Daily Deal Fundraiser! This week only!!!

Limited Time offer to help my Favorite music school and get 50% off a photo package!

Once in a while I like to highlight a local business with whom I not only have professional contact, but personal experience as well. My four and six year old daughters, and my husband all take piano and music theory classes at Recreational Music Center. Rmc is a non profit music school dedicated to outreach and making high quality music experiences accessible to all. My children love their instructors and the fun way music is introduced through animated characters and hands on experience. My husband has loved the way that the owners have been so gracious with working with his crazy military schedule.

Recreational Music Center has classes for every age and ability, from pre walkers to adults. A large variety of instruments are available in group or private lessons, and there is a option for every monetary level of commitment.

As you can see Recreational Music Center is an organization worth investing in, and this is your opportunity to join forces with Giles Smiles Photography and help out their worthy cause. I am currently running a daily deal with Plum District as a fundraiser for RMC. 10% of sales from the deal will go towards the scholarship program set up with RMC to help bring music to families who might not be able to afford it otherwise. Furthermore I will donate 20% of profits from further print packages purchased through all galleries from two weeks from run date. So get the gift of photography, and give the gift of music, for a limited time as this special price!

Click here to purchase the deal! If you aren't a member of Plum District, no problem! Click the link to get an extra $5 off!!

November Giveaway; calling all biz owners

I will be hosting a giveaway on my blog the first week of November.  This giveaway will be open to San Diego locals only, as many of the prizes need to be claimed in person.  A list of prizes so far includes: A massage, an order of custom cake pops, a set of handmade holiday cards, a vinyl wall quote, a handmade gift (crochet or knit), photo gift certificate and more, are in the works. The target audience includes both military and civilian families. The intent is to support the local small business owners, many of whom are SAHM or WAHM. If you have a business that could use exposure to a new crowd, and would like to sponsor, please contact me at GilesSmilesPhoto@yahoo. com. 

Photo editing can save your snapshots.

Remember back a few weeks ago when I told you about my new editing program, where you send me pictures that you've take, and I can professionally edit them for you? Well if you don't, here's the post. Below you will find a picture that my sister sent me to edit, and the results.

This is the original, of mommy (pregnant with twin boys! That I get to photograph in a few weeks!) with her lovely toddler.  It was obviously a bright sunny day, and mommy was very squinty, and the bright light on the belly took away almost all of the color from her skin, as well as making the stretch marks very shiny and uncomfortably visible for the mommy to be. But we couldn't just throw this picture away, look at the love that little girl is showing her brothers! So here is where I came to the rescue. First I turned the image to an almost sepia tone and darkened the highlights that were showing on mommy's baby bump. I then cropped in to the most important part, sisterly love. Lastly I all but removed the stretch marks, so that mommy wouldn't feel so self conscious. What do you think?

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!