Happy Halloween!

All week long, the weather forecast didn't look too promising for Halloween.  I heard many comments of 100% chance from other moms throughout the week.  It did, indeed, start last night. Every time I looked out the window, there was rain.  I even took an umbrella to the grocery store with me (to buy our candy at very last minutes) and I really dislike umbrellas.    When it was time for the kids to arrive home on the bus, I met them with umbrellas as well.  I asked if they were reconsidering trick or treating because of the rain and they barely missed a beat in saying, "Of course not!". Plans had been set to meet their friends in the cul de sac at 4:35-4:40pm and that was that. After a few pictures to make me happy, it was time.

When we headed out, it was still raining and they each took umbrellas. I was balancing an umbrella over my head and essentially shooting one-handed.  :)  Amazingly enough, it slowly turned into a slight drizzle and eventually stopped altogether. We even had a few moments of sun!  I was thrilled as I wanted to capture this Halloween on my camera - as I try to do every year. This one was a big change though.  While they didn't mind if we tagged along, they clearly didn't need us there.  My husband and I hung out for awhile, ended up taking their umbrellas for them and headed home before they were done.  I did manage to get a handful of shots though.

Getting started...

Ready to go!

Mr. Potter

Can't waste a minute!

Happily on to the next house!

Check out our sun!

Across the street while we hang back and watch.

Running, running, running

Midpoint photos at a friend's house

My awesome Mom, who offers to come over and hand out candy every year!

Ms. Granger

The black caped gang.

Time to sort the loot!

Surveying what she got and what she plans to trade.

The crown jewel - Nerds - in the middle.  This shot shows a mere fraction of what they brought home.

Until next year....

A First! Vintage Couch Session.

This session was so fun for me, not only because the family was fabulous but also because we did something I've never done before.  When the mom contacted me to take photos of her family, she said she'd seen cool images in other places of families sitting on vintage couches. As luck would have it, I own a vintage couch and so the decision was made to use it during our session!

There is a spot I've been eyeing for over a year that I thought would be a great place to do a family photo session. It was an even better spot, as it turned out, for a vintage couch shoot as it allowed me to get the truck very close to our location and not have to carry the couch too far.

The day was gorgeous and the fall colors had finally arrived. We had lots of fun and captured many wonderful images. Here is a Sneak Peek!

I'm not sure they could look any more fabulous if they tried!

He was so full of giggles.  I LOVE it when that happens!

Such a sweet moment!

Thanks for asking me to capture these moments for you and for giving me the opportunity to try out something new.  Enjoy the rest of this gorgeous season!

A sweet, new addition

I love getting to photograph a family more than once and seeing how the kids grow and change. This was our second session together, with one major change. There are now THREE little girls in the family, instead of just two.  The newest addition made her appearance just a couple of short months ago.  What a sweet, little nugget with two older sisters who clearly adore her.  Mom and Dad could not look happier.

She's so very observant, just hanging out taking it all in.

Pure adoration!

So happy!

So, this is one of my favorite shots of the whole session. We all cracked up, including Mom. What a face!

Few things make me happier than a red barn in the background.  What a beautiful family!

One final "bonus" sneak that wasn't on Facebook. Who could resist a shot of just the girls with their really cool boots?  I might have to go out and buy my own pair. :)

Thank you for asking me to capture these images. I loved every second of it!

Today I photographed a wedding...

....but a very non-traditional one, as you can see. My daughter and her friend spent a couple of hours today setting up this very special wedding between the kitty and puppy. Or rather, I should say, the cat and the dog if they are old enough to get married! Lots of thought went into the preparations, including a ring bearer, a flower girl, an officiant and matching rings.

The ceremony is underway as the puppy ring bearer delivers the rings.

A bird's eye view of the wedding.

The flower girl horse, making her way down the aisle, as she tosses Rainbow Loom rubber bands, representing beautiful flowers.

They did it! (note the matching wedding bands).

Wishing the furry couple years and years of happiness!

Take pictures. Lots of them.

I love taking pictures.  I should, since that's what I've chosen to do for a living and I'm truly passionate about it.  But, when I say take pictures, I don't necessarily mean professional ones (though doing that from time to time is definitely good too!  But that's a different post for another time).  I mean take pictures of the every day.  Capture life as it's happening. It doesn't matter if you have a point and shoot or a big fancy camera or if you just use your iphone.  Whatever it is, capture those moments - those things that make up your life, big or small. Gather the moments, digitally or on film, that make up your life.  Someday, your loved ones will look back at those images to get a picture of your life and relive all of those moments with a smile. Even if your house is messy - take the pictures!

While I normally try to post my best shots these days (because of what I do), I have a ton of normal, every day photos in my iphoto library and in print in my closet.  As I was going through some of these to post for this blog entry, they made me smile. I'm not looking at them for composition or lighting or color or anything like that. It's just the moments I want to see. And in some cases, I want to see the people who are no longer here with us on Earth.

Today, I attended a beautiful memorial service for a woman who touched many, many lives. I didn't know her very well but for the times I was in her presence, her spirit was strong and positive and very welcoming. I truly wished I had known her better.  During the service, there were 3 different slide shows set to moving and emotional songs. As I watched it, I kept thinking, "Wow. She really lived. What a beautiful life." The photo montages were filled with silly moments, travel, family gatherings, touching moments - life as it  happened. And I loved every second.  It was a good reminder to just snap away during the every day because everything is fleeting. It was also a good reminder to really live - share your life, hug, snuggle, tell the people you love just how you feel.  You won't regret having the photos but you may very well regret having never taken the picture.

Whether you print them out and organize them into beautiful books or just keep them on your computer (but please oh please oh please make sure they are backed up!) take the pictures!  So, sometime in the next couple of days, grab a camera and capture some moments that show who you are, who your family is, what life looks like right now.  AND - make sure you hand the camera to other people so you can be in a few shots, as well, with proof that YOU really did exist in your family.  (a challenge for all moms - professional photographer or not).

So go.  Take a few pictures. Today. And next week. And so on. You'll be happy you did!

Senior Session - Miss L!

I love photographing Seniors.  They are such fun sessions!  This one was extra special because this beautiful girl is the daughter of two of my high school classmates. I have absolutely no idea how that much time could have possibly gone by where our class has Seniors of its own.  It's wild to look back and think, "If someone had told me I would be photographing this mom's daughter this many years after we graduated (the number shall remain a mystery), I would have thought they were crazy!" But, here we are.  She's on the brink of the next chapter of her life and I'm getting what I love to do.  Life is good!

Best of luck this year and beyond!

Flashes of Hope!

Well, I'm rather excited to find out that I CAN share some images from my day at the Peds in the Weeds Picnic where I volunteered for Flashes of Hope at the beginning of last month!  For those of you who may not have seen the posts, Flashes of Hope is an organization where photographers volunteer their time and take photos of children and their families who are chronically or, possibly, terminally ill. A professional lab also donates the prints that each family receives. My first time with FOH was as an assistant for a friend of mine who is also a photographer.  She did her first shoot in a hospital with a backdrop and lights, which I don't generally use.  Neither one of us was sure what to expect but it turned out to be an incredibly positive experience with lots of laughter and smiles and snuggles between the kids and their parents.

As I do most of my shooting outside, I was happy to find out that there were also several opportunities to take images outside during the summer camps that the current and former patients are invited to, along with their families.  So I volunteered for what turned out to be the last camp of the summer and had an absolutely amazing time.  There were former patients, current patients and families there who had lost someone they loved. Truly an incredible, emotional day and I'm so very thankful to be able to give back in this manner. Here is a sample of some of the happiness, love and laughter we captured.

 

Looking forward to next summer to do it all again! Please check out and like the Flashes of Hope Facebook page at: http://on.fb.me/1a6H3QK