greetings from sunny phoenix!

happy monday to you!

i am in the valley of the sun at a photography convention this week. it's a time of education, mentoring, re-energizing and hanging out with friends. there is a large group of photographers from nashville attending this year and it has made it so fun! tomorrow is the trade show which i am particularly excited about as i search for new, great products to bring back to you. i'm really hoping that nashville doesn't get it's only snow of the season while i'm gone!

my apologies for being so quiet around here lately. the last quarter of 2008 was busier than i had planned and i haven't had a chance to catch all of you up yet! but hang tight because i will debuting several new things ... keep your fingers crossed for that to happen soon! i hope everyone's had a nice start to their week and that the transition from the holidays has become easier! :)

cheers!
adrian

session opening

I just had Saturday, November 8 open up for anyone who would like to book a weekend session in time for the holidays! I only have one other Saturday left open in order to secure Holiday cards and prints in time for Christmas. Email us at studio[at]adrianhitt[dot]com if you are interested!

back from san diego

just a note to let you know that i'm back in the office and will be returning to blogging soon! i have returned all emails and phone calls, so if you haven't heard from me, i probably didn't get it. hope everyone is having a great week!

stay close as i have a slew of sneak peeks to share :)

without further ado...

a long overdue update! i have only had a few posts since the holidays because we have had a lot going on at the hitt house and adrian hitt photography. i'm hoping this will bring everything up to speed! we celebrated our christmas a few days early so that we could head home to oklahoma for the week of the holidays. i mentioned in an earlier post that this had been one of my favorite christmases... it still rings true. even though things played out differently than we could have anticipated, i hope to never forget the lessons i learned. the beauty of old relationships and friendships, forgiveness and redemption were all awaiting us. for the first time in 4 or 5 years, my entire family got to spend christmas together. this alone would have been a great enough gift. i also got to catch up with friends from high school... i had no idea how much i missed all of them! so thank you to susan, jason, ben, brandon, willie, derenda and david... i think we all needed the therapy ;) hehe

here are a few visuals from our holiday time...

details of our tree

can you tell that we're fans of the holiday season?!

one of brian's suprises that santa left... :)

as soon as we arrived in oklahoma, we drove to see my grandparents. they live in a house that my grandfather built back in the '70's. the awesome thing about their house is that nothing has changed since then! they still have all of the velvet wallpaper and crazy colors. when we were kids, we all thought their house was the coolest! it was unlike any other home we had ever seen. this was taken in the "red room"... aka: den. my dad and my nephew, nic are playing chess.

a little more detail of the chess pieces...

benny was a bit scared around nic. here's nic trying to make up with him :)

after we returned home from christmas and new year's, i left for a photo conference in tampa bay, fl. it was the perfect start for a new year! thus far, it was the best investment for my company. i was able to glean so much knowledge from well-respected photographers and business people in our industry. it was fun as well... which never hurts! :) once i landed back in nashville, i shot the fall 2008 line for coco bonbons. i have much more to share from my time with them, so keep an eye out for that post!

adding to the chaos/excitement of the new year... our house is for sale! it went on the market a few days ago and we also placed an offer on another house in nashville. so, now we're playing the waiting/constantly cleaning :) game. here's a look at our dining room. 

can't forget this! here is a portrait of brian's nana and roland. isn't she beautiful? she's an amazing woman and brian and i are both very thankful for her love.

lastly, how are your new year's resolutions holding up? i'm doing better than i've done in previous years, but still working on getting all of them in place! reading more and for fun was one of my mine. (the last non-business/photography book i read was last christmas. hence the resolution to do better this year :) ) sunday night i started the lovely bones by alice sebold. i've already read half of the novel... it's quite the page turner! pick it up if you haven't already. but, if you're not much into reading, peter jackson is currently working on the film scheduled to release march 2009.

i hope everyone is enjoying the new year thus far! thanks again for all of your support and stopping by to read my rambilngs.

peace.
adrian

just a little hello

thanks for continuing to check in despite my lack of posting! we haven't slowed down much since the holidays but i plan on being back with the blog this week. i have a session today that i'm very excited about... 6 lab puppies and the 2 boys who love them! talk about a fun time! i'm heading out for that, but wanted to drop in to say hi. thanks for all of your support out there in blogland. enjoy this one of brian's papa and mary. i took this on christmas eve.... (you now know how far behind i am!)

update '08

happy new year everyone! we are back in our offices and will be responding to emails and phone calls today and tomorrow. i have so many things to share with you. thanks for sticking around during the blog break! stay close as i have several sessions to post along with what i was up to during the past 2 weeks.

for now, benny's new year resolution: to take more naps! :)

happy new year!

just a note to let you know that our offices will be closed through january 8th. i'll be attending a conference and will get back with everyone upon my return!

i hope everyone had a wonderful time with friends and family over the holidays and even better start to the new year! once i get back, i'll share from my holiday.

cheers,
adrian

a few of my favorite things...

for me, the holiday season is the sweetest time of year! my heart is so very anxious for the upcoming week. i will be spending christmas with my entire family for the first time in a few years. it's so magical! i will be enjoying time off, reminiscing with my siblings and friends (i've known since i was 5), playing board games that make you delirious at late hours, catching up on missed time and enjoying a christmas movie marathon with all of my wonderful family. since finishing college, i have learned to appreciate these times greatly. my heart is at the point of aching for them. this season, though it has been crazy (at some points making me a bit nutty) has been thus far my favorite. i have so many things to be thankful for and i've been able to enjoy them more this year than i ever have in the past. my heart overflows!

so in honor of the holidays, i thought i'd list a few of my favorite things (great ideas for last minute shopping as well!)...



of course he tops my list! :)

adrian hitt photography gift certificate - perfect for friends and family that live in the area. you can purchase in any amount and they are good for the year. interested? email me at: adrian[at]adrianhitt[dot]com

earth dog - looking for the perfect stocking stuffer for your puppies? earth dog is a local business of FANTASTIC dog products that are good for the earth and good for your dog. a MUST! (they're super nice and big fans of benny as well. he has the sage collar and looks mighty handsome in it!)

the one the only magnificent me - currently my favorite children's book! great story and fantastic imagery. written by franklin's own, dan haseltine.

my holiday by mindy smith - this was an early christmas present that brian picked up for me. i love mindy smith and this is a beautiful work. it's not the carpenters christmas, but listening worthy nonetheless!

the travel book - a perfect coffee table book. very inspiring and is a consistent reminder of the need to travel this great place.

world peace please - LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this shirt. if i had a child, he or she would wear one.

all strung out designs - unique handmade jewelry. so lovely and local!

give a dog. save a life. - a very popular holiday gift is the furry one that barks under the tree. rescue one from our local shelter! benny is the greatest gift we have ever received and he continues to fill our everyday lives with more love. come on... just go take a look at who needs a home. you know you want to :)

give clean water. give life. - the greatest gift we can give is to care for others. a local organization, blood:water mission is a great vehicle to make this happen. did you know that $10 provides a lifetime of clean water for one person? 1 billion people in our world do not have access to clean water. thus, they die of curable diseases. help provide a natural resource this christmas and you could save one life or an entire village.

may your hearts overflow with peace and the greatest gift ... love! thanks for dropping by!

benny has been elfed!

happy holidays everyone! it's hard to believe that it's only a little over a week until christmas. wow, where did 2007 go?!

this week, i'm wrapping up everything for the year. it has been a FULL last couple of months and i've met so many wonderful people. we have some great things in store for 2008, so be sure to stay close. :) also our offices will be closed from december 21 - january 8 for the holiday season and i'll be attending a photo conference. i have a few posts left for the year, but i thought it'd be fun to start with this one. hope it makes you :)

benny's been elfed!

travel sessions- fort smith, ar

it's that time of year again! time to be with family, reflect on life's sweet moments and to travel. :) i'll be in fort smith for the holidays and will be taking a few sessions during my time there. i only have a few slots available as to insure time with friends and family. the commissioning fee starts at $150 and is due at the time of booking in order to reserve your spot. email me at adrian[at]adrianhitt[dot]com to get a place! it's a great time to schedule a session as families will be home, out of school and together. here are a few images from my last time in fort smith. enjoy!








also, like what you see and don't live in the nashville area? shoot me an email and see if i can come to your city in 2008! so far, the tour includes new york city, oklahoma city, and baton rouge.

lexington

just a note to say that i'll be out of the office today. i'll be traveling to lexington, ky for a couple of sessions. i'll return emails on wednesday! for now, enjoy a few pieces of benny :)

back from thanksgiving

i am back in the office from taking off on thursday and friday. we had a great couple of days! this time of year is my absolute favorite. i loved that when we were out early morning shopping on friday that i could smell christmas. (you know, it has that particular winter smell that you can only get a whiff of in cold temperatures?) because i haven't taken a day off since june, i pretty much didn't know what to do with myself! so, our tree went up and all of the decorations came out! it's so cozy. we also managed to finish 90% of our christmas shopping and they are all wrapped under our tree. i also snuck in a few christmas movie favorites. if you grew up in the 90's, then you know that home alone and home alone 2 are fantastic classics. :) i love just about everything that involves christmas, so thursday and friday were terrific days for me!

this was also our first year to not be with family. it made the both of us realize how much we miss our friends and families from home and that we cannot wait for christmas to get here so we can be with them!! i hope that all of you had a peaceful thanksgiving and that your hearts were full. thank you for being a part of my life and love of photography. your support means everything.

and here's a glimpse of what benny had for thanksgiving :)

holiday rush

it's getting dark around 5:00, the temperature is dropping and the winds are picking up. it can only mean one thing... the holiday season is here! just a quick reminder that limited sessions are left for november and weekends are booking first. i will be taking sessions up through december 5 for the holidays, but any orders placed after november 30 will require a rush fee.

i have many people to share with you through blog updates. wow, i've really fallen behind! and what's a post without a picture? here is my benny. this is his signature look.


and here's a cute story... so every night before we go to bed, i pick up all of benny's toys he's strewn throughout the house and return them to his basket in the living room. for the past couple of weeks, this is what i've been waking up to! he gets up in the middle of the night and brings all of them into our room while we're sleeping. crazy. (and yes, that's benny's bed. :) )

cold season is here

brian gave it to me. i hope i will now be immuned for the rest of the season. i'll be out today and will return when my head feels like its normal size again.

a new look!

so, how do you like the new look of the blog? i wanted to jazz it up a bit and make it a place with more information. and it's sporting the new look of adrian hitt photography! (my website is behind, but is on it's way to a makeover as well.) one of the new items on the blog is a place to let me know who you are. just click on which box describes you. it's that simple!

my new logo was a collaboration between myself and the team at shiny tricycle entertainment. a big thank you out to cameron and chris for all of their hard work!

i'm excited to continue to share the new look through my website, packaging materials, business cards and much more. leave a comment to let me know what you think!

celebrate good times!

edited to add: we have a winner! on sunday night, tiffany from oklahoma emailed in and won a complimentary 11x14 canvas print from her recent session.

so, it's official... today is my first day of running adrian hitt photography full-time! and, i'd like to show a little love to my faithful readers... gallery wrap canvas style!

the prize: 11x14 gallery-wrap canvas

the contest: be the 11th person to email me with the subject line "celebrate!"

the rules:
1) anyone who reads my blog is eligible. this includes family and only excludes brian and benny.

2) you can only email once.

3) the lucky winner will be able to choose either a fine art print (available in october after my visit to mexico) or a print from a session dated July 2007 and forward.

4) let the emailing begin!

once i know the winner, i will announce it here.

celebrating,
adrian

exciting changes

last month i attended a great conference for photographers who are early in their business. it was a good time of networking, making new friends and hearing from experienced photographers. since then, i've been working on changing some things up to make things run smoother and better for everyone. one thing that i really wanted to address was whether or not i should continue to cover weddings. this wasn't because i don't enjoy capturing weddings, but was considering this because of the time it consumed ... in a business being run only by me. i felt that i couldn't effectively run both the portrait and wedding side. so, two days after i got home from the conference, the perfect opportunity presented itself! drumroll please... i am joining up with the dynamic duo at mclellan studio to begin Studio 5 Photographic Artists! i will now be able to accept more weddings than before and get to continue in something i absolutely LOVE doing. you can check out the work in progress by clicking here. we're pretty much the coolest wedding team around :)

adrian hitt photography is undergoing a new look and will continue capturing slices of your family life... even the furry ones :) also, as of this coming friday, august 31, i will be running adrian hitt photography full-time! be sure to stop by on friday because we might have a little celebration!

for now, here's a peek into Studio 5!

the awaited gallery wrapped canvas prints!

I am pleased to offer you our long-awaited line of canvas prints! Your portrait will be printed on museum-quality canvas and hand stretched onto a custom-built, 1/5” thick wooden frame. The image will be gallery-wrapped, continuing around the sides of the frame for a beautiful print, ready to hang on your wall. No additional custom framing is needed. Your portrait is made with the highest quality, archival inks that will never fade or discolor. Each print is sprayed with a UV coating for added protection and a gloss-type finish. They are beautiful! I received my first one a couple of weeks ago and can't stop gazing at it! :) The one shown is 18x24. Pricing can now be found on my website.

Here's precious little Chloe (who did get adopted!... just not by us):






The pictures of this piece of artwork really cannot do it justice. It's simply breathtaking!

bad blogger

guilty as charged. i've been a bad blogger! i've worked nonstop this past week playing catch up, and still trying. i'm now heading out of town for a photography conference and will return late on wednesday night. thanks for your patience as i have been in and out a lot lately! looking forward to showing what's been going on the past few weeks!!

cheers,
adrian

coming up for air and a self-portrait

okay, so i've been a bad blogger lately... so, i'm here to make it up and come up for some air. there are many exciting things going on at adrian hitt photography and i will be sharing more on this in upcoming posts :) (don't you love the anticipation!? ;) ) but, first something that is long overdue... a self-portrait. yes, there will finally be a picture of me on my website. naturally, i much rather prefer to be behind the camera and only in front of it if i'm with my love or my good friends. but, i needed a bit of a break today, and this is what i came up with. let me know if it's website worthy!


also, my schedule has been updated to reflect changes.