World Food Program.

***NOTE- I'm keeping this as the top post until the end of August. All new posts will go below this!***

I'm sure many of you have heard about recent developments in the World Food Crisis. TIME has a pretty good article summarizing the history and magnitude of the problem. You can read it here.

Here are a couple of excerpts:

"Nearly half a billion people are suffering from some form of hunger; 10,000 of them die of starvation each week in Africa, Asia and Latin America. There are all too familiar severe shortages of food in the sub-Saharan Sahelian countries of Chad, Gambia, Mali, Mauritania, Senegal, Upper Volta and Niger; also in Ethiopia, northeastern Brazil, India and Bangladesh. India alone needs 8 to 10 million tons of food this year from outside sources, or else as many as 30 million people might starve."

"You cannot have political stability based on empty stomachs and poverty," he warned. "When I see food lines in developing countries, I know that those governments are under pressure and are in danger of falling."

I don't know about you, but this has hit me hard. Friends of The World Food Program have set up a website where you may make donations to the World Food Program, which is now over $500 million under what is needed to do the work they set out doing. They have warned that they "may have to cut rations for hundreds of thousands of school children if donations don't materialize."

I don't think that this is at all acceptable. No person should go hungry. Personally, I have already set up a charitable giving account with Friends of the World Food Program, but I've decided I'd like to do more.

I'd like my business to not only be about helping myself and my clients, but I'd like to use it to make a difference. Therefore, I plan on donating all profit made on print sales for the 2008 summer season to the World Food Program.

That means, on any print order you make on instaproofs between May 2008- Aug 2008, all proceeds will go towards helping feed those in need!

So please- order that extra 8x10 for grandma! Let's work together to make a difference!


Thank you. My love and gratitude to each of you.

Maggie and Matt are getting married!

Maggie and Matt are such a cool couple. They live in New York City, and are both international travelers! I had such a good time walking around the beautiful Arboretum with them today- they're such a sweet, laid back couple.

Here are a few great ones from their shoot today:

I really love this one.

This is definitely my favorite. I love the fisherman in the background :)

Yes, I do take normal portraits!

so sweet.

Kaitlyn!

Kaitlyn is the cousin of my cousin... :)
She's graduating in a couple of weeks, and needed to get some senior photos done asap!

We had a great time, and Kaitlyn loves being in front of a camera, which made it really easy!

Here are a couple of my favorites:

Soon the tree blossoms will be gone...

Doesn't she have beautiful eyes?!

This was our last shot, and I think it's my favorite!

In honor of Mother's Day...

It's time to announce the winner for the Mother's Day Give Away!!!

Again, the winning mother will receive: a portrait session of their family, with the sitting fee waived, 4x6's of all proofs, and an 11x14 of their choice!

The winner is..... there are two! Annette Dewey and Besty Ratliff!

I had so many beautiful stories to choose from, and it really was a ridiculously hard decision.

A little about Annette in the words of her granddaughter, Jessica:

"She is an amazing woman, mother of 2 daughters, grandmother of 4, and great-grandmother of 1. She has always been a second mother to me. When I was younger, my mom was a single mother and often had to work until 9 or 10 at night. Grandma would pick me up after school and make dinner for me and then pack my lunch for the next day. She made what could have been a lonely and difficult childhood very fulfilling."

And a little about Betsy, in the words of her friend, Brooke:

"She is an amazing and Strong woman. She is a stay at home mom, kind, compassionate and loving. She was married later in life and had her first child at age forty!!! She now has three kids under the age of three. Even though her house is extremely hectic, she ALWAYS makes you feel completely welcome even when you just stop by unannounced. She was very good friends with my sister-in-law Pamela, when Pam was pregnant with her first, Betsy was pregnant with her third... when Betsy was nervous or worried Pam would tell her that "everything was going to be ok and they would raise their babies together and get through it together." She gave birth a couple months after Pam died and even though she was (and still is) extremely heartbroken, she gets up everyday and cares for her three children."

Thank you so much for all of the nominations! I feel blessed to have heard your stories.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Here's my momma... she's gonna kill me for posting this... :)

Sarah and David are Engaged!

Wow, engagement session season is in full force!

This is Sarah and David. Sarah and David are getting married this December! I think we covered nearly every inch of Ann Arbor today during our session! My feet have the blisters to prove it!
These two are such an awesome, fun couple. They didn't really need any prompting from me- they're naturals in front of a camera!
Hope you like your preview, guys!

I may have developed an addiction to tree blossoms...

I LOOOOOOVE this one!!!!

cuuuute.

Erin and Joe are Engaged!

Erin and Joe are getting married this October! We had so much fun together on Saturday, and even ended up at the bar at the end of our session! Thanks so much, Erin and Joe, for the fabulous shoot! (and the beer :) ) Seriously, these guys are great. And sooo cute together.

My signature shot this season... tree blossoms are great!

Pretty pretty sun flare

This one is just so pretty and sweet.

A little different from my usual settings, but fun.

I really like this. The bikes make such a cool backdrop.

This is their puppy! Her name is Messner... can anyone guess why?