CHRISTMAS IN JULY – yes, Christmas will be here before we know it, too. (Only 163 days away!)  We all know Grandma loves photos of her sweet grandbabies. What better Christmas gift than a beautiful custom photograph, framed and wrapped with a bow? While I’m not in on all the commercialization of Christmas, I do like to plan ahead so I’m not stuck shopping on Dec 24th. At 8pm. So for  your shopping convenience, Christmas in July is here… Book a Fall Session (Sept-Nov) between now and July 31st and receive 25% off your (local) session fee + 1 complimentary 8×10 print. Fall is Filling up Fast for me, as you can see on my board here (I know, bad camera phone picture…that should change once Iphone5 comes out!) My son is playing travel soccer so my fall sessions are limited. I’m encouraging everyone to book as soon as possible.

For fall I’ve got some really sweet locations and super fun props – chairs, baskets, two awesome sofas, swing, and the list goes on and on.

FALL MINI SESSIONS – Interested in a short and sweet session? Consider a mini! With a mini session, you receive a collection with high resolution files and quality lab recommendations for optimal printing results. One of the collections offers Christmas cards OR a 20×20 fabric wall cling of your favorite shot. Have you seen these??? As soon as mine is hung, I’ll share it with you. They’re AMAZING!

A few card examples, to get you in the Christmas mood!

COMMUNITY SERVANT APPRECIATION – Now offering 10% off orders for our  awesome community servants – active duty military, teachers, fire fighters and those in law enforcement. These are the very people that work diligently for our community, so they deserve some special treatment, right? Check here for complete pricing details.

THE F.I.L.M. PROJECT – I am pleased to announce that I was accepted into  The F.I.L.M. Project. This organization provides complimentary photography services and prints for families with terminally ill loved ones. Please check out their website and join their Facebook page. If you know someone that would qualify for services, have them contact myself or The F.I.L.M. Project as soon as possile.

MOMMY REP PROGRAM – Would you be interested in earning free portraits? I’ve established a Mommy Rep program and I’m accepting applications until August 10th. Email for details on this exciting new program! natasha@natashachalker.com

3 WEEK TURN AROUND TIME GUARANTEE- We all want our finished photos quickly. I am offering an incentive for you! If you don’t have your proof gallery ready within 3 weeks of your session, you get a free 8×10 with your order. This applies to paid portrait sessions, not weddings or charitable sessions.

SUMMER/FALL BEACH SESSIONS - I will be at the beach the following dates: Aug 6, and Labor Day Weekend. Since I’m already planning a trip down there, you will receive a HUGE discount on some amazing beach photos. These, too, would make great Christmas gifts AND they’d look beautiful on Christmas cards as well!

Shew, that was a mouth full! Hope you’re having a fantastic summer and staying cool!

Our horseback riding adventure

Abandoned goldmine/fortress.

Our ATV adventure, which was just that, an adventure. Our 4 wheeler broke down. Twice.  The first time just happened to be at a picturesque chapel, the oldest church in the Caribbean. So quaint and tranquil. Our guide, Pancho, got so annoyed, he cussed and fussed a bit (well, a little may be an understatement. He cussed A LOT). He did get  a new battery for us and we were on our way.

Pancho was one of the funniest Arubans we met. We collected several Pancho-isms along the way, with his thick accent, broken English. Here are a few:

Dominate the bike.

I coming.

Vaminos!

You lean back, you flip.

The volcano went BOOM, and then there’s rocks, see? (although our horseback riding guide told us Aruba was 90% coral…)

We finally made it to the Natural Pool after the second break down, and Pancho and crew left us in the desert as we waited for a new bike. We got a shiny yellow one, that worked.  The Natural Pool was amazing. Luckily we could swim in it this day. Some days the weather doesn’t permit swimming if it’s too windy and the waves come in too strong. I wish we had brought snorkeling gear because it was crystal clear and there were fish and crabs everywhere.

Our next adventure, renewing our wedding vows. On a pirate ship. The taxi driver recommended the Jolly Pirate snorkeling cruise. What a great time! We snorkeled at the Antilla shipwreck, Catalina and Malmok Beach. We saw parrot fish, squid, starfish, sea urchins, and some other fish we couldn’t identify. We didn’t see any barracudas though. Bummer!

My hunky husband, on the rope swing.

Other random things we enjoyed.

One of our favorite cab drivers. His name was, and I quote, “Dry Bread, like without the butter” He was adorable!

Boca Grandi Beach

Gorgeous Arashi Beach

California Lighthouse

Candle lit, sunset dinner on Eagle Beach.

A friend mentioned she’d love to take me on vacation with her family which I found coincidental because that’s EXACTLY what I’ve joked about wanting to do – be a vacation photographer, go with families on vacation, do candid and portrait work so moms and dads can enjoy the moments and not have to worry about taking photos. Anyone game? I LOVE warm tropical places…

Besides, who would really mind with a face as SWEET as this?

Or all pinked out like this?

I love coming up with unique ideas for every session. No two sessions ever look the same! I’ve never seen this done before:

Or this one, the sweet Princess and the Pea:

It just so happened we were at the beach the same weekend. I wanted to do some outdoor newborn shots and what better place than the beach?

Inspired by the AMAZING Carrie Sandoval. I envisioned this totally differently but I had to work with harsh morning sun and a slanted shore line so this is what I got.

A few from last weekend’s sessions:

When: Oct 9, 10, 11

Where: Grayton Beach Area

What: A classic session at the beach with your loved ones, lasting up to one hour.

How much: $200 session fee, up to 5 people, non-refundable

Your Favorites Limited Edition Collections:
1 – 20 favorites in a leather wrapped album $600,
OR
2 – 20 favorites on a high resolution cd $600

PLUS with a limited edition collection, you qualify for special a la carte pricing incentives!

Or, you may also choose from Collections on my main website – www.natashachalker.com Be sure to scroll down to see all pricing as well as a la carte discounts.

Any questions? Contact Natasha at 334-303-8006 or natasha@natashachalker.com

I told my mother in law I wanted to get a shot of the babies naked in the sand. Of course they sat for about 1.4 seconds as you can see here -

I like this in a vintage wash, too. So sweet!

And summer isn’t summer without fresh cherries. I put some in one of my grandmother’s old mixing bowls, again in a vintage wash just because.

I noticed these ants a few weeks ago with an enormous treasure – a corner of a dorito. As they carried it away down my driveway, I ran inside to get my camera and nearly missed them. Apparently, they are quick, like toddlers!

Casey reading a letter from Mandy.

Her dress was stunning.

Beautiful!

Their first time seeing each other all prettied up.

The wedding location was amazing. Tons of spots for gorgeous shots like this one. Wow!!  

One of my favorite shots of the day.

Sisters, in case you couldn’t tell.

Mandy’s boys had important jobs as part of the wedding party, too, as you can see here.  Mr Ringbearer took his job very seriously.

Some random vactioners that wanted a photo with the bride. Fun!

My other favorite shot

The lighting was bright and did I mention hot? But so much better than rain anyday!

Family!

I did a vintage process on the next two pictures, for fun. Casey and the boys – so sweet!

A random white fluffy dog on the beach looking for some love.

“I”ll be right there (at the reception) once I clean the sand out of my baby’s crack” 

Ahhhh, sunset!

Yep, they jumped into the pool in their wedding attire – all four of them!

Mandy, Casey, Brunson, Pittman – you guys are awesome! Blessings to you all as you start your new family and your life together.

I just love the kids’ faces here – so typical – Big sister, the princess, Baby girl is thinking, “whatcha talking bout Willis?”, while brother seems to want to ask, “whyyy are you putting my airplane in your pocket, Mrs Tasha?”.

Such a beautiful family.  Thanks for the opportunity to take your family beach portraits!

10. During summer vacation, everyday is Friday. I often lose track of time and the days run together. Love it!

9. Lazy days where I can actually sit on my couch and just c h i l l. That rarely happens any other time because I am so busy!

8. Sleeping in past 5a.m. I didn’t sleep in at all this summer but getting that extra hour and waking at 6am makes a huge difference.

7. Vacation Bible School! My church has an incredible VBS program every summer which ministers to 700 children and teachers and blesses me each and every year!

6. No hectic schedules crammed with after school activities that leave me wondering how we managed to accomplish so much in 24 hours just to get up and do it all over again.

5. Impromptu trips to the beach. Those are always the best!

4. Spending the day at the pool with my family, doing absolutely nothing.

3. Long, hot summer days filled with sunshine. Did I mention I like sunshine and hot weather?

2. Big brother – the only TV show I watch all year. Seriously, I don’t watch any other TV except Big Brother and unfortunately it only comes on once a year – in the summer of course!

1. Being a teacher, the number one reason why I love summer is there’s NO SCHOOL. As a mom, I love summer because the kids have NO HOMEWORK.

Now that I sound like the laziest person on earth, here are some pictures to go along with my love of summer…

My little “Cub” playing coach-pitch base ball. When he got his jersey he asked, “Mom why am I on the Ubs team? Oh wait, it’s the Cubs”.

At the beach, with Maddy.

The kids enjoyed the critters from the Georgia Aquarium. I discovered fish are harder to photograph than children.  They’re faster than a two year old!

Poolin’ it – Katie and Braden style.

Vacation Bible School Musical at Hillcrest Baptist Church.

We went to McClelland’s Critters a few times this summer. If you haven’t been before, check it out. The highlight of every trip is the snakes. The kids L O V E them, and so do I.

Katie was a little apprehensive about the 120lb snake at first. She warmed up after a while though. She’s such a little snake charmer.

Last but not least, a few shots from Hawaii. It hard to narrow it down to just a few so forgive me for the over load of photos. I wasn’t brave enough to take my big DSLR camera out and about with me so these were all taken with my tiny point and shoot camera.

This was a  little scenic overview spot where we (me and my BFF, Shawnna) hiked down to get a closer look at the view. We decided this was one of our favorite spots in O’ahu.

A little cove next to the Halona blowhole – too rough for swimming but still a gorgeous place to soak in all the amazing sights our Creator has made for us.

Sea turtles on the North Shore, Laniakea. These little guys came up to the shore to eat, relax and then go back to the ocean. We saw four on the coast that day and snorkled with two at a different location.

Diamond Head Lighthouse

Almost at the top of Diamond Head, an amazing view.

Hanauma Bay – another beautiful spot where we snorkled with sea turtles and fish in the coral that you can see in this picture.  This was another highlight of our trip.

My BFF jumping off the Waimea Rock into the Pacific Ocean. She’s crazy like that!

I found O’ahu to be so diverse – mountains, beaches, desert, rain forest, rocky coast. These were some of the mountains on the Leeward side of the island where it was much drier.

The view of Kaena Point from the airplane when I went skydiving on the North Shore.

Me – Skydiving - can’t wait to go again!

I thought the sky looked so incredible in this shot at Waikiki Beach. I was unimpressed with Waikiki Beach but I’m glad we parked it long enough to get this picture.  

Hurry back summer. I’ll just be here, waiting for you….