HUGE announcement! business relaunch.

the other night, i was thinking about the last few years. so naturally, i thought about what's been such a major part of those last four years: my job.

this job that initially sort of just fell into my lap, but after hours and hours and hours of work and study, i've made it into something wonderful.

so the other night, i sat there and wrote down the names of every one of my wedding clients (from memory! that's how much i like them) and discovered that in the last 3.5 years, i've shot 53 weddings.

fifty-three weddings. 

and this is working part time, while getting a degree at byu, studying abroad... oh yeah, and throw four surgeries and an engagement in there. 

i am honestly so overwhelmed with gratitude and humbled by the hundreds of amazing individuals i've met along the way. for the number and quality of individuals who have entrusted me with some of their most precious memories and most beautiful moments. for those who have flown me across the globe, taken me in as family, and shared with me their stories and their love.

i thank my heavenly father for whom i've met, for what i've learned, and for whom i've become because of my work. 

i'm grateful for the chance i had to shoot bridals in the gulf of mexico, to explore the texas panhandle, to take on a few los angeles weddings, and to brave the heat of august in washington, d.c.

i've loved the many excuses i've had to return home to denver-- to shoot on top of mountains in boulder, to photograph at my home temple, and to reconnect with friends from high school.

i have been honored to capture the wedding days of my best friends, my darling cousins, and my beautiful aunt. 

i have had the opportunity to photograph some of the most precious children in the world while working for non-profits and NGOs in the dominican republic, malawi, and peru.

i have loved watching my work change and grow and evolve as i gained more experience and decided who i want to be as an artist. 

i have been so, so blessed. to get to express myself artistically and to earn a living doing something that i absolutely love. i couldn't be happier or more grateful.

since i  now have a bit of free time before i start graduate school, i figured it was time to hunker down and get serious about my work. 

so now that i have a gorgeous new camera in hand (!!!!!), i'm officially re-launching anna gleave photography.

this means: new branding, new site, new blog (you know, that one i've been talking about since (oh) may!), and some new contests!  

you guys, there are SO many exciting things in the works (stylized shoots, product photography, and design.. oh my!) 

though all of these pieces will come together over the next few weeks, i want to start things off with a BANG and begin my first contest immediately. each month until the end of the year, i will host a contest giveaway, to show appreciation for all of my clients (current/past/future) and to show you all just how much i love capturing the beauty in everyday life and everyday love. 

my first contest is a cutest couple contest, that will give one lucky couple $700 of free wedding portraits (that's like half of a wedding! or a full engagement session AND groomals session!). the second-place couple will receive 25% off of their wedding packages, and every other couple that enters will receive 15% off of their wedding packages.

rules and details will be explained tomorrow here. but in the meantime... tell every engaged or soon-to-be engaged couple you know! 

and can i just say it again? thank you, merci, gracias, grazie, danke... to all of my clients all over the globe! i love you and am so grateful for the chance i have had to photograph your beauty. 

XO,

anna

www.annagleavephotography.com

i love you simply: getting engaged in viña del mar, chile.

te amo sin saber cómo, ni cuándo, ni de dónde,

te amo directamente sin problemas ni orgullo: 

así te amo porque no sé amar de otra manera. 

//

i  love you without knowing how, or when, or from where. 

i love you simply, without problems or pride: 

i love you in this way because i do not know any other way of loving but this.

-pablo neruda

after six weeks, i still have no words to justify the beauty of it all. 

i only can now perfectly understand pablo neruda's grand affection for viña del mar and fall more and more in love with mateo jara fabian every single day. 

the sleepy chilean town of viña del mar will always have my heart. 

the adventure continues!

the world is one big place, and life is just one big adventure. 

photo courtesy of michael curry. la mancha, spain, 2011.

you all know by now how crazy i am for adventure, 

so i thought i'd fill you in on a little secret...

THE ADVENTURE CONTINUES!

although i had incredibly exciting plans set {i.e.: grad school at johns hopkins starting in sept},

i was offered a 1/2 tuition merit scholarship last week if i wait to start my program in may, which will actually still allow me to graduate with my masters at the same time.

this isn't only a huge financial blessing {and a chance to plan a dream wedding and go get hitched!}, it also means that...

i have nine more months to work at my other job that i love so dearly!

that's right, folks.

nine more months of portraits, wedding photos, events, + travel. and a lot more free time to dedicate to this little blog! i've got lots of new things in the works, so hang tight! after devoting 2013 in it's entirety so far to volunteering around the world, exploring foreign lands, and shooting weddings all across the states, i've got quite a few gems lined up for you guys:

-the official launch of my "calendars for a cause" line... just in time for the holidays + start of 2013! {the perfect thing if you like being on time to appointments, beautiful photographs, and donating to a good cause!}

-a new photography blog {i know, i know... finally!}

-my engagement story {in chile!} via video

-new/improved/awesome travel tips

-lots of more gluten-free eats abroad and international images/stories {a.k.a. eye candy}

-collaboration, inspiration, and loads of happiness

so, who wants to come along for the ride?

keep up with me via this little blog OR send me to your neck of the woods for some lovely portraits! i love to travel {and have figured out how to do it cheaply!}, so if you want me to photograph an event or even a few portraits {three sittings in one general location in one week makes it worth it for me!}, feel free to send a little inquiry my way!: amgleave@gmail.com

 i absolutely cannot wait to see what the rest of this year has in store... and am so grateful for the opportunities i've been given!

bring it on, the rest of 2013. can't wait to meet ya.

XO.

why gelato is good for the heart.

sometimes, your heart hurts so much and you feel so overwhelmed...

there's one too many things to do on that check list, and there's really no end in sight. 

and suddenly, you're transported back to italy. to the best gelato shop in rome. to a weekend of exploring and eating and eating and exploring. 

and even though i'm back in the states and trying to be a bit more health conscious (call me regina george, but i really just want to lose three {or ten} pounds!), i'm feeling all the better, just looking at these photos and remembering my weekend-long love affair with italian gelato. 

and for the record, there actually are gelato shops on every street corner of rome {if you've ever been to seattle and seen the plethora of starbucks, it's comparable}. 

but all gelato is not created equal. 

by far, we were the most impressed by giolitti. it was recommended to us by several individuals-- tourists and italians alike-- and there are rumors circulating that the last pope loved it so much that he had it delivered to his home,

so naturally, we had to try it out...

one or two or... okay, maybe four times!

seriously, though. it's absolutely worth the calories, and it's really quite reasonably priced.

another benefit of gelato?  while we all know that eating gluten-free in rome isn't always the easiest task, you're pretty much a guaranteed a gluten-free option at any gelato shop. 

and did i often use this as an excuse to eat nothing but gelato for lunch? 

absolutely. 

today was one of those days...

that i could've really, really used a hug or two from some of my kiddos and seen one of these precious little faces:

i said goodbye to my best friend // sweet brother for two full years today,

and it was really, really hard.

but you know what?

i'm so grateful he's bringing so much sunshine to the {already sunny} state of hawaii.

i've enjoyed his cheer for the past nineteen years; i guess it's time i share him with the rest of the world. 

just like my bebes from around the globe have shared their sunshine with me, time and time again.

can't stay away.

... four weeks and twelve countries later, i'm on my way back to peru.
there are a lot of things calling me back to this place,
but these little kids have a lot to do with it.

my dear friend // partner in crime // co-intern explains it really eloquently here.
she has the best heart and is forever an inspiration for me.
we share so much in common, but one of the most important things we share is...
we just love these kids so much.

i can't wait for an extra week of play time  and arroz con lentejas and un mil besitos.

roman holiday.

after a few months south of the equator, 

i decided to fly north for the spring and visit my other love, europe, again. 

my dear friend hannah met up with me in barcelona, and we've been adventuring ever since!

today we experienced rome for the first time,

and i must say... i'm impressed! 

i love how everything is so authentically italian here (minus the "gladiators" posing outside the coliseum waiting for the foolish tourist).

there really are rows and rows of vespas lining the streets and gelato shops on every corner!

and the pizza and pasta... to die for! 

after one day, we're a little bit smitten with this place,

and reallly reallly smitten with the food.

here's to a weekend of self-indulgence, michelangelo, and finding the perfect gluten-free pizza.

twenty two.

remember how i went to san diego for new years this year?

to spend it with some of my best friends in the world?

and how i was so blissfully happy all the time?

well, this is why...

miss taylor swift was on to something when she decided to proclaim to the world how awesome being twenty two is. 

because really... it's the best.

post script: happy birthday to my best babe, whitney! 

hopefully this little video conveys my love for you from three thousand miles away.

besos.

...and i'm off!

image source unknown

if you've taken a look at my sidebar at any point in the past few months, you've known i'm up to no good.

but now i can confirm all of the rumors... i'm taking a trip around the world.

i've been stuck on the idea for a while, and after hours and hours of planning, it's official:

once i leave my current little andean homeland of peru, i'll keep on traveling until i've circled the globe, just in time for graduation! 

first, i'm venturing to MALAWI, to photograph an aids orphanage. 

then, i'll fall in love with SPAIN and ITALY all over again.

next it's off to SWEDEN, to discover my scandinavian roots,

and after a quick jaunt to GERMANY,

i'll head on down to INDIA to work for this wonderful organization.

and then i'll top it all off with a week in AUSTRALIA with my beautiful cousin and her aussie husband.

i really cannot wait for the photos to be taken, the food to be tasted, the people to become acquainted with, and the adventures to be had. 

i am so grateful for this incredible opportunity and am so excited to share it with you all! 

so... care to join me? 

my peruvian paradise.

well, it's official.
i'm in heaven down here.
despite the smells and filth and ice cold showers, i've grown to love this place, and i've grown to love these people.
i've had a hard time writing about my experiences here over the last few weeks because i guess i'm a bit at a loss of words (for once) about all that i'm feeling and all that i'm doing and the immense culmination of changes that are occurring within me every single day.

these kids are changing me.
they are teaching me how to live more simply and to love more purely.
they're teaching me what it means to be happy.
i love their resilience, their smiles, and their enthusiasm--
the way they sing and dance and laugh,
their constant need for hugs (even our little tough guys love em),
and how excited they are to learn.

these past few weeks, we've been really getting to know the kids better.
though a lot of them fit in with the cultural norm of being very timid, we've finally broken down some walls and developed friendships with them.
though it's only been three-ish weeks, these kids have my heart.
i've found myself worrying about them all weekend, and i can't wait to get back to work with them tomorrow!
i feel like we're making progress with all of our educational work, too, which is so exciting. the past two weeks, we've focused on nutrition and dental hygiene, and we've had some great successes!

between the crossword puzzles and health classes and games and art activities, the kids are definitely beginning to grasp some of the most important concepts.
plus, it's mango season, so we've been buying them tons of fresh mangoes a few times a week as their postre (dessert), and they've been going nuts over them!
and we gave them their very own toothbrushes (with some old egg cartons jerryrigged into a stand), and really, they couldn't have been more thrilled. they all jump at the chance to brush their teeth after lunch, and some of them even beg to brush a second time!
none of these kids have toothbrushes at home, so their poor little mouths are not in the best shape. many complain of their teeth hurting, some of them have visible signs of decay, and a few of the littlest ones have holes in their teeth.
i've never seen such gratitude for something so small as a toothbrush before; it almost seems unreal.
but that's really what these kids are full of-- so much love and gratitude.

i am so incredibly grateful for the opportunity i have to work here. i am learning and growing every day... from these children, from my co-worker/roommate/amiga (she is really so very wonderful), from my host family, and from my surroundings.
i am continually humbled and amazed and awakened down here in south america.

in some ways, i feel like i've become the mother of forty-something peruvian babies. and i never want them to grow up or leave my sight.