The Birth Of A Treasure.

On October 11, 2017 around 3:30p.m., I walked into Opelousas General Hospital knowing that I was in labor with my 6th child. After having 5 kids before, 4 of them without epidurals, I knew exactly what contractions felt like. Sure enough, when the nurses checked me, I was already dilated to 5 cm and they checked me in for delivery.

Being a photographer, I went there with my camera bag, equipped with my 2 cameras and multiple lenses. I was intent on capturing images of my baby myself after I pushed her out.

Once in the room, I set my camera and was ready and set to go once I delivered. However, little did I know that it would not work that way.

I received a call from a good friend of mine named, Felicia Sonnier. She worked at the hospital but is also a fellow photographer. She was just getting off and was going to come in and see me for a little while before I had my baby.

We talked and chatted for about an hour and things were going good. I was progressing nicely and dilating more. Then it seemed like suddenly it was time to push and she offered to stay and use my camera to photograph it.  I am so happy that she did!

Because I had decided on another all natural delivery, I was in so much pain that I doubt I would’ve been able to get any of the images that I planned to.

After 2 pushes, Treasure Jewel Adora Thompson was born at 7:35. p.m.

Here are some of the images from her birth.

 

 

If you want to see more of the images, you can view the video here:

 

Treasure is now 1 year old and is so loved by everyone who knows her.

 

 

Depths Of My Heart

     On July 24, 2016, the annual state print competition was held by The Professional Photographers Of Louisiana.   The print competition is a part of The 67th Annual Convention ~ Southern Pro Xposure.  Professional photographers from around the state of Louisiana enter prints that they photographed or designed to be scored by a panel of 5 or 6 judges who are all Master Photographers from around the United States.

     This was my second time competing. I submitted 6 images to be judged by the panel. I am excited to announce that 3 out of the 6 images that I entered scored high enough to receive the Court of Honor, which is a merit by the Professional Photographers of Louisiana! Even better, is the fact that one of my images entitled, “Depths Of My Heart” won 1st Place!!!

Below are the 6 images that I submitted.

 

“Depths Of My Heart”

Received A Score of 82, which is A Court Of Honor Merit at

The 67th Annual Convention ~ Southern Pro Xposure.

“Depths Of My Heart” was also awarded 1st Place and received a plaque.

The plaque reads :

Professional Photographers Of Louisiana, Inc.

2016 1st Place

Electronic Imaging

General Division

“Depths Of My Heart”

Justine Gallien

State Convention

 

 

“Mating Monarchs”

Received A Score of 80, which is A Court Of Honor Merit at

The 67th Annual Convention ~ Southern Pro Xposure.

 

 

“Blossoming“

Received A Score of 80, which is A Court Of Honor Merit at

The 67th Annual Convention ~ Southern Pro Xposure.

 

“Golden Glory”

Received A Score of 78, which is above average, at

The 67th Annual Convention ~ Southern Pro Xposure

 

“Going Green”

Received A Score of 78, which is above average, at

The 67th Annual Convention ~ Southern Pro Xposure

 

“Nature’s Jewels”

Received A Score of 77, which is above average, at

The 67th Annual Convention ~ Southern Pro Xposure

 

 

      I highly recommend this organization to anyone who is a photographer or aspiring to be one. Without this great network of amazing photographers, I would never have learned as much as I have to even be able to produce any artwork worthy of competing and scoring well. Comment if you have any questions on joining this amazing organization.

Chasing Victory

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of going to Fair Grounds Race Course and Slots in New Orleans, La. It was a fun filled day. I was able to go to all of the best spots to photograph the races. I also had the pleasure of using an awesome lens that allowed me to take images as if I were right there in front of the jockeys and horses. Of all of the races I photographed that day, there was one that I feel I was able to best capture the exciting awesomeness of what horse racing is all about. In this series, I have 4 prints that tell the story.

The first portrait shows the beginning of the race; the horses and jockeys are taking off and giving it their all. They are getting into their pace in hopes that their endurance and dedication will pay off. The second portrait shows everyone in the pursuit to be victorious. They are moving in closer and trying to get into first place. In the next portrait, you can clearly see that one horse and jockey duo has one leg up on all of the others. The final image of the series shows the leading duo solidifying their lead in this fast-paced race.

 

And They’re Off!

 

The Pursuit Of Victory.

 

One Leg Up.

 

In The Lead.

 

The images will be available for sale. Contact me for details. Email: justinegallien@pickyourperfectportraits.com Visit my website to see more of my artwork: http://www.pickyourperfectportraits.com/fineart

Bringing Home The Awards!

On April 10th-April 11th, The Professional Photographers Of Louisiana held its annual Spring Competition in Alexandria, LA at The Historic Bentley Hotel. It was another fantastic event that was filled with so much, fun, education, and excitement. There were several amazing workshops that were put together by some great Master Photographers. What I love about these events are that they give everyone the opportunity to practice what they are teaching hands on. I highly recommend that anyone in the state of Louisiana who has an interest in photography or is thinking about doing it as a profession to join this amazing organization. Throughout the year, they put on several other fun-filled educational events.

At The beginning of the seminar, a print competition always takes place. All of the members of PPLA get the opportunity to participate by submitting prints to be judged by Master Photographers. Master Photographers are photographers who have years in the business; they have also entered competitions and won numerous awards for their work.This is a great opportunity to learn a lot even if you don’t submit any images because you get to watch them critique all of the images to see what was wrong and right about the images.

This year, I was able to enter a full case of images into the Print Competition. A full case includes 6 images to be judged in the competition. Of my 6 images submitted, 3 of them were scored high enough to be Deserving Of A Merit and another one scored in the Excellent category! I also have one that was awarded First Place and The Judges Choice Award. Winning the JCA means that out of all of the 81 images that were submitted, mine was the favorite one in the Judge’s opinion! I am so honored and excited to have come home with a total of 5 awards for my images.

I am looking forward to our Annual State Convention (Southern Pro Xposure) in July where I will get the opportunity to submit my images again and win some more awards!

 

Shown below are the prints listed with their respective scores and awards.

Coming Out Of My Shell Scored 86 putting it in The Excellent Category.

 

One Leg Up scored an 83 making it Deserving Of A Merit. It was also awarded First Place, The Judges Choice Award, and a Distinguished Print Award.

 

There’s No Place To Go scored an 82 making it Deserving Of A Merit. It was awarded with a Distinguished Print Award.

 

Depths Of My Heart scored an making it Deserving Of A Merit. It was awarded with A Distinguished Print Award.

Intensity OF Innocence scored a 78 putting it in Above Average category.

 

In The Heat Of The Night scored a 78 putting it in the Above Average category.

 

The Miracle of Life

While being pregnant can be a sometimes be a trying and oftentimes uncomfortable experience, there are moments when being pregnant feels so magical and thrilling that we never want it to end. It is a period of mixed emotions including joy, anxiousness, excitement, love, and longing. The feeling of carrying a little soul within you is magnificent. An expectant mother feels blessed because she knows that God trusted a her to grow a precious life inside of her. As the baby moves around in the womb, the mother wonders what he or she will be like. She longs for the day that her bundle of joy is finally in her arms. One thing she always knows for sure is that this baby will be loved unconditionally.

 Anne Buchanan describes it well: “To be pregnant is to be vitally alive, thoroughly woman, and distressingly inhabited. Soul and spirit are stretched – along with body – making pregnancy a time of transition, growth, and profound beginnings.”

I have experienced this miracle myself a total of 5 times. I wake up everyday knowing just how blessed I am to have my five children. Because of this, it brings me joy to capture the beauty of other expectant mothers who are glowing and growing with the miracle of life inside them.

Taylor is a former client of mine who was expecting her first child. I am so glad that I was able to capture the beginning of her journey as a mother. Below are some portaits from her session.

 

Mr. & Mrs. Cornell Young

I know. I have been away from blogging for far too long. Today is the perfect day to get back into it. March 21, 2015 was the day that this amazing couple celebrated their love for each other and pledged to God to always love one another. It’s been a year to the date that this wonderful couple exchanged vows and became one. I am honored that they chose me to capture their precious memories on their special day. It was a beautiful, football themed wedding ceremony. Everyone could feel and see their love for one another.

This couple truly scored a Touchdown of Love!

Over the year, I have come to know more about this couple. Sandra is a special, beautiful lady who I now consider a friend. It’s not everyday that photographers are blessed with great clients. They were patient with me when I had another job that took up the majority of my time and left me with only a little time to dedicate to my photography. I’m looking forward to one day soon seeing them again and doing a family session.

The portraits below are a few of my favorites from their special day.

 

 Happy Anniversary Mr. & Mrs. Young!

May God continue blessing your union for many days to come!

My Sister Married Her Soulmate.

It was such a joy to photograph my baby sister marrying the man God designed for her. They have known each other for years as friends and were brought together spiritually by God’s timing.

I’ve photographed a number of weddings over my career and on occasion, I see a love that is pure and shines through so brightly. As you can see from the photos below and on the video that I designed, their love is strong and will keep them together for many years to come.

 

 

At The Altar.

Praying For God To Bless Their Union.

Junior Groom

Junior Bride

Exchanging The Vows.

Praying.

Sealed With A Kiss…

Getting Ready To Jump The Broom.

Bridal

The Bride & Her Girls.

Cutting The Cake.

Catching The Bouquet.

 

The Groom & His New Brothers.

Love

Before The Honeymoon.

The Video Is Below, If It Does Not Load Click The Link.

Mr. & Mrs. Lear

A little while ago, I had the pleasure of photographing a beautiful wedding. The bride was a beautiful woman who I knew as  my brother’s classmate, and we stayed in touch on Facebook. She followed my photography and liked what she saw. I was thrilled when she contacted me to photograph her wedding. It’s always so nice to be the person chosen to be responsible for creating special portraits and capturing the memories that 2 people share that will last for generations to come.

The chemistry between the bride and groom could be seen by everyone in attendance. It was very plain to see just how much these two were in love. Here are a few of my favorites from their day.

 

Here is a video of their wedding:

My Amazing Family

                 My Family; My World.

      As a single mother who is also trying to balance running a photography business and raising my kids, things can get a little hectic most of the time. I have to maintain a balance because there are times when I feel as though my kids don’t get enough quality time with me. Even though I am at home with them most of the time, I spend a lot of my time, editing pictures, updating my website and all of my social media accounts, and checking emails and responding to clients. to try to stay current.

     I take beautiful portraits of other people all of the time and have been slacking on my own gorgeous family. It’s been about 2 years since I gathered my family together for a family portrait and now we have a new addition in my family since the last photos; my youngest daughter, who is seventeen months old. I always have in my mind the urge to do it, but time keeps me from accomplishing it. I just know that everything I do, I do it for them.  I want them to know that they can accomplish anything that they set their minds to no matte what the situation.

    I finally made the time a few days ago to take my family’s pictures. The task of taking my own family’s photos is a hard one; especially considering how young my little ones are. I feel as though it is so much easier to take pictures of other people and their families and that it is so much harder with my own.

     Below are a few of them for your viewing pleasure. Keep in mind, that in tackling this task by myself, I had to set my camera on a tripod, use a remote, and try to direct my kids into the shots. I know that these images aren’t technically perfect because I can spot just about everything wrong with them according to the rules. But to me they are just right. I love my little ones with all my heart. They are the ones who inspire me everyday to do what I do and keep getting better at it.

 

                   My 5 Amazing Kids.

       My Handsome Sons

            My Beautiful Daughters .

                         Me & My Girls.

Justine Gallien, owner of PYP Portraits, LLC., Is Officially An Award Winning Photographer!!

     On July 27, 2014, The Professional Photographers Of Louisiana held its annual Print Competition.   This is an event where many professional photographers from around the state of Louisiana enter photographs that were taken by themselves to be scored by a panel of 5 or 6 judges who are all Master Photographers from around the United States.

     This year was my first year competing. I was able to submit 6 images to be judged by the panel. I am very pleased and excited to announce that 5 out of the 6 images that I entered were chosen to be accepted for the honor exhibition at The 65th Annual Convention ~ Southern Pro Xposure!     3 out of the 6 were also high enough to receive the Court of Honor, which is a merit by the Professional Photographers of Louisiana!!

     The best news of all is that one of my images entitled, “What are YOU Looking At?” won the 2014 People’s Choice Award!!!

 

I am pictured above with both the President of the Professional Photographers of Louisiana’s President, Karla Byron,

and also the Professional Photographer’s of America’s President, Susan Michal.

Pictured above holding my plaque which reads :

Professional Photographers Of Louisiana, Inc.

2014 People’s Choice

Mr. & Mrs. Henry B. Elsas Award

“What Are You Looking At”

Justine Gallien

State Convention

“What Are You Looking At?”

Received a Score of 81, and was accepted for the honor exhibition at

The 65th Annual Convention ~ Southern Pro Xposure,

& was also chosen for The 2014 People’s Choice Award.

“Glow In The Dark”

Received A Score of 80, which is A Court Of Honor Merit

and was accepted for the honor exhibition at

The 65th Annual Convention ~ Southern Pro Xposure.

“Striking A Pose“

Received A Score of 82, which is A Court Of Honor Merit, and was accepted for the honor exhibition at

The 65th Annual Convention ~ Southern Pro Xposure.

 

“Commanding”

Received A Score of 78, and was accepted for the honor exhibition at

The 65th Annual Convention ~ Southern Pro Xposure

 

“Essence Of Love”

Received A Score of 78, and was accepted for the honor exhibition at

The 65th Annual Convention ~ Southern Pro Xposure

 

 

     I am looking forward to next year’s convention so I can win even more awards! I highly recommend this organization to anyone who is a photographer or aspiring to be one. Without this great network of amazing photographers, I would never have learned as much as I have to even be able to produce any artwork worthy of competing and scoring well. Comment if you have any questions on joining this amazing organization.