Fall Sale

We are offering two days full of mini sessions later this month- October 17 and October 25. All sales are for our adoption costs.  Space is limited, but we have room for you.

We are still arranging the details on our locations, but they will highlight autumn and be awesome. As we get confirmation we'll let everyone know our locations.

In the meantime, if you want to reserve a spot, send me an email (nikki@purplelemonphotography.com) and let me know which date and time of day.  If you are wanting the 17th, we'll have morning and maybe afternoon slots. If you are wanting the 25th, we'll have morning and late afternoon/evening slots.

This is a huge savings.  If you've been on the fence about a session for your family, kids, yourself, your spouse, your...pet monkey, this is it.  Really, if you have a pet monkey, I want to meet your monkey.

Also, we'll also have another set of unique minis coming up in the winter.  It's specially tailored to those with a sweetheart, groups of friends, and small families. Save the date for December 6.

CELEBRATEfamily

If you didn't already know, we are in the process of adopting from Ghana, in West Africa.  To aid in raising funds for this process we are going to CELEBRATEfamily with mini sessions and an open house in our home.

Who: Families, babies, kids, couples, individuals

What: 15-20 minute photo sessions* and open house**

When: September 7 & September 14 from 10:30am- 4pm.

Where: Our home, 8703 David Ave, St. John MO 63114; sessions will be all throughout our home (some outside, but mostly inside).  Trust me, I know all the best spots. ;)

Why: We are raising funds for our international adoption and want to celebrate family!

How much: It's up to you.
Open House donation- anything is welcome! As a thank you for stopping by, we'll do a 1 minute supersonic-speed session for a new Facebook profile picture
$100- 10 digital files
$150- 10 digital files, customized CELEBRATEfamily CD case
$300- 10 digital files, customized CELEBRATEfamily CD case, digital holiday card (for Facebook or emailing or printing yourself)
$500- 10 digital files, customized CELEBRATEfamily CD case, digital holiday card, 5x7 slim album
$800- 10 digital files, customized CELEBRATEfamily CD case, digital holiday card, 5x7 slim album, large wall portrait

*The photo session details:
Come spend 15 uninterrupted minutes of loving on your family.  Laugh, tickle, smile, hug, give each other some eye contact and focus on each other.  I'll touch base with you before your session so we can customize it for you, you know what to wear and what to bring.  Perfectly timed for holiday greeting cards and presents.  We will accept regular orders from these sessions as well, at regular studio prices. Any profits will go towards the adoption fund.

We have a limited space of 15 slots per day, so be sure to sign up quickly.  Sign up with a slot around the same time as a friend and spend an hour or two with us.  Hang out. Play games. Eat a snack.  Get a few mosquito bites.

**The open house details: Our house will be open for you to come stop by and spend some time on both of these days.  Come enjoy some lemon-treats or food from Ghana.  Play some Wii games. Have a playdate at our house. Chalk up my sidewalk.  Blow some bubbles.  Hang on the couch and talk to a friend (who you get to schedule in the slot next to yours) while your kids get their photos taken in the next room.  Enjoy knowing that my house isn't perfect.  I've got car tracks on my walls and a few cobwebs in the corners, too.

Come by to CELEBRATE(your)family by spending a small part of your day together with us.

Email me to reserve your spot! nikki@purplelemonphotography.com

World Impact St. Louis Benefit Concert

A few weeks back, Brian got his first shot at being my assistant.  He did the Hearts for City Campaign booth at the World Impact Benefit concert.  He actually got more "business" at his booth than I did at mine for family snapshots.  Great job, honey!

But after we were done with the booths, we went into the concert with a sleepy, but well behaved toddler so I could not only enjoy some of the music of Mark Roach, but also get some concert shots.  Here are a few faves...

World Impact St. Louis Benefit Concert

We've been doing some work with World Impact this fall and they have recently had $200,000 in property damage. Thieves stole critical parts to their air conditioning system, and a major part of their ministry takes part during the summer months.  Would you consider marking December 10th on your calendar and taking part of their benefit concert and silent auction?  You can come enjoy some music, get a quick photo taken, and get some great finds at the auction.

See you there!

Faces of Thanksgiving

 She just stole my heart.  Yours?

Yesterday, I had the honor of photographing some incredible people. Men, women, and children who have been through more than I can imagine. Families who have moved to America, less to fill a dream, and more out of necessity.  I photographed people who are taking English classes at Oasis International, a ministry for refugees in St. Louis.  There are children smiling, like this precious little girl, who smile because their families moved here so they could leave fear, danger, war, persecution, or other trials that fill their home countries. Tough choices until you see their smiles.

It was no ordinary class picture day- but rather a Thanksgiving feast! I was reminded of the true thankfulness that many of them have, even with seemingly difficult lives here, in poverty, with little or no family, and language barriers.  Through a seemingly silly skit about the first thanksgiving, a room full of people erupted in elation.  Many celebrated and cheered when hearing the story of the pilgrims who, like themselves, came to America from every corner of the earth to find freedom.

A few fun tidbits:
1. If my ability to understand foreign languages mixed with accents and English are correct, the couple on the bottom row just got married and he finds her SO beautiful!
2. Outside of Bosnia, St. Louis has the highest Bosnian population in the world. Crazy, right?
3. I met several of these families back in August when I celebrated my anniversary with them, and I was so happy to see them again!

Partners for Just Trade

Partners for Just Trade make appearances here on the PLP blog quite often, and here they are again!  They've just received what I think I heard was over 2000 pounds of merchandise from Peru for this upcoming season.  I photographed most of it for their website. And then decided that I needed to buy a lot of things for myself.

We're headed out of the office for about 10 days starting next week, so I needed to buy a Fair Trade toiletry case!

 And the winter season is coming, and my bookings aren't slowing down so I needed some matching arm warmers and hat.  I'll be donning these soon, don't you worry about that! I've even been growing my hair out a little bit for hat season.

 And perhaps you could wear this scarf... or get some handmade Christmas Ornaments. Or a blanket. Or stuffed animals. Or an apron. Or some fruit. They sell so many things!

 This is to get you in the holiday mood.  And speaking of which, current clients, be watching your in-boxes for some Purple Lemon Photography holiday sales!

What is a Ruana?

Though photographically simple, I did a very exciting shoot a week or two ago.  Partners for Just Trade had me photograph a few products for them again, but this time, it's going big time!  They are expanding their sales to overstock.com's fair trade section called Worldstock. So that means by the end of this week, I'll have pictures on a major website--even if just a few small products.  It makes me a little bit giddy!

I have a big thanks to give to a client and new friend who was willing to model for me. She did a great job! Thanks, A!

Getting back to my title... This, you see, is a ruana.  It's a shaped shawl, great for the upcoming winter and fall seasons.  Just imagine yourself walking through Forest Park with your kids (maybe having a family portrait session), wrapped up to keep out the crisp fall chill in the air.  Or you are out picking apples wearing your ruana.  Or perhaps you are curled up by the fireplace, wrapped up in this super-soft ruana. 

I'm pretty terrible at sales, but looks like I could sell a ruana any day- even in the heat of summer!

Community Update

This summer my family and I have been working to better understand how to make wiser purchases by educating ourselves about fair/just trade, well-made, sustainable, eco-friendly products and producers.  We are aiming to steer clear of purchasing items from companies that aren't benefiting anyone but themselves, and to, in turn, support those who are doing a great job.  It sometimes means more expensive products (but not always, as I've discovered).  It sometimes means less convenient (also, not always).  This is a really hard thing to do- especially if you know me.  I'm super-frugal. I am frugal to the point that sometimes I question my vocation as a photographer, because the essence of my job is to create something that someone merely enjoys, rather than needs.  I am a "needs" person.  Which, I guess makes our attempts a finding great companies a little easier, as I don't really buy anything very often, other than food. A nice mix of super-healthy and super-sweet. ... and about here my thoughts get muddled and incomplete, so I start over.

Through all those muddled thoughts, if you made it, I was basically trying to say that:
A) we want to be a financially responsible family that supports aiding in the elimination of unfair working conditions that lead to endless poverty and bring awareness to wasteful processes in product creation and elimination.

B) we are also a company.  we desire to be a transparent company that can share what we are doing to aid blessings God's people and the earth he made in a biblical way- balancing transparency with humbleness, sharing what we're doing without allowing pride or arrogance to get in the way.

C) and we're trying our best.

Here's what's gone on this summer that is of note to how we're helping out and being recognized for excellence in photography and our community.

1. I was recognized for my efforts in photographing products for Partners for Just Trade, based here in St. Louis.  They are a great company, that spurred some of our efforts on.  Check them out! (I even got a certificate!)

2. I became a member of Professional Photographers of America, and have agreed to follow their code of ethics in the way I conduct my business affairs. I am excited to join this network of photographers!



3. As I mentioned before, I am a needs person. When we moved in March, I broke my kitchen timer. A bride and groom I photographed in April knew nothing of the sort, but their thank you to me was perfect. It was a "purple" lemon kitchen timer! Now I can think of them, and have an extra lemon in my kitchen. I was blessed by their thoughtfulness.

4. Last year, I photographed an event for the Bridge, where I am volunteer staff photographer. I am pleased to help them spread the word for their 2nd annual FunRaiser at the Triumph Grille Check it out!

 5. We know that the earthquake in Haiti has been devastating and the effects are far reaching.  We are committed to using profits from our business to support international and local mission work, spreading the love and gospel of Jesus.  For this reason, we have used some of the profits of the summer to help support Convoy of Hope with Relevant magazine to rebuild 3 schools in Haiti.  Maybe you could do it, too.

6.  My brother and his family are on a break from their mission work in London, and I got to see them! TWICE!  Thank you for your patience if you tried to contact us in the last few weeks, as I was out of the office a lot spending time loving on and supporting their family.  I am so thankful to have spent time hearing their stories and encouraging them as they begin the next school year in England.  Thank you for being a Purple Lemon Photography client, as you are critical to helping financially support their work with YoungLife International!

7.  We'll close with this one, as this post is getting long.  Today is my anniversary!  I've been married four years.  My day is full of getting home from the above-mentioned trip, doing dishes, potty training the little one, catching up on work, mowing the lawn and trying not pass out from heat stroke, finding food in this empty-pantry house, and eventually getting cleaned up (again) to bless my dear husband and go out on the town for a celebratory cupcake.  That's a need, right?

All that said is to say that our lives are busy. But they  aren't too busy to make a difference.  We made vows on our wedding day that align with the "Honorable Order of the Mustard Seed" from way back in the 16th century.  We promised to "Be true to Christ, kind to people, and to spread the gospel to the nations."  So this weekend, as we celebrate our passionate, one-of-a-kind, delighting, gushy, married love story, we'll also work to serve our community, blessing those in St. Louis who need to have kindness shared to them.  We're still debating exactly where that will be, but wherever it is, it'll be well worth it!

Lessons Learned

About a month ago, I was at a conference put on by the network of which our church is a part. (We go to City Lights Church- check us out).  We get together once a year for about 3 days for teaching, worship, and loads of fun.  During the first session, several things stood out to me during the teaching and the prayer I received.  The reason I am blogging about this particular session is that is relates to myself as a photographer.  I wanted to wait until I finished my big wedding push to get all my thoughts down to really solidify it all.

The session's overarching theme is that God knows us completely and still loves us. Isn't that encouraging? He knows when our motives are less than pure, and he loves us. He knows when we mess up and lose patience with our spouses and children and parents and still loves us. He knows us when we lack integrity and still he loves us more than we can ever imagine. His grace extends to us in our darkest moments and even in the not-so-bad-yet-not-perfect moments, too. Psalm 139 describes how not only does he love and know us fully, but he made us, too. And he thinks we're wonderful! Here's a section.



^1-6 God, investigate my life; get all the facts firsthand.

I'm an open book to you;

even from a distance, you know what I'm thinking.

You know when I leave and when I get back;

I'm never out of your sight.

You know everything I'm going to say

before I start the first sentence.

I look behind me and you're there,

then up ahead and you're there, too—

your reassuring presence, coming and going.

This is too much, too wonderful—

I can't take it all in!



^13-16 Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out;

you formed me in my mother's womb.

I thank you, High God—you're breathtaking!

Body and soul, I am marvelously made!

I worship in adoration—what a creation!

You know me inside and out,

you know every bone in my body;

You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit,

how I was sculpted from nothing into something.

Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth;

all the stages of my life were spread out before you,

The days of my life all prepared

before I'd even lived one day.

(Psalm 139: 1-6, 13-16, MSG)



I don't know if you ever struggle with insecurity, but I know that I do. My husband does. My friends do. I'm so thankful that the God of the entire universe thinks I'm great and wants to spend time with me. Doesn't that kick some insecurity in the pants?

At that session God worked in me to turn from the attitudes and behaviors that belittle the person that God made me to be in order to honor him, strengthen my marriage, and lift up my friendships. It's a lie for me to believe that I am not beautiful. I used to love being on the other side of the camera when I was little- always posing and hamming it up. I hadn't learned to dislike myself. So for my 25th birthday a few weeks ago, friend and fellow photographer, Casey, took some headshots for me. Her skills + my new attitude = something I'm more than happy to share!

So what does all of this have to do with photography?



Everything. How people look is a critical aspect of my occupation. Couple that with a client's personal insecurity and the result is easily a mess. But somehow- it's not.



I wrote this at the conference in the super-hip moleskine journals they gave us.


"I don't make people photogenic; they already are. God made them wonderful. I simply show it. I give him glory by showing his creation (the things that are already beautiful). He does not make ugly people. I have been challenged in my pattern of thinking to see clients as creations, wonderful reflections of God, created lovingly in his image."

I am not big on retouching. I don't airbrush. I use natural light to highlight and flatter what's best. I do not nit-pick at every loose strand of hair or encourage heavy make-up. I try to show who someone is more than what they simply look like. And more often than not- an image of someone beautiful emerges. There is personality and life. I'll praise God for that.

A few other highlights from the conference:



The young woman in the wheelchair is a friend of mine, and she hasn't had feeling in her lower back and legs for 5 years. As we prayed for her a number of times, she was able to feel tingling and pressure returning to her legs. I have faith that one day I'll get to see her walk again!

We stayed at a cabin, ironically named the Devil's Kitchen, with most of these folks and ate this dinner. I am the one on the couch in black with the seemingly tiny head. I made that rockin' watermelon basket in about 10 minutes while the steak was cooking. :)

Spokes & Sandwiches

May has drawn to a close, as has our set of specials to provide bikes for missionaries in Asia.  We were able to raise money for three bikes!  Thanks for your support!  We'll be making that donation to Gospel for Asia in the near future.  (Got that, honey-who-pays-our-bills?  Don't forget.)

Also, I did some day-to-day shots for The Bridge (often seen here on PLP) and for their Memorial Day lunch and sack-dinner preparations.

It's fun being down there now that people recognize me and know who I am.  There is a general comfortableness that develops, and now me and my camera are commonplace- much less intimidating for people.

It's awesome how many varieties of fresh produce they get.

Get ready... wedding season is coming into full-swing around here.  I'll try to pop in with each wedding, but we'll be busy!  And let me say... we're starting with a lively bunch (of people that I love to munch so much!)

Miscellaneous May- too much for one post

I have intentionally left May as a slow photographic month so I can catch up and regroup before I dive in with full force for my upcoming season.  But that isn't to say things aren't happening!

Some are personal- like the Free Clothing and Food Day I helped to coordinate last week for University City families, and the new chairs I bought today and the new amazing upgrade to my insulin pump that I bought yesterday. And Eli's impluse-decision haircut I did yesterday.  The "Hello, there pretty little lady!" comment we got Sunday got my gears crankin' and I realized he couldn't wait until mid-June for his planned haircut.  It was in his eyes, curly and he's just not a barrette kind of kid.

The following photos are courtesy of my bridesmaid-friend who lives upstairs. I don't know if she wants her name here.  She did a great job!

"Mom, are we done yet?"

I can see why Brian looks so scared when I cut his hair.  I am rather menacing with those scissors!

The attempted faux-hawk...

Sure, it's a little crooked... but he's wiggly.

This is when the clippers came out last year... (oooh, Anna, I'm breaking out the Waaay Back Whensday).

Also on the Eli front, he started going to a Mother's Day Out program (like a daycare, but in my case, better) once a week.  Last week he had his first day of "school" and I got to do mommythings! The lunch was packed, the diaper bag stocked, fancy shoes all laid out, fresh bath, and (long) hair combed (and looked a bit creepy).   Thankfully, he loved it!

On the business side of things, I'm crankin' out some album designs, orders, and updating my systems, making sure they are in well-oiled condition.  I am rethinking my package information, my administration processes, and figuring out the details of having clients in my home.  It's good to be in this mode for a few weeks, and thankfully I still have a bit of time before May is gone to finish up my long list.

Finally, don't forget about the Bikes program we've got going on for the rest of May.  There is about 12 days left to be a part this!  See this post for more information on how you can help provide bikes for missionaries in Asia!  We're at three whole bikes right now.

bikes

Thoughts on bicycles.

As a kid, I loved to ride my bike. Oh, the freedom! I would ride down the road to the creek and write poetry, take pictures, pray... I have not ridden in a long time.

When we just moved our friend, Drew, who rode over 1000 miles in the last few months, commented that we have the dustiest bikes he's ever seen.

My husband never learned to ride a bike as a kid. He's learned (or rather, is still learning) as an adult. We keep thinking it would be great to add a kid seat to our bikes for Eli. And to add a bike to our reasonable ways to get around in our one-car, crazy scheduled photo-wife, full-time-job-hubby life we lead. He used to ride public transportation to work, and now our new house makes that very silly. Two hour commute. Each way. But... if he could only ride a bike to the station, it would speed that up a lot!

Eli's too little to ride a bike. But one day he will.

When we lived in Holland, the main way to get around is on a bike. They are like feet. But faster. Everyone has them.

I took that picture while in Holland. They are laying on an icy canal. Fun, eh?

Missionaries in Asia could use bikes all the time! But guess what, they can't afford them. Here I am with two great, but ill-used dusty bikes in my garage. There they are, with great need for a bike and no money to buy one.

I had been praying last week about ways that we here at Purple Lemon Photography can increase the money we give to missionaries in the world. That is, you see, why I photograph for money. We have yet to pay ourselves out of our profits (though surely someday we will, I assume), but we have given to missionaries as we said that we would. We want to faithfully continue this trend.

I got a letter today from an organization that we have supported for many years. Gospel for Asia. They are a great organization that is effectively spreading the gospel throughout Asian countries like India and Bangladesh. It was talking about bikes and how the missionaries need them.

Would you help us buy them some bikes? I have a few ways you can do that! And they come complete with catchy, alliterative titles.

1. Bookings for Bikes: Book a session for sometime before October, mention the bikes, and we'll contribute $30 of your session fee to buy a bike

2. Bonuses for Bikes: Add a donation of your choice to an already active order, and we'll add $20 photo credit to your package

3. Brides for Bikes: Book a wedding by the end of May, mention the bikes, and we'll buy a whole bike.

Rules of the game:

You must complete the option by May 30th, 2010. We will round out all the donations to make sure that we buy complete bikes- no unicycles here! Each bike costs $110. How many bikes do you think can we buy?