project one:

I love the start of a new year. Such a fresh new beginning with many possibilities. This year I am approaching my typical new years resolution a bit differently. The main resolution that I gravitate towards is simply making myself better. So many aspects in my life go into that challenge. There are many areas in my life that need work and so instead of overwhelming myself (in typical Carrie fashion) I’ve decided to focus on one area per month. That doesn’t mean that the other areas slide during that time, it just means that for one month one particular area of my life gets to be front and center. Here is my list for the year:

january=eating

february=fitness

march=creativity (paper)

april=creativity (photography)

may=finances

june=fashion

july=family

august=love

september=health

october=friendships

november=gratitude

december=tradition

So we’re on day 2 of January and my focus this month is eating. I made the conscious choice to NOT start yesterday as Sunday is our family’s weekly dinner out with Grandpa and other family members. Last night I began reading the book This is Why You’re Fat. Not the most fun title, but the book is good with some really great concepts. Late last year I had begun eating clean and saw the immediate effects – all good!! I have read all of Tosca Reno’s books and needed a little pick me up for the new year to help me get back on track. This morning I began my day doing exactly what Jackie Warner suggested in her book…adding in some great foods to help my body. It feels so good to take control over my food intake especially after the craziness of the holiday season. I’m happy to be on the right track again and will post updates as I progress.

project two:

If you’ve seen hashtags like #olw and wondered what you were missing out on, check out Ali Edwards blog post about her One Little Word concept and see what all the talk is about. Like last year I have selected a word to carry me through the year. Last year I chose the word focus and I wore the word around my neck and this year I will continue to do so. Focus is still something I struggle with and this year I really wanted to commit myself to following through with the areas in my life that I want to improve on. I wrote several lists trying to find the right word and would check the words in the dictionary to see if their definitions fit the direction I was hoping to go this year. Commit is the right word for me. If you’re interested in a class to help keep you on track check out Ali’s class at Big Picture.

If you are not familiar with this concept, it’s certainly worth a look. Becky Higgins has created an amazing product that has me so excited about recording my family’s memories and little moments again. I’m thrilled to be back on this path and so grateful for an easy and fun and beautiful way to go about it. I began this journey in November (there’s no right or wrong way or time to start – if you miss starting at the first of the year, don’t worry!! Start when you can, start how you can) and am loving the process. It’s simple and easy and you can give as much to the concept as you want. I love it. There are several resources out there to help get your creative juices flowing with this project. Check out the Project Life Creative Team and see their blogs for their takes on the project. And if you’re on Pinterest simply type in “project life” into the search bar and you’ve got lots of great ideas at your fingertips.

There are new things to come this year from Carrie Owens Photography too…stay tuned and Happy New Year!

I’ve been thinking about this blog a lot lately. Thinking about my process of blogging. I started blogging years ago when I was more of a scrapbooker than a business woman. The blog was lots of randomness which was mostly read by my mother, but it also had important stuff in there and stuff that other moms related to. Now I’m a busy mom of three with a busy business and I’ve noticed that as I leaned more into the client side of things, some of the mom stuff went away. Not here at home, necessarily…but with the storytelling that I had once loved to do. The blog needed to become a home for sharing business stuff…sessions and products and other information. Clients didn’t care so much about the little everyday stuff that was going on in my home or with my kids or my house projects or my everyday struggles and ramblings. So then blogging became weird to me. I didn’t know what to blog. I didn’t know how much to share and when to share and then I just stopped sharing. I tend to over think things sometimes this is probably one of those times.

I adore photography. It is something that I love with everything I am. Being a photographer is exactly what I need and want to be doing. When I think back to why I became a photographer, it all began with the storytelling. Capturing those little everyday moments that I knew would mean so much to me and my family both in the present and when my kids were grown. I loved getting behind the lens and getting those images that made me get a little misty eyed. I would scrapbook these memories and also share them on my blog. My readers enjoyed reading and liked the images…and soon began asking me to become the photographer for their families. It is a wonderful thing to be able to capture those everyday little memories for them. When a mom looks at an image that I took and says “you got his real smile” it brings joy to my heart. I love it.

But something is missing from this blog…ME. The photographer that you are hiring. I want to connect with you, the client and the family that you love. With this blog I began to worry too much about what people might want and forgot about what I wanted and needed. One of the greatest things in the world about owning your own business is the opportunity to make it what you want. There is more to me than just a business woman. And all of those parts make me the photographer that I am. So if I’m blogging about my son’s new room design or a new recipe or a trip to a swim meet keep in mind that those little things make up the person that I am. They contribute to the photographer that I am today and they will help me in capturing those little everyday moments in your child’s life that you want to remember forever. Those stories and tidbits of my life can help you relate to me and on session day, we’ll be more relaxed together. Most of my clients are moms like me…or have been…or will be one day. I don’t have amazing writing skills or perfect grammar and I’m not hilarious. I won’t have gripping stories to tell you that will have you on the edge of your seat waiting for the next post. But as a blog reader one of the best things is the ability to skim right over the posts that don’t interest you and get to what you came looking for…be it your grandchild who just had their first photo session, your extended family reunion shots or your daughter’s yearly photo shoot…or maybe you were interested in my son’s swim meet afterall either way, by giving myself the ability to post about what’s going on in my little world blogging becomes something that I love to do.

So why am I writing this? Because this blog just became all about me again. I did grow up an only child, you know…and do tend to like things to be all about me. (I’m kidding…kind of) I really just wanted to give myself permission to once again blog and record my family history along side the business aspects of my life. Hiring a photographer to capture your memories and loved ones is a personal decision. You need to feel comfortable with your photographer and relate to them in order for her to get those images that your heart desires. Hopefully this blog will help us connect a little better.

And with that…here is the first day of school:

That oldest boy looks less than pleased…not sure how many more years he’s going to put up with the camera

Although they do still welcome me walking them to their lines for the first day

This year the school did something pretty awesome. The teachers rolled out the red carpet, pulled the piano out of the music room to the front door and had all the students gather around for the Pledge of Allegiance and a rousing rendition of their school song – a great way to start off the day!

grateful for him:

and for her:

and for this one, too:

good things do come in threes.

Call or email today to schedule your session and receive 25 complimentary holiday cards (a $40 value) with your favorite image from your session at no cost to you. This next week I’ll be taking pics…hoping for that perfect shot of my three, and maybe this year I’ll get my cards done early

And a huge thank you goes to Becky for getting something like this together! It’s a wonderful and generous idea that I am honored to be a part of!

Do you know a Utah high school junior? Someone who is outgoing and energetic with a positive outlook on life? Do you know someone who is lots of fun to be around, friendly and deserves a whole lot more than just the typical senior portraits of days gone by…are YOU that person?

carrieowens|photography is looking for high school juniors who are positive and outgoing who will be graduating from any high school in the Greater Salt Lake area in 2011 (West Jordan, South Jordan, Cottonwood Heights, Sandy, Draper, Midvale, Murray, etc) to be selected as cop|senior reps. Those selected will get their senior portraits taken for FREE and earn unique photo rewards like rep cards, phone skins and proof books! Signed model release will be required. carrieowens|photography will only choose one to two senior models per Utah high school, so if you’re interested in finding out more, please email me at carrieowensphotography@gmail.com. The deadline to apply is June 1st.

And for those of you who are current local high school seniors – it’s not too late! Email me today to set up a time to get your portraits done!

Today also starts the  new blog feature of What to Wear Wednesday for carrieowensphotography…I will feature outfit collections or links to stores that have great options for your outfits for your session. This week’s example comes from the help of a photographer friend of mine Kelsey Anderson, who has created some great combinations to get your mind going in selecting your outfits for your session. On a day like today where it’s snowing in Utah (yes…it’s May here too) I love seeing these bright and springy fashions.

mini sessions will be held Saturday, March 20th at a local park in 30 minute blocks from 10am-4pm

email me today at carrieowensphotography@gmail.com to schedule your time slot and to get more details on the day…

based on the nature of these sessions mini sessions are not available for engagements, bridals, families larger than 5, senior sessions or newborns

There is a new contest here at carrieowensphotography for the babies and children in our lives. Book a newborn, baby or child (or family!) session to be held anytime between now and June 10th and we will select one image per child per session to enter into the Miller’s Professional Imaging Baby and Child Contest. Children must be age 12 and younger to be eligible for the contest. There are cash prizes up to $5000 for the lucky family of the winning portrait. Book soon as sessions are filling up! Send me an email me at carrieowensphotography@gmail.com for more information today!

This example shows a more colorful example of coordinating outfits than the previous version which showed a more monochromatic styling. Both are great, but this example shows that you don’t have to be matching to look great together. A outfit grouping like the one above highlights the people and their personalities and creates a great pulled together look for your images.

Were the months before the holidays too crazy and hectic to get everyone together for some family photos? Did you get tons of holiday cards from friends and relatives showcasing their family pics but never took the time to create your own? Are you thinking it’s time to bite the bullet and finally get everyone together for some fun shots…but you’re thinking you need to wait until next year? Please don’t wait. So many things can happen in a year…and we all know how crazy those months are before the holidays, right? So I have an offer for you…book yourself a family photo session now at the regular session fee rate (or one for just the kids for a great Valentine’s gift for mom or dad) and get another fall family session to be held after August 1st for a half off your fall session fee. Keep reading the blog in the coming weeks…some new information to be coming regarding new products and more!

I am currently booking for the 2010 (can you believe it’s about to be 2010!!?!!) calendar year. If you are pregnant and looking to book a maternity and newborn session, please contact me right away so we can get you on the schedule. I am also booking weddings for the 2010 year (one of my very favorite things to do!!) and those dates are limited.

I also wanted to give a message of thanks at this year end. I have met so many wonderful people this past year through my business. I am grateful for the opportunities to have been a part of your lives and to capture special moments for you and your loved ones. My clients have all been wonderful to me and I couldn’t feel more blessed that I am living out my dreams.

I need to also take time out to thank my friends and family for all of their love and support this past year. Without such a supportive husband and family I could not be where I am today. They have put up with the countless hours I have spent on the computer, out shooting and a few forgotten loads of laundry all in the pursuit of my dream. I thank you for that.

I’m off now to finish up some ordering and packaging up for clients. Look forward to a few sneak peeks and more coming your way in the following weeks! And what post would be complete without a photo…one of my three at our holiday photo shoot.

Typically when I plan out my own kids outfits (for photos…not everyday! ) I choose one shirt or dress and pull the other pieces from there. There are also times where I will dress my boys in the same or similar shirts that coordinate with my daughter’s outfit, partially because I like it, and partially because it annoys my brother in law. A win-win .

Just Monday I took my three young ones to a new spot to try out some photos. We rushed home from school and I pulled a shirt out for Miss C. The shirt was mainly brown with some orange and other colors in it (although a bit more purple than I would have liked). I then pulled a mostly orange shirt for Mr J and a different little shirt for Mr M that had orange and brown running through it as well as some lighter colors. So although all shirts were not the same, they all had the same basic colors in them (and if I would have planned a little more ahead, I probably could have done a better job coordinating, but on the spur of the moment, it worked fine!) For instance, Miss C’s shirt had words on it, which is something I would not recommend as it can be distracting. I also would have preferred for her to have a different color of jeans so that they didn’t stand out as being different from the boys, but that entailed doing laundry, and we just didn’t get that far yesterday

Please excuse the not so technically perfect photo above…it seems as though my children are getting a little tired of being in front of the camera. Imagine that I guess I’m paying for acting the same way for my mother’s camera when I was young!