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  • Welcome to my Blog!

    This blog is where you will find some of my current work, sneak peeks from recent sessions, studio news, promotions, personal commentary and other fun stuff.  Go grab a latte (and one for me, too please!) and settle in for a visit.  Leave me a comment if you are feeling chatty-I love to hear from you!

    {Find out more about Custom Lifestyle Photography Here}

    {Hearts Full}~A special program through which
    Wild Hearts Photography offers complimentary lifestyle portrait
    sessions and print/product packages to families that have a child
    suffering from a critical illness.  Please contact the studio for more
    information or to schedule an appointment.  View a Hearts Full session here.

     

Featured Vendor {The Paisley Pear}

Monday, February 6, 2012

I am very excited to have The Paisley Pear as our Featured Vendor on the blog this week! First, read a little bio about the company and the owners, in their own words, and then take a look at some gorgeous frames and enter the giveaway! Enjoy!:)

Meet Jenna and Ryan Shaefer! Are they not completely adorable?!!

Here are some more images of their gorgeous frames and the style and color options that they offer:

I cannot even tell you how fun it was to open the package containing the frames that they sent for me to review! I literally squealed when I pulled these out of the box! SO pretty! So modern, fresh, and fun! I love the color and the style of both of these frames! I had no trouble at all deciding which images to put in them. Excellent quality on both the woodworking and paint, with the edges worn off just enough to lend them that bit of “shabby chic” feel that I love. Perfection!

Now on to the really fun part! You can win your choice of either a 10×13 Black Dottie ($56 value) OR an 11×14 Baby Blue Otto ($64)! Keep reading below for all of the details on how to enter and win!:)

1. Go “like” the The Paisley Pear Facebook page {Here} and “like” my Wild Hearts Photography Facebook page {Here} and then make one comment on this blog post that you have done both. This is the only REQUIRED step for entry!

2. You may get an additional entry for taking a peek at the beautiful frames available from The Paisley Pear and coming back to this blog post and commenting which item you love best.

3. Another additional entry can be earned by making a purchase from The Paisley Pear during the duration of this giveaway! Make sure to come back here and comment about your purchase!

4. You can earn one more additional entry for sharing about this giveaway on your Facebook page, including a link to this blog post. Please @tag our fan pages in the post or include a link in your comment here so we can verify it.

That is a total of four entries available per person. Liking the fan pages is required and the additional entries are optional. Please only post the four comments. Entries will close and the winner will be chosen via Random.org on Sunday, February 12th (in the evening-EST) and posted here on the blog after the winner’s entry has been verified.

{And of course, this giveaway is in no way affiliated with, or sponsored by Facebook or it’s entities, and all entries will be made directly through Wild Hearts Photography here on this blog post. Winner will be posted on the blog and notified via email.}

Posted in Child Photographer, Children, Commercial, Featured Vendors, Lifestyle, Natural Light

by stacey

30 comments

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Featured Vendor {Paturici Pentru Pitici}

Monday, January 30, 2012

{Giveaway is now closed!} The winners are: comments #114-SarahAnn Lewis, #11-Kelly Murphy, and #36-Nancy Kidd! Congratulations Ladies! I will be sending your information to the vendor so you can claim your prizes!:)

Yes, it’s that time again! Time to introduce a new Featured Vendor! Roxana is the owner of Paturici Pentru Pitici and she creates adorable hand-made hats, blankets, and other items. She is sweet as can be and a true artist with her creations! Read a little about her and why she started her business, and then find out how you can win something wonderful for yourself!

About Roxana in her own words-I am a mother of three little girls who are six years, five years, and twenty one months old. I have been passionate about knitting and crocheting since I was a child, but it wasn’t until my third baby was born that I discovered a whole new world of colors and choices to make great stuff for kids. I started making clothes and blankets for my girls, and after hearing from others how much they liked my work, I started making hats, booties and all other cute stuff for babies. I love making owl hats and I have made so many color combinations, but my true love remains my blankets. It’s been less than a year since I started Paturici Pentru Pitici, and even though I started it as a hobby, it’s starting to grow as a little business. I feel that it is my way of bringing color into people’s lives and I am so happy when others appreciate my creations! The support that I get from my fans gives me the inspiration and the desire to make more and more beautiful little things for little people. “Paturici Pentru Pitici” means “Little blankets for little people.”

Take a peek at the adorable hats and headband that Roxana sent for me to review. I absolutely love them and the quality is outstanding! They are very soft and have a durable construction that will help them to last for many years to come.

You can win your very own beautiful hat from Roxana! She is giving away these adorable hats to three of my fans! You have a chance to win one of these unique and fun creations for your own child or to use in your studio! Keep reading below for all of the details on how to enter and win!:)

1. Go “like” the Paturici Pentru Pitici Facebook page {Here} and “like” my Wild Hearts Photography Facebook page {Here} and then make one comment on this blog post that you have done both. This is the only REQUIRED step for entry!

2. You may get an additional entry for taking a peek at the adorable items available from Paturici Pentru Pitici and coming back to this blog post and commenting which item you love best.

3. Another additional entry can be earned by making a purchase from Paturici Pentru Pitici during the duration of this giveaway! Make sure to come back here and comment about your purchase!

4. You can earn one more additional entry for sharing about this giveaway on your Facebook page, including a link to this blog post. Please @tag our fan pages in the post or include a link in your comment here so we can verify it.

That is a total of four entries available per person. Liking the fan pages is required and the additional entries are optional. Please only post the four comments. Entries will close and the winner will be chosen via Random.org on Sunday, February 5th (in the evening-EST) and posted here on the blog after the winner’s entry has been verified.

{And of course, this giveaway is in no way affiliated with, or sponsored by Facebook or it’s entities, and all entries will be made directly through Wild Hearts Photography here on this blog post. Winner will be posted on the blog and notified via email.}

Posted in Child Photographer, Children, Commercial, Featured Vendors, Studio

by stacey

121 comments

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Snow Day {Fashion Shoot}

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

I LOVE shooting in the snow! Well…I love shooting in the snow as long as it’s fairly warmish (like 30 degrees and NOT windy), the light isn’t overly bright and direct (midday, slightly overcast skies are perfect), and I can do a quick, mini-session with a cooperative model. Not too many stipulations, do you think? LOL! Okay, so shooting in the snow can be challenging, but it can be fun and allow you the opportunity for capturing some amazing images!

Beautiful light is the biggest bonus for snow day shooting. What?!!! Yeah, I know we get the dreary, gray days and we also get those full-sun, blindingly bright days, but on the days when the sun is slightly out or even with bright cloud cover, you can find some amazing light! The snow all around acts as a huge, soft reflector to bounce light up on your subject. If the sun is out, you can shoot in the open shady areas that are usually preferred by natural light enthusiasts and if it’s slightly overcast, the whole world is your open shade! Okay, so you still need to find the best light for your particular subject. I found that on this day, shooting around 1:00 pm, I could position my model just about anywhere, but I liked the light best to her right side and coming in over her shoulder. The snow on the ground around her reflected enough light back into her face that I did not need to use any kind of fill light. I just love the soft, glowy quality of this light! I also like sun flare effect on some images, and since we were not shooting at the prime time of day to get that naturally (the sun was too high and hidden in the overcast sky), I did add in some pretty flare overlays during the processing of my images. The trick to doing this and making it look natural is to position it where the light is actually striking your subject. It would not have worked as well to have it coming in from the opposite side of the image since there are naturally more shadows there. I have to say, I love how it all came out! And, since contrast is my favorite thing in photography, the girly/glam clothing, the modern/vintage styling, the urban grunge in the country setting, and the light/dark tones from the rust and snow all blended together to make this photographer do a happy dance!

This shoot took me about 10-15 minutes tops, which included the time it took us to trek into the woods and find our spots. I was happy, and more importantly, my little model was happy and didn’t freeze while I tried to get the “perfect” shot. My camera gear was also happy to not be subjected to the cold for any longer than necessary. So, my advise about snow day shooting….grab your camera, bribe your model with the promise of hot chocolate, and get out there! You will be so happy that you did!

{Gorgeous custom dress and ruffle socks are from Hucklebuckles. LOVE!}

Posted in B&W, Child Photographer, Children, Commercial, Lifestyle, Natural Light, Urban

by stacey

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Featured Vendor {Shutter Buddies}

Monday, January 9, 2012

{This giveaway is now closed!} The winners are comments #12-Miranda A. Hagan and #96-Tawni Kistner! Congratulations ladies! I have sent your information to the vendor so that you may claim your prizes! Please send Leora an email within 48 hours.:)

Well, after a nice holiday break, it’s time to start up our Featured Vendors program for 2012! The very first vendor that I want to introduce you to is Leora of Shutter Buddies. She makes an ingenious product for those of you that do child photography or even pet photography! Shutter Buddies are adorable critters that sit atop your lens and get your tiny subjects to focus their attention right where you want it!

Here is a little about Leora in her own words: I am a mom to three and a wife to an American Soldier. I started my Etsy shop when my third was just 2 months old and the hubs had to leave us for 7 months to play GI Joe. It kept me busy while he was gone and helped the time go by quicker. I’ve had so much fun making them, and hearing how much people love them, that I’ve continued the business even though my little family is all back together again. My Shutter Buddies are made to do the job of the adults that are jumping, yelling, blowing raspberries, acting like monkeys, or whatever people do to get kids to look in the direction of the camera. They are all hand sewn and made to make a photographer’s job easier.

Here are some examples of the Shutter Buddies that Leora offers in her shop and a “before/after” image that shows the great results you can get when using them:

There are SO many cute Buddies to choose from! Take a look at the owl Shutter Buddie that she sent for me to review. I loved it and found it very effective for getting a smile out of my little model! I found it very easy to use and extremely well made! The squeaker inside was great for getting her attention. I also liked that I didn’t have to fumble around since it was right there where my hands were already on my lens! Of course, I had to hide it in my camera bag since my kiddos tried to steal it from me the minute I opened the package.:)

Leora is generously offering two, lucky WHP fans a chance to win one of her awesome Shutter Buddies! Whoo Hooo! Read below for instructions on how to enter and good luck!:)

1. Go “like” Shutter Buddies Facebook page {Here} and “like” my Wild Hearts Photography Facebook page {Here} and then make one comment on this blog post that you have done both. This is the only REQUIRED step for entry!

2. You may get an additional entry for taking a peek at the adorable products available from Shutter Buddies and coming back to this blog post and commenting which item you love best.

3. Another additional entry can be earned by making a purchase from Shutter Buddies during the duration of this giveaway! Make sure to come back here and comment about your purchase! Leora is offering WHP fans a special 15% discount on purchases throughout the duration of this giveaway-just enter code WILDHEART15 at checkout! You can also find Shutter Buddies Here!

4. You can earn one more additional entry for sharing about this giveaway on your Facebook page, including a link to this blog post. Please @tag our fan pages in the post or include a link in your comment here so we can verify it.

That is a total of four entries available per person. Liking the fan pages is required and the additional entries are optional. Please only post the four comments. Entries will close and the winner will be chosen via Random.org on Sunday, January 15th (in the evening) and posted here on the blog after the winner’s entry has been verified.

{And of course, this giveaway is in no way affiliated with, or sponsored by Facebook or it’s entities, and all entries will be made directly through Wild Hearts Photography here on this blog post. Winner will be posted on the blog and notified via email.}

Posted in Child Photographer, Children, Commercial, Featured Vendors, Pets

by stacey

108 comments

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A {Heartfelt} Thank You!

Saturday, January 7, 2012

{This giveaway is now closed!}

And the winners are:

Prize Package #1 (WHP Fan For Life and a Photo Prop Floors & Backdrops drop)-comment #15-Jennifer Banks!

Prize Package #2 (WHP lifestyle photography session and print package)-Jessica McMasters! *This prize was drawn the old-fashioned way-out of the hat.

Congratulations to both winners! Thank you all for the sweet comments and for being such awesome fans! Jennifer, I have sent your info to the backdrop company so you may contact them to claim your drop and I will email you the details of your Fan For Life prize. Jessica, I will be in touch to get your information!:)

Well, I am truly amazed and feeling SO blessed to now have over ten thousand “likes” on the Wild Hearts Photography fan page! I’m humbled, really, by how it has all taken off so quickly! My businesses, both photography and digital design, have just grown by leaps and bounds over this past year, and I am grateful for the opportunities that has given me. Opportunities to reach out in my own community and in this large, social community and touch so many lives. I know many of you have wanted to hear my “story” of how I became a photographer, and how my business has grown and changed over the years-I’m still working on that, I promise! To be honest, though, my life has changed more in the past two years than I ever anticipated, both in good and challenging ways. That is also a story for another day, but, it is all part of the reason of why I am here in this position today.

Your friendships and support mean more to me than you can ever know! I was actually very late coming to the FB game in 2009….a bit skeptical, if you will, of this “community” where you could put yourself out there to so many people. I only realized what a great business tool this could be after seeing how you can really interact with others in such positive ways. Social networking has proven to be a great thing for my business and has led to me meeting so many wonderful and talented people. And, to show you how much I appreciate you, I’ve decided to do something special in honor of reaching this milestone. Keep reading to find out all about it!

WHP Fan For Life!

I’ve decided to offer one fan the opportunity of a lifetime! You will have the chance to win EVERYTHING in my WHP Designs shop! And not only everything that I have already created, but everything that I EVER add new to the shop, as well! HOW EXCITING IS THAT?!!!!!!! Sorry, didn’t mean to shout, lol! This will include all of the digital design goodies that you have proven to me that you love-templates, papers, actions, textures-the WORKS! (This only applies to regular items, not custom design.) I’m not even able to put a value on this part of the prize, because it just keeps giving!

And….to make things even MORE exciting, my friends over at Photo Prop Floors and Backdrops are throwing in one of their most popular drops from the holiday season-a WHP Exclusive design in their large size just for you! Wow!!! SO fun! I can’t tell you how much I have enjoy working with this amazing company!


Design: WHP 442
Size: 61″ x 7′
Value: $109

Of course, the previous prizes are going to appeal more to my photographer and small business vendor friends, and I don’t want to leave out my amazing photography clients, without whom Wild Hearts Photography would not exist! So…..I’m also going to offer a separate prize package of a Lifestyle Photography session and a print package that will include: A set of 4×6 prints of ALL images from the session and a disc of the low-res images, along with a 16×20 Premium Wall Portrait of your favorite image! This is a prize package valued at over $600! Anyone who is local to me or is willing to travel to my area (Northeast OH) for their session can win this prize!

Here is how you can enter to win these fun and wonderful prize packages:

Fan For Life Prize Package:

1. You must “like” my Wild Hearts Photography Facebook page {Here} and “like” the Photo Prop Floors and Backdrops Facebook page {Here} then make one comment on this blog post that you have done both. This is the only REQUIRED step for entry!

2. You may get additional entries by posting this: “Wild Hearts Photography is looking for a FAN FOR LIFE and is having an AMAZING giveaway on her blog! Enter to win an awesome PRIZE package!” on your FB page or Twitter account, including the link to this blog post. You can post it on your personal page, business page, or both! You must @tag my page so I can verify that you have completed this step and then make another comment here on the blog that you did it.

Photography Prize Package:

1. You must “like” my Wild Hearts Photography Facebook page {Here}. You must then email me at stacey@wildheartsphotography.com with the words “Local Prize” in the subject line and tell me why you want to win this prize.

2. You may get additional entries by posting this: “Wild Hearts Photography is looking for a FAN FOR LIFE and is having an AMAZING giveaway on her blog! Enter to win an awesome PRIZE package!” on your FB page or Twitter account, including the link to this blog post. You can post it on your personal page, business page, or both! You must @tag my page so I can verify that you have completed this step. Email me the number of times you posted about the giveaway.

Here is the FUN part! For this special giveaway, I am allowing you to enter to win either prize package by posting about the giveaway EVERY day for this whole week! That means that you have the opportunity to enter once by liking the fan pages and then multiple times PER DAY by posting on your social media platforms! Each time your post about it, you must come back here to the blog and make a new comment for it to count as an entry.

**Liking the fan pages is the ONLY required step for entry and the additional steps are optional. You can request to follow me on Twitter here: @WildHeartsPhoto.**

Entries will close next Saturday, January 14th around 10 PM (EST) and the winner will be chosen via Random.org on Sunday, January 15th and posted here on the blog after the winner’s entry has been verified. Local photography prize package will not be chosen by Random.org, but will be drawn out of the hat, the old-fashioned way.:)

{This giveaway is open to persons who are 18 years or older, and do not reside in locations that have additional giveaway restrictions, other than those outlined here. This giveaway is in no way affiliated with, or sponsored by Facebook or it’s entities, and all entries will be made directly through Wild Hearts Photography here on this blog post or through email for the local prize package. Winner will be posted on the blog and notified via email.}

Posted in Child Photographer, Children, Contests, Fun, Lifestyle, Studio Promos

by stacey

254 comments

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