utopia Photography News

My Blog is New and Funky Fresh

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa) — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 17:28:00 +0000

As you could probably tell, I got a spankin new site. Which also means, I got a spiffy new blog area. I hope you all check me out there and add me to your favorite blog reader. Now I have to settle in to my new diggs because knowing my husband's track record, I'll be there for awhile.
Thanks for stopping by,
-lisa

still playing catch up

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa) — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 21:08:00 +0000

I hope everyone is having a great summer. The summer is in full swing in my household. It's been good here, not too hot, a little rain in the morning, and long afternoons. Can't complain. Kids are home and cousins are over. There are movies to catch, cupcakes to bake, and shave ice to be eaten. There has been some late nights and some sleeping in by everyone. It's been a good summer so far. I hope the rest of you are also taking advantage of it. So in an effort to be a little more efficient, I want to post some of my wonderful families from a while ago.

Here are some images from way too long ago.

Such a sweet little girl...

Another new one...

Look at this cutie.

This handsome guy will have to beat the girls off with a big stick...

You can see these two in and around The Growning Nest. The little one isn't so little anymore though...

Hope you all have a great weekend and enjoy the last week of June. Projectfocus is well underway so you may catch me on the news ( KGMB ) since they are following us through the process. As many of you know, I'm good as long as they don't make me talk.

Thanks for stopping by,
-lisa

Happy Father's Day

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa) — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 06:56:00 +0000

Hope all you daddys out there have a restful and family filled Father's Day. Here are some of my recent favorites with dads.

I included an image or two of my baby brother who is also a new daddy. He is doing a bang up job up there in New York. And my new niece is just a doll.

A special shout out to you Lancie Poo. Happy Father's Day!

Thanks for stopping by,
-lisa

May MPA

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa) — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 22:48:00 +0000

Ok, before it is July, I thought I would post the May MPA ( Monthly Photo Assignment.) It was just Liz and I this time around and Casey will join us again in September. The topic for the month (readers choice) was "Memories" in any interpretation. It was timely with Memorial Day and all.

Here is mine:

And a current image that looks very timeless- Liz's image:

Thanks for stopping by -
lisa

A Wonderful Family

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa) — Thu, 21 May 2009 06:35:00 +0000

Here is the family that won the blog banner spot. It was a magical morning of pure love. I love it when a family is just comfortable with themselves, the love they share and with me being there to capture it. It really comes through in the images.

See what I mean? Pure wonderfulness.

Thanks for stopping by,
-lisa

Guilty as Charged

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa) — Mon, 18 May 2009 07:31:00 +0000

Ok, so lots have been happening and I've been bloggin that stuff but, to tell you the truth, I haven't finished blogging all of my 2008 sessions. So, this is ending of the 2008 sessions. I'm so sorry you guys. I hope all these kids haven't grown 2 feet since then... I figure, pretty soon I'll be blogging their past and present sessions if I don't get a move on.

Here ya go...

How cute are these little rascals?

These two come all the way from NJ to see family here. We have so much fun. They are all a riot.

And this beauty is so easy going and wonderful. It's like a vacation to photograph her. Amazing eyes.

Next entry will be the family that gave me my blog banner.

Oh, and Annie says that she hasn't given a tip for awhile so her tip is:
" Don't roll down your windows in a car wash." Sage advice.

Thanks for stopping by,
-lisa

Happy Mother's Day

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa) — Fri, 08 May 2009 17:58:00 +0000

Here's hoping you all have a relaxing and family filled Mother's Day. Here are a few of my many favorite "mom" images. And for all you last minute Dad's who need to still get their "moms" something special. You can pick up Utopia Gift Certificates at Makana Mother and Baby. They can be used toward a new session or prints from previous sessions. Just a thought.

Have a good one and thanks for stopping by.
-lisa

Women in Need and Whole Foods Drive

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa) — Sat, 02 May 2009 03:51:00 +0000

This post is one that I'm doing because I think it's a great opportunity for you to get involved and give back. Women in Need is teaming up with Whole Foods to do a baby drive. They have set up bins around the store for customers to place baby related items in. It doesn't need to be bought at Whole Foods nor does it need to be new, gently used is just fine. The drive will run through the month of May and the departments are even competing with each other as to who can gather more items. I know some of you got gifts for your kids or your littlest ones that they barely used before they grew out of, so now you know what to do with that stuff. The bins will be for kids 0-3 years old and the items will be distributed statewide to the homeless families on the beaches, parks and shelters. In this economy, there is more of a need so any little bit will help them. Of course, daily items are most helpful - diapers, wipes, onesies, pacifiers etc. I'm sure you have something at home... I know I do, and my Annie is already 7.
Thank you so much.
-lisa

March - Montly Photo Assignment

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa) — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 21:18:00 +0000

Ok, so I know it's April. Whatever. Anyway, things have been a-happenin' so it's a tad late. But here they are. The topic -

Silliness.

Casey:

Liz did a collage:

and Mine:

We decided to take a month off ( since we are super late as it is- totally my fault.) That will give you ( my bloggiest of blog readers) a chance to give us more topics to possibly do for May. Please either email them to me or just post them in the comment sections. All comments are totally welcome and appreciated. I've gotten some great ideas from people but I want to hear from more of you...

Thanks for stopping by,
-lisa

The Commercial

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa) — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 17:10:00 +0000

Ok, I got the permission to post this. It was kind of elusive for me so I actually only saw in once but now I get to see it all the time. Just a side note, my son is in it, but he is about six here. He is now 13 and just a little mortified. He hopes no one will recognize him at school, I think I'll send them the link... ;) Let's see how much he irritates me at home...

Here it is.

Thanks for stopping by.
-lisa

keep your eyes glued

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa) — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 01:05:00 +0000

Just a little announcement... some of my images will be in a commercial! Well, six of them anyway. The spot will start airing tonight, I think, during either the afternoon or evening news, on three different channels. It will be about using the money coming down from Washington for education as it was earmarked for in the first place. I'm excited. I hope I don't miss it. If I can I'll post it on my blog in a coming post. I'll see if I can get permission first.

Here are some other images to tide you over...

How are these two for cute?

And I just saw these two at the minis. The little one isn't as little anymore, let me tell ya.

Thanks for stopping by,
-lisa

February Photo Assignment

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa) — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 01:37:00 +0000

Yes, I know it's March. But with everything else happening, it's taken me a little longer to post them. But, rest assured I think this is a good exercise for us to keep those creative juices flowing. I think in this day and age, it's always a good thing to be creative. So without further ado...

Simplicity ( chosen by Liz )

Lisa

Liz

Casey

So that is that. It puts a little more pressure on us to know that all of you are looking at what our ideas on the topics are. Any comments are welcome, of course. This month Casey has chosen the topic, but for next month, I'm leaving it up to you.. my blog readers to give us the topic in which to shoot. Be thinking... I'll take any suggestions by email. You can start emailing anytime. Oh, and Casey and Liz, no fair getting your friends to email me with your suggestions. ;)

Back to regular posts next time.
Thanks for stopping by,
-lisa

Only Two Days Left

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa) — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 04:37:00 +0000

Just a quick reminder that there are only two days left to take advantage of the 20% off print sale for 2008 sessions. Take advantage of the sale and email me an order. If you need me to re-upload the gallery, please let me know ASAP. Just email me your order and you are on your way! The sale will end on March 19th.

More details 3 posts back ( the sale announcement.) Just scroll down to check out all the info.

Thought I would add some images...

Here are some from 2008 sessions that I didn't have a chance to post before. Such wonderful families!

Such a happy guy, and so full of energy.

Love these little girlies. They are just bundles of fun! Twins are a workout for sure.

And lastly this guy. He was giggly and loved his furikaki snacks.

Thanks for stopping by,
-lisa

I'm so sorry but all the slots have been filled.

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa) — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 04:16:00 +0000

A new record guys - 3 hours. All slots have been filled for the mini sessions on April 4th. That is just plain craziness. Right now, there are no plans to have another mini session day, but you never know. Maybe for Father's Day? Stay tuned to the blog to see what comes up. I want to thank all of you for the response and remember, if you didn't get a slot, I'm still taking appointments for regular sessions.

If you really want a mini session time, please email me and I will put you on the wait list and if I get any cancellations, I'll give you a call right away.

Or, you can purchase a gift certificate for a session. ( Or hint to the hubby to buy one for you.)

Thanks for stopping by.
-lisa

Minis are Back!

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa) — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 23:37:00 +0000

I have just scheduled a date for the special Mother's Day Mini session at The Growing Nest. The last two were so successful and fun that we thought it would be a blast to incorporate moms. These sessions will be for moms and their kids. I will not be photographing individual kids at this time. This announcement is going out to my blog readers first so you will get first dibs on the time-slots.

Here's the info:

Date: April 4th

Times: 9am till 3pm
Each session will be 20 minutes long. If you are late, we can only give you the remaining time you have left. This will help us stay on time throughout the day.

Cost: $95. This is the sitting fee but does include one 5x7 of your choice. The fee is payable at The Growing Nest on April 4th.

Who: Moms and their little ones. All ages of children are welcome.

You will be able to pick up your finished images on or around Mother's Day.

Email or call me if you are interested. Don't wait because the last time I held minis on a weekend, it booked out completely in 48 hours. And then I had to turn people away, which made me sad. :(

And if you haven't already read about my print special (a whopping 20% off) please scroll down to the post below.

Thanks for stopping by.
-lisa

Once a Year Print Special

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa) — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 06:43:00 +0000

Ok guys, here it is... the sale that happens once a year and it's for a super limited time only.

Order any set of prints from your 2008 session and I will take 20% off your order. Twenty percent! I won't tack on any retrieval fee either. Yes, I will go into my archives and find all your negatives AND give you a 20% discount to boot. The only catch is that there is a minimum of 3 prints ( any size from 5x7 on up).

Now is the time to buy those prints you forgot to include in your order... and make Grandma happy!

This special is for prints only. Collages, frames, books, cards, and canvas prints will all be regular price. 2008 mini sessions are also excluded.

This is only for a limited time. I will take email orders from now until March 19th. That is a two week window. Please let me know if you would like to order and I will also re-upload your proofing gallery until the 19th. Any order after March 19th will be regular price and subject to the retrieval fee. You snooze, you lose baby.

Because of the influx of orders, please give us a little more time to get the orders done. Hey Liz and Casey - get ready!

Don't forget to scroll down to see the outcome of the Favorite Image of 2008 contest.

Thanks and I look forward to hearing from you,
-lisa

Winners Have Been Chosen

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa) — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 23:54:00 +0000

As you can see the winner of the blog contest is the Hebshi Family. They have won $125 in Utopia Credit. I can't wait to work with you again soon!

Thank you also for the hundreds of you who took the time to vote for your favorite image. It actually came really close between three images. I will put those three images on my new site as main images. It's not quite ready to be unveiled but when it is, you will see the Shay, Hie and Kade.

Onward to the reader drawing.

Here is the bowl full of names!

Here is little Annie with the bowl-o-names.

The pick!

The Winner!!!

Sorry Mr. Crouch for the lower case typo, but you will get an email gift certificate soon for $75 Utopia credit. Congratulations!

Thank you everyone for playing, we all had fun here, we hope you did too.

Stay tuned tonight for a major once a year special.

Thanks for stopping by!
-lisa

The contest is now closed.

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa) — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 16:57:00 +0000

Thank you to the hundreds of people who participated. Please check back on March 4th to see who won! I'll also be announcing a HUGE special just for my blog readers.
-lisa

The Annual Blog Contest

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa) — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 19:17:00 +0000

Here they are, ten of my favorite of 2008. Ok, so I had about 30 images chosen and then had to ask Darin to help me narrow them down. It took longer then I care to mention. Now I'm asking you to choose which one is my new blog header for 2009. ( ok, I'm late, MOST of 2009) And I tried to choose different families from the 2008 contest.

So this is how it works:

Choose your favorite image.
Email me the letter that's found on top of the image.
(lisa@utopia-photo.com)
You can enter only once per email address.
Entry deadline is March 1st.
Easy huh?

The image with the most votes gets a $150.00 gift certificate for use towards their 2009 session.

Everyone who enters gets their name put into a drawing with the winner to receive $75.00 towards their 2009 session. Annie will pick again - she is already giddy with excitement.

Winners will be announced on March 4th.

Here they are. Get voting people!

"A"

"B"

"C"

"D"

"E"

"F"

"G"

"H"

"I"

"J"

Take a break today and send me an email vote.

Thanks for stopping by.
-lisa

Oh, and if you haven't already read about Annie's request for a new puppy, read the end of the post below. She is so anxious for a response.

three more

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa) — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 21:14:00 +0000

Three more families to share.

Two sweet boys having fun at the park.

Still at the park with these three. They keep me on my toes.

And this little bundle was just days old. Her family was just head over heals for her.

A couple of announcements:

My next post will be my annual blog contest. You, my blog readers, will choose the favorite photo from 2008. Winners will be chosen; prizes will be given. Please stay tuned. I should be sending an email blast as soon as it's up, but it might help to keep up with the blog by including it in your favorite reader such as google reader or bloglines. Especially since I will be posting some amazing specials I have swimming about in my noggin'.

Lastly (and Annie would consider most importantly), Annie is ready to have a puppy all her own. She has asked me to post so that if any of you know of any puppies that need a home, she would be happy to provide one. She is looking for a medium sized doggie with short hair. A mixed breed, sans pit, would be great. Sorry if we are so specific but we know the perfect little puppy out there is waiting for her. Just give me a call and I'll forward the message to her.

Thanks for stopping by,
-lisa

Time out for a Special Post

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa) — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 03:01:00 +0000

One of my resolutions for the year is to stretch my creative muscle a bit more this year. The way I decided to do this is to enlist the help of my printers ( I thought I'd help them exercise their muscles as well.) I have now instituted the Monthly Photo Challenge. Every month there is a new topic and we have to shoot a roll of film with the topic in mind. This month the topic ( my choice) was " Self Portrait." This is not a challenge between us, the challenge is personal. The added pressure is that I will be blogging it every month so for all of you out there, keep checking back to see what we come up with.

Self:

Love Casey's image. I love the thought she put into it with the composition and balance. I can't wait to see more. She has been printing for me from before the summer 08. She is unbelievably sweet and is a really good printer. Here is Casey:

Liz's self portrait is amazing. She is not afraid to take risks and really look inward. She had a bunch of great shots to pick from too. Here is Liz:

Ok, here is mine. Some of you know my love for sneakers. It's not all that deep or reflective but I think right now, the mood fits my life as it is today. Here is Lisa:

Next month the theme is "Simplicity" chosen by Liz. Casey gets February but I think I'll make it a blog choice in April so start thinking...

Thanks for stopping by and any and all comments are certainly welcome!
-lisa

more sharing is caring

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa) — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 21:12:00 +0000

Ok, so I've been lax but at least I've been around. I will be needing to update my blog header soon so I'll be holding another 'Best of 2008' contest soon so stay posted. Here are three more families from last year to tide you over...

These two girlies made me laugh. They were a riot.

This little guy had a rough first couple of months but you would not be able to tell by looking at him now. He is so happy and healthy.

These last two boys were full of energy. They introduced me to the plasma car and after watching their skillful riding, I just had to get one for my nephew.

Thanks for stopping by,
-lisa

Giddy

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa) — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 06:43:00 +0000

Ok, so I haven't blogged in a bit but I'm back to celebrate the amazing day we have ahead of us tomorrow. I still can't believe it how incredible it is that we have come this far. So on the eve of the most hopeful inauguration, I will post one of my favorite families because there are a couple of images in from this session that will show just how I feel. They are the last two at the bottom of the post. A picture is worth a thousand words...

These two depict what I feel in my heart. I am once again proud of our nation. First time in eight years.

In the rain...

Can anyone be happier?

Love these kids ( and their parents as well.) We always have fun and my camera loves them too. Can you tell?

Have a great, historic day tomorrow!
Thanks for stopping by,
-lisa

sisters

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa) — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 05:26:00 +0000

These next two sessions are related because the moms are sisters. The sessions were really different but the love for the families were similar - wonderfully enveloping. I love when it's all in the family.

and

Here is a tip from Annie's last day of vacation. "Don't get sick during your vacation. It's not worth it."

Thanks for stopping by,
-lisa

Feeling Beachy

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa) — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 09:52:00 +0000

So I almost missed today. Actually, I have 8 minutes left. Here are two sessions at the beach. This is why the North Shore is the only beach I hold sessions at. I just love all that beach and the beautiful light.

I don't know think I would be a happy photographer if I had a year without these two girlies. We have seen each other at least twice a year for years and we have so much fun every time.

This last two little ones are soon to be expecting an addition to their family soon. They are a blast and I can't wait to meet their new brother or sister.

Thanks for stopping by,
-lisa