Meet the Moms - it's time to VOTE!

The time has come for the voting to begin! I’m so excited about this. There were so many awesome moms that were nominated – so many stories shared – so much love in Wilmington alone. It was so difficult to narrow it down to just 10 that the panel of judges just couldn’t do it – so now we have the Top 11. Who am I to argue with the judges!

Now, the rest is up to you! You have a tough job ahead of you because all these moms deserve to win. And remember – the winner receives a $400 portrait package, hair cut and style, personal training, dinner out, and gifts.

Here’s how the voting works. Below are the 11 contestants, each with a picture and brief description written by a loved one. If you want to read the whole story, you can click http://danajacksonphotography.com/stories.txt
and read all of the stories on one looooong page. If that’s a bit overwhelming for you – you can just click on the link next to each picture to read just their story. Then, once you’ve made your decision – you need to focus your attention on the poll to the right of this blog. Yep – right there on the right! Now, all you have to do is click on the contestant you think deserves to be celebrated.

Have fun, be fair, and celebrate life with me!


Contestant #1
Dana A - nominated by her friend, Betsy.
Quick stats: mother of 3 - one teen and two in their 20s.

"She deserves to be celebrated because she would never acknowledge that who she is and what she does, is extraordinary."

Read more: http://danajacksonphotography.com/dana.txt





Contestant #2
Tre C - nominated by her husband, David.
Quick Stats: mom to 1 child - under 6 months old.

"She is a wonderful mother, who wants all the best for our son and a wonderful wife who is willing to do anything for me."

Read more: http://danajacksonphotography.com/tre.txt




Contestant #3
Jessica E - nominated by her husband, Andrew.
Quick stats: mom to 2 - ages 1 and 3

"Just thinking of what she does for our kids motivates me to be a better father."


Read more: http://danajacksonphotography.com/jessica.txt




Contestant #4
Liz G - nominated by her friend, Jessica
Quick stats: mom to one 3yr old son.

"Above all, I think that Liz winning this contest would mean that she would be putting herself first for once. That is the greatest prize of all."

Read more: http://danajacksonphotography.com/liz.txt





Contestant #5
Sun Ye H - nominated by her daughter, Victoria.
Quick stats: 2 grown children, 1 grandchild.

"I am so proud to call her my mom! Her example of motherhood is one that I will strive to live up to for the rest of my life!"


Read more: http://danajacksonphotography.com/sun_ye.txt




Contestant #6
Elizabeth J (Beth J) - nominated by her sister-in-law, Elizabeth.
Quick stats: mom to 3 - 17, 16, and 12.

"Beth's unselfish nature has required her to save her pennies for her kids and not spend on herself. The pampering gifts you offered would be a fabulous way to give back to such a compassionate lady who is so deserving."

Read more: http://danajacksonphotography.com/elizabeth.txt


Contestant #7
Jennifer K - nominated by her son, JB.
Quick stats: mom to 5 - ages 4-18.

"She is a constant insperation to me and the rest of us. We want her to be recognized as who she is, a truly awsome mom."

Read more: http://danajacksonphotography.com/jennifer.txt


Contestant #8
Sandra M - nominated by her daughter, Jaimee.
Quick stats: mom to 18yr old twins

"I think of my mom as one of my best friends and someone I can always come to for anything.....she lifts me up when I’m down, mends my broken heart, and always has advice to give. I thank her so much for it, and I thank God so much for her."

Read more: http://danajacksonphotography.com/sandra.txt




Contestant #9
Jenn T - nominated by her husband, David.
Quick stats: mom to two boys - ages 2 and 3.5

"I am truly amazed at the balance she is able to provide to our family. Jenn is the most energetic and unselfish person that I have ever met."
Read more: http://danajacksonphotography.com/jenn.txt



Contestant #10
Brenda W - nominated by her daughter, Melissa.
Quick stats: mom to 4 grown children - "grammie" to 3 - ages 1-5

"She is also a wonderful "grammie" to my kids and gives them more love and attention than a child could ever imagine-even if she has just worked all night long and hasn't slept yet!"
Read more: http://danajacksonphotography.com/brenda.txt

Contestant #11
Allyson Y - nominated by her mom, Connie.
Quick stats: mom to two - ages 5months and 5 years.

"As a daughter, I see love, mercy, caring, and all the characteristics of God in her! Just simply by the way she lives."

Read more: http://danajacksonphotography.com/allyson.txt

Celebrating Moms - almost voting time!

Ok, the nominations have come in. And boy was it hard to pick even a top 10! I'm so glad the rest of you have to do the rest of the picking - because there is no way I could do it!

I had intended on having the voting already started - but we have been grieving the death of a great man, Eddie (my husband's) grandfather. I am still out of town - and hope to have everything up and running tomorrow or Thursday at the lastest!

Thanks so much for your patience!

Celebrating Noah | Wilmington, NC baby photographer

Meet Noah - just 3 months old - and so, so, cute! He was in Wilmington for a short amount of time visiting his grandmother. I'm so glad his mom contacted me to help celebrate his 3 month birthday!

He has the biggest, most beautiful eyes, that I feel look right into your soul. It was very hard for me to narrow down just 5 sneak peeks!
Hanging out with mom.....I love his sweet little expression here.

As he was hanging out - he grabbed his hands and it was so sweet! I'm glad I was quick with the shutter button because we all know 3 month olds don't hold positions too long!

Don't let this sleeping image fool you! He was so tired - but was such a fighter. We thought he was pretty much out - and he jumped at the sound of the shutter click - and was wide awake after that!

He's hanging out on mom's shoulder here - I could just eat him up!

Don't forget to leave comments when you stop by! I love to read what you think (and the parent's do, too!)

Celebrating Health | Wilmington, NC Photographer

I met with Janet and her husband at a local park to really celebrate her health. Last week she graduated from a 16-week program from http://www.muscleworx.com/index.htm - the same program I followed last fall with amazing results. Janet looks amazing and you can tell she feels amazing, too.
She brought this beautiful purple shawl - and I had to take a picture of her in it. The color is beautiful on her - I can tell why it's her favorite!

Since we were at the park - and she's feeling younger than ever - I thought we could have fun on the playground equipment. As she slid down the slide with a huge smile on her face she said, "it's been years and years since I've been on a slide." I love that she was willing to have fun with this session.

Being on a swing can really make you feel like a kid again! Isn't she just beautiful?

Her husband is an avid tennis player. She doesn't play herself, but enjoys watching him play.

It was such a fun session - and I was so happy to be a part of Janet's celebration!

Celebrating Moms - Mother's Day Contest | Wilmington Photographer

This ad will stay at the top until the nomination period ends - if you're browsing through - keep going!

Are you ready for a contest? Are you ready to Celebrate a really great mom? Well, first you have to NOMINATE her!

As a mom, I have very few pictures of me with my son or family. How can I? I'm always behind the camera. This is not the plight of a photographer - it's the plight of a mom. Moms are always being the scenes - but this contest is going to change that! I'm looking for a mom that deserves to be in front of the camera, that deserves to be captured with her children; regardless of their age. I'm looking for a mom, any mom, that deserves to WIN big!

The winning mom will receive a custom photo session by Dana Jackson Photography (in the Wilmington area) and a $300 print credit. She will also receive gifts from area businesses: personal training from Marisa at http://www.muscleworx.com/services.htm, hair cut and style from Emily at http://bellezzaontheweb.com/, dinner at http://www.oceangrill.us/, and gifts from Le Soleil http://livebythesun.com/!

If you know of a mom that deserves this great prize - then YOU have to nominate her!!! Don't wait, do it now!

To nominate her just fill out the nomination form giving some basic info about why you think she deserves to be celebrated and include a picture. Be creative, be specific in your description of this awesome MOM! The descriptions are a MAJOR part of the deciding factor! You can attach a picture right on the form, e-mail one to me, or drop one in the mail. **In respect to copyright laws, no professional pictures will be accepted unless a signed release is included. Snapshots are just fine - any picutre will do as long as the mom you are nominating is in there somewhere! Nomination and pictures will be collected from Feb 21, 2009 until March 14, 2009 (that's just 3 weeks - so get to work). You may nominate as many moms as you wish. There are a lot of deserving moms out there. A team of photographers will narrow down the top 10 contestants - and then YOU, the viewers of Dana Jackson Photography's blog, will do the final voting. The contestant with the most votes, WINS!

The winner must be available for a photo session during the month of April in order to have prints in time for Mother's Day. The winner must also be willing to sign a model release so I can share the images with all of you!

If the winner is a mom that you nominated - you win, too! You will receive $100 print credit and your next booked session. The more moms you nominate - the greater your chances of winning.

Nomination Form: Celebrating Moms - nomination form

Do you want to win? Then tell a friend, your husband, your family to nominate you! You deserve it, too!

I'm so excited about this! If you have any questions - don't hesitate to ask! Just post them in comments below - so everyone can benefit - and I'll answer on here, too.

Celebrating Pregancy | Maternity Photographer, Leland, NC

I hooked up with Bethany and Chris over the weekend for a maternity session. Bethany is due in June with her very first baby! I'm not going to tell if it's a boy or a girl - you'll have to keep up with the blog to watch their newborn debut!
Nothing like taking a break for a nice foot rub! What a great husband!

By looking at these two - you can just tell they are going to make a beautiful baby!
Ok, first of all - isn't Bethany just beautiful! Really - stunning! Second - for those that know where we live - this was taken in Leland! Didn't know we had beaches in Leland did you?
Don't forget to leave congratulations for this beautiful couple - and make sure you keep watching to see their newborn!

And one on the way makes 4 | Maternity Photography, Wilmington, NC

Maternity session that include big brother or sister often turn in to the best family sessions and this beautiful family was no exception! Those who know me know that I love to capture the connections between people - and I'm so excited to share the amazing connection this family has. Big brother "E" was so much fun - I could have followed him around all day! Just look at the way he's looking at his mom. Pure love!

He was helping test out the light - such an infectious smile/laugh - I had to share!

Such a beautiful family

This whole session was sweet moment after sweet moment!

I was playing around with their shadows - and I love how big brother "E" came right in the middle!

Celebrating Walker | Newborn Photographer, Leland, NC

Ahhhhh - a baby that slept, and slept, and slept! Meet Walker - just 1 week old. He was so sweet, and didn't seem to mind me moving him again, and again, and again!

Safe in Daddy's arms - can you say, "Knocked Out"

I love newborn smiles. Just love them.

Don't let Big Brother Evan's expression be misleading. He LOVED holding his baby brother. Once I got a couple shots, I asked him if he was done, and he said, "No, let's do more." I could eat them up!

Might just be one of my favorite newborn images of all time. Sigh.

Emily and Doug - you make some beautiful boys! Congrats!