A Face with a Name...

So, I'm getting a lot of requests to put a photo of me on the website. (I have admittedly slacked on this item for some time...) I will try to do so sometime this week.

So, for those of you who have never met me, here I am. Hopefully this helps to put a face with a name.

Have a good day!

Brown Family

I was visited by the Brown Family this morning. The youngest family member was without a doubt the center of the family's attention (as it should be!) She was so energetic, had the cutest little grin, and darling ringlets. The family of eight this morning was so patient while everyone took turns to get their picture taken with the little lady. And she was a trooper... most little ones don't make it much past 20 or 30 minutes...she was a champ for over an hour!

One of the pictures shown below is a generation picture. The picture shows four generations of family. It means a great deal that this family would entrust me with an event as important as capturing this.

Many folks ask me why I chose to pursue photography, and what the catalyst was. It is without a doubt the ability to remind families and couples how important they are to each other. My hope is that in 20 years, this young lady will pick up these pictures (shown below) and remember her great grandmother and also remember how much her mother loves her. She will have these memories for the rest of her life... and that gives me tremendous satisfaction.

Anyway, here are some of my favorites from this morning... Enjoy the little ringlets!

McDowell Shoot

This morning I had the pleasure of shooting the McDowell family. This little boy was so happy during the shoot! He really had a wonderful personality, and it was obvious that his mother and grandmother's laid-back yet supportive demeanor allowed him to thrive in the studio. Check out his eyes and eyelashes... they are amazing! Here are some of my favorites from the shoot this morning.

Enjoy!

Picnic

Yesterday I was asked to shoot a company picnic. I was aked to be there by 6:30 to shoot the golfers. The sunrise was gorgeous, and made getting up at 5:00 worth it!

After running around in a golf cart, I went over to the main picnic, where I was able to capture some unposed shots of parents and kids interacting, which (as you may know) is among my favorite things in the world to shoot.

I couldn't post all of the pictures, as I don't have permission from more than one or two sets of parents. However, I just love the picture of the boy watching the baseball game, and so I am modifying the picture to protect his privacy, but still posting it for all to look at.

Enjoy!

$100 Gift Certificates (Free... first come, first served!)

I have a few $100 gift certificates left that I had given to previous clients earlier this year. These certificates are valid for $100 in free photographs with a new photogaphy session. (Unfortunately, they are not valid on previous sessions.) These gift certificates expire in 2007.

I have a few of them left, and if anyone would like me to mail a gift certificate to them, I would be happy to! If you wish to receive a certificate, please e-mail me at beth@bethmerritt.com and provide your mailing address.

Why I am doing this, you ask? I see this as a way to meet new clients, and to also thank my existing clients. So, whether this is for yourself or for a friend, feel free to request one!

Have a great day!

Triplets!

I must admit that one of my favorite shoots has to be the three triplets I have been shooting since six months old. Every time their mom calls up to make an appointment I get really excited. I have taken pictures of them three times now, and every session has been so much fun!

This family is truly one of the most amazing families I have ever met. Most people can barely handle one or two children... let alone three toddler triplets. The patience and love their mom and dad have for their children is humbling, and I think the pictures show just how amazing this family is.

Anyway, here are some of my favorites from the shoot. (I absolutely love the ones of Dad and his daughter!)

Enjoy!

Giving Back...

I am a member of Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep (NILMDTS). NILMDTS is a non-profit organization made up of volunteer photographers that provide bereavement photography services free of charge to families experiencing early infant loss. There are approximately 3,000 NILMDTS photographers worldwide.

I received a call about two weeks ago from the sister of a mother that had lost her newborn. The sister had heard of NILMDTS, but the hospital had not informed the family that this service was available to them. Bothered by this, I called the hospital. Indeed, the head of nursing in Labor & Delivery did not know about our organization. I am in the process of contacting and educating the hospitals in the northern Detroit suburbs. However, it may take a couple of weeks.

If there is a situation where someone could benefit from the NILMDTS services, please feel free to forward the website (nowilaymedowntosleep.org), or have the hospital contact me for further information (248-425-6008.) It is generally not ideal for the family to contact the photographers, generally because of their inability to communicate clearly due to their immense grief.

NILMDTS is an organization much bigger than me. There are many photographers in the state of Michigan that participate.

I hope you will never need - nor know anyone that needs - our serivces. But in the awful event that you or a friend need NILMDTS, I wanted you to know that we exist.

God bless...

MacDonald Family

I had the honor of shooting the MacDonald family this weekend. What a great family! The last time I saw them was when their son was barely sitting up. (He's so grown up now!) Their little boy had just learned to walk and is now so independent. He did really well, but got a little intimidated when he got to the stairs. Here are a few of my favorite pictures from our session... (as you can see, I liked one of the pictures so much, I used it for my banner!)

Enjoy!

New Blog

I have decided to start a new blog. A friend of mine suggested this... mainly because I am terrible at updating my website. There is a lot of exciting stuff going on right now, and I think this may a good way to keep my friends and clients up to date. (I will get my website updated soon though!)

Please feel free to copy the pictures on my blog and put them into your screensaver, your computer desktop, or your myspace site. All I ask is that you keep the little border on the picture!

Enjoy!