A Gigantic Giveaway

When I was little and my birthday rolled around, I was allowed to stay outside and play until it got dark because my birthday falls on one of the longest days of the year. 9:30 p.m. is a big deal to an 8-year-old, and it was, quite possibly, the greatest thing in the world.

As I've gotten older, my birthday hasn't been as big of a deal. It's kinda sad that the excitement wanes, and this year, I wanted to do something about that. I love giving back and I've wanted to incorporate that into my photography business, SO … drum roll please …

I'm giving away a 2013 wedding photography package! Yep, a COMPLETE package that will allow you to go a little easier on your wedding budget. No strings attached.

Here's what you need to know:

• No purchase necessary.
• The giveaway includes full-day wedding coverage; two photographers; a DVD of high-resolution, edited images (color and black and white) with rights to print; and an online gallery to share with family and friends (more than a $1,700 value).
• You can nominate you and your fiancé(e) or a deserving couple (couple must be engaged and have a 2013 wedding date set).
• I repeat, this giveaway is for a 2013 wedding (I am already booked for a few 2013 weddings, so if your date doesn't work with my schedule, I will let you know as soon as I receive your entry).
• I will travel! Literally anywhere (Travel fees [airfare/car and hotel] will apply to weddings outside of greater Cleveland and greater Cincinnati).
• Please consider your contractual obligations with another photographer before entering (those nominating: please verify this with couple).
• Current LBP couples are not eligible.

Here's how you apply:

• E-mail me (subject: "Wedding Giveaway" to lane@lanebaldwinphotography.com) with the following information:
  • Names of the couple.
  • Wedding date, location and venues.
  • Couple's contact information.
  • A paragraph about why you think receiving this giveaway would be fabulous!
  • A paragraph about how YOU (or the couple) give back.
  • The theme of the wedding.
  • A photo of the couple.
• Like my Facebook page (if you don't have Facebook, let me know in your e-mail).
• Click "Like", "Share Post" or "Tweet Post" below and tag me in your post (Note: I'm not on Twitter but sharing on Twitter will be accepted).

Submissions will be accepted until July 4. On July 5, I will post the finalists* (chosen by yours truly) and open up voting to YOU to decide the winning couple. The runners-up will receive 10% off their package price if they choose to book.

Ready? GO!

*Having never done this before, I have no idea what the response to this giveaway will be. I'm hopeful I will have more than one applicant. :)

101 in 1001: #1 Buy a Camera Bag I Can Shoot With.

Does it feel like everything's moving really fast? And when I say everything, I'm personally thinking about this business. I feel like it was just yesterday I was launching this blog, getting my first (or second) camera bag, declaring I was going to try this photography thing on my own, branding myself ... and now this Saturday I'll be shooting my first wedding of the season. And then it's on to tackle albums. I'm so thankful that this photography dream has taken on a life of its own. I feel incredibly blessed that I've been able to work quickly and take on one new thing after another. Kind of crazy, but also crazy exciting. :)

So anyways, onto the subject of this post: the Posey bag by Kelly Moore! As shoots picked up, I realized how much I needed a smaller, lightweight camera bag that I could wear during a session. I was constantly going to my big bag to change lenses or cards, and I was wasting time. It definitely wouldn't do on a wedding day. Enter Posey bag.

When I was looking for a bag I could shoot with, I thought about SHOOTSAC. I've used Amanda's while working weddings with her, and while I love how well it lays against your side, I really wanted something that I could set on the ground without falling over. That's the one drawback to the SHOOTSAC for me. Sometimes I lay on the ground for a shot, and it's necessary for me to keep my gear safe if I have to take off my bag.

So, since I love my Kelly Moore JuJu bag, I decided to look at her line again. Kelly Moore's bags are so durable and practical, but also cute! And the Posey is no exception. It meets all of my requirements and then some. Take a look:

Looks like a purse, right? I love that I can now safely take my camera out with me and not look like I'm carrying a camera bag.

The top flaps fold down for when you're shooting, and they magnetically stay in place. Brilliant!

I divide the inside into three compartments, so I can fit three lenses in there when I shoot. I can also fit my 5D mkii with two lenses if I want that option.

There are so many pockets! One on the back that closes with a magnet (center photo) and multiple on the front. My favorite part about this bag is the secret zipped compartment that has a sleeve for lots of CF cards and also a ton of pouches for business cards. I definitely will never run out of room in this bag.

So, what bag do YOU shoot with and why? Any other brands I should be checking out?

Making the Most of your Schedule

The other night, while Nathan and I were watching Downton Abbey (new favorite show!), I decided to paint my nails. And then I needed a snack. And my e-mail! It needed to be checked. And then I remembered that I had to put together a timeline for an upcoming wedding. Meanwhile, I was asking Nathan, "What just happened??" because I didn't catch the last ... oh ... 20 minutes of the show. I have this problem. I always have to be doing something. And while I'm doing that something, I have to be doing something else. It's why I had three jobs last year, because I liked them all and I couldn't say no! Even for my own sanity.

But that crazy season in my life did help me realize one thing: I wasn't living in the moment. I was always stressed out, thinking three steps ahead and forgetting stuff along the way. I wasn't paying attention to things that really mattered: my family, my friends, my faith.

I'm still trying to find a good balance between work and play and everything else, and sometimes I fail (see first paragraph above). But the last few months I've really tried to make some changes. And because I hope that this will help at least one person, I'm sharing them here:

1. Don't bite off more than you can chew. I love my to do list, but it does not always love me. I think I can get 10 things done in a day when realistically I can only do three. I used to write all 10 of those things down and then get so frustrated when I'd fail ... miserably. Now, I keep a master list of everything running through my head and pick only three things to add to my daily to do list. If I can get more than three things done, great. But I won't set my self up for failure at the beginning.

2. Set boundaries. This might sound insanely controlling but it works for me: I schedule my day out so I can stay on track and have time for play later in the evening. My typical day looks something like this:

6-8 a.m.: Work on photography (I have a couple action-oriented tasks set aside for this time)

8 a.m.-noon: Start my full-time job (I work from home and it's incredibly easy to get off task. So, I schedule every hour of my day [i.e., 8-9 a.m.: Check e-mail, 9-10:30 a.m.: Work on the Annual Report,10:30 a.m.-noon: Check communication plan and create applicable e-mails, etc., etc.])

Noon-1 p.m.: Take a lunch break (Typically during my lunch break I try to work out because the farther into the evening it gets, the more unlikely I am to do it. Getting it done midday helps set the tone for the rest of my day. I know not everyone has the luxury of working out at noon, but doing it the morning is just as good)

1-5 p.m.: Work my full-time job (Again, the afternoon is scheduled like the morning)

5-6 p.m.: Eat dinner with Nathan

6-8 p.m.: Work on more photography stuff or tackle other items on my personal to do list

8-10:30 p.m.: Relax with Nathan!

3. Allow yourself a treat. Yeah, that schedule up there gets daunting, and if I feel myself getting off track, I'll take a break to get some Starbucks or 10 minutes to read a favorite blog. If I don't allow myself that distraction, even if it's only for a little bit, the rest of the day will be looooong.

4. Keep a clean space. My mom can attest to my messy room in high school, but I like to think that since then I've become better about picking up after myself. I definitely still have a (small) pile of clothes on the dresser that I have to put away every few days, but I try to keep cleaning manageable. Because I get overwhelmed cleaning our ENTIRE house at once, I (or Nathan) clean one room a day. That's half an hour a day that makes me feel organized and on top of things. And I never have to spend the entire day cleaning and de-cluttering. It's all about small steps!

5. Be in the moment. This is the most important one for me and something I'm continually working on. When I'm talking to Nathan or on the phone with a friend, it's NOT OK for me to be "multitasking" at the same time. I can't give my full attention to either thing, so why do it subpar?

When I find myself overwhelmed and uninspired, I like to revisit The Challenge by Making Things Happen. While I don't follow each of these steps in the exact order or way they're outlined, it definitely helps me to recenter and focus.

Now. How do YOU make the most of your schedule? I'd love to hear some of your tips and tricks.

Meet Emily

I'm so excited to introduce you to my lovely second shooter Emily. She is sweet and joyful and has a great artistic eye. Emily will be accompanying me to lots of weddings this year, and I know you all will love her! And with that, I'll let her tell you a little more about herself ...

1) Tell us a little about yourself.

I was raised in a military family, so I spent my childhood here and there. (I even lived in England for 4 years!  Unfortunately, I was young, so I only remember the important things like the park and our house … not all the great castles I saw from my stroller. Alas.) I spent a majority of the “growing up years” in North Dakota though, and I loved it.  If people knew how absolutely beautiful the land is (and they could survive the winters) everyone would move to North Dakota. ;)

I went to Kent State and majored in Middle Childhood Education. I’m not using every facet of that major in my current job for a marketing company, but that’s OK. I’m still figuring it all out.

I have a lovely set of parents, one sister and one brother. My family holds a crucial place in my life. They warm my heart, make me laugh, and support my every dream.

I am recently engaged and getting married to a brilliant guy named Keith Schmader on June 23rd! (Look out for a name change: Emily Schmader. I’m not having too much trouble getting used to it!)

2) When you have 30 minutes of free-time, how do you pass the time?

30 minutes is the perfect amount of time to simultaneously eat a bag of 100-calorie popcorn, read a few of my favorite blogs, and watch an episode of The Office on DVD: the ideal half hour.

3) If you had an extra $1,000 that you could use any way you wanted, how would you use it?

(Let’s disregard the realities of wedding/marriage expenses and pretend for a second that I wouldn’t be practical.) With an extra $1,000 I would probably hit up an antique mall and outfit my entire house with a plethora of great antique finds. I would also buy a couple new pairs of glasses. I love glasses and I’m always wearing a pair. One for every mood, you know? (I actually just fell in love with some Ralph Lauren’s…but they were pricey! Shoot.)

4) What’s something you know you do differently than most people?

I have a very strange reaction to the “hungry human.” For whatever reason, when I see someone who is clearly hungry and eating to satisfy that need, it makes me cry. I feel this surge of emotion because I can relate to the feeling. We all know that horrible, worn out feeling of being hungry. It’s a basic need of every human. People are vulnerable and unmasked when hungry. I’ll often tear up, and if you catch me at the right moment, I may even have a really good cry. My family and friends have adjusted to this reaction.

5) What inspires you most about photography?

There’s a "hazy dreamer" inside me that feeds off of beauty, art and life. Photography has proven to be one of the best ways to fuel that little dreamer. It captures a short moment in time. One records that brief moment in the likes of a picture, and it lives on as long as the picture does. I enjoy finding those moments through the lens. And I LOVE seeing the fragments of time that others have caught.

Isn't she cute?? Make sure you leave Emily some love, and check out her BRAND-NEW BLOG "Once Upon a Parcel."