Digital Christmas Card Fundraiser

Two days ago, I was placing some Christmas card orders and it hit me how much money Americans spend on Christmas cards every year; from the cards to the postage. I would take a guess most people spend at least $100 - $150 on cards, if not more. I decided this year I wouldn't send out Christmas cards, but instead create a digital card to share on facebook and through email. I am then using the money I save to donate to one of my favorite causes.

What if more people jumped on my little bandwagon? How awesome would that be! Or what if you already sent out cards, but you want to get involved anyway!

I had some ideas floating around in my brain, so I met with my girls from "The Called", a new ministry in Watertown, NY. We came up with an awesome idea to raise money for some of our favorite organizations.

So that is what I am going to help you do!

I am teaming up with Lauren, from Lauren Photography and Design and we are going to help you make awesome digital Christmas cards, so you can donate your money instead!

When: Sunday, December 8 (I know, it's last minute, but Christmas is only a few weeks away and I just came up with this idea!)

Where: New Life Christian Church at 225 Gaffney Dr, Watertown, NY (in the back of the plaza with CiCi's Pizza, Ollie's and the old JoAnn Fabrics)

Time: 2pm - 5pm. You can show up anytime, no pre registration or signing up is required.

How it Will Work: The photos will be taken inside the church, where we will have a festive backdrop all set up. When you arrive you will sign in, pick out which Christmas card template you want, and which organization you want to donate to. There will be information provided for each organization, or you can do your research ahead of time and click on the links below and visit their websites.

https://www.theexodusroad.com/
http://www.makewaypartners.org/
http://www.thea21campaign.org/
http://www.gfa.org/
http://hagarinternational.org/usa/

How Much: A minimum donation of $50 is required. This will get you two digital photos and a one-sided digital Christmas card. A minimum donation of $150 will get you 4 digital photos, a two-sided digital Christmas card, and a facebook cover photo that matches your Christmas card.

I hope you will join Lauren and me and give this Christmas season. Below is a sample of my family's digital Christmas card. This is what I will be sharing with my loved ones this year!

Burt Family in 2013 | Family Photographer, Pulaski, NY

I took the weekend off from photography and forced myself to take and edit my own family session. Now that I'm a photographer, I never pull out my camera for personal reasons. If it wasn't for cell phones I would never have pictures of my children!

My good friend Lauren, from Lauren Photography and Design, helped me with this session. She took the photos and I edited them, not because I don't trust her editing style, but partly because I'm a control freak and partly because I didn't want to give her more work when she was already doing me a favor. 

My girls have a birthday a day apart, so I figured family photos right around their birthday would be perfect! Jovie just turned three today, and Colie will be one tomorrow! I can't believe it's already been a year since these photos, when Colie was just born! 

For my shoot inspiration, I found a boho flag on Pinterest that was 100's of dollars, and decided I would make it myself and then use it as a backdrop. It came out better than I imagined and looked so perfect with these photos! The weather was great and my family actually cooperated which was a huge surprise. Even my husband cooperated, for the most part haha. Let's just say we are not a romantic couple and trying to pose ourselves was so much harder than when I pose other people. Luckily we got a few good shots out of it!  

And of course, my fabulous sister, owner and stylist of Backwoods Beauty Salon, did my hair and makeup! What a treat to get pampered for a photoshoot! I highly recommend it for anyone getting family photos done!

My Family

Manasseh, Jess, Jovie & Colie

August 2013

Thomas Winter Wedding | Wedding Photography, Watertown, NY

I'm so thrilled to finally have a chance to blog this wedding! I photographed Jen and Ben's special day back in February on a beautiful snowy winter day. Jen was a DIY bride and she made everything down to the last detail! This is the kind of wedding a photographer dreams about! She even included elements of camouflage  - which if you know me, made me even more excited! I'm not going to waste my time writing a book about this wedding (although I could); I'd rather you just look through all of the photos and you'll see how much work Jen put into pulling off her special day. 

The reception was held at Maggie's on the River in Watertown, NY. It was a gorgeous venue and the staff was amazing to work with. My second shooter was my good friend, Hannah Hayner. 

Ben & Jen Thomas

Winter Wedding

February 9, 2013