New blog!

It's here! It's still a little rough, but I'm excited about the move to Wordpress! Update your RSS feeds and favorite links and point yourself to dawnschaffer.wordpress.com!

See you there (and you'll see a lot of new photo posts heading up on their very soon!)! Hope ya'll have missed me...and, more importantly, my photos! :)

Hello blogosphere!

Sorry for the lack of posting as of late! I have a few posts lined up for ya'll, but I'm also busy working on an updated version of my website AND working on transferring to Wordpress! Hold on to your seats, because good change is coming! :)

-Dawn

Oodles of Love!

Friends, Fam, and Fans!

Thanks so much for your interest in my work!!! I'm up to 60 followers on Facebook, and I'm extremely excited! As I've already mentioned, I've got a lot of work coming up, and I can't wait to keep working and growing and showing you the progress! I appreciate all the kind words and critique more than you'll ever know.

Love you all-
D

Tons of news!

Lots has been happening in my world as of late. And there are pictures to go with it! :)

In non-picture news, the "real job" gave me a crazy 9 day week recently. There, lucky for you, aren't pictures from that. I have a day on the potential new "real job" tomorrow, so keep fingers crossed. It'll be a great opp for me and the photography business side of my life if I can get it.

In photo news...
I do have Erin+Bryan's pictures almost done...LOVE THEM. Hopefully you (and they) will, too! And they just got married this past weekend, so HUGE CONGRATULATIONS to them!!!

I have a TON of jobs lining up one after another. I just booked my third wedding for next summer and potentially have a couple more heading my way. I have a baby session booked for the end of the year. I also have two family sessions coming up soon so they can get those holiday cards out. On top of that, another engagement session! Exciting! Plus, lucky me, I have a client who wants to do MORE photos now that it's all multi-colored Autumn out....who am I to disagree?

I just took a vacation, however, so I'm feeling much more behind than I normally feel, so emails, you'll be getting answered ASAP! And photos, you'll be getting put into the editing realm again! And, yes, I have vacation photos, too...New York City! I wish I had been able to wander alone and take way more than I did though! But isn't that how all us photographer kids are? :)

So, internet and photo friends, there is a ton on its way toward you, I just didn't want you to think I had forgotten you in the chaos that is my world. :) Happy Autumn! Go out and enjoy some pumpkin patches, corn mazes and hot cider (just remember to take your camera along)!

Ashley

Thanks to all of you that have ventured over to the Facebook (remember when it was called that?! haha) and fanned me! If you haven't, you should! I often post pictures there first...and more than likely post way more than you see on the blog! And who doesn't love more pictures, more often?! :)

In other news...I did a quicky photo shoot with the fantastic Ashley of Ashley Troyer Events. We'd been playing email and phone tag for a while, and I was so happy to get to finally meet her! And then, not only meet her, but photograph her! She's gorgeous inside and out and I'm excited to get to work with her more. *cross fingers*

Facebook!

Hey everyone! I'm still working away on the edits for Lori and Jason, but I wanted to drop in to tell you to find me on Facebook! "Dawn Schaffer Photography" or you can just go here! Doesn't everyone like a good social networking chance? ;)

Enjoy the rest of your weekend and I'll be back soon!

Congratulations!

Much enthusiasm and congratulations are flying from me to you, Jenna, on the announcement of the little one on the way! HOORAY! So excited for you!

As for the rest of you...don't you fear! There are pictures coming soon! Big ol' e-session again this weekend. :) Don't miss me too much before then! And thanks for the great comments on B+B's session! I STILL love looking at those. xoxo

Winner?! Me?!

Thanks MCH! I won the July fireworks photo challenge! Now I'm getting sent some cute dutch things! :)

In other news, there WILL be a post later today with PHOTOS IN IT!!! :) Maybe even more than one...although I should probably save when for when I got another stretch without photos. ;)

Tonight I meet with a SECOND potential wedding for next summer. The first went great! And tomorrow I take a cute little boys one year pictures. EXCITED!

Wedding!

Off to a wedding tomorrow. Not the photog for this one, just a guest! But since I AM a photog, I'll have my camera with me anyways. Hopefully I'll return with a couple good shots for ya...and I'll definitely return with a Jenni post. It's my vacay from "the real job", so maybe I'll actually catch up on everything! :)

Another genius Google product*

I finally set up my blog through Google Feedburner, and I'm already impressed! And, quite frankly, shocked! :) I have a lot of subscribers and I didn't even know it. So, thanks for the info, Google Feedburner. And thanks to everyone out there who reads my blog. Comment more often...I like comments. Have a great Tuesday, everyone! And since I can't very well post something on the blog without a photo, here's another teaser from the Jenni pics about to get posted.



*No, I'm not getting paid to endorse it. :)

It's here!

Remember back when I told ya'll that I was going to be published?! Its happened! I'm officially published in the summer edition of Wedding Day Magazine! You can go download the current issue (pages 12/13) or just see The Wedding Story of...Kyle & Sam! I told ya'll I'd share when it finally came out. More pictures coming soon!

And to tide you over until then, aside from the overwhelming (for me) news of this post, I took the coolest picture last night! Happy 4th of July weekend, everyone!

A little non-photo action

Hello everyone and happy Friday! :)

Just taking a break in the photo posting to mention something that I adore and feel strongly about. Most of you, if not all of you, have never heard me talk about my favorite band in all the world. And some of you may laugh at who it is. I'm okay with that. :) That band is Hanson. Yep, "Mmmbop" Hanson. I've loved them for 11 years and it isn't gonna stop. I met them last year when I saw them on tour and they are three phenomenal guys who have a great passion for music and life. I mention Hanson only because they introduced me to a great company and several outstanding causes. Hanson promotes a few different causes at takethewalk.net such as fighting aids, donating shoes to needy children, building schools, and drilling wells. They're extremely passionate about it and their last album and subsequent tour raised a ton of money toward these things by donating proceeds from the album and the first single off of it and by taking a one mile barefoot walk before every show to raise awareness. Amazing, right? The shoe part is what I'm getting at (which kinda ties in with the photo challenge Jenna presented! See, it all came full circle! :D). You may have seen the head of Tom's Shoes on a recent AT&T commercial, because he is, but I first heard of Tom's Shoes because of Hanson. Tom's Shoes creates really neat and comfy shoes, and the kicker (ha) is that for every pair you purchase, a pair gets donated to a child in Africa.

So go do it. You know you want to. Check out takethewalk.net. Check out Tom's Shoes. And just consider this a PSA from Dawn. :)

News!

I have a couple more entries of new stuff to post. And by "a couple" I mean 3 or 4. PLUS, tomorrow the aforementioned Jenni and Roger and (maybe) Cara are going on a crazy photo spree around the city. With awesome shoes (hello to Jenna's challenge! :D) and dresses and hopefully some great props. Any ideas?!

CALL OUT!

Hey everyone!

I'm currently looking for people who want to do photo shoots with me! Seniors, portraits, couples, engagement, babies...you name it, let's shoot it! This is at discounted or free rates depending on your situation, so if you know anyone in the Northern Indiana/Southern Michigan area, send them my way!

The Busiest Week Ever

This week, as I've hinted at already, has been one of those off the charts busy weeks. I am editing lots of photos to bring to you though! But they're going to have to wait to get posted until this weekend is over. I have:
-Jenni
-Michelle's Bridal Prep
-Doggies
-Steve & Alecia
PLUS!
I have some spring photos that I took for fun that I haven't shared yet!

SEE! Lots of photos coming your way very, very soon! Hold on to your shorts, kids! :)

SORRY!

Hey everyone!

With a gentle nudge and reminder from MCH, I'm blogging. :) The past two weeks have been CHAOS! Wrapped in a little stress, frustration, and busy-ness! Why? Well, let's rewind to two weeks ago today....

I was opening at my "real job" (assistant manager for a popular restaurant chain), which entails me being to work by 5 a.m. Yes, CRAAAAZY early! So I was running a little behind schedule and opted to go with the faster route to work. This being the bypass, which, as you shall soon see and hear, was a bad idea. The full moon had been a night or two before, so there was no moon, and on top of that, it was cloudy out anyways (started raining a couple hours later and rained for about 2 and a half straight days). Plus, the bypass is not lit. I came VERY suddenly upon 3-4 deer, hard to tell for sure in the dark, and had the option of hitting them all and probably getting a couple of them through my windshield, or attempting to avoid. I attempted to avoid, lost control, and hit the cement median.


Poor, George Michael... (Yes, he's named after Michael Cera's character on 'Arrested Development'. Completely nerdy, I know. :D)

For the record, Honda's safety features are amazing and I got off with some bumps and bruises despite my 65 mph crash into a cement wall.


My completely intense knee bruise from my steering wheel.

Needless to say, the damage under the hood combined with the fact that almost all my airbags deployed is meaning a totaled vehicle.

The car drama (insurance people are ridiculous!) and the photos and the "real job" and the moving (my roommate bought a house!) have created a less than ideal blogging situation for me. But I have those photos of Jenni I promised AND some great spring time ones. Keep an eye out. :) I will do mass blogging soon...within the next week...PROMISE! And maybe by then I'll have a shiny new car to show you, too! Any ideas for names? ;)

Jenni

I'm moments away from completing all the desired edits on Jenni's fantastic photos! It's going to be hard to limit it for this post, but look forward to that update later today! :)

Jenni, Tyler, and Sun - Oh My!

It was a gorgeous weekend here in Indiana! Lots of sun and warmth and photos! Went on a walk Friday and got just a couple shots, which I mentioned in my Friday post, but I'll share more photos from that when I get to editing. And then Saturday morning I shot Jenni's senior photos, which was a really fun shoot, and shot at two new locations! Again, I'll share from that shoot when editing is done. I'm shooting Tyler's senior photos Wednesday, and I'm excited about that, too! Tyler is a pro biker and he is just goofy and a lot of fun. It will be a crazy day and I'm sure the photos will be great AND fun...he's a completely good lookin' kid. :) For now, the real job is beckoning me in 4 hours, so I better get a few zzz's...I guess this is why I shouldn't nap. :)

I'll leave you with my favorite (so far) SOOC shot of the gorgeous Jenni!

Hello blog world!

I've been busy trying to finish up the website this week, and it's nearing completion! I promise I'll post the link here when it is up and running!

Until then, I'm also writing a post so you can see the updates I made to the photos I gave to the magazine. Because, of course, I'm uber-critical of myself and was sure my photos weren't good enough. :)

I'm also going to be taking several pictures soon! A couple senior sessions coming up...part B of Cara, who I've posted before, and a new one, Jenni! Both girls are great, and I'm excited! Friday is supposed to be gorgeously sunny and almost 70 here in Indiana, so Cara and I are planning on using that day to its full potential! I've also got a family shoot coming up, which is a new one for me, but it is a friend and her family and they are so great and I love them and I'm CRAZY excited about getting to spend the day with them having a good time and catching it on film! And I just got asked to shoot a 1 year old birthday party for one of the most adorable and happy baby boys I've ever had be in my life, my roomie's nephew, Patrick. He's a giggly little chunker and it should be fun, but I have to wait until June for that!

Then there is, of course, the two weddings I'm coordinator of in the end of May and beginning of June. While I'm not the official photographer...just running the show instead :)...I will, of course, have my camera on me, so I'm sure some goodies will turn up from those two events!

And since you're here to see pictures, here's a favorite from a recent walk with my camera...

News!

All sorts of photo news!

1) While this week is the busiest week ever at the "real job", I do have a few photo posts coming soon! Promise! :D They're good, too, so hold on to your pants, kiddos!

2) I'm getting published! Photography, that is! In Wedding Day Magazine, a popular Southern Michigan/Northern Indiana publication. Very exciting! But it is also making me busier as I'm trying to put the finishing touches on the website so it can be up before publication and, thus, added to the vendor page! Hopefully that'll bring in some good business, which also means more photos for you to look at! Yay, right?

3) Website! Yep, it's close! And I absolutely love it and have put it together myself, so I'm quite proud of that, too. Be on the lookout! I'll post it here first! And with it comes a new blog design...watch out world! :)

4) A blog I stalk frequently for photo ideas, Weddingbee had a gorgeous bride who posted (and still does!), Jenna. Jenna caught my eye because she appears to love photography as much as I do, and is also a newbie at it for the most part (although with a little more photo history behind her than myself). Jenna has a pretty good eye behind the lens which is pretty apparent from her photo blog and she's a completely entertaining blogger! She has decided to link fledgling photographers bloggers to her blog, and so I'm listed! Hello to anyone venturing over here from there!!! And if you want your blog listed here, too, just comment and let me know! Thanks for the link and great idea, Jenna!

and

5) It's springtime! And that means warmth is going to be upon us soon, which also means I have a couple new shoots coming up, which again means MORE PHOTOS! And we all like photos here, correct?