Season of Giving Holiday Giveaway

Nominate a family in need to receive $1,000 in custom portraiture from Jill Fleming Photography.

You know someone. You know someone who's experienced a tragedy, is struggling to stay afloat, is raising kids while holding down more than one job, or is volunteering selflessly despite extenuating personal circumstances. You know someone who can't afford custom photography, but who would cherish it this holiday season. You know someone who deserves a year-round reminder of their family's spirit, love, and beauty.

You know someone. I guarantee it.

I want to know who they are, and I want to give them the chance to experience complimentary custom photography -- $1,000 worth, to be exact. The package will include an album, a slideshow to watch over and over and a CD of the images to print as they'd like - it's in your power to give them the artwork they deserve this holiday season.

Oh, and the best part? The person who nominates the winner receives a $250 print credit. What better reason to show some love could there possibly be?

The rules:
* You cannot nominate yourself, and the person nominated must sincerely be incapable of purchasing my services. (Being unable to make mortgage payments for a two-million-dollar-vacation-home in Paris does not qualify as sincere financial need.)

*The nominee must reside in central Iowa. Tell me who you know, what they’re experiencing, and why they deserve my artwork. Please include your email and or phone with your nomination as well as the best way to get in contact with your nominee.

* You must e-mail me the full story : jill@jillflemingphotography.com.

* All nominations must be received by midnight, December 31st, and the gift recipient will be announced on the blog the week after New Years.-- get nominating! I can't wait to read all of your entries!

Open your heart to someone this holiday season -- and thanks for giving me the opportunity to open mine.

A group of photographers from all over the United States (led by Kristen Kalp of Essential Imagery), have been challenged to offer an amazing gift. I COULD NOT pass up on this wonderful opportunity to give what I can.

If you are not in Iowa but would like to nominate someone there are other photographers participating in this event. To see a map of other states with photographers participating in this giving event, please visit http://www.givingisawesome.com/

Stocking Stuffers

Looking for some last minute gifts ideas? How about something to stick in those stockings that's unique! Check out my new online store for my fine art photography!

Go to Jill Fleming Fine Art Photography to order fine art notecards and limited editions prints.

Free Shipping until December 15th - Shop today!

My First Magazine Cover!

I'm excited to announce that Today's Horse Magazine published Cowgirl Adventure on the cover of their November 2008 issue. Pick up yours today at your local tack or western store if you live in the Midwest or take advantage of their current subscription sale for only $15/year!

Carroll Family Sneak Peek

I had the pleasure of meeting Adam Carroll through my friends Adam Steen & Brent Rauch.

Adam C. helped me out tremendously by letting me borrow a few things for the Art Show. During our talks he mentioned that he'd love to have family pictures done. Well I just happen to know someone with a couple of cameras (me) so I helped make that happen!

Adam has such a beautiful family and we were blessed with a gorgeous fall day. It was one of the last great days of the year and we took advantage of it! The kids had a great time playing in the park we'd chosen and it was a lot of fun capturing mom, dad & the kids all playing together! Here's a sneak peek from their session....

And the Winners Are.....

Congratulations to Kari Horn and Karis Iverson for each winning a fine art notecard pack. Please email me with your mailing address and I will send them off this week!

Chris LeDoux Memorial Art Show - Success!

Wow after weeks and weeks of work to get ready for the Chris LeDoux Memorial Art Show - all the hard work and many lists paid off.

My main goal for the show was to display my work in a way that nobody would be able to tell that this was my first art show. I think I accomplished that, but not without lots and lots of help from friends and family.

I'd like to give a special Thank You to the following people who without their help - I would not have reached my goal: Adam Carroll, Bill & Ronja Butler, Adam Steen, Christina Lentsch, Dotti Williams, Ernest Phillips, Sharon Parker, Bev Pettite, Robin Paul & John Gaps III, Christy Cramer, Janette Duffield, my Mom, and the many other people that gave their support and prayers.

I'd also like to thank Jeff Wolf. He is a VERY talented sculptor that I met at the show that gave me a lot of great pointers and suggestions about showing and promoting my work. I'm going to try to put some of his ideas to work in the coming weeks and see where this adventure takes me.....

Chris LeDoux Art Show - Sneak Peak

I've been a little quiet lately but believe me it's not because I haven't been busy! I've been scrambling to get ready for the Chris LeDoux Memorial Art Show in Casper Wyoming next week! I have less than five days left to put all the finishing touches on everything!

I've been burning the midnight oil to say the least! I keep telling myself that winter is coming and I'll have plenty of time to sleep then!

Here is a sneak peak of the four fine art notecard sets that I'll have for sale at the art show. They would also make great stocking stuffers and I will be taking orders starting the first week in November for $22 (includes tax) when I get back from the show. Each set includes five blank notecards with fine art print and are individually signed.

Western Landscapes

Western Scenes

Cowgirls

Cowboys

SchraderBachar Family

I'm behind on blogging due to last minute preparations for the Art Show next weekend but I'm trying to get caught up!!

I had the pleasure of meeting the SchraderBachar family last weekend for a family photo session. We lucked out and it was a beautiful fall day by Sailorville Lake.

I had a great time capturing some of their fun family moments - here are a few from the day.

Chris LeDoux Art Show!

I'm so excited to announce that I am one of 10 artists invited to show my western fine art photography at this event!!

I've loved Chris LeDoux since I was a little girl and I am honored more than words can say to be invited to this prestigious event!

Press Release:

A Tribute to Chris LeDoux Western Art Show
PRCA Rodeo and Concert 2008
Casper, Wyoming

October 31 - Parkway Plaza Hotel at 7 pm.

Showing a 60 piece collection of Chris LeDoux’s art and memorabilia from the private collection of Bill and Dona Vold Larsen. (The private collection is currently showing at the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame in Colorado Springs). Invited are 10 of the finest Western Artists to show with Chris’ collection.

In 2005 more than 1000 attended the event, Nashville song writers, former World Champion Cowboys, friends and neighbors from Kaycee, WY. In 2007 the number increased to 1200 people viewing the private collection. An even larger crowd is anticipated in 2008. This event is free and open to the public.

November 1 Award winning PRCA Rodeo 7p.m. at the Central Wyoming Fairgrounds Arena

Trent Willmont Concert to Follow

A Tribute to Chris LeDoux PRCA rodeo was named:
2005 PRCA Small Indoor Rodeo of the Year
2006 Cowboys Choice Award Mountain States Circuit Finals

Tickets are available after September 15, 2008
Casper Chamber of Commerce
Call 307-234-5311
1-866-234-5311
Tickets: lower level $30
Upper level $20
Concert only $20 (sold only after the event is sold out)
The event has sold out in the past

Wedding Photography Workshop - Part 1

I had an amazing opportunity to photograph some beautiful brides this past Sunday at the Freestyle Wedding Workshop in Moline, IL. I learned a lot at this workshop and it gave me some great ideas and tips for next years couples!

The husband and wife couples that were our models were all married within the past year. It was neat to see these couples revisiting their wedding day and having a chance to enjoy themselves (and each other) without the pressure of having to say their vows within a few hours!

The brides and grooms where so nice and we had a lot of fun trying "out of the box" poses - make sure to check out the ones below in the water fountain!

September 6th Wedding at Buxton Park

I had the pleasure of shooting Brenda and Jason's wedding this past weekend at beautiful Buxton Park in Indianola Iowa. The day was overcast and threatened to rain, but by the grace of the heavens, the rain held off until late in the evening after all the festivities were over. Here are a few pictures from their day.

Brenda & Jason's Engagement Session

Before I left for vacation in Washington state - Brenda and Jason joined me for their engagement session, luckily we were able to dodge the thunderstorms that were passing through that evening!

I'm a little behind but I wanted to get their engagement pictures up before their wedding this weekend. Check back next week for their wedding pictures!

Scott Kelby's Worldwide Photo Walk

I've been on vacation in Seattle Washington this past week and took a break from blogging while I was gone. During my trip I got to participate in the Scott Kelby Worldwide Photo Walk on Saturday August 23rd.

On the day of this event - there were "photo walks" held in 44 States and 45 Countries with over 8,000 people participating. What you do on a "photo walk" is gather a bunch of photographers together and all walk a set route and then post your pictures to an online group (flicker) and see the different visions everyone has - it's amazing the different perspectives that photographers can capture from the same subjects and objects. To see ALL the photos that were taken on my walk you can see them here on Flickr.

Here are a few of my favorite shots from the evening.

FREEDOM

I’m exhausted, but so exhilarated from my experience at the Free to Succeed Tour stop that I went to last night in Kansas City! I drove six hours round trip and got home at 2AM and I would do it all again in a heartbeat!!

David Jay and Jasmine Star are such grounded and genuine people as well as being so inspirational and motivating. Both of their stories resonated with me on such a deep level that just thinking about it still brings tears to my eyes. It’s said that joyful tears are God’s way of showing us what our passions are…their stories touched my soul and stirred my long held passion for photography.

From listening to their stories - I felt like something was unlocked in me – giving me permission to explore my beliefs as a photographer and shining a light on the limiting beliefs that others have weighed upon me – I’m sure other photographers have dealt with these too - “You can never make a living with photography,” and “the market is too saturated – there’s no way you can take on enough work to pay your bills,” and my personal favorite “Your photography is a great hobby – just keep your day job for benefits and to pay the bills and do photography on the side.”

During the workshop I felt my (limiting belief) shackles becoming unlocked and DJ and Jasmine were turning the key. I’m so grateful to DJ and Jasmine for K.I.R (Keeping It Real)!

I can’t recommend this workshop enough. If you’re a photographer that feels stuck and those limiting beliefs are getting you down – you need to go – I guarantee you won’t regret it! Oh, and they also give some great tips for improving your business and how to make sure that YOU run your business instead of your BUSINESS running you!

~Jill

Free to Succeed Workshop - Kansas City

I'm so excited to attend the Free to Succeed Tour workshop tomorrow in Kansas City, MO. David Jay and Jasmine Star, both awesome wedding photographers and entrepreneurs, will be the featured speakers. I've been following DJ and Jasmine for the past few months and I can't wait to meet them! They seem like such amazing people and I'm sure they'll be even more amazing in person.

Side Note: David Jay is also the creator of Showit Sites - the way cool, easy to use software that I used to create my new website. I've gotten so many great compliments already, but I hope to learn more about the software to make my website even better!

If you'd like to learn more about DJ - F-Stop Beyond TV: in Living Color just completed a 3 part interview - Check it out! Also thanks to Ron Dawson and Dane Sanders of Fast Track Photographer for picking me to win the free copy of Dane's new audio book and the pDNA! If you haven't checked it out yet - I highly recommend it!

Photo Featured on Des Moines Register Website

I just found out that my photo Cowboy Gear @ Midnight is now featured in a slide-show on the Des Moines Register website! You can see it here and you can also click through the slide-show to see the other winners at the 2008 Iowa State Fair Photography Salon.

My photo was also one of the photos featured on the local news channel KCCI on Tuesday evening!

Award Announcement

Last night was the 69th Annual Iowa State Fair Photography Salon awards reception. This year I entered four pictures.

Two weeks ago I received notification in the mail that three of the four pictures were selected for display at the fair and I had a sticker that said AWARD on the notification. I knew from years past that award could mean a number of things but could hardly wait to attend the reception to find out how my work did this year.


I walked into the building and I couldn't believe my eyes! One of my entries was selected for the Superintendent's Choice Award! This is one of the top TWO awards that are given out each year at the fair! I was so excited it even brought tears to my eyes. My image Cowboy Gear @ Midnight was selected for this prestigious award.

This is my first major photography competition award!

A special THANK YOU to Paul Peregrine from Lightware and Ron "the walking camera manual" from Nikon for teaching the session that the I captured Cowboy Gear @ Midnight from. You guys were a BLAST and I learned so much from you. Thank You!

In addition to the top award - I also received an Honorable Mention award for my Black & White entry - Chimney Rock - Nebraska.
The other image that is on display at the fair is Cowboy's Best Friend. I capture this moment of Dana and Petey at the Equine Photographers Network workshop at Sombrero Ranch in Craig Colorado this past spring.


Charley W. Starnes, the Superintendent of the Iowa State Fair Photography Salon was the MC for last night's award reception. He said that the competition was really tough this year. Of 3,601 entries and after 12 rounds of judging, only 806 (22%) are being exhibited. Also, out of the 1,229 photographers who entered, only 545 (44%) have at least one photo on display.

Knowing that there was that much GREAT competition from so many amazing photographers makes this award that much more special. Thank you to everyone who has been so supportive of me and my passion!

Blessings!
~Jill~

New Website!

I'm so excited I can hardly stand it! I just launched my new AND improved website today! Please go check it out at HERE . Please leave a note in the comments to let me know what you think!

I'm also VERY excited to introduce my new LOGO! My awesome friend Bill Butler redesigned it for me. Check out his superior art and graphic design work HERE. He is such a talented artist and designer!