Check out the blog and killer images from Stacee Lianna‘s first KISS!

OHEMGEE. I have a gazillion things going on this weekend and am going to have a gazillion things to post on my blog coming up soon, including an ever so fabulous session from yesterday!! But I had to stop right now and post this blog really quick, in between the photobooth with a Junior High class and running off to pick up lenses for the weekend and then off to see “the” Christmas Lights with some of my favorite people [and THEN a sleepover!!] Because when I walked in the door right now I was greeted by a HUGE package from KISS Wedding Books. I almost cried I was so excited!

Having my first package waiting for me from KISS makes me feel like a real live legit, dare I say professional photographer. Nothing I have done thus far has made me feel this way. So, I had to blog this moment… so it will forever be documented in my photo business history. ;]

I am in love with these albums! There are 2 “Little Kisses” and 1 10×10 album. I want to hold them all the time and never let them go. [Too bad I have to actually deliver them to my amazing clients LOL] I want to get packages in the mail like this everyday! So everyone I’ve taken pictures of, you should ask me about ordering an album, like I’m not even kidding! They’re kinda the greatest thing EVER! ;]

Thanks for KISSing!
Rachel : The Helpful Hottie

2008 was a killah cluster of clients. 2009 will be even better! RSVP here!

Fun announcements!

First… A dance-off. That’s right. Shake it for ShootQ and you could win six months of ShootQ’s amazing studio management for free . We’re planning on talking our hosts, the Boudoir Divas, into judging this intense competition.

Second… Get motivated with Pictage’s Passion martini! Pictage has recently reignited their company’s fire and they’re passing it on! Some great Pictage staff are coming down to mingle, so be sure to say thanks for all the new things they’re up to!

The Divas are giving away a seat at their workshop in Vegas.
Pictage is giving stuff away. KISS is giving stuff away. It’s going to be lots of stuff and people and drinks and dancing and stuff.

Hope you can make it! RSVP here!

CLICK HERE for some video from last year by the Fabulous Bui Brothers! They’re on it again this year!

So, most of you probably have no idea that KISS switched from a completely custom blog to a WordPress blog. That’s because we had the guys at Flosites build us a template to lay over WordPress that looked just like our custom blog!

The advantages are great. We get the industry’s best blogging software, complete with all the updates, the security, the plugins, and all the goodies that come from a killah blog platform. And, with Flosites, we were able to dictate -exactly- how we wanted that blog to look.

Flosites is doing a KISS special: $2000 for a custom blog template, slideshow integration, and a full website for your company. It’s pretty sweet! We’ve been running on the WordPress blog now for about a month and couldn’t be happier… You can get a discount by using the code KISSEDBYFLOSITES

Heck, you can even get a iPhone/iTouch optimized version when you browse it from those devices. All with a simple plugin.

KISS hearts Flosites!

To our NOLA friends and to everyone who wishes they were at Partnercon

Kevin, Shaun and I had such an awesome time at Partnercon in New Orleans! We thank everyone who stopped by the KISS table to check out our *new* soft KISSes as well as our hard KISSes. Shaun and Kevin spoke on branding and album sales, which totally rocked! If you have yet to hear them speak, get on it! The Get Simple Seminar featuring Kevin Swan, Shaun Austin, Nathan Holritz and Mike Larson is a must!

If you didn’t make it out to NOLA we hope to see you in Vegas at WPPI. We have a few surprises up our sleeve that everyone must be a part of! (and pictures on our blog won’t do justice). See you at WPPI (can’t come soon enough!) and Partnercon 2010 in NOLA.

Thanks for KISSing!
Rachel : The Helpful Hottie

It’s done! Months of work, new equipment, custom programming; it’s all ready for you!

1: New Soft KISSes! http://www.KissWeddingBooks.com/books
2: New Simpler Ordering! http://www.KissWeddingBooks.com/ordering
3: New Design options! http://www.KissWeddingBooks.com/design
4: Much cheaper shipping!

Joe Wong and his 2009 Big Give wedding was a real mammoth give-away. Check out his breathtaking images throughout the emotional day. KISS even contributed in the upgrade of their KISS books!

Here are a few images (from the many beautiful images taken) from JW Photography.

Thanks for KISSing!
Rachel : The Helpful Hottie

Check out Karen Reyburns video of her clients viewing their little KISS!

Much love, Karen!

Thanks for KISSing!
Rachel : The Helpful Hottie 

Yes, you read that blog title correct! A three day cruise to the Bahamas while learning from top photographers Scarlett Lillian, The Bui Brothers, Stephen Knuth, Kylie Banks and more!

This workshop will give an emphasis on networking, building relationships, informative workshops, exotic photo shoots and so much more; this Photog Retreat will be one for the record books! Enjoy a much needed vacation; build your portfolio, network with top industry professionals and that’s not it! They will have over $10,000 in prizes to give away from sponsors! How much better can it get?!

Whether you are just starting out in the industry or have years of experience, the opportunity to network, learn and build relationships is constant and a very valuable tool for success. The concept of this retreat is to bring photographers together from every point of the industry (new & experienced) to encourage, teach and learn alongside and from one another as well as the featured speakers.

A few special rates have just been released to save you $200-$500!! Don’t  miss out on this great experience!

Fee: $850 Single Photog; $1500 for 2 Photogs! (Includes Workshops, Cruise and Photo Shoots)

Date: Jan. 7-10, 2010

Location: Departing from Port Canaveral, Florida

Cruise, Workshops and Shoots included

For more information and to register visit www.PhotogRetreat.com

Email: photogretreat@gmail.com

Blog: http://photogretreat.blogspot.com/

Website: www.photogretreat.com

Thanks for KISSing!
Rachel : The Helpful Hottie 

Hey, KISSers!

Just letting you know the Boudoir Divas have a killa workshop coming up in San Diego. These girls are great teachers, fun to be with, ridiculously good looking, talented, and smart. If you’re shooting boudoir, or thinking about adding it to your arsenal, we highly recommend this workshop!

November 10-12.

Here’s the details: http://www.theboudoirdivas.com/#/workshops-home/

Another reason to use the 10×10″ templates, located on the questions page! We’ve adjusted our trim so that it proportionately scales to the same size as the book you’re ordering.

A 10×10 book has a .25″ trim. So…

A 12×12 book will have a .3″ trim (120%)
An 8×8 book will have a .2″ trim (80%)
And the 4×4 book will have a .1″ trim (40%)

This way, all your design spacing will be faithfully reproduced at any size. Improving every day!

Thanks for KISSing.
Kev