rebecca e. eden photography

01/21/2023

With over 200 entries this year, and so many amazing cards, the 2022 Rebecca E. Eden Photography Holiday Card Contest winners are as follows:

BEST OVERALL CARD: The Carcamo Family nailed it with one photo (edge-to-edge), which I am a sucker for, of their four beautiful kids. Great color. Pretty background. Smiling kids. Oh, and the girls are triplets!! Just a fabulous card. Congrats Carcamos!!

BEST FAMILY CARD: it’s a tie between the Sherrills and the Swaringens. The Sherills had their photo snapped at a wedding this summer where their youngest, Henry, was the ring bearer. Based on his adorable face, he is proud of his important role! The Swaringens are seated and just look so happy that it makes me happy. Congrats to both families.

MOST CREATIVE CARD: sigh… this is almost not fair because creativity oozes from every pore of Karin O’Brien, photographer and photoshop extraordinaire. She put her two kids playing their instruments in a snow globe. However, her card was nearly disqualified all together because on the back of the card, the entire family is wearing their UofM(eh) garb. I just pretend it isn’t there. Congrats Karin!

MOST ADVENTUROUS CARD: so many cards this year were of families doing all the things and going all the places. By a very slim margin, the Ariathurai Family eked out this win. This fearless family climbed the Folgefonna Glacier in Norway and snapped this photo in all of their gear. So cool (literally!) and very impressive! Congrats on making it on the climb and for winning this prestigious award.

BEST DESTINATION CARD: Jessica and Justin Moreno took their sweet daughter Jackie to Paris this year. This photo is so good, it almost looks fake. It’s not fair that this gorgeous family has won so many times. Oh, and they also won for best envelope this year. She printed them using her Cricut and topped off the entire thing with a wax seal on the back.

BEST POSTCARD: The Fulkersons on vacation for the second year in a row wins a category. I rarely get holiday postcards and really like them. Congrats to this fun family for their great postcard.

BEST BLENDED FAMILY CARD: this goes to Bruce Bever and Nikki Gates for their adorable card with Bruce’s daughter Fiona. This terrific trio has vacationed and traveled together for nearly two years now. This great snap was taken at Lincoln Park Zoo’s Zoo Lights. Congrats for finding one another and winning this category!

BEST SINGLE MOM CARD: no joke, creating holiday cards is a big task for anyone, but it’s especially difficult for single moms who work full time and have kids. This award goes to my sister in law Adrianne Kerstetter. The photo was taken in Mexico recently and everyone looks so happy and healthy. Congrats Ade for making it through a rough year and still getting this card out - all while still smiling!

Thank you to everyone who sent me a card. It’s not possible to have a “bad” holiday card - they are all winners in my book. Truly. And they are my favorite thing about the season. Want to be part of the 2023 contest? DM me for my address!

01/20/2023

All card contest winners have been contacted for permission… as soon as they give me the ok to post their card, I will announce the winners!

01/13/2023

Because I was in Europe, I didn’t do my annual card contest. I have hundreds of cards to judge… should I still?

02/27/2021

I love this!

A husband and wife photography team create avant-garde and futuristic shoots for their clients. The couple hopes the portraits transcend the typical images of beauty.

10/05/2020

Dino wrangling!

09/22/2020

This makes me laugh.

Caitlin Jolley executed a legendary prank while on phone duty at the wedding of her friend Eli McCann and his now-husband, Skylar.

12/31/2019

The 2019 Annual Holiday Card Contest Results are in! With 211 entries, the results are as follows:

Overall best card: Charlotte Wager who had a friend snap her fam’s photo in London - the first not taken by me in a decade.

Best card with just kids: Anita Healy

Best entire family card winner: tie between the family of Mia Ahmann Roberts and the Carrie A Grill and Justin Grill family.

Best card with multiple images: Alex Fahrer and Yui

Best card that doubles as a change of address: the Jeff Kenny and Jen Kenny family

Best backside photo: Michelle Sevig and Julie Sevig. *I need to qualify this win with the confession, that I took the photo.

Best black and white card: former winner Carey Isom

Favorite card with my photographs used: Rachael Holzhausen

*special mention goes to Jodi Hendrick’s card for creativity; Debi Lilly’s card because it is always beyond perfection and I kick it out of the competition every year; a friend in love who had the balls to send out two cards - one with her and her boyfriend and another with just her kids and family; and Lisa Callahan’s non-photo card.

01/05/2019

2018 REE Annual Holiday Card Contest Winners are:

2018 Grand Prize for BEST overall card: goes to the Isoms who included the entire family and whose clever card also doubled as a new address announcement. Kudos!

Categories (all photos in comments):

Best black and white card: tie between HSA families the DeMilles and the Johnstons.

Best single mom card: tie between Jodi Hendricks and Jennifer Devens with a special mention to Jennifer who included a photo with her baby daddy and was the first to arrive in my mailbox.

Funniest Card: the O’Briens because they used the term “a-holes.” On. A. Holiday. Card.

Best Styled Card: the Morenos, because that fireplace and um, I am partial to that baby.

Happiest Kids Card: the Robinsons. Those smiles! And they are even holding hands.

Best Card From Cousins/Siblings: three way tie between the Schanskis, Carrie A Grill and Jamie Holzhausen. Great photos and designs!

Last but not least, Best REEP Client Card: tie between Aina Gutierrez and Ritu Ritu Nagpal Shah for their great use of the images I captured of their babies.

Special mention to Heather Russell who can’t win this year because she has won too many times but had a beautiful card.

As always, excluded from the contest is Debi Lilly because no one can compete with her multiple fold card with an exquisitely photographed and styled family.

Congrats to everyone!

01/02/2019

Drum roll please... who is ready for me to announce the winners of the 2018 REEP Holiday Card Contest?!

05/09/2018

Yo moms! It is Mother's Day on Sunday which means bring on breakfast in bed, scribbled masterpieces and delicious kisses.

Instead of another spa day, candle or sweaterset that you will never wear, tell your partners you want a photo session with just YOU and YOUR BABIES. It is the gift that lasts a lifetime.

Or give one to YOUR mom and have a generational photo session.

DM me to book your session for your favorite mom.

05/09/2018

Yo moms! Mother's Day is on Sunday! Book a session with just you and your kids because that is what they want... a photo of you in FRONT of the camera, not BEHIND it.