Photography by Mandi - the Blog!

refresh - a big announcement!

NEW BLOG ALERT!

hey everyone!  some changes have been in the works for the past few weeks and i am super excited to announce the installment of my NEW BLOG!  i'm sure those of you who are website or blog stalkers have noticed the website has been changing and the blog link different. 

for those of you who don't - make sure you change you bookmarks and rss feeds to the new blog location!

www.photosbymandi.com/blog

what's so great about the new blog?
          -flash slideshow header
          -up to 900 pixel wide images (!!!!!!)
          -even more customizable

just to name a few :)

and also - if you haven't, go check out the website.  the colors have been updated and most importantly the images are all updated as well!

there is also a brand new post over at the new blog from last weekends wedding.
now go on... go!  from now on all new blog posts will be made at the new blog

Tiffany and Phil 3.22.08 at The Belvedere Hotel in Baltimore

This past Saturday took me to The Belvedere Hotel in Baltimore, MD with Tiffany and Phil.

While we were outside in the freezing cold wind, Tiffany made a comment that, to me, was pretty awesome.  I asked her to climb up onto a really high ledge by using my knee as a step.  She looked at me and told me I was crazy! But that's why they went with me. :)

And it is so true! The crazier the better :)  I often ask people to do some crazy things. Sometimes my ideas are successful, and sometimes I strike out.  But the fact remains that if we never try, we never know. So if you are reading this and you have a wedding or session scheduled with me, think about trying my crazy suggestions. Even if you're not so certain.

I looooved the centerpieces!  Tiffany's mom told me how hard Tiffany worked on putting every piece of this wedding together.  And it definitely shows. Everything went flawlessly!

The party was going strong, but I had to pull them away to do a few shots with my fabulous new video light in a nice dark stairwell.

Used the new video light on this shot too. Just enough to light them up perfectly.

proofing site outage

hey guys,

just blogging to let you know that the site i use to proof had a pretty major outage so no one could access their images for a few days.  the issue has been resolved, and if your album is not online yet, it will be within the next 48 hours. i am working as fast as my internet can upload :)

and if you were in the process of selecting your favorites, it is possible that you will have to start from the beginning. i am SO sorry, i know how tedious it is. 

unfortunately this is one of those things we can't prevent from happening, so we just have to take it in stride.

hope everyone is having a fabulous weekend!

the first step

is admitting you have a problem.....

some of you know that back in december i made the transfer from a PC to a Mac.  i can't tell you how amazing the switch has been.  if anyone out there is contemplating the leap, DO IT!  i cannot say enough about the stability of the system, the super fast processing speeds and so much more.  it is fabulous.

however.  along with the new system, i've developed a slight addiction.  i cannot stop taking photos of myself with the built in camera. 

the best part is that i am not alone in my addiction.  it appears that anyone else who sits down in front of my computer must also take zillions of photos of themselves. 

i am telling you. it cannot be helped. 

lauren and brenden @ the birkby house, leesburg va

November 11th found me in Leesburg with Lauren and Brenden at the Thomas Birkby House.  I waited alllll summer for this wedding.  I am a HUGE fan of historic Leesburg and couldn't wait to take them around town for shots.  The weather was absolutely fabulous for the time of year, I couldn't have asked for a more perfect day.

thanks for including me on your special day guys!

no, you're not seeing double (ok, you are...) twins! and big sis too!



lauren was so great in front of the camera, I am trying to convince her to do a ttd session with me!

this little guy stole my heart. isn't he handsome?

see what i mean?!

as an added bonus, here are a few spreads from their coffee table album!

oops! (and a sneak peek)

some of you may have noticed my website or email has not been working since yesterday morning.  try not to be alarmed!  my domain renewal did not auto-update as it normally does so they kicked me out until i pay up :) 

if you need to contact me before the site is back up, please either leave me a comment here and i will get back to you, or you can email me at my personal email address : mwhite08@shepherd.edu

sorry for any confusion!!!  hopefully i'll be back online within a day or so.

in the meantime, here's a sneak peek at the shoot i did this weekend for a friend who knits amazing products.  we had so much fun and i can't wait to show you the rest!

Finally!

Availability calendars are now up!  Check them out by clicking the link to the left under 'information.'

afton 1yr

This is my 3rd session with Afton (even though the first was while she was still in the belly).  Photographing children is perhaps one of the most challenging jobs ever - but they are also some of the most rewarding jobs ever. 

I don't post many child sessions, simply because most of my time is spent with weddings and engagement sessions with a few kids on occasion.  If you're interested in a session of your child, I would love to talk to you!

Anyway, here are Afton's 1 year photos. The day of the session was her birthday. 

do you igoogle? and other things ...

i've recently been introduced to the most fabulous web application EVER.  and im serious!  i was roaming around on my daily blogs and came across a friend who posted a blog about her use of the web app igoogle.  by google, obviously.  suddenly ...  i was able to have everything i use on a daily basis all on one web page!  my emails are constantly showing, as are the blogs the i stalk.  (yes, photographers stalk blogs too!)  and the best part is the note feature.  if you know anything about me, you know that i am what i like to call a 'post-it note queen.'  i even did photography projects with post-its.  at one point, i had a 'post-it wall' where  instead of discarding my used post-it's i would stick them on the wall.  i really should find pictures - it was quite an amazing wall.    

anyway - so the note feature is there.  i LOVE making lists and marking items off, or in this case, deleting the completed task.

i'm in <3 with igoogle.  here is a screenshot of mygoogle.

and i found my series of post-it advertisements.

there you have it!  i received an A. :) 

look for in the future:  a few photo blogs, a website UPDATE!, an availability calendar, and peeks at album designs!

don't forget to leave some comment love!

six-seven-oh'eight! -update-

*update*
the date has been filled!  instead of booking a wedding, i'll be shooting with the fabulous tine from tm photography in cincinnati, ohio.  check her out - she rocks!

blog: http://tmcinci.blogspot.com/
website: www.tmphotography.net

since my hometown is southern west virgina, and he has a wedding scheduled in huntington, wv on that date, she's invited me long for the day! i absolutely can't wait!

i'm sure all of you soon-to-be brides know that this years most popular wedding date is June 7th. i am very excited to be making this announcement.

6-7-08 is now available!

if you are one of the lucky couples to be getting married on this date and have not yet secured your photographer because of its popularity, send me an email asap!

also, a note about the consult schedule on Saturday, February 16th:  i have a few spots still available so if you are a last minute planner, i can still accommodate you!