A Mixed Update
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It's been a while since I last talked about the happenings in my life. Not all that much to tell, sadly, but there have been a few neat things.

First of all, I made mention a couple months ago that I made a switch from ABC to NBC Chicago. Just wanted to update everyone with a brand spankin' new pick of me and the bird :)

(photo taken by Chad Headley)

Then of course, in the picture, is my brand new lens. I'm so thrilled to have added it to my humble collection of glass. It's a 70-200 f2.8 vr lens. It makes me happy :)

The final piece of the professional part of life to talk about is an upcoming trip that I will be taking. I will be shooting a wedding in Jamaica next week!!! I am so excited about working with Nena and John on their big day, and cannot wait to share the pictures with everyone. I have this feeling I'm going to be using the words 'beautiful' and 'gorgeous' a whole heck of a lot throughout my time in Bob Marley country.

Next topic - the benefit concert.

I know that I've been mentioning this a lot lately, but haven't had anything to confirm - not until now. Ladies and Gentlemen, I have an official date to announce to you all!

Saturday, July 5th, 2008 at the Double Door in Chicago

We are planning on having the evening begin around 8pm. This should allow for plenty of time to hang out over by the taste, while still making it to the show. I want to emphasize that it is EXTREMELY important to be there for as much of the benefit as possible. Shannon really deserves everyone's support as she battles cancer.

The bands playing the benefit will be lending their talents and time for free to help the cause. They also deserve our support (and our ears)! The band lineup is still in the works, but I will post it as soon as it is complete and all bands have confirmed.

Oh - and there's going to be an all night raffle starting almost right away... winners MUST be present in order to take home their prizes. I'm working on the list of things to raffle off... stay tuned for that as well!

There are tons of other surprises that I am hoping to pull together for this show. Please feel free to shoot me an email if you would like to know how you can help make this event an even bigger success than we are hoping for!

amyaiello@yahoo.com

For now, I think I'll end my post. I have a concert photo shoot tomorrow evening that I will be sharing, as well as an engagement shoot on Sunday afternoon.

OH!!! Finally - open mic night at Quenchers in Chicago. Monday Night. 10pm. See you there!

Kiran's Baby Shower

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A really close friend of mine invited me to her baby shower. She had the event today at Reza's resaturant in Chicago. The food was amazing, the people were even more so, and Kiran was sweet as ever.

Thanks so much again for having me be a part of this day, sweetie!!! See you soon for some belly pictures!! :)

Look For My Ad on Facebook!
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Hi everyone! Just to create awareness, I've created another ad on Facebook. This time, if you create a screen capture and make a jpeg file from the cropped part of the page with my ad on it, I will offer a $150 photo service credit good towards all initial wedding photography investments.

If you have trouble creating a print screen file, simply quote the ad, and describe the photo that is featured along with it. I will gladly honor that as well.

Also - my offer for referrals is still available! Take advantage of it, because once July 1st hits, I will be putting the referral reward program on an indefinite sabbatical.

$50 cash or $100 photo service credit (i.e. photo session fees only) for you
AND
a $100 photo service credit to the happy couple

Also, I just wanted to make mention really quickly that my logo has indeed received a face lift. My good friend, Jacqueline Swart, took the time to design wedding photography brochures and the new logo for me.

Thank you so much again, Jacqueline!!!

AND

While I still have your undivided attention (awww who am I kidding?) - here's a quick update on the benefit concert:

Still playing the waiting game on a venue. We had much promise to have a venue change from Double Door to Metro, but we've run into some road blocks. As soon as I have the date, I will post it! For now, however, I can say that the event will now most likely take place in July rather than late May/ early June.

A HUGE thank you in advance to everyone for your continued support and help!!!

~amy