Black Friday Deals from Foxy Pinups: TODAY ONLY!

Happy Birthday, Amanda! | Kansas City Pinup Hairstylist

Happy Birthday, Amanda!! We LOVE you!!

In honor of our beautiful hairstylist's birthday today, we're giving out gifts to you guys to celebrate! How great is that? It's Amanda's birthday and we're giving YOU gifts!! How do you enter? Tell Amanda Happy Birthday on our Facebook Page or this Blog of course!!! :D I'll post pictures of all the gifts we're giving away throughout the day! Keep checking back to see more gifts! ♥ And if you have something great to say about the Amazing Amanda Adams, Share the love!! Our drawing will take place tonight! Some lucky ladies and gents will win the gifts below...

Our Amanda Themed Gifts to You!!!

First Gift Giveaway Post:

2 lucky ladies will receive $35 gift cards today to use with Amanda at the beautiful Stem Hair and Body Salon! Thats where Amanda works full time. On top of stylin' all our beautiful pinup girls, she's my personal hairstylist too! <3




Second Gift Giveway Post:

If you know Amanda, you know that she always has the prettiest kitten necklace hanging from around her neck. It's a heart and inside it, a kitten sits adorably with a gem in it's collar. So, I thought for this next giveaway gift, why not get a kitten for another to wear? One that is just as sweet as the one Amanda wears. Check out this fun kitten necklace from the fantastic Donna's Dress Shop! A lucky person out there who wished Amanda a happy birthday will win this adorably unique gift today!

Third Giveaway Post:

Amanda LOVES dresses! It's true and something that I happen to love about Amanda (I'm in love with dresses too!) Well, for our next giveaway gift, one lucky gal will win a $50 gift card from Retro Vixen to buy their own beautiful dress today! Thanks to everyone who has wished Amanda a Happy Birthday so far!! ♥

Our Final Giveaway Post:

For our final gift to you on our hairstylist's birthday...you may have already guessed it! We are giving away a Limited Edition Pinup Session in honor of our lovely Amanda! The session you could win is outlined in the "Be Some Bunny for your Hunny" photo above! :D

T-minus 15 minutes to get your "happy 

birthdays" in until we start our drawing!!!

Cha-Cha-Cha-Cha-Cha-Changes! | New in 2012

We are going to cover a lot of material in this blog post, so I'm just going to start it off with our January Facebook Giveaway. Our Giveaway for January is a $50 gift certificate to do with whatever you please! All you have to do is follow the "share" steps on the Facebook page to share this lovely photo of Jessica in your newsfeed and you are automatically entered into the drawing! You must share using the "share" button on Facebook so that I see it in the feed! Also, make sure the "share" is public, otherwise I can't see your name in the posts on who shared the photo. For instructions and to pull up the photo, click here. 

As David Bowie would say...

This year is going to bring about MAJOR changes at Hilary Hope Photography! First of all, incase you didn't know, Alan and I are expecting a little one on July 3rd!

We are really really happy!

And also, a little scared....

(I look great with my nostrils flaring, don't I?)

So obviously, the baby is going to bring about a lot of changes in our lives, as well as my business. The biggest change regarding HHP is that the Foxy Pinup Groupon from August of last year now expires 6/20/12 instead of 8/15/12. We sent out an email through Groupon regarding this change 6 months in advance for the ladies out there that haven't redeemed their Groupon yet. You are also welcomed to return and refund your Groupon as well! You can do that at http://www.groupon.com/support. If you have questions, don't be afraid to ask me!

A second change to the business is regarding scheduled time. This really wont affect you guys as much as it does me. I've reached the point where it is hard for me to get up and down-which means it's harder for me to show ladies "legs up," "not for you," and "I'm so cute" without getting out of breath. (Honestly-I think it's because this child is going to be a giant!) What this means for you guys is that we will no longer be taking up to 11 appointments per week (up to 3 per day). We instead will be doing up to 4 appointments in a week. This helps both me and you-you get a better experience with a non-cranky limber pregnant lady who can definitely get you your photos in a timely manner!

Another schedule change is that instead of having appointments on Tuesday at 9am and at 12:30pm, we will be switching those segmented times to 4pm. The rest of our time slots will remain the same.

One of our biggest changes will be on our Facebook Page. Due to a lot of issues I had this year with Facebook images, I wanted to simplify it. We will still post photos on our Facebook page, though it will just be a little different. We will no longer be posting "previews" of images in albums on our page in the format we have been doing for the past year. Instead, any image you purchase from us you will also receive a digital copy to post on whatever social networking site you want. This will effectively eliminate the shopping cart option of purchasing social network images-giving you an extra $35 value for each photo you purchase. The digital copy will come on a customized flash drive with HHP written on the side. This is both for pinups and for creative sessions. 

If you have purchased images from me that you would like to see on your Facebook page in 2012 from 2011, please email me. I will email you a digital copy of your file for you to post. A reminder about these particular digital files-they are sized exclusively for Facebook, Myspace, and Twitter, so they are not print ready images. We still retain the copyright for all of your photographs. 

We are introducing Giant Metal Cover Wedding Albums! Choose Aluminescence, for that chic transparent, aluminum base that will allow the metal to show through or choose Brilliant, for a bright, clear glossy base that will showcase your image while maintaining true white and brilliant color that pops! For the back, spine, and protective corners choose from our great lineup of stylish leathers and synthetics, such as embossed crocodile, hot metallic, luxurious opal or thick distressed leathers. I am stoked beyond stoked after seeing these in person. Totally amazing and I am so glad that we are able to add these for our awesome clients!

You will still be able to shop directly from our website! Instead of being live for 60 days (excluding weddings) all events and pinups will be live for 30. You may extend your webshow for another month for $25. If you'd still like to extend your webshow after that, you can for $25/two week increments.

2012 is the year of Giveaways for us! We will be having a giveaway contest once a month for the whole year on Facebook, Twitter and exclusively for people that follow This Blog! We will also be doing numerous benefits, much like last years' Bassett & Beagle Rescue Pet Pinups! If you have an organization that you would like us to fundraise towards, please email me-hilary@hilaryhopephoto.com

Finally, our blog will look and feel a little different towards the end of this month. It's my personal resolution to write more on this blog about the different things we had you guys vote on in December! It turns out our readers (You wonderful People!) would love to hear about LOTS of different things going on in and around KC, fashion updates along with creative DIY ideas and updates on baby B! I'm going to make it happen for you guys and I'm really excited about it!

As always, thank you so much for letting me capture a little of who you are!

Lots of Love,

h i l a r y h o p e 

Brian + Brie Holst: Facebook Giveaway Winners! | Kansas City Lifestyle Photographer in Westport

Brie and Brian are the winners from our 1,000 Likes Facebook Contest Giveaway! In case you didn't see what we gave away and how we did it, feel free to give this youtube video a look:

This was Brie's entry in to the contest:

Because my husband and I will be married for two years in September. We had a immediate family only ceremony in our dining room. We have never had any pictures taken and even put off our honeymoon until I graduate next summer. This would be an awesome anniversary celebration.

I am so happy it was these two that won the contest. What a FUN couple! I mean really-they are super fun! They brought mustaches with to their session and chest bumped in a couple of frames. They even clicked heels for the camera! I smiled through their whole session right along with them :)

We started off in Westport walking down Pennsylvania, making sure to stop inside the photo booth next to the Dark Horse bar. As we rounded the corner of Westport Road, I couldn't help but stop inside of all the beautiful alleyways and doorways for a quick snap of the shutter. Westport is so historic, colorful, and lively! It matched Brie and Brian's personalities perfectly.

I absolutely LOVED the time of day we choose for the session. The sunsetting is so gorgeous! I feel like all our backlighting photos turned out great. The sun coming through trees in the alleyway is one of my all time favorite pictures! I also love the photos I deemed "the notebook" worthy. Those are the ones where Brian is holding up Brie at the waist and the sun is just shining so brightly behind them. The mustache pictures also made it onto my list of all time favorites! So much personality these two have. I am honored to have captured a little of who they are!

Feel free to listen to this while enjoying a little bit of Brie and Brian's Session. You guys are absolutely beautiful together!

Facebook Session Giveaway | Kansas City, Missouri Photographer

Here we are at over 1,000 like's on Facebook and I could not be more thankful or excited!

I filmed myself reading this blog post...and I just hit play and saw that it was a little funked up with sound. I look like a bad cartoon, haha. However, you are more than welcomed to read along with me! :)

We are giving away a Free Creative Session and 15 image DVD to show our love for you guys. You'll have the rights to 15 of your favorite images and a one hour session with me, all completely free! To submit, follow the directions from the photo included in this blog post. In case you can't read it, share the image above from our Facebook page in your newsfeed (if you click on the image, it should pull it up on Facebook), then comment on it. You are then entered into the contest! If you have questions, let me know! There are only a few days left to enter!


There are a few things that I would like to say actually, if you'll let me. You don't have to read it... but you can if you want to! :)

Thank you, Thank You, THANK YOU!!! 

Thank you to my wonderful clients for choosing me as the person to capture a little of who you are! I am so happy that you've welcomed me into you and/or your family's story! You've changed mine in ways I can't even begin to describe. Wether you're in Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri, Washington, New Mexico, wherever you are that I've been with my camera, thank you so much. You guys are a blessing to me and I really do love each and every one of you!

Thank you to ALL my beautiful friends whom I love, that modeled for me hours on end and just let me have my way with them when I was just starting out. You know who you are! And you know how amazing you are! But I'm going to tell you again-YOU ARE AMAZING! Without you being beautiful, wonderful, handsome, and so loving towards me, I don't know where I'd be!

Thank you to my Mary Kay ladies!!! You guys are a constant positive thread in my life! I wouldn't know what to do without having my MK makeup on hand for pinups. I also wouldn't know what to do if I didn't have you guys in my life! Kelli-you have influenced me in ways that have only made me better. I love you and am so glad that God put me in your fantastic unit! It's so awesome how my MK business has only made my photography business better. Thank you guys for being in my life, being my friends, encouraging me, supporting my services, and for having so much fun with me all the time wherever we go! I love you all!

A very special thank you to Katie Michelle Lundberg and Sam Vicari, who modeled with me for my promo video in 50 degree weather back in May! You guys are simply fantastic. All I can say, without getting teary, is that I love you guys so much. Katie-gosh I love you! Your face is all over the place in my house! Anytime I miss you, I just look at your adorable pinup face and there you are! You literally are one of the most creative people on the planet. I'm so thankful for you sitting for me, even outside of this video, because I know without you, I wouldn't have the confidence I have to do what I do. You are what I call full circle beautiful. Not only are you a model, but your heart just gives and gives. I'm honored to know you and even more honored to call you my friend! Sam-you rock, both literally and in spirit. Without my constant worried phone calls being soothed by your "it's going to be okay, Hilary" I don't know where I'd be! Seriously, I can be a little neurotic and I'm so glad and blessed to have you as a friend! And when I asked you to be in the video, I got the happiest, "if you need me, Hilary, I'm there for you!" Man, you have the best attitude. Seriously, I try to copy it, haha. I wuv you, Sam!

Thank you to other photographers, who have always been so quick to help me out! Stephanie Pana, for recommending bludomain to me for website use, for always helping to answer my questions, and for just being completely amazing! Kim Anne and Staff, for being GREAT examples to a future photography studio owner, letting me ask questions about products and giving advice to my open ears! Danielle Eileen for just being so cheerful, and always being a positive voice in my head! Breanna Bloomquist, my beautiful sister-in-law, whom I love bouncing ideas off of and who is always encouraging me! And a BIG BIG Thank you to Anna Thielen, the lady that I look up to and the best wedding photographer I have ever seen. You are so fantastic Anna! Thank you for letting me tag along with you and for being the most amazing wedding photographer at my own wedding!

Thank you to my office assistants, Madalyn (whom I'll go into more detail about later) and Natalie! :D Natalie, you're so happy all the time and you are just a pleasure to be around! I'm so glad that you have helped me out with getting organized, addressing labels, filing folders, and making newsletters. We hung a mirror together-that means we are like sisters! haha. You are fantastic in every way! And so hot right now hansel, hahah. I appreciate you and Love You So Much!!!

Of course, thank you to Amanda!!!! Pinups would not be ANYWHERE NEAR as beautiful if it wasn't for you. God blessed me when you answered that pinup advert on Craigslist. He really, really did! I couldn't ask for someone with a better heart for people and for more talent then you. You are it!!! Thank you for doing what you do, having a great attitude, and for just lovin' on everyone that walks through our door! You. Are. Amazing. I love you!!!! <3

Okay, so here this goes. I want to thank my family...

Thank you Cody, for letting me get in your face with my camera lens. You, the cutest little kiddo that ever walked the earth, are a fantastic model! Fantastic singer! Fantastic little brother! I miss you so much and I just am so happy that when I'm around, you let me take a few photos of you! ;) And you give me a big hug! You are loving, handsome, and so so talented! Seriously, you rock. I love you and let the holiday of Codini begin!!!!

Jacob, thank you! You are my friend, my little broski! Thank you for, even though you completely 100% hated it, posing for me all through high school and into present day. (Jake and Natalie are pictured above in our awesome giveaway flyer!) You know you look good!!! I know you know, hahah. You always are thinking about me and ways you can help me and my business. Whether it's a random, "Hil-I just got a google adwords coupon in the mail" or a "hey I know a guy who might know a guy..." I appreciate your awesome networking skills and support. I love you so much and am so glad we finally live in the same state!

Thank you to my most beautiful, wonderful, amazing, talent and joy filled sister, Madalyn. Ever since you were a little baby, I just wanted to capture you from the inside out on film. From my first photography project that won at my first art show, to present day, I love taking your picture. In high school, I would have the worst days and look at Madalyn and she would just be beautiful! I would ask her if I could take her picture that day and we would. Suddenly, everything would be better. That's still the case! A day photographing Madalyn is a day in heaven for me. That is because you are special, and wonderful, Maddy. You are a gift to everyone you come in contact with and an even bigger gift to me! I love you so much!

Dad, thank you so much for being you!!! You're so great with color, design and follow through. You're an even better teacher! I noticed all the projects you would have around the house and I saw everything you did to make sure you finished whatever it was that you were working on. You are so creative and great at seeing something that isn't there yet and making it come alive. I try to do that with my photography because of the way I saw you do it with rooms, lighting and design. Do you remember the pinewood derby cars we used to make? And how you would have me sand the wood with sandpaper and then you would let me paint the cars? That, seriously, was so amazing to me. I loved being able to make something with you!  I look up to you so much! But you already know that when I call you and say, "hey dad, can you look at this photo for me?" or "hey dad, what do you think of this project?" I am so happy to be your daughter! God gave me the perfect dad who loves me and supports me, knows exactly the right thing to say, and always has something positive to contribute to my life. Thank you for sticking with me!

Mom, you are so so so so so fantastic!!! Seriously-the most amazing mom anyone can ask for. Your people skills and sweet attitude are by far the best of the best. I learned from watching you that life is always, always about your choices. I remember in high school, you'd always shout to me and my friends "make good choices!" as we'd leave the house. Even though that embarrassed the crap out of me, I have always tried my best at choosing the right path! You taught me that you are only in control of yourself and your attitude-that you can't control other's behavior and that you have to be okay with that. Without that being taught to me, I know my business and my life wouldn't be shaped the way that it is. What a strong, faithful lady you are, momma! Seriously, what better example do I have in my life of a more strong, courageous woman? Everyday you give everything you do to your family, everything you are to God and all your love to everyone you meet, even throughout what you have to struggle with daily. I love you so much and I am just so super duper blessed to have you as my mommy. Thank you for believing in me and for always encouraging me to be the best that I can be!

And so, without further adu...

ALAN!!!!! :D You know that without you, none of this would ever have happened for me. You believed in me with all of your heart that I could do this. It was your belief that gave me the momentum I needed to chase even harder after this dream of owning my own photography business. You gave of your time, invested money and sacrificed just as much as I have by helping this business become a reality for me. Thank you for all of it! For being you for me!! You are the reason that I breathe, the reason that my heart beats, and the reason that I do this. Your constant support throughout my startup process, your light hearted humor when I jokingly photoshop something terribly (like your photo on lazers), your loving and kind attitude-these are the things that keep me going. I love you so much! I can't even begin to say how much, actually. You're my husband, my life partner, fellow vintage and ice cream lover, and you're my Love! God must really love me to give me you, sir. Seriously. I'm so glad I made a checklist way back when because I know exactly how lucky I am to have you, everything on my list that I wanted in a man. You're strong, hardworking, courageous, loving and faithful. Thank you so much for loving me, through me being stupid. Thank you so much for believing in me, even when I didn't. Most importantly, thank you for having faith for me, even when I was consumed with doubt. You believed this into existence right along side my heart. I am so in love with you! So thankful for you! So happy to be your wife! I'll end with Rock Chalk Jayhawk...all for you baby!



Lots of love,

h i l a r y  h o p e