This weekend was very eventful here in Virginia Beach.  Not only did I have a killer photo session with an Old Norfolk beauty (of which I’ll get a sneak peak on the site asap tomorrow,) but my family went to see the movie Expelled: No Intelligence Required by Ben Stein.

  [For the record, I would pay money to see my buddy Ben read the phone book, but I digress.]

 The movie Expelled explored the current theme of censorship and supression when it comes to the academic community’s unabashed support of Darwinism.  This movie was incredibly thought provoking regardless of whether you are a Christian, a Jewish person or an atheist.  At various times my fellow theatre-goers cheered and jeered out loud.  I haven’t been in a 12 screen Multi-plex where people did that in… heck, since the last time I saw Rocky Horror Picture Show in the early 90’s.  

I highly recommend that you go see this movie regardless of how you “think” you might feel about Creationism and Darwinism.  To see this discussion brought up and dissected by Ben Stein with his usual humor and brevity was a great thing to show to and discuss with our 15 year old daughter.  …Esp. with her confirmation soon upon us. We discussed the similarities striking differences between the images of Al Gore preaching his schtick about global warming from a limosine and private jet and Ben Stein riding in taxis and driving himself to interviews with some of the world’s leading physicists and scientists.  Sadly enough, I doubt Mr. Stein will be in the running for a Nobel Peace Prize. 

This movie was def. an E ticket ride!

Leslie

PS- J, I’ll have that sneak peak up tomorrow.  I know. I know.  I’m such a tease!    

FYI, I’ll be out of the office May 5th and 6th.  I’m travelling to Richmond, VA for the “Captivated by the Light” Workshop with Ed Pierce.  Continued education is so important for photographers as the industry is constantly changing.  I’m really looking forward to learning a lot there.  I will have internet access in the evenings and will be back in the office on May 7th.  BTW, I’m still trying to pressure my best friend/business advisor/client L. to tag along with me for the boondoggle business trip!

This week I met with a wonderful bunch of photographers for coffee at a Virginia Beach Starbucks.  All of these girls are so creative and busy!  We laughed and shared stories for several hours.  There really is so much to learn from all of our experiences.  We’ve even decided to meet twice a month- once in Norfolk and once in VA Beach to try and make it so that everyone can at least make it to one of the meetings.

Don’t forget to mark your calendars for Norfolk Academy’s “Field Day” on May 2nd!  Not only is this a fun and activity-full day for the children, but thanks to the heirloom plant sales, book exchange, and the antique silver and painted furniture sales, it is also fun for adults!  Well, it is fun if you like an exciting day of finding unexpected treasures!

Have a nice weekend.  The weather is supposed to be beautiful for my Saturday session with J.  I can’t wait!

Leslie

   

A big congratulations out to Mary Liz who won my Surface Officers’ Spouses auction prize!  She called me the morning after the event and was so excited that she’d won.  I can’t wait to meet you, your new baby and your husband.  Thanks for supporting the SOS scholarships, Mary Liz!

 Of course, that auction wasn’t the only way to win a free photo session and a wall portrait.  The Saint Paul’s Youth still has their raffle going until May 11th.  All raffle contributions go to their 2008 mission trip!  You can purchase tickets from any SPY kid on Sundays after the service.  Who will be the lucky winner this time?

The next three weeks are going to be crazy busy wonderfully busy for me.  Oh yes, I’ve got babies!!  Check back for sneak peaks!   

Leslie du Mont Photography has had some web troubles this week and my site, shopping cart and blog were down for three days.  Everything seems to be fixed now.  I’m sorry if this inconvenienced you in any way.

That’s all for now.

Leslie

Despite still being sick, things have been hectic around here for me getting everything ready for the two charity donations I’m participating in here in the Norfolk - Virginia Beach area. 

One is for the Surface Officers Spouses “Rags to Riches” Auction for their scholarship fund.  Many thanks to the many SOS volunteers that are helping to put this wonderful auction together.  Sorry I can’t make it to the big night this Friday, but I won’t miss it next year.  A few of my other “old” Navy friends have donated big ticket items that I’d love to be bidding on!

The other donation of mine is to another organization that is near and dear to my heart.  I’ve donated an on-location family session plus a 16 x 20 mounted portrait for raffle to benefit the Saint Paul’s Episcopal Church Youth Group (SPY) 2008 Mission Trip.  How can I not help support these wonderful, energetic kids?  My daughter and I were both baptised at that historic church.  And, yes, it is the church with the Revolutionary War cannonball in the wall.  What is the old Norfolk rhyme?  Something like “St. Paul’s at the mall with the Cannonball in the wall?”  Any-who, that is my church and the people there are like family to me!  So, if you see the SPY kids hawking raffle tickets on Sundays, please help support them. 

Plus, how can you beat getting a custom photography session AND a free 16 x 20 wall portrait [a $300 value] for only $10?  Buy those tickets!  Good luck!

On a personal note, we got some good news this week.  Several of you have written to me for updates about my father Byron Yoder and his being diagnosed with Chordoma recently.  The update is that he and my mother are in Houston at the M. D. Anderson Cancer Center as I type this.  His new specialists think that in his case they can operate on his tumor and increase his quality of life more than with proton beam therapy!  That is great news!  While another surgery is never a walk in the park, the possibility of providing my father with a few more regattas and fishing trips than previously thought gives us tremendous hope!  Here is a picture of my parents.  {{{Love you guys}}}

 Man, this blog post sure has an awful lot of links in it!  That is all for now.

Ciao.

Leslie 

PS: Happy Birthday to my good friends and most favorite repeat clients!  [ Liz, Jelly, and Zack]  We miss you.

Well, that was quick. We only have one more April Spring Fling available!  I had two sessions booked already. Congratulations on your free 11×14’s, H and V families! Who will be the next and final lucky family to pick a park? 

How does the Spring Fling special work?  Simply call and book a session between now and May 20th at a local Virginia Beach, Norfolk, or Chesapeake area park.  This special was limited to the first three people that booked a session with Leslie du Mont Photography. Two have already booked. If you call soon, you can win a free 11×14 portrait from your session, too! Simple, eh? 

FYI, yesterday afternoon I discovered that my business cell number has been switching straight to voicemail and not notifying me of new calls since mid-March!  Ugh, I was hoping that was an April Fools joke, but it wasn’t. All it took was a quick trip to the local store to buy a new phone to remedy the situation, but I quickly realized just how many calls I missed in that amount of time.  :-(   Luckily, I think all of my clients have been in contact via email anyway, but if not, I certainly apologize for the inconvenience and I’ll be returning your calls asap…with the new phone.

Take care.

Leslie

Okay, so now I’m getting a little Spring Fever - the good kind! The first day of April is tomorrow and it is far too pretty outside to do indoor studio sessions anymore.  Let’s take it outside with an exciting offer that is too good to pass up!

The first 3 people to contact Leslie du Mont Photography  and book a session in a local park by May 20th will get a free 11 x 14 portrait! 

If you don’t have a cool park close to you, email me/call me and I can recommend one in our consultation.  Don’t know what to wear?  I can help you with that, too. Remember that a major part of getting custom family photography is the fact that your session will be unlike any chain photography you’ve experienced in the past!  I’m here to guide you through every step of the process to make sure that you get exactly what you want. 

So, what are you waiting for?  Act now. 

                        …When the Spring Fling sessions are gone, they’re gone! 

Talk to you soon.

Leslie

*LDP special promotions cannot be combined. Spring Fling special applies only to the first three paid photographic on-location sessions booked on or before May 20th in the Virginia Beach - Norfolk, VA area.

Well, after suffering for three weeks with the nasties and having convinced myself that it was just my turn to be sick, I finally went in to see my general practitioner.  My every day cold turned into a sinus infection somewhere along the way.  The good news is that I’m on the mend with the help of a primo antibiotic.  For those of you that I’ve spoken to recently, you’ll notice that my voice is finally starting to return, too.  Hurray!

This weekend I’m rolling out a new spring special that you won’t want to miss!  Hmmm… dare I call it my “April Fools” special?  So check back soon to see what craziness follows!

Until then,

 Leslie

I usually don’t shoot at events.  Well, at least I have never accepted a request to do one before.  But, this one I could not refuse! 

A certain beautiful blonde sprite that has been a client of mine friend of mine for two years was turning 10 years old and was having a Rock Star theme party.  Of course, how can you be a real Rock Star without paparazzi snapping pictures of you on the red carpet or an action shot of you rocking out with full on headbanger’s hair?

Here is a sneak peak of what will be featured in her slideshow.

We rocked out to some music that I’d never even heard of before, but somehow every little girl there knew a dance to the tune!  [Dare I say that I am classically un-hip?]

Regardless of my square-ness, thanks for inviting me to the big night, MV! You are indeed a Rock Star in my book.

Leslie