Sonya Ruth Photography's Blog

Mar 13 2013

April 20th Workshop- Hampstead, NC

Want to learn how to get those “wow” photos, with perfect lighting and composition? Sonya Ruth Photography will be hosting a workshop for photographers in the Wilmington/Jacksonville area April 20th from 2:00pm-6:30pm.

The class is for people who want to strengthen the areas of

-Lighting
-Posing and their confidence of instructions on posing their clients
-Camera settings and shooting in manual
-Composition
-Finding your style or strengthening your style. Making your style and brand bold and to leave a lasting impression.
-Editing
-And then FAQ, which is great for those who have particular questions on stuff they’ve been struggling with.

Also, I will be giving a portfolio critique – Here is the description for it:

We all need to take postiive feedback AND negative feedback and use it to get better. I remember in art class, I felt like I was putting up a master piece on the wall (we all had to hang our artwork) and everyone in the room would critique it. I mean, they’d be honest. It was hard for me at first, but it made me a better artist. That’s exactly what we will do. You will send your ten favorite photos, ten “ok” photos, and your ten worst photos. We will then go from there on how to improve. We will go over it in email and then work at those weak areas in person! I will teach you to get better composition, better lighting, posing, etc.

You will send the photos before the workshop (preferably two weeks before the workshop).

So although up to 10 people will be there, you will definitely have an individual look into your business, portfolio, strengths and weaknesses! You won’t get lost if you are just a beginner, the stuff I will go over is really easy to understand. I’m a kinesthetic learner, meaning I learn and TEACH through steps and visuals. I’m not going to use words you won’t understand, I’ll show you the buttons and give you explanations of how to use them. I taught myself how to shoot in manual, not from reading a “manual,” but practicing over and over until I perfected my images!

This will also be great for those who are already comfortable with their camera. I will work on finding your “style,” your brand, and working on finding on what inspires you and focusing on that!

We will be photographing a wedding styled shoot with a country chic theme! Sooo excited!
*Must have a DSLR

The price is $225 per person. Only 10 seats available.

Seats are non-refundable, but you may sell/transfer your seat to someone else if you are unable to attend.

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Feb 21 2013

Sonya’s Favorite Things Giveaway!

Here are some of my FAVORITE military shoots! Enjoy! Description of each product/business is right underneath!!

So I decided to do this particular giveaway because I feel like 1) more people will be able to enter since it doesn’t matter where you are 2) These are some of the things that help me get through the days of the hardships of life 3) Who doesn’t love yoga pants?

One Thousand Gifts- This book has changed me. It has transformed the way I look at every situation. We all have to admit, not every situation in life is easy, fair, and satisfying. It is “A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are.” It’s about finding joy in all the easy, the hard, the little, and the big. I absolutely love this book. If you have a second, you should consider purchasing it!

Bits and Pieces Art Boutique- I bought my necklace from Bits and Pieces about six months ago. I had a custom necklace made with Steven’s name on one pendant and the date we got married, Grace’s name on another with her birthdate, and then a circular pendant that says “God Gave me You.” I absolutely love this necklace. It’s the perfect necklace to wear when I want to be reminded of what God has truly blessed me with. Seriously though, these necklaces are the BEST gifts if you want to be “thoughtful.” Laura, owner of Bits and Pieces, is truly an artist. Her skills are amazing! You can contact her at her email if you are interested in some one of a kind custom necklaces–nimmolaura@yahoo.com or click here to look through all of her past creations!

Daddy Dolls- I know a lot of mothers buy a Daddy Doll for their baby/toddler/kid. I know I will be. This is such a brilliant idea and I can imagine helps children cope with their Daddy being gone. You can purchase a variety of products HERE that help with the times of separation!

“Love A Hero” Yoga pant- Love A Hero™ raises charitable contributions that benefit widows and orphans of Heroes that die in the line-of-duty (police officer, firemen, and military servicemen). How awesome is this organization? And I love that they sell yoga pants!! You can learn more about this organization here!

Jessica Oatman Bowtique- This “bowtique” sells bows of all kinds, but the coolest part is that there are some creative and unique patriotic bows I haven’t seen before! I love the “vintage” feel of her patriotic bows! Her etsy shop is here!

Thank you all to participated in this giveaway! Giveaway will end on Feb. 25th at 11:59pm!

by sonyaruth

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TrinaFebruary 26, 2013 - 9:20 pm

ONE of my biggest struggles is being far away from family. I am a very family oriented person and it hurts knowing I can’t just jump in my car and go to them when we need each other, It has done one thing to us as a family as to bringing us closer together.

StephanieFebruary 26, 2013 - 6:21 pm

I love following your posts on Facebook and I adore your beautiful vision!

Jennie FFebruary 26, 2013 - 3:43 pm

My biggest struggle right now is finding out the right balance of attention in life, and learning to give some of it to myself! I feel constantly pulled between my little family, and my extended family, along wiht all the stresses of life. Sometimes you just need to take the time to soak in the tub or read a good book!

Jennie FoxFebruary 26, 2013 - 3:41 pm

I’m so excited for this giveaway! Thank you for the opportunity to enter I love you work and would LOVE to win a Lee Lee

KestlyFebruary 26, 2013 - 11:27 am

Love you stories about your family and what a passion you have for photography!

JillFebruary 26, 2013 - 11:15 am

My biggest struggle is finding a chance to recognize me. I spend every waking moment wrapped up in my 2 kids, one of which is going thru some major health issues. So we are always in and out of doctor’s offices, hospitals, etc. and it’s like I just pull on whatever clothes I can find, splash some water on my face, and throw up my hair. It’s the same thing everyday, switch my pajama pants for yoga pants, change shirts, and a ponytail. My husband has mentioned a few times that he misses when I used to “get dressed” everyday. But I just don’t have the energy to do so anymore. I love wearing my yoga pants and just try to dress it up every once in awhile with a necklace or some makeup. All the other giveaway items should go to someone else, but the pants and necklace, I would truly adore

Allison SFebruary 26, 2013 - 10:03 am

One of my biggest challenges is to get up before the kids do and start my day digging into God’s Word…my days are so much better when I do.
Thanks for such a fun and encouraging giveaway!

Shai SmithFebruary 25, 2013 - 11:35 pm

My biggest struggle is balancing my time. Between four kids, three organizations, two businesses, and full-time school…I still find time to get lost in Facebook and life instead of delegating tasks and being productive. It’s an ongoing battle.

Thanks so much for this giveaway!

Amanda LovelaceFebruary 25, 2013 - 11:14 pm

I%20struggle%20day%20to%20day%20with%20time%20management!%20I%20have%20a%20hard%20time%20balancing%20work%20and%20family%20(and%20the%20house!!)%20And%20lately%20I’ve%20been%20struggling%20with%20handling%20my%203%20and%202%20year%20olds%20with%20the%20patience%20and%20grace%20that%20I%20should%20have.%20God%20is%20moving%20in%20this%20situation%20though%20and%20this%20time%20has%20brought%20me%20closer%20to%20Him.%20I%20only%20want%20to%20express%20to%20them%20the%20love%20that%20God%20intends%20on%20them%20feeling%2C%20and%20nothing%20less.%20

Amanda LovelaceFebruary 25, 2013 - 11:14 pm

I struggle day to day with time management! I have a hard time balancing work and family (and the house!!) And lately I’ve been struggling with handling my 3 and 2 year olds with the patience and grace that I should have. God is moving in this situation though and this time has brought me closer to Him. I only want to express to them the love that God intends on them feeling, and nothing less.

emery McCready shawFebruary 24, 2013 - 7:37 pm

My biggest struggle is while my husband is deployed finding the time to focus on me. With a newly walking/running little guy I find myself exhausted and not taking any time to focus on myself, be it appreciating the little things, taking time to work out. Thank you for the opportunity for this giveaway.

emily mandevilleFebruary 22, 2013 - 11:53 am

My biggest struggle is preparing for a birth that could happen anytime…and only being 22 weeks pregnant. With having had my first at 25 weeks, we are preparing for the worst, but praying for the best <3

Karleen sFebruary 22, 2013 - 9:01 am

My recent struggle, since my husband just left, is the fact he will miss our oldest son graduate high school. He missed his freshman year because of deployment as well. He is also missing our youngest playing middle school sports for the first time, not too mention I’m working for the first time during a deployment. We deal with this as a day by day mentality. We take lots of pictures for us to show every milestone. We do family nights when we can and just enjoy each other. Right now we wait for our family to be complete and figure out a way to have my Husband “attend”our son’s graduation.

Rebecca C.February 22, 2013 - 8:32 am

I know that some others’ struggles may be more intense than mine, but I am still struggling with learning to cook for one. It’s so difficult that every time I prepare a meal, there is always just enough for two and it makes me so sad. I am doing the best I can, but I just can’t wait for him to be home. Thank you for hosting this amazing giveaway!

melanie wittmanFebruary 21, 2013 - 6:44 pm

My%20biggest%20struggle%20has%20been%20recently%20having%20to%20take%20care%20of%20my%20two%20children%20(both%20under%20two%20years%20old)%20by%20myself%20while%20my%20husband%20has%20been%20gone%20for%20months%20of%20training.%20Having%20people%20here%20to%20help%20me%20and%20counting%20down%20the%20days%20until%20he%20comes%20home%20have%20made%20this%20mucheasier.

Melanie W.February 21, 2013 - 6:43 pm

My biggest struggle has been recently having to take care of my two children (both under two years old) by myself while my husband has been gone for months of training. Having people here to help me and counting down the days until he comes home have made this much easier.

Jess C.February 21, 2013 - 4:57 pm

I think my biggest struggle right now is dealing with the transition process of my husband coming home to our 3 month old daughter. I know that probably sounds terrible, but I’m just being honest. He’s been home a week (they havent taken leave yet) and I feel it’s harder to ease him into our already established schedule. I am trying to let go and let him do more & get used to being a new father, but it’s harder than I expected it to be. I know this is a temporary struggle and things will be great once we are used to it all, but right now it is hard.

nellieFebruary 21, 2013 - 12:09 pm

Such a great contest idea, Sonya! And your photos are amazing as always. Wishing continued success!

Diana YFebruary 21, 2013 - 10:42 am

I love what you do for military families. My husband has been medically retired for about a year and a half now from the Marine Corps, and it has been a struggle for us as we were forced to adjust to a new life very quickly. I hope that other military families would find all the wonderful things in their lives to appreciate during what ever struggles they may be facing, because even when they feel alone, there will always be wonderful people like you. Thank you, Sonya!!

NicoleFebruary 21, 2013 - 10:34 am

What helps me get through a hard day is taking a moment to think about the fact that God loves me and is in complete control, even when all I see is seeming chaos! Ps. I love giveaways and I hope I win the yoga pants…

AFebruary 21, 2013 - 10:32 am

I am not sure if this is where we leave the comment for the blog entry–but figured it was a shot Most likely my biggest struggle right now, aside from being a mom to two boys 2 and under while my husband is deployed for over a year and trying to run a photography company—would be finding ME. Remembering who I am behind the Mom face and clothes, behind the lens, behind the computer, behind the loneliness of not having my husband home. That right there, is by far my biggest struggle, just remembering who I am as me and just me not the 100s of other titles that comes with it.

Feb 05 2013

Birth Photography- Camp Lejeune/Jacksonville, NC

Alright, this is huge for me. Birth Photography has been something I’ve been thinking about for the past six months. I’m beginning to feel more and more called to start offering services to document births around the Camp Lejeune and Wilmington area. I absolutely love documentary style photography. My passion for photography started when I knew of amazing stories that needed to be told. And here I am, making an official announcement I will be taking on a handful of births each year! I know I’m on the lookout for a photographer for this summer when I give birth!

This is especially relevant to those who will be giving birth without their spouses. For instance, my husband will be gone this summer, so I know I want to document those priceless memories for him to see and for me to see as well, because we all know, it’s all a blur!

Contact me at sonyaruthphotography@gmail.com if you are interested!

If you need to get an idea on what birth photography looks like, check out this site. AMAZING. I cried half way through

http://birthphotographers.com/voting-is-open-2012-international-association-of-professional-birth-photographers-image-of-the-year-competition/

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Nov 29 2012

Sonya Ruth Photography’s Packaging and Small Businesses

So this past month I decided to invest in some custom thumb drives since CDs are currently being phased out. I’m super excited about how they came out! I also decided to include a little gift! Who doesn’t love local honey? I usually purchase this local honey at the farmer’s market, but you can find them here! What better way to want people to support your small business, than supporting the small businesses in your community? I live in a small quaint town with a ton of small businesses. I once told my husband that I wish there was a target and starbucks in my town, and he 100% disagreed with me (for other reasons) but one main reason is that would HURT the small businesses in our town. Small businesses are the backbone of our country. We need them to thrive for our country to thrive, so I encourage all of you, to put an extra effort in supporting our small businesses! It can be the little things in your life that make the big difference in another person’s life!

Hope you enjoy!!