As 2010 comes to a close...

As the year is coming to a close I wanted to post one last post to keep everyone updated on what has happened in 2010 and informed for 2011 with A Moment of Joy Photography! Kind of a end of the year letter if you will...

This year has been a wonderful year! One of the most exciting things to me is MANY of my past brides who have added to their families! This just seems to be the year! I think for me, the greatest joy is not only capturing the wedding moments, but to get updates/emails/texts asking me to continue capturing the moments of their babies! Thank you to all of you who have honored me with doing this for you this year! I just love all these precious gifts of life!

Speaking of babies...here is the big news that I hinted at on Facebook a few months ago...(oh gosh, I re-read this while proofing and realized what this could have meant! NO I AM NOT HAVING A BABY! haha!) I was contacted by a marketing company a few months ago that made something possible that I had been wanting to do for almost the 12 years I have been doing photography. I was asked to became a part of a program for Methodist and Mercy Hospital called Maternally Grateful (too cute huh?) Which means ALL of the moms having babies at these hospitals will have an offer from me in their packet when the sign up to give birth at these two hospitals!

One reason this is SO awesome to me is, like most photographers you start off with babies and families. So one of the things I aspired to do was to somehow"get to those babies at the hospital when they are born!" But I couldn't figure out HOW to do this! It's not an easy thing to do I realized because the hospitals already have contracted with companies. So I am so excited that Cara found my website while google searching for photographers and thought I would be a good match! I missed her first call, so when I heard her first message I was so excited, I called every one I knew EVEN before confirming all the info! I said them "She just made one of my goals happen! I have been waiting 12 years!!!" So it looks like 2011 may be a huge year for babies! The printing begins this coming week so I am excited to see how all of this works into the flow of my business!

I am also excited to show off my new branding for my company...it will first appear on the Maternally Grateful info...I will show it off very soon on my website! Can't wait!

A big decision I made this year was in advertising, which magazines and websites I wanted to be a part of. I just thought I would take the time to let you all know EVERYWHERE you can find me this year!

One of my favorite "places" that I have been a part of for a few years now is Sacramento Bride and Groom Magazine. The reason... every picture in the magazine has been submitted by Sacramento area photographers. It is like Christmas morning every June and December when the UPS guy knock on my door to deliver the new issue! I LOVE looking through it and finding all the special places Tami choose to highlight my brides (and grooms). The magazine is now live on line so you can go to http://www.sacbride.com and click on Online magazine, look for my pictures throughout, they are all labeled A Moment of Joy Photography. You can also search under photographers to see the pictures I have on there.

You can also find me in The Knot, on-line and in the brand new issue. You can check out my profile there by going to http://www.theknot.com You have to be a registered bride to view it. Go to the Northern California Photography section.

You can also find me in "Our Wedding" magazine and online. This is the wedding magazine that Sacramento Magazine puts out.

I am hoping to receive as we speak the 2011 Brides Choice Award from Wedding Wire and Martha Stewart Weddings, as I have won for 2010 and 2009. I just received 3 reviews today which makes total of 22  five star ratings! To see my profile and more importantly read ALL of my reviews go to: http://www.weddingwire.com

Last spring A Moment of Joy Photography,on the KCRA A-list, held onto FIRST PLACE for over 3 weeks of voting!!!! This was something I wished I could do in 2009 but thought impossible...what a difference a year makes! Thanks to all of you who helped me stay there for over half of the contest for "The Best Sacramento Photographer". I will let you know again when this comes up and maybe we can stay at first for the whole 2 months and maybe place 1-3!!! I don't doubt anything can happen this year! I have learned to never doubt my gifts and when using them that they WILL be appreciated by my clients!

I want thank the wonderful photographers that worked with me this year! Dina, your ability to shoot my style right along with me is AMAZING! Shannon, your fresh style and your photo shopping skills have taken MY WORK to a beautiful and brilliant new level! I even want to thank Cody for shooting the one wedding with us! Always good to have an extra photographer when shooting a 700 guest wedding! The angle you got on the bouquet toss...was well worth you being there!

And last but NOT least... thank you to all the brides and grooms that have entrusted me this year with one of the hardest decisions you made for your wedding day! I have had a blast getting to know all of you and your wonderful families..not one of you were less then wonderful! To all the brides for 2011 that have already booked me, I now look forward to your wedding days and making them just as special for you as I have for the ones this year past!

To ALL the family clients I have been able to continue to photograph and to the new ones I have just come to know...you have made my weekdays become VERY busy! I have enjoyed getting to know your families and capturing their little moments in a very special way to look back at in years to come!

To my family and friends...thank you for your patients this year as I am ALWAYS on the laptop EVERY NIGHT! Being a photographer is a wonderful job, but it takes alot of personal time away from those I love! Thank you for supporting me in achieving my dreams this year! And Dad, even though your not on the computer hardly at all (Katie you will have to show him this!) Thank you for letting me know how proud you and mom are of me. For acknowledging what it takes for me to put myself out there for all to see, judge and decide, if I am good enough for them to choose! It means everything to know you understand what this job consists of and that is not just about a bunch of pictures! It's about ME capturing life!

Thanks to all...and a late Merry Christmas but a very on time Happy New Year!