BARDEN PHOTOGRAPHY – BEAUTIFUL

In 2010 – I started a a new program: BEAUTIFUL!!

CAN YOU BELIEVE IT’S BEEN TEN YEARS!

I quit my job as a secretary to pursue photography FULL-TIME in 2009!

During 2009 & 2010 – photography was certainly my FULL-TIME business!!

Then Fitzy was born in 2011 & Enoch in 2013 and raising babies became my FULL-TIME business and photography took a little bit of a back seat.

The boys are older now and I feel like I won’t be missing out on ALL the things by diving back into photography on a more full-time basis!

I am SO EXCITED about BARDEN PHOTOGRAPHY in 2020!!

MAKE SURE TO GET IN FRONT OF MY CAMERA!!!

To celebrate TEN years of BEAUTIFUL – I’ll be giving away TWO sessions this year!!

Email me @ dcbarden@gmail.com – write a paragraph or two about a family you know that deserves a FREE photo session.

Here are the rules:

1. You MUST EMAIL me. NO FACEBOOK MESSAGES!! NO INSTAGRAM DIRECT MESSAGES!!

2. You can NOT submit your own family!!

3. Generally – the session takes place in/around Mansfield!

4. The session is for an immediate family. For example: I CAN submit my brother & his wife & their two kids but NOT my parents & my brother & his family & my sister & her family & the four of us.

5. In order to give TWO sessions away – I need 20 submissions by March 15th!!

I will be choosing from the entries and announce the winners at the end of March!

Make sure to tell me WHAT MAKES THEIR FAMILY BEAUTIFUL.

HINT: Don’t be afraid to write too much!

I can’t wait to read your submissions!

It’s not only the TENTH anniversary of BARDEN PHOTOGRAPHY actually being in business – it’s also the TENTH year I’ve been doing the BEAUTIFUL CONTEST!!!

I heard from 14 of you – sharing your story about the people you love. THANK YOU!!

I don’t know if I’ve told you this before – but I narrow it down to about 5 people and then I let someone else decide.

She doesn’t know the names of the people submitting. And she usually doesn’t know the people IN the submissions.

It doesn’t get any easier year after year – maybe a bit harder!

THIS YEAR – the winner of BEAUTIFUL – David & Ericka!!

Their submission just resonated with me. There was something about them.

AND – I found out that my mystery helper felt that their submission spoke to her too!

DONE! That’s it! THEY ARE THE WINNERS!!!

THANK YOU SO MUCH for submitting the people you love. MAKE SURE YOU TELL THEM HOW MUCH YOU LOVE THEM!!!

And don’t forget to check your messenger or e-mail for a special deal for the families that were submitted to BEAUTIFUL!

BARDEN PHOTOGRAPHY – BEAUTIFUL

In 2010 – I started a a new program: BEAUTIFUL!!

I can’t believe it’s been NINE years!

This year – I will be gifting ONE family with a full photo session.

Email me @ dcbarden@gmail.com – write a paragraph or two about a family you know that deserves a FREE photo session.

I will be choosing from the entries and announce the winners on March 31st. The deadline for the submissions will be March 20th!

Make sure to tell me WHAT MAKES THEIR FAMILY BEAUTIFUL.

I can’t wait to read your submissions!

I met Jackie when her little family won my very first BEAUTIFUL contest!

It’s ALWAYS bittersweet when we get together – because the little boy that brought me into their lives – is no longer walking on this side of heaven.

So – family photos are HARD for them. Waking up and getting through each day is HARD for them.

Remember what I said about GETTING THE SILLIES OUT!?

Oh – you want to take pictures at a little castle in the woods? I guess. If we HAVE to.

SUCH an amazing little castle!!

Jackie – while I don’t personally KNOW how hard family photos are for you – I see it. I feel it. Thank YOU for asking me back into your lives even after all the hard things.

YOU ARE STRONG. YOU ARE BRAVE. YOU ARE LOVED.

I’m not sure how I met Rachel – but we’ve been friends on FACEBOOK for a while!

Amanda submitted Rachel’s family for BEAUTIFUL – and she won!!

Rachel & Rich are on my WANTING list – a list of people who are trying & hoping & wishing & praying for a baby!

Their daughter – a NICU miracle – just turned TWO!

I had messaged with Rachel and mentioned that we COULD schedule in Sayre since my parents live that way – but then we decided on Mansfield. I didn’t check in with her before our session – which I normally do. I texted her that I was at wal*mart – where we decided to meet – by the GIANT yellow tractor-trailer. She couldn’t seem to find it. Was she at the right spot? Sayre wal*mart right?! NOPE! Mansfield wal*mart – AHHHH! This was SIX O CLOCK – sunset was very shortly after 7 – so we met in Troy – HOPING the light would last!!

WE MADE IT!! But this little peanut wasn’t REALLY in the mood for photos!

It’s a good thing that lifestyle photography is my specialty!

I LOVE THOSE SHOTS!!

Rachel & Rich – thank you SO MUCH! I LOVE meeting the little babies that so many of us have prayed for!

I hope you LOVE your photos!!

Thank you SO MUCH for writing to me about the people you LOVE!

As always – it was hard to choose a family!

I also want to remind you to tell the people that you think so highly of EXACTLY HOW YOU FEEL ABOUT THEM!

Last year – Amanda wrote to me about her friends Rachel and Rich and their baby girl Reagan.

BUT – they didn’t win – then.

THIS YEAR – they won!

It was SO hard to choose – like it is EVERY year!!

If you submitted a family – but they weren’t the winner – check your email for a limited time offer regarding a session for that family!

THANK YOU AGAIN SO MUCH FOR supporting this little business of mine!

BE THE LIGHT – THROW KINDNESS AROUND LIKE CONFETTI!!

It’s time for BEAUTIFUL again! This is the 9th year I’ve ran this contest – and I LOVE IT!

I will be awarding 1 family a photo session!

Email me @ dcbarden@gmail.com – write a paragraph or two about a family you know that deserves a FREE photo session.

I will be choosing 1 family from the entries and announce the winner on March 1st. The deadline for the submissions will be February 28th. I need to hear from 10 people to make this contest work!!

Make sure to tell me WHAT MAKES THEIR FAMILY BEAUTIFUL.

YOU CANNOT SUBMIT YOUR OWN FAMILY – but you CAN submit a family that you’ve submitted in the past – as long as they were NOT the winners! 

If you were a previous beautiful winner – you can’t win again – sorry bout that!

Also – you MUST use the photo session within 2018!

You can submit as many families as you want!

THANK YOU!! THANK YOU!!

I challenge you to think about a BIG act of kindness you could participate in this month! AND THEN DO IT! 

Shalane nominated Evelyn and her family AGAIN for my yearly BEAUTIFUL contest!

This year was THEIR year! They WON!

I met Evelyn first at MOPS and then again because our kids go to school together – so we see each other often enough! Her smile and positivity is absolutely INFECTIOUS! When they pulled up – their boys got out of the car and were really NOT very excited about the idea of family photos – they’ve NEVER had ANY taken professionally!

Aren’t they just ADORABLE! This MIGHT be my FAVORITE shot of the evening! SO SWEET!! I LOVE LOVE LOVE those shots!

At the end of our session – the boys said – well – that wasn’t TOO bad!

That’s a WIN in my book! Evelyn – thank you SO much for meeting me!

And Shalane – thank YOU for submitting Evelyn and her family!

Thank you SO MUCH for writing to me about the people you LOVE!

As always – it was hard to choose a family!

I also want to remind you to tell the people that you think so highly of EXACTLY HOW YOU FEEL ABOUT THEM!

A few years ago – Shalane wrote to me about Evelyn – she didn’t win at the time.

Shalane wrote to me about Evelyn again this year – and the love for her friend just SPILLED over through her email!

SO – Evelyn – your family is the WINNER this year! Evelyn submitted a family that won a few years ago!

Your friendship is inspiring!

THIS YEAR MAY HAVE BEEN THE HARDEST YET!

If you submitted a family – but they weren’t the winner – check your email for a limited time offer regarding a session for that family!

ALSO – AS PROMISED – the winner of the LuLaRoe by Samantha Caamano legging drawing is … Veronica Gulliver!!

THANK YOU AGAIN SO MUCH FOR supporting this little business of mine!

BE THE LIGHT – THROW KINDNESS AROUND LIKE CONFETTI!

A long time ago – I started a BEAUTIFUL contest. You submit a family and they win a free session!

Jackie and her family were the some of the FIRST winners of that contest – a contest I now hold every February!

I’ve mentioned before how I love photographing families year-to-year!

This one – was a hard one. It’s always hard when someone is missing.

Nicholas is Jackie & Scott’s firstborn – a fighter! A ray of sunshine! And he is greatly missed!

Jackie & Scott – I LOVE YOU GUYS! Thank you for sharing your lives and your story with me.

The month of February holds two pivotal days for this family – Nicholas’s birthday and the day he left this earth.

Please pray for Jackie & Scott and their families and friends as they navigate through this month.

The lives that Nicholas is touching – the hearts. It’s absolutely beautiful!