Tuesday Ten

This was soooo hard, but I think these are my 10 favorite pics from this weekend of shooting... I should say 10 of my favorites, because there are tons more! Anyway, enjoy :)

Manic Monday

This Monday sure was MANIC! We shot 5 families, as well as visited the Apple store to get Stacey's phone replaced, shopped for a dress for me to wear to my sister's wedding, and went to an amazing dinner of pizza and wine with friends... it was great! Here are a few more from Dallas- the Hunter family!

Sunday Sweet- Dallas

On Sunday, Stacey and I traveled to Dallas, Texas- about 3 hours from our home, to shoot several families (most of whom I knew in high school). I was rather hot (hello! Texas in JUNE!), but despite the sweat dripping off of my body and hair, it was a grat place to shoot, the families were amazing and we had a great time! Here are a few from teh White family from today!

Sunday Sweet- another baby

Beckett

This little guy lives in my neighborhood. He is what I would call a 'fiesty' child, in that he knows what you want him to do and unless he firmly agrees to it, it ain't gonna happen. I can usually calm a baby, pat, rock, or "Shhh" to sleep for pictures, but the moment we took our hands off of Beckett, he was awake, alert and not happy. I have spent about 5 hours total photographing this child over the course of three sessions. I think we finally managed to truly see Beckett in our pictures and I wanted to share some of them with you.

Sunday Sweet- baby toes (and other parts)

THIS is exactly why I don't have those baby cravings.... because I get to play with them, photograph them, and then hand them back to mom and dad right as they start to get fussy :)

Thursday Thoughts

Perfectionist

I would venture to say that this word has never been used in a sentence with my name... EVER. I am the exact opposite of this... a non-perfectionist, one might call me. This almost drove my mother to drinking when she was trying to teach me to quilt. Let's just say, my corners didn't meet up and the rotary cutter was NOT my friend, especially when it came to triangles.

I admire perfectionists, I do. I have them in my class every year and marvel at their determination. I just don't feel the need to be 'perfect.' Maybe it's because I don't like to set unattainable goals. I will NEVER be perfect, so I won't try to be. My children, house, husband, car, classroom, etc. will never be perfect, so why try to kill myself trying to make it so?

College was my major exception. Someone once told me that I couldn't do it. I saw that as a challenge and aside from a few minor blips (*cough* Dr. Kaplan's reading 411 *cough*) college was, indeed, pretty close to perfect.

I am starting to see that 'college' mentality with my photography. I am so far from perfect when it comes to my pictures, I can't even see where perfect would begin if it one day decided to just be mediocre. But I want to be... I want to take classes, I want a mentor, I want more lessons on lighting, software, composition.... I just don't know where to go.

Do you know how frustrating it is to want to improve yourself, but not knowing how to go about doing it?

Family Friday

So, you probably know by now that I am a photographer. I specialize in children and families and there is the occasion that I may need a 'smile maker.' What is a smile maker, you ask? Well, you're looking at one. This is Grace, one of my resident smile makers. See, she makes kids smile. Sometimes, believe it or not, a strange lady holding a big, black box in front of her face, squatting in near impossible positions, singsonging a child's name at them in an attempt to make them smile can be rather intimidating, so.... enter the smile maker~ another little person not put off at all by above mentioned strange lady/ black box combo. Not only is the smile maker uninhibited, but it (she, in this case) usually brings toys and other pretties to catch the scared child's attention. Smile makers are specifically instructed to go where ever the photographer (their mom) tells them, such as "Dangle that dog right above my head," or "go over there and make monkey noises," etc. These little bits of sunshine are cool because they work in exchange for room, board, and a college education! Cheap!... and totally worth every penny :)

*this picture of my beauty Grace was taken as a light test at our shoot yesterday... she did a FAB job making baby Kate smile!

Sunday Sweet- a baby

If one feels the need of something grand, something infinite, something that makes one feel aware of God, one need not go far to find it. I think that I see something deeper, more infinite, more eternal than the ocean in the expression of the eyes of a little baby when it wakes in the morning and coos or laughs because it sees the sun shining on its cradle.
-- Vincent van Gogh