We've MOVED!

Please come see us here instead! We love our new digs, so we'll be deleting this blog before the end of the month.

Thanks!
Dana

***EXCLUSIVE SESSIONS FOR GIRLS****

Email for your spot to: urbanutopia@comcast.net

{Dana}

NEWS

Some great things are in the works here at Urban Utopia Photography...with new pricing comes a new website, a new blog and a new atmosphere (for lack of a better word).

We will be making lots of announcements over the next few weeks and the first exciting one will be tomorrow! So stay tuned and check back and tell your friends. :)

And remember, you can always find me on facebook! :)

{Dana}

p.s. see those handy little boxes under this post. I'll wait while you check them out. Click them. They will tell all your friends how much you love UUP! :) C'mon...you know you want to!

Fine Art Images

After much deliberation, and encouragement, I have decided to list several images as "fine art" on redbubble.com.

Click the link on the right (near the slideshow) to link to my redbubble listings!

And a teaser...just one of the many images you'll find there!

Happy Shopping!

{Dana}

2010 Pricing is Under Construction

Take a Peek: Playing Catch-up!

Just a quick drive-by on the ol' blog to show you peeks of the most recent sessions.

(I apologize in advance if I have forgotten on of my wonderful clients! Let me know and I'll pop you in!)

This magical session with forty family members was challenging and amazing and blessing all at once. :)

You might recognize Tiny Man...he's been featured here before and has come back again for his summer pictures. Thank goodness, because seriously??? How cute is he? I am so happy to be a part of his life and watch him grow up! Those senior pictures will be here way too soon!

The X Family should be recognizable to you as well. They are one of my Family Growth plan families and can you believe Baby Sister C is already three months old??? I can't believe it! This family keeps a piece of my heart every time I photograph them!

Your eyes do not deceive you! That is an adult summer kickball league. And they are FAB! I had so much fun photographing them during their championship games as well as their old school style team photos. Thanks Kick Rocks for a great time!

And this little soon-to-be military wife is so much fun! We are working on a special gift for their wedding in September and I can't wait to meet up with her for her selections and further planning! Their love is palpable, as you can see by the stack of letters he has sent her, sometimes more than five a day!

After about a year of anticipation, I finally got to photograph this handsome fella! Isn't he adorable?? He's very curious about his surroundings...so much so we had out work cut out for us. But he didn't disappoint, he gave us some GOOD STUFF!

This little guy is one of four family members that I had the unique experience of photographing. I loved spending a portion of my Monday morning with them. It was a great way to start the day. I truly feel blessed for having this time with them.

Thank you to all my clients who have helped make this year a wonderful and inspiring one.

My life wouldn't be the same without you!

{Dana}

Senior Class of 2011: It's TIME!!!

*****Pricing Notification!******

Fan-Photog-Tastic Day Out

In the journey to mainstream my photography business and become "legitimate" in my own eyes, (which let's face it, is often harder than you might know) I have begun to form relationships with what I am beginning to believe are my "peers". Other photographers. I am forming non-competitive relationships with them; and I LOVE it. I love that we can "talk shop" and I don't feel like I am conversing with the "enemy". We are able to let our defenses down, trust one another, learn from one another and just have fun.

The biggest part of this, for me, was the trust part. By nature, I don't naturally trust others. And don't even get me started on the "not seeing value in my work" and "selling myself short". But these women have shown me that it is safe to let my defenses down, and I thank them for it. These relationships are invaluable to me. I hope they know just how much they mean in my world and how lucky I feel to know them.

So, on a lighter note (didn't originally intend to get so deep on ya!)...ahem...

My now-friends and fellow photographers, Kara, owner of Kara Rue Photography, and Brea, owner of CYE Photography decided we'd should quit talkin' about it and actually plan a photography playdate. We brought our kids and cameras and met up at Discovery Park in Seattle. Not to be deterred by the fact that the park was under renovation and several parts of it were unavailable to us, we found exactly what we were looking for.

An over grown field.

That was yummily warm and inviting, and even had a fence at one end.

We turned our kids loose and just roamed around, trying this, attempting that, comparing f-stops and ISOs and tips and even some "ooohs" and "aah, you got something way better than I did!" as we clicked away happily.

The kids certainly earned the playground time. They were cooperative and wonderful and sweet! All six of them-ranging from twelve years old to just under a year old. Amazing children.

And with that...here are some images from the day. To see more of my images, go here or here. (Brea's and Kara's images can be found by clicking their company names above.)

And at the end I even handed my camera off to my tween so she could get us being SUPER PROFESSIONAL.

In the name of full disclosure...there was all that sweetness I described above, but then there was some of this...

Running away, falling down, wailing, chillin' and kickin' back in the grass.

We moms with cameras will go to just about ANY length to get the shot. As you'll see below. But it was ALL worth it. :)

See?

I told you it was worth it!

Thanks again, girls.

{Dana}

P.S.

When Miss Brea gets an idea in her head, she will not back down. When she says "jump" you say "how high?" :) With love, of course. :)

A Girl and her Violin ~ [Mukilteo Lifestyle Photographer]

We found a field.

We found some amazing light.

I had an amazing girl, a chair and a violin.

How could this NOT end fabulously?

Pretty darn fabulous if you ask me.

Do you, or your child/neice/grandchild/cousin play an instrument? Send them my way. I would LOVE to do more of these!

{Dana}