Guess Who's Back?!?

Yes boys & girls, I am finally back! Well, mostly anyway.  :)   There has been a ton of stuff going on these last several months, and I am finally getting everything squared away. I still don't have my home office unpacked or set up yet, but I am functioning. LOL. Here are some updates on what's new...

* I am on hiatus from OpLove sessions, and only accepting inquiries from previous/current clients. 
* I am in the middle of switching to a new proofing software. The current software will be eliminated on March 30, 2013. More details on the new system once I get it figured out.
* I am considering getting rid of my current business website and using this blog, with modifications, as my primary site. I'll keep you updated.
* New Business Addition coming soon - Pet Photography!
* Anyone in or know some around the Junction City, Kansas area? One of my friends, Trey Allen, was recently diagnosed with Mutiple Myeloma (cancer of the blood cells). They are having a Benefit Ranch Rodeo, Calf Fry, and Silent Auction on May 26th. If you can attend, donate, or even help spread the word...any & all help is greatly appreciated! I am trying to arrange my schedule to attend also. More info here: https://www.facebook.com/events/151051648392171/

TreyAllen

* And on a personal note, I am now a Grandma and a once-again Aunt. My granddaughter, Allyson Lynn, was born Dec 3, 2012. My nephew, Eli James, was born on my sister's birthday, March 7, 2013. Here are a few pics of my new sweeties!

Allyson Lynn Colter

Allyson Lynn Colter

Me, Allyson, & my son (her daddy) Peyton.

Oh, and here's a YouTube video of me & Allyson singing her favorite song, "You Are My Sunshine"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CxTVBVsi04

My sister, Tina, & niece, Makayla

Makayla getting some mommy & baby brother love!

Announcing my nephew, Eli James!

Eli, deep in thought while snoozing

Big sister kisses for Eli from Makayla

I am sure there are a boatload of other notifications and updates that I need to post, but that's all I have for now. Thanks for staying true & hanging in there with me. TTYS!
- Ang

Drama, Drama, Drama

Yep, it has been nothing but DRAMA lately! In case you haven't heard, we had to abruptly move out of our rent house in north Edmond. My family and I have been staying in an extended stay hotel in OKC for over a month. Every thing we own is in storage other than a few needed biz files that need urgent attention. I promise that I am working as fast as possible with what I have to get everyone taken care of, but it has proven very difficult lately. Please hang in there with me while I work through all this. We are currently house-hunting, and we put in an offer on a home around I-40 & Choctaw Rd. It has beautiful acreage, so I am super excited about making a beautiful outdoor "studio" and a fabulous office area for my clients!

So in light of that, I have had to greatly restrict my sessions. Please see below for the sessions that I am accepting:
1) OpLove - only current/previous clients for predeployment or homecomings
2) Boudoir - at your location choice only. No marathons will be planned at this time. See my other website Desired Assets
3) Maternity/Newborn
4) Real estate through my secondary company OK Photo Tours.

If you have submitted an order and received a confirmation, please be assured that I have gotten it. Everything has been delayed because 1) it was sent to my old address and never forwarded to my new temporary one, or 2) I had to wait until I had a current mailing address to order it. Either way, I promise that I haven't forgotten you!!! There were several orders sent to my old address (or lost in the mail to you from there) that I have had to re-order. The hotel does not allow package or mail delivery, so I am having to send everything to a family members house to ensure delivery. If you have not received an order confirmation, please email me asap! The internet here is horrible, at best, when there is connectivity. I will go to a local internet cafe to check your order status and email you an update. **Please do not message me through my Facebook biz page! I cannot access them from my phone or tablet, so I am only able to check them every 2 weeks or so.**

So with all the updated info I mentioned above, I guess that I am ultimately asking that you to please be patient with me during this chaotic transition period. I promise to be back on track as soon as possible! Please pray for us, keep your fingers crossed, and hope for my good karma to come back to me soon. Thanks everyone & I'll talk to you soon!!!
- Ang

New Updates, Additions, Specials, & Promos...
First off, today May 1st, is the beginning of the official Military Appreciation Month. This coming Friday, May 4th, is also Military Spouse Appreciation Day. Be sure to thank these heroes (and their spouses who stand by them) for their service and sacrifices! It can be something simple like paying for their coffee at the local coffee shop or something more like paying for their family's dinner at the local restaurant. A tank of gas, a soda, or just a heartfelt handshake to say "Thank You". Our men and women in uniform, as well as their spouses, deserve the recognition!!!

And with that said, ANY member of the military - active, reserves, or retired from - is getting my own version of appreciation. Any portrait session booked for a military member in the month of May will be done 100% free of charge (LOL, that was a lot of "m"s). You don't have to be deploying or coming home from a deployment, as per the OpLove guidelines. This is my own biz offering you a gift to show my appreciation. In addition, you will receive a free sheet of wallet prints (8-poses) and 25% off anything you want to order. No purchase obligations or restrictions.  :)

Next up, my Senior Rep Recruiting. I am starting to recruit my Senior Reps for 2013. If you are an upcoming senior or know anyone who is, please pass along this info! Approved Senior Reps get a free session, free prints, discounts, and credits for each referral. I'm looking for outgoing and active students. For more info and the application, please visit my Senior Rep page linked from the top or click here: http://awilkesphoto.blogspot.com/p/seniors.html

One last thing...I have TONS of sessions to get caught up on posting. Please know that I am working as fast as I can on getting them onto my blog and other social media sites. As of right now, I am running about 2 weeks behind on just processing session pics. I promise to get you updated ASAP, but if I happen to miss you, please let me know!  :)

Thanks, hugs, and much love to my loyal clients and fans!!

Love...just in time!

I recently had the honor of shooting an emergency homecoming session for one of our servicemen, Patrick. He was released from his deployment and brought home early, courtesy of the Red Cross' assistance, to be with his family during a very difficult time! His 10-month old daughter, Adalyn, was just diagnosed with a heart condition that will require surgery soon. He also has a beautiful wife, Kim, and a 4-yr old daughter named Sophia that has been holding down the fort while he was away. It was a last minute session that not only kept the family and myself on-call for weeks, but also another OpLove photographer to fill-in just in case I couldn't attend. Long story short of lots of dates & time changes, Patrick made it home safely to reunite with his loving family! The Patriot Riders were there as well as a few Tulsa news crews. It was so great to be there for this family & capture their photos.

Here is a news link from Fox in Tulsa with the wife interview before the homecoming: http://www.fox23.com/mediacenter/local.aspx?videoid=3340838
And the footage during the homecoming: http://www.fox23.com/mediacenter/local.aspx?videoid=3340915

Session Giveaways

Yes it happens very rarely, but I am giving away 8-Mini Sessions for FREE to be held on April 21, 2012. Spread the word to all your friends and family for this very limited time offer.

Details:
Date: Saturday, April 21, 2012
Times: 9:30am to 7:00pm (see registration form for specific time slots)
Location: any public location in Edmond, OK
Includes: a FREE Mini Session, online private gallery for 30 days, a $30 print credit, and up to 5 images to be posted on my Facebook biz page for you to "tag" yourself. There is no obligation or pressure to purchase anything additional.
The Catch: you must complete the Model Release form allowing me full use of your photos for my portfolio and advertising. Also, a portion of your session will be focused on certain new session ideas (see Registration From for more details).
Registration Link: www.angela-wilkes.com/machform/view.php?id=12

Now for the "Why" behind this full day of Free Sessions that I am offering. Several of my colleagues, family, and friends are questioning that very thing. Well to the you the truth, there are a couple of reasons. One is that I have been soooo swamped with bookings lately that I haven't had the chance to consider or try the many new creative ideas that keep me up at night. Another reason is that I work so much with our military (OpLove) clients that it has seemingly taken over my creative processes. Which leads to a third reason...being stuck in a rut! It happens quite often with us creative mind people. Even with different people in different locations, it's still just the same thing...point, focus, click, & repeat. I can get the "popular poses" in the "popular locations" without a single thought. It has become automatic, which is why I closed my studio in the first place. It happened when I did mostly weddings, corporate, and now mostly military (OpLove) sessions. I am very busy, and for that I am truly grateful. However, my creativeness seems to be hiding lately. I have tons of fabulous ideas but no chance to test them. So here we are...8 Free Session Giveaways on a single day. You will be my test models, and I will provide incentives for allowing me to use you as such.

It's the Easter Bunny!

Time is running out to book your Easter session. I have a few slots open for the afternoon of Saturday, March 10th. I have also opened up my schedule on Saturday, March 24th to allow for the numerous last-minute requests. This will be the last day available for Easter sessions in 2012. Space is very limited, so book your session asap!

The Easter Special is $75 and includes:
* 30-minute Mini Session at a local park or your home
* Props - big stuffed bunny, Easter eggs, Easter basket, and more (possibly a few baby chicks)
* Private online gallery for 30 days
* Custom disk of your 10 favorite digital images, fully-edited, with print rights
* 16-wallet prints with selectable photos for each
* A chance to win a FREE 5x7 ThinWrap Canvas Print (drawing held during your session)

To book your session or inquire about availability, please contact me at angela@angela-wilkes.com or call/text me at (405) 923-0290.

New Info, My Lacking, & Other Updates...

Yes, my wonderful followers...I have been MIA lately (and yes again). I have had some major health issues that have limited my ability to accept sessions & have caused a delay in processing pics. Add to that some recent issues with my pro lab about their large prints, and it's a whirlwind of "YUCK" lately!!

OpLove has recently teamed up with the Long Road Home Project in support of 3 vets riding bicycles from Seattle, WA to Washington D.C. The journey will start in July 2012 and end on about Vet's Day (Nov 2012). They will stop at every major city and base/post to interview military members and vets asking one major question..."What can we do as a nation to help our troops as they come home?" This is such a wonderful and inspiring idea!! They are still looking for vets, of any age, to apply for the journey. If you are interested or know someone who might be, the application is available on their website. Food, lodging, bicycles and all expenses related to the ride will be covered by the Long Road Home Project. They will have a film crew following them throughout the journey. It will be a webcast available weekly online, as well as turned into a full documentary. Many of our OpLove photographers will be attending their stops to grab some photos along their journey. If you know of any vet that may be interested or of any OpLove photographer that may be willing to volunteer, please let me know or send them to the Long Road Home Project's website. Here is a map of the tentative area they will be traveling through...

Another OpLove update, on a personal/business note. Because of the many of units returning home in the next 6 months or so, I am having to limit my homecoming sessions. Existing and/or previous OpLove clients coming home will take priority of scheduling a homecoming session. I will accept a new client's homecoming session as long as it does not interfere or overlap with a current client's homecoming. With that said and if I am not available, I will refer you to a couple other OpLove photographers that may be available to take your session. In addition, OpLove has recently re-defined the regions covered as a "deployment" based on the guidelines provided to the org. If you have any questions, please let me know. I am currently working on building a FAQ page for my OpLove clients about the new regs.

Boudoir updates: My www.Desired Assets.com page has not been updated since Dec of last year, when I first launched the site. Per some client requests, I have removed numerous images from the password protected gallery. The site is still up and active, but the gallery of sample images has been modified greatly. It's a privacy issue that I totally understand, so I hope you do too.  :)

Believe it or not...I had a couple other things to post about, but I cannot remember them all right now. So this is it for now. More updates and pics (I promise to get caught up) soon!!!
- Ang

Christmas, News, & Updates

There are many things that I haven't blogged about yet, but it's the holidays so I've been a bit preoccupied. Here is the run-down version of what's been going on...

UPDATE: I am in the process of completely rebuilding my main website. I will no longer be using a "photographers template", but instead it will be built from scratch. I was originally going to launch it on Jan 1st, but alas I need it to be done sooner than that.  :(   With some new publicity (TV & newspaper) coming over the Christmas holidays in the OKC area, I want a fresh new look when potential clients stop by to visit.
UPDATE: In addition to a new main website, prices for certain sessions and products will be changing. Some higher, some lower, and some entirely new items. Print & product prices are only changing because of my lab updating their prices.
UPDATE: My Desired Assets boudoir website will likely launch over the next week, within days after Christmas. I am still building the gallery, but I hope for it to be 90% done when it goes public. The website link will be here: www.DesiredAssets.com
NEWS: Today, I interviewed with Bryan Dean of The Oklahoman newspaper. She is working on a story about my participation with OpLove. After the interview, she mentioned that she was hoping to have it run this weekend...on Sunday, Christmas Day, on the COVER of the Metro Family section. She's not sure if that will happen with it being such an important weekend, but she is hopeful. I am too, but I am truly grateful for any publicity about this wonderful org!
NEWS: I set up the interview & filming schedule for Freedom 43 (tv news in OKC). They will be filming interviews & part of my client session on Tuesday, Dec 27th at a local park. It is still unsure when it will actually air on tv, but myself and my clients are very excited.
CHRISTMAS: Just in case you hadn't noticed...Christmas is this weekend! I was so busy getting last minute client orders to the various labs that I totally spaced out on ordering my own business Christmas Cards. Once I sent in my own order, the lab politely responded that they won't be ready until AFTER Christmas. Grrrrrr on me! So for all intended good thoughts and holiday wishes, here is the design of the card that all my clients would have received.   :)

Check back soon for more updates and posts! Meanwhile, I personally want to wish all my clients, fans, and colleagues a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS and a HAPPY NEW YEAR! Stay safe in your travels, and I look forward to seeing you next year!!!

Winter Market

I just finished the "Fancy! and Friends Winter Market" at the Edmond Museum. It was the first year for the show, but I thought that it seemed to go smoothly! I met several great vendors, potential clients, and got to reunite with some old neighbors that I grew up with. :) I also got to brag about OpLove and all our recent publicity! I made several new contacts in that regards. And a big CONGRATULATIONS to Joy Murphy for winning my free family photo session during the event drawing! I look forward to hearing from you about our 2012 session!!!

Note to Miss Shandee: I received TONS of compliments on your photo! Numerous people said that it was such a great photo. Then they said, "She is just beautiful." Of course, I was very proud at that point because 1) it is a great photo, even if I do say so myself,  and 2) you are beautiful (which I already knew, but am so happy that I got to show others too). Then a few people commented on what I took as the Pièce de résistance...they asked, "Is that your daughter?" Really, OMG & LOL! I was very proud that it was my photo and very proud that I displayed your beauty in its truest form, but then to be complimented enough that they also thought I was your mom...WOW, that must mean that they think I'm pretty "easy on the eyes" too! I was on cloud nine for a few mins.  :)  Your parents must be sooo proud to have raised such a beautiful daughter - on the outside, but more importantly on the inside!

Luckily, my dad came to see me today, the 2nd day of the show, and helped me put my banner up. (It was too tall for the table and there was nothing to rope it to around the sides.) So, lots of scotch tape to the rescue!!!! My booth looked 100 times better with it up, but alas it fell about 10 minutes after daddy left. I tried everything to put it back in place but no luck!   :(

I do want to thank Kristin and Angel for inviting me to the market. It's been a few years since I agreed to do a show, but I was happy to be a part of this one! And to anyone that is in the market for an Event & Party Planner...check out their website here: Fancy Like That!. I also met a local lady that does some fabulous crochet (I got an awesome headband/ear cover thing), so I can hook you up if you are in the market!!!

Be sure to stop by and see me at the Winter Market this weekend!

Don't forget to enter my drawing for a FREE family session in 2012, as well as picking up some free promo items. I will also have Gift Certificates, Photo Snow Globes, and Mini Photo Ornaments available for immediate purchase.

Fancy! and Friends Winter Market

EVENT DATE/TIME
Dec 9, 2011 to Dec 10, 2011
Friday, Dec 9th from 1:00 - 5:00 pm
Saturday, Dec 10th from 1:00 - 4:00 pm


DESCRIPTION
Hosted by Fancy Like That! This sale offers jewelry, fine art, photography, massages and more!


Features photographer Angela Wilkes who was featured on the Today Show & NBC Nightly News highlighting the organization, OpLove, which photographs soldiers and their families before and after being deployed.


LOCATION
Edmond Historical Society & Museum
431 S Boulevard
Edmond, OK


ADDITIONAL INFO
Phone 405-401-0736
Contact email FancyLikeThat@gmail.com

Black Friday Updates

Two Reminder Announcements for Black Friday Weekend

First is the Today Show segment, that I was honored to be a part of, about Operation: Love Reunited (OpLove) finally aired this morning. It was a really great story, and I am extremely happy with how well they put it together. The link to the story is here:

I absolutely love how they ended the piece with Denny throwing Dawson into the air on video and then stopping it with a snapshot of Dawson grinning ear-to-ear. I thought that I would be okay watching it but as soon as Denny started talking in the beginning, I started tearing up.  :)

And the second reminder is about my Black Friday Specials available only this weekend until Sunday night at 11:59pm. Most of the discounts are for 50% off sessions and/or prints! Visit my "Gifts" page at the top to purchase these limited time deals.

BLACK FRIDAY SPECIAL

Black Friday Specials for 3 days
Friday, November 25th at 12:01am until Sunday, November 27th at 11:59pm

Special A - Family Session + $50 Print Credit for $75 (more than 50% off)

Special B - Boudoir Session + Free Pin-Up Calendar for $75

Special C - BOGO (buy one get one) Prints Only for $25, $50, $75, and $100 denominations

Don't delay...these HUGE discounts are only available for 3 days! Go to the "Gifts" page (link at the top) to secure your Black Friday Special.

Playtime at the Park

I met Karen, Kaleb (3 years), and Kaden (7 months) at Will Rogers Park for our latest session. I was so surprised to see how much Kaleb had grown, and I had never seen Kaden before. Although Matt, the devoted hubby & daddy, wasn't able to attend the session because he is currently serving overseas, his spirit was there with his beautiful family. Here are a few of my fav pics from our session.

Getting Caught Up

In the process of my attempting to get caught up, I will post 2-3 sessions pics at a time on here. The first pics below are from Crystal, James, Macy & Callie. The girls were dressed up soooo absolutely adorable in their matching red & white dresses with blue belts. They were a blast to get pics of during the session. Macy would showing off, so Callie would play shy. Then they would switch and Callie was being the camera hog while Macy was being shy. They were definitely fun! Crystal and James were also awesome! They were up for anything, so we got some great pics. Such a loving and adorable family!!! Here are a few of my favs...

And the next session is with some of my fav repeat clients: Shannon, Denny, & Dawson. They were all part of the Today Show filming & interviews (be sure to watch them on Vet's Day, Nov 11th on NBC). Even though Dawson isn't even 3-yrs old yet, he was an absolute angel during all the happenings. And Shannon was just glowingly-pregnant gorgeous with a beautiful baby bump! Denny, well what's to say...he is definitely a proud daddy & hubby, and soon to be daddy two-times over. Even though there was a camera guy following us around during the session, we still managed to get some awesome pics! Here's a few of my favs:

Last Chance for Christmas Mini Sessions

Boudoir at a B&B

At the beginning of this month, I met Lady G (a pseudonym for Lady Gorgeous) at a local bed & breakfast for a boudoir session. I was running a few minutes late, but she was fashionably worth it!  :)  She was absolutely beautiful, especially with her hair & make-up done all fancy-like!! Her initial nervousness at the time of our consult was definitely resolved by the time I arrived and started snapping pics. We talked, laughed, and had a blast. (Hello, Mr Bubbles...LOL!) Our session will result in some smokin' sexy gifts to her betrothed, either for Christmas and/or as a wedding gift. Because I totally respect her privacy and the fact that it'll be a surprise gift, I'm only going to post one pic from our session. She has this awesome Audrey Hepburn kind of classy-look to her, which looks fabulous in B&W!.

It's a *Limited Edition* Christmas

I am starting a *Limited Edition* Christmas Special, for a very short amount of time!! The special includes a bulk family session (up to 12 people) PLUS 25 - 4x8 Christmas Cards/envelopes for $80. That is over 35% savings ($45 total)! Sessions can occur either in your home or in Bricktown around the OKC Christmas tree (when available).

For specific card designs, please visit this link: http://www.ezphototemplates.com/holidaycards_only.php (only applies to 4x8 and/or 5x7 flat card designs). Interested in upgrading to a 5x7 flat-card or folded card as an addition or replacement to the Christmas Special? Please contact me for pricing.

The session must be occur between Oct 22nd & Dec 4th. (taxes & shipping charges not included.) I have a very limited availability, so please contact me ASAP to book your holiday session!

News 9 Story

Last Friday, I was featured on News 9 (CBS in OKC) for their 5pm newscast. The story was about a recent military scam, and my thoughts on the scam as an OpLove photographer. Surprisingly enough given my lack of prep time, I wasn't too bad! Click here for the link to the story: News 9 Story

The reporter, Lisa, called me about 1pm earlier that day asking about including me in the story. Of course, I jumped at the chance! The catch??? We had to film it in one hour, and it was a 20+ minute drive to the location. LOL...and to make matters worse: I was sitting on the couch, in comfy clothes, unshowered, processing session pics when she called. "Ummm, okay, sure, I can do that" was my verbal response. My mental response was more along the lines of, "Holy crap!! I'm gonna be on the news...again! I have less than 30 mins to shower, get dressed, pack my camera, get gas, and head out!"

We filmed the interview outside of the 45th Inf Museum in OKC. Lisa and the cameraman were both very nice and patient with me. I have to admit that it was a bit nerve-wracking to do such an opinionated piece about the military scam, plus OpLove, with such short notice. Luckily, they were kind enough to edit out my response regarding my thoughts on the people doing the scam as well as what should happen to them. LOL, I didn't say anything bad, just that I had no comment which could be shown on tv. :)

Oh, and we set a date/time for the Today Show interview. The story will air on Vet's Day, Nov 11th. Toe, the OpLove founder and my good friend, is flying into OKC to be a part of the interview and events. I cannot wait...I am soooo excited and nervous! Stay tuned for more specs on it!!!

Unfortunate Cancellaton & Session Availabilities

I posted about a week-and-a-half ago about a wonderful event called "Operation: Dam Run" that was to be held on Oct 22nd in Canton, OK to support one of our Marine units. Unfortunately due to some unforeseen and extreme circumstances, they had to cancel the event.  :(   That really sucks because I was sooooo excited about attending and snapping some pics. But, I understand that things happen. These Marines, and their families, would still appreciate any thoughts and prayers that you can send their way!

So in light of the event cancellation, I now have some availability that day for sessions. I've had to turn away several clients, OpLove and otherwise, because I was completely booked until mid-November but now have a few slots open. I'm taking appointments on a first-come, first-serve basis for that weekend, so book while you can!!

Back to Bricktown

It's been a couple years since I've really been back to Bricktown. After my snow tubing contract which took me there every day for 2 months, I just kinda lost my taste for it. I've been to the Myriad Gardens and to the Arts Festival and a couple other places, but those were more just get-in and get-out. Well, last week I had the pleasure of meeting Ashlee and Mike...in Bricktown...for his pre-deployment session. It was great! We started at the fountain in front of the Harkins Theatre. Then we walked part of the canal towards Main St. We stopped at a few places to grab some shots. Then back to the canal around to the ballpark.

Ashlee and Mike were so adorable together! She's from Virginia, and he is from Connecticut. They shared stories on where they met, future plans for kids, and their surprise at what Oklahoma was actually like. They expected nothing more than cowboys, tumbleweeds, and daily tornadoes. Luckily, none of those were present during our session.  ;)