My first infant session

Little Amya came into the world on August 9, 2011. I met her almost three days later in her home sleeping in her swing. I have a rule in my house, to never wake a sleeping baby, so these photo shoots go against everything I have ever done as a parent. LOL We kept her warm and snuggly of course, and she was a perfect little model. She put up with over 2 hours of posing and moving before getting up to eat and play.

I had purchased a few infant props and was eager to try them out on he. She happily obliged. She just snuggled right up wherever I squeezed her. Such a precious little bundle. I love seeing how gentle and sweet brand new parents are with their infants and this couple was obviously in love with their baby.

What could be more peaceful than watching a baby sleep? Pretending to watch a baby sleep :)(as seen below)

 She was sleeping so well on mommy and daddy's bed that I couldn't bear to move her, so we left her there to nap for a bit while we posed without her. Congratulations to the Brown family, and I can't wait to see how she's grown!

"Watch Me Grow" Package: Baby's First Year

I'm unveiling my latest package for moms to be, and mommies with new additions. Envision a wall, where you baby's growth is charted in the most special way, every precious milestone captured in a professional photo. This package is designed to help you remember every detail of that first year, that goes by oh so quickly.

Receive a free maternity shoot, when prepaying for your baby's first year of photos. Your "watch me grow" package will include:

Free Maternity session (valued over $100)
Full photo shoots at Birth/Newborn, 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, and 12 months. (valued at over $500)
Receive a free 8X10 at each session. (valued over $50)
At 12 months, a fun "smash cake" session with free custom made cake by Tarin Cake and Pops  (Valued over $10)
And a special collage of your year to treasure forever, personally designed for you, by me.  (valued over $100)

Over $760 worth of sessions, and prints for on $300!

Calling all High School Seniors

I want to try out an amazing new Senior referral Program. I participated in a similar one, oh about 10 years ago.  Did I really just admit that? How would you like to earn a photo shoot, and super sized portrait package completely for free? This is how it will work:

Make your Photo Shoot appointment before your senior year starts (we're getting close so I'll be a little flexible this year.)

I'll edit all of your pics, and create a special album of your pictures to show your friends and family.

Get 3 friends to make appointments to have their senior pictures done with me.

Once they've paid their deposit, the portrait package is yours free!

You then get to pic out a special Junior whom you think would make a good representative for next years special, and they'll get all of the great benefits for their Senior year!

"Prize" Package includes:

Full 1-2 hour photo shoot
At least one wardrobe change
Possible location change
30 Facebook resolution photos
10 Full resolution photos
24 mini-wallets
16 wallets
4 5X7
2 8X10
Senior Album
Over $225 worth of products! (try finding that deal somewhere else :)

Sisterly Love

I had the pleasure of meeting these two beautiful ladies at a get together the other evening.  Being the dedicated (or creepy) photographer that I am, by the time I left I had friended them on Facebook and made an appointment for a photo shoot. It was great timing, as they left for their home state just two days later. We had a great time wandering all over the old Naval Training Center searching for just the right lighting. If you've never been there, it's a great place to walk, picnic, or shop the afternoon away. The sisters and I found lots of new nooks and crannies to transform into perfect scenery for our shoot. From this tiny old fountain turned pond...

...To the interesting architectural details of the old buildings, there were plenty of textures to keep a girl busy for days. Congrats to the younger of the two, who just graduated high school, and to the older who just finished her enlistment in the Navy and ill be returning to school back home.  Thank you for your service, and for a lovely time ladies!

Another Dimension..Another Dimension..

I've decided to add another dimension to my photography business. I will now offer photo editing nationwide. Do you have a family photo that you just love, but it's too dark? Love the look of pictures you've seen or edited on so many smart phone apps, but want to be able to print larger sizes? Well, now you can have that look, without spending hundreds (or thousands) on professional photo editing software.  You can simply email me your high resolution photo(s) tell me the look you want, and I'll prepare 2-3 versions. Purchase whichever you like most as a digital copy directly from my site! It's as simple as that! Pricing will depend on the level of difficulty and time needed to edit your picture. Try it out before the end of July for only $5!

Before

After

Locations for Family shoots in Louisville this fall

If you have already purchased your prepaid shoot, congratulations! It's time to start thinking about locations! I've gathered a list of possible locations that I'm familiar with, that I think would look great in October! The 2nd or 3rd week in October are usually especially full of colorful fall foliage. Here are the locations that I think would be great.

Bernheim Forest
http://www.flickr.com/photos/allenrokach/sets/72157622629379202/

McNeely Lake
http://www.flickr.com/photos/65215866@N00/sets/72157622744242410/detail/

Iriquois Park
http://www.flickr.com/search/?w=all&q=Iriquois+park&m=text

Cherokee Park
http://www.flickr.com/search/?w=all&q=Cherokee+park&m=text

There are so many things to see and do at this time of the year! Corn mazes, pony and hayrides, fall festivals, and more! I also have access to a firehouse and uniforms which makes for a great fun kid's shoot.  Let me know if any of these things appeal to you.  I hope I've sparked your imagination! I still have shoots available for $50, that include full resolution images. Contact me at GilesSmilesPhoto@yahoo.com if you have questions.

Ideas for teen or adult shoots in Lousville this fall

My sister and I have come up with lots of neat ideas for teen and/or adult shoots in and around Louisville for this October.  Anything from Trash the Dress pics (Examples here) for prom or wedding dresses, to action shots of your fave activity, to the standard senior sessions. Here's a list of possible locations :
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/63/174647988_96b1790d1a.jpg

4 views of “Big Rock”

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3286/2651788091_92968e001f_z.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2017/2067137591_5951820685_z.jpg

http://www.tltoutdoorphotography.com/album/CherokeeParkFall2009/IMG_3087.sized.jpg

Official Cave Hill Cemetery web sites. GREAT Info!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cave_Hill_Cemetery

http://cavehillcemetery.com/

Cherokee Park

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherokee_Park

Hogan’s fountain in Cherokee Park

http://www.oldlouisville.com/postcards/louisville/pic/CherokeePark3.jpg

Pagoda at Hogan’s Fountain

http://www.hellolouisville.com/media/articles/large/2330_image3_large.jpg

http://www.drystone.org/gallery/albums/DSC_Overview1996-2001/CherokeeLvilleKY_1996_before_scan004.jpg

The “Overpass” one of our fave hangouts as teens.  You can get up on top of this through a stand of trees. There’s cool graffiti and stuff up there too.  There is plenty of room and it’s perfectly safe up there unless you climb up on top of the ledge, but it’s even wide enough to sit on without fear of falling over.  People that know about it and are driving through on the x-way will look for kids up there and honk their horns at them.  We always got a kick out of that!

http://bridgehunter.com/photos/16/51/165135-M.jpg

Cool bridge at Big Rock

http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=cherokee+park+louisville+ky&view=detail&id=EBB040884429B7E5DD674C89378C036EB749FB65&first=0&qpvt=cherokee+park+louisville+ky&FORM=IDFRIR

Louisville Extreme Skate Park

http://skatepark.com/images/park_images/1198823392.jpg

http://bmx.transworld.net/files/2008/12/17/1-louisville.jpg
If any of these interest you, or your teen, let me know! I still have $50 shoots available that include digital copies of your entire shoot.