I might sound like I am nerding out a bit, but hear me out…

“Pictage has been serving the professional photographer community with software, marketing services, and a professional photo lab for nearly 10 years. Today, the company serves over 11,000 photographers with workflow solutions and marketing services designed to save photographers time and drive additional revenue into their businesses.” – From Pictage’s website

I entered a contest on the photographer forum, and won!! So this is my featured image (one of my favorites)…

Thanks so much… what a huge honor knowing the competition.

Note the photography is by the sweetest, and yours truly, Cakes and Kisses!! Woot!

“A Cake in a Jar Care Package from the brilliant Fantasy Frostings!

Yes, that’s right, we said cake in a jar. Trust us, it’s to-die-for! ”

June Bug Weddings

For more details on the Cakes and Kisses Wedding Photography giveaway

The Winning Couple Receives:

• 8 hours wedding coverage with an assistant
• Engagement shoot, with sign in book for wedding
• A 11×14 canvas print

To Enter:

• Email kelly[*at*]soyoureengayged.com (remember to remove the [], we use them to avoid spam) with your name, location, and wedding date/location.
• Optional. If you facebook or twitter about the contest, that’s additional entry.  So twittering or facebooking the contest doubles your chances! Include @soyoureengayged in your tweet to enter. Be sure to include a link to your tweet or facebook message in your entry email.
• The contest will close Thursday, December 31st at midnight So You’re EnGAYged will randomly draw a number to pick the winning couple

My goal this year was to get published once. Just once.  It would be great to be in a wedding magazine.  So many people know that wedding photography is my passion. I continue to pursue and have so many supportive friends, family and past clients. It is amazing.  The contest I entered is for a full page spread in Winter/Spring edition in Pacific Weddings.

Incredible.

With your support and vote could totally be an option for me. It takes public votes until October 23rd 2009.  That is a lot of time and a lot of votes to tally. All the Photographers in the contest are all amazing. I feel so honored. In fact I have already written love notes back and forth not believing I am in the same competition as them.  With that being said, please vote for the best image. To vote you add the name of the photographer and the image title to the comment box. “Holly Steen, One Look”

Piece of cake!  Thank you for everyone that already voted. It really is incredible. And I love and adore that you are all so supportive of my dreams.

Here is the link.

I am going to have a contest where YOU submit your best KISS. The prize will be custom chap sticks with my new found friend Brea at My Lip Stuff.

Please submit images of Kissing Cakes.

• Cupcakes
• Round cakes
• Wedding cakes
• Birthday cakes
• Dog cakes
• Pancakes

Whatever cake you can kiss. Sounds crazy. Probably, but doesn’t it sound fun too?
I will post the entries I receive on Friday of each week. The top five photos will win $20 in personalized chap stick at My Lip Stuff, and a Cakes and Kisses t-shirt. The logo was custom designed by the one and only Danielle Amato (AMAZING)
Win win! So put some icing on those lips and get smacking.

Here are some of the great samples I got from My Lip Stuff. The flavors are all wedding cake based… such as Lemon Butter cream, Wedding Cake, and Red Velvet. Delicious. My Lip Stuff Natural Lip Balm- in over 500 flavors.

TO ENTER: send an email to cakes.kisses@gmail.com and include:

1. Your name and contact information

2. The “Cake Kissing” photo as a jpg. (Photographers can include watermark, or website link on images)

3. Caption to the image, (think clever, witty, and punny.)

OFFICIAL RULES:

1. Entries must be received by November 7th 2009 at midnight PST.

2. The top five lucky winners will be announced on November 9th 2009!

3. All submission images will be on blog until January 2nd 2010. Top 5 images will continue to represent contest annually on blog site.

4. Cakes and Kisses Wedding Photography DO NOT share or sell your information to ANYONE.

5. Photo credits will be given to each submission.

6. Winners will be based on creativity, of image and caption.

Happy Kissing!

I love the idea of shooting at the beach. It is a perfect location to capture all the different emotions, moods and romance.

Huntington Beach, California was were Andy lived. Canby, Oregon is where Carrie lived. Cursed by the usual long distance relationship, Andy and Carrie were destined to be together. Bonded by Goonies the movie, The Simpsons and the love of pop culture, they got engaged.

On one of the visits out to HB, I was able to shoot some “engagement photos” for Andy. Although they were not officially engaged yet, it was really the only chance for them to get some great beachy photos before he moved up to Oregon and they started a new life together.

It is funny because we almost canceled because it was raining on and off all day. I am glad we didn’t because the clouds and the sky were so dramatic I was able to capture this fantastic shot on the coast.

I heart Andy and Carrie!

I am so happy I got first place in the I heart faces contest!! YAY!

Jasmine Star said “From the minute I saw Holly’s picture, I was smitten. I adore high-key photos and it looks ethereal…almost like the bride dropped out of Heaven! I usually prefer photos of action and laughter, but this photo made me stop and look…and appreciate the overall fabulousness of it! It’s just so darn pretty! :) -Jasmine”

Wow!

Hip hip!

The response was overwhelming and I had to dive back in and post one of my favorite family photos.
It was incredible because the photographers that submitted to the contest weren’t in competition with each other, but a fantastic support system. Each one of them with encouraging words, and friendly comments to the other. Some photographers were pros and some were just enthusiast. It was a wonderful mix and I think that it made it all the more special.

It was so sweet and I really love the community spirit that it brought forth. Yay. With that said, I thought how I would happily posted on other blog sites words of “Wow, Super and Awesome.” But to my surprise each photographer had expressed a fabulous sense of love for light, composition and divine colors.

So kudos to I heart faces.

here is my little submission:

Vanessa Brooke is a fabulous Children’s Photographer based in Orange County. She has an eye for fashion, color and textures, beyond my understanding. Even better she is an amazing Mom.
For Holiday photos we were to Griffith Park, CA to capture some golden moments for her Christmas card. Her son, and husband rocked the shoot and gave me this fabulous shot. She blogged about the shoot too, because she is awesome!

Shout out from V Brooke: “We had so much fun taking photos with my good friend and photographer Holly. As a photographer myself, I sometimes forget to have photos taken of my own family. It creates memories that you don’t want to miss out on. So, I knew it was time for me to have photos of the three of us before Jayden turns one year old next month. Time really does fly by! Thanks again Holly for photographing my family, we love ya!”

Check out I ♥ Faces blog site.

I entered in my favorite photo. Details below.

I wanted to capture the emotion and transformation that occurs to a bride when she first gets into her dress. Her mother and sister are crouched behind her lacing up the delicate backing of her dress. The bride was looking forward at her bridesmaids and fathers in the room.

The transformation for a woman to be a bride is really quite an emotional moment. She puts on the MAC lipstick, Choo shoes, Tiffany’s necklace, and dress etc, that she has been consumed with and thinking since she got engaged.

This is her day and her moment to shine. My creative vision of this was her standing alone, her beauty, and simplistic expression and everything else does not matter, because today she is a bride.

xoxo
Holly

The BlogLuxe Awards is a SocialLuxe Lounge contest for Websites.

LA Style Unveiled is part of the Inspiring Blog nominees. Yippee for them.

If you want to vote, Click, and be whisked away to a magical land of voting and scrolling. Go to the middle / bottom of the Inspiring Blogs.
They are titled “The Lounge”.

Best of luck LA Style Unveiled!!