Jenn & Wes are my husband’s cousins, so instead of calling them my cousin’s-in-law, I just refer to them as my cousins – it’s just easier that way.  AND….they are probably about as close as cousins anyway.  Jenn contacted me & told me she and her brother Wes wanted to surprise their parents with a Mother’s Day/Father’s Day gift of some new photos of the two of them.  They hadn’t had family pictures since their last vacation & decided it was time.  And it was especially important since both of these kids now live states away from their parents – the memories are so much more precious.

I’d have to say it was a challenging day.  The heat, the busy downtown area, and the fact that I didn’t want it to look like Wes & Jenn were a couple.  Um, no, they are brother & sister, not a couple…ewww, gross!  They were so patient with me moving them and changing my mind over and over again.  I think we got some pretty good shots & from what I’ve heard, their parents are thrilled!  Here’s Wes & Jenn….

Just had to share this last one of Jenn & her boyfriend!  Thanks for tagging along, Grant!

I am finally putting to use one of the golden gems of advice I received from Justin & Mary Marantz from their Spread the Love Tour.  They mentioned they send their brides & grooms little notes, packages, gifts, etc., throughout the year as their wedding approaches.  Well, I decided to try the “movie night” gift since I thought I could pull it off.  I grabbed two lovey dovey movies from Target, some Crunch ‘n Munch, and a little handwritten note & put them in these boxes.  They are just a little gift to remind my couples who will be married soon to relax, take a break from planning, and enjoy a movie night with their love.  That’s all.  Hope they enjoy them.

PS – I haven’t mailed them yet, so hopefully this doesn’t spoil the surprise.  No one reads this thing anyways, right?

I found these journals in packs of 3 for about 3 bucks at Target (which you all know is a black hole in my universe, continually sucking me in…that’s another post).  Immediately when I saw them I thought they’d be great for the girls in our High School bible study.  So, I prettified them with these ribbons (I found it on old birthday bags – yes, I save those suckers) & added a pen later.  It just felt nice to think of someone besides myself.

You all might remember Ian from “Pirate Day” at Fells Point in Baltimore.  Well, his dad, Dustin, asked me to secretly design an album for his wife for her Mother’s Day gift.  If you know me, asking me to keep a secret is probably the worst thing you could ever do!  I hate keeping secrets, people know I can’t do it very well, and it’s just not a good idea.  However, I was able to just tell the secret to everyone but Dustin’s wife and she didn’t have a clue!  Dustin ordered an 8×8 album with a “chocolate” fabric cover – very similar to Justin & Samantha’s book.  The only difference is he chose a “lay-flat” style book.  Here is Ian’s virtual album!

Ian from joshsroka on Vimeo.

Mother’s Day is almost here, and what better way to show your mother your love than through photos that she’ll cherish for years to come! I know, it sounds kinda cheesy, huh?

What I’m really trying to say is that I would love if you’d book my photo services this May & join me and my cousin Jennifer in raising money for the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer.

Here is Jennifer (in photos I stole from her Facebook page…sorry Jen!)

Jennifer will be participating in the LA Walk for Breast Cancer in September, and to help her with her efforts in raising money for this wonderful cause, I’m donating 50% of my session fees for the month of May directly to her walk.  So, when you book a $100 session, $50 of your session fee goes to Jennifer for Avon’s Walk for Breast Cancer.  What do you get?  A 2-hour session with me in a location of your choice, a complimentary 8×10 or two 5×7’s, an online gallery of all your images, and the knowledge that you’ve helped with Avon’s Walk for Breast Cancer.  Avon donates the money they raise to pay for medical expenses of cancer patients & to fund tests to find a cure for this illness that will unfortunately affect many of our lives.

So, give a Mother’s Day gift, book a newborn session, get some senior or graduation portraits done, or just get some girlfriends together for a fun outing and capture some great memories with me.  All sessions booked during the month of May will benefit this wonderful cause.  Thanks for the chance to help out, Jennifer!