Vote for...ME

I finally decided to do something with my nature photography besides frame them on my wall. A lady my cousin knows just started into photography not to long ago and has been submitting her photos into various contests and magazines. So far she's had several of her entries published or place in a contest. Sounds pretty fun and instead of having gobs of my pictures on the wall, perhaps a magazine cover or article featuring my image will help switch things up. Yes...I think I like that idea. So much I ran with it and submitted my first photo to JPG magazine. Hoo Hoo! But I need votes - and I truly think my photograph is deserving of votes - you may have seen it before in my previous post. It's one of my favorites and I think it's a perfect candidate for their "Color Theory" category (an image consisting of mostly one color). So here it is...ready for you to vote away :O)

JPG Magazine: Peeking Pink

Summer : According to a Kid

I truly miss summertime as a kid. Playing all day, hanging out at the pool and really, for the most part having no responsibilities...just having fun being a kid. I took the opportunity this summer to capture kids, just being kids. Hope you enjoy as much as I did....

Sweet Deals

I have some amazingly sweet deals going on right now for my photography services, but they're for a LIMITED TIME ONLY! Fall is a great time to take portraits so email me to set up your session : tlillydesigns@gmail.com

Click on image for a better look.

Bride on a Budget - Tip #63

Next year I'll be leaving my usual spot from behind the camera to be in front of it on my wedding day. Instead of getting paid to take pictures, I'll be paying someone else. Instead of smiling at the newlyweds dancing, I'll be dancing. And I'll be finishing out the day with a price tag less then $10000. Period. And if I can work it out, I'm challenging myself to do the entire wedding for $5000....and still make it look and feel amazing! I'm not one of the lucky ones that has a huge or a non existent budget, so I'm doing what I can to make it work. I'm not cutting corners when it comes to planning my wedding - I'm just taking a different approach of not dropping hundreds for everything I need. So, I'm sharing what I'm doing periodically throughout the next year to save on my wedding and at the very end - once the I Do's are said and done - I'll let you know the final cost and how it rolled.

tip #63 - BEFORE DECIDING ON A VENUE, GET ALL THE DETAILS UP FRONT.  

I know - may be a "Duh" statement but really, a lot of people don't get ALL the details up front about the venue...and it could cost you, lots! I found a couple of beautiful places where I wanted to have the ceremony and reception - I mean G-O-R-G-E-O-U-S. But soon I had to hit the brakes when I heard all the requirements some of these venues had. 

Like caterers - I was given a list of caterers I had to pick from - those and those only. Ok, well...I guess that'd work except the list consisted of the most $$$ caterers in the area! I mean I want good food...but not break the bank good food. 

On top of that some of the venues would have more then one wedding scheduled in one day....in close proximity to each other. I know I for sure want to feel special on my wedding day and I'd rather not see another bride running around the venue when I'm about to walk down the isle. 

Another problem with having multiple weddings on the same day at the same location is enough time to set up. I mean two hours is all we have, really?? I don't think so... 

Pay close attention to how you're treated and stick pretty close to your first impression of the staff and the venue. And if at all possible get feedback from other brides that had their wedding there - ask the coordinator at the venue for names and numbers for the last 5 brides. Some places (as with everywhere) is known to kiss up to get you signed then you're hooked, on the back burner you go!

Whenever you're checking out venues - keep the image of how you want your wedding to look and how you want the day to go. Try to play out the day in your head at each location. Take pictures and write notes of what you like / dislike.  

Don't forget to ask about limitations in regards to decorations, photography, guests limits, parking, setting up...etc. As well as ask for a full faith estimate of everything you will be charged that day from rent to clean up - some places will throw in fees for this and that and you won't know until after the fact. 

And last - think about holding your ceremony and reception at the same location - most places will cut you a deal if you do it that way AND some places will throw in some extra discounts like on rooms or service. 

TOTAL SAVINGS FOR TIP #63 = HUNDREDS IF NOT THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS.

For more tips on picking out a venue visit:

10 Tips for a Great Wedding Venue Visit

Local Commercials

Sooo for the most part, I'd say Roanoke is a small to medium size city. It's def. not Charlotte and it's a far cry for Atlanta. And even though there are some REALLY talented people living here, Roanoke is still very limited. Most of the local commercials are...well to say bluntly, corny with lousy quality. But once again, Roanoke isn't made up of multi-million dollar production companies or agencies....so you work with what you got, right? Think again.
I was stunned when I saw Carilion's new commercials which started airing months ago. Obviously, they were produced and marketed amazingly because I still haven't forgotten them. I love, love, love, love, love advertisements / designs / photographs / whatever it might be - that actually have feeling....that make you feel something, usually good. And trust me, it's not an easy thing to do. But Carilion's new commercials do just that - they make me feel good and are anything but cold. I had no idea who produced their commercials - honestly, I was thinking a big agency or production company from a much much larger city then Roanoke. I was soo wrong - the production company (Abandon Films) is actually in Moneta - about 40 minutes from Roanoke and they're pretty much...AMAZING. I mean even their logo....I love! I never met these guys before...have NO idea who they are but I'm a true fan of their work. The quality of the commercial, background music, voice talent, graphics....everything - just works soo well together and really is outstanding professional work. But I mean, what does it matter what I say...check out the Carilion commercials and see for yourself:



Or take a look ---> here.

Another Month Almost...done.

To me, the 21st of any month means there's not much of it left. Which really stinks since I double heart summer and I know it'll be gone before I can turn around. I've been working super hard this month on my website (from scratch!) and my marketing material (+ a little bit of wedding planning thrown in there too!). I have a lot more hours to go on my website but after it's all done I think it'll be totally worth it. For marketing and branding purposes I was going to stick with a simple and easy to remember domain name : taralilly.com BUT of course, as with anything I do, it's not that simple. The domain name is currently registered by someone else, I'm currently in communication with them to buy the domain name but in case that falls through...anyone have any suggestions? I have a couple of ideas of where to go next but none I super love. I'd love to hear whatchya got...

Speaking of my website....while creating it I came to the realization that although I have plenty of pictures to place in the photography section of my website...I want more. Lots more. Sooo for anyone out there that would like portraits taken or even wedding photography done by this lady right here - I'll cut you a REALLY (and I mean REALLY) great deal. Just contact me at tlillydesigns@gmail.com for more info.

As for the rest of the night - I'll be spending some quality time with Photoshop. Night Night.

4th Fun

It's only Tuesday and it's already been a hectic week. I just finished making a bunch of business cards yesterday (with the help of my fiance, Chris) and if you've seen my business card you can understand why it's such an accomplishment to finish making more then 9 at a time. If you haven't seen them, stop by Aztec Rentals in Salem, Brides House or Amrheins and check them out. And, well, how about for the heck of it grab some for your friends and family too!

Rewind back to the weekend where I spent the 4th out in the country with 4-wheelers and fireworks...niice. I even got my sister on a 4-wheeler, but of course her and I drive like old ninnies so the boys had to do some waiting for us to catch up. Thankfully I came home with zero ticks, is there a phobia of ticks? Because I'm pretty sure I have that. That's always the bad thing for me about going out in the country...the evil ticks. Anyways - on to the good stuff, as always, I took my camera and sat back and watched...here's some pics I got from Saturday. 

Amanda was my model for the day....don't think she knew that though.

A whole huge field just for 4-wheel'n! Well, minus the cows.

Our friends son, Ryan and his dog, Sam. teehee.

Ok, Ryan was my model for the day too. He didn't know that either.

There's an old wooden house on the property...sooo cool. I loved it. One of the best parts about it, is it sat right in front of a river - water was unbelievably clear.