kim orlandini & the r house photoshoot giveaway: time to vote

mrs. r and I sat at her kitchen table this morning.

We looked at everyone's entries and finally let random.org decide who the finalists would be.

Now it is time to vote!
Thank you to all those that entered their friends, family and friends of friends!

You are voting for a couple to be the models of a photo shoot conducted by me that gives me a teaching opportunity with mrs. r (one of my students) that focuses on posing. the winning couple will get a free photo shoot and CD of images to use however they would like--hopefully in promoting their adoption!


Here is what to do:

1) Read the nominations below and select the person you want to vote for. However, if you can't decide, I have set it up so you can vote for more than one person. I know some of you will have an impossible time choosing. you can vote for more than one person, but you can only cast your vote once. You can also cast your vote on mrs. r's blog. in the end, we will add the results together to determine the winner.

2) Instead of leaving a comment, look at the top left of my blog. You will see a poll box there entitled "Kim Orlandini Photo Shoot Contest." Vote for the couple(s) you are cheering for there. Entries in this poll and on mrs. r's blog are the only ones that count. (That means no Twitter, Facebook, text, email, or blog comment entries.)

3) Tell people about this contest and get them to vote for their/your favorites! feel free to use THIS post to explain what is going on and what you want your favorite couple to win.

In fact, here is a little something you can copy and paste and pass on:

hello! i wanted to let you know about a contest going on for one of my friends who is hoping to adopt. they are eligible to win a free photo shoot and CD of images to help with their adoption profile. please help __________ win by casting your vote on the top left corner of the r house and simply me. no need to sign in, no email required, just a quick press of a button. thanks so much!

*You can only cast your vote once at the r house and once on kim's blog, simply me.

The finalists are:
(In random order.)

Ron and Darcee

A little bit about them from the person that nominated them:

I am nominating the couple linked below. I have not met them personally but know of their story through some mutual friends. They recently experienced a failed adoption where they actually had the baby boy home with them for a few days and then the birth mom chose to parent. It has been crushing for them as you can well imagine and I pray that good things come their way. I think a photo shoot would be a great new start for them. They are a beautiful couple and I have heard such great things about them.

Spencer and Jessica

A little bit about them from the person that nominated them:

I'd like to nominate Spencer and Jessica. Jessica is a dear friend of mine. I have long, LONG looked up to her.

She sings so beautifully and is a stellar pianist. I can honestly say I NEVER saw Jessica upset, sad, or without her beautiful smile. She was always so kind to me. It seems she is one of those people you just thirst for their company, so they're surrounded by many.

Since she is just the epitome of greatness to me, I'd love to nominate her and kind of give her a little gift (through you guys) to show how wonderful she has been to me.... and help her on her adoption journey. :) I know all too well how painful and hard just waiting and waiting is, perhaps this will help her feel like she's doing something wonderful to bring baby home. :)

Chriss and Brian

A little bit about them from the person that nominated them:

Hi there! I'd like to nominate Chriss and Brian. They are wonderful sweet people. Chriss has had a hard time staying pregnant. She has had one miscarriage after another trying because she wants so much to be a mom. She has always doted on children. Brian is a favorite with my children. If my kids don't get to see them for a while, one of my children will say, "I want to see the Chriss and Brian." Chriss and Brian have been through the wringer. They have just submitted their paperwork for adoption and are holding fund-raisers for the future fees. Hope you pick them!

Devin and Jared

A little bit about them from the person that nominated them:

I want to nominate my friend Devin and her husband Jared. Devin and I
met over 7 years ago on a church history tour. We became instant
friends and later because roommates just before I got married. Devin
is just an amazing person, she has one of those warm, bubbly
personalities and love everyone. She has been an awesome love and
support to me when I needed it! She is currently in nursing school
while they patently wait to adopt. They are such a cute couple and
deserve this!

Cory and Jojo

A little bit about them from the person that nominated them:

I am so excited to nominate a couple that I think is TOTALLY deserving of the photo giveaway. And it also feels awesome to "pay it forward" after we won the last contest like this!

Anyway....I want to nominate Cory and JoJo.

They are two of the nicest people you will ever meet. Cory is my husband's cousin and he also served his mission in my hometown. My family, especially my little brother got to know Cory well and just think the world of him. I had a special love for Cory even before I really got to know him just because of the influence and friendship he provided my brother. Cory and JoJo anxiously awaited their second anniversary so that they could apply for adoption through LDS Family Services and just finished their home study in the last week and will finish all of their training and be approved next month. I have enjoyed sharing thoughts and feelings about the process with JoJo and she has become a great friend! I know that they will be incredibly loving and amazing parents (anyone who is around them can tell that right away!)

I personally know how stressful and overwhelming the whole adoption application process is and I can tell you that when we won a photo session it made the process so much more fun and less overwhelming. I want the same for Cory and JoJo!



GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE!

Now, go get your vote on!


Full Disclosure: mrs. r (Lindsey Redfern) is a dear friend of mine. I am her photography teacher. I was not compensated for this post, but, as explained, I will be the sensei on the shoot. She is also co-owner with Leisha Kelsey and me of the r house couture.

contest for adoptive couples to win a free photo shoot

Photo of the R Family in the last photo shoot I did for them and Wasatch Woman Magazine.

Recently, one of my all-time favorite photography students, mrs. r, asked me for some help with posing couples. She was really struggling. All of her photos were starting to look forced and odd. I believe her exact words were "Help me, Obi Wan Kenobi. You're my only hope." How could I turn down such a plead for help?

Because I am an incredible teacher (or sensei as my beloved student calls me), I told her that we should find ourselves some models and go out for a practice shoot. Soon we came up with a great idea to benefit a family and our common passion: adoption.

{r great idea}

We are looking for a couple who is hoping to adopt that is in need of a photo makeover for their adoption blog, pass along cards, adoption profile and/or self-esteem boost that are willing to be our models. We are looking for a couple that does not have any children yet and this person would need to be willing to travel to the Salt Lake area on their own to have their photos taken by both mrs. r and myself.

The winner of this little contest will receive a CD of the images taken at the shoot to use however they would like.

{do you know someone that would be perfect for this?}

Here's what to do.

Think of a family that you know that is hoping to adopt. (Sorry, but this time around, no nominating yourselves.) If you don't know any, check out the extensive list I have on the left sidebar. Email me (kimsueellen at gmail dot com) a picture of them (if you don't know them personally, right click is your friend!) and tell me why you think they should win, why you love/admire/adore them and/or why they are fantastic. Just tell me of their general awesomeness and deservingness. This family needs to be able to come to the Salt Lake area for the photoshoot ...but the person who nominates them can be from anywhere.

Get thinking quickly, you only have until Sunday night (September 19th) at Midnight MST to nominate the ones you love. Also, check out mrs. r's blog, the r house for more chances to nominate. She is running this contest as well!

mrs. r and I will read all the nominations then proceed to be utterly overwhelmed and hand it over to random.org to select the finalists. The finalists will be posted on Monday morning (September 20th) of next week.

From Monday until Friday (September 24rd) at Midnight MST, voting will be open for you to vote for one of the 5 couples that you think should win. Or all of them, if you'd like.

The winner will be announced on Saturday and will need to schedule the shoot before October 29th.

{here's a little BONUS to this awesomeness}

The person who nominates the winning couple will also win a little goodie from the r house couture. It's a win-win-win. So get those nominations in and help pay it forward!

{GOOD LUCK}


disclaimer: this post was written for kim by mrs. r. kim's computer is sick today. please keep it in your prayers or hope that is passes and is put out of its misery so that she can get a MAC--that's what i am praying for. ;)


full disclosure: mrs. r (Lindsey Redfern) is a dear friend of mine. I am her photography teacher. I was not compensated for this post, but, as explained, I will be the sensei on the shoot. She is also co-owner with leisha kelsey and me of the r house couture.

The big D and I don't mean Dallas...(or divorce).

Photo by Joth, taken on his Little Tykes digital camera.

My computer is bunk...so you get what you can off of Hubbs lappy.

Two and a half years ago, I couldn't tell you what it felt like to feel desperate, or in a dark place. I am almost certain I knew the grips of depression, but I was somehow able to find my way through, continue each day and live. Then when all hell broke loose , and then again, and again and again, I lost bits of me to that hell. Parts I wish I could get back, but hard as I try, I can't seem to find them.

“If people bring so much courage to this world the world has to kill them to
break them, so of course it kills them. The world breaks every one and afterward
many are strong at the broken places. But those that will not break it kills. It
kills the very good, and the very gentle, and the very brave impartially. If you
are none of these you can be sure it will kill you too, but there will be no
special hurry.” --Ernest Hemingway

This quote almost perfectly describes how I have been feeling. Especially if you subsititue 'world' with 'depression'. I feel like depression has been trying to break me. I hate it.

The other night I was SO tired, and the insomnia hit, everything hit and I cried myself to sleep. I wrote on my facebook wall, how much I would love to know how it feels to navigate this world without having to carry depression on my shoulders. It is a heavy weight and the good days and bad days are so interspersed that I don't know who is friend and who is foe anymore. It is heavy stuff. What does that feel like friends? What does it feel like to be free, to be able to wake up and make breakfast for your kids, walk them to school, without coming home and wanting nothing but to go back to bed? What is that like to feel otherwise?

I talked with Casey a few weeks back. She suffers from depression as well, and one thing we both have in common and which we discussed, and which she put on her blog a few days ago, is the lack of the ability to take full breaths. Really. Think about it. The anxiety and depression are so terrible some days that most days I don't take full breaths. Even as I sit here, I am not. No wonder I am depressed, my brain is lacking sufficient oxygen. ;)

I am courageous, I am brave, I am good, and I am gentle, I am trying to be strong in my broken places regardless of this depression.

Regardless if I must row the boat through the misty darkness for the rest of my life, I still see the light at the end of the tunnel. I see the happiness around me, I hear the laughter of my sweet children, the love of my husband, and they keep me rowing. I love myself regardless of you depression. I may have to get out and wade through the churning waters at times, but I will never stop because of you. I will never allow you to hurt me so much that I let you overpower me, and I may find bits of me in this murky water, and I will salvage the pieces of me that I can from you, and arrive safely 0n the other side, and when I do depression, I am going to punch you in the throat and kick you in the nads.

Instant Gratification

All shot on the Polaroid 600SE camera, on Fuji 100c Instant Film. These are the instant film negatives, that have been bleached and washed, then scanned, adjusted for color and density and voila. Fun.

The more time passes, the less and less I feel inclined to indulge in instant gratification. We live in a world full of 'get it now' with internet on every device we have, and with noise all around us. The more time passes, the less I want to be a part of that. Which is why my switch to film last December has had such a lasting impact on me, on my heart.

Except, well except for the small part of me that loves this type of instant gratification.

Fuji 100c. What is that you ask? Instant film. Think Polaroid...but made by Fuji. You are probably thinking, "Like that stuff we had when we were kids, that developed almost immediately? The camera that spit it out of the bottom after hitting 'click'?"

Yes, like that.

This though? This is a step further. These are the 'instant' negatives.

Crazy right?

No actions, just a straight scan and messed with color balance for color.

I heart film. All types. All. My love letter to film is coming up soon. So stay tuned.

Just wanted to share.

Hope you are all having a blissful weekend. May your week be as wonderful.

xo

A break from the old family slide show...

I am sure I am not the norm here, but I would probably utterly dig watching someone's old family slide show circa 1959.

But, since I am certain I am not the norm, it is time to take a break from our family vacation photos to blog about this girl:

She is hilarious and funny. She can be loud, and tantrum throwing, or she can be quiet and observant and cuddly. I love her, and I love her cheeks. Her plump, squishy, kissable cheeks.

The past two weeks I have noticed something about her. She has very discerning taste buds. I wouldn't call her 'picky' per se, (even though she is...) but her palette is 'delicate'. Let me explain.

I gave her breakfast one morning and with it her usual cup of chocolate milk. To which she replies, "This tastes funny." I couldn't think why it did, until I realized that I gave her Millzies whole milk and not the usual 1%.

Then there was the Mac & Cheese incident. She LOVES Mac & Cheese. Again with the, "This tastes funny." (I used soy milk in it instead of regular milk...and used margarine instead of butter.) Geez.

She is this way about lots of things, some dairy related, but some not. For example she prefers: Rock salt on her grilled meat over kosher salt. Regular lemonade over 'light' (a given...I am with her on that.) She won't eat 'American' cheese (that's my girl). And it spills over into cereal, crackers, granola bars, lite mayo, different mustartds and hot dogs, etc. Substituting whole flour into a cookie recipe? Think again! (Not even the entire calling of flour, even one cup she tastes.)

Not only can you see I am a GREAT and AWESOME mom at what I feed my kids, but that she has some mutant taste buds. Love her, but sometimes...

What have you changed in your kids food rituals that they notice right off?

New York: Part 5 Statue of Liberty

Advice and things we did while waiting to visit Miss Liberty. (In no particular order.)

Get there EARLY. As in, 6:00 a.m. to stand in line early. (Or so is the word on the street.) Or else stand in a REALLY long line for 4 hours, and MAYBE get a chance to see her.

Be super disappointed when finding out they only give out 3,000 tickets daily to go any farther than the height of the island. We got to stay on said island while we watched hundreds of people enjoy her feet. (Sorry Sam, I couldn't get your shot because we were shunned to the ground.)

If you want to hang with the cool kids, get your tickets here, so you can go to the crown and see the statue as she was meant to be seen.

The wisest man I have ever met in my life was selling water to the hot and huddled masses standing in said line of death. He must be a millionaire.

Sit on the benches if someone can hold your place in line. Make sure to sit by someone wearing a beautiful Sari.

Try to divert the attention of your children from the 90 degree weather and 70% humidity by letting them get super dirty and pick up rocks, sticks, and pull the seeds out of the tree pods. Then take photos of all of those things so they can remember them.

Look down at the ground. There is a lot of spit out gum on the sidewalks of New York City, and really pretty sewer covers. Wait, can sewer covers be pretty?

Get teary when seeing the Statue of Liberty for the first time, up close from the ferry.

Take a rare family photo with the New York City skyline behind you. And thank film because you can actually see the skyline.

Edit photos of New York on a gray background in photoshop, because if you use black, you will see the negative on your scans. Oops.

Lastly, take a photo of your kids in front of Miss Liberty. You may have to lay on the ground on all of that gum we discussed (because of the lack of a wider angle lens) but it will be worth it. See their smiles and be thankful you came. Five hour trip and all.

I sure am.

New York: Part 4 Central Park

The evening of our first day, when we were all beat and tired and hot, we ended up in beautiful Central Park.

I cannot tell you the feelings it brings to my heart to have given my children this experience of traveling. Since our trip, whenever they see the park, or a show set in New York, they remember.

This trip was to celebrate our ten-year wedding anniversary that is coming up in December. Of course it would have been much cheaper, simpler, faster, to have gone by ourselves. But that is the thing, it was so much better taking our kids with us.

I love sharing my dreams:

Hot dogs and pretzels in Central Park.
(really stale hot dogs and pretzels.)







(She was the only smart one, she is only pretending to eat here. She spit is out immediately.)





Kids were enthralled with the rocks.











And the bridges.



It was a short stay that day in the park, I wanted to go back, the kids wanted to go back.

Hopefully one day we will.

New York: Part 3

My family arrived bright and early, courtesy of the red eye flight.

They came looking ragged and sleepy. Luckily we were able to sneak in a small nap for them at The Hilton before we had to attempt a check in at The Wingate. A little known secret if you haven't been to New York: good luck finding a hotel room to accommodate five people. So I lied. I blatantly lied that we only had 2 kids and spent my entire time in New York hiding that fact from the hotel.

Unluckily they wouldn't allow us to check in until 3. (Effers) So we dropped off our stuff at the hotel and went walking. The kids were in jammies, I hadn't thought ahead to change them, thinking they would let us check in early. I had changed Millz, but not the other kids, so off we went after breakfast/brunch at the RUDEST Burger King on the planet, then off to the largest Macy's on the planet. We got the kids some clothes and then we went walking...and walking...and walking. (Please ignore the black film line on my scans, I didn't notice it until uploading, as I edit on a black background...that is changing right now.):

Still exhausted. Sweet thing.



Joth lost a tooth in NYC! It was amazing the Tooth Fairy found him SO far away from home.







Uhm, most definitely my most favorite photo at the moment.

We ended up at FAO Schwarz, the famous toy store (or infamous if you are not going to buy your kids a thing...i.e. me), and finished up with a walk on the 'Big' piano. That was rad. I loved that movie when I was a kid. We would watch it over and over and over while staying at my aunt's house. It was fun for us adults and super fun for the kids.

Making a belt out of a plastic bag. We are stellar parents in case you were wondering.







Probably my favorite view our entire trip. Love looking at these tiny, squishy feet.

Stay tuned for more New York minutes later this week.

New York: Part 2

A little photo I like to call, "Red Eye"

This was day one in New York, and they were EXHAUSTED.

More New York fun all week long.