Introducing the print shop! | Franklin Tn Photographer

Sparkling Seal is now selling prints! I just opened up the print shop and will be adding plenty more prints to choose from. All prints are in a square crop and are available from 12x12-20x20. Larger sizes are available just email me with the size. Prints are available in a standard mounted print, gallery wrapped canvas, or metal(rounded or square corners and floats 1/2 inch off the wall). Great pieces to put above a couch , bed, or even in smaller sizes above a dresser or table.

current prints in the shop:

I have also added a quad package... 1 image split into 4. Only available in canvas or metal.

To order or see more info check out the print shop tab in the main menu above:) I will be adding more images.. and am running a special for the opening! Please email brenna{at}sparklingsealphotography{dot}com with any questions:)

Wordpress vs. Blogger vs. Brenna

So, here it is Thursday 8 pm. I have spent the better part of the past 48 hours making my blog PRETTY & functional! Yes, pretty gets the caps because..well.. honestly its more important;) Ever since I started this blog back in November I had full intentions on switching to Wordpress as soon as I could deal with it all. Blogger had great ease of use and did the job.. can't ask for more when its free!

This brings me to last week.. I had finally gotten caught up enough to update my website(http://www.sparklingsealphotography.com/). If you haven't checked it out.. scoot on over there. BTW, I have my website through Photobiz(http://www.photobiz.com/) and I love them so much. The customer service is BEYOND amazing, a very easy control panel, and interchangeable templates that are also customizable! Its a flash website and they have an option to get an HTML mirror site. I don't have that as most of my target clients don't use it and my SEO is amazing without it. Btw, I am being lazy with my links;)

Anyway, after I got done with that I started making calls to get my Wordpress blog set up. I was going to purchase a pro photo blog to make my job of customizing it to match my branding easier...but it costs $200 bucks! Then another $40 per year to host. So I held off... I have a new Boudoir website I am working on and that costs dough too. So I decided to just update my current blogger blog instead.

Well to my surprise... Blogger has added some really AWESOME features to compete with Wordpress. Now there are still some things you can't do or just can't do easily at least. I spent numerous hours figuring out how to slice and dice my HTML code to get the look I needed. However they have a really awesome new blog designer thats easy to use! Then I got it all pretty only to find out that it wasn't showing up in Internet Explorer 8! NOT COOL.. IE 8 is my main browser and I am sure its about 1/3 of yours too. I just happened to be editing it in Firefox so I had no idea until I was all done and switched back. Needless to say the computer was threatened with violence.

Today I finally figured it all out..and got it looking pretty for both browsers.. if you use safari or others.. let me know if it looks crazy! You guys have been awesome this week. I have had more hits this week than any week since I have had the blog up and running. So consider this my present to you... giving you a prettier blog to look at!:)

My final thoughts on Wordpress Vs. Blogger.... the way I have it set up now.. and with my current google ranking for the blog. I am VERY pleased. I will most likely wait at least 6-12 months before I switch IF I even do. I may just change my domain name for this blog to not have blogspot.. but not too worried about it. I finally got my page bar at the top(apparently you could have made one before the updates, but it was very difficult and not as pretty). Although as far as I can tell (maybe one of you will know) I can't get any of the tabs to click to an external URL. So that is kinda a bummer. I also can't have a faded slideshow at the top..BUT I do have a very cute one that changes images:)

I am currently a happy girl! I hope you all like the new blog and explore around a bit. Thanks so much for all the support! Also, if you are a photographer starting a new blog... give blogger a chance they have really stepped it up! PLUS, its WAY less hassle than Wordpress:)

If you read this whole blog I hope you found it helpful..if you read it and have no idea what I'm talking about.. I'm sorry I wasted 5 minutes of your life;)

I will post a pic just so I have SOMETHING exciting in this post. You may have already seen in on FB... but I am in love with it. My Summer LOVE.

Miss K..soon to be Mrs. | Franklin Tn Boudoir Photographer

Finally getting to share this ridiculously gorgeous woman..... I swear I have the PRETTIEST clients ever! :) She got these as a present to her fiance... and he of course thinks its the best present ever I'm certain! haha This was also from the flood marathon. She lucked out a little bit better than the other girls with getting home, but not much. Of course then her complex got flooded so that wasn't fun, I'm sure. I am just so thankful everyone got to come to the shoot and all got home SAFELY. Just as a heads up I should be announcing the next Boudoir Marathon fairly soon. I can't wait to do the next one:) Here are some images she approved for you all to see.

Pet Contest WINNERS | Franklin Tn Pet Photographer

Thanks so much to everyone who voted! Between the blog poll and the facebook finals we had about 1,000 votes placed! All the entrants and the voters were so supportive and made it a truly enjoyable experience. Hopefully everyone will forgive all the spamming posts to get people to vote;) And the winners are.......



Roman 1st Place




Marley 2nd Place




Lucy 3rd Place






They all won free sessions and awesome print credits... and I can't wait to do our sessions. Thanks again everyone who participated:)

Round 1 Poll results! | Franklin Tn Pet Photographer

WOW... this was way closer than I could have imagined. You guys really really worked hard today!! We had over 500 votes in one day! That's very good... and also we had over 1,500 visits to the blog today.. so that tells me there was a lot of checking the stats! haha LOVE IT. Okay so I am going to list off the amount of votes each pet got above their pic and then at the end will list the names of the pets moving on:) All the pets were beyond cute and I would be honored to photograph any of them!


55 VOTES
"This is Ty. She was found as a stray at Pinkerton Park and has been the best dog ever. She is 7 years old and she will always be my first baby."




26 VOTES
"This is "Ruger"! We call him "Rugey". He is an outside cat that wandered to us from the country around our house, he comes back so often that is he ours now! He is the sweetest "ragdoll" type cat I have ever seen. Especially, since he is purely an outside cat. He is amazingly gorgeous, and like I said before...extremely lovable! He sits outside our window and "hangs out" with my 3 inside animals, and they love each other!"



58 VOTES
"This is my baby Missy Moo! She is the most loving cat in the WORLD!! I have had her since she was a little kitten. She loves to snuggle and give kisses. She is the BEST cat!!!"



16 VOTES
"This is milly she is scared of lots of things but is as sweet as she can be."



52 VOTES
"Marley's Mom was a Yellow Lab and his Dad was a Rhodesian Ridgeback/Coonhound mix.
He is 100lbs of pure love... beware of sitting on the floor because he will be sure to try and sit in your lap!"



19 VOTES
" Well this is my oldest child Maggie my Chocolate Lab that is 11... I
love this dog with all my heart!!

In February of this year she was diagnosed with diabetes, & now is
blind!! It suck, but she hasn't given up she still plays fetch
(bells in her tennis ball) it works!! Over all this dog is loving no
matter what! A one of a kind!!"



52 VOTES
"Lucy is a a brown tabby with beautiful stripes who loves to make biscuits and run fast through the house at 3 a.m. In her spare time she enjoys to nap on her condo, cuddle, shed, and find spiders to kill. Her favorite article of clothing is a toss up between her lime green hat and her bumble bee costume."



65 VOTES
"Charles is a 5 year old yellow Labrador Retriever. He has 2 prosthetic knees due to a bad case of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever he contracted when he was a puppy. He is the love of my life."



17 VOTES
"Meet Bailey she is a 3 year old boxer/pit mix & the most sweetest dog ever. She loves to lay in the grass, go on long walks, loves swimming in the lake and most of all loves her baby "brother" our son who is 9 months old, they often lay on the floor together just snuggled up. Often people are afraid of her after I tell them what she is, but after they meet her.. they change their mind about pits."






23 VOTES
" Scarlett and Rhett. (the house they were born in looked like Tara) They were the only two in their litter. We went to get one and came home with two!!! Couldn't imagine life without them! This was taken in April, so a little bigger now-same sweet faces!"



52 VOTES
"Saydee Reese is a 3 year old Beagle. Her favorite things are taking naps, playing with empty water bottles and peanut butter. She is a smart and loving dog. Saydee would love it if you vote for her."


49 VOTES
"This is Roman after our big move from Indianapolis to Nashville. He was so tired of all the boxes and confusion that he decided to find comfort inside the only thing that looked familiar to him - his toy box!"



23 VOTES
"This is our lab/hound mix doggie. His name is Pup. I got him for my husband on his birthday about 3 years ago. My husband thinks that he may just be the smartest dog in the world, lol, he can sit, shake your hand, and give you a high five =) He is our pride and joy!"



8 VOTES
"Ollie is a very jovial 6 year old pug dog, that is the heartbeat of my home. He is playful and enjoys meeting new people and dogs! He is one of the most social dogs I ever had contact with."



14 VOTES
"This is Ninja Warrior, he is my first and only pet. He is my best friend and the best dog I could have ever asked for!!"



10 VOTES
"Gi Gi loves to play and thinks she's bigger then the average dog! Very lovable and loves kids"



27 VOTES
"This is my chihuahua, Bruiser. He is purebred but weighs 16 lbs.-like Clifford the Big Red Dog, he just kept growing. He is extremely sweet (especially for a chihuahua) but has an only child mentality- he often reminds me of Stewie from Family Guy. =)"






So now for who is moving on... We had a 3-way tie for 4th place. This was something I did not expect. So what I feel is the fair thing to do( I hope you feel the same) is to have a top 7 instead of 5. Everyone worked really hard and it was so close that I really feel this is the way it should be. I am sorry if you disagree. I just don't feel comfortable doing it any other way.

ROUND 1 Winners:

1st PLACE: Charles(65 votes)
2nd PLACE: Missy Moo (58 votes)
3rd PLACE: Ty (55 votes)
4th PLACE: Lucy, Marley, and Saydee (3 way tie with 52 votes each)
5th Place: Roman (49 votes)



All seven of you will be moving on to the final round!! Congrats!! Refer to your email for further instruction.:)

CUTEST PET SET 2 (make sure to look at both sets!)

CONTEST!!! Okay scroll down and peruse all the pics then vote in the poll at the bottom of the post. You CAN vote for more than one pet and you can vote in both this set and the other set. VOTING for the first round ends TONIGHT at MIDNIGHT!! Final will begin Sunday morning and winners will be announced on Monday:) Get your VOTE on!!




" Scarlett and Rhett. (the house they were born in looked like Tara) They were the only two in their litter. We went to get one and came home with two!!! Couldn't imagine life without them! This was taken in April, so a little bigger now-same sweet faces!"




"Saydee Reese is a 3 year old Beagle. Her favorite things are taking naps, playing with empty water bottles and peanut butter. She is a smart and loving dog. Saydee would love it if you vote for her."



"This is Roman after our big move from Indianapolis to Nashville. He was so tired of all the boxes and confusion that he decided to find comfort inside the only thing that looked familiar to him - his toy box!"




"This is our lab/hound mix doggie. His name is Pup. I got him for my husband on his birthday about 3 years ago. My husband thinks that he may just be the smartest dog in the world, lol, he can sit, shake your hand, and give you a high five =) He is our pride and joy!"




"Ollie is a very jovial 6 year old pug dog, that is the heartbeat of my home. He is playful and enjoys meeting new people and dogs! He is one of the most social dogs I ever had contact with."




"This is Ninja Warrior, he is my first and only pet. He is my best friend and the best dog I could have ever asked for!!"




"Gi Gi loves to play and thinks she's bigger then the average dog! Very lovable and loves kids"




"This is my chihuahua, Bruiser. He is purebred but weighs 16 lbs.-like Clifford the Big Red Dog, he just kept growing. He is extremely sweet (especially for a chihuahua) but has an only child mentality- he often reminds me of Stewie from Family Guy. =)"





VOTING CLOSED...keep an eye on email for results and instructions!:) Great job!

CUTEST PET SET 1 ( make sure to look at both sets!)

CONTEST!!! Okay scroll down and peruse all the pics then vote in the poll at the bottom of the post. You CAN vote for more than one pet and you can vote in both this set and the other set. VOTING for the first round ends TONIGHT at MIDNIGHT!! Final will begin Sunday morning and winners will be announced on Monday:) Get your VOTE on!!



"This is Ty. She was found as a stray at Pinkerton Park and has been the best dog ever. She is 7 years old and she will always be my first baby."





"This is "Ruger"! We call him "Rugey". He is an outside cat that wandered to us from the country around our house, he comes back so often that is he ours now! He is the sweetest "ragdoll" type cat I have ever seen. Especially, since he is purely an outside cat. He is amazingly gorgeous, and like I said before...extremely lovable! He sits outside our window and "hangs out" with my 3 inside animals, and they love each other!"




"This is my baby Missy Moo! She is the most loving cat in the WORLD!! I have had her since she was a little kitten. She loves to snuggle and give kisses. She is the BEST cat!!!"




"This is milly she is scared of lots of things but is as sweet as she can be."




"Marley's Mom was a Yellow Lab and his Dad was a Rhodesian Ridgeback/Coonhound mix.
He is 100lbs of pure love... beware of sitting on the floor because he will be sure to try and sit in your lap!"




" Well this is my oldest child Maggie my Chocolate Lab that is 11... I
love this dog with all my heart!!

In February of this year she was diagnosed with diabetes, & now is
blind!! It suck, but she hasn't given up she still plays fetch
(bells in her tennis ball) it works!! Over all this dog is loving no
matter what! A one of a kind!!"




"Lucy is a a brown tabby with beautiful stripes who loves to make biscuits and run fast through the house at 3 a.m. In her spare time she enjoys to nap on her condo, cuddle, shed, and find spiders to kill. Her favorite article of clothing is a toss up between her lime green hat and her bumble bee costume."




"Charles is a 5 year old yellow Labrador Retriever. He has 2 prosthetic knees due to a bad case of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever he contracted when he was a puppy. He is the love of my life."




"Meet Bailey she is a 3 year old boxer/pit mix & the most sweetest dog ever. She loves to lay in the grass, go on long walks, loves swimming in the lake and most of all loves her baby "brother" our son who is 9 months old, they often lay on the floor together just snuggled up. Often people are afraid of her after I tell them what she is, but after they meet her.. they change their mind about pits."





VOTING CLOSED! Keep an eye on email for results and instructions:) Great Job!

Pet Contest | Franklin Tn Pet Photographer

So its contest time again! This time its going to be short and sweet. The contest winner will be announced Sunday night! An easy FUN drama free contest:) For the summer contest its going to be about the pets! Most people will most likely enter their dog, but you can enter any pet... well minus rodents,reptiles, or amphibians... there is no way I could even get within 500 feet of those pets. I am a total wimp in that respect. SORRY! Okay so here are the DEETS:

How to enter:

- Email 1 picture along with a 2 or three sentence blurb about your pet to brenna@sparklingsealphotography.com (1 entry per household)

- You will get a confirmation email from me, if you don't receive one after a few hours I didn't get your entry. So try again.. or send me a note to ask to make sure:)

- Entry must be in by Friday 6/18 at midnight. There is a limit of 30 entries. After I receive 30 entries I will no longer accept entries no matter what time/day it is. IMPORTANT: If I receive 30 entries on Thursday the contest will start FRIDAY morning and end Saturday night.


How to win:

- Once the contest starts all entries will be uploaded to this blog.
- There will be an easy poll for people to vote for their faves.
- The top 5 pets at the end of the first day will move on to the finals.
- The second/final day will be a showdown between the top 5.
- Then each pet from the top five will have their picture uploaded to the fan page.
- I will send each entry your own link to share with your friends on your profile.
- They can follow the link and 'like' your pets picture.
- The voters will need to 'like' the fan page to allow them to vote.
- There will only be one 'like' per picture per voter.
- You can 'like' multiple pictures if you want.
- The top 3 at the end of the final day will be the winners!

See.. EASY!!!

The winner will receive a free full session with me and a $100 print credit!
Second place will receive a free half session with me and a $70 print credit!
Third place will receive a free half session with me and a $50 print credit!

****all standard business policies apply to the contest winners****


SPONSORED BY: My favorite girl squirrel watching in the backyard!

Harrison VS. The Bubbles

I hope everyone had an amazing weekend.. I know I did!:) One of my very best friends Prentice got Harrison a super awesome hand held bubble machine last week! Needless to say he loves it. How could you not?! A tiger that shoots bubbles out of it's mouth!! Prentice, it means the world to me that you love my son like you do! I wanted to share a few of the pics I took of him playing:) Have a great week everyone... and maybe go play with some bubbles!!