DGPhotoDesigns

Kraus Family Session

2011-10-29T15:44:00.001-04:00

Katie and Bryce

2011-10-27T13:52:00.001-04:00

I had an absolute blast working with Katie to create her engagement session :)

Braelynn

2011-07-18T18:35:00.000-04:00

Braelynn is a beautiful 1 yr old! Isn't she just the cutest little thing.

It was so hot and humid and she did her best to be a trooper

until.....

she fell off the chair ):

Braelynn is sporting a vintage romper and green hairbow made by

ElleBelle Couture

more images to come :)

John & Hannah Smith

2011-07-18T14:24:00.000-04:00

John and Hannah were in town this week to see family and they decided

to have a photo shoot and what a day for it.

I just love the mocha and the color of this image so I had to share both :)

Hannah and John were so much fun to work with. We were extreme hot and

luckily I brought a towel for the sweat :) I forgot the bug spray in the truck

and when we tried to go for shots in the woods we were bombarded by

mosquitoes. John had to use the towel to swat them away from us as

we walked as fast as we could through the woods ): along the way I swallowed

a bug and started choking...that wasn't so fun.

In the end we found the pretty flower field so it was so worth the heat.

I love these flower shots!

Beautiful details even in the small things

2011-07-15T20:33:00.003-04:00

Today the kids and I went to Taltree to release some butterflies that we watched hatch and after we were done we went for a little stroll. We didn't see much and as we were getting ready to leave we found one single monarch butterfly and a beautiful dragonfly. The kids were just amazed at the detail that were in the dragonfly and the color was amazing. God truly is a master artist and creator.

STEVEN

2011-07-14T22:10:00.000-04:00

Meet Steven he is from Marian Catholic High School and lives in the St John area.

I met Steven through his sister Jessica.

We originally started out his session at Wicker Park however

the mosquitoes got the best of us there and we had to move on.

He currently works as a life guard at Olympia Fields Country Club.

His mother wanted him to get his session in before he got his tan on :)

One thing that Steven said all his friends know about him is his love

for coffee!

Thanks Steven for choosing DGPhotoDesigns to capture

your senior session and I wish you the best of luck!

Alex Senior Album for proofing

2011-06-22T19:21:00.002-04:00

Products

2011-06-02T12:19:00.001-04:00

Album Amanda

2011-06-01T09:12:00.003-04:00

Amanda Open House invites

2011-05-30T11:12:00.000-04:00

Maddy Birth Announcement

2011-05-29T21:15:00.001-04:00

A Big Thanks to Sassy Designs LTD for the awesome paper packs :)

Brittany's Senior Album

2011-05-28T23:52:00.000-04:00

Natalie & Tony

2011-05-20T12:33:00.003-04:00

Sand Creek Country Club Chesterton, IN

caitlin's senior book

2011-05-16T16:51:00.002-04:00

Cover

Beautiful Caitlin

2011-05-06T15:56:00.000-04:00

We were blessed with a beautiful morning so Caitlin and I

met up at the beach and her mom helped

watch my kids as they played in the sand.

I absolutely love this shot and can't wait to edit the rest of them (:

Hush Hush Project

2011-05-05T22:40:00.000-04:00

This is the front cover...

Then starts page 1

Cardinal

2011-05-05T09:31:00.000-04:00

We woke up this morning to start our homeschooling day and God graced us with our very first cardinal singing in our tree. The kids were excited to see our state bird :)

Lexow Girls

2011-05-04T15:31:00.001-04:00

My photographer friend Bernie asked me to design an album for him for these girls

to give to their mom on Mother's Day and I love it!

Ariana's Senior Book

2011-04-30T21:34:00.005-04:00

Cruising along today on Ariana's book.

I thought I would post what I have done so far :)

Blessings

2011-04-11T10:05:00.000-04:00

Well the Lord blessed us with some beautiful weather the last two days and our family took time out from our busy schedules just to spend some family time. It was such a blessing. I can't wait for more days like this.

Saturday we went to Coffee Creek (picture above more to come later)

And then Sunday we went to Red Mill County Park. I took this photo of the duck and

when I was editing found that there were 2 little turtles with him :)

The sun was shining through the clouds and it looked

so heavenly as we were driving home and I took the shots below.

Senior Album

2011-03-27T22:14:00.003-04:00

Ok Courtney here is the first round of your senior album :) Look through each page and let me know if there are any pictures you would like to substitute or anything like that. You get 2 free changes. I will be using image #0043 for the album cover. I left about 3 pages for people to sign it if you want them too :)

Cover option 1

Cover option 2

Cover option 3

Creamy Peanut Butter Frosted Cupcakes

2011-03-26T21:02:00.002-04:00

One of my photographer friends had this recipe posted on her blog and I thought it sounded good and decided to make them today and boy are the yummy!! Thank you Jessica for this recipe

Cupcakes

1 cup soy or non dairy milk ( I used coconut milk)

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

3/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup oil

1 tsp of vanilla 1/2 tsp almond (or more vanilla)

1 cup flour

1/3 cup dutch cocoa powder or reg. cocoa

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line muffin pan with liners
whisk soy or non dairy milk and vinegar and let sit for a couple of minutes

Add the sugar, oil and extracts and mix til foamy

In another bowl mix flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

Add dry to wet ingredients in 2 batches and beat til no lumps.

Pour into liners 3/4 full and bake for 18-20 minutes depending on how hot your

oven is ( mine only took 16 minutes)

Peanut Butter Frosting

1/2 cup butter (earthbalance)
2/3 cup peanut butter
3-4 cups of confectioners sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1-2 tbs non dairy milk ( I used coconut milk)

Mystical Light Effect

2011-03-20T17:51:00.001-04:00

A cool technique that involves extracting elements using channels

as well as other photoshop techniques to create a green mystical beam effect.

from this....

to this...

Rock the Frock

2011-03-17T20:12:00.005-04:00

Kate is not only a senior this year she is also my second cousin...
man I feel old (:
We decided to shoot at the shack but man was it windy.
I only got a few shots that worked due to hair in the face
but I love what we got!
She wants to go back when it isn't as windy to do
her senior session there.

Ducks

2011-03-12T20:08:00.004-05:00

And these little guys were so scared!
They were running and falling all over the table
they were making me nervous.
But I have to admit I wanted to take one home :)

Chicks

2011-03-12T19:57:00.004-05:00

I just love homeschool co-op's and I wanted

to give a big shout out to Lori and thank
her for bringing in her eggs, chick, and ducks for the kids
to see God's creations up close and personal.
The kids got to see the eggs in an incubator
and then they were able to see and touch some
that had already hatched :)

Rachel loves...

2011-03-12T19:35:00.001-05:00

WATERMELON

Daisy

2011-03-12T19:05:00.003-05:00

Daisy, my cat, just loves the space heater that we use during the winter
so when I am sitting in the chair she usually
jumps up and sits on my lap to be by the heater.
I had my camera laying beside the chair and decided to snap a few.

Corinna

2011-03-01T17:44:00.004-05:00

Corinna and I decided to head out to look at different locations

for shooting around LaPorte, IN.
It was pretty cold out, still hovering in the upper 30's
so it was shoot then warm up, shoot then warm up.

Corinna is 17 yrs old and is attending LaPorte High School
starting tomorrow..she had previously been homeschooled
last year. Her favorite subject is Art and she loves her camera :)
Corinna says her dream job would be a graphic designer and her
dream vacation would be to go to Jamaica!

Here are some other randoms of Corinna:

*My favorite movie is Star Wars
and tv show is Criminal Minds
*Favorite food is Spaghetti
*I love to shop at Zumiez
*My favorite website is Pandora
and I love VersaEmerge
*Favorite possession is my music note necklace
*I never leave home without my earphones
*I would like to meet Yoda

An unusual talent I have is that I'm extremely flexible
and a random fact about me is that I like to write songs
and I play them.

I chose to have my pictures taken with DGPhotoDesigns because
not only was she my old photography instructor, but she is
my friend and she is good at what she does :)

Ariana

2011-02-27T17:20:00.017-05:00

This is my 3rd shoot with Ariana who attends
Valparaiso High School.
She is just a blast to work with and I can't
believe that she is almost ready to graduate.
When we arrived at Washington Park Beach
it wasn't too bad and we got several shots
in and then came the wind..and then came the rain.
I don't think I could feel my legs by the time I got back to the truck...brrr

Senior Album

2011-02-26T11:51:00.009-05:00

We shot Stephanie's senior pics last summer

and I finally was able to sit down and design
her 5 page album out of her favorite images.

Day 9

2011-01-30T16:06:00.002-05:00

Sometimes you just have to act out (:

My niece acting goofy at her brother's birthday party
Spending time with family is always such a blessing
remember to hold them close you just never know
how much longer we have with them.

another example

2011-01-28T21:00:00.005-05:00

same setup just a different backdrop and the back light was shut off

My set up for this shot and the ones to follow

2011-01-28T20:24:00.006-05:00

I wanted to try yet another lighting set up and I really liked how they turned out (:

I first set up my backdrop,
which by the way if you haven't heard of
or seen PhotoProp Floors & Backdrops
you have to go check them out (:

As you can see I place a strip box horizontal and high about the subject,
a silver and gold stripped reflector resting on her lap
and a light with a 30 degree honey comb grid on it.
FYI all my lighting equipment comes from AlienBees

Once I did some minor touch ups in adobe RAW I opened up in cs4 and
~bumped levels
~selected the lasso tool and selected they eyes one at a time
and added a blending mode of linear dodge (add) at 67% opacity
~ran a contrapop action from John at PhotoBlast EZ Actions
~and then added some highlighting to her hair.

Before...

Final Image

Day 8

2011-01-28T15:44:00.008-05:00

I wanted to try out some different lighting
positions and I always use my daughter
because she always wants to be my model, but today
I talked my son into coming into the studio (:
Large Soft box placed to the left of my son and aimed back towards
me a bit and then a large silver reflector
placed to the left and angled up just a bit.

In photoshop I wanted to pop the eyes so I selected
each eye and then placed the eye
on a layer of its own then changed the blending mode to
linear dodge(add) and then adjusted the opacity to my liking.

My daughter did end up coming down for a shot (:

Day 7

2011-01-28T15:10:00.003-05:00

Well with the flu bug hitting our house I haven't been able to keep up on my days ):
One thing I did do was watch a couple of my Photovision dvd's.

Day 4

2011-01-20T12:29:00.004-05:00

My weekdays are filled with watching my children do school in
various positions and in various rooms of the house. I have found
him in the closest in my room doing school before (:

How on earth my son can sit like this for most of the school day is beyond me.
My legs would hurt so bad I wouldn't be able to get up..lol
Being homeschooled has lots of advantages, one is that
he loves to sit in front of the heater and do school...
he is currently working on his Math from

Math U See

Day 3

2011-01-19T13:07:00.004-05:00

Today the kids seem extra hyper or unattentive in school today and I find myself getting on them to get going and trying to bribe them. I decided to make myself my favorite herbal coffee, teeccino hazelnut, to warm up (:
I love the lightning in this photo it was done having my son hold a flashlight lighting up just the bag of coffee and everything else was natural light.

Day 2

2011-01-17T11:48:00.003-05:00

It amazes me the wonders that God has created.
How something so tiny has so much beautiful detail.
I am surrounded by flakes approx 4 months out of the year (:

Day 1

2011-01-14T11:11:00.003-05:00

I am going to try and take a picture everyday of at least one thing that represents me...let's see if I can stick to this and find enough things to take pictures of that represent me and my life.

Day 1

One of my many favorite coffee cups that is filled with Cozy Chamomile Tea and my one invaluable tools the WACOM tablet of course this one is small and outdated and I really need a bigger one (:

Christmas Time

2010-12-24T21:22:00.006-05:00

The Christmas rush has kept me busy up until this last week and I was able to get all my shopping done and have 2 get togethers with friends for present exchanges.

Rachel received an American Girl doll for her 6th birthday this summer and so for her Christmas Eve present we got her matching PJ's which she has been wanting. I shot a picture of her opening her gift and then played around with backgrounds and such. Here is Miley in her PJ's (:

Brandon & Lisa's Wedding Guest Book

2010-08-26T14:50:00.000-04:00

2011 Be The "NEXT" Trend Model

2010-07-29T23:04:00.006-04:00

Hi my name is Stephanie Fish

My nickname is Steph, Fish

I will be attending Chesterton High School

My favorite class is science

This summer I will be working and playing soccer and getting my tan on in between (:

My dream vacation is Australia

My dream job is make it to Hollywood!

All time favorite movie Ferris Bueller

I love to listen to Mayday Parade!

My all time favorite food is spaghetti

My favorite website is facebook

My favorite place to shop is America Eagle

My favorite TV show is That 70's Show

I never leave home without my cell phone

I chose to have my senior portraits taken at DGPhotoDesigns because she's amazing :)

Rising Above

2010-07-22T09:40:00.000-04:00

You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good.
Genesis 50:20

Everyone faces adversity from time to time. A person is fired from his or her job. Bills are due, but there’s no money to pay them with. A beloved family member dies. How we handle these situations can say a lot about our faith in the Lord.

In the case of Joseph, his problems began the moment he fell for his brothers' "we've got a really neat pit to show you" trick. They sold him as a slave to Ishmaelites passing through the area in an attempt to rid themselves of "the dreamer" (see Genesis 37:19). Eventually, Joseph was able to gain a good standing with Potiphar and was placed in charge of his house. But later, Potiphar's wife attempted to seduce Joseph and falsely accused him of adultery. Joseph ended up in prison as a result.

Joseph had plenty of opportunities to cry out about the injustice he was facing. He had chances to complain about the treatment he had received from his brothers. He could have become bitter when the king's cupbearer was released from prison and forgot about him. These actions and attitudes would have reduced Joseph to hopelessness.

Instead, Joseph allowed himself to be used by God to interpret Pharaoh’s dream. Pharaoh removed him from prison and placed him in charge of Egypt, where he organized a plan to store grain before the famine occurred. Finally, Joseph was reunited with his brothers. What was intended for bad was used by God for good.

Obstacles have the ability to take us out of contention, but we also have the opportunity to rise above them. We can cry, complain, and live in misery because of our struggles. Or we can react like Joseph--allowing God, in his timing, to bring something good out of our circumstances. Are you allowing God to help you land on your feet?

James and Angie's Wedding

2010-07-11T18:02:00.016-04:00

James and Angie were a blast to work with and we had so much fun working with them and their bridal party.

They were up for anything and wanted fun shots...we went to the beach where

we did get rained on and she got her dress wet in the water but

that didn't bother her one bit...I love brides that are like this (:

They were married at St Patricks in Chesterton and the reception was

in the hall right behind the church.

Amanda was another girl that answered my model search

2010-06-27T20:17:00.005-04:00

When the search went out for someone to shoot in this field I had two responders...

Amanda's Aunt Cindy saw my post and immediately thought of her niece and it was going to work out for both of us because Cindy was looking for something to get Amanda for her graduation gift so double bonus (:

Amanda graduated from Michigan City High School and plans on attending PNC to go into dentistry.

She was such a great subject to work with and we had a lot of fun...I asked Cindy what Amanda thought about the session and she said, "That was so much fun, Donna really made me feel comfortable."

Love her blue eyes!

Left on the side of the road (:

I just loved this shot and did several variations of it (:

He Loves Me...He Loves Me Not...

Ellie answered my Model Search

2010-06-25T13:59:00.006-04:00

I put out a call that I was looking for a girl between the ages of 18-25

and Ellie answered the call (: She "ROCKED" her dress

I had soo many favorites from this session

This by far is my favorite from her collection

Tori 2010 Senior

2010-06-25T12:19:00.004-04:00

I have been really bad about bloggin ):

I met Tori's mom at the Valpo YMCA, we work there togther just in different departments.

Tori and I met in front of Lifestyles and then began our shoot downtown.

Sarah's Senior Album

2010-06-08T12:18:00.006-04:00

Thank You Jamie Schultz Designs for the fabulous templates (:

My newest additions to the studio

2010-05-26T08:06:00.008-04:00

I have to say that I am so happy that I found PhotoProp Floors & Backdrops on facebook!!

I love facebook and PhotoProp Floors & Backdrops and thanks to their products

I am able to offer more looks for my clients at a reasonable price!!

They are my new fettish :) and I am so addicted to them!

Here are 3 of the new additions to the studio

wood floor #151

this is Tyler a 2010 senior using the new door #40

And then Rachel and Justin on Wood Floor #136

Texture Giveaway #2

2010-05-11T12:08:00.012-04:00

Here is another set of fun textures.

If you download please leave a comment

Become a follower to get updates when I post new downloads

I will hopefully have texture giveaway #3 done by next week

Download Texture Giveaway 2 Here

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DGPDtexture0011 DGPDtexture0012DGPDtexture0013 DGPDtexture0014 DGPDtexture0015 DGPDtexture0016 DGPDtexture0017 DGPDtexture0018

Fernwood Botanical Gardens

2010-05-09T21:37:00.003-04:00

Today for mother's day we went to Fernwood Botanical Gardens in Niles Michigan.

It was so much fun and such a beautiful place

Brittany surprised me and met us at church and

spent the whole day with us, it was really nice.

While I was there I took a bunch of texture shots!!

I will post them when I get them edited and uploaded for download.

2010-05-09T07:47:00.001-04:00

Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful moms out there!

Flower Power

2010-05-08T19:31:00.007-04:00

Enjoy this open house invitation but please leave a comment when you do and if you like become a follower of my blog (:

Flower Power Download for 7 days

Texture Giveaway

2010-05-08T16:34:00.009-04:00

If you download my textures please leave a comment...thanks!

Textures are so much fun to work with and I haven't given away any templates

or anything lately so I thought I would share some recent photos I took for this purpose.

If you have never worked with textures please take a moment to see the example photos

for a couple of the textures and how I used them.

Drag the texture on top of the photo you want to work with...in this image I changed the blending mode to overlay and reduced the opacity, then I masked it off her skin.
For this texture I changed the blending mode to softlight and masked off of her skin.
This image was set to linear light blending mode and masked off her skin.
Have fun...play with the blending modes and opacity (:

Download Here for 7 days

Allison's Autograph Senior Book

2010-05-07T17:42:00.007-04:00

This is, by far, my favorite senior album that I have made (:

We went to so many different locations that I just really makes this book fun!

I still have the front cover to design and then the last page I

am waiting for a copyright release as it was taken at the school

Custom Printed DVD

2010-05-06T10:20:00.002-04:00

Custom Single DVD Holder

2010-05-06T10:17:00.002-04:00

I finally had the chance to order one of these things and they are absolutely stunning.

Jacqueline Album

2010-05-05T23:31:00.005-04:00

Trying to win a Kelly Bag!

2010-04-29T18:16:00.001-04:00

Go check it out!

“Check out the LOVE AFFAIR BLOG and enter to win a Kelly Moore Bag & a seat to their upcoming workshop in Dallas!! www.loveaffairworkshop.com”

Senior Book for Briana

2010-04-22T18:12:00.006-04:00

Just finished the book for my photographer friend who shot this girl...

Goetz Family

2010-03-20T21:21:00.006-04:00

On Thursday I met Matt, Janel and all the kids down at the farm for a photo shoot.

The last time we tried this it was just too cold for the kids.

It was a gorgeous day except for the wind as you will see in one of the shots.

We had to time everything just right (:

check out her hair!!! I said 1 2 3 jump and this is what I got (:
It was his birthday!

County Line Orchard Wedding Book

2010-03-15T11:17:00.004-04:00

I designed an album for the orchard and can't wait for it to come in so I can deliver it to them (: Julianne requested to see a copy so I thought I'd post on my blog.

Bridal Expoza

2010-03-13T18:40:00.006-05:00

Today Al's SuperMarket had a little setup with various vendors for a bridal expo.

My little table...I was going to share a table with a friend but someone didn't show up so I was able to have my own table. I would have brought more stuff if I would have known that (:

My friend Lori Bagley with her creative memories table

Cindy Schulp and Amanda Cupples from Temptations Parties
Some of the workers from Al's

Cute cake!
Samples from Al's catering business
another cake from Al's bakery

2010 Senior: Allison

2010-03-09T22:11:00.007-05:00

Allison called this morning and wanted to try and get a few shots

in this afternoon.

Unfortunately the weather did not co-operate

with our plans.

Allison was a trooper tho, drudging through mud

and snow in her flats.

We did get a few shots before it started

to rain too hard to have the camera out.

We are planning a re-shoot

when there is no rain in the forecast (:

Photographer uses her craft to help children gain smiles :: Neighbors :: Post-Tribune

2010-03-08T08:36:00.002-05:00

The Post Tribune came out with an article they did with me for helping Operation Smiles.

click the link below to read the article (:

Photographer uses her craft to help children gain smiles :: Neighbors :: Post-Tribune

Rick and Julianne Wedding Album

2010-03-07T21:49:00.009-05:00

Cover 1

or cover 2

Washington Park Michigan City, IN

2010-03-06T17:08:00.005-05:00

Today we decided to head up to the beach to check out the frozen lake,

something we have never done before.

It is amazing that the beach looks totally different in the winter time and looks nothing

like it does when we are laying on the beach and swimming in the water.

The kids came home with a collection of rocks and were pooped from

carrying them by the time we got back to the car. They left one behind

because it was just to heavy and they both got tired of taking turns carrying

it and decided it wasn't worth it (:

You can see where some of the ice had been pushed up and formed
spikes/spears of ice.

The ice had formed past the level of the walkway and we

weren't able to make it all the way to the lighthouse.

All the way home the kids just kept saying that was so awesome! And Yes God is awesome!

Our trip to the park

2010-03-05T22:18:00.002-05:00

Yesterday we went to Red Mill County Park and walked a few trails.

We weren't really prepared for all the snow on the trails as they were not cleared off.

We ended up with really soaked shoes and socks and drove home barefoot (:

While we were there we saw deer, dog and goose tracks, a bluejay and a woodpecker

fighting off another bird.

Defining 'Successful Parenting'

2010-03-05T08:31:00.003-05:00

I ran across this article this morning and I thought it was a really interesting read.

Have you ever said "But I want them to turn out right"
"But I want the best for them, for their sakes"

http://www.focusonthefamily.com/parenting/parenting_roles/successful_parenting.aspx

you can keep reading towards the bottom by clicking next article in this series with the different roles that parents are suppose to play in their children's lives.

Snowflakes

2010-02-24T09:01:00.003-05:00

Ok so I have been wanting to try this for a while now

and this morning it just worked out perfectly.

The images might not be dead on but I love them nonetheless.

The snow was coming down in large flakes and the back porch

was clear at the moment as I was trying to capture

these amazing little creations (:

Tim and Racquel...the last half

2010-02-21T19:36:00.004-05:00

Amber

2010-02-20T20:50:00.005-05:00

Today was Amber's 15th birthday

so she braved the 30 degree temperatures and

we headed to downtown Valparaiso for a shoot.

Here are a few of my favorites from the session.

Happy Birthday Amber!

Tim and Racquel's Wedding Album

2010-02-19T16:49:00.008-05:00

Tim and Racquel were married at County Line Apple Orchard in 2009. This is their digital wedding album...it is not quite finished but will be soon (:

Yummy Healthy Recipe (:

2010-01-19T18:13:00.002-05:00

BLUEBERRIES WITH COCONUT

2 1/2 cups of blueberries

1- can coconut milk

1/2 lemon

1/2 c sugar

2 tablespoons water

Heat 2 cups of blueberries, sugar and water until softened.

Squeeze lemon and remove from heat.

Add coconut milk, put in freezer.

Life with fork every 1/2 hr to add air.

Hardens in 2-4 hours.

Add remaining berries at serving (:

Mike and Stephanie's Digital Album

2009-12-17T21:44:00.002-05:00

Lesson Notes Understanding the Purpose of Pain

2009-11-23T08:44:00.003-05:00

Pain is God's instrument to expose who we are, explain how life really is, and brings us to a junction where we seek Him for answers.

God may be using your child to teach you something as well, conflict and pain is always a precursor to change.

As God never leaves us, we will never leave our kids.

Foolishness leads to more pain. Wisdom leads to more pleasure.

"Foolishness" is that determined conviction that happiness must be gained on my own terms without significant dependence on God.

"Wisdom" is knowledge of principles of right living that's gained through observation, reflection, and experience.

Pain comes...when there is confrontation for foolish thinking.

Pain comes...when they don't agree with you.

Pain comes...when discussions get heated.

Pain comes...when the authority of the goal-keeper is established or re-established.

Pain comes...when the wrong motives, demeanors or desires are exposed.

Overindulgence doesn't change the pain.

Ignoring or avoiding your child will not change the pain.

Walking away from a relationship with a rebellious child is not an option.

Compromising your standards is foolish parenting.

If we rescue our teen, or lessen consequences, the immaturity will continue.

Foolish behavior will always get worse when not confronted.

Facing the pain....brings significance.

Pain is essential in the life of your child to bring about maturity and responsibility.

When you throw yourself in the pit

2009-11-19T10:16:00.002-05:00

I had to share all of this today as I sat reading my devotion today...

Unlike the pit we get thrown into, we put ourselves into this one. But here's the catch: we didn't mean to. We just weren't watching where we were going. We got distracted, taken in by new sights. The path didn't seem bad; it just seemed new. Exhilarating. We thought we were still okay, but the next thing we knew we were in a hold, our feet ankle deep in mud. The cell phone was dead, and suddenly we didn't have a clue what to do.

Yes, you got into this pit yourself, but it certainly wasn't planned. It wasn't what you wanted. In fact, the possiblity of falling into a pit may never have entered your mind. You certainly didn't mean for things to turn out the way they did. You didn't see it coming, but now you're in a hole.

You'd give anything if someone else had thrown you in, because you hate being the one to blame. In fact, at first you tried to think it was somebody else's fault. Anybody else's fault. But then you spent enough time in that pit for the noon sun to peak straight over your head, shedding the first direct light you'd seen form in there. That sick feeling in your stomach tells you that-no matter who else was involved-nobody pushed you into this pit. You got yourself into this one. And you're not even sure how.

Traps get set. Feet slip. And I hate how the enemy uses the guilt over how you got into a pit to trap you into never getting out! Hear me clearly; you cannot let him get away with that. No matter how guilty you feel for sliding your way in, GOD WANTS YOU OUT!

IT IS FOR FREEDOM THAT CHRIST HAS SET US FREE. STAND FIRM, THEN, AND DO NOT LET YOURSELVES BE BURDENED AGAIN BY A YOKE OF SLAVERY. GALATIONS 5:1

God still has a vision for you. No matter where you've been, God's full intent is for you to live effectively and abundantly. He loves you dearly, and the fact that you've been foolish doesn't diminish His love one single ounce. Talk to God.

If I should say, "My foot has slipped," Your lovingkindness, O Lord, will hold me up. When my anxious thoughs multiply within me, Your consolations delight my soul. Psalm 94:18-19

If you don't soak your brain in the truth that you are absolutely secure in the unchanging love of God, you will never feel worthy of getting out of the pit. Satan will keep your feet on slippery ground. When you want out of a pit, you've got a golden opportunity to seet he grace of God as you've never encountered it. Let God's loving-kindness hold you up and ask Him to make His consolations your delight.

For I am convinced that neither death no life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39

GOD LOVES US!

2009-11-14T09:08:00.002-05:00

He proved it when He sent His Son to die for us. And He went to that extreme measure because He wants to have fellowship with us. And because God loves you so much He has many blessings He wants to give you. But you need to be walking with Him, obeying Him, trusting Him, in order for Him to be able to bless you.

So keep yourself in the love of God. Keep yourself in the place where God can do the things for you that He wants to do.

(Jude 21)

2009-11-10T20:07:00.005-05:00

What about being thrown into the pit by someone?

How 'bout someone else's sin-a family member or a loved one?

Like Joseph- His brothers, stripped off his robe, threw him in a pit and then ate a meal...

What we must do: forgive

"Now, please, forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of your father." And Joseph wept when they spoke to him. Genesis 50:17

See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. Hebrews 12:15

You can know you're in a pit when...

2009-11-10T19:50:00.003-05:00

YOU FEEL STUCK.
There is no living at maintenance level in a pit.

YOU CAN'T STAND UP.
You feel powerless against attack.

A pit is an early grave that Satan digs for you in hopes he can bury you alive. Should you fall in he cannot make you stay! But on the same God will not make you leave. Some things are simply up to us.

YOU'VE LOST VISION.
We can no longer see things that may have once been obvious to us. That is one reason we often stay in the pit. We can always look up but we're often too focused on our sinking feet.

Danielle's Book

2009-11-09T23:19:00.014-05:00

Ok Danielle I am ready to print your book...How do you like the last page? Any changes to the book before I order?

Ok so I think I have Danielle's book done!

I only have the last page to do and I need one more picture from her

or maybe their class moto or favorite quote...

Looking Up When Life is Looking Down by Beth Moore

2009-11-08T17:36:00.003-05:00

I picked up a book today from the church store and so far I have really enjoyed and been touched by her words! Here is just the introduction to it

"Life can be excruciating. Crushing, in fact. The sheer magnitude of our worries can press down on our heads and, one inch at a time, we unknowingly descend into a pit of despair. Something so horrible can happen that we conclude we'll never be okay again. We can be delivered to a place where the air is crisp, the enemy is whipped, and the view is magnificent.

The Bible teaches that there are no lost causes; no permanent pit-dwellers except those who refuse to leave. Every person can know complete redemption in Christ, purpose for life, and fullness of joy. No, life won't ever be easy but the trade-off is a spin around Planet Earth that actually means something. I am convinced that when the last chapter of each life story is recorded in the annals of heaven, people would rather have lived out their fullness of days with purpose than without pain.

I want you to know the power of His Word can defy every addiction, heal any affliction, and plug up every pit. I believe God has scheduled a time and a way for you to get out of your pit. You're going to need to show up for the appointment, though."

other Christmas card options...

2009-11-07T19:14:00.004-05:00

5x5 trifold Christmas Card

2009-11-07T19:05:00.003-05:00

Tired of the same old same old Christmas card?

Why not try the 5x5 trifold!

Custom made to go with your photos

Available in stock, linen, or pearl (the pearl is my favorite!)

any photographer looking to purchase this template

contact me at donna@dgphotodesigns.com

$10 for this template

Logo

2009-11-07T15:52:00.003-05:00

Well I have been wanting a logo and I am by no means a logo designer....lol...

so in my feeble attempt here are 3 that I messed around with over the last couple of days...

I think my favorite is #2

Vote for you favorite

or if you want to give you hand at it by all means help a gal out! (:

Abbey-WTS Senior

2009-11-04T19:22:00.004-05:00

I had an amazing time shooting Abbey around her home in Washington Township.

Abbey graduates from Washington Township school in 2010 and is involved in basketball.

We first did outside pictures and then a few days later did her studio shots.

She is so photogenic...

man it seems that all my senior girls lately have been that way.

11 Birth Announcements

2009-11-01T22:11:00.002-05:00

Set of 11 birth announcements 10- 5x7 PSD files

1- 4x6 PSD file

$30.00

All proceeds go to the Scott Carpenter Family

I graduated highschool with Scott and

he recently past away unexpectedly this week.

My First Set of PhotoShop Brushes...

2009-10-31T14:56:00.007-04:00

23 BABY QUOTES photoshop brushes.

If anyone is interested in my first set of brushes

I am selling them for $8.00

they would be great for collages and birth announcements

Riley (:

2009-10-31T14:53:00.003-04:00

Just had an adorable shoot with a little butterfly named Riley (:

I met her parents, what has it been now 3 yrs ago, when I shot their engagment pictures.

Riley was all smiles and I can't wait to post some of her pictures when I get them done.

A big thanks to the Ginger Family (:

Christmas Card Set 1

2009-10-28T22:02:00.006-04:00

Due to the recent death of a classmate of mine, Scott Carpenter,

I am donating all sales of this Christmas Card set to his family...

you will also get one more card that isn't listed here

set of 4 Christmas Cards

1- 5x5

3- 5x7

on sale for 2 weeks $20

after that $30.00

send to paypal @ dgphotodesigns@aol.com as christmas set 1

Birth Announcement

2009-10-27T21:06:00.004-04:00

Well it has been along time since I offered a free template (: sorry for that.

I recently had to design a birth announcement

and this is one of the designs that I came up with...

the template will not have a photo in it

enjoy...

this link will be availabe for 7 days

Expired

Answered Prayers

2009-10-27T21:04:00.001-04:00

Well we got an answer to prayer..not what we would have wanted but nonetheless an answer. Brittany was found in Florida and was ok. Her father had reported the car stolen so that we had a chance of finding her and she was found and arrested. All the charges were dropped against her because it was her car and she is back home, willingly, with us for now. Keep praying for a change of heart and that she will start heading in the right direction. Thank you all for your prayers and your continued prayers for our daughter. I know God loves her more than we do and he will see her through this time in her life.

God is in Control

2009-10-04T10:58:00.006-04:00

I keep telling myself over and over again that God is in control of the situation.

I mean we have been praying since she moved out of our house that she would

hit rock bottom if that is what she needed to straighten her life out...

is this the answer to our prayers or the process that has to happen?

Now I don't know if I want it to happen. I mean I want

her to come back to God and her family but I don't want her to have to suffer.

We as parents never want our kids to suffer and we only want the best for them.

How do you as a parent just let go and give your child over to God.

All these thoughts just keep running through my head

what if this

what if that

what if

I am making myself just sick. I sent another text message this morning

asking them to let Brittany contact me and that I love her and am worried about her.

I pray that I at least hear something. I just wish I new she was ok.

Frantic Mother

2009-10-03T19:19:00.002-04:00

Brittany has been missing for 3 days now and

no one has heard from her since early Friday morning.

We have exhausted every avenue at this point and are at a loss of what to do next.

Her dad has reported the car she is driving stolen so at least the cops are looking for the car which will hopefully lead to her.

I am scared to death with worry about how she is handling her medical condition, how is she eating, where they are sleeping and the list goes on!!

I am praying that God is protecting her and that he keeps her

safe from harm. And that she doesn't do anything that can't be undone.

Operation Smiles presents Family Portrait Month

2009-09-26T09:16:00.001-04:00

Dear Client and future clients,

I thought you would want to know about a very special family portrait promotion (does not have to be family it can be individual portraits as well) we will be
participating in with an elite group of photographers around the country. This October, we will
celebrate “Family Portrait Month,” a wonderful opportunity for you to update your family
portrait (or portraits of your children), and support Operation Smile, which treats children around
the world who suffer with cleft lips, cleft palates and other facial deformities.
Along with other studio members of Professional Photographers of America (PPA), we have
pledged to contribute $25 to PPA Charities, which has chosen Operation
Smile as its charitable partner.
Recording the faces of children and their families is our greatest pleasure. That’s why we believe
so strongly in the work of Operation Smile. Each year this incredible organization of more than
6,000 volunteer doctors, nurses, dentists, and special ized health care professionals, perform free
reconstructive surgeries for children suffering with cleft lips, cleft palates and other facial
deformities. More than 100,000 children are born with a facial deformity each year in Operation
Smile’s 26 partner countries.
We hope you will join with us in helping to make this vital work possible. Don’t forget that the
holiday season is right around the corner, so there’s no better time for a family portrait, which is
always appreciated as gifts for family and friends and to send along with holiday greeting cards.
As always . . . we look forward to creating some truly wonderful portraits of your family.

With warm wishes,
Donna
DGPhotoDesigns

Angie and Todd's Engagement

2009-08-24T19:13:00.003-04:00

I am finally finished with Angie and Todd's wedding guest book! I am just waiting for approval on the front cover and then it is off to the printers (:

Page 1

page 2-3

page 4-5

page 6-7

page 8-9

page 10-11

page 12-13

page 14-15

page 16-17

page 18-19

page 20-21

page 22-23

page 24

Grandpa and Grandma's 60th Wedding Vow Renewal

2009-08-18T17:34:00.005-04:00

Adam's Grandpa and Grandma celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary by renewing the wedding vows. It was so sweet watching them celebrate this precious milestone!

After the ceremony we headed out to a luncheon at Broadway Cafe...yum.

Meyer Family

2009-07-20T23:00:00.006-04:00

I had the pleasure of meeting the Meyer family while I was out

shooting the Broughton family out at the boardwalk

and they asked me to come and shoot
a family session for them on Wednesday.

Well the weather on Wednesday was not nearly as nice

as it was the night I shot the Broughton family.

The sun was in full force and the wind was blowing.

After the shoot we decided to try again on

Thursday night after I got of work at the YMCA and well

mother nature didn't work with us again..it was raining!

It was quite funny, not really, but I was under

and umbrella holding it with my armpit and

they were under another umbrella. We counted to three

and then they would throw the umbrella down and I would take

the shot and then they would pick up the umbrella and we

would do it again. I also wasn't thinking and

sat down on the bench and you guessed it a wet bottom! lol

Ok after all that here are the shots from their two day session (:

Sneak Peek @ Brittany's Senior Shoot

2009-07-20T20:13:00.004-04:00

Today I had my first 2010 senior photo shoot.

Brittany is from Kouts school and plays the clarinet and

we had a blast shooting on her grandparents

property in Crown Point.

This is my all time favorite shot

these photos have not been through my

final edit process.