I have been hearing about this type of mounting from some of my other photographer friends, so I finally decided to try it out for myself. These are called Gallery Mounts – the company describes them as "a modern and cost-effective way to present your images as finished
   pieces and display them without the additional time and cost of traditional framing
   and matting. The prints are completely sealed with a durable, transparent matte or semi-gloss
   laminate, then heat-fused to a densely engineered substrate.
   Providing a classic look, each flush edge is then finished with a bevel and an edge
   color, heat-fused and available in black or white."

I had those images of me with the granddolls that I have wanted to print, and I wanted to write something about each image to accompany it. These are printed as 10x30s, and they are on the white 3/4" mount. They really are a very nice product! They are fairly substantial, but with a clean modern look. OK, so I’m no product photographer, but I took pictures of one of them today to show you. They will hang in my office in the new house, so I just stuck this one on a hook for now to snap these.

See the beveled edge?

Keyhole hanging slot on the back

OK, adding one of the pair:

We really wanted to concentrate on one-year-old Angelo for this session, because Mom wanted to match what we had done for Ray when he was that age. We tried to do some at their home, but Angelo was just a little too comfortable there and was an almost impossible moving target. We moved to an unfamiliar park, and it slowed him down enough to do the trick. Ray was as cute as ever, and who can resist the eyes on these guys?

So sometimes my job is really, really tough. I have to go out on a sunny day and take photographs of handsome young blue-eyed men for their Senior pictures. Don’t you feel bad for me?

I really wanted to get a picture of me & Genevieve last weekend since I have a good one of me & Gavin, and I want to hang them together. Unfortunately it rained all day on Saturday, and we left pretty early on Sunday so we only had about 20 minutes. Usually when I bring out the camera it’s all pouts and faces and tongues sticking out. But lo and behold, I don’t know WHAT is happening to Genna but she actually kind of hammed it up for the camera!!! I hope it’s not a phase.

Amy & her mom managed to combine her senior picture session with me here in SC and a trip to check out Clemson as a potential college choice. Clemson didn’t really appeal to her as much as she’s thought it would, but boy am I glad I got to do her pictures!!! I seriously was blown away by how natural she was in front of the camera, and oh those blue eyes and perfect smile! I could post dozens, but I’ll try to restrain myself….!

Here is another senior session, which I just LOVE doing. We had all kinds of crazy weather for this shoot – everything from rain to hot, humid sweltering sun. But Carly stayed cool and calm and beautiful throughout, and we captured some gorgeous images. Carly is planning on donating her hair to "Locks of Love", so this was our last chance to capture that long silky mane before her new look!

I can’t believe that I almost missed posting these kids on my blog…I think their session happened right before my crazy summer traveling started, and it got buried in my "to-do" pile. Anyway, I have done a few sessions for this family and they always turn out to be great and have gorgeous images. The children are so photogenic and it’s always fun for me to see how they have changed since the last time. They are growing up so fast! Their parents are well aware of this, and it’s a real treat for me to walk into their home and see how they have decorated it with photos of their family. You just know as soon as you enter that family is the priority in their lives!

We finally made it home yesterday early eve; it feels as if I’ve been on the road forever! Actually it was three weeks, with a 3 day break in between, which was just long enough to pack & get ready to go again.

I had a great time shooting Brad & Bonnie’s wedding in Ligonier on the 14th – despite the rainy day, we got some great images when it finally, blessedly stopped. And I can’t WAIT to show you what happened at the end of the night – the most fun, coolest thing that a bride & groom ever did at a wedding that I’ve attended – stay tuned for pictures in just a few days!

Then it was on to Punta Cana for Katie & Craig’s wedding – what a fabulously fun time we had! Imagine the fun of everyone together for a joyful event that lasts all week! And again, I can’t wait to show you the images that I got: the happy couple got right on the beach & waves a few days later in the gown & all for a trash the dress session!

Anyway, it’s good to be back & I will be hard at work processing the thousands of images I brought home with me PLUS the seven sessions that I did the week before I left. A big thanks to all of you who are patiently waiting to see your images – it will be worth it, I promise!

for you coupon-clippers out there: The Grocery Game  – getting good results from what I hear on other blogs & forums, especially if you buy brand-name products and watch for deals. Some girls are reporting savings of several hundreds after just a few months (apparently it works best if you stick with it & build up your pantry – not unheard of to get 10 boxes of cereal for like $10.)

from the site: "The Grocery Game is a website that can save you hundreds of dollars
on grocery bill each month. Log in, spend a few minutes with a pair of
scissors, and you’re off to win The Grocery Game!

When you play, you’ll get a weekly list (called Teri’s List) of the
lowest-priced products at your supermarket matched with manufacturers’
coupons and weekly specials — advertised and unadvertised. The Grocery Game does all the hard work and research, and presents it to you in a straightforward format.

Gather your coupons and Teri’s List and you will have everything you
need to play. Teri’s List matches sales to coupons from weeks past,
along with new coupons from this week’s Sunday paper. Members of The Grocery Game eliminate those time-consuming hours and
usually save even more than the coupon pros. For example, just because
an item is on sale doesn’t mean its time to play your coupon. Our
databases track the sales history on nearly every item in the
supermarket, waiting to use a coupon on rock-bottom sales. Now, the
best possible savings are quickly accessible to busy professionals,
overworked moms, single adults or anyone who wants to cut their grocery
bill by 50% or even more."

I was able to squeeze in a portrait session this weekend after the wedding that I did in PA on Saturday. It was a bright, bright, sunny day which can be a digital photographer’s nightmare because it requires extreme attention to positioning to avoid harsh shadows and get proper exposures. But in this case I had the fun of capturing a happy four year old boy & his adoring parents, and the sun turned out to be just right for capturing this family! Here’s a sneak peek: