First day of Kindergarten!

Wow…. no post on here since November! Yikes! Well, maybe I will have more time for pictures and posting with my older son in Kindergarten!

He started today, sniff, sniff! I did great until he started to tear up a little. Then I pretty much had to sprint out of there so as not to lose it in front of him!!

Here are a few of the ridiculous number of pictures I took this morning!

Fall family shoot

Last Wednesday I spent the afternoon with this amazing family! They were great sports traipsing all over Loose Park trying to find places with more open shade. The sun was a bit difficult but overall it was a beautiful day.

Props

In the time that I have been using my camera to record my family and other families I have found that I love to include props! It has proven useful in a number of ways. For one thing, I have found that it can break the ice a little between myself and the subjects. People seem to be a little more at ease if they have something to do or focus on besides “saying cheese”. Even if it is something as simple as holding a frame around their faces I find them looking at each other more. More willing to let a real smile cross their mouths rather than a forced “for the camera” smile. I will take a real smile from someone feeling slightly silly over a forced one any day!

Props also allow a little more personality come through a shoot! Something like a ball or favorite toy for a child allows them to just be who they are for the camera. Believe it or not… kids are not big on posing for a picture.

Finally, props are a great way to add some whimsy to an otherwise traditional family pose. Maybe it is just that I grew up in a nutso family who loved to wear silly glasses or Santa Hats for a picture. But I have great memories of those times. I find that even the “more serious” pictures after the silly ones appear more joyful! There is something liberating about being a goofball with your family and allowing it to be recorded!

Maternity shoot

I had the pleasure, this weekend of shooting maternity shots of one of the most beautiful people I know (inside and out). She has been a good friend to me and an amazing encouragement as I pursue this career in photography. I shot a few with just her and some with her precious family! Congratulations on that second sweet girl Julie!

Fall shoot

I had the most amazing family shoot this weekend. When a family is this good looking, it makes my job SOOO easy! We had to make a last minute change in our location, but it worked out beautifully if I do say so myself!

New Lens Love!!

My wonderful husband surprised me this week with a new lens. And I must say, I am completely smitten! I had been wanting this particular lens for quite some time and it was worth the wait! Here are a few shots I got playing around in the yard with my boys one evening.

Some snapshots of a party

The boys and I went to a party this weekend and I brought my camera along mostly just to get a couple of shots of the cake for the hostess. But I couldn’t resist a few more of the cuties surrounding me!!

small blessings

As I ran downstairs  on a shoe hunt for one of my children this morning I passed the window next to my front door and saw this through it.

This, if you can’t tell from this picture, is the small rose garden my husband planted for me in our front flower bed. See, I have always dreamt of having a rose garden. I’ll admit I my dream may have been of  something on a slightly larger and grander scale than this. But those visions of grandeur are not exactly practical in our current home. But last fall my husband ripped out all of the boring bushes that filled our front flower bed, dug up all the dirt and did a soil analysis (he does nothing half way), and fertilized so we would have an ideal home for my small rose garden. He took me to pick out a variety of roses and planted them for me. Since then, he has been amazing to make sure they are watered, fertilized and dead headed to help them grow. He is an amazing man!!!

Anyway, this morning as I ran by that window I was completely distracted from my shoe mission by the sheer beauty of simple rose bushes coated in last nights rain drops! Of course I had to stop what I was doing immediately, grab my camera and run out into my front yard. Yes, I was barefoot and in my pajamas, but I think as you look at these shots, you will agree that it was totally worth the weird looks from my neighbors.

I hope this post finds you all seeing small reminders of just how blessed you are as well!

Last family mini session

Our last session on Saturday was so much fun! Older brother Adasen really bonded with Andy! He was so cute following him around and helping him out!

More mini-sessions

Here are some shots from my next two mini-sessions of the day on Saturday! Look at those precious little kiddos!