Newly Designed JWP Website is LIVE!!!

Yay! I'm havin' a GREAT DAY too! For the first time since 2007, my website has been completely redesigned and updated with the latest images I've taken of my clients...you should be able to come away feelin' like you know what I'm all about and excited to talk more! Right now I have to go finish cookin' burgers for the family, but take a look and be one of the first to let me know what you think!!

www.juliewattsphoto.com

THANKS EVERYBODY! If it wasn't for YOU putting your trust in me, and letting me get to know you and your families and friends, I wouldn't have the opportunity to create these images!

Wedding: Amber & Mike

Hi Everybody! Meet Amber. Is she kinda staring you down in this picture? I think it's hot! Plus, she's all rainbows and unicorns underneath. Just kidding...actually, her favorite car is a Volkswagen Thing. Yellow. White ragtop. So that pretty much just makes her cool inside and out. Here are a few highlights from her beautiful Laurel Creek Manor Wedding on August 29, 2009. . .

This is Mike. Mike is who Amber loves.


Amber and her mom have LIVED & BREATHED the planning of this day for months.

Whoosh. In a moment, the beginning of a whole new phase of life........wife.

Since the first time I set foot in the Bridal Suite at Laurel Creek Manor, I was in love...and Amber looks simply amazing here, doesn't she?

The sneak, the peek....Amber & Mike's first sight moment! I can't get enough of that sly grin she's got waitin' for her new Husband. . .

A quick quiet moment...gone in the twinkle of an eye...

The lovely side of the bridal party. . . .

The manly side. . . .

A meaningful side moment with mom. . . .

Seriously--how much more picturesque can you get?!

August at Laurel Creek. Amber & Mike promise their love to each other.

This is it. This is for Real.

It's a done deal! Congratulations and cheering ensue!


Now, I didn't hear what Amber said to Mike first since becoming his wife. . .

But it looks like is was pretty funny! I have no doubt this is a sign of all the great times ahead for them in their marriage. . .

"Introducing, for the first time, Mr. & Mrs. . . . . ."

First dance.... fresh night air.

You know. Just hangin' out on the steps.

I'm loving how the vintage feel arose out of this moment!

The exit! This cracks me up because there is so much action...we've got peeks into the limo, last tosses of rose petals, and the new marrieds getting to watch everyone bid them Bon Voyage via some unstoppable limo sunroof action. And this reminds me of what it was like to be a kid and not be able to see the top of a limo. :)

< Festivities carried on throughout the night. . .

Amber & Mike, I am so thankful to have gotten to meet you both, your family and friends and get to capture your wedding day. You guys are all awesome! Stacy and Amber, you guys had a couple of fantastic pictures....

To view the slideshow of Amber & Mike's wedding, click here!

Lindsay's rad senior photoshoot

Last week I photographed Lindsay's senior photoshoot. Here are some of my favorite shots. . .

My senior shoots are unpredictable; I feel very comfortable at this point in my career experimenting for a portion of the shoot, and some of the big changes and evolutions in my career begin from a place of experimentation just like during Lindsay's shoot. I've been reading The Artists Way by Julia Cameron at the suggestion of Me Ra Koh, and have to say it's an incredible read so far and if you haven't got this book yet GET IT!

And just in case you think I may have plucked Lindsay right out of a modeling agency, in fact I've been photographing Lindsay and her big sister Alex since way back when in 2005! Linds I hope you don't mind I went into the archives and whipped out a couple rad shots.

Looks like I haven't changed much in terms of my willingness to experiment! lol




But the girls have changed so much! Grown, poised, amazing young women and I'm so glad to know you Linds, Alex, & Lois!!

Yay! Nominated & 1st Day of School!

Hi Everyone!

Well the kids got back on the bus this morning, as it did for a lot of you too. As much as I'll miss them during the day hours, and as much as an adjustment the quiet house is, I do enjoy the peace and freedom and the day flies by anyhow. . .we've got lots to look forward to in 1st and 5th grade. And as I walked back to the house, I grabbed this shot of our cat Carmen. Woe to all you rodents. You haven't a chance. lol


Okay so back to business! Here's the LATEST:

KING 5's Best of Western Washington

For the start of the new season, lots of plans are coming to fruition! First off, check out my nomination for KING 5's Best of Western Washington Contest http://best.king5.com/julie-watts-photo/biz/138487 !! I'd love it if you'd review me! There's nothing like first hand experience to make an awesome review that could really help another person navigate the dizzying world of choosing a photographer that's right for them.

So thank you for that! I appreciate all the support you've given me over the past 9 years!!

There are several projects I'm working on, not to mention some stunning weddings & shoots (like Amber & Mike's wedding at Laurel Creek Manor last weekend and a crazy awesome senior portrait with Lindsay). Oh and I should add:

NEW WEBSITE GOING LIVE WITHIN 72 HOURS!!

Yes, you heard it right! I am falling out of my chair over the totally new website. Designed by my trusty teammember, Ron Ford, owner of WebVisuals.com. I can't wait for you to see it!! Stop by soon or make it easy and subscribe to get the latest!

FOCUS

Focus has definitely been on my mind lately....I've been paying more attention, focused attention day to day and I gotta tell you; it sure beats multitasking! I'm starting to really pay attention to when I'm focused and productive in the traditional sense, and when I'm more philosophical and "in my head", not thinking about goals, but questioning and pondering life. It's what I call "thinking broadly".

I think it's natural for ones mind to flow back and forth over the course of a day or a week or a year, but for a long time I think I beat myself up about being in one mental mode and telling myself I really SHOULD be in the other...for example, spending a Monday morning flipping through a trade publication and thinking about different ways I could be running my business when an inner critic is telling me I SHOULD be doing something more "focused" in the studio.

And sure, there are times I'm under a deadline and can "force" my way into either of the way of thinking that I need to be in, but understanding that on regular days, it's not only okay, but it's GOOD to plan the day around what way I'm naturally thinking. I mean, I have lots tasks, like we all do, and it isn't always easy to prioritize...it depends on if I'm thinking broadly or feeling like focusing in on one task.

Lately I've really felt a pull for creativity--due to the fact that I've been spending MOST of my thought time on the business side of business. It's time for some of my extra thought energy to be swung back over to creating. I remember a few years ago being swung the other way; overflowing with creativity but feeling guilty for not feeling like focusing in on zeros and ones. It's like the girl with curly hair who wants straight hair, and visa versa! So I feel pretty good now because instead of judging myself, I'm shutting up and listening instead...lol...pouring myself fully over to whichever end of the "FOCUS" spectrum is beckoning me.

So this is an invitation for you to take a look at how YOU uniquely function...I'd almost venture to say that lots of disagreements people have can be rooted in differing modes of thought...one parent doesn't want to camp on a certain weekend because there's a game on TV (focused thought), the other parent insists because the kids are only young once and it's the least disruptive weekend to be out of town for the family routine (the broad view). Or, you're strolling through every aisle of the superstore...getting idea after idea for your next big project or party (broad) when your cell phone rings and you are asked why you aren't home with the cough syrup yet (focused)!!

BABIES!!!

Hi Everybody!

Okay so there is quite the baby boom occurring here at Julie Watts Photo! No, not me, silly, it's you, my clients (though I introduce my new niece at the end of this post)!!

Through weddings and seniors I meet most of you, and from those photographic roots, you ask me to photograph your bellies, your babies. And I get so excited for your pregnancies...I didn't know I'd actually get to photograph my clients create families for themselves, year after year. It's a very dynamic part of photography...the ever-growing body of my work that is not just one chapter of my client's life, it's chapter after chapter...each one as fun as the next because I get to KNOW you all so well...and it's not just "any" photographer coming over to photograph your newborn, it's YOUR photographer, Julie Watts.

So in celebration of all of the buns in the oven I'll be photographing over the coming months, here are a few memorable images I've created for you in the past!

This little darling totally knocked us out with this wildly classical looking pose and expression!

The soft...slow...snuggly...this is the life of a Newborn...(above)

Tasty toes and scrumptious baby chub

Overflowing with personality

Anticipation...your a big FOUR year old now...

Portrait of a Snowbaby

Lilly's Curiosity

Emily in a Dress, all Grown Up (above)

Just Plan Mischevious and Adorable!!

Addison...too busy Dreaming to be mischevious....yet! Adorable since the beginning...

And introducing Nuala...a new friend of the Julie Watts Photo! She's a bright little thing and appears to have couch lounging DOWN at only three weeks. What an absolute DOLL, don'tcha think?!

What a peaceful, beautiful way to remember childhood...outside with your mom and dad and nothing else...for most people, pictures are a major part of remembering your childhood...and these experiences are authentic moments that are sparked into existence because of a need for current family pictures...so the experience turns out to be just as much as memorable as the images themselves...which leads me to give you a little insider info about a special promotion I am lining up. In coordination with celebrating my NEW, STYLISH website being launched, I'll be offering a LIMITED number of past clients a family portrait session September through November, in plenty of time for the holidays...

And above are my own little darlings...and there's ONE more addition...our family welcomed a new NEICE on July 21...baby Alaina Marie!

Aunt Julie Rocks!!! lol