Mom, don't panic!

Mom, don't panic...

It's just a tattoo ;)
The design was sketched out by one of the artists at the shop.  I told him I wanted a 'girly Jesus fish' and this is what he came up with.  I love it!  The swirls make it look less tribal and manly, and I'm a huge fan of the fact that it's unique and special to me.  There is only one thing I love enough to have it tattooed on my wrist... my love of God!

I've wanted a tattoo for over 7 years... And I finally got mine during Garren & I's anniversary trip.  We stopped in Nashville, TN and there is this awesome Christian tattoo parlor on the main strip of the city!


Did it hurt?  Um, yes.  It definitely did.  I wouldn't rate the pain as high as I THOUGHT it would be, though... but at time it felt like tiny knifes slicing me.. ouuuwch!  Totally worth it, though.

I just wanted to share with you my little secret :)

Have a great day!
Rachel
xo

You don't wake up awesome

I recently shared this photo comparison on my Facebook page

The photo on the left is from this year and the photo on the right is from two years ago - when I was finally figuring out that I loved photography enough to make it my career.  Notice how much my photography changed in just TWO years!

This got me thinking...

There are so many photographers out there right now trying to 'make it' and so often I hear people complain about other photographers work.  I will never, ever talk bad about other photographers.

Everyone starts somewhere and everyone grows at a different pace. 

We all have different styles, genres, reasons for doing what we do, and that's what makes each photographer unique and worth it. When you come to our studio, you'll notice we have a photo journalistic style with unique products we offer.  We have a smile on our face just as big as YOU do behind the camera, only we're not faking it!  We LOVE what we do - and THAT'S why we do it!

I will also say this, everyone who loves photography doesn't necessarily have to make it their career.  Any photographer out there who owns their own business would agree - it's no easy job. Breaking even is a goal (you know, making more money than we spend on equipment!)  Going from 'taking pictures' to being a 'business owner' is one of the most challenging things I have EVER done.  I love my job and I adore my clients, so for me - it's worth it!

Be positive, be strong!
Rachel xo

'tis the season (get these bundles before they're gone!)

Share the Love Contest Winners

First of all I want to say thank you to everyone who participated in our Share the Love contest.  We had so much fun reading the stories and looking at all your photos.  Our judges and I collaborated to make a very difficult decision... who would WIN?

What we decided is to award two free sessions - one to the best story and one to the 'people's choice' (the contestant with the most likes and comments).

Our 'people's choice' award goes to Madi, nominated by David Quinn.

The best story winner is Kayleigh Garden's grandparents Edith and Calvin nominated by Kayleigh.

We don't want to leave anyone empty handed, so even if you aren't the winner of the contest - we would like to offer you half off a session!  Please email us and we will give you details!

Thanks everyone,
Rachel
xo

vintage finds

We visited this super fun store in Lexington KY called Street Scene, lookie what we found...

Squinty-eyed cheesers!  ;) Here's us after window shopping.

Share the love

Since September 25th is Rachel & Garren's 1 year anniversary, we are going to celebrate by allowing you to send us a photo of someone you love & nominate them for a FREE Fall Portrait session and 11x14 print!

To enter, EMAIL us at rachel@rngphotos.com a photo of someone you love... it could be a grandparent, a sibling, a friend, a child, a pet, a parent - but keep in mind, the photo you choose will be posted and voted on by our Facebook fans!! :)  

Please attach who is in the photograph and why you are nominating them!

Send all your family and friends to 'like' R&G Photography to 'like' & comment on the photo you sent in!  Each 'like' and comment will help us decide our winners, but the voting will not solely be based on 'likes' & comments - we will have a panel of judges to help decide what lovely story and photo was the best!   :) 

The contest will begin on September 16th and end on September 23rd.  The winner will be announced on our blog (www.photographyou.blogspot.com) on our anniversary!

*Those who are nominated are not obligated to purchase anything.  Their session will be scheduled before the end of 2011 & taken within a 30 miles radius of Sandoval, IL*

Take care and start sending us those photos & stories!!

Rachel
xo

August is almost over!

I can't believe how time is flying!  We are the busiest we've ever been at R&G Photography (Praise God!) and I'm so excited about how far we've come and how much we've grown!  

This November we are going to celebrate our studio's ONE YEAR anniversary.  We are hoping to have a open house and invite clients and guests to view our studio - hopefully with all the redesigning complete - snack, take some photos, learn about photography - and get some free goodies, too! 

We are also planning a 1k giveaway for our Facebook fans!  We currently have just over 800 fans -  I can't believe how many people we've reached via Facebook.  Oh how I love social networking :)

On a personal note, my hubby and are are going to be celebrating our One Year Anniversary the 25th of September <3  WOW I can't believe it!  The year has been PACKED with amazing experiences & I'm so excited to see where our lives take us.

Thank you Jason and Aurelia Stratton for the lovely updated photo of us!   :)  I can't wait to get our METAL print from them!  We are looking into offering metal prints at our studio, too!  Such a neat and unique way to display photos!






Take care all and enjoy the last few weeks of swimming weather (if you're a fish like me!)


Rachel
xo

An amazing article about WHY we charge what we charge!

Do Professional Photographers Really Make Money? | Life as a Lilly blog

Boat day!

Learning OCF {Off Camera Flash}

Lighting.

It's scary and daunting to those who don't know how to control it - which was me not too long ago.  Putting a flash on my camera was about the extent of what I knew about using non-ambient light.  Now, though, I am confident that I could light just about ANY situation and make beautiful images for my clients.  I will continue to learn and perfect, but I am so thankful for the knowledge Bryan shared with me at our two day one-on-one workshop in Goshen, IN.

Here is a shot of Bryan during our first day of training, haha!  Love his expression!  He was ready for us to bring in someone different to shoot by the end of the day!

Here is an image using one off camera light with our gorgeous model, Kimberly.

And here is a shot using the techniques he taught me at our last wedding.

A special thank you to
Bryan Chris, of Bryan Chris Photography, for teaching me SO much in two short days (well longs days, but they FLEW BY!).  What he taught me will help me grow into a more reliable, creative, and unique photographer.  I am so thankful for his talent and for allowing me to soak up everything I could.  He not only taught me the basics of OCF, but also about editing, workflow, posing, and so much more.
Kim Chris, Byran's wife, for allowing him to be out incredibly late working with his hard working student (me!)
Christi Nelson of Rawsii Photography for guiding me to Bryan for his teachings and for helping us find such a wonderful model for practice
Kimberly Post, a friend Christi Nelson's, for modeling for us on such short notice
Rachel and Nate Howard for being wonderful hosts and allowing me to stay with them during my workshop

I'm hoping to post more on HOW we got these shots in the future - so keep an eye out for those posts!

Rachel
xo

Lunch with my bestie

On my way to a workshop for work and stopped in Champaign for lunch with Whit

Oh, bloggie, you're so neglected!

We do apologize!  Our lovely slice of the world has been so eventful & fun, and I forgot to share with you all!

What's new with R&G?

We had our photos taken by Jason & Aurelia Stratton
View the photos by liking their Facebook page & clicking HERE.
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We won "Best Fundraiser" for our Little Miss Relay Pageant!

View photos from the event here: http://rngphotos.smugmug.com/LittleMissRelayPageant2011
+
I upgraded into the world of smart phones (so I should have NO excuse to leave my poor blog unattended for weeks! ;))

+
We got some amazing new equipment in our studio: OCF (off camera flash) equipment (which will allow us to do some really creative lighting in the future!), a new back up camera (a D300s) and a 60mm micro lens, mmm!

+
We photographed an incredibly beautiful wedding.  Mrs. Rachel Pedal was one STUNNING bride.  Rachel and I don't just share first names, we also attended the same high school and share lots of old memories.  Congrats to Rachel & Mark and good luck on your venture to Korea!

+
We were able to take some photo orders for a couple EXTRA SPECIAL people in our life - my 'second' parents (aka: my wonderful in-laws).

I am so, so excited to get their prints framed and up in their new home.  Their home was destroyed back in April by a tornado - see the article by clicking HERE.  The rebuild is going to be a long process - but worth the wait.

Thanks for reading and enjoy your summer - it's flying by!

Oh, and don't forget about our Christmas in July special!!!

Rachel
xo

Fun on the Farm

My best friend Whitney currently lives on a farm near Bloomington, IL and this past weekend we had a photo shoot just for the heck of it.  I've known Whitney for nearly twenty years now and I think it's odd that I haven't taken her photo MORE!  I guess because when we're together we have so much going on - I forget the camera.

I should really photograph my friends more.  They are all gorgeous. 

Tia & Wes {sneak peek}

What I'm working on...

Aren't they lovely?!

I'm sad it was only a mini session - I would have LOVED to photograph these guys all day!  So sweet!

Rachel
xo

Tiny twins welcomed into the world.

My cousin Brittany was 26 weeks pregnant when she unexpectedly went into labor last Sunday (May 29th), later that afternoon she gave birth to Jocelyn Renee and Arianna Nicole.  While the two of them are doing well for their circumstance - these teeny tiny babies are in need of constant prayer!  They are SO unbelievably little and the photos just don't do it justice...  At around a pound and a half, their lungs aren't fully developed.  Their underdevelopment, among other obstacles will be challenging - but these two have already proven to be STRONG FIGHTERS!  Thank the LORD!  He is definitely at work in them!

 Meet Arianna

 

  Meet Jocelyn

 They each have their own nurse 24/7 and the staff is super.

Right now Brittany can't hold her babies.. she can only put her hands through the holes of their bed tables and touch them.. This was the hardest thing for me to grasp.. not being able to hold your babies.. It brought tears to my eyes (and I'm not even a mommy!)

Mommy & Daddy - they are spending a LOT of time in the hospital, so pray for them as well.  I'm sure it's hard not being able to do normal parenting things and sit helplessly in a hospital room for hours on end.. and they are going to have countless hours in the future spent here - the twins aren't expected to go home until September.

Thanks in advance for keeping my family in your thoughts & prayers!

We <3 you!

Rachel

xo

Why I love being a June bug :)

Yay!  It's June 1st!  You know what that means?

 Yes, strawberries.................mmm!

And my bestie & I's birthdays are in the month of June.  (we are total goofs ;))

This is the first summer that I can remember when I didn't have a long and dredging school year to tackle before I was able to enjoy it!  It's crazy going to school for literally your whole life and then suddenly not having class to go to anymore!  For all you kids out there - look forward to the days with no school... but to all you adults out there, we all know life is much more dredging than school could ever be ;) Nonetheless - I love my crazy, sporadic, and not-always-perfect life... especially in the summer!

Rachel
xo

Bubble bath time

You know what I haven't done in a LONG time?  Relax in a bubble bath!

One of my favorite places to get all my smelly goods is Bath & Body Works.  I don't know why, but that is where my family always buys about half of our Christmas presents... maybe it's the sweet deals they run... or the awesome scents... but regardless - it is nice to enjoy the bubble bath (along with their candles, outlet fresheners, body wash... etc!).

Right now if you buy three, you get three FREE.  Dang!

They have a great clearance section, too (for those of you who scout out good deals).

I haven't been able to keep up with my bookwork for my business, editing, and personal relaxation since I started my 2nd job... but now that I am a full time photographer - I have time to devote to my clients (and more time for myself!)

Hope you all have a fantastic weekend!  R&G are going to be photographing a very good friend's wedding tomorrow and I am SO excited!

Congrats Kyle & Amanda... <3  :)

Just Grin (:

Just grin... and bare it!


Bare with us as we update, revamp, and make our blog more fabulous!


We're working on ways to make YOU, our readers, more satisfied & informed.  In the mean time - we really appreciate your patience! 




Want to know what we're working on?  One heck of a fundraiser via our business!  Our Relay For Life Team, R&G Photography Shoot the Lights Out of Cancer is hosting a Little Miss Relay Pageant.  This Sunday we are meeting all of the pageant parents to discuss the finer details.  


Mallory Crouse and I are VERY excited to present some wicked awesome info to the girls!   


Want to donate to our team? {CLICK HERE} We would appreciate the gesture, but even more - cancer victims would be delighted to see your support & caring donation.  


We are also looking for vendors to donate - we will give a HUGE shout out to your business & be forever thankful!


Rachel
xo

Wishing for a job you love?

Oh, how sweet it is to do a job you LOVE!  


Today I put in my two weeks at my office job and made the decision to become a FULL TIME PHOTOGRAPHER.  This was not an easy decision to make, but photography is my passion and I am SO thankful to make it my career (finally!) - Thank goodness I have such a supportive husband and family!  We are in for a long and hard journey, but I am anxious to get started. 


Is it June yet?  ;)


Soon we hope you will enjoy more informative and fun blogs - in the mean time I will be rather busy working two jobs and wrapping up my last few days as a Business Development Director with Monken (a local car dealership).  Please be patient with us and don't stop following!  You're in for a treat, I swear!!


Rachel
xo

Edit Me Monday, Baby!

Just a quick post for ya'll!


Here is SOOC (Straight out of camera):

 Below is after LR (LightRoom2) & PS (Photoshop3) edits:

Rachel
xo