Jennifer - Dismals Bridals - Columbus MS Photographer

Jennifer was the winner of my Dismals contest and got some free bridal pictures... Jennifer is so amazing and sweet and I loved working with her - if you want to call it work, and really, it was anything but work. Jennifer did amazing with her pictures and really, you cant go wrong in the Dismals... check her out!Yes, she even got in the water... and I think the pictures are so awesome... thank you, Jennifer, for everything... you are beautiful and you family was so great! I loved getting to do your pictures! (and thank you Brandi for nominating her!)

Hope you all had an amazing holiday weekend.... ours was good.. we pretty much did nothing... :)

Tonight is the opening night of the The Rose Tattoo - its at 7:30 at Rent auditorium on the W campus... it is also playing Wednesday, Friday and Saturday if you cant make it tonight... and all students can get in for free! Awesome... although, Ill just be honest and say it may not be appropriate for all audiences as it does involve some sexual innuendo (doesnt show anything), and there is a woman in her underwear - which normally doesnt mean anything, but its a bit different when its a live person right in front of you, so make your own judgement call (for the record, my kids at 8, 7, and 5 were too young to really get the sexual references so they thought it was hilarious)

So yeah... go out and see it - and stay after the show and meet the cast... :)

Hope yall are having an amazing week so far!

Sneak Peek - Columbus Ms Photographer

Remember when Jennifer won the free bridal shoot at the Dismals? Well, its all done, so I thought I would give you a sneak peek... full post coming soon! ---------------------------------------------------------------

In other news, I have already had 2 people pledge $20 towards my purple couch... and they also told me to tell you, all my readers, that they are calling you out... so there you go. You have been challenged, so will you accept (heck, Id take $2 if someone offered it)... Im going to try to get a paypal button up on this blog sometime today so keep looking forward to that!

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In other news.... I had 4 people want to book sessions yesterday alone. Im not even kidding when I say if you want a session, you need to get on the calendar now because I am running out of days for the rest of the year... and I absolutely hate to turn people away... so email me at talleyimages@yahoo.com and lets get you settled.

The same goes for the mentoring sessions... b/c I am filling up on photo slots, it means that my calendar is filling up in general (b/c I also have to have time to edit the sessions as well... and I still have a husband and 3 kids on a daily basis too).... I absolutely delight in being busy, so Im definitely looking forward to these mentoring sessions!

Someone asked about maybe a photoshop mentoring class as well... I can do a session on the basics if that is what you are looking for, then Id be happy to help and do that... but I am not an expert on anything super complicated (and PS can get super, super complicated)... but I can definitely do the basics and show you a few tricks along the way... :)

Like I said though, you need to be emailing me and getting on my calendar...

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In other, other news.... I will be have a booth at Coopers Closet all this week... and I will be there in person to answer any questions mostly from 3-6 every day (and some on Saturday).... I would love to meet you... :)

Have a great Wednesday.... only 2 days until Friday!

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner - Columbus MS Photographer

(photograph done by Celeste Staggers)

Meet Jennifer... she was the winner of the Dismals Bridal shoot. She was nominated by her friend Brandy, and here is part of what Brandy said...

My friends name is Jennifer hebert she is... a awesome mother to 2 boys her and her husband Jamie have been married going on 11 yrs which is awesome in this day and time. Let me tell you a little about Jenni she has been my best friend for 20 yrs and would do anything for you that is what kind of person she is. when she got married 11 yrs ago they had to use just a family friend to go around and take pics with a regular digital camera because that's all they could afford at the time. I think she deserves this because she has been planning their vow renewal for a yr and wants to have that "dream wedding" that all little girls dream of. Did I also mention that she [recently] lost 50lbs and now she looks awesome I think she needs this so she will have the new woman in a new dress in new pictures... What it boils down to is Jenni is a wonderful person inside and out and I couldnt think of anything more than for her to win this photo shoot from you to make her a very happy girl.

Thank you to Brandy for entering and for Jennifer for being so awesome! Im so, so excited to do this shoot and I know you, my readers, are excited to see the results as well... :)

Why dont you leave a comment sending Jennifer some happy wishes...

Also, I hope this will serve as a reminder... get a professional photographer for your wedding - it will be so worth it, i promise!

Free Bridals - Columbus MS Photographer

Ok, so up for grabs today is a free bridal shoot at the Dismals. Have you ever been to the Dismals? Its in northern Alabama about 2 hours from Columbus. It is amazing. You walk down the steps into the canyon and its lush and green with waterfalls, moss and creeks running through the whole thing. It looks like you stepped back into time or crossed over into some fairy world. Talk about amazing.... you can view some pictures here.

So here is the deal... Id love to bless a bride with some bridals that maybe she cant afford or couldnt afford. Maybe you eloped and never had the time or money to do real pictures... or maybe your pictures turned out horribly? Everyone deserves to feel beautiful and have some beautiful pictures of themselves to celebrate. Or maybe there is a woman (mom, sister, wife) that needs a pick me up - to feel beautiful for the day.

Even better... I have wedding dresses on hand, in most sizes... so even if you werent able to get a dress or dont want to get yours dirty, you can just borrow one of mine and just have fun.... and trust me, I do have some gorgeous dresses - in all sizes and shapes (including some gorgeous vintage dresses!).... that dress in the picture at the top is one I own as well (yes, Im serious!).

The only catch is that you need to be healthy enough to do alot of walking/hiking, but otherwise this contest is open to anyone and everyone... :)

So how does it work? Send me an email at talleyimages@yahoo.com nominating a woman in your life who could use some beautiful pictures of herself (and yes, feel free to nominate yourself as well!)... Contest will be open for a little over 2 weeks and Ill pick a winner on July 9th.... in the email, please include the woman's name, why she deserves this, a picture, and if possible a dress size (so I can make sure I have something), please put "Dismal Bridals" in the subject line so I dont miss any.

Also, please share this on facebook, blogs and through email... I definitely want everyone to hear about this one!

Super easy contest with some great odds... and an amazing prize! I cant wait to hear from you!

(Almost) Free Photography

I promised a contest, so here it is... and its a good one!

I am giving away a free "Day After/Rock the Dress" shoot.... in the Dismals Canyon!

Ok, Addie, that sounds great.... but what is it?

This is a contest for all the people who wanted wedding photography but couldnt/cant afford it. This is a contest for all the people who want something different and beautiful. This is a contest for someone who wants to go outside the box.

First, let me show you the Dismals. It is spectacular and there are few places that I can think of that are more beautiful. Add a bride and groom and you have something amazing!











































I shot those the last time I was there.... right before it started pouring down rain.


Ok, lets get started with a few details....
- The only cost associated with this is that you will have to pay your way in the gate, and that's $9 a person.... but its good for all day.... so depending on the time of your shoot, you can explore the park/canyon on your own.... its very romantic down there....

- You must have wedding attire.... this can be your original wedding clothes or it can be something you bought at the thrift store for $2.... but it must be an actual wedding dress, and the guy must wear at least slacks and a button down... those are pretty much the only restrictions.... be aware though that these will be your wedding pictures, so make sure you like what you have on and will not be embarrassed of it in 10 years or so

- You must be willing to get dirty and/or wet..... the more adventurous you are, the better your pictures will be. Be aware that we are shooting in nature - with dirt, plants, rocks, water, etc... you will not walk out of there with a pristine white dress and you will waste most of your shoot if all you do is try to keep your clothes clean.... I would love to photograph someone who is willing to get in the water, especially in front of that gorgeous waterfall.... please keep in mind that the canyon is a good 10 degrees cooler than up above, and therefore, the water stays cold....

- The shoot will be on Saturday, July 20th. Please do not enter the contest if you cannot make it that day. Please also make sure you have a way to get there, although if you live in Columbus, you can feel free to follow us.


Ok, so how does all this work.....
- You submit your story and picture to me at talleyimages@yahoo.com - the contest will be open until midnight June 20th.
- I will narrow the submissions down to three.
- I will pass those three down to my three judges.... these are three of my best friends who couldnt be any different, so it will be very impartial.
- I will announce the winners on July 1st. This will give the winners time to make any preparations they may need to make
- We will shoot at the Dismals on Saturday, July 20th. (If it is raining or there is another major catastrophe, then the shoot will be rescheduled)


So what do you get.....
- 2 hours with me... :)
- Full editing of all images
- A cd of high-resolution images


How do you enter....
- The couple, a family member or friend of the couple must submit an email to me at talleyimages@yahoo.com on why the couple deserves a free shoot. (if you are a family member or friend of the couple, please make sure the couple is willing and available first)

- You must include a picture..... the picture will not be given to the judges or used for judging, but I will need it to post on the blog should you win

- You should include the bride and groom's first and last name, their story, contact info and a picure....


Its that simple....

So there you go.... go ahead and get those entries in at talleyimages@yahoo.com .... or if you have any questions, please send those too and I will get back with you as soon as I can.

*Any vendors who want to get in on the action, let me know!*

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I will also offer 2 mini-sessions at the Dismals that day as well. This can be any sort of portrait session - family, children, engagement.... this would even make a gorgeous setting for a proposal - and you would have it all there to remember forever....

This includes 45 minutes (you must be on time for your session!), editing of all the images, and a full resolution cd of images.... all for $100 (dont forget to include tax and admission to the park as well)

These will be scheduled around the contest winners.... and will be offered on a first come, first serve basis....

You can email me at talleyimages@yahoo.com to get more info, ask any questions or go ahead book your mini-session!

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Dont forget about donating to Josie-Tatum's mission.... check out the last post for more details!