2nd Annual Mother's Day Giveaway ~ Idaho Lifestyle Portrait Photographer

UPDATE: Entries are now closed. Thanks for all the participants. Winner will be selected by random drawing and announced once notified. 

It's the 2nd Annual Mother's Day Giveaway from Maggie Malson Photography!

I'm so excited to be partnering with some other really great local business women this year

to offer a fabulous package.

Who's there to kiss the boo-boos, dispense hugs at all hours of the day, run to and from activities, put nutritious meals on the table, help with homework, take care of the home, be a shoulder to cry on or someone to laugh with? It's Mom! And Mom deserves a great big Thank You!

Whether you are a mom, a mother-figure to others, or have a favorite mom in your life (your own mother, a friend, aunt, grandma or other mother), then this giveaway is for you!


What You Win: 
Let's face it. Moms are usually the ones on the backside of the camera, trying to preserve all life's moments. Let's get mom in front of the camera with her family laughing, hugging, enjoying family time! Winner will receive a complimentary lifestyle portrait session with Maggie Malson Photography. Session also includes $100 print credit. Session will take place in the fall of 2011 and is valued at $250. (Photographer will travel up to 100 miles from Parma, Idaho, with no additional travel expenses.)


And to give mom a chance to relax with friends, Heather Madden of Mary Kay has donated a  "Panorama of Pampering" Girls Night Out for Mom and up to four friends! This evening will including a pampering pedicure, hand treatment, facial, mineral cosmetics, refreshments and a $40 shopping spree!!


What mom doesn't love a bit of sparkle and shine? Jennifer Morgan of Jewels by Park Lane is offering a jewelry package with pendant and earrings, valued at $120.


Finally, what Mom doesn't want her home to filled with love and some wonderful scents? Crystal Herzberg with Scentsy has donated a plug-in warmer and Scentsy Bars to the lucky winner.

How to Enter:

Make a comment on this blog post about "Why I love being a Mom" OR "What I love most about the mom in my life". (This is the only required entry.)

You can receive additional entries by doing the following: 
     -Follow Maggie Malson Photography on Facebook.
     -Sign up for the MMP Newsletter.
     -Post about this giveaway on Facebook with a link to this post! (Example: Check out the fabulous Mother's Day Giveaway from Maggie Malson Photography)
     -Tweet about our giveaway with a link!
     -Blog about our giveaway with a link!
     -Check out Heather, Jennifer and Crystal's websites and make a comment about your favorite product from each.


Come back and comment here that you’ve done so – each entry requires its own separate comment. You can enter up to seven times total. The more you share, the more chances to win. Entries close at 10 p.m. MDT on Friday, May 6, 2011. Winner will be selected by random drawing.


Good luck! Don't forget to tell the man in your life to enter too because you would love to win this!

What's your favorite way to display? ~ Idaho Portrait Photographer

I thought it would be fun to hear and see how my clients, friends, fans and any blog stalkers I might have out there like to display their favorite memories-be it professional portraits or just snapshots they have taken. So, how about it? I'd love to hear what you do with those special moments! If you have a photo-even better. You can either send it to me at info@maggiemalsonphotography.com or post it to my Facebook fan page. I'll go first. Here's one wall of our living room. I have two other walls in this room that have photos displayed too, but this one is probably my favorite.

On the left, I have three 8X10 Gallery Mounts that I took of our kiddos. I love the plate rack my SIL gave me as a birthday gift. It made a great way to display these images. I normally wouldn't put 8X10's on the wall unless there was more than one. They are just too small by themselves unless in a really tight space, so this worked out beautifully.


In the center of the wall is my favorite--the 20X30 gallery wrapped canvas of our family. I swapped family sessions with fellow local photographer, Amber Fischer, and she captured a beautiful moment for us. I love it and it makes me smile EVERY time I look at it. That's what art of your family is supposed to do. :0) And that's why I think ART of your own children or family should be on your walls. What a great way to share the memories of them and show your kiddos how much they mean to you? My girls love the collages I made for each of them to sit on their desks from their birthday sessions.


I admit, I used to be freaked out about large wall portraits and thought 11X14 was large. I'm a big scrapbooker too (well used to be-I'm so behind now, but am determined to get caught up!). If it didn't fit in a 12X12 album, I thought it was too big. However, I knew when we did this session, that I wanted to order a big canvas. In fact, I really wished I'd ordered a larger one, 24X36 or even 30X40! And once I hung it on the wall, I was hooked! We have several other large (16X20 or bigger) canvases and Gallery Mounts on other walls of our home now too. And again, every time I looked at these images I just smile and remember.


Well, what if I have a small home or little wall space, you ask? Well, I realize that can be an issue. And there are a few options. Either get the biggest wall portrait or canvas you can to fit the space to give a big impact with just one image (really don't be afraid of going big) or try using several smaller prints together to create a collage look on the wall. You can put them in the same frame with matting, identical frames or mix and match frames, depending on your style and decor. However, I would recommend keeping the space between  frames small, as that will also give the images more impact. If you think you have to spread them out to fill up space, you probably need a bigger print size. As a service to my portrait clients, I can also help them create wall groupings with portraits from their sessions. I can even show you what your prints will look like in different spaces in your home. 

I have used Gift Prints (8X10 or smaller) together in several places in our home, either on the wall or a shelf, piano, dresser, etc. In this photo, you can see I put two 4X6's from that same family session on a small magnet board. Normally, I believe 4X6's only belong in a scrapbook or on a desk, but grouped together they can make a nice display.


Finally, on the side table is a Keepsake Album I designed from that session. I wanted to have all of our images in one place. It is a hardbound press-printed photobook with a leather cover and UV-coated hinged pages. I love how durable it is; I don't get as nervous when our two-year-old wants to look through it as I do the paper albums I've printed from scrapbook places. (Still glad I have those, but there is a big difference in quality between the two.) The girls love looking at it also! I don't worry about the pages getting torn or how it will last for several generations. I know that it is a keepsake we can enjoy for years and pass down through the family.


Whether you have big wall portraits or small gift prints in frames, or even have done something totally different with your favorite memories, what really matters is that you are capturing them, displaying them and enjoying them! I'd love to hear and see about what creative things you do, so please share! Thanks!

Little Beauties ~ Nampa Children's Photographer

Last Saturday I had the pleasure of capturing these little beauties during a Portrait Party! What's a portrait party you ask? Well, it's where you get to be the Hostess of the party, provide a location, some refreshments and invite all your friends to enjoy some good times, and we capture some beautiful images for you. Mini sessions are 20 minutes for up to four subjects. One Gift Print (8X10 or smaller) is included. Guests also receive watermarked images emailed to them to share with family and friends, a password protected online gallery to view proofs and special pricing on portrait products. The Hostess also earns portrait products! Call me for more details!

Miss A and Miss H were are such dolls. Miss A enjoyed playing with the tea party set and Easter eggs we had available. She is full of personality, and I loved all the expressions she showed me when I asked to see her happy, sad, mad and silly faces. Six-month-old H didn't want mommy to get very far away, and she took a little warming up, but she has the cutest grin. And I love those cheeks! Her mom Becca made that adorable headband to match big sis's skirt too. She's a graphic designer and super creative. It was fun meeting her and her sweet girls! Thanks again! As always, if this blog post receives 10 or more comments, the D family will receive a complimentary 5X7 print of one of these images.