And the winner is.....

My birthday is here, which means it's time to announce the Wedding Photography Giveaway winner!

First let me say that this decision was SO HARD to make! There were some awesome entries to this Wedding Photography Giveaway and reading such beautiful stories about each of these couples was so much fun. There were ALOT of entries that I received for wedding dates I already had booked. (FYI, June 2010 is all booked up folks :) I had to enlist the help of my husband & one of my best friends to help make this final decision because I was having such a hard time!

Without further adieu, our winner is....

Deeann & Loyd of Nashville, TN!

The Skinny:

Deeann & Loyd met during a summer camp when they were 13 and became pen pals. Their friendship grew over the years and the two fell in love. They just became engaged this past Saturday (above photo is from their engagement night) & are planning a November wedding. Their wedding is going to be very unique, as they are having a handmade do-it-yourself wedding day. As Deeann describes "I am the type of person that wants everything to have a meaning more than it being fancy or nice..."

Why Them?:

I have a great admiration for people who pursue their passions in this life. It's a hard thing to do, often requires great sacrifice, and always requires alot of trust in God. (I know this first hand :) Both Deeann & Loyd are artists, and make their living doing so. I know this is not always an easy road, but it is a very rewarding one.

I received an email from one of Deeann's friends, Rachel, to tell me a little about how they serve in their community. They're a part of a small group in their church that goes out monthly to help where they can in the small ways. They've been known to paint swing sets, hang out at nursing homes, go to the hospital and just sit and chat with patients, and bring groceries to those in need. One other thing Rachel shared with me is that last year Deeann donated several of her paintings to be auctioned off to help raise money for another community project. Herein lies the reason that I picked this couple... I know that they will pay it forward.

So Deeann & Loyd... Congrats! I can't wait to get to know you both! Keep loving others, serving your community, and pursuing your creative talents!

Again, a huge THANK YOU to everyone who entered this years giveaway.... What? "THIS years"?? Yeah, well, who knows... maybe we'll make this a yearly event :) It's just too fun!

The "W" Kiddos - Cincinnati Photographer

My sweet friends Amy & Steve asked me to photograph their two little ones, which I was of course more than happy to do! They're such great kids, and adorable to boot, so this was easy-peasy for me. :)

Mitchell could be considered one of my little Noah's first "friends".... I have no idea if they actually have ever played "together" but they see each other weekly & Noah talks about "Mitcheee" when he knows he'll be seeing him soon. That counts, right? Abigail is such a beauty already.... Steve, you better be prepared! :)

This next is a set of shots that I did with this in mind.... These 3 NEED to hang on your wall together, Amy... They're so cute! (I wish this dumb blog would let me post this larger! You get the idea at least...)
Stay tuned in a few weeks when Mitchell & Abigail gain a new sibling & we have some newborn photos to shoot!

REMINDER: Wednesday is the LAST DAY to get in your entries for the Wedding Photography Giveaway! Click HERE if you have no idea what I'm talking about. :) Thursday is my birthday (please send gifts to....) I kid, I kid... Really though, Thursday I'll be sharing the birthday love when I announce the winner of the contest!

Haley & Matt - Engagement Sneak Peek - Cincinnati Wedding Photographer

So, I'm going to forewarn you that I have super excellent exciting news to share with my fantastic husband tonight, so if I sound chipper than normal in this post... Well, that's why. :)

Last weekend I met up with the fantastically awesome (see what I mean?!) Haley & Matt for an engagement session at Cincinnati's beautiful Ault Park. I always try to get in the brains of my couples a little bit when we're chatting about locations for engagement sessions so when Haley mentioned that she volunteers at a local nature center, and then mentioned Ault Park, I knew we had a match. We dodged approximately 1.5 million brides & grooms who were also there on Saturday taking photos, and found some fun spots of our own instead of shooting in the "normal" Ault Park areas. I think the outcome is VERY Haley & Matt.



Two Words: Natural Beauty.

I love that this shot feels like you're seeing something you shouldn't. Is that a little Peeping-Tom-ish? Whatev'. I love it.

Check back in on Friday for the "Five on Friday" post which I have been neglecting as of late. I try to keep my sneak-peek blogs short & sweet, which means I often end up not posting lots of other favorites, so I think Friday I will post some random photos from recent different events.

If you haven't emailed everyone in your address book yet about the Wedding Photography Giveaway, please do so immediately! I kid, I kid. Really though, if you know of someone who could benefit from this, let them know & tune in August 27th to hear who is the winner! Total value of this giveaway packages is upwards of $2000, so it's my biggest giveaway yet!

For those of you who only read the "notes" stream of this blog on facebook, go here for the details of the giveaway: http://donahophotography.blogspot.com/2009/08/wedding-photography-giveaway.html

WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY GIVEAWAY!!!!!!!!

I can't stand the suspense any longer... Let the games begin!

Doing a Wedding Photography giveaway is something I've wanted to do for awhile, but wanted to wait until a good time to announce it... What better time than my birthday month?! Here's the skinny:

Rules:

*You must be currently engaged & have your wedding date chosen.
*I must be available on your wedding date (duh).
*Your wedding must be in 2009 or 2010.
*You may not have an existing contract with another photographer.
*Out of area couples are encouraged to also apply, just know that should you be chosen, you will have to cover my travel expenses (airfare & 2 nights of accommodations).


Here's whatcha' get:

*Engagement Session or Day-After Session (which comes with a disc of high-res edited photos and a proofing gallery online!)
*FULL wedding day coverage!
*All wedding day images on a DVD for you to keep, share online & print as well as a large selection of specially edited images!
*Personal online gallery to share your best-of-day images with friends & family!

To enter, please email me at: amanda@donahophotography.com with the following info:

1. Your names
2. Wedding date & Location
3. Your STORY! How you met... What you enjoy doing together... Why YOU deserve this giveaway!
4. A photo of the two of you that I can post when I announce the winner!

Please note:

I really want this giveaway to go to a super deserving couple! If you want to nominate someone for this special, you're welcome to do that also! Do you serve in your community? Do you work for a non-profit? Tell me your story!

Good luck!!!

ALL ENTRIES MUST BE RECEIVED BY AUGUST 26TH!!!! MY HOPE IS TO ANNOUNCE THE WINNER ON MY BIRTHDAY, THE 27TH :)

Client Appreciation.... (Specials & Giveaways!)

You know those little things in life that just make you smile? Things that regardless of what's going on around you and how terrible certain circumstances may be, you know you can turn to those and feel refreshed?

...Pumpkin Candles
...My son's belly laugh
...The smell after a fresh spring rain
...The dumb jokes my husband makes... that I try to pretend aren't funny :)
...Pedicures

...Letters from happy clients.

Here are a few little notes I've received from clients over the last few months.... These kind words mean so much to me!

...All I can say is WOW....all of the shots are amazing and I couldn't be happier!!!! I can't wait to show my entire family and group of friends the pics... I hope we don't lose touch and can do dinner some time to catch-up. I have been telling everyone I know to use you for future events...you are the best!!

...I want to cry they are so amazing. Thanks for making that day soooo memorable for me.

...I'm so excited, you can't even imagine!! I love all the pictures and you have an amazing eye for creativity and detail! Oh-my-gosh, I love, love , love all that you did! thank you for capturing our day!!

...We LOVE the pictures! Your talent, spirit and passion for what you do is soooo apparent.

...Yaaaaaay! They are AWESOME!!! :-) I don't know how I'm ever going to decide which ones I want to display in our house!! ...when my friends get engaged, you will be HIGHLY recommended :-) Thank you sooooo much for everything! We have loved working with you!

...Thank YOU so much for coming out and taking these wonderful pictures..... I'm just getting super awesome feedback which makes me feel so beautiful. It was totally our pleasure to meet you and share this with you. You are absolutely my inspiration for photography.....I am going to keep working at it and hopefully someday I can shoot like you!

...YOU ARE SO TALENTED IT MAKES ME SICK!!!! UNBELIEVABLE....I don't know how you do it....I look amazing!!! It took me a minute to realize it was ME!!!!!

...my photographer is AMAZING and the best around - hands down, no questions asked! She makes everything look gorgeous!

Thank you so much to those of you who have also taken the time to write reviews about my services on sites such as Wedding Wire, Martha Stewart Weddings, and Wedding Book.

I love you all! :)

Now, as some of you may remember, last year on my birthday I did a drawing for a free shoot.... Well, this year I decided to do it up a little more and celebrate for a few weeks! :) My birthday is on the 27th of this month (...and oddly enough, I'll be turning 27... Yikes) so check the blog LOTS over the next few weeks for SPECIALS and GIVEAWAYS!!!! Horray!

Mailynn - Trash the Dress - Cincinnati, Ohio Photographer

When I first met Jeff & Mailynn to chat about their wedding day, she asked about doing a Trash the Dress session. Any bride who's willing to indulge in a little TTD is a bride after my own heart. :)

We headed out last weekend to a few different locations to do some "trashing". Now, as I always like to mention when discussing TTD sessions, this does NOT mean you have to actually TRASH your dress. (I need to re-name these shoots actually... any ideas?!). Mailynn was able to use her beautiful dress for some awesome shots, and will still be able to clean her dress (thank the good Lord for dry-cleaners) and preserve it if she chooses. TTD sessions are whatever you want to make of them! The only requirement is that you work-it-out fashionista style, which Mailynn did PERFECTLY!

I don't think there are enough words in the English language to describe how much I love this next shot.... It's so Alice-in-Wonderland-ish. Mailynn, if you ever decide that you're done with your legs, can I have them? Hot. Jeff was kind enough to jump in at different times and join his new bride in some shots. I don't know much about ballroom dancing, but I have heard (on movies...) that the man is to "frame" his female dance partner, as if she is a picture & allow her to be shown off. I kept thinking of that during the shots that Jeff was in. He "framed" her in such a way that allowed her beauty to be shown off even more.

Michelle & Jeremey - Wedding Day! Saginaw, Michigan

9 years ago this month, I met Jeremey for the first time. He is an amazing guy, and for the last 9 years I've been saying "whoever Jer ends up marrying is going to be one lucky girl!" So when I heard that he had met & proposed to Michelle, I was super eager to meet her!

I traveled to Saginaw, Michigan last weekend to photograph their wedding day, see Jeremey for the first time in about alot of years, and meet Michelle for the first time. Michelle is everything I ever hoped to see in a wife for Jer... They're both such awesome people & I am so happy that I got to be there and witness the beginning of what I know will be an incredible future for this new family.


Michelle was so so so so so beautiful.

I snuck a few shots from the other room right after the ceremony was over & Michelle &Jeremy had a couple moments alone....

The church had a huge basketball court... and well, mix that with a fun group and a crazy photographer....
It was totally raining through all of these next few shots... Michelle was not the least bit phased by getting a little wet... Even more of a reason for me to love her! :)Their entrance into their reception..... In a full sprint while carrying Michelle... SO much fun :)

Lovely in Love

Last weekend I drove up to Saginaw, Michigan for Michelle & Jeremey's wedding weekend. One thing I love about shooting out of town weddings, is that I always attend the rehearsal, which lets me get to know the wedding party a bit before the wedding day & of course get a better play-by-play of how things will go down at the ceremony. After Michelle & Jer's rehearsal dinner, I snagged them for 2 minutes to take a shot in the huge corn field behind Jeremey's family home.

Check back this weekend for the sneak peek from their wedding day! Until then, here's a couple of the cornfield shots to hold you over...