I'm moving the blog!

In order to have more flexibility with my blog, I have decided to change my blogging platform. Please update your bookmarks and RSS feeds to: http://jessicagwozdz.com/blog

Thank you!

Here I go again!

Several of you might recall the photography challenge I participated in back in 2008. It was called Project 365 and it involved a self-portrait a day for an entire year. It was a ton of work, but I learned so much and met so many cool people who were also participating in the challenge. At the end of 2008, after taking 366 pictures of myself (it was a leap year!), I could not imagine ever doing something like that again. I did not participate in 2009.

Well, it's hard to believe but I kinda missed the project last year. My 365 in 2008 became somewhat of a photographic journal of events in my life at the time. I also think that 2008 was a huge year of growth for me photographically and I attribute much of that to the 365 Project. I was able to think outside the box and try things lighting-wise and posing-wise with myself that I have not done with another subject. Perhaps I am insane, but I decided to attempt Project 365 again for 2010. We'll see if I can stick with it. If you'd like to follow my project and cheer me on, here is a link to my 2010 photo set.

Happy New Year!

Gorgeous Family in their Gorgeous Family Room

Over this holiday break, I had the opportunity to visit the K family to see their Kids As Art display. Wowza! It literally took my breath away and I momentarily wished I was a product photographer because I know that my snapshot here does not do their beautiful room justice. Their basement family room is designed in palette of brown, beige, and orange, with green accents. The children's portraits could not have been planned any better to become the centerpiece of this room. Special ceiling lights were installed to really showcase each portrait. Everything is sheer perfection!

The two side portraits are 24x24, with the middle portrait being 24x30.

(my own) Kids As Art

If you follow my blog, you might recall the 24x30 canvas gallery wrap I gave to my father over the summer.

I loved it so much, I temporarily hung it on my wall just to photograph the kids with it before I gave it to him.

On Christmas Day I finally photographed this art piece at it's final home, hanging in my parents' living room. Just wanted to share this with you all.

Merry Christmas!

It has been a great pleasure working with all of you this past year. Wishing you all the blessings of the season. Merry Christmas!

Kids As Art, and some great news!

You may recognize this family from a session we did in September. At that time their middle daughter S, now 5, was at the tail end of her treatment for Wilm’s Tumor, a form of childhood kidney cancer. This is an especially Merry Christmas for them because tests recently revealed S to be cancer free!

She has been collecting symbolic beads for various milestones along the course of her treatment, and today she showed me her “NED” bead. NED stands for No Evidence of Disease. The NED bead has become the centerpiece of a special Christmas ornament on the tree this year (and as I was driving home from their house, I was doing a mental head-slap for not photographing that ornament. Doh!).

The family ordered a 16x18 canvas gallery wrap wall portrait for their family room. It's displayed over their couch and has the family's mantra "Moment By Moment" along the wrap sides.

S is also one of the 2010 Ambassador Kids for the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, an organization that raises funds for childhood cancer research. Check her out here!

Sneak Peek - Father and Sons

You may recognize little A from earlier in the fall, when I was honored to shoot his 1-year session. He brought the rest of his family to meet me this past weekend. I love to see fathers having fun with their kids. Isn't that just the best?

This last one really makes me smile. I was instructing them to go cheek-to-cheek, but A kept kissing his dad anytime his face got too close. Totally adorable!