Learn to ROCK your camera with Clickin Moms (& a GIVEAWAY!!!)

One of the funniest things about being a photographer is the comments people sometimes make when you whip out your camera. "Now THAT's  a camera," one man observantly pointed out when I was at the park with the kids recently. Or, "Let's see who has the biggest toy," said one man at a wedding I was photographing, brandishing his Canon at me with a big grin. As much as some of these comments make me giggle, I do enjoy the chance to talk with other photo enthusiasts, hear how they're using their cameras, and pick their brain for any tips or tricks I might not know about.

That's why I LOVE being a member at Clickin' Moms. Whether I need a little boost of inspiration, or have questions about how to do something specific in my editing software, I can always find someone willing to chat with me and share what they know. I've learned so much in the short time I've been a member.

Go take a peek over at Clickin' Moms and read a few recent blog posts or cruise through the forums. And don't be put off by the name - there are members of all kinds (many who aren't moms, and even a few guys hanging around!). If you like what you see, go ahead and give membership a try (their trial memberships are a great way to try the community out, but you won't regret purchasing an annual or lifetime membership, either - I guarantee you'll get your money's worth).

Here's the best part: I have one lifetime membership to give away!!! That's a $195 value!
*note that this giveaway is only open to new members. If you join during the month of June and win this giveaway, Clickin Moms will refund your membership purchase.*

To enter, simply leave me a comment telling me your number one photography goal.

For extra entries (leave one comment for each item):

• Join Clickin' Moms using one of the links in this post. Leave a comment here with your screen name (so I can say hello!). And don't worry - if you're my giveaway winner, CM will refund your membership purchase.
• Follow the Sharp Images blog (use Friend Connect in the right hand sidebar, or add it to your reader).
• Like Sharp Images on Facebook.
• Blog, tweet, or facebook about this giveaway. Your post must include a url to this giveaway. Leave a comment with a link to your post.

Giveaway closes on Wednesday, June 29 at midnight Central Time. Good luck!

Page 48 is my favorite!

Take a look at this little beauty that showed up in my mailbox a few weeks ago...

Inspire is the first anthology of photos from Clickin Moms, one of my favorite online photography forums. It's a GORGEOUS book, and lives up to it's name. There are so many yummy images in these pages.

So you can imagine my thrill to turn to page 48 and see this:

Look familiar? Yep, that's one of my favorites from Jess and Marcus' engagement session. I'm PUBLISHED!!! {happy dance going on here in my kitchen}

It's so exciting to see this in print. :-)

Come back over the weekend to hear a little more about Clickin Moms (and for an awesome giveaway - my very first!).

Happy Thursday to you all!

Krysta & Steve :: Elmhurst Wedding Photographer

When I checked the weather the night before Krysta & Steve's wedding day, my heart sank. Rain, rain, rain was all I saw for the next day. I knew I could roll with it and find a great indoor location for their photos, but no bride wants rainy weather for her big day. For Krysta's sake, I said some extra prayers for sunshine.

And it worked! While a little rain did come, the timing was perfect. We were able to photograph the bridal party outdoors, then came inside for family portraits just before the skies opened and a huge thunderstorm rolled through. By the time the ceremony wrapped up, the new husband and wife were able to leave the church with blue skies overhead. It was PERFECT.

And this bridal party was one of the nicest I've ever worked with. I shouldn't have been surprised to find out that four of the five of the guys went to Calvin College. No wonder they were such fun! ;-)

Thanks, Krysta and Steve, for including us in your beautiful wedding day!

To see more of Krysta and Steve's wedding photographs, visit their proof gallery or watch their slideshow.

The Ebel Family : Crystal Lake Family Photography

Hello, spring! We've had a lot of wacky weather here in the Midwest, but I'm hoping we've finally turned a corner and are into warmer and dryer weather. And I can't think of anything I'd rather do in warm, dry weather than take some family portraits, especially when it's one of my favorite families to photograph. If you've been following my blog for any length of time, these faces are surely familiar to you. 

We decided to mix it up a little during this session, and headed downtown Crystal Lake for a more urban look. Look how gorgeous this family is! And can you believe how big these kiddos are getting???

But an Ebel family session just wouldn't be right without a trip to one of our favorite nearby parks. "Let's just take a walk through the park, and I'll happen to bring my camera," I joked. I really love creating images of families just being a family together, and that's exactly what we got. 

 

Watch this slideshow to see more of the Ebel family (be patient if it loads slowly), or check out their gallery here.

Do you want to take a walk in the park with me and my camera? Call me to make a play date - I'd love to capture your family doing whatever makes you unique. 

Elgin baby photographer :: Happy New Year, baby!

Our family headed out over the weekend to visit some friends and their brand new baby. Of course, I brought my camera along. :-) I started out just wanting to capture a few snaps of this precious little girl, but before I knew it, I was doing a full-on newborn session. It took some extra creativity, since I'd only brought my on-camera flash, but after a little experimenting I had a setup working beautifully. Here's a peek:

I can't think of any better way to welcome 2011 than by capturing images of this sweet girl. Hope your year is off to a happy and healthy start, too!

The Campus Family: Elgin Family Photography

The Campus family was all together for the Thanksgiving holiday, so with pies in the oven and the table set, we took some time to create these fun images. It was a very brisk morning (snow was on the way!), but O'm so glad they braved the cold and headed outdoors with me.

To see more, check out their SLIDESHOW
or visit their PROOF GALLERY

Thanks, Campus family, for inviting me over. I had a lot of fun!!

Maggie & Steve :: Chicago Engagement Session at Oak Street Beach

I really love my job. While en route to meet Maggie & Steve in the heart of downtown Chicago, I saw a lot of people hustling and bustling along the city streets. Most of them were headed in or out of stuffy office buildings, so it made me smile knowing that I was going to work here:

Steve popped the big question right here at the corner of Michigan and Oak (on a carriage ride!), so we had to return to that very same spot and make some magical images of their engagement time. Oak Street beach was just down the block, so we couldn't pass that up, either. Beach portraits on November first! It was a dream...

There are so many images from this session that I love. Seriously, you have to watch their SLIDESHOW to see more.
Or go visit their PROOF GALLERY.

Thanks, Maggie and Steve, for being such good sports about sitting in sand and walking out into traffic. I hope you love these images as much as I do!