Such expression

O had so many expressions while I was taking his pictures! And he definitely had an opinion about the cute little stuffed animal that Mom brought for him to pose with - "Get it away from me!". So, most pictures are without the animal - though we did get a couple of him tossing it away. Here is one without it - and as you can see, he appears to be happy that he's taking this one solo!

Serious little man

W was a very serious little boy for most of our shoot. Smiling or not, though, he's certainly a cutie!

Little model

Little J was quite the professional when we had our shoot. With his disposition and his cute little smile, I think that he's ready for his modeling career!

A game and a little freebie too!

It's been said that artists continually reinvent themselves... and I find that very much to be the case! I'm making some changes to the way that I edit pictures and I would love to include some examples of my new editing techniques on my website. So, I'm offering a contest that will benefit you and me! Keep reading for details.

Here is the background on the picture below: This picture is one of my all-time favorites. It was taken by Adam Smith (my super-cool husband) a few years ago in Paris. We were on a rooftop of the Sacré-Coeur, overlooking a rather typical street in the area. It was damp - rain had been off-and-on and gentle, but enough to flatten or frizz (whichever way you dislike) your hair. People kept their umbrellas out even though the rain, at the moment this picture was taken, had stopped. You know - just in case. And I'm so glad that they did. I'm also glad that the person in red with the white umbrella (right, center) was where he was. I can't pinpoint why, but I think he makes this shot. And kudos to Adam who saw it all as a picture before it actually was one!

Here are the details of the contest: There are five differences between the top and the bottom pictures. The first three people to email me (melanie@just-because.com) with at least four correct differences will receive a free indoor or outdoor sitting and two free 8x10s from that sitting (a $132 value!!). Photos (though no names) from these sessions will be included on my website and/or for marketing for Just Because, so of course, please only enter this contest if you're ok with that. =)

Questions? Please email me. And also, keep checking back here (add me to your RSS readers!!) - contests with freebies and discounts will be posted at least once a month. Thanks for playing!

Icky weather!

Because of the yucky weather the past couple days, the outdoor family shoots that were planned for today had to be rescheduled. So, we're going to try again on Saturday, April 4th. Because of the reschedule, I've had a couple spots open up. If you're interested in taking advantage of this special offer (same deal, same place - just a different date), please shoot me an email (melanie@just-because.com) or give me a jingle (425.761.4760).

Two little monkeys

Calling all families!!

When is the last time that you had a family picture taken?

If you're like our family, it probably wasn't recent enough!! Let's fix that! Just Because has recently started offering outdoor pictures and needs more examples for its website. So, we're offering a day of great little outdoor mini-sessions for families. Come visit us on Sunday March 15th at Farrel McWhirter Park and get your family picture taken! You'll get a sitting and three digital images (with non-commercial reproduction rights) on CD for $50 + tax. If it's raining, we'll reschedule for a weekend in early April.

You’ve got nothing to lose – and only happy grandparents to gain! Please call (425.761.4760) or email (melanie@just-because.com) to schedule your timeslot today!

Drama queen

A has her fake pout down - as you can see. And though it was quickly replaced by giggles, this, I think is my favorite shot from that day. It's so very much her - and so very cute too!