February 1, 2011

Dear Friends,

What is the Scoop?
It is February 1, can you believe it? January has already left and we are on our way to Spring again. OK, maybe we are getting a little carried away, but being in Michigan during these COLD months sure starts to get to us after awhile. Not to mention this BLIZZARD that is coming through Michigan at the moment, hopefully passes without doing too much damage and that there are no serious accidents or injuries as a result of this crazy weather.

Besides the weather, there is much to talk about. Just a little update about what we have been up to, last month we participated in our first 16x20 print competition with PPWM (Professional Photographers of West Michigan). This was more or less a "practice" round of what a print competition with PPA (Professional Photographers of America) would be like. PPWM brought in certified judges and had them go through each image submitted in the 4 available categories. We were very happy to have the opportunity to participate and were pleased with the results of the 8 images we submitted. One of Nicole's image received a merit award for the "Illustrative" category. If you would like to read more about this experience of ours and see the images we submitted, please click here.

Other than that, we are keeping busy with the "business" side of things. Like you, we are finishing up last minute preparations for taxes for 2010 and the year to come. We also have had some winter sessions in the snow, which is always a fun and challenging experience. We have several scheduled seminars, workshops and activities planned for the next couple of months that we are very much looking forward to being part of. We will be sure to do blog posts to keep you informed with everything that we are doing :)

One other "plug" for us is that we just recently added 3 specials to our blog. Please, if you know of friends or family that fit into the categories of either A. Getting married in May of 2011, B. Getting married in 2011, or C. 2012 Graduating High School Senior, please make your way to the blog (here) to see these 3 great offers that we have going on right now. Also, if you have not been able to take a "peek" at our new Wedding website, please click here to be taken to West Michigan Wedding Photography, by Jenuine Creations, LLC.

As we head into the season of love and Valentines', we hope whoever you are, and wherever you are and whatever situation life finds you in this moment that you know you are so special and loved very much. If you have any Valentine's Day traditions you would like to share with us, feel free to do so, we enjoy hearing from our followers.

Take care,

Jen & Nicole -

Image of the Month: "True Love Stands the Test of Time"

Just a few weekends ago, Nicole had the privilege of going to a Anniversary party for Lloyd and Ella Louise Blough. For a bit of background information, Lloyd and Ella Louise are are Nicole's husbands Great Uncle and Great Aunt and were also honorary grandparents in Ken and Nicole's wedding this past year. The reason for all the celebration was the fact that this couple have been married for 70 whole years! We just thought this was such an incredible milestone, that we decided to make their portrait the image of the month, especially since we are approaching Valentine's Day.

Seriously though, how many couples do you know of that have been married even close to that number of years, let alone be blessed to live long lives with each other? Our guess is, not very many. Lloyd and Ella Louise also had a table full of picture albums at their party. These albums contained rich history from the past of how the Blough family immigrated from Switzerland, to Pennsylvania and then to Michigan, many, many years ago. Not only were there funny stories and photographs of generations past and present, there were all sorts of incredible documents from when Lloyd served our Country in World War II.

Another thing that struck us was how incredible it was to have such memorable and cherished family history all in one place. Not many families have such detailed and accurate records as the ones present at this celebration. One of our favorite items on that table was however, a love letter written to Ella Louise while Lloyd was serving in the War, it was so touching to read. So with that information, our guess is it is not hard to figure out why we titled the image the way we did. Through the thick and thin, Lloyd and Ella Louise have stood together as a positive role model for all of their friends and families to see over these past 70 years. It is interesting to imagine how the world might be a different place if there were more wonderful couples like them. Just a thought to ponder. We want to thank the Blough Families and other relations for including us in this momentous occasion, continued blessings and best wishes to all of you.

Special of the Month:
Buy one get one half off prints in any size of equal price. Excludes gallery mounts, mounted prints and canvas gallery wraps. For print sizing options and pricing please email us for more information at: info@jenuine-creations.com

Ongoing Specials:

With a new year, comes new life! Please take $25.00 off any maternity or infant sessions (Session must be booked in Jan or Feb and must take place by the end of March, 2011.) For questions about options and session pricing, please email us for more information at: info@jenuine-creations.com

We are also offering a special for May 2011 Weddings, our 2011 Wedding special and also an Early Bird special for 2012 High School Seniors. For questions regarding these specials, please email us at: info@jenuine-creations.com

Quote of the Month:
"Love doesn't make the world go round. Love is what makes the ride worthwhile."

~Franklin P. Jones