I’ve been a little MIA for a variety of reasons lately – one, we are on vacation.  Well, my hubby is on vacation so that means I am on vacation and am required to keep the schedule to a minimum for camping and mountain adventures.  =)  And you know what?  Even though I wasn’t so sure I wanted or needed a break mid-summer, it has been entirely refreshing and incredible to have some downtime.  My mind works overtime constantly and so to take a step back requires a great deal of effort.  But it was perfect and I need to do it more often!!!

The hubby is heading back soon and I have two shoots over the weekend, which I’m really excited for.  But until then, it’s movies, sunshine, errands and getting acquainted with my new computer.  ;)  I’m officially a Mac girl….and am still adjusting.  =)

But onto what else I indulged in over the past month.   (My taste buds are always tempted by the adorable bits and pieces of babies – these piggies were no exception!)  =)  I think little ones are by far my favorite subject for obvious reasons…I attended a retreat with the lovely Barb Uil of Jinky Art, and truly, it was an experience of a lifetime.  I believe in bettering yourself, no matter what stage of the game you are at, and this was truly inspiring for me.  I’m ready to take my business to new heights, new ventures, new looks and in new directions.

A huge, HUGE thank you to Barb, who is such a kind, generous and incredibly talented woman; I feel blessed to have met her and her sweet family.  I loved every minute of it!!!  Here are a few images from a few of our many shoots – I haven’t had time to process everything we took, but this will give you a small sampling.

Another huge, HUGE thank you to Teresa, our lovely host and owner of the beautiful Meadowbrook Farm.  It was not only a gorgeous location to shoot at, but SHE was amazing.  We got to chat more on our last night there, and honestly, she’s one of the people that stick out most in my mind.  She exudes all kinds of loveliness and is one of those genuinely adorable people.   =)

I’ll be back with sessions from this coming weekend!  (or maybe a few of my own babies before then…)

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Just a little sneak peek at some of the fun we had in Montana last week!  The retreat with the world renown Barb Uil of Jinky Art was incredible, incredible, incredible (did I mention it was incredible??!) and not only did I adore meeting her and her family, but I also met some very talented, wonderful ladies from across the country.  It was so fun to be surrounded by people who are as passionate about what they do as I am; I absolutely loved every minute of it!

Just one image for now.. but many, many more to come along with so many details from the fabulous retreat!  =)

I am so very excited to begin offering these fun little local workshops for teens wanting to take their photo skills up a notch!  Think on-location, fun, casual, informative…and even more fun when you bring your friends!  I am happy to meet with you one-on-one, or you can choose to bring up to 4 of your photo-loving buddies.

Don’t miss out on this opportunity if you are photo-crazed!  I will answer all your questions and tailor our session to your interests and desires.  It’s really like a cool version of a day-camp.  =)

Oh, and did I happen to mention that if you’re a senior, you get a discount on your senior session with Alissa?!  That’s right.  Just click for more info.  You won’t be disappointed!

After hearing from several of you mentioning you’d love to see something more one-on-one, just helping you out in certain areas of business and photography, I’m hoping this fits your needs!  I have my first session coming up and am super excited to get these little mentoring sessions off the ground!

Introducing:

Information to come on hands-on mentoring for local teens – stay tuned!

I absolutely *LOVE* what I do and really enjoy sharing my experience and knowledge with others.  I’ve loved taking pictures since I was a little girl and cannot imagine doing anything else for my career!  There is something magical about capturing a beautiful moment that is then preserved forever – a memory you get to mull over for years to come.  And the thing I love most about what I do is not only creating these images for my children, but also doing that for YOU.

I have considered two options that may interest my local clientele: a workshop for moms wanting to take better pictures of their kids, and also a little photography camp for kids/teens.

I am also open to the idea of working with other photographers just getting started who want to build their business and grow their photography skills.

I get emails almost daily about certain aspects of my business and have had quite a few inquiries over the past year regarding whether or not I’d ever teach.  I’ve thought about it for a while and would love to know where your interests lie, who you are and what you might be looking for.

I have one exciting idea that is about to enter the planning stages for 2011 (this is BIG!) =), but in the mean time, I would love to pick your brain and see what might be a good fit for me and YOU.

Please vote below so I can get a better idea of how much interest is out there and what ya’ll want!  =)

****IF you are interested and vote in the poll below, PLEASE SHOOT ME AN EMAIL OR LEAVE A COMMENT WITH YOUR NAME so I can add you to the contact list!  Thanks, and I’m excited to hear from you!****

And because a post is never very fun without some eye candy to go with it, here are a few random favorites:

Remember to leave your name in the comment section and/or email me!  (I have several votes with no names)  Thanks!!  =)

***EDITED TO ADD 4/30/10: For those of you who have expressed interest in having me come to your city, please contact me with the location you have in mind.  Thank you!!!***