We are back!

After about 24 hours of traveling time back home, Nick and I arrived in Lubbock late Monday night. For those of you who don't know, we went to Europe. It was the first time for both of us. From London to Paris to St. Paddy's Day in Dublin, everything was a blast and with over 1,500 images, you will be able to travel along the entire trip with us! These pictures are from Dublin with Nick, Brandon, Jack and Natalie, who taught me all of the great secrets of being English.

The images will be posted on the website soon. Be sure to go to www.SavantPhotography.com to see them. Within this week I will have posts that I didn't get up before I left, including Tucker, the cute young man that I photographed about 12 hours before I left the country.

I also have some more great ideas for contests so be sure to check back for those. If you have not seen the previous contests, scroll down as most of them are on going!

Hide and Go Seek Contest

So have you been to SavantPhotography.com yet? Have you noticed anything missing? It is like a hidden track on a record. You never know it is there, but when you stumble across it, you will be glad that you did.

Tell me what it is and receive the "Mom Package." Growing up, my mother ordered the same school pictures every year; an 8x10 for her, 2-5x7's for the grandparents and 4- 4x5's for the aunts and uncles. All prints have to be of the same pose. Have you not been shot by Savant? I will also throw in a sitting for only $30 + tax.

Now that's a good puzzle to solve.

Happy Hunting!

La, a Note to Follow So Contest

I love music. I have sang in front of Nick (yes, he does laugh at me) and in front of auditoriums full of people. I love music. I think that picking the music for my website was the hardest part.

In fact, I still need to pick one more song. E-mail me an mp3 of your favorite song to leslieannsimon@yahoo.com. If you hear your song on my website, you will win a free family sitting in the location of your choice complete with online viewing. I will give you one hint...I don't want a really short song.

The winner will be picked March 29, so get your music together! Unlike many of the other contests, you can enter as often as you would like!

Happy Singing!

In a Land Far, Far Away Contest

I click on my site meter constantly. I think that it is so much fun to see who is viewing me and where they are from and then I think, "boy, I wish I knew who they are!"

So, that is where I got the idea for this contest. I want to see who is the person farthest away from me that views my site. You will win an 11x14 print of your choice. You have never been shot by Savant? Don't worry, I also shoot wildlife and nature landscape and many other subjects that you might want to hang on your wall. Maybe I photographed your niece's wedding, your daughter's graduation, your grandkids. View all the portraits and some of the prints in my online viewing section.

To enter this contest, go to the "Say Hello" page on my website and write me. Please use the title "Far Away Contest." In the body of the e-mail, include all of your information including your e-mail and the town and state you are logging in from. It has to match the town and state in my log records. Also include your mailing address and a description of the print that you would like. This contest will be valid today until April 1st, so enter anytime in between those dates. The winner will be announced in April.

Happy Winnings!

Congratulations Graduate Contest

What do you want to be when you grow up? I would love to find out during our graduation session together.

Go to my website and send me an e-mail from my contact page with the subject line "I want to be a..." I do want you to fill in the blank. In the body of the message, please tell me all of your information, when you want to do your sitting and where.

If you book a sitting for anytime during April, you will receive a regular package for only $40, a 26 percent discount.

I would also like to offer you another gift. For each person that you refer, you will receive a set of 15 wallets. That is 15 more of your classmates that will remember your face when they go off to college. What else? I will also give you a jpeg of the same image for your facebook or myspace profile.

So, if you refer 5 friends, you will have 75 wallets and 5 jpegs. Mom won't want you to leave home. You will be ready to start your new life. Leave Mom a great face; one for the fridge and one for the wallet.

Happy Beginnings...

Word of Mouth Contest

This business started because my friend Sheena Grote (Cecil) hired me to do her wedding in Tyler, Texas. From that, word started traveling and now the business is flourishing. I really want to thank all of my great customers who spread the word about Savant. No advertising in the world is as great as all of you are!

To thank you, I would like to let you feel the rewards! Any time you refer a customer and they book, you will receive a free print. From now until April 15th, I would like to sweeten the pot. Send all of your friends to my website and tell them to fill out the contact form. Please put "Referral" in the subject line. In the body have them include your name and number or e-mail address, city and state as well as their information. Whoever has the most unique referrals will win a gift certificate to Marriott Hotels.

Remember I need all of the information for it to count! On top of this, you will still receive your free print if they book. Pass the word along so that you can sleep in style.

The First Contest is Here!

My stomach is turning waiting for my website to launch! It looks fantastic! I cannot wait for everyone to see it. One of the great features is being able to contact me straight from the website instead of having to copy down my e-mail address. So, be the first one to contact me from my website and you will win a photo session with me! This can be used for engagements, family portraits, graduation or anything else that you can imagine!

Please use the subject "First Contact Contest" as your subject and be sure to put all of your information in the body, including your e-mail address.

*This competion includes the sitting fee and online viewing. There are no prints associated with this contest. Travel fees might apply if you live beyond Lubbock and the close surrounding areas.

Month Long Contest and Website Launch

Lately I have been working very hard on my new website. I can't wait for everyone to see it! To celebrate this momentous occasion, I will be giving away a lot of free stuff. Some of the many items will be prints, photo sessions, proof albums, digital albums, free rooms at the Marriott and a wedding! Yes, you heard right! A day of photography capturing every special moment of your special day completely free to you! Check this blog often to find out what you need to do to win. Be sure to check every day from today on out because some of the contests will last the whole month and some will only last for a day.

E-mail this blog to all of your friends and have them check in daily as well. It could lead to prizes for your friends and even greater prizes for you!

Good Luck!~

Katie and Kyle

Katie was a student of mine at Tech. I was her TA when I was in graduate school. The past two summers I have taught photography and she was in that class as well. Katie and Kyle will be married on June 10, 2006. I will not be photographing their wedding because I already have one booked, but I am so sad about that! I know that with a couple this beautiful, the wedding will be spectacular! To view all of Katie and Kyle's engagement pictures, CLICK HERE!

Happy Valentine's, Susan!

It has taken me a while to publish my posts and I am way behind. Hopefully I will get caught up tonight or tomorrow.

Chris (who just might be the most thoughtful husband in the world) wanted to get his wife Susan a Valentine's gift that she would never forget. Luckily they have the most beautiful girls! I snuck up to their church one Sunday morning and he snuck over to my house to pick up the prints. Susan, I hope you enjoy the pictures, and the love that went into making them!

Oh, Blair!

The absolute most gorgeous, photogenic, full of life person is the face you see above. I have been wanting to put Blair's bridals up for so long, but of course I had to wait until after the wedding. I know that this was the longest bridal session that I have ever done and the most fun wedding that I have ever been to.

Blair, Brad and I have been friends for years now. We actually met at pre-celebrations for a common friend's wedding. Blair does my hair now, I do all of her photography. A hair cut takes forever because both of us talk a mile a minute. She is truly a personality that everyone needs to get to know.

Blair and Brad are those two people that you know were meant for each other. As corny as that sounds, I know that there is no one else in this world that should have the heart of Blair and I know that no one would measure up to Brad in the eyes of his new wife.

Here's to you! Congratulations, I love you both!

Tell Me What You Think!

My new website should be up and running within the next two weeks. I will be leaving for Europe on March 15th, and my goal is to have everything finished by that time. I know you all will love it. One thing that will be included is a testimonial page.

If I have ever photographed you, please let me know what you thought and I will print you a free 5x7 of your favorite pose. Just e-mail me your thoughts and the photo that you would like printed and I will get it to you as quickly as possible.

Please check back often! The launch of my website will bring many great prizes to those who surf the net.

Larkin and Grant

Larkin told me a secret...she has had a crush on Grant long before they even started dating. They met through church. I think that this is a great way to start off a relationship. Grant lives in Colorado and has a lot of horses. They were going to bring one for the shoot, but that would have made for a long trip. Their wedding will be at her parents and I am really excited about this. I love intimate weddings. You can also see my newest photography assistant in the pictures. Isn't she a doll?!

So excited!!!

My new website should be up and running before the beginning of March. I think that you will all enjoy it as most of my clients shining faces will be highlighted on the website. I will also have a testimonials page coming soon. Please submit your testimonials so that they can be featured. The first five people that submit will receive a free 8x12 print. E-mail them to leslieannsimon@yahoo.com. Stay tuned for more fun promotions!

Danielle and Scott

Sunday I photographed one of my former photography students and her husband. Danielle and I met while I was in grad school. I teach a photography class at Tech and she signed up. Now, 2 years later, she asked me to photograph her and her wonderful husband, Scott. It was the first time that I met him and he was so nice. I can tell that he is totally in love with her! He was so loving, I almost forgot that it wasn't an engagement shoot. I think that it is a rule that you must have above par manners to wear a cowboy hat.

Thank you Dani and Scott for a wonderful morning! Enjoy the photos and let me know what your mom thinks of her birthday present!

Check back soon, I had four shoots on Sunday!

Trefoils, Thinmints and Do Si Do's, Oh My!

In January I photographed the Cookie Celebration for the Lubbock Girl Scouts. I became ill right after and I forgot to post it on my blog. The girls were so fun and happy and had an innocence to them that I would love to gain back. The most important thing in their lives is selling more cookies! We played games, ate cookies, did the weather with John Robinson, and, when they figured out that I was just there for them, we did a little modeling. Good job girls on all of your hard work and best of luck to you all!

For more pictures, CLICK HERE.

Save my Date!

Thanks to a wonderful amature photographer (my sweet mother!), Nick and I were able to get some pictures by the Christmas tree at Tech where he proposed. We made our save the date card out of one of them. If you haven't received one, you could possibly be one of the people that I could not find an address for! Please fell free to sign our guest book at http://simonandkitten.weddings.com and learn more about the day. It is so much fun to plan the whole day instead of just the photography. It makes me even more excited about the weddings that I am photographing!

What we know so far...
Ceremony - First Christian Church
Reception - Frazier Alumni Pavilion
Dress - Brides in Amarillo
Flowers - Abernathy Floral
Honeymoon - Playa Del Carmen
Wedding Photographer - Lauren Clark Photography
Engagement and Bridal Photography - Jennifer Beecher Photography
Invitations - The wonderful Dinah at Hodgepodge Design
Hair - Hair by Blair at Sachet

Ringing in the New Year

Janet and Eduardo started the new year as a newly wed couple. The were so fun to be around and a great finale for my 2005 weddings. Their ceremony really reminded me who joins couples together and that your spirituality really should be in the middle of your relationship. The musicians were a wonderful part of the ceremony and the new couple made me smile every time I looked at them. Congratulations and happy 2006!

Angela and Myles

What a sweet family I was able to spend the day with on December 17th! Angela and Myles united as one with her Dad officiating the ceremony. I could tell that there was a complete joy over both families that these two found each other. I hope to work with them again in the near future.

Congratulations to you both!

With This Ring...

That's right folks! I am engaged. It is amazing that no matter who I ask, most everyone's first questions is "who will be your photographer?" I haven't quite decided, I don't even have a date set. However, I can assure you that whoever it is will be wonderful.

His name is Nick Kitten, and yes, he is related to whatever Kitten you know, although it might be distant. We are going to my grandmother's home tomorrow night. They are having a Christmas feast for all of the residents and we are going to tell her then. Most of the time she really doesn't know who everyone is, but that is ok! That just means that I will get to tell her the joyous news again and again!