Photo Cards, VIP & More (Oh My!)

I am beyond excited to officially announce that, not only do we have a little bundle of joy on the way (due in January), but I also have a series of Handmade Photo Cards & Press Cards on the way along with a few other fun ideas!

From a young age, I found that I loved to write! My Mom got me into writing to “PenPals” back in the good ol’ days of snail mail, and I found that I loved sending cards, letters, notes and stickers (LOTS of stickers…can you say Lisa Frank much??). I think at one point I had something like 15 pen pals! While my pen pal days may be over, I still love to write whether it be on cards to friends and family, journaling or blogging. So in this mish-mash of passions, I thought it’d be really fun to do a combination of two of my loves – photos + writing = Photo Cards (ta-da!!).

To start off, I’ll be offering Press Printed cards with an Autumn “Give Thanks” theme featuring some scripture that is near to my heart. Here’s a sneak peak of a few of them:

 

I’m also in the process of creating Handmade Photo Cards which will consist of metallic prints (I am in LOVE the metallic paper!) mounted onto cards with a hand stamped logo. Take a look:

My goal is to have these ready to roll for the holidays, so stay tuned!

On another exciting news front, be on the look out for a new Facebook Group VIP page that will feature sales, deals, giveaways, announcements and more! I think this will be the most effective way to communicate with you all when it comes to updates on my photo-crafting and design work since there are less limitations on FB via private groups. This way you can also receive instant notifications when I’ve got something new and exciting to share instead of having to scroll through the endless newsfeed to see updates.

And finally for the “And More” part of the post…I’ve recently gotten a lead on some professional grade indoor lighting equipment that I’m hoping to obtain in the near future. Who knows where that will lead!! I’ll keep you all posted!

In the meantime, stay warm and cozy, and enjoy this beautiful Fall weather!

With love,

Laura

Jonah & Julia’s Engagement

Oh these two just make me smile!

What a pleasure it was to do our niece and nephew-to-be, Julia & Jonah’s engagement photos. The love they have for one another was so evident in their demeanor that it was impossible not to capture it! Their laughter and joy (even their goofiness) only further proved that they are truly a match made in Heaven by the Lord – a pairing made to glorify God and reflect the Gospel.

It makes me think in particular about the way the Apostle Paul described the purpose of marriage in Ephesians 5:25-27, 31-32 – to be a reflection of Christ’s relationship to His church:

Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish…“Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.

Julia & Jonah, it was my true pleasure to take your engagement photos. I’m looking forward to our photo shoots in the future, and cannot wait to see you both united in marriage in 2017! What a blessing you both are, and I pray your relationship will continue to grow and be founded on the precious truth of God’s word – in Jesus!

Check out some of my favorite photos from Jonah and Julia’s shoot below, including a couple Word Art photos. : )

Blessings,
Laura

Winters End at Cunningham Falls

It was time to get OUT! Out of the house, out of the cold, damp, misery of winter, and into some adventuring in the beautiful sunshine. Finally, winters end is in sight!

Last Saturday brought the most gorgeous, sun-soaked day since this past, well, probably December given the unseasonably warm weather we had then. We were so ready for it! We jumped in our car, and traveled west to an outdoor location we had been wanting to explore since we moved east: Cunningham Falls State Park in Frederick County, MD.

We had attempted a fun, adventure-packed trip to said park this past fall, but my poor Jed came down with a nasty cold/flu bug the night we drove up to go camping. He was a real trooper and stuck the night out…but sleeping on the cold, hard ground in freezing temperatures with a raw throat, runny nose and feeling like someone plowed you over with a two ton semi truck does not make for an enjoyable camping experience (memorable maybe, but definitely not enjoyable). Needless to say, neither of us slept well (or at all in Jed’s case), so we decided to pack up camp as soon as we got up the next morning and save the exploring for another day.

And that day finally came at the perfect time – just when we needed a real break from the yuck of the winter blah. We were both relieved to soak up the sun and breath in that fresh, nearly-spring air. Jed even convinced me to go log-hopping across a couple streams, camera and all.

To celebrate winter melting away, here’s a few shots from the day. I’ve also added a couple of these to the site to be purchased as prints and/or digital downloads under “Cunningham Falls.” You can view and purchase them here: Fine Art Gallery.

Thanks for reading, and enjoy!

 

Photo below by Jed Crawford – nice shot babe!!

Winter is finally melting away!!

Another awesome shot by Jed:

Some funky lichen on the rock…also by Jed (love his eye for details!):

 

 

#Blizzard2016 + Sale!

It’s finally here…SNOW!!!
*cue White Christmas “SNOW” song*

I am LOVING this weather!!! It reminds me of being a kid, livin’ it up in the good ol’ Garrett County winters – making forts and mazes, jumping off the roof into three feet of snow, building a magnificent ‘jump’ and getting so much air on the snow tube that we could actually make the landing on our feet, snow ball battles, hot cocoa and soooo many laughs (there were probably some tears in there when we got smacked in the face with an ice ball…but I’m choosing to focus on the happy memories)!

So needless to say, I am all kinds of giddy this weekend at the prospect of 2+ feet during this blizzard! Not only does it mean snowball fights, snow angels and snowmen, but it also means more time for me to work on developing my business plans, and getting myself out there. Woohoo!

That being said, I’ve decided it’s time for a S-A-L-E! See below for all the details, but basically, if you’re looking for some fun, photography-type artwork, or you just had photos taken and want some large prints, now’s the time to act! Please feel free to contact me with any questions (crawfordphotodesign@gmail.com).

And last but not least – make the most of this snow storm! Get out there and have some serious FUN like never before. And hey – trudging through 2+ feet of snow is great exercise (and subsequently a good way to stick to those new years resolutions). So get out there and LIVE IT UP!!! 🙂

Your snow-lovin’ photographer friend,
Laura

 

 

Waiting for the Opportune Moment

The wait is over…

I’ve been eyeing up this gorgeous little tree, placed oh-so-perfectly in the middle of a farmer’s field, for several months just waiting for the opportune moment. And it finally came!

I spied this beauty a few months back on my way home from dropping my husband off at work. I was instantly (a little) jealous that he got to see this view everyday on his commute. I wondered what this little tree would look when it adorned it’s fall colors. So I waited, and watched: every chance I got to drive down to Cockeysville, I’d purposefully go by this field to see if the time had come.

And finally, one damp, cool afternoon, it arrived! I soaked it all in and enjoyed every second – thirty minutes, a couple soaked shoes, and a few chilly fingers later, I hiked back to my car triumphantly! Not only did I get some great shots of this scene which I had been picturing in my head for weeks, but I also managed to capture a few other delicious tid-bits of the dew-laden leaves. Success.

And now the best part: I get to share them with the world so you can enjoy them too!

You can now find these, and other, fine art prints available at my store!
Just go to my Fine Art Gallery, and you can purchase digital downloads or prints.

Happy Fall! Soak it in before the snow flies 🙂