Heather Lilly’s blog - HL Concepts, LLC

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HL Concepts will be closed January 3rd - 8th while I attend a photographer’s convention.

Please e-mail me at Heather.Lilly@HLConcepts.biz or leave a voicemail at 720.252.3277. I will respond to your message upon my return!

I’ll be attending seminars taught by some amazing photographers and am looking forward to bringing back what I learn to Colorado!

Susan Stripling

Tony Hewitt

Lena Hyde

Marcus Bell

Yervant

Jerry Ghionis

Michelle Turner

Christa Hoffarth

Marcus Sark

The Bebbs

Jessica Claire

Jesh De Rox

Matt & Krystal Radlinksi

I can’t wait to blog about my experience!

Heather

Heather.Lilly@HLConcepts.biz

I’m the first to admit I work a lot of hours.  I’ve been spending some much needed down-time with my husband over the past week or so.

If you were to ask me what my hobbies are, I’d say work! I LOVE my job and doing something “different” each day.

As with any job, taking a step back recharges the soul and inspires new work upon return. It’s important to do, even for the self-employed like myself.

Here’s a recipe we enjoyed tonight… one that recharges me each time we make it!

SOUTHERN SHRIMP & PEACH KABOBS

Serves: 4
Prep Time: 15 Minute(s)
Cook Time: 10 Minute(s)
1/2 cup Mayonnaise (we use low-fat)
1/2 cup peach preserves
2-3 green onions, chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp. hot pepper sauce
1 lb. uncooked large shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 medium peaches, pitted and cut into wedges

1. In small-medium bowl, combine Mayonnaise, preserves, green onions, garlic and hot pepper sauce. Reserve 1/2 cup mixture for dipping.
 
2. On skewers, alternately thread shrimp and peaches. Grill or broil kabobs, brushing with remaining mayonnaise mixture, turning once, 10 minutes or until shrimp turn pink. Serve with reserved dipping sauce.

Enjoy!

Super in love Julie & Denny are getting married June 13, 2008 in Golden, Colorado.

engagement session time: 3 p.m.

e-session location: Lowell Boulevard & highway 7 (Anthem)

e-session temperature: a balmy 32 degrees F

I brough a red silk rose and rose petals to help distract from the freezing weather conditions!

Here’s a few of the proofs. I’ll post some “final edits” later on.

 Julie & Denny are doing Save the Dates on magnets from www.MagnetStreet.com. Here’s an option for that image.

I’ve had the honor to photograph Jesse each month since he was born. We are on month 9 - which is hard to believe! Time flies.

Today we took the lifestyles approach with his new Christmas toys!

His mom says he’s into anything that spins - wheels, etc.

PS - how did we live without LeapFrog?!

He was really interested in my toys. Do I sense a future photographer??

I thought this rose petal mat would make a beautiful backdrop for baby portraits!

I took a cushy bath mat and glued on hundreds of rose petals!

I used several shades of pink, purple and orange to create a fresh, fun theme.

HL Concepts can be found at www.Bride.com under “local wedding vendors.”

Click “find vendors”

Click on “photographers” (right column, about 1/2 way down)

specify the area you are looking in (Erie, CO 80516)

HL Concepts provides wedding photographer for Erie, Colorado and surrounding areas. Travel to “mountain towns” is a PLEASURE!

P.O. Box 407
Erie, CO
(720) 252-3277

Just because you have a nice camera, or even the same camera the professionals carry, doesn’t mean you should be shooting weddings. (What about backup equipment, errors & omission insurance, and Photoshop skills?)

There are many questions and misconceptions among wedding photography.

HL Concepts is a proud member of WedFog, where you find Wedding Photography, Demystified!

“Wedfog is a directory of wedding photographers dedicated to great wedding photography, honest answers to your questions, and sound business principles.”

So go ahead and check it out!

 www.WedFog.com

Lou & Jean traveled to Italy this fall.

Since they couldn’t hire me to go and take pictures for them, before leaving, I checked their point & shoot camera to make sure it’s settings were maximized.

They returned with some lovely images.

Here is their DVD slideshow highlighting their Italian experience!

It was an amazing feeling to sleep in until 8:30 today!

Watching the History channel over breakfast, I learned more about the history of Christmas and why it is celebrated the way it is today. (It is the celebration of Jesus’ birthday, but the Bible doesn’t support that was actually December 25th.)

You can read on the History Channel’s website that:

The winter solstice (December 21^st) and the birthday of Mithra (December 25^th) were celebrated before Jesus was on earth. The celebrations were filled with fun, food & drinking.

“In the early years of Christianity, Easter was the main holiday; the birth of Jesus was not celebrated. In the fourth century, church officials decided to institute the birth of Jesus as a holiday. Unfortunately, the Bible does not mention date for his birth.

Although some evidence suggests that his birth may have occurred in the spring (why would shepherds be herding in the middle of winter?), Pope Julius I chose December 25.

It is commonly believed that the church chose this date in an effort to adopt and absorb the traditions of the pagan Saturnalia festival.

First called the Feast of the Nativity, the custom spread to Egypt by 432 and to England by the end of the sixth century.

By the end of the eighth century, the celebration of Christmas had spread all the way to Scandinavia.

Today, in the Greek and Russian orthodox churches, Christmas is celebrated 13 days after the 25th, which is also referred to as the Epiphany or Three Kings Day. This is the day it is believed that the three wise men finally found Jesus in the manger.

By holding Christmas at the same time as traditional winter solstice festivals, church leaders increased the chances that Christmas would be popularly embraced, but gave up the ability to dictate how it was celebrated.

By the Middle Ages, Christianity had, for the most part, replaced pagan religion. On Christmas, believers attended church, then celebrated raucously in a drunken, carnival-like atmosphere similar to today’s Mardi Gras.

Christmas became the time of year when the upper classes could repay their real or imagined “debt” to society by entertaining less fortunate citizens”

“Christmas wasn’t declared a federal holiday until June 26, 1870.“

(again, info from History channel website)

Merry Christmas!