blogs of photogs

I was out of town for a long weekend Up North (MN) with my wonderful family, and meant to blog from there, but it wouldn’t work with my iPhone for some reason! I will have several new blogs featured this week, and in a few minutes, will have a great new freebie up from LCH designs. Sorry about the long break!

Mary

Shannon Holden’s blog and site feature photographs that just seem to glow from within. The quality of light is phenomenal, she does such a breathtaking job of capturing the light, and almost wrapping it around her subjects. After looking over her whole blog and site, I finally read a bit about her, and found that we share some similarities in that we both lost our beloved moms to cancer. I have to think that our mothers can see our love for them shining through, in each of our work, capturing beautiful images for others. Life does go by in a blink. Hugs from one who knows your loss Shannon.

Anyway, I know you will enjoy her work, it is truly superb! 

Mary

Ps: 

On a completely unrelated side note: I’m sure most of my readers don’t know this, but for each blog I review, I have probably looked at over 15-20 blogs that day before I find one that I want to review. Its a hugely time consuming process, even before you add in the moderating comments, the 30+ emails I get each week asking to be reviewed, or the emails wondering why I haven’t gotten to their blog yet, or suggesting a friends blog, or asking me to give them photography tips, or wondering what are the requirements to be featured, etc, etc. You get the picture. Anyway,  during this busy holiday portrait season especially, I’m really hoping that I have time to post a few reviews a week, and I just wanted to ask for my readers patience in remembering that I’m a full time photographer as well, and a mom to three kids, and overly politically active, and some of the recent emails I’ve gotten are rather unkind. I really hope that this blog is a source of knowledge and inspiration to everyone who reads it–I love doing it and am so very grateful for those who are reading.

best,

Mary

Since so many of us photograph children, and many of us are parents, I wanted to bring this wonderful group to the attention of my readers:

Parents for Ethical Marketing (PEM-click here for link)

Here is a snip from their website to explain their focus much better than I could:

Why Parents for Ethical Marketing?

Consumer marketing is everywhere. On television. In magazines and newspapers. On the Internet and on school buses. On billboards and on bus shelters. On milk cartons and cereal boxes.

In our public schools.

And it’s almost impossible to buy anything for a child without a “brand identity.” Barbie, for example, can be found on everything from band-aids to board games to backpacks.

As parents, we know there’s a problem. We argue with our kids about what to buy, what to wear, what to watch and what to play. We know what is best for our kids, yet sometimes we give in when we know we shouldn’t.

Of course, parents are ultimately responsible for raising healthy children. But corporate marketers would have us believe that combating their damaging commercial messages is exclusively our problem

Parents for Ethical Marketing thinks it’s about time that corporations take some of the responsibility.

Through parental awareness, public pressure, and legislative initiatives, Parents for Ethical Marketing encourages corporations to adopt responsible marketing standards and practices that sustain the health of children and families.

If this is a topic that is interesting and important to you, as it is to me, you can join PEM’s mailing list for updates and action information. Thanks for reading!

Mary

I posted this on my photography blog today….wanted to share it here as well. thanks

Mary

Most people who know me know at least a bit about my Mom, Mary Andrews. She was, and still is, my hero. She raised my brother and I by herself, without any help (financial or otherwise) from my father. She was one of my best friends in the whole world, and I talked to her daily, often multiple times. She loved to laugh, loved her family-especially her kids and grandkids, loved her job as bookkeeper at the Minnesota School of Business, loved an ice cold tall vodka tonic, loved traveling with her sister Anne, loved sitting in her garden and loved so much more. She died over four years ago from one of the nastiest cancers around: ovarian cancer. I still miss her. Every. Single. Day.

My family and I are participating in the MOCA-Minnesota Ovarian Cancer Alliance 9th Annual Silent No More Walk/Run for Ovarian Cancer on Saturday September 13th. Ovarian cancer is one of the most deadly female cancers, hard to diagnose, hard to treat, and hard to live with. It is also underfunded for research into treatments, prevention and a someday cure. My mom survived breast cancer, and then she fought back ovarian cancer for about three years, but my family and I are walking in the hope that more money will help keep amazing women like my mom alive longer, and give them better choices to diagnose, treat and prevent this often silent killer. I’m asking anyone who is interested to donate, either directly to MOCA or by sponsoring us in the walk, by sending a check made out to MOCA to me. (Email me if you need my address) Thanks for your support, and if you still have your mom, tell her you love her today.

Mary