do you know someone who would really love to have a beautiful professional family photo shoot AND all their images on disc to keep for Christmas this year – but could never afford it?

well this could be their lucky year, because i will be giving away two Christmas gift sessions including photos this year to two deserving (Auckland-based) families, and all you have to do to suggest your friend’s family is send me an email with a brief description about who they are and why you believe they should receive one

photo(AT)availablelight.co.nz (i will choose the winners just before Christmas Day)

so let’s see these stories people – make it REALLY hard for me to choose and do something lovely for your friends!

ok – i think the heat might be getting to me, because i have decided to give away multiple Queensberry Press Albums worth over $1,200 each to my portrait session clients this summer! to find out how you can win one, check out my specials page

Queensberry is a top of the line industry-standard international album supplier – and they are based right here in NZ which i love, cos i’m all about supporting the locals. so, to celebrate the release of their new range of beautiful Press Albums, i have decided to really get the word out there and offer these for FREE to every winner.

…don’t you want to be one?

as a response to the urgent call for funds which has followed yesterday’s heartbreaking tragedy in the beautiful garden city of Christchurch with the horrific 6.3 earthquake, available light ltd will be shooting for free!

we are donating 100% of every session fee for family photo shoots booked during the rest of this month (feb), and all of march 2011. that’s $250 per session! donations will be made via the Red Cross – so please spread the word! just contact us at via e-mail or phone 027 2527 488 to make a booking and your session fee will go straight to the people who need it most.

OTHER FUNDRAISING & ASSISTANCE EFFORTS which you may also want to contribute to

Delish Cupcakes’ “Get Your Bake On” fundraiser sale (North Shore Auckland): March 5, 10am-3pm (Shop 4, 16 Raines Ave, Forrest Hill)
more details on their facebook event page

Campbells Bay School Family Fun Fair (North Shore Auckland): March 11, 4pm-8pm originally planned for internal fundraising, now ALL proceeds from this hugely popular event will be donated to the Christchurch Appeal! bring your families and enjoy a great evening of fun, entertainment and food at the school, Aberdeen Rd Castor Bay. facebook event page here

Handmade For Christchurch: visit this facebook page to donate handcrafted items and artwork which will be auctioned on TradeMe with all proceeds going to Christchurch. handmade4chch TradeMe auctions here if you want to bid on anything

Christchurch Charity Auctions: visit this facebook page to donate new products and services to be auctioned on TradeMe with all proceeds going via the Red Cross to Christchurch. chchcharityauc TradeMe auctions here if you want to bid on anything

Student Volunteer Army (Christchurch): join this facebook page if you want to help with physical cleanup operations once Civil Defense has given the all-clear

to all parents wishing to view & purchase photos from the Christmas Party on the 8th of December, please click ORDER PHOTOS from the menu above, & select the Heartlands gallery

ordering closes 1 month from today, so don’t miss out. when ordering has closed, late orders will be possible, but not at these special low limited-time prices.

last month we announced a new referral rewards plan with a special introductory offer, and now we have extended it AND doubled it!

until august 31 2010, if you refer a friend who becomes a new client and books a lifestyle session with us, both you and they will receive a $50 “thank you” gift voucher each. just ask your friend to mention your name when they book. these “thank you” vouchers can be redeemed immediately or saved and used together for an even bigger discount. collect five and you can use them to pay for your whole next lifestyle session fee!

after august 31, the offer will revert to our standard plan (one voucher for the referring party only)… but the double value is here to stay – from now on it will remain at $50! (offer details & terms here).

and here’s an ‘almost spring’ photo to make the post look pretty

just a heads-up that there is a new page over in the packages & info section, explaining how you can earn up to 100% off your session fee just by referring your friends to us as new clients

and – for this month only (until Aug 10th) not only will you earn a “thank you” voucher for every new client we add because of you – but THEY will also receive a “thank you” voucher just for booking! it’s win-win… so don’t miss out. your friends will love you more if you refer them in time to grab their own discount

here’s the full details on our new referral rewards plan; and here’s the details on the current special offer

and here’s some winter sunlight to pretty-up this post

there is a new section on the blog now: found in the top menu under “packages and info”. please browse the various options on offer and if you have any questions, just contact us

book a PET PORTRAIT session now for just $50 – that’s half the regular price! Offer ends 30 June 2010 and spaces are limited, so be quick. these sessions are very popular… it seems like a lot of people really love their pets!

your pet’s photo session will be held at your home, in a relaxed and familiar environment. time will be taken to gain their trust and ensure they are comfortable with the intrusion into their space, in order to have them behaving just how they do for you, looking alert and happy!

i am so grateful that i had the foresight to capture my own gorgeous rescued wild-born kitten miffy (above) before she became terminally ill and had to be put to sleep at just one year of age. We still miss her but having such a beautiful photo is a great comfort – and seeing her little pink tongue always poking out brings back lots of fun memories!

Your beloved pets are with you for such a short time – don’t miss your chance to remember them for ever with beautiful and heartwarming portraits from available light ltd. Contact us today to arrange your booking!

here’s a big shout-out to all those mums (and mums-to-be) out there this weekend; we hope you all have a wonderful relaxing and pampered day on sunday – but most of all, we hope you feel loved and appreciated for everything you have done this past year for your families

and dads/kids – if you’re still stuck for ideas, (you’re cutting it a bit fine, but) there are still a few spaces left in our may portraits special (book a lifestyle session during may for may, june or july and get 20% off plus three free 8″x10″ prints of your choice) and gift vouchers are available too! the actual voucher won’t reach you by sunday but if you order one we can e-mail you an advance copy, so you’ve got something to show mum on sunday morning and she will know you didn’t just forget!

stuck for mothers’ day gift ideas? how about a lifestyle photo session – and here’s something to help you make up your mind: if you book your session during may for any available time in may, june or july, you will get 20% off the session price and three free 8″x10″ photo prints of your choice!

lifestyle portrait sessions take between 1-2 hours to shoot, and can be used for whole families, pets, just kids, babies/newborns, maternity, couples, or individuals. and if you’re not certain what date might suit, then gift vouchers are available too (valid for 12 months from issue date).

just e-mail photo@availablelight.co.nz to enquire or book

and here’s a photo to make this post pretty…