***December 31, 2009*** I didn't get any valid entries for my contest so I don't have a winner to announce. But that's okay! I'm gonna think this one through again and maybe revise my "Giving is Awesome" campaign.   Christmas time isn't the only time of year we should think about giving. Keep watching my blog for updates!

***HAVE A HAPPY NEW YEAR!***

You know someone. You know someone who's experienced a tragedy, is struggling to stay afloat, is raising kids while holding down more than one job, or is volunteering selflessly despite extenuating personal circumstances. You know someone who can't afford custom photography, but who would cherish it this holiday season. You know someone who deserves a year-round reminder of their family's spirit, love, and beauty.

You know someone. I guarantee it.

I want to know who they are, and I want to give them the chance to experience complimentary custom wedding photography -- $2000 worth, to be exact. You see, the winner will receive:

*6 hours of wedding coverage,

*2 photographers (myself + 1 assistant photographer),

*[1] portrait session (for engagements or bridals),

*Online galleries,

*Enhanced, print-ready images on disc,

*$150 product credit

 

It's in your power to give them the artwork they deserve this holiday season.

Oh, and the best part? The person who nominates the winner receives a $300 portrait session for 2010. What better reason to show some love could there possibly be, people?

 

The rules:

* You cannot nominate yourself, and the person nominated must sincerely be incapable of purchasing my services. (Being unable to make mortgage payments for a two-million-dollar-vacation-home in Paris does not qualify as sincere financial need.)

* The nominee must reside in Houston, Texas. (Houstonians you know Houston - this means that Sugar Land, Katy, Pearland, The Woodlands are all included). Tell me who you know, what they're experiencing, and why they deserve my artwork. Please include a way to contact both your nominee and yourself as well.

*Prizes are not redeemable for cash and they're non-transferable.

*I can't already be booked for your date.

* You must e-mail me the full story: givelove@loveleephotography.com

Nominations must be received by Christmas Day. The winner will be announced on December 31, 2009 -- get nominating! I can't wait to read all of your entries! 

Open your heart to someone this holiday season -- and thanks for giving me the opportunity to open mine.

With love,

Margaret Lee

 

Earlier this week, I had the pleasure of photographing a super cool event! Divisi Strings and LG Entertainment debuted their new sound, rightfully named "Collide." It was like classical meets hip hop meets rock and it was all packaged in a totally mind-blowing, bada$$ sound. I've never heard anything like it before and there were so many times that I just wanted to throw down my camera and dance! The party was presented by Chic Soiree Wedding & Event Design. As usual, Sabrina Patrick did an ultra fabulous job of designing a very classy and modern show. Everything was FANTASTIC!

Click HERE for the gallery to see more!

I love my job. I love being a photographer. One thing that makes my job different from most is not having co-workers. So that I have social interaction with like-minded people in my career, I make time to hang out with the Pack. We're basically a group of people who like to talk about what we love...photography!  So far the Pack consists of myself, Julie, Jenna Dee, Kimberly and Jocelyn. If you love photography like we do and are ever interested in joining us for one of our get togethers, just shoot me an email! For our last meeting we met up at Jenna Dee's house with plans to shoot in the evening without flash. After a couple hours of talking shop, we headed over to the City Centre. 

I'm in the midst of getting some great weddings to blog about. In the meantime I wanted to share some fun pics that my friend Julie and I got at a wedding she helped me shoot last night. Julie had a great blog post a few weeks ago about our "Pack." It's nothing fancy, just a few of us girls with a great common interest - our love for photography! One of the great things about our "Pack" is that we learn from each other and help each other out when needed. This photobooth was a lot of fun and a big hit with the guests. It was provided by Texas Photobooth. It was a nice change from the usual break I take at a wedding. Sometimes I just sit in a quiet place for like 5 minutes to recharge myself, but this break was so much more fun!

I'm in Paris! So far my trip here has been AMAZING! Today we wrapped up Day 2 of The Boudoir Divas workshop. I have to say that the things I've been learning here are priceless. I've met some really fantastic photographers too. It's really nice and refreshing to meet a group of women who have the same love and passion as I do for photography.  To top it off, I get to explore Paris when we're not in the workshop. I've gotten to see some magnificent things here...from the Notre Dame Cathedral, to the Eiffel Tower, to the Mona Lisa at the Louvre! The Metro system here in Paris is incredibly easy to navigate through. I highly recommend touring the city on your own, rather than paying for one of those hosted day tours.

I cannot wait to show you some of the fabulous images I've captured here at the workshop. For now, here I am at a souvenir shop right outside the Notre Dame Cathedral. Do you see me? Enjoy!