Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
pictures of everyone except my children
i finally came up for breath today. this past month has been insane with sessions and card orders, and i've kind of let some things go around here.
why don't i give you a few examples...
1. i haven't been able to get on top of the laundry for ages now (i know, mom, you're shocked!), but i realized things might have gotten a bit out of control when i had to put izzy in a fleece outfit on friday night because all of her jammies were dirty. (if i weren't too embarrassed to do so, i would tell you that she also wore that same outfit to bed on saturday and sunday nights. and perhaps all day monday.)
2. a morning shower has been absolutely out of the question since august. when josh walked in the door this evening from work, i was forced to greet him with these words: "i'm so sorry you had to come home to a stinky, grunge-monkey tonight". sad.
3. i no longer have time for capital letters. (although if you've ever received an e-mail from me, you know i dropped the "shift-letter" combo ages ago -- i just did it for looks on the blog.) i'm so over it now.
4. i haven't been to bed before midnight or 1 am since i was 31.
5. oh, and did you know we've already got our next baby?!? we named him "photoshop".
as wild a ride as this has been, i've loved getting to work with both old friends and new faces. i'm going to try to choose one favorite photo from my most recent sessions. to begin, this little guy was new to me. his mom and i realized we actually went to college together but hadn't seen each other in ten years.
ok, i can't show him without showing his precious sister!
and there's no way i can move on without sharing what are now some of my new favorite sibling shots. they were so funny together!
it's obvious that i'm not going to be able to stick to the "one photo per session" rule, which is good because this next one is very near and dear to my heart. my precious friend, anna, came up from montgomery with her husband, paul, and daughter, addie, so i could do addie's 18-month pictures. anna and i have been close friends since we were in college, and it's been a joy watching her blossom into the beautiful role that god has given her of "mommy". and it's a good thing that she's so great at it because she's got two little ones in her tummy that should be here around april. :-)
we started in the leaves...
...and then moved to the swings.
and what trip to the park would be complete without playing on the wooden choo-choo train?
but i think my favorite shot of the day was when addie toddled around in the leaves wearing her little turkey dress. the way she was lit from behind by the warm sun was perfect!
my next stop was with the spunky girl from this session a couple of weeks ago and her cousins who drove into town for the photos.
the leaves on the trees were gorgeous...
...and, once again, the sun cooperated beautifully!
this last weekend was the weekend of babies for sure! my friend, michelle, finally had her newest on november 11, so we gave lily kate a few days to adjust to life outside the belly and then i headed over to shoot her newborn session. we never left the nursery...it was great!!!
michelle didn't have many requests, but she did ask for a little feet shot like she had seen on my website...
...as well as some sibling shots (also some of my new favorites)...
after those were done, it was playtime. i had a ridiculous amount of fun shooting these next photos...
and finally, our loooooong time friends in starkville referred the grandmother of this family to me earlier this year. i've done a couple of sessions with some of the local crew already, but with christmas around the corner and new babies in the mix, the whole group drove in from mississippi for one big hoopla.
i don't know how well you can see it in the storyboard above, but this was definitely my favorite shot from the day. how sweet are they?!?
you might be wondering where my little ones fit into all this madness. well, don't fret...while they haven't had a "normal" amount of mommy-time, they certainly haven't lacked for fun things to do. i'll be back with that post later. but for now, i'm going to turn my computer off and walk away for a while. after all, i promised the kids that tomorrow is "christmas tree decorating day" (also known as "don't edit a picture day")!!
why don't i give you a few examples...
1. i haven't been able to get on top of the laundry for ages now (i know, mom, you're shocked!), but i realized things might have gotten a bit out of control when i had to put izzy in a fleece outfit on friday night because all of her jammies were dirty. (if i weren't too embarrassed to do so, i would tell you that she also wore that same outfit to bed on saturday and sunday nights. and perhaps all day monday.)
2. a morning shower has been absolutely out of the question since august. when josh walked in the door this evening from work, i was forced to greet him with these words: "i'm so sorry you had to come home to a stinky, grunge-monkey tonight". sad.
3. i no longer have time for capital letters. (although if you've ever received an e-mail from me, you know i dropped the "shift-letter" combo ages ago -- i just did it for looks on the blog.) i'm so over it now.
4. i haven't been to bed before midnight or 1 am since i was 31.
5. oh, and did you know we've already got our next baby?!? we named him "photoshop".
as wild a ride as this has been, i've loved getting to work with both old friends and new faces. i'm going to try to choose one favorite photo from my most recent sessions. to begin, this little guy was new to me. his mom and i realized we actually went to college together but hadn't seen each other in ten years.
ok, i can't show him without showing his precious sister!
and there's no way i can move on without sharing what are now some of my new favorite sibling shots. they were so funny together!
it's obvious that i'm not going to be able to stick to the "one photo per session" rule, which is good because this next one is very near and dear to my heart. my precious friend, anna, came up from montgomery with her husband, paul, and daughter, addie, so i could do addie's 18-month pictures. anna and i have been close friends since we were in college, and it's been a joy watching her blossom into the beautiful role that god has given her of "mommy". and it's a good thing that she's so great at it because she's got two little ones in her tummy that should be here around april. :-)we started in the leaves...
...and then moved to the swings.
and what trip to the park would be complete without playing on the wooden choo-choo train?
but i think my favorite shot of the day was when addie toddled around in the leaves wearing her little turkey dress. the way she was lit from behind by the warm sun was perfect!
my next stop was with the spunky girl from this session a couple of weeks ago and her cousins who drove into town for the photos.
the leaves on the trees were gorgeous...
...and, once again, the sun cooperated beautifully!
this last weekend was the weekend of babies for sure! my friend, michelle, finally had her newest on november 11, so we gave lily kate a few days to adjust to life outside the belly and then i headed over to shoot her newborn session. we never left the nursery...it was great!!!
michelle didn't have many requests, but she did ask for a little feet shot like she had seen on my website...
...as well as some sibling shots (also some of my new favorites)...
after those were done, it was playtime. i had a ridiculous amount of fun shooting these next photos...
and finally, our loooooong time friends in starkville referred the grandmother of this family to me earlier this year. i've done a couple of sessions with some of the local crew already, but with christmas around the corner and new babies in the mix, the whole group drove in from mississippi for one big hoopla.
i don't know how well you can see it in the storyboard above, but this was definitely my favorite shot from the day. how sweet are they?!?
you might be wondering where my little ones fit into all this madness. well, don't fret...while they haven't had a "normal" amount of mommy-time, they certainly haven't lacked for fun things to do. i'll be back with that post later. but for now, i'm going to turn my computer off and walk away for a while. after all, i promised the kids that tomorrow is "christmas tree decorating day" (also known as "don't edit a picture day")!!
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
A Sneak Peek for the Bs
Speaking of autumn beauties, I got a real treat last weekend when I shot a session with this family:
The Little Bs couldn't have been any cuter, and it was so much fun watching the interactions between these three...
Brook had asked for some pictures of her and the hubby, so once we wrapped up shots of the little men, the three of them "chillaxed" in the car beside us while we knocked out a few last photos. (Brook, is that how you spell chillaxed? Does chillaxed even have a "correct" spelling? I mean, it's not even a real word!)
Hee-hee.
This next part was so much fun for me!! I'm used to running, chasing, squatting to the height of 24 inches, and pulling out the 'ole "there's a monkey in my camera" trick. So when all I had in front of me were two people who actually come up past my knees (and who probably weren't too impressed with the monkey game), I got to practice some different types of shooting. LOVED IT! Of course, who wouldn't have? I mean, look at these two!
They were total troopers and did whatever I asked them to do. They didn't even flinch when I told them "just one more picture" about 13 times!
Thanks guys, and I'll have the full gallery to you soon!
The Little Bs couldn't have been any cuter, and it was so much fun watching the interactions between these three...
Brook had asked for some pictures of her and the hubby, so once we wrapped up shots of the little men, the three of them "chillaxed" in the car beside us while we knocked out a few last photos. (Brook, is that how you spell chillaxed? Does chillaxed even have a "correct" spelling? I mean, it's not even a real word!)Hee-hee.
This next part was so much fun for me!! I'm used to running, chasing, squatting to the height of 24 inches, and pulling out the 'ole "there's a monkey in my camera" trick. So when all I had in front of me were two people who actually come up past my knees (and who probably weren't too impressed with the monkey game), I got to practice some different types of shooting. LOVED IT! Of course, who wouldn't have? I mean, look at these two!
They were total troopers and did whatever I asked them to do. They didn't even flinch when I told them "just one more picture" about 13 times!
Thanks guys, and I'll have the full gallery to you soon!
Monday, November 16, 2009
Autumn Beauty
Autumn is most certainly my favorite season of the year. I love the crisp air and the chilly breeze, but the leaves just can't be beat! I love how they tumble down from the trees and how they crunch underfoot as the kids and I stroll through the park. But the very best part is how they change to a million different shades of reds, yellows, and oranges just before they fall to the ground. Take those gorgeous colors, add to them a gorgeous couple, and you get my entry for the I ♥ Faces challenge this week.
There are loads of "Autumn Beauties" over on I ♥ Faces, so click on the button below to check them out!
There are loads of "Autumn Beauties" over on I ♥ Faces, so click on the button below to check them out!Friday, November 13, 2009
'Tis The Season
I love Christmas music a lot. A whole lot. For Abby's first Christmas, we gave her a sweet little book that's chocked full of traditional Christmas carols so she could start learning some of the greatest songs ever written.
Never mind that Abby was only six weeks old on her first Christmas. At least I waited until she had actually been born. My sister, Bethany, wanted Brayden to love Christmas music so badly that she started singing carols to him when he was still in her belly!
We sing songs about the day of Jesus' birth at least three or four nights a week during the kids' storytime routine before bed -- even Isabel joins in the fun! So imagine my elation when I read on a friend's blog (I'll be back with a preview of her family's session after we shoot tomorrow) that a local radio station had started their 24/7 Christmas music marathon early this year!!!! It normally runs from the day after Thanksgiving through Christmas Day, but apparently the producers heard my prayers and jumped on it a couple of weeks early. So every day this week, I've jumped out of bed, thrown on my not-very-wintry clothes (considering the almost 80 degree afternoon temps), and run downstairs to blast "O Holy Night".
The only thing missing is our Christmas tree, which the kids have been begging to put up for two weeks now. Patience, my little carol-lovers. It'll be out soon!
In the spirit of Christmas greetings and cheer, I've also been swamped with sessions this month for family pictures and card photos. One of my sessions last weekend was with the daughter of the speech therapist who's been working with our family for close to a year-and-a-half now. She's so precious to us, and it was a joy for me to finally meet her daughter. The weather was absolutely perfect, and the leaves were a million shades of oranges, reds, and golds.
It took a bit for Little Miss to warm up to me, but once she did, we got some beautiful shots of her being sweet...
...and then a riot!
I can't show you much of my next stop because Kerry's using several of the photos from our mini-session for her Christmas card this year. But I will show you this one...
I don't know what it is about this next one, but I LOVE it! It's got a real fairytale-ish feel to it...
I'm still working on the rest of the photos from the weekend, so I'll try to catch up with those later in another post. But if you want to add a little shot of Christmas cheer into your daily grind, check out the new designs I just added to the 2009 collection. Even more coming soon!
By the way, I noticed yesterday that my photos seem to have a blur over them when I view them in Blogger. If I click on them to enlarge them, it goes away. Anybody else having this problem?
Never mind that Abby was only six weeks old on her first Christmas. At least I waited until she had actually been born. My sister, Bethany, wanted Brayden to love Christmas music so badly that she started singing carols to him when he was still in her belly!We sing songs about the day of Jesus' birth at least three or four nights a week during the kids' storytime routine before bed -- even Isabel joins in the fun! So imagine my elation when I read on a friend's blog (I'll be back with a preview of her family's session after we shoot tomorrow) that a local radio station had started their 24/7 Christmas music marathon early this year!!!! It normally runs from the day after Thanksgiving through Christmas Day, but apparently the producers heard my prayers and jumped on it a couple of weeks early. So every day this week, I've jumped out of bed, thrown on my not-very-wintry clothes (considering the almost 80 degree afternoon temps), and run downstairs to blast "O Holy Night".
The only thing missing is our Christmas tree, which the kids have been begging to put up for two weeks now. Patience, my little carol-lovers. It'll be out soon!
In the spirit of Christmas greetings and cheer, I've also been swamped with sessions this month for family pictures and card photos. One of my sessions last weekend was with the daughter of the speech therapist who's been working with our family for close to a year-and-a-half now. She's so precious to us, and it was a joy for me to finally meet her daughter. The weather was absolutely perfect, and the leaves were a million shades of oranges, reds, and golds.
It took a bit for Little Miss to warm up to me, but once she did, we got some beautiful shots of her being sweet...
...and then a riot!
I can't show you much of my next stop because Kerry's using several of the photos from our mini-session for her Christmas card this year. But I will show you this one...
I don't know what it is about this next one, but I LOVE it! It's got a real fairytale-ish feel to it...
I'm still working on the rest of the photos from the weekend, so I'll try to catch up with those later in another post. But if you want to add a little shot of Christmas cheer into your daily grind, check out the new designs I just added to the 2009 collection. Even more coming soon!By the way, I noticed yesterday that my photos seem to have a blur over them when I view them in Blogger. If I click on them to enlarge them, it goes away. Anybody else having this problem?
Thursday, November 12, 2009
A Whole Hand
We started Abby's big day with homemade cinnamon rolls (homemade = Pillsbury cooked at home) complete with the red plate, a candle, and a "Happy Birthday" serenade.
From breakfast, we got dressed and headed outdoors to grab a couple of "FIVE" shots.
My budding photographer asked if she could please take a picture of me to put on the blog. Considering I looked like I was fresh home from dumpster-diving, I was understandably "thrilled" with her request, but I let her have a go at it. Black-and-white is quite forgiving on dark circles and a lack of makeup, so here it is, Abby. Your photo...
As much as I held out for my friend, Michelle, to have her third baby on my birthday, it just didn't happen. In fact, Lily Kate seemed quite content to flip around in Michelle's belly for as long as she could. In the last week, she was head-down, then breached, and back to head-down for her delivery yesterday.
It was a sweet time for us as we visited them in the hospital today (on both Michelle and Abby's birthdays). As I sat there holding that tiny seven pound darling, I couldn't help but think back to exactly five years earlier when I sat in the same place holding another pumpkin. That pumpkin's a little bigger these days...
If our kiddos were excited about their baby brother before, after cuddling with this gorgeous munchkin, they're uber-pumped to have him home now.
Since Josh only has about an hour in between work and class on Thursday nights, we let Abby pick somewhere to meet him for her birthday dinner. Just as we expected, she chose Jason's Deli (it's got to be the free ice cream), so we had a fun Daddy dinner where Abby got to open a couple of presents. And have ice cream. Jason's isn't my very favorite place in Birmingham, but I'll take anything over Captain D's.
Happy Whole-Hand Birthday, Abby!!!
From breakfast, we got dressed and headed outdoors to grab a couple of "FIVE" shots.
My budding photographer asked if she could please take a picture of me to put on the blog. Considering I looked like I was fresh home from dumpster-diving, I was understandably "thrilled" with her request, but I let her have a go at it. Black-and-white is quite forgiving on dark circles and a lack of makeup, so here it is, Abby. Your photo...
As much as I held out for my friend, Michelle, to have her third baby on my birthday, it just didn't happen. In fact, Lily Kate seemed quite content to flip around in Michelle's belly for as long as she could. In the last week, she was head-down, then breached, and back to head-down for her delivery yesterday.
It was a sweet time for us as we visited them in the hospital today (on both Michelle and Abby's birthdays). As I sat there holding that tiny seven pound darling, I couldn't help but think back to exactly five years earlier when I sat in the same place holding another pumpkin. That pumpkin's a little bigger these days...
If our kiddos were excited about their baby brother before, after cuddling with this gorgeous munchkin, they're uber-pumped to have him home now.
Since Josh only has about an hour in between work and class on Thursday nights, we let Abby pick somewhere to meet him for her birthday dinner. Just as we expected, she chose Jason's Deli (it's got to be the free ice cream), so we had a fun Daddy dinner where Abby got to open a couple of presents. And have ice cream. Jason's isn't my very favorite place in Birmingham, but I'll take anything over Captain D's.Happy Whole-Hand Birthday, Abby!!!
Five Years Ago Today...
...God entrusted us with the care of this precious baby.
Fast-forward to today, and that tiny baby has grown into an amazing little girl whose beauty comes from within her tender heart.
Abigail Eleanor Lewis, you are a gift from God, and we thank Him daily as we ask Him to guide us, your parents, as we raise you to know and trust the Lord.
I thank my God upon every remembrance of you. Phil. 1:3
More to come later...
Fast-forward to today, and that tiny baby has grown into an amazing little girl whose beauty comes from within her tender heart. 
Abigail Eleanor Lewis, you are a gift from God, and we thank Him daily as we ask Him to guide us, your parents, as we raise you to know and trust the Lord. I thank my God upon every remembrance of you. Phil. 1:3
More to come later...
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Better Late Than Never, Right?
I think it was about four posts ago that I said I would get a sneak peek of one of my recent sessions up "tomorrow".
Oops.
This is the second time I've done photos with this family, and they make my job so much fun! The kids are precious, and I told Mom that I need to hire her as my Session Stylist. She totally gets the "coordinate without being matchy-matchy" thing, and I love seeing what her crew's going to show up in each time.
Not too long ago, I started working on designing storyboards. I love to pack a bunch of pictures into one and tell a story about who a child is or what was happening during that time in a family's life. Here's a fun one I put together for this client's littlest guy, who spent a good bit of our session toddling around on this great bridge we found.
When Mom came to pick up the order from her last session, she fell in love with some pictures I have hanging in our living room of each of our children, and she wanted similar ones done of her kids. My part's done -- now she gets to decide whether to do the three color shots...
...or the black and white series.
I had three more sessions today, so at the rate I'm going, I should have those up on the blog in about 2.5 years (no worries, clients, it does not take me that long to edit and post to your gallery!) :-)
I have to squeeze in a quick "Overheard At Our House Today" list before I go:
1. Abby: Mommy, I think you'll be the first person in our family to die. You're the oldest.
2. Abby: Why doesn't that man have any clothes on?
This one actually popped out at Jason's Deli, and thankfully, the man in question -- who was actually a statue in a picture -- was wearing something. A well-placed leaf.
3. Izzy (as I was putting her to bed): Ieee Wuv Ooo.
Tear.
Jack and Abby went to PaPaw and GrandPam's for the night (to go see Wiggles tomorrow), and Josh and I are having a quiet night, thanking our lucky stars that the grandparents are willing to subject themselves to a performance by the Great Turtleneck Team.
(I think I remember Josh saying he would rather gnaw on his toes than sit through that show.) Thanks P&G!
Oops.
This is the second time I've done photos with this family, and they make my job so much fun! The kids are precious, and I told Mom that I need to hire her as my Session Stylist. She totally gets the "coordinate without being matchy-matchy" thing, and I love seeing what her crew's going to show up in each time.
Not too long ago, I started working on designing storyboards. I love to pack a bunch of pictures into one and tell a story about who a child is or what was happening during that time in a family's life. Here's a fun one I put together for this client's littlest guy, who spent a good bit of our session toddling around on this great bridge we found.
When Mom came to pick up the order from her last session, she fell in love with some pictures I have hanging in our living room of each of our children, and she wanted similar ones done of her kids. My part's done -- now she gets to decide whether to do the three color shots...
...or the black and white series.
I had three more sessions today, so at the rate I'm going, I should have those up on the blog in about 2.5 years (no worries, clients, it does not take me that long to edit and post to your gallery!) :-)I have to squeeze in a quick "Overheard At Our House Today" list before I go:
1. Abby: Mommy, I think you'll be the first person in our family to die. You're the oldest.
2. Abby: Why doesn't that man have any clothes on?
This one actually popped out at Jason's Deli, and thankfully, the man in question -- who was actually a statue in a picture -- was wearing something. A well-placed leaf.
3. Izzy (as I was putting her to bed): Ieee Wuv Ooo.
Tear.
Jack and Abby went to PaPaw and GrandPam's for the night (to go see Wiggles tomorrow), and Josh and I are having a quiet night, thanking our lucky stars that the grandparents are willing to subject themselves to a performance by the Great Turtleneck Team.
(I think I remember Josh saying he would rather gnaw on his toes than sit through that show.) Thanks P&G!
Thursday, November 5, 2009
What Can I Say? The Girl Loves Shoes!
This is my personal favorite. I could eat those chunky legs for dessert!
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