Well, I’d first like you all to just think to yourselves “Better late than never.” As opposed to figuring out how many days we are already into October before I finally announced this month’s theme!…

So, late, but worth the wait, this month’s theme is:

Everything FALL

I love the fall season- the colors, the landscape, the smells, the brisk air, the beginning of holidays…

Everything about fall is great- except one thing: it means I’m wrapping up the mountain biking season, but it means I get to trade it for snowmobiling & boarding, oh and my new found addiction of cyclocross racing… so it’s all good.

Anyway, to announce the JMP giveaway for the month, first look at these:

#1:

#2:

#3:

#4:

#5:

#6:

Those are a few of my fall photographs I’ve taken over the years, in fact, #2 & #3  were taken in beautiful New England, for an assignment at photography school (Hallmark Institute of Photography in Massachusetts)!

So, all of these pictures not only celebrate the beauty of fall and the turn to winter, they also are showcasing the giveaway this month from me. You simply leave a comment on this post or email at free@jasonmcgrewphotography.com telling me which one is your favorite and why you’d like to own the print of it- in one week’s time, it could be announced as yours!! Fun right? So, which one would you like to own? Enter now! Contest ends October 20th!

I hope you didn’t think that I had forgotten about giving away a non-JMP gift this month, because I haven’t!! Today, I’m giving away a set of 25 custom cards from an incredible local designer, Taryn Christine! She does everything from wedding invitations to birth announcements, to thank you cards and very cool calendars (I have the 2010 edition- it’s sweet!) I love her designs- they are modern and fresh, very unique and always high end quality & style.

So, win yourself a 25 pack of her custom designed cards to send out your holiday greetings this winter (hopefully accompanying these cards is a beautiful photograph of your family, taken by JMP!! Wink, wink!) But nonetheless- you want these cards… you really do.

Check out more of Taryn’s mad designing skills by following this link: http://www.tarynchristine.com/

Contest details- enter until tomorrow night (Sept 30th), contest closes at midnight. Enter by commenting on this blog post or emailing your entry to jason@jasonmcgrewphotography.com- simply tell us why you think Taryn’s got talent (we’ll pass on the comment love to Taryn!)

Here are a few of my favorite cards Taryn has created!
*All images below are ©TravisJ Phototgraphy*

Contest Closed, thank you for all the entrants!!

If you haven’t visited my blog in over a month, then you aren’t aware of the cool new thing I’m doing on here to reward my viewers. Each month now has a theme- and around that theme, I sponsor giveaways for my own photography and for local vendors. Last month was engaged couple’s month, each week I hosted a contest to give away an engagement session.  I loved getting the emails from my readers telling about their special proposals and such! We also sponsored a one day contest giveaway for a local bakery- a whole dozen gourmet cupcakes!  We wrapped up the month by giving away a free disk of wedding images to any client who reserved their wedding date with us on that last day of the month.  Phew! It was a BIG month for giveaways- we started the whole themed month giveaways- sprint style! Soooo, are you dying to know what this month is? If you are eligible for the giveaways this month? It’s… drum roll please….

Fall Family Month!!

OOOOh, aren’t you STOKED?? It’s september people- time for family pictures in the gorgeous fall weather! We are only 3 months away from the time to mail out  Christmas cards adorned with your family’s beautiful faces!

I’ve got big things up my sleeve for this month’s featured theme.  Let me tell you, it’s time to get pumped! This month is going to run a little differently than last:

1st giveaway announcement- Instead of giving away a free session each week, there will only be 1 session given away for the month- BUT… it’s not only a session. It’s a family session grand prize package!  It will be a free session, and a full resolution disk of images, and 25 custom made Christmas cards, and 25% off any print purchase!!!!!! Wowza! A giveaway that big needs as many entrants as possible, so the contest is going to run all 30 days of September. There is a catch- if I don’t get at least an average of 2 entrants per day (you can only enter once for the month) then this grand package will be reduced to a lesser package- a free session and 25% off prints and/or disk of images.  Still rockin’ but not as smokin’- so you need to get your friends and other family to enter too so that I can give away the grand prize!  Let me tell you how you enter and how you win.. it’s simple but involves a little more work on your part:

You enter the grand prize by commenting on this post. You must leave your name and email address. You must mention who told you about this contest giveaway (full name please!) and if not a person, then how you found out about it. Lastly, you must tell me why you and your family want this prize- whatever the reason. Let me give you an example:

Comment: “My name is Sally Smith, my email is sallysmith@thisisfake.com.  I found out about this contest from my friend Billy Black. I’m new to your website and blog but I’ve indulged in your delicious photography and let me tell you- I’m in love.  I’ve never had pictures of my family look like the photographs you take.  All I  can think about now is what a dream it would be to have such incredible photographs of my family on my walls and on a disk to cherish for years to come.”

Winning is something you can control this month.  Last month I picked winners at random since all their stories were equally great.  This month, if you want to win- be the most to refer new entrants! (Hence why in the entry submission you have to give the full name of who referred you).  Your entry counts for yourself obviously, but if you were referred by somebody, your entry also counts for that referrer. I hope this is easy to understand.  So Sally would get one entry, and Billy would get one for her as well.  If Sally wants to win, she knows that Billy now has at least 2 and she only has one, so she must go out and tell her friends and family to enter and include her name as the referrer in the submission. If Sally’s friends want to win, they now have to do the same as well. COMMENTS WILL BE HIDDEN FROM PUBLIC! Your information will stay confidential.  I will tally your referrals throughout the month.  You may email me to find out how many entries you personally have if you are interested. Make sense?  It’s simple right? Enter for yourself, then get your friends and family to enter too.  If I get minimum 60 different people entering the contest for the month of September then the grand prize will be given away.  Less than 60 the smaller prize will be awarded to the person who has the most entries. Questions? Email me or call me, I’d be glad to answer anything.

2nd announcement: Don’t think that the grand prize giveaway is all that will be happening this month! I love random one day contest giveaways… (hint, hint) so subscribe to the RSS Feed so you are never missing out on the giveaway action! Check back every day!

Let the contests begin!

Well today I get to announce the last winner for August’s engaged couples month! Drum roll please….

Emilee + Dan!!

Her best date story is this:

“My fiance Dan and I have a pretty cute engagement story. We have recently taken up to hobby of hiking together. We love being in the outdoors, and keeping ourselves active, while being able to spend time together. We try and go once a week just so we can see all of the beautiful canyons our state has to offer. Last week, Dan called me while I was at work to ask me if I wanted to go hiking that evening after work. I agreed considering it seemed like good weather, and considering it had been raining on and off earlier, it seemed like a good opportunity. He picked me up after work and surprised me by telling me he had brought my favorite treats, cupcakes!! I was so excited! We drove to the base of Bell canyon and began our hike. Once on the trail it began to sprinkle a bit, and for a moment we considered turning around, but since Dan seemed fairly insistant, we continued on. About half way through the hike it began to rain. hard. it was a complete downpour! luckily, I didn’t mind and figured we might as well continue to the top since we were already there. We got to a stopping place at a beautiful lake that looks over the entire city. it was so picturesque, and there we were completely drenched, but totally alone. it seems as though the rain had scared everyone else off. We sat down on a rock and he proceded to pull out the cupcakes. He handed me a box very non chalantly and i thought nothing of it… until i opened the box, and there, stuck inside the frosting was a beautiful diamond ring. I teared up (which luckily the rain covered up) and i looked up at him. He told me all of the reasons why he loved me, and then asked me to marry him. Just then, the rain let up, and it was like he planned it! the clouds broke revealing a beautiful sunset. I couldn’t have asked for more. I was there with the love of my life in one of the most perfect places on earth, doing something we had shared all summer long.”

Thanks for entering this contest Emilee! I’m thrilled to shoot a session for the two of you!! You can expect an e-mail today with all the details!

What’s a post without a picture of a cute couple to celebrate the fun times I’m going to have with Emilee and Dan? Look how much fun we are going to have:

Last week, it paid to check my blog on a daily basis because one of those days, I sponsored a contest to giveaway a whole dozen beautifully delicious cupcakes from Cakes de Fleur bakery in Salt Lake City!

The winner was….

Jacob

He shared this quote about love: “The most important thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother.”
Theodore Hesburgh

Thanks Jacob, that was an exceptional quote on love!

I personally delivered this gourmet package to him:

After indulging in his cupcakes he emailed me this:

“Jason,

I just wanted to say thanks again for the cupcakes. They were Amazing! They just melt in your mouth, and the tastes blended together perfectly. I am adding Cakes De Fleur to the top of my list of favorite desserts.

Thanks,

Jake Kirchner”

THANKS CAKES DE FLEUR!!! You rock! And thanks to the faithful followers of this blog for entering into these contests!! You rock too!!