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Aberdeen, Washington is on the MAP! :)

June 17, 2013

How exciting is THAT?!

I just got the press release from PPA Charities with the country wide results of Celebration of Smiles! I was thrilled to find out my efforts and the generosity of many in our area brought in the third highest donation amount for this event in the US!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 Local Photographer Named as “Top Tier” Fundraiser in “Celebration of Smiles Day” Fundraiser to Benefit Operation Smile

 

David Grupa, president of PPA Charities, the philanthropic arm of Professional Photographers of America (PPA), has announced that Monica Cowles of MONICA COWLES PHOTOGRAPHY in Aberdeen, Washington brought in the third highest donation amount, and was one of 21 “Top Tier” fundraisers  among a group of 79 members of PPA who participated in the organization’s “Celebration of Smiles Day”, and raised $48,581 to benefit Operation Smile, its charitable partner. Operation Smile provides free surgeries for children around the world who suffer with cleft lip, cleft palate, and other facial deformities.
 
 “These funds will go a long way toward meeting our 2013 goal of raising $100,000 for this wonderful organization,” Grupa said. Because Operation Smile’s medical professionals and support staff volunteer their services, it costs only $240 to provide a simple cleft lip surgery to a child in desperate need. Therefore the funds raised by PPA members so far in 2013 means that over 200 smiles will be saved.”
 
 Monica Cowles Photography raised $3202 at her Celebration of Smiles Day event. By donating at least  $240 (enough to save a smile), the business is now officially designated as a “2013 Operation Smile Studio.” As such, Monica Cowles is eligible to compete in a drawing for an opportunity to document an Operation Smile mission.
 
 The Celebration of Smiles Day promotion provided consumers with the opportunity to receive a mini-session and a 5×7 professional portrait in exchange for a donation to Operation Smile of only $24; therefore, for every 10 sessions photographed by a participating studio, another smile could be saved by the volunteer professionals of Operation Smile.
 

*doing a happy dance*:)

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3 Years in the making….

May 22, 2013

It’s excruciatingly difficult to take your own family portrait!!

“Taking a picture” is easy. Just set up the lights, background, adjust the exposure, arrange everyone in a pleasing manner, put the camera on a timer and run into the scene, watching the little red light flashing faster and faster until “Click” goes the shutter.:)

However, when it is your own family, not only do you have the usual family relationship dynamics, which may or may not work in your favor on any given day, but also, in my case, a huge pressure put on myself to take a ‘perfect family portrait’–after all, I am a professional photographer, trained to carefully scrutinize every little detail of a portrait, from expressions, to posing, to clothing adjustments, to lighting…etc. And, since I am very meticulous with details, and it is my own family, I have all the time in the world to make that ‘perfect family portrait’, right? Like ‘years’?

HA! My family says, “No!”

So, before my kids move out, now that two of them are graduated, I had better loosen my expectations a bit and capture my family while it is still under one roof! And here you have it, the official “Cowles Family Portrait”….warts and all! (professionally speaking, of course…:))

*Whew*, what a relief…LOL!

Cowles Family Portrait

 

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