I LOVE BEING A MOMMY FREE PHOTOSHOOT GIVEAWAY!

Okay ya'll, you know me and you know how I just love doing what I do! :D Mother's Day is coming up and I wanted to do a free photoshoot for one lucky Mommy!! As far as what type of photoshoot this is, you may wonder... well it is whatever the lucky mommy wants. It can be a glamorous, boudoir (sexy), pin up or anything that the mommy wants for her photoshoot! To make it even more special, this special lady will also get her hair and make up done by the very talented Sieda Jones of Make up By Lady S. I will also have two honorable mentions who will also receive a smaller prize as well. I will also be giving a special something to ALL who enter.

So what do you have to do? Simply comment below this post and let me know why you enjoy being a mommy so much. In other words, what is the best part of being a mommy. You must also include why you would like to have your photos done with Nelly Hernandez Photography (other than because it will be a free shoot if you win, LMAO). For those of you who have beautiful angels in heaven, you too are a mommy through the eyes of God and therefore you are a mommy through my eyes. You can tell us what you enjoy about Life as well as why you would like a shoot with Nelly Hernandez Photography. You can also nominate a mommy. Tell us what amazing things this mommy has done that makes her deserve this as well as why you think she should have a shoot with Nelly Hernandez. It can be as long and as short as you would like for it to be. :) You will need to leave an email where I can contact you and your name whether you are commenting anonymous or not. Giveaway is only good for Minot and surrounding areas. Must come to Minot for shoot. You must also be a Fan of my Facebook fan page.

How and who will judge this? Well because this is a different type of giveaway, I wanted it to be more personable as well. I didn't want a random program choosing something like this, at least not for this type of giveaway. Therefore, I have asked four very talented and amazing photographer friends of mine to choose the one story that touched them the most. I couldn't do it because I'd pick all of you, LOL. Where's the problem, you must say. LOL. These people are nowhere near from the Minot, ND or surrounding area. And to make things fair I will not disclose who they are until the entries submissions are closed. At that time you will have a chance to view who these wonderful human beings are and admire their work if you'd like. :)

What does the Free Photoshoot grand prize include? The grand prize will include free sitting fee (either outdoor or indoor-will have to choose one), 15 edited web formatted (with my logo and for use online on Facebook, blog, email, etc). It will also include the high resolution images (DO NOT HAVE MY LOGO) for you to print, this will be given with a copyright release. This will also include a 20% off the total order of your prints, should you decide to order them. Editing also includes removal of scars, acne, cellulite, stretch marks or any unwanted blemishes. There is no commitment to buy anything. This will also include hair and make up Sieda Jones of Make up By Lady S. You get 3 outfit changes. This is only good for the one person winning the prize and other people cannot be added to the shoot. The three honorable mentions will receive $25 off sitting fee for herself, one 11x14 print, 2-5x7's and 4-4x6's of their choice should they decide to do a shoot with me as well as 15% off their total print order ($50 minimum print order). Everyone who enters will receive $15 off their sitting fee plus 1-8x10 and 15% off their total print order. For more information on package and sitting fee details, please go to my website www.nellyhernandezphotography.com and view the Investment tab.

I will allow you all to submit your entries from today to Tuesday April the 12th @ 10pm central time. I will then close it and no more entries will be permitted. That is when the judges will decide who gets the grand prize and will also let me know who the two honorable mentions are. I will give them three days to read over the entries. The winner will be announced on Saturday April the 16th morning sometime before noon. :) Best of luck to everyone, now let's hear them stories.

Pregnant is the New Sexy....

...Or that is what this beautiful lady makes it seem like. Ughh, why oh why was I not this gorgeous when I was preggo??? LOL. I just see some of these women and it makes me want to get pregnant all over again, just to see if I can look half that sexy as they do. How in the world do they pull it off, looking so sexy with that beautiful gorgeous belly? Well, simple. They are just drop dead gorgeous beauties ravishing with the glow!

In this shoot I had the absolute pleasure of working with this dazzling, glamorous woman. She is expecting and yet is just glowing with all sorts of sexiness. I was in love with her skin and just how she can pull off that innocent look yet still be absolutely sensual. she was such a joy to talk to. I had such an amazing time. I am just so lucky to have such a wonderful job, capturing beauty in ever sense of the word. Enjoy a few shots from our shoot.

Now this is what I call a Preggers with a Glow

So many people ask me, what do you like best--maternity? newborn? family? modeling? boudoir and so on and so forth. I really have a hard time answering that because I love different things in different sessions. :D I am just lucky and blessed to absolutely Love what I do. So this past weekend I had the pleasure of doing some photoshoots for some amazingly beautiful ladies. This is just one, I will post the others hopefully tomorrow or Tuesday.

Not only was this gorgeous preggo woman absolutely beautiful and radiant, but so very sweet! I loved talking to her and chatting about nonphotography stuff. I just was hating on how amazing she looks pregnant, LOL. j/k, but yeah I am a bit jealous. LOL. I also got to give props to my beautiful and talented MUA, Mrs Sieda Jones from Make Up by Lady S who did an amazing job like always! Anyhow, here are a few shots of Ms. J, hope you enjoy!

All About Hannah!

My camera just melted when I did this shoot. This is truly a sweet and beautiful girl both inside and out. We had lots of fun doing silly faces. She made me laugh with on the spot jokes that she came up with, truly talented, :D IT is just one of those things, when you meet a person and they are so lovely and beautiful inside and out (Sara L; mother of Hannah) and then you meet their children. Then you are just amazed at how she is spreading her sweetness and passing it to her amazing kids. This was Hannah's 7th Birthday session, but keep an eye out for the other amazingly awesome kiddos!!!

Puerto Rico Represents!!!!

I love how we all come from different cultures,races, nationalities and so forth. It just makes us realize how beautiful of a world we live in. In this particular shoot I had the honor of shooting one of Puerto Rico's most fabulous and hottest mommies. These glamourous babe is the mom of twins the same age as my Isaiah. WOWSA!!!! Yup, I was thinking the same thing, how does she do it!!! She was my gym partner for a bit, and yeah, that hard rock body is from her hard work!!!! Here are a few shots from our shoot, enjoy this hot Boricua!!!!

Hotness At Its Best

WOMAN!! AHHH, we are just so radiant and lovely!! Yes, we are! What is just awesome about it is that we come all shapes and sizes, different colors and of course, different attitudes, LOL. Gotta love us all! In this particular session I had the honor of working with this black beauty. She is just radiantly stunning! Her curves are enough to drive any man crazy (even some women, lol). Here are a few of her shots from our fun session.

Everyone Is A Photographer Nowadays...

So yeah, you've heard it time after time, here and there and everywhere, LOL. Why is everyone and their mother a photographer? Lately it seems to be that if you are part of a social network or even just look at a newspaper you see the many ads of people doing photography. Then again you also hear many of the so called "Real Photographers" put down all of these "Newbies" as if upset we are all mixed in the same pool. I read one of my favorite photographers old blog posts and he talked a bit about this recurring issue. I actually borrowed the above pic from his blog.

Well here is my opinion on this sujbect. I believe I am a "Newbie". To me, most of us are unless you have been around, without any interruption for more than ten years. Yup, back in the day when there was no digital and it was all in film. If you think photography equipment is expensive now, you have no idea how much more expensive it was back then. Most of us "newbies" are a result of many different things. Equipment (even though it is still super expensive to me) it has got a lot more affordable to where as before to own a SLR camera was just like "WOW"!! SLR cameras, whether entry level, semi pro or pro are so much more affordable. Plus with the internet being so available to everyone right at their fingertips, advertising and showcasing your work is just so much easier than it was back then.

I hear about photographers having a problem when new photographers are starting out as if they are about to get their thunder stollen. LOL. I've also heard of photographers being upset that the new photographer in town is selling 50 "edited" images on a cd for $25, which by the way is really cheap. They complain how it is hard to make a living out of this with people taking away business by offering this. I say no way!! I say the more the merrier! lol.

THere are so many wonderful outlets for us "newbie" photographers to get our work out there and showcased, it is just unbelievably wonderful! Everyone has a different style. That is the beauty of it! I say instead of focusing on the increasing number of photogs and b*&#*ing and moaning about it, I say continue working on improving your skills and have fun with it. At the end of the day, it is the customer who ultimately decides who they want to go with and what style they like.

Is Photography competitive? Ummm yeah! But then again, it always has been. Have fun with it and keep your focus on the one thing that inspired you to do this to begin with--whatever the case may be, it is different for everyone. Maybe you were inspired by a fellow photographer, maybe you were inspired by your own children. Whatever that case may be, don't focus on the negative, ALWAYS FOCUS ON THE POSITIVE. And photographers, talk to each other, we can learn so much from each other, not just in the photography aspect of it, but with real life experiences. Most of the time you will find out what unbelievably awesome some of your peers are.

FOR THE NON PHOTOG PEOPLE out there, you definitely got your work cut out, lol. You have so much to choose from, so many talented photographers with their absolutely awe-inspiring work. Definitely do some research. Look at the photographer's work but also look at the reviews they have received. Talk to people who have done past sessions with that photographer and ask how it was. Set up an appointment, ask to meet with them (with no commitment) simply to get to know him or her. Definitely don't just base it on the price, but do take it into consideration. Remember that photography isn't as easy as it looks and even though natural talent plays a part, it also involves lots and lots of investing time into the education part of it (not talking about a just a degree, but of workshops, books and such). Most of all, make sure you are comfortable because this is the person who will be capturing your memories, whether it is for a wedding, your first newborn portraits, boudoir pics for a special someone or anything for that matter. Most importantly, always remember to smile! :D