SORRY TO BE A PAIN!!

I WILL NO LONGER BE UPDATING THIS BLOG!!

Ok, so here's the plan! I've switched my blog service from Blogger to WordPress . . . here is the link . . .www.chrystalphotography.wordpress.com

I've also transferred all of Project 365 onto that site so that all the images will still be easy and convenient to view. Check out the blog now!

Today is DAY 10 for "Project 365" I will be uploading a new photo tonight for you to view, BUT you have to log onto the new blog to see it!!

Hope you like the changes I've made to the new and improved Chrystal Photography Blog!

I sure do!

Day 9

A Good Book


My kids recently had their first trip to the Lackawanna Children's Library and they loved it! We now visit every other Wednesday so that they can pick out new books to read . . . well to have me read to them! Today while we were there they wanted to each read one of their books before leaving, and I thought it would be a great photo opp! I hope they never lose their love for books.

Photo Project Day 8

DOODLE


This is my dog whom I love! She is a Chihuahua / Pekingese . . . otherwise known as a "Cheese", hence her name, Doodle! She was the runt of the litter and is just about full grown, weighing about 10 pounds. I think she is going to make a great photography model for me!!

Ten things your dog can teach you:

1. Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.

2. Take naps and stretch before rising.

3. When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.

4. Eat with gusto and enthusiasm.

5. If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.

6. Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure ecstasy.

7. Be loyal. Run, romp and play daily.

8. When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by and nuzzle them gently.

9. Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.

10. When you're happy, dance around and wag your entire body.

Day 7

Brand New

Today I was blessed to visit with another beautiful baby! Baby Thomas is just 4 days old. Precious! Every time I photograph this pose I cannot help but think of the song "He's got the whole world in His hands"

Day SIX

Family Time

Every Sunday my family gets together for FAMILY TIME! It's so fun! My little brother Mike even made a "Family Time" poem that my other two brother's, Steve and Dave turned into a rap song and performed for all of us one Sunday!! We all eat way too much and have a great time together. Today Family Day is being hosted at my house and I made the fruit platter, which I'm about to dig into . . . so I'm going to sign off now!

Hope you are also blessed with an awesome family and that you spend time together!

Have a great Sunday afternoon!

Photo for Day 5

The Sweet Spot

There is this place near my home, that is not necessarily a secret, but I do feel like it's "my" spot for beautiful family portraits! I love this property!! This piece of land is owned by a very generous couple who allow strangers to come and fish in the stream, just take a quiet walk, or have a photo shoot! The barn is super cool! It has this old run down feel, but then its quirky yellow door just begs to be photographed! Ha ha . . . that's how I look at it anyway! I'll have to upload a portrait using this barn as the backdrop, so you can see what I see when I bring a family to this location. There is also a butterfly garden, lots of flowers during the spring and summer and to top it off, there are waterfalls! Such a prime piece of property for peace and quite, the beauty of God's Creation and of course awesome photographs!

Day 4 for Project "365"

After the RAIN . . .

I don't always love the rain, but I do love the smell of rain. I actually love the smell of all sorts of not-so-normal things . . . such as clean sheets, fresh cut grass or an old library book!

I'm in the mood for some useless trivia!! Here are useless facts about noses (since we are on the subject of smells!)

The average human nose makes nearly a cupful of snot everyday

Humans eyes are always the same size from birth, but our nose and ears never stop growing

Slugs have 4 noses

It's impossible to sneeze with your eyes open

Tomb robbers believed that knocking an Egyptian sarcophagi nose off would break a curse

In ancient China, criminals who attacked travelers had their noses cut off

The human nose can remember 50,000 different smells

It is impossible to inhale and exhale simultaneously using both your mouth and your nose

A sneeze can travel as fast as 100 miles per hour

	Each nostril of a human registers smell in a different way. Smells that are made from the right nostril are more pleasant than the left Out of all the senses, smell is most closely linked to memory Perspiration is odorless; it is the bacteria on the skin that has a smell You mostly breathe from only one nostril at a time

Don't you feel smarter!!

Day Three!

What a girly, girl I have!! Sweet little Jayden is 5 years old now and I don't know how that can be possible, I swear just yesterday she was crawling! 5 years old seems to be my favorite age for her right now . . . she loves school and is very upset that she has to wait the whole summer to go back (I wonder how long that will last!)

It's sometimes scary to think that God has given me children to raise up . . . and that it's my responsibility to lead them down the "straight and narrow" EEK! What a difficult job we parents have! BUT parenting can also be rewarding . . . Read the short story below. I hope it encourages you as it did me.

My four-year-old son was on my heels no matter where I went. Whenever I stopped to do something and turned back around, I would trip over him. I patiently suggested fun activities to keep him occupied, but he simply smiled an innocent smile and said, "that's all right. I'd rather stay with you" After the fifth time of tripping over him I began to lose my patience. When I asked him why he was acting this way, he looked up at me with his sweet eyes and said, "Well, Mom, my Sunday School teacher told me to walk in Jesus' footsteps. I can't see him, so I'm walking in yours!"

And you should follow my example, just as I follow Christ's
I Corinthians 11:1 NLT

"Be careful little feet where you go, because it's the little feet behind you that are sure to follow"
-Casting Crowns

Show love today towards and in front of your children!
"Monkey SEE, Monkey DO!"

Day Two For Project "365"

Three Barn Kittens . . .

I'm personally not a cat lover, but I have to admit that kittens are pretty cute. I was able to create this portrait right before today's summer rainstorm. Thank you to Andrea and Jayden for being my kitten chasers . . . and they sure did a lot of "chasing" Once they got one kitten situated another would jump out of the basket!

First Photo For Project "365"

Here it is . . . the first photo! So appropriate to start the "365" project out with New Life! Little Athena is just 5 days old! What a precious miracle from God!!

A baby is born with a need to be loved - and never outgrows it. Frank A. Clark

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love.
But the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:13

365

WOW! I haven't blogged in quite a while! NO MORE SLACKING OFF! It's time to make some time for me and my camera without obligation! So many professional photographers lose the love and excitement about their camera and their images when the only time they are taking pictures is because they are "working" or someone is paying them! I DON'T WANT TO BECOME THAT PERSON! Here is the plan . . . Summer is my FAVORITE season and tomorrow is the official First Day of Summer! So I thought it would be a great day to start a project called "365" first introduced to me by an awesome photographer from California, Paul Gero. Everyday I will commit myself to take a great photograph and blog about it. The rule is everyday for 365 days a new photograph needs to be taken, uploaded to my blog, and blogged about! I'm excited to stretch my imagination and see what I can find each day through the eyes of my camera. Keep checking back to see the new images! There WILL be a new one everyday starting tomorrow . . .

GREENE DREHER STERLING FAIR . . .

Come visit us at the Greene Dreher Sterling Fairgrounds on August 31st thru September 6th! Chrystal will be there with a
display of her more recent portraits!
Bring your date book to the fair too, because if you book a family photo session with us for the month of October we will give you $25.00 off your session fee!
See you at the fair!

2010 Baby Model Contest

Chrystal Photography just finished up their first Baby Model Contest! We had so much fun with each of the 29 baby model participants! We had all sorts of cuties in here which made the judging extra difficult! Chrystal had 6 local photographers judge the contest and in the end only 4 could be named the CUTEST! The contest was broken into two age brackets - 3 months - 1 year and 2 years - 5 years old. In each bracket we awarded a first and second place winner. First place was awarded $150.00 and second place was awarded a basket full of goodies from local businesses . . .

2nd place basket contents:

Gift Certificate from Twinkle Toes - Hamlin
$20 Gift Card from Toys R Us - Dickson City
Melissa and Doug Toys from Varden Crossing - Lake Ariel
Free Ice Cream Cones from That Shake Place - Mount Cobb
Free Pizza, Drinks and 30 Tokens from Chuck E Cheese - Dickson City

A special thanks goes to the businesses listed above for their donations!!

Scroll down to view the
1st and 2nd place winners in each bracket . . .

Maggie 1st place winner (2 years - 5 years)


Evan 2nd place winner (2 years - 5 years)



Abbey 1st place winner (3 months - 1 year)



Claire 2nd place winner (3 months - 1 year)

Congrautlations to all the winners!

CUTEST PET ON THE BLOCK ENTRIES!!

THE CONTEST IS OVER AND THE ENTRIES ARE IN!

Take a look at the cute pets below and comment on the one you think should win the contest. Every comment will count as a vote for that pet's picture. The most votes WINS!! With the help of the families and friends who got involved with the Cutest Pet on the Block contest Chrystal Photography was able to raise $165.00 for the Lackawanna Humane Society!! Thank you to those who participated! You can also vote right at the Chrystal Photography studio located on Route 191 in Lake Ariel, PA. or by calling the studio at 570-698-5740 OR you can check out the Chrystal Photography facebook page - become a fan of our facebook page and then vote for your favorite pet! Please limit your vote to one per person.

"Zeke"

"Star"

"Pillow Fight"

"Dog Tags"

"Darley the Fire Dog"

"Where's the Party?"

"Mia"

"Lucky"

"Lola"

"Into the Sunset"

"Gone Fishin"

"First Love"

"Distinguished Dog"

"Dinner Time"

"Daisy in the Park"

"Daisy"

"Baby Doll"

"Annie"

Cutest Pet On The Block

Do you think you have the cutest pet around?? Prove it!

April 1st through April 24th Chrystal Photography will be photographing pets of all kinds to be entered into the Cutest Pet Contest. All pet images will be posted here on Chrystal Photography's blog, on the Chrystal Photography facebook page and also right in Chrystal's studio. Friends and Family can cast their votes April 25th - April 30th. The winners will be announced on May 1st. Prizes will be awarded to the winning pet and owner!!

Good Luck!!

Contest appointments are needed.

The cost for a contest photo shoot is just $15.00

$5.00 from each photo shoot will be donated to the

Lackawanna Humane Society!

February ALREADY!!

I can't believe we are already working our way through

2010 let alone FEBRUARY!

Time sure does fly!

I wanted to update those of you who donated books to our "Shelf to Shelf" Charity during the month of January . . . The total number of books collected and delivered was 156!! That is AWESOME! What a blessing those books will be to so many deserving children in our area. Thank you so much!

We also just held another Ladies Night on January 29th and that too was a success. Shirley Chmielewski of "Celebrating Home" www.celebratinghome.com/sites/shirleyc was there along with Lisa Woodruff from "Mary Kay" www.marykay.com/lightninglady2 and again Sarah Prussia was there giving foot massages! What a full night of fun, friends and lots of laughing! And of course we did the traditional Glamour/Boudoir Portraits as well! Take a look at some of the fun shots we got of the girls . . .

February is such a great time for PICTURES! Take a look at the fun ideas that we've done with a few cuties that came to the studio . . .

Next on the busy Chrystal Photography Schedule is "Cutest Pet on the Block" If you think you have the cutest pet on the block then bring them into the studio during the month of April for a $15.00 Photo Session (by appt. only). FIVE DOLLARS FROM EVERY SESSION WILL BE DONATED TO THE LACKAWANNA HUMANE SOCIETY!! Also your pets picture will be posted on Facebook, Blog Spot, and in the Studio for people to vote for their favorite. ONE lucky pet and owner will win a FREE 11 x 14 of their pets portrait and a basket of goodies donated by a local pet store! Join in on the fun! For more details call Chrystal at 570-698-5740

Shelf to Shelf

Chrystal Photography is proud to help the Scranton Organization -- Shelf to Shelf! The Project both collects and distributes NEW and GENTLY USED children's books (preschool through fifth grade). All books that are collected are available for distribution by schools throughout Lackawanna County. The books given to the children are theirs to KEEP!! Each book will have a bookplate on the inside jacket which will acknowledge the project and personalize the book with the child's name. The Organizations main objectives are as follows:

-Create new ways to get books into the hands, homes, and hearts of children.


-Heighten interest in books and promote family reading.


-Create a common book experience for all children in our community, regardless of their socioeconomic ethnic background.





As an added incentive to collect books Chrystal Photography is giving 50% off Photography Sessions to anyone who donates at least two books to "Shelf to Shelf" in January of 2010! Anyone interested in helping out this wonderful cause can drop books off at Chrystal Photography's Studio anytime in the month of January -- 1315 Lake Ariel Highway, Lake Ariel, Pennsylvania 18436. Please contact Chrystal for any additional information: 570-698-5740





Here is a list of books that are most requested by the children:


-Any hard cardboard books (for preschoolers

-Clifford

-Arthur/DW series

-Berenstein Bears

-Curious George

-Little Critter

-Little Bear

-Dr Seuss

-Amelia Bedelia

-American Girl Series

-Dear America/American Girl

-Scooby-Doo

-Amber Brown

-Junie B. JOnes

-Hardy Boys

-Books by Matt Christopher (often sports related books)

-Goosebumps Series

-Harry Potter

-Step into Reading Books Level I, II, III, or IV

*In addition Shelf to Shelf will not accept any religious books, dictionaries, encyclopedias, or any book beyond a fifth grade reading level.

Pass the word along to your friends and family! Clean out those closets and donate those books your children have grown out of but that might be loved by another child in our area!

Christmas ALREADY!?!

Christmas!

I love this time of year! A time for reflection and planning, memories made with family and friends, old traditions and new traditions, and celebrating the birth of Jesus!

Have a Very Merry Christmas

and a Safe and Happy New Year!

from everyone at

Chrystal Photography!

Time to Catch Up!

It's been too long!! October was such a busy, busy photo month! The leaves were beautiful and everyone here in NEPA wanted to take advantage of the colors! Here are some sample pictures done in October . . .

These are just a few images from the sessions in October done by Chrystal Photography. What a great month! It was great getting to know each of these families! I look forward to updating them next year!

Some Recent Photo Sessions . . .

I thought I would take a minute to update everyone on the recent photo sessions that I've had the pleasure of taking in the past two weeks. I've been having a great time getting to know so many families and the cutest kids imaginable!

Take a look . . .



"Little Tom Sawyer"



"The Bright Yellow Door"

"Sisters"

"On Top Of The World"

"Rubber Duckie"

Call me to book your session today! Creative, Unique Portraits is what I like! Give me some ideas and bring some props of your own! 570-698-5740

-Chrystal