2008 was a wild, wacky, and fabulous year – I met so many new people, took more photographs than I’ve ever taken in a calendar year, and I have been busy, busy, busy! I am so thankful for all of you – clients, family, friends, blog readers, blog stalkers, blog commenters (*ahem* I loves me some comments…)… but speaking of clients…

#10 – The Uptons. This shoot holds a special place in my heart. It’s the first ever shoot I had that wasn’t my friends or family to begin with, so I consider it the beginning of Deena Riley Photography. Hooray! The Uptons are an adorable family and we went to a fun location to shoot…

This year I hope to go to some more fun locations – I’d love to do some Spring Break Shoots (the week of March 16) at the Arboretum… anyone game? Special pricing will be involved (I’m thinkin’ discounts!)… Comment / e-mail me! I’ll put you on the list and we’ll work out the day and time in the coming weeks!

#9 – Samantha. These images were taken in Downtown Dallas for her Quincinera Celebration. I loved the modern feel and architecture we were able to incorporate!

Speaking of discounts… I am rearranging my pricing in general (again). I know, I know… I *just* announced 2009 pricing a few weeks ago. However, Mikel and I worked with some fabulous resources last week that really helped me focus what I want to do with my business and what kind of photographer I am going to be… so watch for a post in the very near future with a pricing update (that is really in your favor!).

#8 – Plano Cheer. It’s been quite the adventure working with these kiddos this year. Mikel and I have been to some fun locations and ran our rear ends off to keep up with them! I chose two photos to represent them in this retrospective… the first being the infamous photo of Roland’s face as he watches Taylor fall out of a stunt (Taylor was fine…). This photo makes me laugh every time – which is really what we did with the kiddos… laugh… a lot. The second is of the gorgeous Varsity Mascot, Brittany… I loved this mini-portrait session with her – it captured her spunky attitude and said “mascot” without the big, paper maiche head!

Speaking of Mikel… as part of our big planning session for 2009 we wrote the DRP mission statement and set some lofty goals for 2009. One of those goals was to train Mikel as a photographer. Woohoo! We’ll be looking for some models in February to act as guinea pigs for some of Mikel’s first shoots. Models should have a decent attention span and patience (whether they be young or old) because I’ll be coaching Mikel through the shoot and we’ll be going a little slower than normal. Models willing to volunteer will receive their session free of charge, receive discounts on products, and have goodies thrown in for being so fabulously patient! Shoot me an e-mail if you’re interested.

#7 – Toni. I loved this day even though it was hot, hot, hot on location. Toni had the pregnant mama glow thing down and looked beautiful in every shot I took of her!

Mamas-to-be – be on the look out – Mama and Baby plans will be announced soon. They’ll be designed to capture the big milestones of your baby’s first year of life, including maternity photos for you and newborn, 3 / 6 / 9 / 12 month sessions with some super cool surprises!

#6 – Sarah’s Calendar Shoots. Being able to help such a wonderful couple on their road toward adoption was such a joy and I got to meet so many beautiful families along the way. This is one of Miss Addison:

DRP will be getting more involved with charitable organizations and events throughout the year. Look for info on how you can get involved as the year goes on!

#5 -Devin. Yet another cool location and beautiful subject! I had a lot of fun playing with the fabulous fall light and sun flare that afternoon!

Seniors – I am working on a Senior Referral Program that will help you earn credit towards your photography purchases! Stay tuned!

#4 – The Fegraeus Family. I photographed these gorgeous girls for their family Christmas Card this year. Their mom picked a photo to be the main image for the card that was adorable, but Kelsey’s hair got a little wackadoodle because she had Kendall on her back (there was some unfortunate loopage). So, I set to work with my Photoshoppin’ skills and ended up with my favorite edit of the year (I also worked with the colors some to make the over look richer as well…)

The 2009 Christmas Season is already in its planning stages. I learned a lot this year and can’t wait to offer even better options to my clients for the holidays this year! My design brain is already working and can’t wait to show y’all all of the cool options!

#3 – Katie. OK, bias here… Katie’s my second cousin (that would make her my cousin’s daughter, for those of you not hep on family tree lingo…). This image was captured of her when she was only a couple of weeks old. She did surprisingly well for a baby that “old” (those cuddly, roly poly newborn images are best done in the first week if at all possible so they sleep through all of the madness!).

This image of Katie has been turned into a gorgeous studio sample canvas wrap… you must come by and see it (and all of the other fabulous product samples I have!). More are in the works as well… so many gorgeous options to compliment your home’s decor!

#2 – Amanda. Amanda’s senior photos were a combination of all of the right things – gorgeous girl, great location, and Mother Nature throwing in a little free “Supermodel Wind”!

And finally… drum roll please… my #1:

Ethan!

Ok… I couldn’t pick one image… I had to do 2 from his session. This session was done in his home just 5 days after birth. It was so casual and relaxed – Mama had to feed him in the middle of the session so that he would go back to sleep – absolutely no pressure or time constraints. Just a nice afternoon of photography and I love the images that came out of it!

Thanks for following along this mammoth post! I had a hard time choosing images (really, I loved every session this year – and I’m not just saying that!). I look forward to a great 2009… keep checking back for all kinds of new, fun things!