The BIG Announcement! **The longest blog in Aimee Payne history!!!**

So, ya know how I like to throw out little tidbits of info here and there that I have a big announcement? Then, of course, it takes me 2 months to come back and post again, and most likely I've forgotten all about it by then till the next post or two? Not that the announcement is not important, but I have this brain that darts back and forth at 99 mph at all times and I forget. Sort of like I've forgotten to get to the point here and stop stating the obvious.
I was waiting to make my announcement for very good reason. Several of you have already heard rumors, so I am here to let you know that they are, indeed, true. So on with it! We are moving overseas! We are absolutely beside ourselves with excitement! We've been wanting to go for a few years but apparently we're sort of liked around here or something! Go figure. While its NOT Italy (unfortunately) I'll surely take it w/out a complaint! We are heading to England for the next four years in the late summer. My husband will be finishing out his career over there and then we shall return to Texas for good.
Abilene? That I'm not certain of, but Texas without a doubt! Anyone that knows me, or has spoken to me for more than 5 seconds knows I am a Texas gal through and through down to my very core and there's just no keepin' me out of here!

So, with all of that said. I thank EVERYONE for all of the wonderful times they have given me. All of the beautiful and amazing people that I have had the privilege to photograph over the past few years and the ones that have encouraged me to keep going and praised what I do. I honestly don't know how it is for other business people, or other photographers for that matter. For me though, I really put my heart and soul into what I do. I take it personally, which I've been told NOT to do - but with this line of work how can you not? Each individual image is a creation. From the moment I had the vision in my head at the session all the way down to the processed shot you see when I'm finished. I have gone over it time and again until I feel that it is perfect. I'm always made fun of and have been labeled "the machine gun shooter". Yes I do, indeed, take a LOT of photos when I do a session. It is not because I'm unsure of myself or I don't know how to let go of the button, it is because of that perfection that I see. I don't want to miss one single detail and have to make sure I get it exactly as I want it. The slightest breeze or glint of light, has to all be just right for me to be happy with it. I always wished and hoped that clients and anyone else could truly see what I put into my work and what it really means to me.
I lose time with my family, miss moments with my children, miss a LOT of sleep, a regular schedule, tv (what's that?), warm dinners and visiting with my beloved friends etc... b/c I am always working because I love it so much and it has to be EXACTLY like I envisioned it from the start when I am finished and I am not finished until I reach that point. For all that I miss in order to do that, I always hope that people can see and appreciate that. Its a lot. It is me putting myself out on a platter, my creations, my imagination, my view of the world and the people in front of me, and the way I want it portrayed to every other pair of eyes that will see it, its a pretty big responsibility actually. I generally just let out a little laugh when people seem to downplay this work. "its JUST photos..."
Yeah. Right.
At any rate, every single person I have ever photographed, is someone special to me. I will remember the details of each session, just a little something about it. Perhaps something funny that happened, a sad story that goes along with it, their joy or their dream or their ideas or maybe even what they wore, what the weather was like. You'd be surprised. My memory is weird that way. Regardless, it just shows that each individual person makes an impact, however small or large it is - it is, nonetheless, an impact.

I am not saying "good-bye" just "ta-ta for now!"


I have officially closed my appointment book for Abilene for the next few years. Wow is that EVER weird to say? I am no longer taking appointments. I do still have a few left to shoot and get out, but those are only a few and pretty much all friends and family and a few things that are just for the fun of it.

Now that I've gotten all of that out, do you really think I'd just leave y'all without at least having someone that will be able to take some rockin photos of y'all? That I would leave you all lost in the wide world of photographers and unsure of where to go from here? Absolutely not! NEVER!!!! A portrait-perfectionist could do no such thing. Portrait perfectionist - control freak...whatever you want to call it.
I have already referred many new inquiries over to her and will continue to do so. A very lovely young lady who is coming up fast around here in the photography world and doing some very awesome work. I've heard from some of my clients that have seen her working a wedding or knew of her in other ways what a very nice person she is, I'd visited with her via e-mail a time or two and gotten the same impression. Now we've finally had a chance to get together and I still think the same and am certain I had the right person in mind to help me out here. She has graciously stepped up to take on some of my clients and inquiries and hopefully at least a few of the amazing charities that I am involved with. We will be collaborating on some things together before I leave and I am very excited that she is going to be doing this! I am just very picky so don't think I didn't look around and she most definitely won my vote right away!
Um, I ought to toss a name right about NOW huh?

Lindsey Cotton!
lindsey.cotton@gmail.com
325.437.7700

Check her out!!!!
I'm so glad she was truly as nice in person as I'd imagined she would be and I feel totally comfortable saying her name here, linking her site on my blog and sending folks over to her. Treat her good folks!

I will soon be starting a blog (which I will link from here) regarding our move. Our travels and whatever other insanity that might pop in my head at the time. Of COURSE there will be photos. Lots and lots of photos. So if you would like to keep up with me and all these boys, definitely sign up for the updates and keep watch!

Anyway - that is a wrap for this evening's novel. Please be sure to have a look at Cotton Photography and if you have any questions regarding anything at all - please do not hesitate to contact me!
info@aimeepayne.net
325.201.2198

Thanks Abilene and Surrounding Areas!
Peace Out!
(does that make me sound special? just wondering...)

Back Home

So speaking of Hometown sessions...

Meet Josie, she desperately wanted her senior portraits done in her hometown. However, she had to move a few years ago and now lives near the metroplex. Don't think a 4 hour round trip would stop this girl! She loaded up her new graduation gift with lots and lots of clothes (and Mom!), hit the road and headed our way! She seemed so grateful that she was able to come back and have this done in the place she'd created the majority of her childhood memories.

We had an absolute BLAST taking her photos! I know I often mention how a certain senior is up for anything, Josie was REALLY up to anything! Hanging off of anything, swinging on anything, upside down or flying through the air! What a wild set of portraits this will be when its all put together! So much fun!

I am also so glad that her Mom reluctantly agreed to be in a few shots with her baby girl. She really does not like to have her portraits made (why do we think I work on the BACKside of the lens?) but she was a good sport and took some gorgeous photos with Josie. I love them! Coming from someone who cannot relate to what they have, it is truly heartwarming to see a teen girl and her Mom so very close and having so much fun together. I can see how much they treasure their relationship, and that is honestly really, really nice to see.

ANYway...enough sappy stories out of me! On with the sneak peek!

Down in the Hometown

The other day I met up with Boone and his Mom in their (and mine) hometown for a senior session. It was really neat, to me, to get to do a session in THE place where all of his high school memories were made. Everyone always wants to come to Abilene - which is fine of course - but I just think it will be awesome for him to be able to look back at how he looks NOW in his senior year at the places that he spent that year. We did shots around the school and then around the teeny tiny town, I love finding new locations and doing something different - we definitely made it work and I hope that others will follow the trend soon and take advantage of this special session that I offer for high school seniors.

Thank you guys! I had a great time and, of course, it was neat for me to take a stroll down memory lane as well!

Cutie in a hat

I love it when girls show up with hats! I have no idea why, but I sure do! Maybe b/c I'm never gutsy enough to wear more than one of my old ratty UT trucker caps or something... they are too cute! So when Chelsea pulled out this darling hat, I got all kinds of excited! We had a great time last weekend shooting her senior portraits! We went all over downtown and a few other spots as well. You can obviously see what a pretty girl she is, apparently a lot of others in town did too because I heard so many whistles as cars drove by and I'm certain it was not directed at me. Had a great time with you! Enjoy your sneak peek!

A Little bit of Everything

Weekend before last (yep because I'm still trying to get everyone caught up here!) I also shot Ashton's senior portraits. She and her Mom saw some of my unique graduation announcements from last year and they said that portraits and announcements from me were a "Must Have" for her farewell to high school. (I love being a "must have")!

We had SO much fun! This girl showed up with a car FULL of clothes and we went EVERYWHERE till the sun went down! We finally quit when the sun hid from us and the mosquitoes decided we looked like a good snack. (Mosquitoes in April???? Is that normal? I was hoping for a longer break from those awful things!).

We had a little urban, a little retro and a little country all in one session. What fun!

Here is a sneak peek for you guys! Enjoy! :)

seniors! seniors everywhere!

Its now down to the wire and I am finishing up the last of my Class of 2008 seniors! I've been behind on blogging due to electrical issues. Between the storms lately and the new power company we just switched to (yes - I am THRILLED with them already) I've had to go without power on several occasions and its driving me nuts and putting me really behind!

I met with Christie and her Mom last Saturday (yes, LAST Saturday!) and we visited a few places around town. Let me just say that whatever this girl does in her future, its GOT to be some form of entertainment. She is such a character! So funny and not afraid to do anything or act silly to get the look.

I had a great time with you guys! Enjoy your sneak peek!

ACK! I'm falling behind again!

See? I do so well for a day or two and then I taper off! The height of senior '08 season is coming to a close and I've been busy! The craziness that is going on around my house these days and all the cool awesome high school kids I've gotten to hang around lately and now wedding season is beginning to kick up!

Busy is awesome though - better than morphing with the sofa in front of the TV for sure! I love being busy!

So my latest senior to share is Wes. You may recognize him from a previous post late in the year of 2007. He is one of my models for a local high school and it was time to do his full session! I shot his brother a couple of years ago and now it was his turn! I so love getting to shoot siblings of my previous seniors and getting to know the families, getting to see them year after year is really rewarding to me!

Anyway - we went all over the place last week and had a lot of fun. Wes is so easy going, I'm sure I could've talked him into anything.

A sneak peek for you guys! Enjoy!

this way to awesome

Shock! I'm back AGAIN!!! Yesterday I shot Jesse's senior portraits. We broke a few rules, but got some very cool shots! We tried out a few more new locations I've scouted out lately. Jesse was very compliant for a guy getting his pictures taken, he did just about anything I asked. That ended up with me having one of the most hilarious photos I think I've ever taken, but I'm too nice to blog it!! Cracks me UP every single time I see it. Yeah, its that funny!

I've got some amazing, huge, gigantic, out of this world news...but its not time to share just yet! Very exciting!!!!

Here is your sneak peek Jesse! Hope you enjoy!

No one freak out... I'm back again!

I'm record breaking this week! Another recent session to share!

On our very windy weekend, I also shot Lacey's senior portraits! I've known Lacey for a long time and I can't believe she's about to graduate from high school! I'm so OLD!

We battled the wind, but it wasn't too bad for the most part, in a lot of ways, it helped out some!

I had a lot of fun hanging out with you this weekend Lacey!

Enjoy!

ANNOUNCEMENT!!!!! -- New Look, New Stuff, New Contest!

I suppose I should make this very big ANNOUNCEMENT. The one I've been holding in for months now! I have a brand new wedding website!!!! I worked on it for awhile and now I finally have it all finished and ready to share!

With the debut of this new website, I think there ought to be some celebration! So, with that said - how about some specials???
First, a little contest or two! The first person to e-mail me at info@aimeepayne.net will get half off a session fee and a complimentary 5x7.
The person that can guess my favorite song on the new wedding site - will win a complimentary session and 2 5x7's!!!
Also, for any weddings booked from today until tax day (April 15th) will receive a complimentary engagement session with their package! (this will include booking your meeting within this time-frame, not necessarily having the meeting by that date!).

So please check out the new online digs!












http://www.aimeepayne.net/

As a disclaimer, I am currently in the process of updating my portrait and senior website, so be sure to keep checking back to see MANY updates!!!

Now y'all get busy e-mailing!!!

The Trophies are Piling Up

The trophies I get for being the worst blogger ever that is. Yes...its been 2 whole months since I've blogged. I do have a good excuse though. I was out of commission due to some health issues. The good news is, though, I am back and busy! I REALLY missed shooting! Its like cutting off an arm when I can't go out and take pictures! So, now I'm back and ready to go go go and feeling great! Life is GOOD.

So - with that great news, here is my newest session to share with you all. A little sneak peek for Robert and Whitney! We met up Saturday and did some family photos. We braved the wind and cold and nap time, but we got it done! They have a beautiful 3 month old baby girl, who wasn't very sure about me and my camera, but she was a trooper nonetheless.

Without further ado, a sneak peek for you guys! Hope you enjoy!!

Happy Birthday!!!

To me that is. Yes, yesterday marked the big THREE ZERO for me. I did not have a chance to come on here and blog it though. I'm sure everyone was waiting for it too right? Yeah.
Well...I feel no different, I look no different and I really act no different, so I am not sure what the big deal is? I had a rougher time turning 20 by far!
I still like chocolate milk every morning, I love to watch cartoons with my kids and play with toys. I guess the numbers on my birth certificate just don't really matter a whole lot do they? I don't think so.

That being said, one of the announcements that I have yet to share with everyone is something new I will be doing this year. Something I have not done in the past, but well...why not? I will be running monthly specials! Yay! So you'll have to watch my blog very closely to make sure you catch them and share with your friends and family!
Since this year was a "milestone" birthday year for me, this month's specials will reflect just that!

Book your session by January 31st and pay only $30 for your session fee!!! That is a $70 savings! Yay! What not enough you say? Well, OKAY then - if you insist!
Join my Milestones club by January 31st and recieve an upgrade on your final collage to a 30" rather than the standard 20" at no extra cost!
Book your 2008 wedding with me by January 31st and recieve a complimentary engagement session! (Well, there's no 30 in there, but I can't leave out the wedding folks!).

There will be specials every month, so sign up for email updates so you don't miss anything!!!

Also, I have been working on something new that will debut very soon, I am so excited about it I can hardly stand it and I can hardly get it done fast enough!

You really don't want to miss some of the upcoming specials and the big debut!!! There will be so many new things going on at Aimee Payne Photography this year it will make your head spin!!!

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and all that Jazz!

Well - I actually DID come on here ON Christmas Day to be exact to wish everyone a happy holiday, but apparently I did not post it. The genious that I am sometimes just scares me. At any rate I'll send out belated holiday wishes and hope that everyone was surrounded with love and joy and thankfulness - as I was. I am a lucky gal, indeed, so lucky to have so many amazing friends and wonderful family to surround me on the holidays and any other day for that matter. While it sometimes feels so stressful to have to be so many places in one day, it is a blessing to have that problem.

So - here's to a fantastic 2008 for everyone!!! May it be a happy, healthy and prosperous year for all!

With that, I had a request for a couple more peeks from my lovely couple who were married last month, share pictures of my gorgeous subjects? Why of course!!! I'm ALMOST done with the post processing and very much looking forward to sharing with this lovely couple!!!

A few more of Ira and Kristina on their wonderful winter wedding day!

This, my friends, is one HAPPY groom!

They did...

Kristina and Ira finally tied the knot on Saturday!!! The ceremony was absolutely gorgeous! They were wed in an exquisite church downtown.
I have gotten to spend a good bit of time with this couple and have grown to absolutely adore them. They are so passionate about their love and their lives and their beliefs. They are so blessed with all the many loved ones that endured the freezing cold to be with them as they said their vows, to the ones that wanted to be there but could not and for what they have with each other. Even their friends and family are so passionate about their relationship, it is awesome. The Best Man had us all laughing in his Dad shirt and the Maid of Honor literally had me in tears with her speech - beautiful words said by all about this lovely couple.
I hope you two are having a fantastic time on the beach as I sit here bundled up trying to stay warm! You so deserve it for all the hard work y'all put into that amazing wedding and reception you had!

I wish you both the very best of luck and many many MANY years of bliss!

So, on to the pictures! You know what's even cooler than showing just some of the wedding shots???? I finally get to share some of Kristina's bridal shots too! Its so hard to keep those secret until after the wedding!

And now for some of the wedding images!!!

Power 103's Triple Track Playback Winner!

Cristy won a family session with me on Power 103's triple track playback contest. We got together just in time! Her husband was gone with the military and he barely made it back just after Thanksgiving weekend. We had to work a little because as we all know, the military doesn't often work on OUR schedule - but we finally made it happen! They have two adorable little girls who were so much fun to work with! We did a few shots at the Windsor and then, of course, we had to go outside to play!

I really enjoyed working with you guys and so glad that Daddy could be home in time for Christmas!