Cyber Monday!!!

     How many of you went out on black friday? Yeah, I thought I was going to do it this year to buy a new TV… chickened out & bought it online. Really, that’s where some of the best deals are. Liiiiike… THESE!!

       Announcing FOUR different cyber monday specials; something for everyone. These deals will be good for 3 days; they will expire by this Thursday, December 1st. So really I should call it cybermondaytuesdaywednesday sale… hmm….

     #1::  (WEDDING DEAL)  

$200 off ANY wedding package for brides who have not yet booked their date w/ 9art!!!

     #2::   (GIFT CERTIFICATE DEAL)

For every $1 you spend on a gift certificate for a friend or family member I will add $0.50.

So if you spend $100… that actually buys $150 credit. $50 purchased covers a $75 certificate. You get the idea! When you do purchase your gift certificate, I can e-mail you a PDF certificate to print, or can have a nice one printed for you, already all wrapped up for a nice presentation or to place under the tree!

           Stipulations: this credit cannot be used for yourself or for a session in which you will be included; it MUST be a gift for someone else. Exceptions may be made if you are ordering credit for someone else to order prints/products from your own past or future session.

    #3:: (CHRISTMAS CARDS)

  Regular price on Christmas cards is $75 for each pack of 25; now if you order by this thursday, you’ll get them for $50 a pack. Cards ordered this week will be ready next week!

Keep in mind christmas cards can be made w/ pics from ANY SESSION from 2011. Here are a few design samples…

   #4::  (2012 PACKAGE CREDIT DEAL)

    For all portrait session clients thinking of booking next year (families, seniors, etc): If you have not yet booked a session, here is the deal. I will credit you an additional 40% on top of whatever you put down now toward your 2012 session. Pay $100, receive an addtl $40; pay $200 and it goes up to $80; by the time you pay $500 in advance, you’ll have built up $200 in additional credit. If you were considering a session already for later this winter or next spring, this could be an awesome way to save!

Happy shopping everyone! Again, all of these deals good until Thursday the 1st; payments can be made via credit card, paypal, cash or check.

Should you have any questions or want to go ahead and hop on one of these offers, shoot me a line at markn@9artphoto.com, or call me at 417.622.1379. 

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Veronica + Adam :: engaged

    This is my favorite couple of the entire year. Pretty bold statement, I know. I might hurt some feelings there. Or maybe not, because, well… this is my sister & her fiancee (who happens to be my wife’s brother. interesting story there). So I hope none of you other awesome couples of 9art past & present will take offense at me singling these two out as my favorites. 

     Veronica & Adam will be married in about a week and a half. Just crazy… first of my (3) sisters to get married. Her being old enough to get married makes me feel a little old… just a little. But not in such a bad way.

Regardless of my oldness, I am more than happy for them. A very special preview of their engagement session that highlights their love of outdoors, vintage props, and being goofballs in general. Enjoy! 

EF5:: chapter 6 (six months: victims moving on)

     It’s been 6 months since May 22nd. I am a Joplin Missouri resident, and for me and anyone else who has lived here, that date will forever ring out. The day that an F5 tornado ripped our town in half, claimed lives, left thousands homeless- and also sparked one of the greatest triumphs of kindness I believe this country has surely ever seen.

After disaster hit, countless, countless volunteers poured in with physical help, donations, and great love. Those who didn’t know how they’d ever get back on their feet found themselves standing stronger than before the twister. My family is one of those stories… but there are thousands of others.

   I’ve documented a lot of things tied to this event; the 6 month mark reminds me again of how blessed I am, and how blessed this town is after an event that could’ve, should’ve been many times more devastating than it turned out to be. Here are others who share my thankfulness, with stories of their own that I only offer a glimpse of right now with a picture and a caption.

 If you’d like to see more post tornado documentation of Joplin, jump back to the last post in this vein here and work your way backwards through the chapters. Or stay tuned; I plan to compile these images & others in a tribute book on the 1 year anniversary of May 22, 2011.

   Three members of the Miranda family holed up in their hallway closet during the storm. They stand in their torn up kitchen. They were still fighting with their insurance company to get their home properly repaired at the time of this photo; but their good attitude & love for eachother is so unmistakable. 

Mitchell Miranda & his best friend Isaiah were in home depot when the storm hit, taking cover in a manhole during the eye of the tornado. 

Manny was a faithful volunteer at a local pop up mission, nearly every day for long after the storm. He isn’t quick to let you know that he lost his home along w/ all the folks who wander into the mission for supplies. He just keeps serving.

 

this elderly gentleman received injuries that landed him in this scooter, after saving his wife’s life by getting her into a bathroom where she was protected from the debris of the twister. This picture was taken as he waited for the demolition crew to take down his house… he wanted to be there to see it go.

Ann Leach was in her house when the roof blew off and the tornado pounded her with debris. She has been busier than ever since the storm helping others through her grief recovery therapy, an occupation very much valued in Joplin these last few months. Her exceptionally cheery outlook is evident as she proudly stands in the living room of her new home after living with friends for months.

The Robertsons weathered the storm in a closet next to this room, where you can see sections of the roof missing and scattered insulation. Their new baby was taken home to a hotel room where they lived for months after May 22. They are since relocated to a neighboring town & have moved on with great thankfulness that they & their children were saved.

The Howards are now well known by many, having been one of the deserving recipients of the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition homes. Father & husband Kyle is a fireman who was very involved directly after the storm helping injured & trapped victims.

NOTE:

If you have volunteered or donated, there will never be enough thanks for you. If you haven’t had the chance, and feel inspired to help victims that are still struggling, please visit www.rebuildjoplin.org. Your donations are so helpful and appreciated by ordinary folks moving on through extraordinary circumstances.

baby Olivia :: session 4

    Another baby’s 1st year package comes to a close…. doesn’t feel like it’s been a whole year since I started working with little Olivia. I feel much better about wrapping up the package with the thought that we’re not really done… Olivia has a little sibling on the way, so I’ll be back for more pictures in no time. 🙂

    And for you photo-happy technical followers… there’s a little something for you down closer to the bottom of this post. 

The following 2 images really display the balance I try to achieve between natural light 
& off camera flash; both of which I’m in love with… depending on the setting.

#1: Obviously, it’s all off-camera-flash here. w/out that pop of light on little Olivia, she’d either be real dark, or to bring her into the light, the gorgeous city backdrop would be blown out. Long live OCF! 

#2: Here’s a totally different look, within a few feet of the last shot; but when keeping in mind the difference in the subject (a more tender moment, lighter outfit), the difference in the backdrop (the beautiful trees back there weren’t in full sun, therefore not as bright) & even the direction of the subject (her facing a different way meant the light reflected on her in a different way… the light structure below her acted more as a big reflector here…), it led to a completely different approach; no flash needed. In fact, I think flash on these shots would have just been overkill. 

It’s a delicate balance, playing the strobist way of lighting without letting it get in the way of pre-existing light that can be magic all on its’ own. A balance I’m constantly working on when I shoot. 

What are your thoughts on lighting, photogs?