Happy DECEMBER!

I love Christmas, and Thanksgiving, and New Years! This is seriously one of the best times of the year! I'd love to continue the spirit of thankfulness and blessings by having a GIVEAWAY!

Something I'm thankful for is that I'm able to have pictures of my family, friends, etc to remember for times to come. I'd love to give a few of you something to be super thankful for!

And, not only will there be one winner- there will be three. That's right, t h r e e winners!

You can win by
1. Being the person who lets your friends know the most about the free session
2. Being the person who refers the most people
3. Being randomly picked from the posts/comments when you tell me what kind of session you'd like to win! *UPDATE* Winner #3 (random winner) has already been chosen. Winners #1 and #2 will be chosen on December 23rd.

So here's what you need to do:
(for winner #1)
1. Like my page (www.facebook.com/brittanylongphotography ) if you haven't already! It's not a requirement, but if you like my work, I sure would appreciate it! :)
2. Let your friends know that you entered to win a FREE session with Brittany Long Photography (including the disc with pictures! This is up to a $300 value!). Once you've let your friends know, let me know so that I can give you a point! When referring friends (regardless of the avenue you choose to do this), Please include my link(s) when telling your friends about it. My links are:
website: http://brittanylongphotography.com
facebook: www.facebook.com/brittanylongphotography
3. Let me know that you told your friends about the giveaway! If you don't let me know, I won't be able to count your point... I'm not a mind reader! ;)

• 1 point per day for letting me know you've told someone (or someone"s") about the giveaway
• 1/2 a point for every person who lets me know that you told them about the giveaway (up to 10 people, or 5 total points per day)
• You must let me know who you referred (otherwise I won't be able to know!). 

You can get up to 6 total points a day to be winner #1. 

(for winner #2) 
1. Like my page (www.facebook.com/brittanylongphotography ) if you haven't already! It's not a requirement, but if you like my work, I sure would appreciate it! :)
2. You refer people to me. Please include the links and please let me know if you referred someone!
3.

• One point per day for referring someone (or someone"s"). 
• One point for every person who lets me know that you told them about Brittany Long Photography (up to ten people per day, or 10 total points per day)
• You must let me know who you referred (otherwise I won't be able to know!)

 So this winner has the potential to get up to 11 points each day to be winner #2.

Please include my link(s) when telling your friends about it. My links are:

website: http://brittanylongphotography.com

facebook: www.facebook.com/brittanylongphotography 

(for winner #3) *UPDATE* Winner #3 has already been chosen. You can still enter to be winner #1 or #2 however, which will be announced on December 23rd!
Winner number three just needs to tell me what kind of session they'd like to win. You get one point for each day you tell me what kind of session you'd like to win. Even if you really, really want a maternity session, you can tell me that every day during the giveaway and get one point daily towards being winner #3.

The deets:

1. The session will be won between December 9th and December 23rd. The winner winners(!!) will be announced on December 23rd (an early Christmas present for a few people!). (The winner for #3 was already announced, but the winners for #1 and #2 will be announced on December 23rd).
2. The giveaway is in no way correlated with facebook, though you're welcome to post or comment there as it's an avenue many people use for every day communications. You may also email the information for your points to BLongPhotography@yahoo.com . You may also comment or post on my blog.
3. The winners must use their sessions by March 25th, 2012.
4. The sessions may be used for engagement/couple, family, maternity, or an individual portrait session. Weddings are excluded from the giveaway.
5. Points for the most told about the giveaway will be tallied as such:

• 1 point per day for letting me know you've told someone (or someone"s") about the giveaway
• 1/2 a point for every person who lets me know that you told them about the giveaway (up to 10 people, or 5 total points per day)
• You must let me know who you referred (otherwise I won't be able to know!). 

6. Points for the most referred will be tallied as such:

• One point per day for referring someone (or someone"s"). 
• One point for every person who lets me know that you told them about Brittany Long Photography (up to ten people per day, or 10 total points per day)
• You must let me know who you referred (otherwise I won't be able to know!)

7. The random pick will come from random.org and will be picked from all who comment/post (whichever way you prefer) during the giveaway time frame.
8. All winners must be
    a. within 20 miles of Kissimmee, FL or
    b. pay a travel fee to cover the cost of travel to the location or
    c. pick a location within 20 miles of Kissimmee, FL

Something Worth Standing For

There are some things in life that are worth standing for.

Life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness. 

Psych on Friday nights. 

Kit kats that cost less than 1.59. 

But more seriously, there are things worth standing for. I'm sure you could name a few off the top of your head. Some that I think are worth standing for is a world where young women and girls aren't sold into slavery. 

I know it might be hard to believe, but right now, human trafficking happens all the time and it happens all around you. Right now, in the UNITED STATES, the average age for a girl to enter prostitution is between 12-14 years old. (Statistic according to the Polaris Project). Let that sink in. You must know someone that's 12-14 years old. I don't have kids, but I have babysat kids... dear, beautiful, precious, innocent little girls, some of which are nearing that age right now.

Human trafficking is something worth standing against. On behalf of those girls I've babysat- on behalf of your children or future children, please, continue to read. 

My friend Megan is so passionate about this. She will be going to Cambodia from August 7-21st. According to humantrafficking.org, "Cambodia has internal trafficking of women and children from rural to urban areas for sexual exploitation. Many victims believe they will be working as domestic servants but are later coerced into sexual exploitation. 

The point? There are men, women, and children in Cambodia that are being TRICKED into sexual exploitation. This is not their fault. This is not something they chose or something they can get out of on their own. 

So how can you help? Learn. I would suggest checking out Rapha House to learn more about this. Something else you can do is help Megan get there. She is still between $1000-1500 from being able to make this trip. Why is it so important for her to be there? Check out what she has to say about it below:

"The simplest way to explain why I'm passionate about the work that Rapha House does is this: Love came down for the least of these. I believe that as a Christ-follower, it is my responsibility and privilege to plead the case of the widow, defend the cause of the fatherless, and seek justice. Not only that, but I know for a fact that God is a God of justice, mercy, love, and grace: we see this throughout the bible leading right up to Christ's death on the cross for the sins of the world -- including the sins of the rapist. I also know that God is a God of healing, redemption, and restoration, which is shown in Christ's resurrection from the grave. If all this is true, which I believe it to be 100%, then no human being should ever be treated as mere means to an ends. Rapha House shows the love of Christ to girls who have been treated as sub-human. Rapha House provides ways for the girls in their care to heal the wounds the world has dealt them and find the beauty in their scars. Rapha House has given the hope of new life to girls who had theirs stripped away from them."

You are welcome to contact Megan and help her financially, with prayers, letters, whatever you can. Another way you can help is through Brittany Long Photography. For every print sold from the "Sunny Florida" album, all money (with the exception of cost for having it made) will go to Megan for this trip. There will also be more pictures up in there after this weekend, so be sure to check back. I will also give $10 off a photoshoot to anyone who buys at least one print, 8x10 or higher. 

The costs are as follows:

4x6- $4

5x7- $8

8x10- $12

Packages:

2 4x6

1 5x7

1 8x10

_________

$24 instead of $28

4 4x6

2 5x7

2 8x10

___________ 

$44 instead of $56

Other packages can be made custom.  

Please ask for other sizes. These prints would be excellent to put up in your home. I would even suggest putting it in a place that would remind you to pray for those still being trafficked today. It can serve as a reminder to pray for them- pray for their health, their mind, and pray that they will be rescued from their captors. 

If you have a chance, take a moment to check out more about Rapha House at: http://www.raphahouse.org/#/who-we-are

"Rapha House exists to love, rescue, and heal children who have been rescued out of slavery and sexual exploitation. Operating as a 501(c)3, Rapha House began in 2003 to permeate cultures with love that heals and leads to restoration. Rapha House does this by providing safehomes and aftercare programs for young girls who have been rescued out of slavery and exploitative situations. All Rapha House homes are currently located in Southeast Asia, with the goal of expanding globally.  Slavery still exists in every culture. Rapha House is constantly partnering with advocates in an effort to build communities that extend unconditional love, physical rescue, and transformational healing. 

(taken directly from www.freedomforgirls.org)"

Here's to all of you brides, bridesmaids, prom goers... and girls that like pretty dresses!

Ok girls, we love dresses right? Right.

And we love looking our best right? Right.

I'd like to introduce you to some people who also love dresses and who make it their priority to help you look your best, whether its for you BIG day, a friends' big day, or a special occasion!

I'm talking about MAKS occasions. MAKS occasions is a lovely dress shop in Kissimmee, FL. I did an interview with Ashley, who works there, and I think you might be interested- especially  if you're looking for a bridal gown, or a special occasions dress.


Brittany:  What kind of dresses does MAKS specialize in?




Ashley: We sell wedding dresses, bridesmaid dresses, quincenera/sweet sixteen dresses, mother of the bride dresses, flower girl dresses, dresses for formal occasions and first communion/confirmation dresses.

Brittany: Why do you love working at the store? 


Ashley: I like working at the store because I like seeing the joy on the girls' faces when they find their perfect dress. It gives us a chance to know them and help them with their special day.



Brittany: Do you have any advice for someone looking for a dress? 


Ashley: My first piece of advice would be to get the dress at the least, 3 months in advance. We have had several peopl come in, wanting a dress but neither myself or the dress designer have it in stock. So they have to they have to pick a dress that wasn't their first choice. My second piece of advice is to do homework on the dress you want. The process of getting a dress is made much easier when you know the dress style that you would like to have.



Brittany: As far as wedding dresses go, why should someone come to your store verses a larger chain store? 


Ashley: I believe going to our store is better than going to a place like David's bridal because we carry one of their major designers. Not only do we carry the dresses at a very much reduced price, we offer more dresses. After some homework, we discovered that David's Bridal will only have a couple of dress designs in the store (like 4-6) and just carry every color and every size of it to make it seem like they have many dresses. Although we may not carry every design due to size constraint in the store, we try to have at least one dress of every desgin to help the customer feel safer with the dress they have picked.
Plus, we carry 3 major designers: Da Vinci, Mary's Bridal, and Allure. And we carry other dresses from distributers so that we can cater to someone's budget for the dress.

Brittany: Same question, but for party/quincinera dresses. 


Ashley: I would pick our store for the quince dresses because we also have a big selection to chose from. Like the wedding dresses, we have 3 major designers and smaller distributers. But to address both as to why people should come to our store, not only do we offer dresses, we offer all sorts of accessories such as the petticoat, corsets, shoes, jewelry, crowns, veils, gloves and hair accessories all in one place. As one who went to 4 different stores to buy those things, we thought it would be beneficial to the customers if all their needs where met in one place. Also, our Head Manager, Suyapa, is all about customer satisfaction. If we don't have the item you need, she will try to find it for you if it is possible to attain. Also, we know caterers, bakers, DJs, Photographers (such as Brittany Long) and other things that might be needed on that special day.


Brittany: Do YOU have a favorite dress at the store? Which is it ? (Picture if possible) 


Ashley: It is nearly impossible to have a favorite dress in the store, with new dresses coming and leaving. My favorite prom dress is an Allure dress that is one shouldered and is blue and brown. My favorite wedding dress is one that we haven't received yet in the shop but it is so much fun to look at in the catalog. And my favorite quince dress is one that I don't have anymore. My reason is, that everytime I have a favorite dress, it is sold almost as soon as it comes in.


Brittany: When is the best time to come visit your store for someone looking for a dress? 


Ashley: If someone is just looking for a dress, the best time would be any time really. But if you are looking to buy, the best time would probably be Friday afternoons or any weekday evenings. We are busy on Saturday's in the afternoon which can make it difficult to handle customers with only 3 people running the store at one time.


Brittany: Should a person set up an appointment or just come in? 


Ashley: If you are looking for a bridal gown, we ask that you set up an appointment due to the amount of work that goes into getting you ready in the dress. That, and we would like to make sure that you will have one employee helping you out at all times. Also, if you are looking for bridesmaid dresses and have more that 3 in mind, we also ask you to make an appointment for the same reason. Other than that, feel free to stop by any time!



'Brittany: How long have you all been in business? 


Ashley: We have been running the store since December of 2009. But, my mom, who began the store, has planned many weddings within the family. She was able to plan my quince in two months and plan 3 of my cousins weddings.



Brittany: Anything else you'd like to share about MAKS! 

Ashley: One of the things I love about MAKS Occasions is that we try to be more than just sellers, but in some ways, a friend. We have had many of our old customers come back to show us pictures of their occasions or just to stop by and say hi. We love to see people return and we love to know that we helped make that smile on their face on that day.


Hope this helps all you looking for a dress, shoes, accessories or etc, etc, etc! I would strongly suggest to stop by and find out what they're all about. I've been there, and the dresses, etc and just lovely! I saw a few prom dresses that I wish I could go back in time and wear! Enjoy your dress, accessory, etc shopping!


Until next time, 


Brittany Long

Weight Loss Challenge!

From today until April 20th, we will be taking entries for the weight loss challenge extravaganza! We will take all entries for the challenge! So get your entry in!

Here's the dealio:
This is an 8 week weight loss competition. Every week, you will submit your pictures. The person who has lost the most weight percentage, wins! You have from today until April 20th to submit your entry. 
Please  check with your doctor before starting any diet to be sure you are healthy enough to do it :)
Katy and I will also be participating in this fun competition with you!

What will you get out of this? 

• A hot new bod!
• A one hour photosession with me! and KG Photography!
• Makeup by the talented Carly Ritchey
• Hair by the talented Kristina Folsom
• A $25 gift certificate to your choice of clothing store of the following: Forever 21, Kohls, Old Navy, Gap, JC Penneys, or Ross.
• And more!

How do you get into this SWEEET competition?

• Brittany Long Photography and KG Photography want you to enter- as long as you will be a  dedicated participant!
• Submit your entries to: BLongPhotography@yahoo.com with the following:
• 1 Full frontal body shot (tight clothing, please)
• 1 head shot
• 1 side shot
• Your age
• Your starting weight
• Your goal weight in 8 weeks
• Your current jean or pant size
• Your goal jean or pant size in 8 weeks
• A description of your weight struggle and why this would be important to you.
• What you plan on eating differently (Any specific types of diet, etc)
• Your workout plan (Will you join a gym, walk during lunch, go running with a friend, hire a trainer, take exercise classes, or use specific exercise videos?)
• This will take about 15 minutes or less to gather all of the above info and it is SO worth it!

How do you stay in this competition? 

• You must photograph the scale with your feet on it every Monday for all 8 weeks.
• You must not cheat- please report the exact weight.
• Send results with pictures to Brittany Long Photography-Blongphotography@yahoo.com and post the pictures to the group.
• Remember that this is a public competition, so pictures will be shared to inspire other women in their strive for healthier lives. They will be shared at the end of the competition once you've lost weight and look fabulous! The weekly pictures will be shared among the secret group each Monday. 
• Share any healthy tips you have- whether thats exercise, food, drink, etc.
• Be dedicated to this- remember that by joining this, you are becoming part of a team! Be dedicated both for yourself and for your team mates! :)

How do I win?

•  On Wed, June 15th, the winner will be the person who has lost the most weight percentage.
• Everyone who participates will be honored with 25% off a photoshoot with Brittany Long Photography if they choose.
• If you don't live 20 miles around Central FL, you're still able to participate as long as you're willing to fly or drive to Kissimmee, FL if you win! (Nice vacation, close to theme parks! :))

Meet the team!
I will be teaming up with the lovely Katy Garcia (of KG Photography- you can see her site here: http://www.kgphotography.org/), the talented hairstylist Kristina Folsom, and the talented makeup girl, Carly Ritchey! Kristina did my hair for my wedding, and Carly did my makeup, so needless to say, you're in veeeeeery capable (and talented) hands! :)

Here is Katy:

She is awesome!

Below is Carly:

Carly will be doing makeup! And then here is Carly! This picture was taken by the lovely Kelly Jones of KAJones Photography! You can see more of her work at www.kajonesphotography.com . She is excellent, and I've appreciated her help and photography inspiration! 

Above is Kristina! Isn't she pretty? And soooo talented with hair!

And above is muah! This lovely picture was taken by the talented Katy!  

So this is your team! Get everything ready and ENTER TODAY for this weight loss challenge! We're all excited about it, and hope you are too!

Until then, 

Brittany Long

What's Coming Up (A weight loss challenge!)

Well, have I got exciting news for YOU!

Starting April 16th, I will be teaming up with some very talented ladies to bring you a weight challenge... extravaganza (*echo-ing* za, za za za)!

Here's the dealio:
This is an 8 week weight loss competition. Every week, you will submit your pictures. The person who has lost the most weight percentage, wins! You have from April 16th- April 20th to submit your entry. After April 20th, we will narrow down the contestants! Then we'll email you to let you know if you will be one of the contestants!
Please  check with your doctor before starting any diet to be sure you are healthy enough to do this :)
Katy and I will also be participating in this fun competition with you!

What will you get out of this?

• A hot new bod!
• A one hour photosession with me! and KG Photography!
• Makeup by the talented Carly Ritchey
• Hair by the talented Kristina Folsom
• A $25 gift certificate to your choice of clothing store of the following: Forever 21, Kohls, Old Navy, Gap, JC Penneys, or Ross.
• And more!

How do you get into this SWEEET competition?

• Brittany Long Photography and KG Photography will be teaming up to hand select 10-15 dedicated participants after midnight on April 20th, 2011.
• Submit your entries to: BLongPhotography@yahoo.com with the following:
• 1 Full frontal body shot (tight clothing, please)
• 1 head shot
• 1 side shot
• Your age
• Your starting weight
• Your goal weight in 8 weeks
• Your current jean or pant size
• Your goal jean or pant size in 8 weeks
• A description of your weight struggle and why this would be important to you.
• What you plan on eating differently (Any specific types of diet, etc)
• Your workout plan (Will you join a gym, walk during lunch, go running with a friend, hire a trainer, take exercise classes, or use specific exercise videos?)
• This will take about 15 minutes to gather all of the above info and it is SO worth it!
• After reviewing your info, Katy and I will choose 10-15 (or more, depending on the response we get from you all!) to participate in this competition. 

How do you stay in this competition? 

• You must photograph the scale with your feet on it every Monday for all 8 weeks.
• You must not cheat- please report the exact weight.
• Send results with pictures to Brittany Long Photography- Blongphotography@yahoo.com and post the pictures to the group.
• Remember that this is a public competition, so pictures will be shared to inspire other women in their strive for healthier lives.
• Share any healthy tips you have- whether thats exercise, food, drink, etc.
• Be dedicated to this- remember that by joining this, you are becoming part of a team! Be dedicated both for yourself and for your team mates! :)

How do I win?

•  On Wed, June 15th, the winner will be the person who has lost the most weight percentage.
• Everyone who participates will be honored with 25% off a photoshoot with Brittany Long Photography if they choose.
• If you don't live 20 miles around Central FL, you're still able to participate as long as you're willing to fly or drive to Kissimmee, FL if you win! (Nice vacation, close to theme parks! :))

Meet the team!
I will be teaming up with the lovely Katy Garcia (of KG Photography- you can see her site here: http://www.kgphotography.org/), the talented hairstylist Kristina Folsom, and the talented makeup girl, Carly Ritchey! Kristina did my hair for my wedding, and Carly did my makeup, so needless to say, you're in veeeeeery capable (and talented) hands! :)

Here is Katy:

That picture was taken and edited by yours truly!
Here is Kristina:

Isn't she pretty? And soooo talented with hair!
And then here is Carly! This picture was taken by the lovely Kelly Jones of KAJones Photography! You can see more of her work at http://www.kajonesphotography.com/ She is excellent, and I've appreciated her help and photography inspiration!

Carly is a sweet, fun girl- and excellent(!) at makeup!

And then there's me!

This photo was taken by the talented and lovely Katy Garcia (mentioned above!) and edited by me. So this is your team! Prepare to enter starting April 16th for this weight loss challenge! We're all excited about it, and hope you are too!

We're looking forward to getting your info! If you are so excited about this that you might just bust (that's how I feel about it ;) !), then you can go ahead and be an over achiever and enter in your info/entry TODAY!
Until then,

Brittany Long

Oy Vey! It's Been Too Long!

I apologize times a million for taking so long to get this next post up. Things have been so busy recently. God is good :)

I'm happy to say I finished Emily and Reynaldo's couples pictures. They were so much fun to take pictures of and to be around. I want to show you my favorite from their session, but I just have so many! I'll show you a few of my favorites. You can check out the rest of their pictures at: http://www.brittanylongphotography.com/couples.html and decide your own favorites. In the first picture, I love that you can only see their eyes, but you can still tell Em is smiling. So sweet. :) I also like the coloring. There's something romantic about it to me.

Some other pictures I've been working on is the Feaster family photos. They were such a fun family to take pictures of. The three boys were hilarious! One of my favorite quotes from the day was this:
Vicki (the mom): "Why do you have bread in your hand??"
Her middle son: "Because I'm hungry!"

Haha. It only makes sense that if you're hungry during a photoshoot, to bring a loaf of bread with you!

And then my most recent photoshoot, was the New Life/CIY team photoshoot for Florida Christian College. I work at FCC full time in Admissions, so I was honored and excited to take these pictures! Here are a few favorites from that photoshoot:

And Oh my goodness! How have I not put this picture up yet?! I love this little one! Her name is Olivia and she has the cutest little baby buns!

Whew! That was a lot of pictures/catching up to do. Ok, one last thing before I close out. Starting April 1st there will be a new promo going on which involves roommate stories. I enjoyed a lot of the roommates I had so I'm pretty excited about this promo! :) Check back here around April 1st for more details on that! :)

Until then, keep checkin' out the photos at http://www.brittanylongphotography.com/ and sneak peeks at www.facebook.com/BrittanyLongPhotography !

Have an awesome day!

Brittany Long

Babies, Babies, Babies!

Last week, I had the pleasure of two photoshoots with babies. They were so incredible and soft and wiggly and cute. I loved watching them play. Both babies had an older sibling and it was a blessing to see the interaction between the siblings and the babies.

I also had the pleasure of borrowing a few things from Hooked On Adorable- Crocheted Creations by Jenni!

That's little Natalie in the picture. What a cutie! The headband is one of Jenni's creations! She is an incredible talented woman. I interviewed her, because I think what she did is great, and I'd love for you to think she's great too! If you have a baby/toddler, etc or know anyone that does, I would seriously suggest checking into her work. Her creations are just precious!

Here's a little more about Jenni and what she does! Enjoy!

Brittany: How did you get started with this?

Jenni: Growing up my mom would crochet baby blankets to give as gifts and I always wanted to learn, but I just hadn’t taken the time to learn. Once I started seeing all of the adorable hats, baby cocoons, scarves, etc. that people were crocheting I realized that it was so much more than just baby blankets! So, last June my mom taught me the basics and away I went! After I spent most of the summer making a baby blanket I found a pattern for a hat and made it. After I had started posting pictures of what I had made on Facebook people were asking me about purchasing things. I was happy to oblige and I made a few more things. Word spread and more and more people were interested with every new picture I posted, so I decided it was time to make it official and I started a fan page on Facebook and then an Etsy shop.

Brittany: Who taught you to crochet?

Jenni: My mom and youtube :)

Brittany: What is your favorite creation so far?

Jenni: Probably my dinosaur because it is the first pattern I wrote myself. Plus it's so darn adorable and perfect for those newborn pictures!

As a side note, I, Brittany, LOOOOOOOOVE the dinosaur. You better believe when I have kids one day, this will be one of the first things on my list to buy. You can find a picture of it at her website. It is SO cute! The owl is my other person favorite. :) And the monkey... and the ladybug... Ok, all of them I guess....

Brittany: Why would it be an awesome idea to get one of these?

Jenni: My creations make fabulous photo props. They add a little pop to pictures, especially newborn pics! They are also great to keep heads of all sizes warm and toasty in the cooler months.

Brittany : What do you love most about making the hats, etc?

Jenni: I love coming up with new designs and seeing my ideas take shape. It's also a great stress reliever.

Brittany: Anything else you'd like to share?

Jenni: I love to work on new creations. If you have anything in mind I'd love to work together to make your dream a reality!

Here's where you can find Jenni's things!

All of her creations can be found on her facebook page.

Orders can be placed on etsy or via email. If you don't see what you want in her etsy shop please email or facebook her. Not all of her creations have been listed on etsy yet.

Her links:

Facebook: facebook.com/HookedOnAdorable

Etsy: HookedOnAdorable.etsy.com

Blog: HookedOnAdorable.blogspot.com

Email: HookedOnAdorable@hotmail.com

Until next time,

Brittany Long