July 19, 2011

I Heart Faces - Props

Yes!  I squeeled with joy when I saw the I Heart Faces theme for this week was "Props."  Finally! The perfect opportunity to share my favorite photo I've ever taken with the I Heart Faces community!

I love everything about this image...the model, the pin-up style hair, the makeup, the vintage clothing, the lighting...and the vintage bi-plane!  Love!  It makes me so happy, it's framed and hanging in my living room.


I have so many additional images from this shoot of different girls dressed in a variety of vintage attire from the 1920's through 1940's posing with bi-planes and vintage cars.  Check 'em out on the JLP blog or on the JLP Facebook business page - if you love everything vintage, like me, then you'll be glad you did!

July 15, 2011

Items In Need Donation Drive {Fundraiser}

It's no secret: I'm an animal advocate.  I've been volunteering at Glynn County Animal Services for over 3 years as a photographer, and I often think up ways to help the shelter get publicity in the community, increase their adoption rate by helping dogs find forever homes, and inspire people to donate to the shelter.  So when Sandy, a fellow volunteer, came to me about the lack of donations the shelter had been getting, my brain took action. 

Sandy and I co-created the Items in Need Donation Drive, which took place last Saturday.  The drive called for new items such as rope toys for the dogs and canned dog and cat food, used items such as towels, blankets and bathmats, and monetary donations to help keep the shelter's spay and neuter clinic in action.  All donations would be graciously accepted by the shelter's Advisory Board on behalf of GCAS.  And since the donation drive took place outside our mobile adoption unit, we were also hoping that a few animals would find their forever homes that day, too. 

We had two sponsors of the event.   Pet Supplies Plus, which has always been a wonderful supporter of the shelter and where our mobile adoption days happen every Saturday, graciously donated 10% off coupons to anyone who made an item or a monetary donation.  I donated a $215 photo session package to be given to one of the donors selected at random.  I love doing that kind of thing, especially for a great cause!


I created an official poster for the event and distributed it around the community and on Facebook, and the shelter also posted it online.  Sandy spread the word on the radio.  Riley Benefield of The Brunswick News wrote a fantastic article two days before the event, which greatly helped with publicizing the event in the community.


When last Saturday morning arrived, we all wondered whether our advertising did any good.  Would anyone donate? 

To our pleasant surprise, within the first 15 minutes, we had collected several garbage bags filled with item donations and one generous donor wrote us a check for $100!  Our good fortune continued, and at the end of the 5-hour event, over 60 donors had contributed two truckloads of item donations, $500 in monetary donations, and 6 dogs and 1 kitten found their forever homes!  What a successful event!

Donor Jenna McNeal was the winner of the JLP photo session package.  I was so moved by the generosity of the donors, I also gave away 4 mini sessions and offered a session discount to the remaining donors.

What's more, is that the shelter is still receiving donations like crazy.  And believe me, they will all be put to good use!

Thank you, again, to the Golden Isles community for your selflessness and for stepping forward to help my furry friends at Glynn County Animal Services!!

The GCAS mobile adoption unit


Patty, volunteer extraordinaire


We were barely open for business for 15 minutes, and the donations began pouring in!
Walter loaded up a whole truck cab-full of blankets and towels.



Barbara and Sandy, two of the most fantastic (and camera-elusive) people I know...and I got 'em both in one shot!  I'm sure I'll hear about this soon...  :)


And if you need some incentive for donating to the support the furry faces at Glynn County Animal Services, here you go:



Donations are great...but forever homes are THE BEST!

July 12, 2011

Winner! {Snaptotes Giveaway}

 
Congratulations are in order to RareJule, aka Julie of J&J Photography - the winner of the Snaptotes photo clutch bag!  Julie, please email me your contact information at jenniferleighphotos@yahoo.com, and I will snail mail you your gift certificate.

Thank you all for playing along!  I've got some other fun giveaways heading your way soon, so be on the look out!  

And a big thank you to Snaptotes for being such a generous sponsor!  Be sure to check out their wonderful products on their website and put some of those amazing photos you have to good use! 

~ JL

July 10, 2011

Wedding Planning {My Life}

This past week, my family was in town to throw me a small, fantastic bridal shower.  With the focus on family and my wedding, I found myself charging full speed ahead on the planning...and with good reason, as I've been too busy photographing and booking other people's weddings to have time to pay attention to my own! 

With less than 11 weeks away from the big day, I really buckled down and accomplished a lot of things on my long to-do list.  The wedding party and the groom are mostly dressed (that was a toughy!), my wedding dress is bought, the flowers have been selected, the transportation booked, the officiant is reserved...(takes a breath)...the caterer is hired, the bartender is booked, some decor is decided upon, and the tents and dance floor are about to be reserved.  Whew!  It was a busy, but productive week! 

Here is an inspiration board I put together for myself of a few of the aspects of our upcoming wedding that have been set in stone.


My favorite thing Jason & I have accomplished is picking a place to honeymoon.  We've discussed dozens of locations, but we kept coming back to one...ROME, ITALY!!!!  I cannot tell you how excited I am for this trip.  It will make all the wedding planning worth it, and it will be an amazing place to spend our first week and a half as husband and wife.


Stay tuned for more wedding details...coming soon!  But first...onto photographing other people's weddings!  Woohoo!  :)

July 2, 2011

Snaptotes {Giveaway}

If you're a photo-crazed girl like me, you take thousands of photos a month but are too busy to actually do anything with your favorites.  They just stay in folders on your computer, and only a select few make it as far as the social scene on Facebook.  Well, how about a little inspiration for you?

May I introduce to you a fabulous website - Snaptotes!  Here, you can take a favorite photo or two, and turn it into a beautiful hand-crafted bag!  The site offers many different items on which you can adorn your favorite images: beach bags, totes, backpacks, diaper bags, cosmetic bags, wallets, and even microsuede pillows.  Snaptotes has been creating handbags since 1922.  Their products feature top quality fabrics, leathers and hardware and are highly recommended by thousands of happy amateur and professional photographers, just like you!

My friend, Susan James, at Snaptotes was beyond generous when she offered me a gift certificate to give away to one lucky Jennifer Leigh Photography blog follower!  Anyone interested in winning the opportunity to design your very own clutch bag?  (A $50 value!)  There are five ways to enter the giveaway:

1)"Like" Jennifer Leigh Photography on Facebook. www.facebook.com/jenniferleighphotos
2) Share/post this giveaway on your Facebook profile page.
3) "Like" Snaptotes on Facebook and leave them a comment telling 'em Jennifer Leigh Photography sent you.
4) Become a follower of the Jennifer Leigh Photography blog.
5) Sign into your Google account, do a Google search for www.jenniferleighphotography.net, then press the "+1" button next to the Jennifer Leigh Photography website listing...which is just like the Facebook "like" button. (More details)

Leave me a separate comment below for each entry.  (You can leave your comments on either the JLP Facebook page OR blog, but not both.)  The drawing will end July 8th at 9pm PST.  The winner will be announced on the JLP Facebook page and blog the following morning.  Good luck!  

Please note: due to Snaptotes shipping restrictions, the contest is only open to those in the US, Europe, Canada, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong and Brazil.

Wishing you all a very safe and happy 4th of July weekend to you and your family!  Don't forget to take some pictures!