For Japan With Love: Silent Auction

As another part of the relief effort for Japan, we are participating in a charity benefit next Tuesday, April 26, at Blu Bungalow in San Francisco.  There are tons of wedding professionals who are donating services and goodies for a silent auction where all proceeds will go to Shelterbox for the relief effort.  If you're in the area, please RSVP (it's free!) and come bid on some super cool stuff!  Some of the awesome bidding items include a make-up lesson by Jane Kim (for regular blog readers she prettied up all the girls in Erika and Colin's wedding last year), a couple of flower garlands by Ashley Meaders (this girl is a creative genius! and we hope to photograph a wedding she's touched one of these days), and prints by uber fabulous L.A. photographer Max Wanger.  We are donating two matted, framed and signed travel prints.  Check them out below:

Here's where you can RSVP and see more info about the event:  http://www.forjapanwithlove.com/sfbenefit.html

For Japan with Love

Utterly Engaged and Ever-Ours came up with a great way to help the disaster relief effort in Japan.  They are fundraising for ShelterBox.  ShelterBox was one of THE first organizations asked by Japan to help and were on hand on the Saturday after the quake.  Each large, green ShelterBox is tailored to a disaster but typically contains a disaster relief tent for an extended family, blankets, water storage and purification equipment, cooking utensils, a stove, a basic tool kit, a children’s activity pack and other vital items.  You can donate HERE.

They're also encouraging a "Bloggers Day of Silence" for Friday, March 18, as a way to raise awareness and respect and acknowledge the devastation going on in Japan.  With this in mind, I will not be blogging tomorrow.

Also, remember that Adm and I will be donating 50% of all proceeds from family portrait sessions booked now through the end of April to the disaster relief effort in Japan.  Initially, we were thinking we'd donate to the Red Cross, but since checking out ShelterBox, which is doing great work, we're not so sure, and so are open to suggestions.

Here is some more information:

Family portrait sessions are $300.  This includes up to an hour and a half of photography at a location of your choice within the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles and Orange County.  Family sessions can include babies, children, adults, parents, pets...  You can also purchase this as a gift for someone else.  The session only needs to be booked by the end of April, but not necessarily scheduled within that time.  To reserve your session, a deposit of $150 (which will be sent to Japan) is required.  You'll receive a CD of 40 high-resolution images that are ready for print in both color and black and white as well as a private online gallery good for three months.  Please email me at alison@alisonyinweddings.com with any questions or to schedule your session.

Below are some of our favorite family session images:

Eli, Lilian, and Raising Money for Japan

It feels so strange blogging such happy, innocent family photos when there is so much tragedy and strife in the world right now.  However, when you look at these family photos, it makes you realize what's important is family.  We have been photographing Eli and Lilian since they were six months old, and when I think about that, I also think about the families around the world who won't get to have those memories with their family anymore.  It is my hope that in this time of loss, we can all cherish our families and what we have with them a little more.

To help with the relief effort in Japan, I will be donating 50% of all proceeds from family portrait sessions booked now through April 15 to the Japanese Red Cross Society.  You can contact me at alison@alisonyinweddings for more information.