Personal Project - February 2009

This month I did a self portrait for my personal project. I had a lot of fun pulling out my camera and trying out a different kind of photo shoot. And yes, my shirt says, "Alaska: We Grow Ice." :)









Blessings,
Christine Lee Smith

Phantom of the Opera

Tuesday night Matt took me to see Phantom of the Opera in Hollywood at the Pantages Theater (as sort of a late Valentine's Day date - he was at winter camp last weekend).

We decided not to fight traffic and take the Blue/Red lines up to Hollywood instead. It was amazing! We not only saved on stress from freeways and parking, but the money we saved bought us an inexpensive dinner!

Thanks to my wonderful hubby, we had an amazing night! I have waited since high school to see this musical live - and finally got to go nearly 10 years later. Neither of us had seen the play (or movie versions) before. So it was wonderful to experience it together for the first time.

Here's a little photo diary of the night...
(Note: all photographs were taken with my iPhone)

Blessings,
Christine Lee Smith

Meet Emily

It's time to introduce the fabulous mystery that is Emily.

I've had the wonderful privilege to meet with some amazing couples in the past week. Couples who've know each other for as long as 10 years before tying the knot, to couples who've meet more recently through using modern technology (thank you E-Harmony & Match.com!).

But a common question I'm getting from most is, "Who's your primary second photographer?"

The answer: Emily.


Emily is the girl with the big smile and camera to match.

I found this fun photo of her while updating my website and thought it would be a good introduction to the fabulous work she does while working with Christine Lee Smith Photography.

You can view some of her recent work for us by using the "Search by Topic" feature on the right side bar, then selecting "Associate Photography."

You've now been formally introduced.

Have a wonderful Valentine's Day everyone!

Blessings,
Christine Lee Smith

6-Weeks

My dad doesn't make New Year's resolutions because, get this, he doesn't want to commit to them publicly. He just wants to do something resolutely and then, maybe, let people know he made it to his goal - afterwords.

Silly isn't it? Well, get this - I do the same thing and I just discovered the source - my dad.

Six weeks ago I signed up for Long Beach Adventure Boot Camp. Only recently some of you may have seen my tweets about it. It's been one heck of an adventure, let me tell you!

I didn't tell anyone (other than my hubby) that I was starting this intense fitness regimen because I didn't want anyone to know - because if I failed I wanted it to be a pitty party of two (me and hubby, since he was in on it). Only if I succeeded would I make my victory public. Horrible, I know. Maybe not, but I don't like being so "secretive" about it. I'm working on it. :)

Oh, and get this, this is not the first time I've done such a thing - in college I was frustrated that my parents were starting to push me to find a job (I hadn't had one except for during summer break before senior year). Well, I wanted to do it "my way" so I applied, interviewed and started my amazing job at Tuttle Cameras. Then after my first day I told my mom, "Oh yeah, I got a job." She couldn't figure me out. I bet my dad would have understood if I told him first.

Getting back to the point of this post - I had my post-boot camp evaluation yesterday and my final fitness tests today. For brevity's sake I'll just post the before and after numbers:

Fitness Test Results
Mile Run
12.31 before
9.57 after

Push Ups
38 before
45 after

Plank (Core) Test
45 seconds before
1 minute after

Squats
63 before/after

Inches Lost
Waist: 1.5"
Hips: 1"
Arms: .25"
Legs: .5"

So why am I going public? Because I'm proud of myself - and that's a good thing. I've done something huge that I never thought possible (I mean for pete's sake I ran a 3mile run in the rain!). I'm pushing my limits for my health and well being.

And I think that translates into my business. I'm stronger (physically and emotionally), I look at challenges in a new way, and I have a broader perspective about life.

I'm so excited to continue this routine I've started and to continue focusing on my health - because when I'm healthy and strong, I kick butt. 'Nuff said. :)

Have a great weekend everyone! And if you're interested in this whole Adventure Boot Camp thing, do a Google search using "Adventure boot camp" and your city. They have them all over. Take a chance and do something you never thought possible.

And if you're a Long Beach resident, tell Shannon, Caroline and Jo I sent you. They'll take good care of you!

Blessings,
Christine Lee Smith

Fresh Blog - Vote!

Whoo-hoo! Some exciting news: this year we've entered our blog into the Professional Photographer Fresh Blog competition for the "freshest blog."

Will you help us share our "freshness" with the world by clicking here - then going to entry 0307 and voting for our entry? (Our entry is listed between pages 7-10, page numbers are on the bottom left of the first page).

Thank you so much for your continued encouragement and support!

Have a wonderful day ya'll! :)

Blessings,
Christine Lee Smith

Playdate with Ade

I'm the luckiest god-momma ever! We got to have two days with Ade. Yesterday she came over for a while in the afternoon and today we met her and her momma for a playdate at the Lakewood Mall.

So much fun...

Blessings,
Christine Lee Smith

My Guitar

Just before Thanksgiving something urged me to pickup my guitar again. I got the guitar when I turned 18 (I think) and I haven't opened the case in over three years.

I'm so glad I did.

Playing again (or learning to play finally) has been such an outlet for me, especially in the past few weeks. I just find such "rejuvenation," for lack of a better word, when I play.

I'll have to thank my parents again for one of the best birthday presents ever!

Here are a few photographs of my cherry red Yamaha.

I encourage you, if you've let an "artistic endeavor" die to try it again this week - whether it's writing, singing, painting or sketching.

So what will you be digging out of your closet this week? I'd love to know, so leave me a comment and let me know what happens!

Blessings,
Christine Lee Smith

First Award!

Just got the email today - check this out!

WeddingWire, the nation’s leading wedding technology company, just announced that Christine Lee Smith Photography has won the 2009 Bride’s Choice Awards™!

In its inaugural year, the Bride’s Choice Awards recognizes and honors vendors from the WeddingWire Network that demonstrate excellent quality of service, responsiveness, professionalism, value of cost and flexibility. This year’s recipients represent the top three percent of WeddingWire’s vendor community, which includes over 100,000 wedding vendors from across the US. That means that Christine Lee Smith Photography is one of the very best photographers.

Unlike other awards in which winners are selected by the company, the Bride’s Choice Awards are determined exclusively by recent newlyweds through surveys and reviews.

“We are excited to launch this annual award program to honor high-performing vendors based solely on the experiences of our WeddingWire community,” according to Timothy Chi, WeddingWire’s Chief Executive Officer. “This year’s recipients have set the bar high, exhibiting excellent service and expertise in the wedding industry.”

Christine Lee Smith Photography would like to thank our past clients for speaking on our behalf and helping us win the 2009 Bride’s Choice Award!

Thank you brides & grooms!

Blessings,
Christine Lee Smith