Yepp time to let the cat out of the bag

My mission is no secret for Blissful Planet Photography.  It is to provide top quality art pieces and provide the highest level of customer service possible to my clients.  I take my responsibility to you all very seriously, it is the driving force behind everything I do here.  I am dedicated to serving you as my client.  This is YOUR session, not mine.  These are YOUR pictures that will be hanging on your wall or displayed in an album or book.  So I promise to always listen to your needs and wants, to take into consideration your taste and personality and tailor each session to your individual needs.  Not every session will be the same, but it will be fun.  I promise to bring fun to each and every job.  I want to have a good time, and I want you to have a good time as well!  If you are relaxed and enjoying yourself it will show through in the images that are captured.  I will always give each session my all from beginning to end.  Those are my promises to you, as a portrait photographer to a client.  I am looking forward to meeting and working with each and every one of you! 

Blissful Planet Photography is dedicated to giving back to the community.  The studio is not named Blissful Planet for nothing! I am interested in and promote several different key issues.  From animal welfare, spay and neuter programs, and pet adoption issues, environmental causes, supporting local business and farmers, all the way to diet and exercise tips and advice.  I want Blissful Planet to be more than just a photography studio, I want Blissful Planet to be able to make a difference for people.  In the end, we are all neighbors here and we need to help one another out.  

So in the spirit of all things Blissful, I am very honored to announce (yeah I know! finally right? lol) Blissful Planet Photography is now an official photographer for The Maple Leaf Mission.  

You may never have heard of The Maple Leaf Mission before, and that is okay.  I hadn't either until a few weeks ago when I happened to stumble across the link on another photographer's Facebook page.  At The Maple Leaf Mission, we offer ‘“The Gift of Life in Pictures”.  "MLM" is a not-for-profit organization headquartered in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, but serves families globally.  The mission of the Mission is to provide free professional photography sessions to people who have received a terminal diagnosis, a life changing diagnosis, or individuals with a genetic condition. Most of the time photography is the last thing on a families mind. These sessions provide families memories of the good times during their struggles.  Even you feel like portraits are the last thing in the world you want to do, these pictures are something that will be treasured in the future.  The portraits can be the first step toward healing a grieving heart. The Maple Leaf Mission also offers service to individuals deploying overseas or at a homecoming reunion after overseas service.  Which is right in line with Blissful Planet's effort to support our military families.  If you would like more information on The Maple Leaf Mission, check out the Facebook page called The Maple Leaf Mission (HERE),  or a Blogsite located at http://www.themapleleafmission.com/ for you to browse through to the our recent chatter, current sessions and some completed sessions. 

Please feel free to contact us if you or someone you know would like to have a moment session.  There are so many families out there that qualify and don't even know it, so PLEASE look into filling out an application or spreading the word to other families you may know.  I am more than willing to travel for these sessions! Not only is the session free, you also receive a disk of all the final images with printing rights for wherever you prefer to have them printed along with 10 free 5x7 photos in an album.  You never know what will happen tomorrow, I STRONGLY urge you all to take advantage of this service!  Thank you all for your time, I will have links up to all The Maple Leaf Mission sites here on the blog and also on the Blissful Planet Facebook page (HERE)  You all have a great night, and please pass this along!

Jenn

And thank you from Blissful Planet Photography and The Maple Leaf Mission

LINKS

The Maple Leaf Mission on Facebook

The Maple Leaf Mission Website and Blog

Welcome Brittany!!!

This is Brittany! She is going to be helping me out in the studio this summer.  So I thought it would be nice to post a "get to know me" from her. Enjoy guys, and be sure to show love to Blissful Planet's newest addition!

Name: Brittany Leighann J

Born in August so I am a Leo (Just like Jenn!)

I will be 14 this summer and I live at home with my mom, stepdad, and twin brother.

One of the other important people in my life is Jenn Banks! She totally rocks for going back to school and starting her own business. 

I really like to be around people…I am EXTROVERT!

I swim, sing and act, I have a band…We are Crashin' Daisies J

I am Twilight obsessed and completely Team Jacob.

What OTHER movies do I like? Ummm besides Twilight? There is something besides Twilight????!!! Okay then…Harry Potter, August Rush, and the The Last Song.

On TV I watch Secret Life, The Voice, Glee, Switched at Birth, Shake it Up and Spongebob Squarepants. (You are never too old for Spongebob. Ever.)

My sports are Bowling and Swimming

I  <3 Italian food, Pizza and Spaghetti

Fave Colors: Pink, Blue and Purple.

Fave Outfit?  I love skinny jeans and tees. J

I will be a freshman this year! Go Indians!

Fave classes: Choir, Social Studies, Science, English and Reading. 

After college I will be a nurse or on Broadway J

I really want to go to Julliard! But if not, Morehead is a great school too.

BIGGEST FEARS!!! Bees and Tornadoes. Not necessarily in that order.

I don’t normally have a temper! I get along great with a lot of people.  But if you do make me mad who knows lol. 

The one thing I want people to remember most about me is that I will be there for them no matter what!

Anyone want a laugh???

Hey guys! Sorry I haven't been blogging lately, I have been super busy with home and school and all that.  But it's worth every minute cause I LOVE my life! God has truly blessed me that's for sure.  Anyways! Just a quick post to put a smile on your face this lovely Monday morning :)  And proof positive that not every treasured photo has to be portrait perfect :)

I took these pictures of my son July 2010.  (He LOVED his Chef)

And these photos, I took today :)

The more things change, the more they stay the same :) 

Have a WONDERFUL and HAPPY Memorial Day.  And most importantly don't forget the ones who gave their lives so that we may spend this day in freedom!

-Jenn

One more give-away to tell ya about :)

I love to share these with people! I love to enter contests even if I don't win. LOL, I know there are others out there that feel this way too, so here is one more for you today :)

LINK IS HERE!

HUGE Give-Away Alert!

Laura Winslow Photography is having the biggest blow out of a contest that I have EVER seen!  If you are a photographer, know a photographer, own a camera, have a child of any size or gender, heck LOL, if you are BREATHING, you should totally go check it out!

There are 138 different prizes, valued at MORE than $6500 and ONE person is going to win it all.  Good luck everyone!

Link is HERE!

Liviana and Giovanni Need our help!!

All my awesome fans- There are some really awesome people out there that need our help.  I have said it so many times, part of why we are here on this blissful world is to give back and help others who need a hand.  We ALL need some help now and then!  I have the PERFECT oppurtunity for  you do to something good!  If you haven't heard the story of Liviana & Giovanni's Journey  you need to head over and read the blog.  

http://livianasjourney.blogspot.com/2011/04/reflecting.html

This family is bad shape right now, as you can imagine, and the bills are just piling up one after another.  Some really great people got together and held an auction, which was very successful.  Now it's time to do it again!  Auction #2 will be held on May 6th on THIS FACEBOOK PAGE.! Blissful Planet will be donating one 8x10 print of the winner's choice, and there are HUNDREDS of other items up for grabs.  If you are a store owner, crafter, photographer, etc please consider donating items for the auction.  If you don't have an item to donate, make sure to stop by and bid on some items for a great cause.  I know I will be there, and make sure to let your friends know as well.  This is a world wide effort to help a family going through some really hard times!  Spread the word!! 

To donate an item, send emails to info@jmpny.com! Thank you all!!

April is here :) Do you know what that means??

That's right! Time for a new cause of the month! Thank you for all the support for March's charity, Susan G. Komen for the cure.  We are doing great in our mission to bring bliss to the planet one print at a time.  

This month is Earth Day! And that is an amazingly big deal to Blissful Planet! I truly believe that we were granted the privilege to live on such an amazing planet and that it is our RESPONSIBILITY to help protect and care for it.   Regardless of race, religion, gender or age this is our home.  We are all part of this wonderful crazy world spinning in orbit and I want to encourage you all to do your part today.  Even one simple change can make a global impact! You don't have to jump in headfirst and completely "green" your lifestyle, haha.  Choose one way to change and then do it!  At the end of this post is a short list of ideas to get you started.  

And you should completely buy a copy of this month’s limited edition print!  15% of the profit will be going to the Arbor Day Foundation to plant trees.  Each dollar plants 1 tree! That is incredible! So if you buy the 16x20 framed print you will be planting 7 trees! According to The Arbor Day Foundation, "Over the course of 50 years, a single tree can generate $31,250 worth of air pollution control, recycle $37,500 worth of water, and control $31,500 worth of soil erosion."  Multiply that by 7 and look how much good you would be doing for the world!  For more information or to see how your money will be used click HERE.  And now for that list of easy tips to go green this Earth Day:

1.) Change your light bulbs to CFL bulbs.  This is so simple!  Each bulb you switch will last longer, save you money on your utility bills, and produce less heat than a standard incandescent bulb. 

2.) Unplug appliances when you aren’t using them, or buy a power strip and USE it!  A little known fact is that cell phone and other battery chargers continue to pull electricity even with the dev ices not attached.  And all the appliances and electronics you have that have an LED standby light drain energy too.  That is all money out of your pocket at the end of the month and extra resources lost.  Turn off or unplug anything not absolutely necessary whenever possible.  If you use a power strip make sure to flip it off as well (just plugging things into it doesn’t stop the electrical flow). 

3.) Recycle! Don’t just throw away your empty cans and old newspapers.  Most cities offer free recycling bins and pick up.  You don’t even have to sort the stuff! Just toss it in and set it out next to the curb for pickup.  If you don’t think you have time or energy to recycle glass, paper, plastic, AND aluminum soda cans focus on one thing for a month.  Just give it a go and see what happens! I promise you it is not as bad as you would think!

4.) One that is VERY easy to do in my area (and yours too I am sure) is to support local farmers.  Visit your local farmer’s market and see all that there is to see.  The food is fresh and colorful.  It has not been sitting on a truck for days upon days and mile after mile to get to you.  If you buy local you are not only getting the freshest possible food you are saving the energy and fossil fuels it would have taken to truck all that produce to you.  And they don’t only have fresh fruits and veggies either!  Most of the time you will find homemade jams, jellies, and local honey that doesn’t even come close to what you buy in a store.  To find a market near you, check HERE.

5.) STOP BUYING BOTTLED WATER!! I cannot stress this one enough. Not only is it expensive for you, it is absolutely burying our planet in plastic.  There are so many different options out there for you to look into!  There are filters that fit over the faucet on your sink, filters that connect directly to the water supply, pitcher filters that you fill and then keep in the fridge, even filters that filter the water directly into re-usable bottles for you!  Buy some re-usable bottles and see how much money you will save over the course of a month.  I am sure you will be surprised J

Okay, there you have it. My 5 easy ways to go green.  I challenge you to choose just one of these ideas and go with it for 30 days.  If you have ever seen the show 30 Days with Morgan Spurlock you KNOW what a difference 1 month can make.  I look forward to checking in with you next month and hearing how it goes.  If you have any other ideas or comments, please leave them here or on my Blissful Planet Photography Facebook page- HERE.  Thank you all! And don’t forget to check out the Shop for a Cause tab HERE for this month’s limited edition print.  Have a great April guys!!!

-Jenn

Contest Time!!

Intoducing The Blissful Beginnings Collections!

Check out the specials tab over at Blissful Planet Photography to learn more and book your session!

Spring has Sprung A Leak (I think)

Good Morning! Well, it's raining again here in the wonderful city of Irvine, KY.  :) But you know what? I am happy! That means it is nearly Springtime in the mountains! Before you know it, trees will be budding and everything will be fresh and clean and GREEN! This is such a magic time of year, I am really looking forward to getting some much needed outdoor time.  I always feel so out of sorts during the winter! It is so pretty and the ice and snow are magic in their own way, but its not the same as being out in the wide open spaces feeling the ground beneath your feet and the wind on your face.  I am a country girl, I always have been and will always be!

BUT back to the matter at hand! It is nearly Springtime in the Mountains! And for all you locals you know what that means...IT'S ALMOST TIME FOR THE FESTIVAL!!!  For the not local people, every year our small town hosts a big to do called the Mountain Mushroom Festival.  For more info click here.  It is a time for people to gather and get out of the house after a long winter indoors.  There are arts and crafts, every kind of food you could ever want, petting zoos, face painting, and good music.  Children that grew up here, went off to school and started families of their own make the trek back every year to visit and catch up with the latest news.  It's a way for them to come back to simpler times and slow down and just enjoy the weekend.  And don't forget the parade! It is really small town American living at its best and brightest.  Soooo if you aren't busy, head on down to Irvine, KY the last weekend in April! Bring your family and get ready for some good times and memories that last :)

Welcome!

OKAY!!!

 So part of what makes Blissful Planet blissful is giving back to the community! It is so important for us to remember that we are all here on this planet together and need to take care of it and each other! You know the saying, Love thy neighbor as thyself? It’s not just a good idea! It really works! So in the spirit of that I will be doing my part to give back.  For the next 12 months, I will be releasing 1 limited edition print a month.  The prints will be available in traditional paper prints, as standouts, and a deluxe 11x14 framed edition.  I will be donating 15% of the proceeds from each image to a different charity each month!  The charity will be chosen in part on the time of year, or the subject of the image.  So it is a win-win situation.  You guys get a beautiful new piece of art for your homes (or a gift) and a good cause gets a boost! 

This month’s image is something that every one of you can relate to in some way, shape or form.  I think it is a safe bet that every single one of us has come across one of those pink ribbons somewhere, seen an ad on TV, or has had or knows someone who has had breast cancer.  It is everywhere we look! That is why I decided to do some research on the subject.  FYI, if you ever need to know anything about breast cancer, make sure to check out www.breastcancer.org.  They know pretty much everything on the subject! J   I learned that it doesn’t matter your age, gender, or race.  Everyone can get this disease! It is definitely not a discriminating illness.  And on top of that, about 1 in every 8 women will develop breast cancer in her lifetime.   This is out of control! I believe we can do something, and I believe we should do something! That is why this month’s image is entitled HOPE and 15% of the proceeds will benefit Susan G. Komen for the Cure.  These are our Mothers, Sisters, Aunts, Cousins, Daughters, Nieces, Friends…this is not just happening to other people, it is happening to our FAMILY! It’s time to stand up and make a difference!

I am really excited about this new project of mine! I hope you stick with me over the next 12 months and support the cause as much as you can. If you don’t want to buy a print, please visit Susan G. Komen for the Cure to make a donation.  Every dollar counts and no donation is too small to make a difference!  Head over to Blissful Planet Photography and check out the Shop For A Cause tab for more information on the prints and to place an order.

Thank you all and God Bless!

Jenn