Before I go further, I’d like to thank each individual that entered their own family or nominated another family into the Giveaway — a small thank you should be arriving in your inbox soon

Over the weekend, The Committee sent me their votes … and after tallying them up, the winner is … the Till Family of Athens. I heard about this family recently from multiple sources, but one individual who asked to stay anonymous nominated them for the Giveaway …

I would like to nominate Kevin Till and his family for your contest. He was a student at Athens High School. He is a very fine young man and was full of life every time I saw him, a people person. He has had a brain tumor, but has taken a turn for the worst as of late. I recently found out he has lost some use of one side of his body. So time is precious for him and his family. Since photos capture a lasting memory that can be treasured for a lifetime, I think your contest would be one of the greatest gifts that could be given to him and his family that they would treasure for the rest of their lives. Please help this family capture some wonderful memories while they still have time.

Once I had the votes in, another individual who has been closer to Kevin and his family as of late helped me faciltate contact with them over the weekend. I wanted to make certain that their session is completed sooner than later as he has so many dreams he wants to accomplish already. So please leave the Till Family some congratulatory comments and remember them in your thoughts and prayers as they need every one they can get right now.

Wait a minute.

As hot as it is, I know y’all have to be anticipating cooler weather – and around here, that doesn’t hit (much of the time) until November and December — but at the same time y’all are all avoiding thinking about the holidays until the cooler weather arrives.

So — a quick reminder — Christmas is only 134 days away! Thanksgiving is only 105 days away! And — most importantly — if you’re considering a portrait session in time for images to send out with holiday cards, you only have 94 days to schedule and capture them (less if you consider the fact 99% of CMP’s portrait sessions are held on weekends)! 

Our ‘re-grand opening’ special expires in 18 days — details are here! And remember, if you schedule your session before August 31st, you also receive 10% off your custom designed Christmas card order. A few of the gorgeous card samples + details are available here.

(for the VIP’s who’ve received an email about a week and a half ago with a really awesome offer — remember, you have only 18 more days to take advantage of it!)

Additionally, the deadline to enter the Christmas in August Giveaway is less than 12 days away! If you’re still working on your entry or trying to think of a family to nominate — do NOT delay! Enter today

The CMP Fall/Holiday 2009 special will be announced on September 1st — so keep an eye out here for the details.

Of course, I can’t end this post without an image — and while I’ve shared this one while on the road during The Roadtrip, I think we all need a nice cool-temperature image to help us cope with this heat, right? That white stuff — that was snowplowed onto the shoulder of the road at Yellowstone in mid-June.

Something about this tree makes me think of A Charlie Brown Christmas …

Around this time last year, we (CMP aka ROLP — our former business name) held the Sweet Summer Faces contest, with a complementary session being the grand prize. Well, we’re at it again this year — although with a new business name, we’re also changing up the contest a bit …

This time around we’re focusing on families! Why? Well, to be honest, I got to thinking about the contest and in the process, realized that other than setting my camera up on a tripod and running back and forth setting the timer, the last time my family had a portrait was when I was 10 years old. Approximately 18+ years ago. So — I know my family cannot be the only ones who haven’t had professional portraits in years!

Why the essay, you ask? Simple — I want to see a family truly deserving receive a full portraiture session — one they otherwise wouldn’t have, whether due to financial setbacks, all the children growing up and going off to college, a parent in the military, health setbacks, or maybe they give all they have to help others and just don’t think of spending that money on themselves instead.

The Details:
So, tell us about your family — or a family you know that is deserving — 500 words roughly. To make it easier, you can fill out this form and copy and paste your essay in the essay section. After you fill out the form, attach a snapshot of your family (no old professional portraits — we can’t post those due to copyright restrictions!) so we can feature you if you’re the winner! If you have any problems attaching/uploading snapshots to the entry form, you may email them to christina@christinamccall.com.

The Deadline:
Entries and snapshots are due by midnight on Monday, August 24, 2009 — CMP will post the winner on Monday, August 31, 2009. Judging will be conducted by a committee of individuals I’ve selected who are not local and are unlikely to know any of the families entered.

The prize:
– A complementary 90 minute to 2 hour custom lifestyle family portraiture session (maximum six people) with one outfit change (total of two outfits) at two locations within a 20 mile radius — sure, we’ll get a handful of formal portraits, but we’ll also photograph your family as you are — location to be determined by CMP within Henderson, Kaufman, Smith, or Van Zandt Counties.
– Full editing of 30-50 photographer selected images with blogged sneak peeks, an online gallery, and an online slideshow
– A 10×20 luxe mounted storyboard featuring images from your session (photographer selected)
– A 2010 Computer Desktop Calendar featuring images from your session on cd (photographer selected)
– CD with web quality watermarked proofs of all color images from your session
– (1) 8×10 premium print of the family’s choice
– 10% off any additional collection or a la carte purchase
Prize value: $350

What are you waiting for? Submit your entry + email me your snapshot ASAP!!!