I can’t wait for their wedding!  It’s in less than two weeks!  I’m so excited because it will be on Celebrations! Cruise Lines!

Off they go into the Real World…

I was happy to have my most recent Senior up for some last minute portraits to commemorate, this, her final year!

I’m very excited to be getting ready for the Class of 2010!  Looking forward to seeing new faces, and meeting new people!

Well, I do.  And since I am the Maid of Honor, for my sister’s wedding, I get to do it all over again.  (Only this time it’s more fun!)  And I get to be on the other side of weddings or awhile, which definitely gives me insight on what you ladies are all going through!  (though, I will tell you that if your job is “shooting the girl in the white dress”, having a camera in David’s Bridal on a Saturday afternoon is not a good idea -your brain will melt…)

Between work and my sister’s wedding, I have come across some of the best wedding vendors on the planet…  I can’t brag enough about Madison Avenue Bridal, in Covington… by far my FAVORITE dress boutique…  (I am a little disappointed that my sister chose not to get our dresses there -actually… I’m a little mad about it…)  If you haven’t found THE DRESS, I can almost guarantee you’ll find IT there.  They have a HUGE selection of the best dresses… seriously…  I LOVE that place!

I’m also pretty excited about The Bell Event Center in Cincinnati.  OMGoodness, is it not the absolute COOLEST venue in town!?  I sooo wish I could shoot EVERY wedding there.  The venue itself is GORGEOUS, with HUGE stained glass windows, balconies, architectural details -the works… but it also appeals to the guys, too… with big gears, bells, and all kinds of cool stuff.

I had fun on Saturday, shooting Lauren and Jim for the Engagement Pictures.

It was pretty cold on Saturday!  I have to say that these two are troopers.  And a lot of fun, I could have hung out with them all day!

We had their engagement session at Eden Park.  Eden Park is oe of my favorite places in the city, because it has so many different environments.

I can’t wait for May, to shoot Lauren’s bridal portraits.  They are getting married in Lauren’s hometown in Utah, so sadly, I won’t be shooting their wedding…

I’m changing some stuff up, both here and on my website.  Going back to my old logo, and redesigning my website, almost from the ground up.  I have some very exciting weddings and portrait sessions coming up in the next few months, so you’ll see some new faces in my galleries, too!  You may have noticed that client proofing has been down for some time.  I had a little bug (no, not a virus -just an issue with coding that I have been having problems fixing), and that’s one of the catalysts for the site redesign.  So once, I’ve gotten the thing completed, you’ll be able to view your galleries, again.  I’m sorry for the confusion, but it’s going to be fixed soon!

This month, I’ll be shooting Lauren and Jim’s engagement photos, as well as some awesome maternity shots with one of my favorite brides of all time!  April brings the third annual Portraits in the Park, on the 18th.  Where I am offering free mini sessions.  ( Email me for more information on how to reserve a free session or book a full session, and receive a free 5×7.)

Then, in May, I’ll be shooting Julie and Jerome’s wedding on Celebrations!  I’m very excited to get shooting this season.  I’ve spent all winter designing and ordering samples, so some new sessions are greatly anticipated!  And don’t forget, that the 25% off sale is still going, until April 15th!

And you can follow me on Twitter @ http://twitter.com/rspettigrew .  And also Facebook!

So I am working on my new office… it’s been pretty frustrating… Just when I think I have it all planned out… I change my mind!  As of now… it contains a few photos on the wall, a desk and a filing cabinet…

I’m thinking I need some inspiration…

2008 was a fantastic year for me, both professionally and personally.  We bought a new home, which we are absolutely in love with, especially after all the headaches it took to get us here! The best part is that it has a room off of the garage, that I can use for my studio (once it’s finished).  No more Starbucks meetings for me!

I also got to work with some great people!  To all of you, thanks, for helping me build my portfolio!  Here are some of my favorites of 2008.  Enjoy!

One thing that moving away from home does, is make you one of the last to know… I just found out that my high school art teacher, Mr. Gary Simendinger passed away in 2005.  “Simmy” was one of the first teachers to encourage me to become an artist.  To be honest, he was one of the ONLY teachers to encourage me down this path.  I am saddened beyond words at his passing.

He was always willing to help, when I was stuck on something.  Always willing to critique work, that had nothing to do with school work, and saw my “weirdness” as a sign of creativity.  So here’s to you, Mr. Simendinger.  And thank you, so much, for leading me down that primrose path.

I’ve been super busy this fall!  Weddings, Seniors, babies, and moving!  We finally got moved into our new house!  And I had nearly two weeks without internet access!  Our new house is an old house, so we had to have the cable, phone, and internet all re-wired! With that, all of our email addresses have changed.  If you have been corresponding with me via rebeccapettigrew@fuse.net, make note that that email address will no longer work.  The new email address is info@rebeccapettigrew.com, as reflected on my website.

My most recent shoot was right after I moved with Alyssa!

It’s been quite a ride, but I finally get a chance to breathe (and blog)!   On September 20th, I worked with Rachael and Brian!  What a great couple! So much fun to work with, and clearly very much in love!  Here are a few of my favorite shots from their wedding!