Hey folks!

I e-mailed my general client database this morning to inform those which this switch immediately affects, but I’d like to tell the rest of you too… you know, so you’re in the loop and all that. ;) We have officially switched from DVDs to USB drives. Why?

We’re a big fan of Lightscribe. It etches an image into the DVD instead of printing out a picture and adhering it onto a DVD. It’s much more effective and lasts a longer longer. Eventually labels peel off or your disc will become unreadable because of the weight issues with labels stuck onto DVDs. So we Lightscribed all of our stuff… etching in images and names and makin’ them fancy. Unfortunately (and unbeknownst to us), there are some computers (both Mac and PC) that can’t read Lightscribe DVDs. This was brought to our attention by a wonderful (and understanding) client who owned both a Mac and PC… neither of which would read our DVDs. We gave them a regular DVD which it read fine and we realized: Uh oh… perhaps this is happening to a few people who haven’t spoken up but have had to use the computer of relatives and friends to read these DVDs. That scared us. And made us sad. All at the same time. It of course turned out that this was true… and I’ve already received one e-mail back since I announced the switch thanking me because their computer also could not read the DVD. :( Bad news bears.

The second reason we’re switching is because Apple’s new Mac mini does not have a DVD drive. So, uh, how would you see your pictures? A lot of our clients have Macs… and we like to be on top of technology and enable our clients to actually be able to use their pictures… so we’re making the switch. :)

On top of that, USB drives are pretty sweet. They’re small, easy to carry around, and useful. We’d recommend putting the files onto your computer and backing it up just as we would a DVD, and this makes it easier to do. They’re made from eco-friendly bamboo and are inscribed with the CSP logo. Tada!

Woooooo!!! We are very very happy and thankful to have one of our weddings highlighted in Luxe Mountain Weddings Magazine! It’s always exciting to have work of yours in print… and I gotta say I’m pretty proud of us. :) … though we couldn’t have done it alone!

Thank you, thank you, thank you to the following people: Debbie from Luxe Mountain Weddings, Sarah and Jimmy – our wonderful couple, all of the amazing wedding vendors from their wedding, and Geoff (husband) who second shot this and every wedding with me… and whose photograph landed the main “Escape to Asheville” page of the magazine!

Buy a copy of Luxe Mountain Weddings Magazine here.

Exciting news, everyone! Carolyn Scott Photography is now servicing Pittsburgh, PA for weddings and engagements. :) We already did… kinda… but now it’s more official.

To anyone in Raleigh who’s freaking out, don’t freak out. We still live in Raleigh and are, in fact, buying a house here next year. :) But our families and friends live in Pittsburgh and we’re back there a lot… so why not build in weddings around our visiting time? This will allow us to get more ‘Burgh business, as well as see our families and friends more often. Also – it’s always refreshing to shoot in new spaces, and Pittsburgh has so many neat opportunities for that.

So starting immediately, we are Raleigh, NC wedding photographers about 90% of the time… Pittsburgh, PA wedding photographers about 7% of the time… and random other cities and states about 3% of the time. Travel 30 miles within Raleigh and Pittsburgh will be free (because let’s face it – we were going to see our families and visit Ikea anyway). Raleigh weddings have the opportunity to book a wedding anywhere from 5-10 hours long, while Pittsburgh weddings will require a full day (10 hr) package in order to cover our travel. We plan on photographing Pittsburgh weddings about once every month or two with, like we said, the main bulk of our business remaining in Raleigh. Engagement sessions will be built into our extended trips home for other weddings. Email carolyn@carolynscottphotography.com if you have any questions… and we look forward to seeing all you yinzers and photographing your weddings n’at!

Very proud to say that photos of mine are being featured in two local magazines this fall season, Cary Magazine and Wake Living! :) Cary Magazine did an article on unique wedding venues in the area and used a photograph of mine from Melanie and Eric’s Snipes Farm Retreat Wedding, while Wake Living did an article on downtown Raleigh’s revival. Check ‘em out. :) We also have a few more magazine surprises coming your way in the upcoming months, so check back!

We are very excited to announce that Rosalyn+Patrick’s September 2010 wedding was published in the February/March issue of Durham Magazine! I know this news is a little late, but we just found out. :) CSP would like to thank Rosalyn, Patrick, and their wonderful friends and family for allowing us to take part in their beautiful wedding and giving us permission to publish it. And we’d like to thank the staff at Durham Magazine, specifically Matt Dees, for doing wonderful work on the feature. :) YAY!! Now I’ve gotta go send one of these copies to my grandma. ;)

Good news this morning! Katie+Blake’s engagement session was featured on Whimsical Wonderland Weddings blog, which is an awesome UK-based wedding blog. They’re listed as one of the top 100 wedding blogs of 2011 and we’re SIKED to be featured there! Thank you, WWW!! :)

It has been a very difficult solid year of going back and forth between book printers. So, for those who don’t know, coffee table books are typically press printed, meaning that it’s inkjet on paper. They’re also slimmer, light-weight books. Flush mount albums are thicker, encyclopedia type books and are typically photographic prints adhered to cardstock and lacquered over. While I have always loooved my flush mount albums, I was always luke warm about the coffee table books.

First I had found a printer whose pages I liked, but whose cover options were lacking. Then I found one with awesome cover options and great binding, but I wasn’t thrilled about the type of paper they were printed on. But now I’ve got it. :) I finally found a company (KISS) that prints incredible coffee table books with real photographic prints. Hallelujah! So now my coffee table books are printed just as lovely as my flush mount albums and they’re all done with real prints. Now the only real difference between the two is one is much sturdier and bound in leather while the other is thinner and has a cloth cover. The printing quality of real prints can never be matched by an inkjet printer! I am so happy. :)

I’m now offering tiny 4×4 parent brag books as well! So you can order these for your folks, wedding party, or other guests to throw in their purse to show off your wedding at the office. :) The great news is that they come in pairs! YAY!

ALL coffee table books and flush mounts still have the same simple, classic design which I will always love. The covers are now plain covers but come in a variety of darks and brights. It’s all very simple and clean. They all come with cute little cloth dust covers to protect them. It’s kinda like a sleeping bag for your book. :)

These albums are offered for weddings, pet photography, and family photography. You can also make a great guest book for your wedding out of your engagement photographs with these puppies!

Extra special thanks goes out to Buckles, the CSP spokescat, for helping me out on the last couple of frames. I guess he figured that I might need a cat to get in all of the shots in order for you all to have some perspective on how big the books are. Buckles is a great assistant. He helps out around the office in the following ways:

1.) Walks in front of the monitor while I’m editing.

2.) Sits in front of the monitor while I’m editing.

3.) Steps on my keyboard while I’m editing or typing.

4.) Chases the mouse around the monitor while I’m editing.

5.) Plays in boxes of packing peanuts and spills them on the floor.

6.) Tries to eat the packing peanuts that he spilled.

7.) Generally getting in the way all of the time.

8.) Meowing while I’m having phone consultations.

THANKS, BUCKLES.

HORRAY! I am so happy to announce that we’ve won the Bride’s Choice Award for 2011, our second year in a row. :) This is all due to the wonderful reviews from my wonderful clients and fellow supportive vendors. Thank you all so much! Below is the press release from Wedding Wire:

WeddingWire, the nation’s leading wedding technology company, is thrilled to announce Carolyn Scott Photography has been selected to receive the prestigious annual WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011 for Photography!

Recognition for the Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011 is determined by recent reviews and extensive surveys from over 750,000 WeddingWire newlyweds. Our past clients are among those that shared their experiences on WeddingWire, the largest wedding review site in the nation.

Carolyn Scott Photography stands among the top five percent of wedding professionals in the WeddingWire community, representing quality and service excellence within the wedding industry. Awards were given to the top wedding professionals across 20 service categories, from wedding venues to wedding photographers, and were based on the overall professional achievements throughout the past year.

“WeddingWire is honored to celebrate the success of the top-rated wedding professionals within the WeddingWire community,” said Timothy Chi, WeddingWire’s Chief Executive Officer. “With the annual Bride’s Choice Awards™ program, WeddingWire has the unique opportunity to recognize the best wedding professionals across the US and Canada. We applaud Carolyn Scott Photography for their professionalism and dedication to enhancing the wedding planning experience last year.”

We are happy to announce that Carolyn Scott Photography is among the very best photographers within the WeddingWire Network, which includes leading wedding planning sites WeddingWire, Martha Stewart Weddings, Project Wedding and Weddingbee. We would like to thank our past clients for nominating us to receive the Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011.

For more information, please visit our WeddingWire Storefront today at www.weddingwire.com/carolynscottphotography.

For more information on the Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011, please visit www.WeddingWire.com.

Horray for love! Listed above are the sale prices for our portrait sessions. Our Sweetheart Special sale can be used for anyone you love: engagements, pets, family portraits, etc. Buy a session for yourself or others! Use the contact button to the right hand side of your screen to e-mail me and book a session. Clients must book before February 14th to get the sale price, but may use their session anytime this year. However, session space fills up very fast, so please book your session in a timely manner. And remember, there are lots of cool photography gifts in the a la carte ordering menu to give to friends and family. :) Thank you!

*Note: If you are a member of the Downtown Raleigh Alliance, you get an extra 5% off!

Happy New Year to old clients and new! We are back from my holiday in Pittsburgh and ready for 2011. :) While we were away on vacation, we were very happy to learn that two of our weddings were published in three online wedding blogs!

Valerie and Kenneth’s wedding can be found on Wedding Nouveau and MyWedding.com. Unfortunately, their blog engine distorted all the pictures and makes them look pretty horrendous, but if you click “See more imagines in the gallery” under the last picture on Wedding Nouveau, you can see what the pictures are actually supposed to look like. :)

V&K on Wedding Nouveau

V&K on MyWedding.com

Cortney and James’s wedding was then featured on Emmaline Bride. :)

C&J on Emmaline Bride

I am also excited to announce that we will be published in print a few times this year! More details about that coming soon. :) Now it’s back to work editing and prepping for all of our great 2011 weddings. Congratulations to all of the happy couples in 2010 and those newly engaged and ready for 2011!

Hey former and prospetive clients!
 
Carolyn Scott Photography is having a Cyber Monday sale! We are offering the following great deals:

- 50% off all prints and digital items: Log into your client gallery anytime on Monday the 29th starting at midnight and order any prints or DVDs you’d like half off. No need to worry about coupon codes – the prices will automtatically be changed starting at midnight on Sunday.

- 50% off all portrait packages: Thought about booking a session with CSP but haven’t gotten around to it yet? Now’s a great time to book! We’re making all of our portrait packages half off! Save anywhere from $87 to $225!*

- 25% off all wedding packages: Know anyone who is getting married in the Raleigh, Durham, or Chapel Hill area? Have a wedding coming up yourself and looking for a photographer? Contact us and they’ll save anywhere from $300 to $900!*

*Clients who are booking portrait sessions and wedding packages must intially contact me on Monday to receive the deal. 

Here is a link to all of our current prices (without discounts applied): Price List.

Have a great holiday weekend everyone!
 
Carolyn

things have been quiet over here at CSP as i closed down the doors for 3 weeks while geoff and i got married and went on our honeymoon to costa rica. :) we had the best time at our wedding and a very interesting (and dangerous!) honeymoon! i’ll be blogging about all these adventures later… :)

but for right now i am so thrilled to announce that i came home to discover that i had won 1st place in two categories in the 3rd quarter contest sponsored by the wedding photographic society! the WPS is headquartered in raleigh and is a network of professional photographers locally and globally. they hold quarterly contests where their panel of judges receive submissions from photographers in various categories. this quarter’s judges were james walters, stacy borelli, and christobal perez.

i won first place in the “beautiful mistake” category from rosalyn and patrick’s wedding. the beautiful mistake category was meant to highlight the occasional mistakes that photographers make that turn out to be a totally awesome picture. in this case, one of my flashes didn’t fire and i was left with this image. i believe i ran over to geoff and was like, “LOOK THIS IS AWESOME” shortly thereafter, haha. i now tend to do this “mistake” on purpose. :)

the other first place winner of mine was in the category of large groups, which is one of my absolute favorite pictures from my repertoire of wedding pictures. taken from valerie and kenneth’s wedding, this was an image that was created using a very willing and cooperative bridal party + lots of time for pictures + cool lighting + nice setting.  i’ve been told a few times that it looks like it could be a twilight movie poster, haha, which i think is both funny and kind of accurate. one of the judges said it was “kind of badass”, and i’d have to agree. :)

thank you to the judges! i am so flattered and honored to be recognized. and congratulations to all the other winners in the categories! to see the other winners as well as read the comments from the judges on my photographs and others, please visit the WPS website here.

thank you to all of the brides, grooms, family, friends, and other vendors who came out to visit our booth yesterday at the durham marriott for the perfect wedding guide bridal show! we had so much fun meeting all of you and we’re looking forward to working with some great couples in 2011!

*note: there has been an adjustment since the first winner did not claim the prize. a second winner has been drawn!

i am pleased to announce the winner of the end-of-summer contest for a free session and 50 prints! thank you to everyone who entered! this was such an enjoyable experience for me and i really loved reading what you thought about the photographs. i hope to do more contests like this in the future, so please stay tuned!

and the winner is….. (drum roll, please!)

DERICA JUSTICE!

derica said, ” This is a hard choice! I love them all, but since I have to choose, I pick #2. It is a great shot of the groom and shows the romance & love their special day was filled with!”

on the second round of drawing a winner, i was going to be surprised if someone from the newsletter didn’t win since they have their chances doubled. sure enough, derica is on the newsletter list, so it just goes to show the advantages of getting put in the pot twice and signing up for the newsletter! :)

derica owns bon bini print and design and did our super fabulous halloween wedding invitations (will post some pictures of those later), and i’m sure we’ll have a great time coming up with a neat shoot!

thank you, everyone!

finally i have a moment to breathe in order to post the end-of-summer contest. :)

in order to thank the readers of my newsletter and blog, i wanted to give back at the end of this summer and give away one free session of any kind with fifty free 4×6 session prints to one lucky participant. it’s a value of $450. :)

details: below i have posted a blog entry that features my top ten favorites pictures from this year. they’re numbered but in no particular order as it was hard enough to choose ten. :) just comment below on which photograph is your favorite out of the ten listed and why. viola! your name is entered into a program that will pick a random name.

IF you’re on the newsletter reader list, however, your name will be entered twice. write somewhere in the comments that you’re a reader and i’ll check with my list to confirm it.

simple as that! i’ll announce the winner on FRIDAY, AUGUST 13TH via the blog and you’ll receive a free session, an online viewing gallery, and fifty 4×6 prints. you can use this session for anything: senior pics, engagement, pets, family, etc. whatever you want.

rules: you must be within 30 miles of raleigh, nc or pittsburgh, pa to win the session. OR you can also win if you’ll be in raleigh, nc or pittsburgh, pa in the sometime near future. pittsburgh is slightly harder to orchestrate, but if you win, we’ll find a way to get the pictures somehow. :) comments are always welcome from all over the globe, but you either have to live around here or be coming here soon. sorry, uzbekistan!

so again, here are the steps:

1.) live within 30 miles of raleigh or pittsburgh OR be traveling there in the near future.

2.) leave a comment with the number of your favorite photograph below and why.

3.) get your name entered into a drawing to win the free session and prints (name entered twice if you’re on the newsletter mailing list).

4.) winner announced via blog on friday, august 13th!

#1:

#2:

#3:

#4:

#5:

#6:

#7:

#8:

#9:

#10:

so that’s it! have fun commenting and good luck!

i love this new green packaging from my print lab. the box, ribbon, green card, and tissue paper inside is all made from recycled material and, you guessed it, can be recycled again. :) it has a very organic feel to it and i just love it! unfortunately it’s only available for prints and not for DVDs or coffee table books…but the DVD case itself is so fantastic that it doesn’t really need extra packaging…and the coffee table book will just have to lie there underneath the pretty packaging of the prints above it. :) thankfully, the finao albums also have a similar “green” packaging that is recycled and can be recycled again…now i just have to hope that my clients are the recycling type! :)

also…got these nifty little clear cases for a client who ordered wallets recently. neat! seen on top of her super cute red silk coffee table book. ooo la la.

Carolyn Scott Photography has partnered with Safe Haven for Cats during the month of June to bring a fantastic benefit to the Triangle! For those of you who aren’t familiar with Safe Haven, here is a description of their fantastic work in their own words:

“SAFE Haven For Cats (SHFC) is a no-kill shelter for cats located in the North Raleigh area of North Carolina. We are a unique community-based animal shelter. In addition to providing adoption services for cats and kittens in need of good homes, we also manage a foster program for animals requiring a little extra love and care. We further assist our community in providing feline spay and neuter services in connection with SAFE Care Feline Spay Neuter Clinic.”

Safe Haven for Cats is always in need of donations and support: “Today’s tough economy is having an impact on the cats. The reality finds fewer cats adopted andmore abandoned at our door, or returned when household finances worsen. We are currently caring for over 100 cats daily. The most in the 15 year history of SAFE Haven. And, honestly, we do not have enough funds to keep up with demand.”

***

In order to give back to the shelter that’s given so much to the community and, more personally, gave Geoff and I our two adorable furballs two years ago, Carolyn Scott Photography is sponsoring a benefit for Safe Haven for Cats.

From June 1st-June 30th, community members of the Triangle are encouraged to schedule a session with Carolyn Scott Photography to benefit the shelter. Half of the proceeds from all sitting fees and purchased items will go towards Safe Haven. Details:

- This sitting fee can be used towards solely photographing a pet, or photographing family members alongside the pet. The only rule is that the pet will be included in all photographs. After all, he’s a member of the family!

- The photo shoot can be at your house, a park, or any other location of your choosing where your family pet would be comfortable.

- You can book a pet photography session ($100) from now until June 30th. All sessions must take place during the month of June, which is Adopt-A-Cat month.

- 50% of all the proceeds (sitting fees + prints, albums, or DVDs) will go to Safe Haven for Cats to help support the cats, volunteers, and the great community work that they accomplish.

Please consider giving back to a shelter that safely houses cats and kittens looking for a home by booking a photo session of your favorite little animal. This is a great opportunity for cat and dog lovers alike to get fantastic portraits while supporting a great cause at the same time. Book today – sessions will fill up quickly!

Please visit their website at http://www.safehavenforcats.org/ for more information.

To view other pet and people portraits, please visit “the good life” section of the portfolio.

carolyn scott photography is honored to be featured in the following blogs today!

we had the honor of working alongside erin mclean events, a fantastic wedding planner in the raleigh area, for the wedding of heather & jason earlier this year. today she’s featured some detail shots from the wedding on the front page of her blog. thank you, erin! and please, if you’re in the area and looking for a planner, definitely check out erin’s website. she’s wonderful!

http://www.weddingplannernc.com/2010/05/duke-gardens-wedding.html

i also was thrilled to find out that dottie & jon’s wedding from february has been featured in emmaline bride’s blog today as well! emmaline bride is a great resource for creative ideas for weddings, crafty and DIY wedding stuff, and an awesome place to find wedding vendors. check them out!

http://emmalinebride.com/blog/2010/05/fun-and-flavorful-dottie-and-jons-wedding/

thanks for the support, wedding community! :)

carolyn scott photography is SUPER EXCITED to announce our first ever e-mail newsletter! it will be sent out every other month and contains special promotions EXCLUSIVELY for our newsletter receivers. whether you’re a previous client or someone interested in becoming a new member of our growing client family, you can sign up and receive all sorts of free goodies!

SIGN UP NOW and…

- be eligible for contests where you can win free engagement photography, free portrait photography, free products, free gallery prints, and more!

- learn how to cash in on your free sessions or gallery print credits by referring friends and family!

- receive free anniversary sessions near your wedding anniversary!

- learn about new products and significant news from carolyn scott photography.

every other month you will receive details on special discounts, promotions, and contests ONLY for the followers of the newsletter, so be sure to urge your family and friends to sign up! a contest every other month where you win free stuff is good times.

to sign up:

simply send an e-mail with the subject “NEWSLETTER” to carolyn@carolynscottphotography.com. you can leave the actual e-mail blank or you can write us a little love letter. :) your e-mail be added to the newsletter e-list and off you’ll go to the races!

we’re gathering up the names and e-mails now and formulating the first newsletter, so get ready!

view carolyn scott photography

very shortly after i unwrapped my finao for the first time, it was unfortunately forgotten about for a bit while i underwent some crazy medical problems. they’re still in the process of diagnosing me. currently we’re running the range between stomach ulcer and gall bladder failure, take your pick. i’m in and out of pain because i go in and out of equally miserable reactions to the medication, but finally getting in to see a specialist next week. however, in the midst of all the medical mystery drama of april, i forgot about my finao and how i needed to post the rest of the shots. :)

this little beauty is the upgrade from a  wedding photography package with coffee table book to wedding photography package with awesome finao album.

brief low-down on coffee table books VS. albums:

COFFEE TABLE BOOKS:

- magazine style pages (kinda thick, glossy, ink printed on uv-coated paper)

- layflat book (so your friends aren’t bending the pages down)

- thin (we’re talking maybe half an inch…maybe)

- choice of 5 colors for the silk cover

FINAO ALBUMS:

- incredibly thick, almost children’s-book-style pages

- it’s an actual photograph! these books are made with an actual photographic print adhered to the cardstock, so the quality of the image in the book is the quality of an actual photograph, instead of ink printed on paper. they’re so awesomely accurate and amazing.

- layflat book (so your friends aren’t bending the pages down)

- thick!! very thick. and HEAVY. kinda like an encyclopedia brittanica but on a smaller scale.

- choice of a bajillion colors! you can have one plain color, or you can do a two-tone color (like the example finao where you pick two colors). you can also choose between leather, vegan alternatives, or printed fabrics. NEAT.

now that you’re well-versed, i’ll show you some product pics that totally don’t do justice to what it’s like to hold this puppy yourself.

YAY.

why 365?