She's a Stinker {MD, PA, VA, WV, Washington DC Photographer}

I tried doing a pretty Easter-y photo shoot with my baby girl this week, but she just wasn't having it. I had wonderful natural light coming in from the windows, a super cute Easter headpiece from Little Munchkin Pie, over-sized Easter eggs and even Easter grass for props, but nope! Ally would rather suck on her dress and put her fingers in her mouth than look pretty for the camera. Oh well, she's only four months old...she doesn't know any better. One thing I know for sure, though...

SHE'S A STINKER!

I'm definitely trying take #two with these Easter pictures this weekend. Hopefully we'll have success. Happy early Easter!

Etsy Love {MD, PA, VA, WV, Washington DC and Beyond Wedding Photographer}

A couple years ago, I discovered the beautiful world of Etsy. I was so impressed with all the handmade wonders and was so excited to find a new place to shop for unique, exciting things. I forgot about the coolness of Etsy for a little while, but just recently got excited about it again when I purchased some hairpieces for Ally from Little Munchkin Pie. I cannot wait to wear them on her this spring - one is a special piece for Easter that I'll share sometime soon. :)

Etsy is also a cool place to find wedding details. Chatting with past and present brides, I've found that many of them did a bunch of Etsy shopping for their wedding. They've gotten their hairpieces, shoes, jewelry, purses, decorations...all kinds of neat things from artists on Etsy! Sometimes the personal, unique, handmade details of the wedding are some of the most fun things to photograph, remember and share, so here's my shoutout to Etsy and all the brides out there in the wedding world: shop at Etsy and add some handmade wonders to your special day! You and your photographer will both be very happy.

Here are some recent Etsy finds and faves:

Handmade hairpieces for brides by Serephine....sooo beautiful!

Picture via Serephine

Fabulous button jewelry from Button Soup Jewelry. Wouldn't this look lovely with a vintage-inspired wedding dres??

Picture via Button Soup Jewelry

 

Funny wedding props (cool for pics, guests will love them!) by Funny Side of Life

Picture via Funny Side of Life

 

Paper garland for wedding decor by Jelly Bean Studio. I'd buy from them just because of their biz name. ;)

Picture via Jelly Bean Studio

 

Trendy clutches (great bridesmaid gifts!) from Oatmeal Lace Design

Picture via Oatmeal Lace Design

 

Now go and find yourself some Etsy Love!!!

Homework {MD, PA, WV, VA, Washington DC Photographer}

Ever since I started my business (in July of 2009), I've wanted to be a good blogger. Reading the blogs of other photographers was something I did all the time and it was a HUGE inspiration for me in the beginning. And while I'm not able to blog-read as much these days, I still turn to them (my favorites, as well as new discoveries) for inspiration...inspiration for portrait sessions, bride-groom posing, etc.

The commitment and dedication of these bloggers is something I strive for in my own business. Not only will blogging allow me to enjoy writing again, share stories of my life (especially now that we have Ally boo!) with family and friends, and post exciting pictures from portrait sessions and weddings, but also have a greater web presence as JFP. I'm not one to pay a ton of money for advertising (have only spent a few hundred bucks since starting the biz...pretty good, eh!?!), so I'm going to get my name out there via my blog...and I hope you'll became a loyal fan, follower and friend. :)

Now for the real reason of this post...

As motivation to keep a true blogging commitment, I want to have a totally awesome blog! I've hired the wonderfully talented Kristy of Wreckless Elements to install a new blog and give it a complete design overhaul. Kristy has asked that I do some "homework" before she begins the design. Along with blog specs and formalities, Kristy wants me to send some inspiration...other blogs, pictures, things I like, furniture, decor pieces, etc. Since I've become quite the web-surfer these days and because I love searching through blogs, the inspiration part of the homework has been fun. Here is what I've come up with so far:

This first inspiration image is from the blog of Erin Hearts Court, a wonderful husband-and-wife photog team with a super cute and fun style. I am so drawn to the beautiful patchwork blanket! Maybe something similar would make a fun blog background!?

After I was inspired by the patchwork blanket, I did some more patchwork-searching on Google. Check out this totally unique patchwork skirt! This is something you don't see everyday, but that's a good thing. I want my biz to be unique and want that displayed in my blog. I also want my blog to be somewhat colorful. I love colors, and I love being unique.

Image found on Whipup.net.

After I found the colorful patchwork skirt, I wanted to find more color inspiration. Then I discovered this amazing couch! How cool would this look in the JFP office!?! Oh my goodness I want it!

Image found at Ulla Norup Milbrath's blog.

Even though I have a hard time choosing a favorite color, I don't think I want rainbow craziness to take over my business and/or my blog. I do enjoy clean, white spaces with small punches of color, like the &Unlimited photography blog:

I've got a ton more inspiration to drum up for Kristy before my homework is done, but I just wanted to share what I've been finding to be inspirational lately. It's also a prelude into what my new blog might look like. I'm excited to become a good, committed blogger and cannot wait to rock my new blog design from Kristy! Stay tuned...

Spring Mini Sessions

Hi All!

Since I took a small hiatus from blogging and because I'll be introducing a new blog in the near future (!!!), I thought it might be nice to spread the word about my spring mini sessions via the blog! Gotta get used to blogging again and gotta get you all used to reading it again.

My first round of mini sessions for the year will take place the weekend of April 9th and 10th in the Waynesboro, PA area. I've been doing a lot of portraits at Renfrew Park, but am anxious to find a new spot in town. Any suggestions? For now, I may plan to take the pictures at another park in Waynesboro, but I'd love to be on a farm or in an orchard instead. So the location isn't exactly nailed down quite yet, but rest assured that it'll be somewhere in or around Waynesboro. Here are the details:

-25 minutes of session time (8:00am to 10:00am Saturday, 4:30pm to 6:30pm Saturday and Sunday)
-Online gallery of all edited images
-CD of edited images with reprint rights release
-$150 plus tax

Ideally, all sessions will take place in the same location on either April 9th or 10th, but if you've got a special request, let me know and we'll discuss.

If you're interested in a session, please email me at jessica@jessicafikephotography.com. I look forward to photographing you all!!! Here are some pictures to make you smile:

The first few are from back in the day when I first started my business and before I had a killer logo from Steve Hartt...

Oh and did I mention that my new blog will allow me to post BIGGER pictures at a BETTER quality!?! Soooo excited!!! Spring is almost here!!!!

MORE Fall Mini Sessions! {MD, PA, VA, WV, Wash DC and Beyond Photographer}

Last week I announced the addition of fall mini sessions to my portrait calendar for the Waynesboro, PA area. Because of the encouraging amount of interest I received, I am now adding fall mini sessions for both Bridgewater, VA and Connellsville, PA! Here's the skinny:

Wildwood Park ~ Bridgewater, VA
Sunday, October 10 - 3 to 5:30pm
All sessions open!

East Park ~ Connellsville, PA
Sunday, November 7 - 3 to 5:30pm
3 and 3:30 sessions available.

Session details remain the same:
- 25 minutes of session time
- Online gallery of all digitally-enhanced images
- CD of images with reprint rights release
- 25% off prints
All for just the price of the CD - $150 plus tax

If you're interested, please contact me ASAP at jessica@jessicafikephotography.com so we can schedule your session.

HAPPY FALL!

Fall Mini Sessions! {MD, PA, WV, VA, Wash DC and Beyond Photographer}

Fall officially begins tomorrow! Pumpkins, colorful leaves, festivals, sweaters and scarves will soon be part of every day, and I am super pumped! I cannot wait to go shopping for our seasonal mums and pumpkins, attend a few fall festivals, throw a scarf around my neck, and take pictures in the beautiful fall scenery. Just thinking about all the fall goodness puts me in a good mood!

My fall calendar is already super busy. Besides wrapping up wedding season (23 total this year!) and preparing for Baby Fike (due December 17th...I am 27.5 weeks along!), I've also got a TON of portrait sessions to shoot. My calendar is full for fall portrait sessions, but because it's such a beautiful time for pictures, I want to make room for more of you! Introducing...FALL MINI SESSIONS!

A mini session is for 5 or less people and is about half the time of a regular session. It does include a CD of images so you can print where and when you want, which is especially convenient with the holidays right around the corner. All mini sessions will take place on the same day at the same location. Here's the 411:

Saturday, October 23 at Renfrew Park in Waynesboro, PA
- 25 minutes of session time
- Online gallery of edited images
- CD of high-res images with reprint rights release
Session times: 3-3:25pm, 3:30-3:55pm, 4:00-4:25pm, 4:30-4:55pm, 5:00-5:25pm

The only cost to you is the CD of images, which is $150 plus tax. If you're interested in booking one of the five session times, please contact me ASAP at jessica@jessicafikephotography.com. If there is enough interest, I may add a second day and possibly a second location. Bridgewater or Connellsville anyone??

And just to give you an idea of the beautiful fall setting that Renfrew Park has to offer, here are some pictures of took of the Brunner-Hartt family last year:

These pictures weren't taken at Renfrew Park, but they were taken last fall, and they're just fun!

Happy Fall, y'all!

What Have I Been Up To? {MD, PA, VA, WV, DC and Beyond Photographer}

I hate to say it, but it's been since March that I've been posted to the blog. Blogging was a hard task for me to conquer from the beginning and then when wedding season hit, it didn't make things much easier. My wedding season officially began on April 17th and I am currently in the thick of it. I am approaching the fifth wedding of my 9-weddings-in-6-weeks streak and things are going quite well! I haven't had much time to do anything else in my business except edit wedding pictures, but it's all good. I am photographing beautiful weddings, meeting super sweet couples and making plans for the future of my business. Oh, and a few other things have been happening, too...

Brian and I found out in April that we're expecting! Our baby is due December 17th (only six days after our birthdays - Brian and I share December 11th) and I am almost 16 weeks along. The baby will conveniently be born in a non-wedding season month, but it's the few months that follow that have me a bit worried. Will I be able to answer emails often? Will I have enough energy to do a few portrait sessions? When will I want to officially return to work in the JFP office? I believe these are all questions that will be answered once the baby arrives, but until then I'll wonder. Our lives and my business are definitely going to change...for the better!

I've also released my new JFP logo! A few months ago, a friend of mine, Steve Hartt, designed and created a new logo for my business. I needed something new, fresh and unique and Steve gave me just that! You can check out my website now: http://www.jessicafikephotography.com/ for a little peek at the new logo and new look of my business. I am currently playing around with color choices and can't seem to put a finger on the perfect combination. I love all colors so it's hard for me to choose. I think yellow is going to stay in the mix, along with a light gray, but I need another splash of color. Something that says "fun" and "fresh", but still professional. Light blue and some other bright colors have been on the brain, and I'd also like to use polka dots in my marketing pieces. Here's some of my recent inspiration...

Wouldn't this yellow "splash" page make a nice splash page for my website??

LOVE the dots and bright, fun colors! Too much color, though??

Polka dots! Fun, yet professional.

Anyways, as I edit through thousands of wedding images, I'll eventually have time to finally decide on colors and start redoing some marketing materials, including this blog! I plan on getting a new blog (Blogger is a little rough sometimes and it's pretty limiting) so be on the lookout! Maybe I'll make it a goal to have the new blog up and running by the end of summer? I have a break or two within wedding season so it may be possible. Cross fingers!!!