Happy Friday. I just found out I was voted 2009 Readers Choice from Trib Total Media and won the bronze award. It was listed in yesterday's paper. Thank you for voting for me. Have a beautiful weekend.

HAPPY SPRING! Not that it feels like it out. Soon enough. Next month is the 1 year anniversary of my new studio location being open. I will be giving 20% off a portrait session for the whole month of April. Call to make your appointment today 412-344-3323.

Summer is coming to an end and my favorite time of year is starting; fall. I have been very busy with weddings and adjusting to having the studio. What a difference! I've now been in the studio for 6 months and have booked 20 weddings (and counting). Since moving in I placed ads in a couple of publications. Last month HK Photo Studio was featured in the Greentree Times with an article and a photo. That was very exciting. Next month I have a full page ad which will appear in the Perfect Wedding Guide. It is a free guide to help you plan your wedding. There are vendors, tips for planning, and a place to keep track of your budget for everything from photography to gifts for your bridal party. The best part is it fits right in your purse. You can find a copy in the front of your local grocery store or visit their web site at www.perfectweddingguide.com. Enjoy!

A couple of weeks ago I visited some friends in Colorado. On one of the days we went to Estes Park where we rode on a cable car to the top of the mountain. That was a little scary because unlike the incline, we weren't near the ground and the car was much higher up! When you arrive at the top, it is customary to buy a bag of peanuts, find a place to sit and let the chipmunks come up to you and take the peanuts right out of your hand. It was amazing! The day before I left I visited my other friend that I went to high school with. She and her husband have a farm. They have 11 cows and one baby cow. I got to feed the baby a bottle. That was very cool.

Well, the studio has been officially open for a little over a month now. I am happy to say that I love being out of the house, and having a place to work. Since moving in, I've booked eight wedding consultations in a row. When I told my landlord, he literally jumped up and down. I knew he would be happy, but I didn't expect jump-up-and-down happy! I recently added a Greek Orthodox wedding to my resume. The ceremony was beautiful. I couldn't understand most of it, but that didn't change it's splendor. The wedding fell on my birthday, but only required that I shoot the ceremony, so I returned home pretty early.

My husband cooked me dinner, then we watched Cars and Ratatouille. I guess I wanted to feel like a kid again. Have a nice weekend everyone! GO PENS!!!!

Merry Christmas! I hope everyone is ready. I am. I decided to be creative this year and made everyone photo calenders. I used the same software I use to design the coffee table books. They turned out beautifully. To go with them my husband made wooden ornaments. They turned out just as beautiful. Of course. He makes gorgeous furniture. This year I took our Christmas card photo of the dogs under the tree. I covered them in lights. It was quite a challenge. They love hanging out under the tree, but trying to get them to stay with lights on was funny. I hope everyone has a wonderful christmas.

Today, I photographed a 1 month old baby boy for about two hours, on location in his parent's home. It's nice to do it that way because when the baby gets fussy, everything is there to calm him down. Plus, they are in familiar surroundings. It goes much smoother. The mother even got to feed him. The parents loved the photos, and loved the idea of me coming to their home.