I’ve been staring at my screen for the last 20 minutes thinking of how to best describe my 2009 season. I’m looking for eloquent words and the only one that keeps popping into my head is “wow.”

2009 was such a special season for me. I worked with some truly amazing people, some of which have become lifelong friends. I pushed myself creatively and refined my vision. I experienced things that I never expected. I never felt more grateful for being lucky enough to do what I do.

To all my wonderful clients – thank you. Thank you for trusting me with your day and your future family’s cherished heirlooms. Thank you for letting me into your lives and into your hearts. Thank you for your unwavering belief in my vision and your tenacious support of my goals. I do what I do because of you, because I believe in your love and the importance of your memories. You all give me the gift of being able to follow my dreams, and for that I will be eternally grateful.

With that said, I am proud to present the Best of 2009 slideshow. These are my favorite images from the year, not necessarily because of any artistic merit, but because they are special to me. It’s about 15 minutes long, so get comfortable!

You can view the slideshow by clicking here…

Like free stuff? Like making a difference? Keep reading!

Those of you that follow this site regularly know that I rarely post personal stories. That isn’t because I’m an ultra-private person. It’s because my life is fairly mundane and pales in comparison to the awesomeness of my clients’ weddings.

One personal story that I’ve mentioned in the past was the story of my younger sister Jill (click here for that post). Jill was diagnosed at age 22 with stage IIIC colon cancer. For those that aren’t familiar with the disease, it’s exceedingly rare in someone that young, and even more rare for it to be that advanced. You can read her story in her own words here.

Jill was chosen by the Colon Club to be a model in their 2010 Colondar. The Colondar is a calendar of colon cancer survivors and was created by the Colon Club as a way to help educate and raise awareness for the disease.

She was one of the lucky ones, but there are many who aren’t as fortunate. To help do my part, I’m pleased to announce that I’ll be giving away a free portrait session and $250 worth of prints to the winner of this contest. That’s a $500 value, all for free!

Here’s how it works…

- Buy a colondar from here by October 31, 2009

- Forward your purchase confirmation to colondar@davidzaveloff.com. You get entered once for every colondar you buy!

That’s it! All you need to do to be entered in the drawing is to buy a Colondar and send me an email!

Now for the fine print…

Any profits from this contest will be donated to The Colon Club. Submissions must be received by midnight (estern time) on October 31, 2009. The drawing will be done randomly by November 15, 2009. Winners must use their prize on a weekday before April 1, 2009. $250 credit can be used towards prints, albums, and canvas gallery wraps. The winner may apply $250 prize to their wedding photography. Prize may not be redeemed for cash value.

Image courtesy of Mark McCarty/The Colon Club

This is my pal Aimee. You may remember her from such places as Aimee + Jason’s wedding and the giant 40×60 canvas gallery wrap in my studio. 

Aimee is a hardcore trainer. She runs a gym in King of Prussia specializing in CrossFit, a particularly intense form of physical conditioning (or torture, whatever you want to call it). She asked me to take a few promo shots of her doing her thing. 

This is what she does. All day. Every day.