Goodbye 2008!

As I sit here reflecting on 2008, the good, the bad and the sad. I resolve to not get comfortable with my accomplishments and raise the bar while reaching higher, to learn from my mistakes, and to never forget the words of wisdom spoken, & lived by my dad.
I also hope to post more often. I will definitely be posting more personal work in 2009.

I would like to thank everyone who gave me the opportunity to get to know them through my viewfinder and let me invade their personal space. I know sometimes my images are a bit Up close & personal. ;-)

Happy New Year!!!!

and remember if you plan on partying like a Rockstar...



Don't Drink & Drive!! Call a friend or take public transportation.

End of holiday special AKA Ring in the New Year special

Hello all!
Hope everyone survived the mad holiday shopping frenzy. As my gift to you I would like to give you the following:

From now until January 30th receive:
- 10% discount on any wedding or lifestyle portrait package* booked & paid for in full.
or
-If I have already shot your wedding or lifestyle portrait session and you would like to purchase additional products not included in your package, you will receive 10% off your order if placed and paid for by January 30th. This applies to family & friends who also may be interested in purchasing prints. They can do so by going to your gallery and entering the coupon code: newyear2009 during checkout

As a reminder I do many types of lifestyle portrait sessions: maternity, senior, family, femme fatale ( aka boudoir/intimate) and the much sought after Spunky Bridal sessions (aka trash the dress).

If you or someone you know is interested in a session please shoot me an email! info@marianamaya.com

*The fine print- some restrictions apply:
-date must be available
-excludes February 14th
-wedding and/or portrait session must take place between now and March 15th
-cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer
-package must be paid for with cash or check

And of course this post wouldn't be complete without a picture.

here we bid Santa farewell until Christmas 2009.

Merry Christmas!

Look Up!

Hello Everyone! It's a busy week! Some of you are at work rushing to finish everything before having (hopefully) a few days off to spend with family. Some of you are already off doing last minute shopping dealing with the crowds, full parking lots & long lines. Others of you are already at home busy with kids, baking, prepping, & cleaning. There's even a few who don't celebrate this season, however are still caught up in everyone's madness.
So what is your week like? I would love to hear how you plan on spending the second to the last week of 2008. Leave me a comment below!!!

Whatever your week is like... Don't forget to stop and look up, down and around you. You only live once!!

Don't forget to leave a comment on "Cans for Comments" below.

Check back soon.... Santa might arrive to my blog. ;-)

Here are a few images taken with my Holga on my recent trip. For those of us in cold weather let's enjoy a moment of summer images.







And of course, What would the beach be without anyone on it:

What is your first? Winner announcement!

I had originally posted the below in the comments area and then realized, maybe not everyone sees the comments so here it is:

thank you everyone for commenting.

Alonzo: the Hawaiian wedding dance is gorgeous. I have seen it many times and each time I get chills!!! Maybe you guys will share more public dances now..

Ro: Funny story! I think it takes a Whole lot more to make a church crumble. ;-)

Sonia: I think one of the most important things at weddings is having all your loved ones close to celebrate with you. I'm glad to hear everyone was able to join you and your hubby.

Tina: What can I say- I love mariachis!!!


Thanks you to www.random.org for helping generate a random number.
The winner is the 5th comment down!

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

5

Timestamp: 2008-12-17 00:57:17 UTC

Ro congrats!! please email me (info@mairnamaya.com) your mailing address to receive your Starbucks card!!

December 16, 2008 5:06 PM

Cans for Comments!!

Hi everyone! It's the last week of Christmas shopping! Yikes!! Has everyone made their list and checked it twice?? Well here's one item you might have forgotten... Give to those less fortunate than us. I know in this economy many of you are thinking things are pretty bad and you have little to spare. So I will make it easy for you to "give". For every comment on this post I will donate one can of food to Second Harvest of Santa Clara . All you have to do is click on "Comment" below this post and leave me a comment. The comment be about anything, a Christmas memory, a story about your childhood favorite toy, your favorite movie, or maybe a fund raiser/charity you have helped out/participated in the past. I will be counting up the comments and dropping of cans to Second Harvest on Monday December 29th, so be sure to comment by Sunday the 28th and tell everyone you know. Remember 1 comment = 1 can!!!

Many other photographers worldwide are also participating in "Cans for Comments". Vancouver photographer Kristel Wyman has a list posted here , be sure to comment on other photographer's pages as well!

What is your First... from your wedding day?

I am curious. When you think back to your wedding day. What is the first memory/image that pops into your mind?

Is it the moment you saw your future to be walking down the aisle or standing at the alter? Is it your first kiss as husband & wife? Is it the cake cutting? Or is it how drunky-monkey your grandma/grandpa got?

Or do you think back on your wedding day and instantly think of that one picture ..your favorite picture. IF so Post your picture I want to see. You can post a link to your picture in the comment area.

As an incentive for you to leave a comment, I will be giving away a $20 giftcard to Starbucks to one random commenter. Don't forget to leave yur name and email address so I can get hold of you if you win!

I will be announcing a winner Dec 15th.