The votes have been combed through, analyzed and tallied.  Let me just say this: umm … wow. There were a jaw dropping 555 votes!  That basically killed last year’s number (229).  This year, a client with multiple sessions got an extra 3 votes for every extra session. This caused the 3rd and 4th winners to TIE! Competition was stiff so congratulations to all 4 big prize winners and to the 3 random drawing winners of the 8×10′s!

Without further ado the Thank You 2011 contest winner is …

THE ADORABLE, GIGGLE INDUCING BABY “SANTA” B!  Congratulation parents of Baby Boy B, you’ve won a full session with Crabapple Photography.

Second Place winner and winner of 1/2 hour mini session with Crabapple Photography: gorgeous Baby Girl D!

The third and fourth place winners tied! Each winner can make their choice of which prize they’d like: a 4×6 photo book full of 20 of their favorite images from their session(s) or a fantastic storyboard.

The beautiful Baby Girl F

COWBOY UP! The adorable Baby A and Dad A

Three winners of the 8×10 prints using random.org based on comment number.

1. Jennifer, “Amazing pictures! Love the red hair and great smile – my vote is for #42!”

2. Julie, “#40:)”

3. The original winner was a comment for photo #17. Rules are rules however and if you’re a top 4 winner you can’t win a random prize. Second spin of the wheel (there’s no wheel involved)!

Erin Lichtenstein, “I love #50”

Thank you commenters and thank you 2011!

*** The contest has officially ended! Winners have been announced! Click here! ***

I can’t believe twelve whole months have past since the first annual “Thank You” contest.  You may remember this mother of all “Thank You” contests from last year. It’s my way of giving my clients a giant hug. Thank you for being amazing, supportive clients. Thank you for helping me set a record year in sessions. Thank you for providing me with adorable subjects to capture.  Thank you for allowing me to be an artist, and still eat.  Watching Crabapple Photography grow over the last year has been an absolute joy and a blast. Thank you.

If you were photographed by Crabapple Photography in 2011 and have allowed me to post photos, you are automatically entered to win one of the fantabulous prizes below!

:: WHAT IS IT?  The Rules + Such ::

The photos with the most votes at the end of the contest win various prizes. A little different from last year, a photo from each client has been chosen (no I will not use a different image).  I have many clients who I photograph more than once a year.  Rather than dilute the number of votes among many photos (and this is a good way to cut down on the number of photos in the post!), I’ve chosen one image. All clients who have had multiple sessions automatically get 3 votes per extra session. Number of extra sessions is noted next to photo number.

You’ve helped me expand so I’m expanding the number of winners from 3 to 4 this year. The top 4 photos with the most votes wins a fabulous prize!  If you’d rather not be a participant, email me and I will remove your photo tout de suite.

:: HOW TO WIN ::

Choose your favorite photo by leaving a comment in the comment box below with the number of the photo you are voting for and a valid email address.  Any comments left anywhere else (facebook, twitter, emailed, etc.) won’t be counted.  If you’ve never left a comment, I will have to approve it first so don’t worry if you don’t see it right away.  Only leave ONE comment, I cannot be fooled!  Play fair.  There are ways to get more votes though so fear not:

1. If you are a Crabapple Photography Facebook fan, you can leave an extra comment (let me know it’s your fb comment).
2. If you are a Twitter follower, leave an extra comment (and what your twitter name is)
3. If you happen to have family or friends, they have votes! So pass along the link and get everyone you know involved to root for you. It is really the least they could do, huh? http://crabapplephotography.com/blog/2011/12/thank-you

:: THE PRIZES! ::

FIRST PRIZE! The photo with the most legitimate votes (I will be scrutinizing!) wins a full FREE SESSION for 2012! Session may be maternity, newborn, baby, child, family or engagement. Up to 5 people.

SECOND PRIZE! The second prize winner receives a half hour FREE MINI SESSION for 2012! Session may be maternity, newborn, baby, child, family or engagement. Up to 5 people.

THIRD PRIZE! The third prize winner will receive a 4×6 photo book full of 20 of their favorite images from their session(s).

FOURTH PRIZE! The fourth prize winner receives a storyboard print of your choice.

RANDOM WINNERS! Once the polls have closed, I will be using random.org to choose 3 extra winners based on comment number. The photo that was voted for in that comment will receive a free 8 x 10 of their choice. In the event the same photo wins multiple times, I will move on so there are 3 unique winners.

The contest will take place starting from Wednesday December 7th, until Friday December 16th at 11:59PM EST.  Winners will be announced here on the blog Monday the 19th.  Make sure you scroll all the way through, amazing entries await you all the way down!  There are 79 images so the page takes a moment to load. It is well worth the wait!

:: The PHOTOS! ::

ONE (photo below) + 1 session

TWO (photo below)

THREE (photo below) + 2 sessions

FOUR (photo below) + 1 session

FIVE (photo below)

SIX (photo below) + 1 session

SEVEN (photo below) + 1 session

EIGHT (photo below)

NINE (photo below)

TEN (photo below)

ELEVEN (photo below)

TWELVE (photo below)

THIRTEEN (photo below) + 1 session

FOURTEEN (photo below)

FIFTEEN (photo below) + 1 session

SIXTEEN (photo below)

SEVENTEEN (photo below)

EIGHTEEN (photo below) +1 session

NINETEEN (photo below)

TWENTY (photo below)

TWENTY-ONE (photo below)

TWENTY-TWO (photo below)

TWENTY-THREE (photo below)

TWENTY-FOUR (photo below) + 3 sessions

TWENTY-FIVE (photo below)

TWENTY-SIX (photo below)

TWENTY-SEVEN (photo below)

TWENTY-EIGHT (photo below) + 3 sessions

TWENTY-NINE (photo below)

THIRTY (photo below) + 1 session

THIRTY-ONE (photo below)

THIRTY-TWO (photo below) + 2 sessions

THIRTY-THREE (photo below)

THIRTY-FOUR (photo below) + 2 sessions

THIRTY-FIVE (photo below)

THIRTY-SIX (photo below) +1 session

THIRTY-SEVEN (photo below) + 2 sessions

THIRTY-EIGHT (photo below)

THIRTY-NINE (photo below)

FORTY (photo below)

FORTY-ONE (photo below)

FORTY-TWO (photo below) +1 session

FORTY-THREE (photo below)

FORTY-FOUR (photo below)

FORTY-FIVE (photo below)

FORTY-SIX (photo below)

FORTY-SEVEN (photo below)

FORTY-EIGHT (photo below)

FORTY-NINE (photo below)

FIFTY (photo below)

FIFTY-ONE (photo below)

FIFTY-TWO (photo below)

FIFTY-THREE (photo below)

FIFTY-FOUR (photo below)

FIFTY-FIVE (photo below)

FIFTY-SIX (photo below)

FIFTY-SEVEN (photo below)

FIFTY-EIGHT (photo below)

FIFTY-NINE (photo below)

SIXTY (photo below)

SIXTY-ONE (photo below)

SIXTY-TWO (photo below)

SIXTY-THREE (photo below)

SIXTY-FOUR (photo below)

SIXTY-FIVE (photo below) + 3 sessions

SIXTY-SIX (photo below)

SIXTY-SEVEN (photo below) + 2 sessions

SIXTY-EIGHT (photo below)

SIXTY-NINE (photo below) + 1 session

SEVENTY (photo below)

SEVENTY-ONE (photo below)

SEVENTY-TWO (photo below)

SEVENTY-THREE (photo below)

SEVENTY-FOUR (photo below)

SEVENTY-FIVE (photo below)

SEVENTY-SIX (photo below)

SEVENTY-SEVEN (photo below)

SEVENTY-EIGHT (photo below)

SEVENTY-NINE (photo below)

So far in 2011 I’ve photographed some big bellies, snuggly newborns, adorable babies, cheeky children and loving families. It’s heart warming to see new Moms and seasoned Moms alike delight in their children. My hope is that with my photos I am able to capture a baby’s personality and beauty for his or her parents to enjoy for years to come. Below is a small sampling of images I’ve captured so far in 2011:

I hope your day is full of love, joy + fun with your little one(s)!

The black ribbon you see on the right lays underneath the image. Simply pulling it up allows for an easy way to get the images out of the box without a lot of man handling.

Here you can see the thick styrene, your choice of either a black or white backing.  This mounting makes the photo feel substantial, allowing you to put the photo on display without necessarily the need for a frame.

:: Shown here with a 10 x 20 Canvas Print, another fabulous Crabapple Photography product ::

Can you believe it’s Valentine’s Day already? Is it me or were we just ringing in the new year a second ago? Time flies! And so do weekend baby photography sessions at Crabapple Photography in the spring. Book now!

Introducing the 2011 Crabapple Photography Baby Plans!

I am so happy and excited to tell you about these new plans!  I’ve taken the existing Belly to 1 Year package and injected it with some serious energy, coverage and gorgeous products! I have decided that one size does not fit all and have created two different plans to accommodate this.  The two new baby plans have been created for photo aficionado’s who cannot stand to see a milestone pass them by without documenting it (like myself for example!).  Your baby’s first year of life is chock full of new and growth and changes- and it is over in a flash.  The baby plans are designed to capture this monumental year by rewarding parents who love photography as much as I do with huge discounts on session fees, products and inclusion into Crabapple Photography’s birthday club.

:: 1. The Complete Belly to One Year Plan ::

Nothings says *love* like big baby bellies, cuddly newborns, bouncy baby bundles and toddlers on the move!  This complete Belly to One Year Baby Plan includes five sessions. Beginning with a maternity session we will continue through to a celebratory one year old photo session.  Each stage of a new child’s life is a perfect time to commemorate your family with an amazing gift to be cherished forever-And Crabapple Photography helps make the process fun and flawless.  Choose this plan and you will be saving over $1700 in session fees and amazing products.

The complete Belly to One Year Plan includes:

• Maternity session in the last 4-6 weeks of your pregnancy
• Newborn session within 14 days of baby’s life
• Around three month session, when your baby has hit a huge milestone: neck control!
• Around six month session, when your baby has hit yet another huge milestone: sitting!
• One year old celebratory photo session (option for cake smashing session!)
• 25 custom designed birth announcements
• “Baby’s First Year” 20 page album
• 20×20 or 16×20 Canvas Storyboard Print with images from each session
• Custom 5×7 Image Keepsake Box holding 10 specially mounted images (around 2 from each session)
• Inclusion into Crabapple Photography’s birthday club: free birthday portraits up until age 3 (two more sessions!)

:: 2. The Baby to One Year Plan ::

One size does not fit all. But that doesn’t mean you don’t deserve to be showered with discounts and exclusive products! This plan saves you over $1450 in session fees and amazing products!

The Baby to One Year Plan includes:

• Newborn session within 14 days of baby’s life
• Around six month session, when your baby has hit yet another huge milestone: sitting!
• One year old celebratory session (option for cake smashing session!)
• “Baby’s First Year” 20 page album
• 20×20 or 16×20 Canvas Storyboard Print with images from each session
• Inclusion in Crabapple Photography’s birthday club: free birthday portrait up until age 3 (two more sessions!)

For full pricing information, contact me today kate [at] crabapplephotography.com or 617.771.4496.

For the heart breaking news:  There was a 1 vote difference between the 3rd and 4th place winners.  Now, to tell you a long, drawn out little story. Picture it: English class, 6th grade.  In order to encourage extra curricular school reading, the teacher ran a contest.  The deal was, the top few kids who read the most number of pages at the end of the year got to go on a special lunch to the HONG & KONG during school.  I mean … does it get any cooler than that!?  Needless to say, I wanted to be one of those kids and I read like it was going out of style, so it was very possible.  If you read a classic, you got to double the number of pages.  So even though I read my little heart out, and may have read the most number of books, I did not read the most number of pages.  (How he dared not consider the Sweet Valley High series among the classics was beyond me).  So when it came time to tally the votes I was a mere couple of pages away from being included in the winner circle, but should not have been included.  But alas, I was!  He had added me in.  I will never forgot it and it’s time to pay it forward.  Instead of 3 winners, there will be 4.  It’s as simple as that.

Congratulations to all 4 big prize winners and to the 3 random drawing winners for the 8×10′s!

NUMBER ONE: { FORTY EIGHT } Free Session for 2011

NUMBER TWO: { FIFTY-ONE } 16×20 Canvas Fine Art Gallery Wrap

NUMBER THREE: { TWENTY-NINE } Storyboard

NUMBER FOUR: { FORTY-TWO } Storyboard

{ 3 RANDOM.ORG 8×10 PRINT WINNERS  }

1. COMMENT #262: { THIRTY } “Twitter vote – take a wild guess – #30!”

2. COMMENT #95: { SEVENTEEN }“My Fav is #17. What a FUN wedding!”

3. COMMENT #122: { TWENTY-FIVE } “#25! Adorable – who doesn’t hope and pray for that?”

2010 has been an amazing, rewarding + record year for me at Crabapple Photography.  I believe it’s high time I thank those who were directly involved with making this fantastic year a reality.  I’m speaking of course about you, the client.  If you were photographed by Crabapple Photography over the past year, you are automatically entered to win a glamourous, stunning + fantabulous PRIZE!

:: What is it?  The Rules + Such ::

A photo from most sessions has been chosen and displayed here in chronological order from 1/2010 on to be voted for (no I will not use a different image).  The top 3 photos with the most votes wins a fabulous prize!  If you’d rather not be a participant, email me and I will remove your photo tout de suite.

Choose your favorite photo by leaving a comment in the comment box below with the number of the photo you are voting for and a valid email address.  Any comments left anywhere else (facebook, twitter, emailed, etc.) won’t be counted.  If you’ve never left a comment, I will have to approve it first so don’t worry if you don’t see it right away.  Only leave ONE comment, I cannot be fooled!  Play fair.  There are ways to get more votes though so fear not:

1. If you are a Crabapple Photography Facebook fan, you can leave an extra comment (let me know it’s your fb comment).
2. If you are a Twitter follower, leave an extra comment (and what your twitter name is)
3. If you happen to have family or friends, they have votes! So pass along the link and get everyone you know involved to root for you. It is really the least they could do, huh?  Copy and paste the link to this blog post: crabapplephotography.com/blog/2010/12/thank-you.

:: THE PRIZES! ::

FIRST PRIZE! The photo with the most legitimate votes (I will be scrutinizing!) wins a FREE SESSION for 2011! Session may be maternity, newborn, baby, child, family or engagement.  Also feel free to choose the 2nd or 3rd place prizes instead. Amazing!

SECOND PRIZE! The second prize winner receives a 16×20 fine art canvas gallery wrap with the photo of your choice. Stunning!

THIRD PRIZE! The third prize winner receives a storyboard print of your choice. Love it!

RANDOM WINNERS! Once the polls have closed, I will be using random.org to choose 3 extra winners based on comment number. The photo that was voted for in that comment will receive a free 8 x 10 of their choice. In the event the same photo wins multiple times, I will move on so there are 3 unique winners.

The contest will take place starting from Thursday December 9th, until Friday December 17th at 11:59PM EST.  Winners will be announced here on the blog Monday the 20th.  Make sure you scroll all the way through, amazing entries await you all the way down!  There are 54 images and the page takes a moment to load. It is well worth the wait!   The very last image is an extra one I added for LG.  Without his love + support, Crabapple Photography’s 2010 would not have been. He pretty much thinks this is the best photo I have ever taken in my life, so it is included in the contest!

:: The PHOTOS! ::

ONE (photo below)

TWO (photo below)

THREE (photo below)

FOUR (photo below)

FIVE (photo below)

SIX (photo below)

SEVEN (photo below)

EIGHT (photo below)

NINE (photo below)

TEN (photo below)

ELEVEN (photo below)

TWELVE (photo below)

THIRTEEN (photo below)

FOURTEEN (photo below)

FIFTEEN (photo below)

SIXTEEN (photo below)

SEVENTEEN (photo below)

EIGHTEEN (photo below)

NINETEEN (photo below)

TWENTY (photo below)

TWENTY-ONE (photo below)

TWENTY-TWO (photo below)

TWENTY-THREE (photo below)

TWENTY-FOUR (photo below)

TWENTY-FIVE (photo below)

TWENTY-SIX (photo below)

TWENTY-SEVEN (photo below)

TWENTY-EIGHT (photo below)

TWENTY-NINE (photo below)

THIRTY (photo below)

THIRTY-ONE (photo below)

THIRTY-TWO (photo below)

THIRTY-THREE (photo below)

THIRTY-FOUR (photo below)

THIRTY-FIVE (photo below)

THIRTY-SIX (photo below)

THIRTY-SEVEN (photo below)

THIRTY-EIGHT (photo below)

THIRTY-NINE (photo below)

FORTY (photo below)

FORTY-ONE (photo below)

FORTY-TWO (photo below)

FORTY-THREE (photo below)

FORTY-FOUR (photo below)

FORTY-FIVE (photo below)

FORTY-SIX (photo below)

FORTY-SEVEN (photo below)

FORTY-EIGHT (photo below)

FORTY-NINE (photo below)

FIFTY (photo below)

FIFTY-ONE (photo below)

FIFTY-TWO (photo below)

FIFTY-THREE (photo below)

For my hubby, his favorite image of 2010: FIFTY-FOUR (photo below)

]]> http://crabapplephotography.com/blog/2010/12/thank-you/feed/ 340 http://crabapplephotography.com/blog/2010/12/introducing-photo-storyboards/ http://crabapplephotography.com/blog/2010/12/introducing-photo-storyboards/#comments Mon, 06 Dec 2010 17:04:25 +0000 Kate McKenna http://crabapplephotography.com/blog/?p=1202

Storyboards are a fantastic way to tell a story with your images.  A photo storyboard is a well designed collage of your photos, printed together to make one image.  They can be printed on high quality photo paper, or made into a fine art canvas gallery wrap.

Crabapple Photography is pleased to announce 11 new storyboard designs with 3 different shapes including square, rectangle or panoramic.  These make fun and unique gifts or prints to display in your home!

Contact me today for ordering information and to answer any questions you may have!

Wedding Ring photo taken at Tricia + Scott’s wedding at Ski Esta earlier this October. Check out the full post for more wedding photos!

Crabapple Photography is happy to announce this season’s HOLIDAY SESSION information. There are MINI SESSIONS and sessions with all of the flexibility of a regular session, but with some goodies geared toward holiday gifts. If you’ve recently had a session, and are only looking for our custom designed HOLIDAY CARDS, those are here too.

A Crabapple HOLIDAY MINI SESSION lasts approximately 50 minutes at the location of Kate’s choice. If the weather is cooperating, we will be outdoors near the Medford area. If the weather is rainy, or God forbid SNOWING, the sessions will take place at Crabapple Studios located in Medford, MA.  There can be up to 4 people (additional people are $25 each).  While these are promoted as holiday sessions, the locations will not be decorated for the holidays. Your wardrobe can help achieve that look if that is important to you.  Any additional sets of holiday cards ordered are discounted at $40 each with a holiday session. Spots are obviously limited, so book today! A $150 deposit is required to hold your spot. These deals cannot be combined with any other offers.

These sessions are very similar to a full session, but include some goodies.  They are truly great deals! A 50% deposit is required to hold your session date and time.  All sessions include:
- 1 – 2 hours of photography in the location of your choice within 45 miles of Medford, MA
- 6 hours of basic editing and photo enhancement (20 – 60 images)
- Online proofing gallery
- DVD of medium resolution edited images (allowing you to view on computer)
- Sessions include up to 5 people. Each additional person is $25

CLICK HERE TO VIEW ALL OF THE 2010 HOLIDAY CARD COLLECTION

]]> http://crabapplephotography.com/blog/2010/09/boston-family-holiday-photo-cards/feed/ 0 http://crabapplephotography.com/blog/2010/07/boston-mothers-day-makeover-photos/ http://crabapplephotography.com/blog/2010/07/boston-mothers-day-makeover-photos/#comments Fri, 09 Jul 2010 12:36:21 +0000 Kate McKenna http://crabapplephotography.com/blog/?p=539 Back in March the search was on for a deserving mom in need of a makeover.  The Mother’s Day Mom makeover contest included $15,000 in prizes including new hair, a makeup session, clothing, jewelry, life coaching, personal training, spa treatments … and of course, photos!

Susan Kanoff, clothing stylist of A Great New Look spearheaded the project and ultimately Brenda Taylor was chosen as the winner. You can read an extended version of her story here.  Recently separated from her husband, Brenda is also a recent survivor of a pulmonary embolism and was diagnosed with diverticulitis.  From January to March, she was in and out of the hospital and due to these tragedies, lost her job.  She and her two children lost the house they were living in.  However awful these life events were, the fact remains not many people survive a pulmonary embolism.  Brenda is a fighter and has an amazing positive spirit.

Brenda has received many generous donations including: before and after photos and family portraits by me, Wardrobe Styling by Susan Kanoff, Hair and beauty by Fia Salon, a gift certificate from Thirty Petals, Make-up application for photo shoot by Elizabeth Moon, clothing from Bien Abyé by Dayanne Danier, silk jacket by Michelle Mulligan, bra-fitting, shapewear and hosiery from Night & Day, jewelry by JulRe Designs Exquisite Wearable Art Jewelry by Juliet Renee Williams,  life coaching by Ginny Williams, dress from Shabby Apple, spa treatments from L’Essentiel Spa, Personal training provided by Bobby Sanford Personal Training, a gorgeous handbag from Passport Boutique, Transformational Life Coaching sessions by Fran Spayne and the grand prize of lifetime of health from Mediweightloss of Wakefield and Watertown valued at $10,000.00!.

Without further ado, the TRANSFORMATION! Brenda’s beauty transformation took place on June 25th at Fia’s Salon in Newton, MA.  Her daughter Susan came along for the ride. Susan was the one to nominate her mother.

:: The official “Before” Shots of Brenda ::

:: Brenda sits in the chair, waiting for the transformation to begin.  Part of the team on the makeover day included (L-R) Susan Kanoff, Fran Spayne + Michelle Mulligan ::

:: A celebratory cheers had by all ::

:: The extraordinarily talented Fia colors Brenda’s hair ::

:: (R) Fia mixes color in her fabulous vault (her space used to be a bank) ::

:: (L) Fia finalizes Brenda’s new do as Fran (R) and Susan work on Brenda’s new wardrobe ::

:: Elizabeth Moon gave an amazing beauty lesson + worked her magic on Brenda ::

:: AFTER! ::

:: Brenda modeling a few pieces of her new wardrobe ::

:: Brenda + her daughter Susan ::

:: Makeover day team: (L-R): Susan, Susan, Elizabeth, Fia, Michelle, Brenda in front, me behind the camera ::

It was in the 40′s yesterday, sunny and it is no longer February.  Can I get a whoop whoop!? I’m not going to discuss how I just checked the 10 day weather report for Boston and snow is in the forecast and it’s gray and rainy outside right now.  It doesn’t matter- spring is inevitably on it’s way and I couldn’t be happier. So happy I’m offering discounted session fees for maternity, newborn, baby, child, family, portraits or engagement photo session (deal below- it’s a good one).  Spring and summer book up quickly (oh, and I’m getting married this summer, which knocks out a few weekends ;] ) so get a move on if you can, I’d love to have you!  Just book before April 1, 2010, mention this blog post or “March Madness.” Your session can be for any date before October 2010. And the fine print includes: date is not booked until 50% deposit is received.

- Photographer creativity -
- 1 – 2 hours of photography in the location of your choice
within 45 miles of Medford, MA -
- 6 hrs of basic editing and photo enhancement (20-60 images) -
- Online proofing gallery -
- DVD of medium resolution edited images, allowing you to
print 4 x 6  and signed print release -
- $25 towards a print purchase -

Feel free to spread word. Every referral you send me, you get 20% off your session fee. This referral is compounding so if you refer 5 clients, that’s 100% off your next session fee… can’t get a better discount than that!

I certainly love them and was PSYCHED to hear that Kat from Rock ‘n Roll Bride thought so too! She featured us on the blog today. Go here to read it and feel free to leave comments: http://www.rocknrollbride.com/2010/02/save-the-cupcakes/.  Below are some screen shots of the post:

I submitted about 22 or so of our “out takes.” My favorite, and the most popular one being of LG holding (presenting) a pan of cupcakes, while our cat, Monsieur L’Orange chills.