I can’t thank you enough for your support of Cristina Coco Photography.  This year brought me three times the clients as last year, a new employee (thank God for Kelly!), and a connection to this craft that I only dreamed of.

Enjoy the video.  I think you’ll like it.  I know I could watch your kids’ beautiful faces all day.

(p.s. – if you would like to see it bigger, go directly to the youtube page – YOUTUBE LINK TO VIDEO – it drives me crazy that it is so small on here.)

Much, much love and a wishes for a fantastic 2012.

Cristina

www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDYyUwa-xno

So I wanted to give back to you.  For being so supportive and spreading the word about my business.  Because of you my business has doubled this year and I love all of you for having such big mouths!

I decided to have a contest to say thank you.  After talking to my good photographer friend Stephanie of Bellini Portraits in Mass, (thank you so much for being a great friend to bounce ideas with girlie!) I decided to give back with a little present and a little fun.

Who had the best portrait of 2010????

I went through my files and picked out my favorites.  Now it’s your turn to help me decide who was the favorite this year!

SO HERE’S WHAT YOU WIN:

1st place : (1) 16 x 24 Gallery Wrapped Canvas of the winning photo

2nd & 3rd place : 11 x 14 styrene mounted print of the 2nd & 3rd place photos.

4th & 5th place : $50 off a future session!

HOW TO PLAY:

1.  Each individual person may vote for one photo, one time only.  I have tracking on my site and I’m not afraid to use it.    Seriously, cheating is so not cool.

2. To cast your vote, just leave  a comment in the “add a comment section below”.  Make sure you leave on this “Let the Games Begin” post only!

3.  TO GET AN EXTRA VOTE!!! — If you are not already a fan on Facebook, head over to my FACEBOOK PAGE and become a FAN! People that LIKE my page, and only those people will get and EXTRA VOTE!  Make sure you tell me when voting that you have “liked” my page!

4. Forward to all your friends and family to get them to vote for you too!

-NEW CLIENT BONUS ROUND –

One lucky client-to-be will be drawn out of a hat (by my little guy!) and will win a FREE WEEKDAY SESSION!!  If you are not a client yet, but would like to be, when you cast your vote please write “I WANT TO BE A CLIENT TOO!” before voting.  Your name will go in the hat!!!!  (PLEASE NOTE, NYC, WESTCHESTER and LOWER FAIRFIELD COUNTY RESIDENTS ONLY!)

5. VOTING ENDS AT 11:59 PM on DECEMBER 12th!!!

So here are the entries!!! (in no particular order, that would be like picking a favorite child!!)  Numbers are ABOVE coordinating picture.  I’ve named them just to help a bit so there is no confusion!

1. BLISS BLANKET

2. HEADSTAND

3. FUN FAUX FUR

4. GIGGLE GIRL

5. A LITTLE GREEN

6. MINI CHRISTY B

7. MOM KISSED ME!

8. OH HELLO!

9. SUNNY DAY

10. SHOULDER PEEK A BOO

11. PRIVATE ISLAND

12. ROCKIN’ PINK

13. SMILE BABY!

14. LADIES IN RED

15. TOMMY BOY

16. PURE LOVE

17. HUGS

18. CITY BABE

19. BABE IN THE GRASS

20. I SAW MOMMY KISSING DADDY

21. SURPRISE!

22. HOLIDAY FUN

23.  FIRST KISS

24. UNDER THE TREE

25. SWEETNESS

26. YELLOW FIELDS

27. UP

28. GRASS PRINCESS

29. MERRY AND BRIGHT

30. BENCHED

31. TWINKLE TWINKLE

THE FINE PRINT:

Anyone caught with multiple voting from the same IP address – your votes will not count and will be removed.

Cristina Coco Photography reserves the right to change contest at any time.

Voting ends at 11:59 on Sunday, December 12th.

Prizes will be shipped in January.

Contest winners cannot change the image that was chosen for the contest.

New client bonus round winner is limited to NYC, Westchester and Lower Fairfield residents only.  (Westport and all points south)

If you do not see your image here it’s because I didn’t have a signed web release or didn’t place an official order yet.  If you would like to participate, please let me know!

Good luck to all the entries!!!!!  Have fun!

Kristen and Tom are one of those natural couples – not the all mushy kind of natural, the fit together like a puzzle piece kind of natural. They laugh at the same time, get the same jokes (although one is supposedly highbrow, and one lowbrow, looked the same to me!), and have all the same sort of interests that you can just see them getting old together. All their friends just mesh together so that at the wedding you can’t tell which side is the groom and which side is the bride – I love that.

So, where to start with all this fabulousness? I think Tom’s first look at his bride.  They wanted to spend as much time with their friends as possible – so they opted to take their formal pictures ahead of the ceremony.  Not traditional, but I think it’s amazing.  You get a special moment between just the two of you and get all those nerves out of the way.  It was so cute!

This is Tom’s reaction to seeing Kristen for the first time and K getting a little misty right after!

Kristen planned the wedding by herself along with friends – I think they did an amazing job!  The theme was hydrangeas and flip flops – can it get more Cape Cod than that?

Tom owns a restaurant/bar called Quahog Republic in Falmouth – notice the clam (a Quahog) on his tie?  We had to make sure that got a little attention shot.  You’ll see a bunch of Quahog references, just want to keep you in the loop! 

I for one think everyone should laugh like this on their wedding day….

I had a little idea while preparing for this wedding.  As you’ll see in my last post, I’m working on trying to give my clients something different during their sessions.  Weddings are a beast on their own, but I wanted to do something fun for Kristen so I talked to her sister (who happens to be my best friend) about doing a photobooth/guest book for her.  I asked her to pick up some chalk board and thought it would be really cute to have the guest write a message to the couple and I’d photograph anyone who wanted to participate.  It was AWESOME!!!  Everyone had a blast and it ended up being like a party game during dinner.  About 99% of the wedding guests participated.  Here’s a few of my favorites!

There are way too many, so I thought it best to include everyone in a little video:

Thank you so much for a great day Kristen and Tom!!! Can’t wait until you see all of them!
Lots of love and luck to you both!
xoxo

I just got back from a workshop in Pittsburgh with the very talented Australian photographer Barb Uil, otherwise known as Jinky Art.  She is AMAZINGLY talented – just oozes with ideas and creativity.  Her work makes my heart sing (her words for something else, but I found it so appropriate when trying to describe how her images make me feel).

These are some of the images I captured while studying with her.  I love that they are concept sessions – props without being too done.  Showing everyday life, but just a little exaggerated.  Isn’t that how children see things?  Life – but more colorful, whimsical and filled with wonder and imagination…  I am bursting with ideas (all written down in my new creative journal) and now I just need places and people.

I was so humbled this week as a photographer.  There are so many talented people out there to inspire you.  Have you been inspired lately in what you do?  If not, I hope that you can find what I did this week.  A nice kick in the bum to get you into action and make your daydreams into reality.  Gosh, I needed that.

This is my favorite image of the workshop.  I found this little caterpillar while we were shooting and gave it to Jinky’s daughter to hold…  normally I might have passed it by, but it was too colorful and with her high socks it looks like Alice in Wonderland to me.

No, this wasn’t a model.  Again, these are clients of the hosting photographer.  Um, hello beautiful people.  Wow, I love these mason jars as lanterns!!  And do you see how mommy and baby’s heads and mom’s arm make a heart on the bottom left???

I loved this little guy.  All he needed was a goat.  Oh wait, there was a goat – he just wasn’t cooperating when I took this image.  Seriously, she brings goats to sessions!

This little two year old was SO happy and beautiful.  I had to put a toes shot in too…  Plus my friends and I were borderline obsessed with the swing so it MUST be included.

Many thanks to Jinky, Deb, Meg, and Kathy for all the hard work.  It was wonderful.

Custom portrait photography is much different than your average simple studio session.  I love looking for unique locations, helping style your clothes and make you feel like VIP’s for a couple of hours.  It also means I’m yours for a while – completely accessible by email, phone, skype, facebook, you name it!

This session is a good example of what you’ll get from an on location session. I totally understand why people love sessions at their house, but there is something to be said about a different location!  I love that this session was completely organic and this family is a happy one!  Hope you like it!

One of my blog readers, Eileen van Hoek, nominated her friend Annette Russo with a beautiful letter.  Annette – an inspiring woman who should get supermom of the year award!  After her own battle with Lymphoma, Annette and Anthony got news no parents ever should ever have to – their only daughter had been diagnosed with Leukemia.  Samantha is in her second year of chemotherapy, and is finishing up in November 2010.  Expect a party.  BIG.

Samantha (or Sam to her mom’s chagrin), is one of those 13 year olds going on 30.  She is as strong as her mom, beautiful inside and out, and just as sweet as can be.  I’d really encourage you to take a look at her blog, written updates by Annette, to see all they are going through and how much this family stands together.  They are truly amazing.

Samantha’s BLOG

Meeting them, you would never know what they are going through.  I tried to keep our session as casual as possible so it would be fun and the kids would look back on it as a good day.

Here are some of my favorite images Russo family.  It was an amazing honor to photograph you all!!

My favorite of the day – Nicholas didn’t really want to take another picture, but to his credit he did it for Sam because when I told her my idea she thought it would be fun.  It was!  (well, to me anyway!)

Beautiful mom and dad – I really wanted to get them laughing and had to make them do a bunch of ridiculous things…  still got my laughing shot even though I had to embarrass them!

The cool, collected and incredible Samantha.  She wanted this tree shot, so we took it!

and another cause she’s just too pretty and cute.

Noah and his very cool hair.

Oldest Nicholas and youngest Alex.

And we can’t forget Buddy too!!

Thank you so much for being fun, cool, strong, sweet, polite and charming.  It was a pleasure working with all of you!

I saw this post on Three Men and A Lady DIY design blog…  she listened to her photographer, Michelle Rasmussen about ordering canvas – note the difference on the before and after!  What a statement it makes on this wall!!  Instant art.  It might cost a little more initially, but it will save you money on framing – it’s a win/win.  Really!

Go to her site to see more, I’m currently re-designing my office to (hopefully!) see clients here, so I’ve been looking at inspiring blogs like this all week!  There are so many creative people out there, just makes me all warm and fuzzy that the internet brings them right to me…If any of my canvas clients want to send me pictures of their wall galleries…  I would love to see them!

*** please note, photography is work of Michelle Rasmussen!  Just using to show how it can change a room and I don’t have any ‘before’ shots of my own clients! 

I love my iPhone.  Love it.  Ok, so I hate the battery… but I love everything else about it and being the visual person I am, any way I can make it more interesting I’ll try it.

I am now going to be offering these fun phone skins for my clients!  They are so cool!!  I love that my phone will never be mixed up with a friend’s again.  Let me know if you want one too…  They are simply a hi-tech, 3M removable layer – you can take it on and off as you please many, many times.  It is more of a scratch guard, but it looks really slick – even your kids will think you are cool! 

Let me know if you would like to order one!

*****To see my thank you slideshow, click HERE! *****

I’ve been so blessed and have had a great year with Cristina Coco Photography.  I’ve met amazing clients, created some images I’m really proud of, and been so lucky to have such an amazing job.

So the best way to say thank you is to give back, share a little something that has made me so happy with others who might not be so fortunate.

Through my photography friends I’ve been in touch with a little group called Giving is Awesome.  Pretty simple – give to others, it’s pretty awesome.  This group encourages photographers to give back to their community by donating their time and images to people who might have had a rough year, not be able to afford their services, or really just need some photography in their life for a special reason.

SO – I’m asking YOU blog readers – please nominate someone who really needs this.  Someone who has touched your life.  Someone who needs a smile.  Someone who needs a memory that otherwise might not be able to afford it.  Maybe someone that has a special moment they need documented.  Send me an email and tell me their story and why they deserve a special gift this holiday season.  The email for this contest will be info@cristinacocophoto.com and it will be open until midnight on January 2nd.

The winner of the contest will receive $900 in prints and services.  The nominator (that’s you!) will receive $200 print credit.  Again, deadline for the nomination is on January 2nd and I will announce the winner on January 4th on the blog.  The only rule for the contest is that the winner be in Westchester, Rockland, Fairfield, Bronx. Staten Island and Manhattan Counties, or Cape Cod, MA and nearby areas.

Thanks so much!  Do your part – please forward to as many people as you can – even if you don’t know someone directly, maybe a friend does!