Welcome Marshall

 Is there anything sweeter than a sleeping baby? This is baby Marshall.  I have a feeling this boy is going to break some young girls hearts in the future.  He looks so precious here.  I love my job.

Alabama fans may have something to worry about in about 18 years.  Yes, Marshall is one of those Tennessee Fanatics.  For years I have photographed his big sisters in Tennessee stuff.  Can't wait to have some fun with Marshall in all of the Volunteer gear.

Trick or Treat Halloween Contest

     Was your kid the scariest creature or maybe the cutest this Halloween?  Maybe it was you or even your pet?  Did you take an image of it?
      If so then you need to enter it into our facebook Halloween Contest.  It is easy to enter and vote for you favorite. And if your entry receives the most likes then you will win a $10 gift card from a local store or restaurant of your choice.

Here is how to enter:
1. Go to the Denise Clay Photography fan page
2. You must like the DCP page before you can enter or vote
3. Post on the DCP page your favorite Halloween image
4. Ask your family and friends to vote by liking the image
5. The easiest way to share this with your friends is to click on the photo once it is posted on the DCP page.
6. Once you have only the photo on the page, you can share it by clicking on share.
7. Be sure to type a message to your friends to vote by liking the image in the box.
8. You can also copy and paste the url into a new status update.

     On Nov 10th at 9pm, I am going to look at the total number of likes for each entry on the DCP page and the one with the most likes wins!

Have fun!

Growning up

      Maybe it is the mom in me, but I have noticed over the years that the kids I photograph become almost like my own kids to me.  This is especially true for those kids I photograph since they were just babies. 
      The beauty of this is I get to send them back home with mom and dad after the session.  Hum, that is starting to sound like a grandmaw.  Let's move on to the point of the blog post before I grow any older.
       I have photographed both of these two girls since before they were even born; we did a maternity sessions for both.  And I have had the pleasure of watching these two girls grow up. 
      Now I know Ella and Nora are not grown up.  They are still young girls, but it has been really cool to be a part of their lives.
      Ella is in school now and Nora is helping mom with their new brother.  Yes, they have a little brother to torture, um I mean watch now.

     While we were doing the maternity session for Marshall, I spent some time photographing the girls.  The girls were so much fun that day. 
      We kept it simple and just focus on the different personalities of the girls.  They each played it up for the camera, but still showed their sweet quiet side as well. 
      I just love these two images from the session.  The first one shows the love between the two sisters.  This one shows the shy quiet side of Nora.
      While I was there talking to their mom, Ella showed just what a big girl she has become. She took care of her little sister without even having to be asked.
      I was so proud of Ella.  She has grown up into a great big sister.

Loaves and Fishes

One of my favorite stories in the Bible is when Jesus fed thousands of people with just a loaf of bread and two fishes.  This weekend I had the chance to be a part of something special.

The 2010 Professional Photographers of North Carolina Western Seminar was held this past weekend at the Meadowbrook Inn in Blowing Rock.  It was an honor to serve as the Seminar Chairman for this workshop.

Being the Chairman took up a lot of my time lately, but I really enjoyed spending time with my PPNC family and the speakers were awesome.  But while were we up there, we got to help some families that are going through tough times.

We held a food drive and donated the food to the Hunger and Health Coalition.  Their food pantry distributes food to over 750 families in Watauga County every month and one out of every three people that receives the food is a child.

We each brought a few cans, boxes or bags of non-perishable food to the seminar and together we donated 401 pounds of food.  It was a really cool site to see the pile of food build.  My friend James Dockery captured this image of my other dear friend Sherry Coffey stacking the food in a neat design.

Here is an image of me and Hunger and Health's Executive Director Compton Fortuna.  Thanks to my pal Lisa Carter for creating this image for me. 

And a big thank you to all of my PPNC family for making this happen.

Keep them fleas and ticks off me!

     I don't know about you, but the ticks have been terrible this summer. It seems we have gotten more ticks off of Reno this summer than ever before.
     So I asked my friend Liz Hueber, a volunteer at the adoption center for the Burke County Friends For Animals, if she knew of an organic method of keeping ticks and even  fleas off dogs.  She sent me a recipe that not only for dogs, but humans too.  I thought I would share what she sent with you.

Homemade, organic flea and tick repellent for dogs (and humans)

     Summer is here and with it, once again, those annoying little pest, namely fleas, ticks and mosquitoes. Various commercially made repellents are available, but one should always be cautious with it comes to the toxic nature of many "kill all" chemical mixtures.

      After some research on the web, I found the following recipe for an organic, homemade insect repellent.  Aside from being less toxic than commercial products; this mixture is also organic and can be made with fairly benign ingredients.

   

     Ingredients:

     2 tablespoons of vegetable oil

    10 to 25 drops of Rose Geranium essential oil

    Mix ingredients in a glass jar and shake well to blend.  Keep in a dark bottle in a cool place, shelf life is approximately 6 months.  To use, dab a few drops on your skin and clothing as well as your dog' coat and collar.

     

     Important: 

•  Use essential oil sparingly.  Start with the lowest possible dose (10 drops) and only increase if necessary.
• Try a few drops on your skin and your dog's coat and watch for an allergic reaction before apply to your arms and legs and the rest of your dog.
• If you or your dog is allergic to Geraniums, you can try essential oils of cinnamon or citron instead.
• Essential oils should not be used on cats in any concentration.
• As with all medications; you should use as little as possible to achieve the desired effect.

     Caution: 

• Some recipes on the web use Pennyroyal (essential oil or leaves).  Do not use Pennyroyal if anyone in your home is or may become pregnant (humans and pets). Do not use Pennyroyal on cats or if cats are in the home.

Liz Hueber, volunteer - BCFFA


     Thanks Liz!  The Burke County Friends For Animals has helped find loving homes for over ten thousand animals that once was destined to be euthanized.  The adoption center up in Morganton has become the largest no-kill animal shelter in Western North Carolina.
      Through the wonderful staff and volunteers like Liz, the adoption center takes care of hundreds of animals and in some cases even nurses them back to health.  If you would like to help to BCFFA, there are several things you can do.

•   Consider adopting an animal from the adoption center.  Not only would you be adding a loving and caring member to your family you will be opening up a spot for the adoption center and allow BCFFA to save another animal from being euthanized.
• Volunteer to go to the adoption center and help out with the animals.  They are all loving and caring and just need some attention.
• Donate some pocket change; or even more if possible.  The adoption center always can use funds to help with expenses or additional purchases needed to truly take care of the animals.  Currently, the adoption center is working to raise $5,000 to purchase a commercial washer.  The other washers they have been using, just wear out too fast and the furry friends there need clean bedding to keep from sleeping on the concrete.

     Sorry for the long post, but I hope you found it informative.  If you can, please help out BCFFA and all of their furry friends.