Emily Dean Photography » Lifestyle & Family Photographer | Based in Birmingham, Alabama

Engagement Session Giveaway | Winner!

08.28.13

I’m so excited to announce the winner of the engagement session giveaway! I’m so grateful to each of the beautiful ladies for taking the time to share their engagement stories with me; it sounds like all of you won the fiance lottery. I’m blown away by how creative & romantic they all were!

As a thank you for your support, I’m offering each of you 10% off of any wedding collection. This offer is good until January 1, 2014, so shoot me an email {emma@emilydeanphotography.com} if you would like details on the collections I offer. I’d absolutely love to hear from you & learn all about your fabulous wedding plans!

Okay, on to the main event!

{drumroll please…….}

…….the winner is…….

Ashlee McMillian!!!

Congratulations Ashlee & Ben! I am so excited to meet you. I know we are going to have a blast together! To claim your prize, just send me an email so we can start planning your session. I can’t wait to hear from you!vPINIMAGEV

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Manic Monday | Sweet Dreams

08.26.13

I had a dream last night that Bath & Body Works had re-stocked my all time favorite candle (Slatkin & Co. Creamy Nutmeg) and I went nuts and purchased every single one they had. Then I woke up to the devastating realization that it was only a dream and I cried. Okay, I didn’t really cry, but I could have. Are there any other Creamy Nutmeg lovers out there with broken hearts that this fragrance no longer exists? I think we shold stage a protest…or a B&BW sit-in until they bring it back. Who’s in?

Anyway, back to real life. I spent most of my time last week updating and revamping my website. I’m no web/graphic designer, so the vision that I have in my head isn’t exactly making it out onto the screen, but I think I like this new version a little bit better.

What do you think?

I’d love some honest feedback from you! Here are some screen shots of the before & after home pages, but I would love if you would head over to my website and take a look around & tell me what you think! www.emilydeanphotography.com

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Happy Monday, y’all!!

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August 26, 2013 - 4:45 pm

Jeanne Baugher Rhoads - Hey girl! I think I like the second one, but that’s just me! Love you!ReplyCancel

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The Importance of Printing your Photos

08.21.13

All morning I have been searching for inspiration for a blog post. I picked up a book that I purchased a few years ago & started flipping through the pages, hoping an idea would hit me…and WHOA, did it ever. But not exactly the sort of idea I originally wanted.

The book I’m referring to is Pottery Barn’s “Photos: Style Recipes.” It is all about unique and interesting ways to display your treasured photographs in your home. As I was reading though, I was struck by something that really makes me feel ashamed & sad. One of the articles talks about how to preserve & archive your prints in a way that also encourages browsing {by you and your guests}…because isn’t that the WHOLE POINT of a photograph?? To have it accessible for viewing…to remember the time & place it was taken? DUH! As a photographer, I should know this better than anyone, but I couldn’t tell you the last time I had my own photos {family snapshots} printed.

OH the SHAME!!

What good are all of those precious memories doing me just hanging out on my hard drive? Absolutely nothing. One day, I’m going to forget that they even exist & in a few years, that hard drive probably won’t even work anymore! I can’t stand the thought!

So, my mission over the next several months is to start printing those photos little by little (because let’s face it, prints are EXPENSIVE…even the “cheap” ones can add up!) One of my favorite things to do when I visit my grandmother’s home is to flip through old photo albums. It’s one of the reasons I love photography so much & I’ve let that slip away from me. But no more!! Let the printing begin!!!

{Because, come on! Photos like this of my brother and me are just BEGGING to be printed and displayed!}

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What are some of your favorite ways to store and/or display your family snapshots? I need some good ideas 🙂

Happy Hump Day, y’all!

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ENGAGEMENT SESSION GIVEAWAY!!

08.14.13

I can’t help but to get excited when I see tons of newly engaged couples popping up on Facebook and filling up my inbox! I’m already pumped for next year’s wedding season, so I want to spread some of that excitement on to you! Engagement sessions are some of my favorite sessions. It is alway so much fun and gives me great insight into the relationship of the couple I’m photographing…plus it’s GREAT practice for the wedding day photos! So, I’m GIVING AWAY 1 (maybe 2 😉 ) Engagement Sessions!! No strings attached. Just enter, win and BOOM, awesome photos just for you…for FREE!

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I love a good, romantic story, and I’m so excited to see all of the new love out there. I would absolutely adore hearing each of your engagement stories…I wanna know every single detail of how he popped the question!

This is how you can enter to win (receive 1 entry by completing the following):

Leave a comment here telling me how he proposed.
Share this post on your Facebook wall. (It’s easy to do! Just click that little grey circle with the “f” at the bottom of this post, or simply copy and paste the link to your wall.)
Make sure you “LIKE” Emily Dean Photography on Facebook. (Click Here to go to my Facebook page.)

Receive 2 extra entries:

Follow me on Twitter! Click Here or you can search @emilydeanphoto on twitter. (Good for 1 extra entry)
Follow me on Instagram! Search @emilydeanphoto on Instagram to find my profile! (Good for 1 extra entry)

***Be sure to tell me in your comment that you followed me on Twitter & Instagram so I don’t miss your extra entries!

***If you already follow me on Twitter &/or Instagram, just make sure you tell me in your comment and you will receive the extra entries!

You have 2 weeks to enter and spread the word! Deadline to enter is Wednesday, August 28th. The winner will be chosen by random drawing and announced on Thursday, August 29th.

I can’t wait to hear from all of you! Good Luck!!

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The fine print: Giveaway is for new clients only, if you already have a contract for your session, you cannot receive a refund. The giveaway is for 1 Engagement session and includes edited digital files with printing rights. No additional prints or products are included. Location must be in the Birmingham area, or within a reasonable distance of Birmingham; any location out of town may incur travel fees. Session will expire on January 1, 2014.

+ - 2 comments

August 14, 2013 - 4:01 pm

Ashlee McMillian - I should probably start off this story by telling you how we met. Ben and I both attended the University of Alabama (Roll Tide Roll ;). The second week of school, one of my pledge sisters was getting picked up at our dorm by “the cutest boy ever” and BEGGED me to go outside with her to meet him because she was so nervous. So of course I did. Little did I know, I was about to meet my future husband for the first time! When we got outside he was waiting for her and I gave him the whole “you better be nice to her!” speech, which he laughed at and reassured me he would treat her well. Thankfully, that “relationship” only lasted for about a week! Ben and I hung out at a bunch of events together in the Fall, but never engaged in any flirtation (timing really IS everything!). Spring Break our freshman year both of our friend groups went to Florida and had houses about 20 minutes away from each other. One day I was jumping waves with my one of my sorority sisters and out of nowhere something really strong grabs my leg and I immediately scream bloody murder. Low and behold, it was Ben Schrafft. I guess Spring Break gives you the courage to engage in elementary school flirting styles? But we hung out the rest of the day and I, of course, developed a crush. When we got back to school, Ben asked me out every day for about a month. Sometimes I would say yes, and then cancel. But most of the time I made up an excuse to not go! Ben had a littleee (ok maybe not that little) reputation of being a ladies man and I wasn’t going to put myself through that. But he persisted AND persisted, so finally I agreed to go to a movie with him. That was on a Thursday, and by Monday we were official! ONE week later, we said I love you and the rest is history! Flash forward to 2013 (we had been dating a little over 5 years) and of course the pressure was ON for him to propose. I may, or may not, had been sending him rings I liked daily. (Excessive I know but I NEEDED that ring! 🙂 So on June 27, 2013 I had the MOST awful day at work and just wanted to go home and have a glass of wine. As soon as I got home Ben was looking at me in the weirdest way and I was like, what is wrong with you? And he said nothing! So I went upstairs to change and he came in the bathroom with me, with a glass of wine, yay, and I was telling him about my awful day. And he just pulled me in and hugged me and said he was so sorry and that he was always there for me. Then, he started telling me how much he loved me and he knew as soon as I came over to watch that movie freshman year that he wanted me to be his wife some day. He then told me he needed to ask me a question. I was completely confused and had no hunch about what kind of question he was about to ask me. So I said umm ok? And right there in the bathroom he got down on one knee and pulls the most gorgeous ring out of his pocket. I was STUNNED. He says I just stood there and looked at it for a full minute. So he asked me again, will you marry me? And of course I screamed and said yes! Apparently he had this whole day planned out when he was going to propose, but when he picked up the ring on Thursday he said he just couldn’t hold on to it and HAD to give it to me right away! I am so happy it ended up that way, it was the perfect proposal from the perfect man!ReplyCancel
August 14, 2013 - 4:59 pm

Ann McMillian - Good Luck to a wonderful couple. Hope you win!ReplyCancel
August 14, 2013 - 7:59 pm

Ashlyn NeSmith - Of course you already know that I follow you on Instagram and Twitter. Also, I have liked your Facebook page. We met at Farmstead Baptist Church almost 5 years ago and now that’s where we will be getting married. I know you have heard all of this all before when Matt and I met with you, but he proposed in Disney World at Port Orleans on a carriage ride with both of our families there. It was the sweetest proposal ever!ReplyCancel
August 15, 2013 - 6:38 pm

Kaitlin Bitz - My fiance sent me out of the house for the day because there were a few things that needed fixing up. While I went and got my nails done and had lunch with friends, he cleaned the entire house and then covered it in candles with lace swaths hanging from the cielings, creating a large walkway for me to follow. Although I did think it was strange that he told me not to let the dogs out of their kennels when I got home (turns out they were trying to eat the candles…) I was still pretty much oblivious to what was going home. I pulled up to a dark house, confused and a little worried and opened the door to my own wonderland! I followed the candles out to our backyard where he was down on one knee waiting for me! Little did I know he also had my two best friends hidden away so they were able to hop out and snap pictures as it happened! He chose to do it at our house specifically because I inherited after my uncle passed away a few months before (whom I was very close to) and he knew that I was still struggling with the memories I had associated with the house. He wanted to make sure that I had at least one good memory there! We will be getting married next October and I absolutely cannot wait!ReplyCancel
August 15, 2013 - 7:09 pm

Tina Snow - Kaitlin Bitz is the most giving and loving person I know. I am so proud that my son chose such a wonderful woman to spend the rest of his life with. I simply could not have planned a better daughter-in-law. I hope you win Katie.. We’re rooting for you!ReplyCancel
August 15, 2013 - 8:16 pm

Tessa Dawson - My fiance & I went to school together since the 8th grade. So we were high school sweethearts! After we graduated high school, I moved in with him and we decided to have a baby. I was 20 weeks pregnant when he proposed. So, the story starts off that we found out what we were having on Friday, December 28th. During the ultrasound, we turned our heads so we wouldn’t know what the sex was because later that day we were having a revealing party and we wanted to be surprised just like everyone else that was at the party. We had a cake made to reveal the sex. We cut the cake together and seen that it was a boy and we were SO happy and excited because that’s what we wanted! Right after we cut the cake and took pictures, I turn around to him and he looks at me with a huge smile on his face and says some heartfilled worlds that made me cry! He then gets down on one knee and proposes while everyone there (40 + people) are videoing the whole thing! (everyone there knew he was going to propose). I was so excited that we were having a boy and there was so much excitement going on, that when he proposed I didn’t expect it at all! I was so speechless when he asked me to marry him, that it took me a minute to answer the question lol! Everyone was like say yes! Then, at that time, I realized I haven’t said anything, so I happily yelled out YES! Then everyone clapped and there were tears. It was the best night of my whole entire life! Unfortunately, one week later, at 21 weeks, my water broke and my baby boy Brantley Carter Howell was born. He did not make it but he is still in my heart and I carry him with me every single day!(:ReplyCancel
August 15, 2013 - 8:28 pm

Tessa Dawson - & I followed you on instagram!ReplyCancel
August 16, 2013 - 12:15 am

Jessica Rainey - We were in Gatlinburg. We was starting back to our hotel. We went to take pictures at Great Smoky Mountain National Park. After we got there a lady pulls up to take pictures so we asked if she would take pictures of me, my fiance, and 2 of our friends that was with us so she did then the people that was with us took pictures then me and my fiance. I wanted to take pictures sitting on his lap but he didn’t won’t to do that. He wanted me to hold his hands and look into his eyes because he wanted to see how beautiful i was. Well we got ready to take pictures he goes to reach in his pocket after just holding my hands and looking in my eyes and pulls out my ring drops down on one knee and says baby will you marry me. When he did that my heart drop i cried . I didn’t have a clue about anything and it was all a perfect moment.ReplyCancel
August 16, 2013 - 2:12 pm

Glenniquia May - My fiancee & i went to high school together. We graduated & went different paths, we joined two different social clubs which had us bumping in to each other at lot. He made it known that he was untested but i kept brushing him off. The moment i knew he was serious was when he got in my face & confessed his love for me. This year (4 yrs later) on eatery Sunday night, i was already in bed, he turned the t.v. Down & turned my lamp off. He said you know i love you right? There is nothing i wouldn’t do to make you happy. I replied yes baby i know, what’s wrong?? (his father had just passed away, & both of our mothers are cancer survivors so i became scared) he was sweating & shaking as he knelt beside the bed. I kept saying what is it! What’s wrong!
Will you marry me & be my wife? i said yes & told him he scared me to death..lolReplyCancel
August 28, 2013 - 1:45 pm

Engagement Session Giveaway | Winner! » Emily Dean Photography - […] so excited to announce the winner of the engagement session giveaway! I’m so grateful to each of the beautiful ladies for taking the time to share their […]ReplyCancel

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Manic Monday | Birmingham, AL Wedding & Engagement Photographer

08.12.13

Since last year was my “I’m-figuring-out-if-I-can-do-this-getting-my-feet-wet-and-my-name-out-there” year, I really didn’t get an accurate picture of how the different photography seasons {more specifically, wedding season} play out. By the time I heard the wedding industry buzzing about “engagement season” it was December, January & February (Christmas, New Year & Valentine’s Day). So, I thought “alright, this is when most weddings are booked for the coming year!” Wrong {sort of}. Yes, new engagements and wedding planning are booming during that time, but I had no idea that there was another engagement season.

Summer.

It seems like new engagements are happening everyday & my inbox is being flooded by excited new brides-to-be getting a head start on planning their 2014 weddings…and I’m thrilled! These brides are on top of it & dates are going fast, so if you’re engaged or know someone who is, it’s never too soon to start booking your favorite vendors. In fact, the sooner the better. There’s nothing worse than having your heart set on a certain photographer only to find out they are already booked for your date. I absolutely hate having to turn anyone away, but it’s already happening. So, don’t wait!!!

In the spirit of engagement season {my new favorite season, by the way,} I’m going to be hosting another Engagement Session Giveaway!!

The last one was such a huge success, that I can’t wait to do it again. So, spread the word and come back tomorrow for details on how to enter.