And The Winners Are...Everyone! Cherished Family Photo Contest Winners

L. Das, you are the winner of the $125 gift certificate! I was touched by this photo and by your description of it so profoundly that I felt a little tear from in the corner of my eye. Thank you for sharing. I can't wait to meet your family. I loved everyone's photo and since I had only a handful of people enter and I couldn't decide on one second place winner, I am giving everyone else who entered a $50 gift certificate. Congratulations, and thank you for sharing these precious moments of your lives with me. I'll be mailing out your gift certificates in the next day or two, so if I don't have your address please send it to me at your earliest convenience.

Cherished Family Photo Contest Entries

Thank you to eveyone who entered the Cherished Family Photo Contest. Before I share the entries, I want to share my photo with you and why it means so much to me. I must say it is hard to narrow it down to one photo, and some of you may have intended on entering but felt daunted by the task of chosing just one. The photo I picked was one of my Mammaw, who died when I was a teenager. It was hard excluding photos of my parents, my husband, and especially my kids. I cherish them all. But I picked this photo because I experience a longing in my heart, a precious memory from years past. She meant the world to me. I remember when she became so ill she went to live in a home for the elderly. It broke my mom's heart because we didn't have the means to take care of her in our home. It broke my heart as well, especially when we went to visit her. The place smelled funny and felt oppressive, like death was walking the halls. The photo, I believe, was taken during one of those visits. Here is the photo:

Contest Entries:

My daughter is deaf and has other medical problems.  This photo was taken after we had moved to Texas in a matter of weeks due to her medical condition.  Due to the move I was separated from my family for 3 months.  This picture is special to me because, after months of separation and stress, I caught a tender moment between my daughter and wife that signified that signified the peace of being a family again. L. Das

I like this photo for many reasons!

First, this was my attempt to be a “professional” photographer when my children were younger!


I love seeing children outdoors enjoying God’s creation. The simplicity of it is an inspiration to cherish our family all the more. The busyness of life is realized when we stop to “smell the roses”. F. Valdez

I have decided that the one picture that I will send is of my daughter Julie's first haircut.  I absolutely LOVE this picture and I melt every time I look at it.  We went to the salon and had her hair "cut" more actually a trim and Lisa put her hair in piggy tails for the first time.  I love the look of pure joy in her smile....you can see through to her loving joyous heart in this picture. In spite of her slobbery chin and her spotted shirt ... only things a mommy would notice anyway...I keep a copy at my desk at work just to make my day brighter.  I hope you enjoy it. J. Benkiel



Inspiration Through Art (formerly The Littlest Heroes Project)

I just found out this morning that I have been accepted as one of the photographers for Inspiration Through Art and I am very excited! I am looking forward to meeting some little heros and photographing their beautiful lives for their families. The following is an excerpt from their website:

Our mission at Inspiration Through Art is to help provide and capture memories for families who are dealing with hectic schedules due to having a child who is suffering from a serious illness or life altering disability. We are here to offer emotional support through the beauty and expression art has to offer, as a way of healing and coping. We understand that in the midst of being thrown a diagnosis and having to switch from a “normal” life to a life that is totally different, and often scary, things like getting photos taken is sometimes a huge challenge and is one of the last things families are thinking about. But when everything is done, and either the child has reached the end of their battle, or has proven the odds against it many wish they had more time to stop, and capture the journey that they lived through for so long.

If you, or someone you know has a child with a serious illness, please visit Inspiration Through Art and take advantage of their gift.

Cherished Family Photos Contest Entries

Email a copy of your cherished photo to ginadavisonphotography@yahoo.com for your chance to win a $125 gift certificate. A second place winner will win a $50 gift certificate. Gift certificates may be used in any way you'd like. Be sure to include a short descripion telling me why this photo is special to you.

I'll be posting the entries you submit to my Most Cherished Photograph Contest here. Remember to have friends and family "help" me decide on the winner by commenting on your entry below.

Deadline for entering is February 14, 2011.

Entries:

Julie's First Haircut

I have decided that the one picture that I will send is of my daughter Julie's first haircut.  I absolutely LOVE this picture and I melt every time I look at it.  We went to the salon and had her hair "cut" more actually a trim and Lisa put her hair in piggy tails for the first time.  I love the look of pure joy in her smile....you can see through to her loving joyous heart in this picture. In spite of her slobbery chin and her spotted shirt ... only things a mommy would notice anyway...I keep a copy at my desk at work just to make my day brighter.  I hope you enjoy it.  - Jill B.

Win A Portrait Session! Share Your Most Cherished Photos.

What is your most cherished photo? Everyone has a family photo that brings back a flood of memories of a loved one or a special day in your life.  OK, so I know I have a lot of cherished photos, and I bet you do to, but I'm talking about the one you would pull out to share first with a new friend. The one that you'd risk life and limb to save in a fire because losing it would mean losing a little bit of that memory in your heart. It may be a little faded with time, an old Polaroid with poor lighting. It may break all the rules of what makes a good photo. But that doesn't matter, because we all know the meaning of a photograph is highly personal. Those are the kinds of photos I want to see, the ones with a story. Your story.

Email a copy of your cherished photo to ginadavisonphotography@yahoo.com for your chance to win a $125 gift certificate. A second place winner will win a $50 gift certificate. Gift certificates may be used in any way you'd like. Be sure to include a short descripion telling me why this photo is special to you. Entries must be recieve by February 14, 2011. I'll post the entries here on my blog. Comments left by family and friends will be considered when I pick the winner ;-)

Photo sessions may be redeemed in the San Antonio, Texas or Hillsboro/Wilmington, Ohio areas only