Christina McCall Photography | Athens Canton Kaufman and Tyler Texas Family, Children, and Senior Portraiture Photography

In comparison to the last few weeks at mi casa, it has been a rather uneventful and quiet week. Thank goodness. I’m working my way through the queue of client images to be edited, some of which will debut here in the coming weeks.

Meanwhile my calendar is filling up with spring sessions; if you’re wanting portraits, especially the seniors out there, do not delay. I only schedule a limited number of sessions each month + the senior session deadline is April 11th for full sessions, April 18th for mini sessions. I’ll be closing shop for some much needed rest and office catchup during the second half of May, so the only way you’ll have an order in-hand is to grab one of the remaining session dates left! All the deadlines for sessions and ordering are listed here. I also have availability for one session on Friday, April 2nd (9 am in the Athens area or late afternoon anywhere in the CMP service area). And, yes, the Readers’ Choice Thank You Special is still available — the five session limit hasn’t been reached just yet!

Aside from client editing, I’ve also begun scouting new locations (for sessions and fun) as well as shooting some *artsy* stuff for me. And by artsy, I mean slightly inspired by some of the Impressionist artworks in a particular commercial for this exhibit at the Dallas Museum of Art that I really hope to squeeze in before it leaves. I’m an art junkie, I love art museums – I blame it on the fact that way back when … as in 19 years ago this month … I competed in Picture Memory at UIL Academic Meet over at Navarro College (for the non Texan visitors, that’s University Interscholastic League). Needless to say, prepping for that one event initiated the start of my love of the arts.

… and now for the quote of the week …

Do not do to others what you would not like to be done to you.
– The Golden Rule

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Washington-On-The -Brazos, the Birthplace of Texas, taken May 30, 2008.  March 2nd was Texas Independence Day — its 174th, in fact. Tomorrow’s the anniversary of when the Alamo fell to Santa Anna’s troops …

Welcome March — you didn’t have to arrive quite so soon!  Really, I mean it …

The Good:  See this post from Monday.

The Random: Tonight’s post is #500. It only took about 35 months to reach this point (first post went live April 15, 2007) … so, how long do you think it will take me to reach #1000? 

The Lust: I want this. If I can’t afford the $1600-ish real life version of this lens in the short-term, why not settle for its insulated mug equivalent? That is, if I could locate one for sale …

The *Can it get any worse*:If you are a friend of mine on Facebook, you probably saw Wednesday night’s status update. Yes, there was a chimney fire at my parents’ house. Thankfully it was contained within the fireplace and flume and was nearly out before both the Murchison and North 19 Fire Departments arrived (within minutes) … and everyone’s okay, just shaken. After Robby’s mishap two weeks ago, I think we’re due a streak of good luck and no more catastrophes!

… and the quote of the week:

“If practice makes perfect, and nobody’s perfect, why practice?”
–unknown

I came across this one in a how to use the internet ‘phonebook’ way way way back in 1996 and it has been one of my favorite quotes ever since. I used to say this to my track coaches when I was tired or annoyed … and as of late, it applies again in a number of ways.

I recently received a phone call … one of the very few to leave me speechless. Stunned. In shock …

Congrats to all the other Readers’ Choice winners as well — at least two former coworkers and several relatives of other friends and former coworkers made the list as well!

And to show my heartfelt thanks to each and every person who voted for Christina McCall Photography as the Athens Review’s 2009 Readers Choice Best Photographer, a two part gift to all of you:

Part 1: a spring/summer mini session giveaway!

One commenter will receive a 30-45 minute Serendipity (aka Mini) Session to be held no later than August 31, 2010. Session will be held in Athens, Tyler, or Canton – winner’s choice. Prize includes waived creative fee + online proofing gallery with 15 images + blogged sneak peeks + (1) CMP Signature Line Mounted 8×12 Art Print. No other prints/products/files included in prize — winner will receive 10% off any items purchased. Value: $160.

To enter: Simply leave a comment here on this blog post answering the following question:

Which portrait session type you would like to win (maternity, newborn/infant, childrens, family, senior/adult individual,  couples/engagement, or pet portraiture (dog/cat))?

Deadline to leave comment entries: Sunday, March 14th at Midnight — winner will be announced on Monday, March 15th. Prize is a waived session fee +  (1) CMP Signature Line Mounted 8×12 Art Print– no other prints/products/digital files included.

Please note: Comment entries left on Facebook (both my personal profile + the CMP Fan Page) are not eligible for consideration due to Facebook policies on giveaways, sorry.

… and of course …

Part 2: Not the winner? Be one of the first five people to book a spring Off the Beaten Track (aka 90 minute-two hour full custom) session by March 31st and receive half off on the creative fee (regular creative fee rate: $200, first five people to book during March: $100). Session must be scheduled for no later than May 2, 2010. No need to mention this thank you special, your creative fee invoice will automatically reflect the discount!

And all Off the Beaten Track Sessions that book a spring or summer session by April 30th will receive 15% off their print/collection purchases (this is our regular spring special).

Thanks again to everyone that voted — and here’s hoping 2010 continues to be a great year for CMP!

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New to the Luxe Boutique product line for 2010 – Custom Framing!

This is just two of the three custom framing options CMP clients have to choose from (the third will debut just as soon as I order & receive sample prints for the frames!)

The Parisian Frame Line …

This sample frame is decked out in brick & birthday cake …

The Shabby Frame Line …

This sample frame is decked out in antique white and chocolate …

Both framing options come in a rainbow of colors (for both the frame and trim) — framing options are available for print sizes 11×14 up to 20×30. All framing prices include the print and finishing costs.

Past CMP clients: Interested in custom framing for past print orders? Contact us for the Custom Framing Pricing Guide.

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A few randoms over the past week …

1) Please send some positive vibes and prayers Robby’s way (my brother and assistant) … he was helping load some farm equipment yesterday afternoon when the chain popped off and it swung it in his direction. God was watching over him or it would be much much worse. One ER visit later, he supposedly doesn’t have a concussion (according to the CAT scan), but he’s pretty banged up on his left side (head, shoulder, and knee the worst) and will need an MRI to rule out any ligament damage to his knee.

2) On the Olympics front … I wish people would quit hating on the fact that the weather isn’t cooperating as preferred for the Vancouver games. Seriously, the IOC and the candidate cities can’t predict what will happen 7+ years out. Chill already (yes, the pun is intended there). Congrats to Canada on their 1st gold medal on home soil (and won by someone truly worthy of it too) — and to the US for their 18 medals won already (as of last night).

3) Loved the snow that visited last week. Especially since it made for a LONG weekend to relax, catch up, and shoot sessions!

4) The gloves pictured in this post, love them. Now why couldn’t Team USA have something equally awesome … and affordable (feel free to check out the prices on the Ralph Lauren gear the USA athletes are wearing).

5) I will be tinkering with this site a bit this weekend. So please excuse any dust (aka wonkiness) that may appear if you’re not reading this via a feed reader or Facebook.

6) I’m thinking of taking up kickboxing. Anyone know of any affordable classes around this neck of the woods?

The quote of the week … in honor of the Olympics …

History has demonstrated that the most notable winners usually encountered heartbreaking obstacles before they triumphed. They won because they refused to become discouraged by their defeats.
B. C. Forbes