teaching our 4 year old to swim at the resort pool
• searching for shells on the beach with the kids
• watching the hubby and kids fish together
• tuk tuk rides
• walking along the beach to dinner
• lots and lots of pad thai and fried rice, thai style (read: WAY better than American style)
• exploring the island via moped with hubby
• enjoying the masses of european tourists
• exploring bangkok for 2 days
• river taxis in bangkok - so fun
• more market shopping in bangkok
• hooking up with hubby’s high school friend in bangkok

So, now we are back to real life… and I am WAY excited for this new year in just about every way.

What better way to start off the year, business wise, than with a CONTEST??!! Watch for a post coming very soon with my favorite wedding pics of 2009… YOU will be the ones voting for your favorite image of 2009 and there will be some great prizes involved. So STAY TUNED!!!

NEW LOOK!!

Posted on December 12, 2009

Yea!! I am excited to launch a new look I have been working on/dreaming about for awhile now. Its not a complete makeover, but it is a much needed cosmetic facelift for sure!

Big thanks to Chip Allison of Yano Creative, for his work and creative inspiration. I am loving the fresh, happy, fun vibe the new brand brings to my sites. Makes me happy! Contact Chip if you are looking for a graphic designer in the Phoenix metro area!

One of the biggest changes, of course, is my logo and “branding.” I am making the move from CHP (Chelsea Hudson Photography) to Chelsea Photography.

Unfortunately, I am not able to launch all the changes and new things I have been working on right away. My family and I are leaving on a jet plane in a couple of days for a 3 week adventure to Thailand over the holidays. But as for things to come….

• new and improved 2010 pricing guides (in full color no less!)
• contests
• new blog topics
• new business cards
• a fresh start for the new year
• some Thai eye candy for sure!!

So, what do YOU think of the new look? Would love your feedback and interaction here.

the Moroney’s || family and maternity photography in Phoenix

Posted on November 16, 2009

What an incredibly easy going, photogenic family! WOW! I had so much fun working with them yesterday morning  e a r l y. We met up at the Biltmore Fashion Square at the crack of dawn and totally beat the crowds. Nathan and Crystal were so easygoing and natural in front of the camera (as you can see). And little Nathan?? Wow…. talk about a natural. I could have photographed him all day long. And lucky for me, he never seemed to tire of my constant “peek-a-boo”  attempts to get him to look at me through the camera. My own daughters have completely tuned me out when it comes to that strategy .

We tried to hit up a variety of “looks” at the Biltmore, and it was totally a success. And Crystal totally made my day when she said YES! when I asked her if she would be up for lying down on the parking garage floor for a shot I have been wanting to do for a long time. Crystal, you are a rockstar! Thank you guys for being up for anything I suggested and for just being your natural selves in front of the camera… I just love these pictures of you guys - totally brings a smile to my face as I am processing them right now. Here are just a tiny handful of favories thus far:

can you say WOWZA??!!

this next shot is a great example of a perfect moment, but imperfect “photo”…. the image itself would technically be declared “out of focus” among other things… but to me it is one of my favorite images because it conveys so much more emotion and perfectly captures the MOMENT even more than an image clearer focus and exposure. this image, in my opinion, is a perfect example of when it is appropriate to break the photography “rules.”