Travel Date for Atlantic, Iowa

Are you guys remembering to hand over your camera and include yourself in some of the photos? I hope you are! I think the ratio of photos of me with my son versus my husband with our son is about 1 to 10, but at least they're in there... occasionally.

Speaking of family photos... I'm taking appointments in Atlantic, Iowa on October 8th. If anyone is interested in scheduling their photos that day, please email me! The date is perfect to get some beautiful Fall shots for all your holiday gifts and cards!

Here We Go, 2011!

Wedding Mania 2011 starts next week. I've had the last four months off from weddings and work in general, really. The winter months are always a little slow in this business but this time around it was a well needed break. As I came back from maternity leave, I struggled to keep up with emails and communications with clients. I lost all motivation to work as I tried to come to terms with our new version of "normal" in life. Having a baby is an emotionally complex journey. There's the obvious love I felt for my baby, but there was also the unexpected in the form of guilt, pressure and fear. Being a working parent isn't easy. I felt like taking time away from my son made me a bad person. I don't know why I'm sharing all this other than to let all those new parents out there know: I can relate. I think having an understanding of parenthood helps me relate better to new parents (and the not-so-new parents too) when I walk into their homes. Just like having been married and having been a bride helps me relate to couples on their wedding days. That sort of parlays into a goal I have for myself this year... I want to get to know you guys a lot better and put more of my personality up front in my blog and our meetings. The success of your wedding photos really depends on your relationships with me - you have to be comfortable with me and trust me on your wedding day in order to get those really honest, emotional shots. How can you do that if I don't let you know who I am?

Anyway, that's a little bit about me and what I've been up to. This year is BIG. We've got lots of gorgeous stuff coming up; downtown weddings, barn weddings, weddings on lakes, weddings in art galleries, buses, parties, LOADS of amazing couples and engagement sessions... It's gonna be huge. My brain is so well rested and I'm ready to have fun with you guys this season. Last year was awesome but I am soooo glad to be unpregnified this time around. I was pregnant at all but one wedding last year. The season went from praying I didn't throw up during the reception to praying I didn't go into labor during the reception. And a couple of times I got stuck on the ground trying to get a shot and had to be assisted back to my feet. But this year I am back to my old self and can take luxury in things like safely standing on a step-stool and getting drunk at your receptions. I kid, I kid.

Here's a couple pictures of my family since I'm always sharing other peoples' families.

Happy New Year!

Welcome to the new year! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season. I'm enjoying my mini vacation. I mailed out my last disc of 2009 and I am officially photo free for another four days. I've been watching endless hours of movies and The Office. My husband and I have been creating new things in the kitchen. My dog hasn't had to sit next to my desk and beg me for attention. (I think he might be ready for me to get back to work now.)



We had a grand total of seven seconds to get that shot.

I couldn't be more excited for the things coming up. Lots of fantastic engagement sessions and weddings for the year, new babies being born everyday, kids finishing up high school... it's always something new with this job! My big, giant goal for 2010 is to find a studio space.

What big things does everyone else have planned for 2010?

Next week I will have two amazing sessions to share with everyone! A 1st birthday party and a rocknroll engagement session.

Gift Certificates!

Still in need of a Christmas idea? Give them a gift certificate for portraits! It's fun, something that they'll cherish, and most importantly, you'll save yourself a Christmas Eve trip to Wal-Mart!!!

Email me to purchase: cburright {at} gmail.com

On the Web!

You can now find Christine McGuigan photography on The Knot!

Also, I submitted this photo to a Pioneer Woman photo challenge and it got posted yesterday right here. How exiting is that!?

Little Bit of Housekeeping...

Hey there blog readers!

Did you know you can be my fan on Facebook? It's true! Just click that little link in the right hand bar over there!

Also, I am going to be changing my pricing and packages around a little bit starting on December 1st. Any session booked prior to December 1st will be honored at the current price. 2009 has been a huge learning experience for me. I sincerely thank everyone who has supported me this year. I owe a lot to my family, friends and clients for promoting me and taking part in my business. All of my business has come from word-of-mouth, so I'm truly honored by all the amazing things you guys are saying out there.

I really want to push next year to become a new name in the Omaha photography scene. To accomplish that, I need to make some adjustments to the way I conduct business. That includes my packages and pricing structure. But don't worry, I am still committed to producing top quality work at an affordable price. The changes coming are going to be good for everyone!

Weddings!

Hey everyone! I want to start photographing weddings. They're beautiful, sentimental, romantic and one of the most important days of your adult life. I think that I would do well as a wedding photographer. A great wedding photo captures emotion and style. Something that I pride myself on. Of course to be a "wedding photographer" I have to have a wedding to photograph. I need a starting point and some great images for my website.

So... Here's the deal:

I'm looking for couple getting married on a budget who would be willing to let me photograph their wedding, knowing that this is my first one. I'm offering up my services for $150 (to cover editing time) to a couple who otherwise may not be able to afford a photographer or who doesn't plan on hiring one. I will photograph the whole day: wedding party shots, bridal portraits, ceremony and reception and provide you with a disk of edited images for you to print on your own or through my online printing services. I love any type of wedding. Traditional, offbeat, courthouse, country, etc, so there are no limitations on what I'm looking for. I only ask that the wedding be in the summer of 2009, roughly between now and September. (I know that is kind of soon, but hey - I was a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants bride and I left all my planning to the last minute. Literally, as in "standing outside the wedding tent while the music played" last minute.)

If this sounds like a fit for you or anyone you know, please contact me at cburright {at} gmail {dot} com. And as always, examples of my current portrait work are available at christinemcguigan.com.

New Website!

Hey!

Check out the new site of Christine McGuigan Photography!

Team In Training

Hello-

If you're here looking for pictures from Team In Training's volleyball event last night, thanks for checking me out! It's going to take a few days for me to work my way through all the pictures I took of the event, so if you'd like to send me your email address, I will let you know when the photos are ready and provide you with the link and password for the album!

Send me a quick email at: cburright at gmail dot com.

Thanks for supporting the TEAM!

-Christine

Now We're Talking!

I might have a photography website as early as next week! I met with some web cohorts today and we're doing a work-exchange for it. So, the site is free sort-of-but-not-really. As long as I don't have to write a check to someone, I'm happy.

Now I need clients, clients, clients to take pictures of.

Do any married ladies out there want to dust off their wedding dresses and do a bridal shoot with me? I want to do a practice round of wedding pictures to get a feel for it. I guess it's technically a "trash the dress" but I promise no trashing will be done. You wear your dress, I'll buy you some flowers, we'll go find some cool place to take pics, fun will be had by all. And if your husband doesn't happen to be busy maybe he'd like to come along too?

Email me! cburright {at} gmail dot com.

Business Cards!

I made and ordered business cards last night! This means I am officially a photographer now - as that is what is printed on the card. And we all know that business cards are the official way to declare yourself as something.

I'm also working on getting my physical portfolio put together so I can take it with me to some of these workshops I'm signed up for. If there's anything that five years in graphic design has taught me, it's that you always take a portfolio with you to any event where you might have a chance to meet and network with other professionals. A good old critique from people you admire is an awesome way to learn and improve upon your work. Just be sure not to cry if the person critiquing you hates your work.

Not that I've done that or anything...

Life doesn't stand still. You shouldn't either.

Hi there! Thanks for checking out my new blog.

I am working on expanding my photography career into the realm of portraiture. Before now, I've mainly had an interest in photographing scenery and nature, but since my wedding this fall I've realized how important and touching it can be to document someone else's life. I found myself compelled more than ever before to pick up a camera and start clicking away at the people living and growing around me.

Children grow, couples fall in love, families form. I think it's so important to capture that. Cherish it. Look back on it years from now and remember how wonderful those memories are. I'm not a person who will pose you, take a few pictures and send you on your way. I want to photograph the true you. I want to photograph you in motion. In life.

I work out of Omaha, NE but can travel to other locations for photo sessions. Right now I photograph mostly infants, children, teen/high school seniors, families and bands. I'm also looking for opportunities to expand into bridal portraits, weddings and anything else you could possibly imagine. If you're interested in having me photograph an event not listed please still feel free to contact me. I love new challenges and meeting exciting clients!

For booking and pricing info email me: cburright (at) gmail (dot) com