Oh my word...

Oh my word is this a gorgeous family. We braved a very hot evening but survived with no major issue. Little "A" was really good and cooperative and was so funny with her silly faces and big smiles. There is so much love in this family and I just adored watching them interact with each other. I am struggling to narrow down my gallery because there are so many that I love. Mom has plans for some big pieces in their new house so that is always fun to see your work big on the walls! So, here is your sneak peek...

How beautiful is this family??? I love these big natural smiles and how she has her arms around both their necks, perfection!


Is she so adorable or what???


Sorry Mom, this one just screamed to be in black and white

Sweet Chunky Monkey

I was so excited to meet up with 6 month old "O" today. The last time I saw him he was a wee little newborn. He has been eating good because he is a little chunky boy now, sooooo adorable. We were worried because it was going to be so hot today, and it was, but we managed and he did great. He was in a pretty serious mood, which is fine with me since my favorite shots are usually the silly or serious faces. Smiles are great, but there are so many other faces equally as cute in my opinion. It seems that all my babies have been girls lately, so I was thrilled to get to use some of my new boy stuff. So, I had a big day of debuting some new goodies. My blue kids chair, a cool green bucket, and a cream bucket, and an amazing old wagon all made their way out today. The wagon was a particularly special find because I went to a flea market this morning and found exactly what I was looking for, score! This never happens to me and I always have to go 10 places to find something specific. I am great at finding tons of stuff that I didn't need, but never what I went for. So, here is the adorably cute "O". I am going to try the blog contest again, so 20 comments from different people win Mom and Dad a FREE 8x10. So spread the word and help out this family.

Mmmmmmm grass


Is he so cute or what???


A little grin from my serious friend


He just looks so sweet and peaceful in this shot

Sweet baby GG

I was so excited to meet little "GG" today. I have been counting the weeks until her arrival. She is all of 3 weeks old now. She was really good today and gave me some sleepy shots and some awake shots. She was not really into my crazy posing, so we kept it pretty traditional. I finally got to use my new pink pettiskirt, which Mom really wanted to keep to put her in everyday:) I have to admit she did look pretty stinking cute in it, so I can't blame her. Here is your sneak peek Mom and Dad...

Love, love, love this shot


I adore these chubby cheeks and little peeky tongue sticking out


I am sorry but this is just the sweetest baby girl feet shot EVER :)

More workshop pics...

Okay, so I said I wasn't really into the whole urban thing so much, BUT now that I have gotten to play around with the images a little, I think I am changing my mind. I am having so much fun with these. I am trying some new editing techniques I learned and of course, it is always fun to work with new models and try some new stuff. So, I hope I have some people interested in doing some urban sessions sometime soon! I also wanted to give a shout to my fellow work shop peeps. Dejah Quinn from Oklahoma, Allyson Sanborn from Illinois, and Lisa Seidel an up and coming photographer out of Boston. These ladies are all majorly talented and I really enjoyed learning from them and sharing ideas about our businesses. Blah, blah, I know enough chit chat. Here are a few more from the workshop.

What I did today...

I am here in the burbs of Chicago. We had a pretty long day of lectures and then got to go out and shoot awhile. It was really fun shooting in the same locations I have seen in Marianne's images for so long now. Though I have to say I felt a little like an intruder shooting in her special spots. Photography is much like real estate in that the mantra is location, location, location. As photographers we are constantly looking for cool places to shoot. I tend to be a nature kind of girl and don't really do much urban work. We shot in an old downtown in an alleyway mostly, so all the urban decay, brickwork, etc. was interesting for me. I have to say that while I enjoyed it, it doesn't feel like me, which is totally fine b/c these are not my spots :) So, the image I picked to share is from a spot a little more my speed. Don't get me wrong, I am always up to trying new locations and new styles, but of course, everyone kind of has their "thing". I like green, so I like to shoot where things are green. I am having a great time getting to know the other ladies, but I do miss my kids a BUNCH. So, I am anxious for the info tomorrow and to get my booty back home. I may share more later, but for now just one sweet one of some lovely sisters.

I am off...

I am off for my fun filled photography weekend. I am headed up to the suburbs of Chicago to meet with Marianne of Marmalade Photography. I am very excited because she is my favorite photographer. Loyal blog readers have heard me speak of her before I know. So, having the opportunity to learn from her and shoot with her is really exciting for me. I hope to bring back lots of inspiration, information, and make some great new friends in the process. So, I will not be available by phone until Sunday, but will be on email nightly. So, if anyone needs me, just email me please and I will get back to you ASAP.

Scheduling updates:
June is full- except I will have one emergency session open for newborns only
I have one date open for July and one emergency session for newborns only
I have one date open for August- and one emergency session should the need arise, again only for newborns
I am now booking into October.

Also a heads up about Christmas Mini- Sessions, thats right I said Christmas. In a photographers world everything is about planning and scheduling. So for me Christmas starts in October b/c by the time I fit everyone in and get all the cards out it is December. I will be hosting a few mini session events starting in mid October and ending mid November. I plan to have all Christmas cards delivered by December 1st. I will also have regular sessions during this time, but for those of you that just want some family photos for your cards this will be the way to go. I will post details in late September/October, so make a mental note to start checking back around that time. For those of you that are not so good at remembering things (like me), I will keep a log of people to email with details, so email me if you are interested and I will put you on the contact list.

Last thing:
I am still looking for senior reps for the 2010 school year. Please see the blog entry several entries below for details.

3 Month Old Cutie Pie

I FINALLY got to meet baby "E" today. We were set to do her newborn shoot several months back, but she decided to get sick the day I was coming over to meet her. So, Mom decided we would pick up with her 3 month session. Baby "E" was totally not feeling me today and was giving me a hard time, but I managed to get some super sweet shots of her in the few minutes of tolerance she gave me. I laughed because I was sitting on the floor watching golf with Dad while we tried to let her power nap. It isn't often I get this kind of break during a shoot, but we all know that babies are the bosses. She is such a petite and tiny little doll and she has some big almond eyes. They are still blue but have little flecks of brown in them, so perhaps she will be a brown eyed beauty next time I see her. She got away without wearing my new tiny pettiskirt, but I will catch her with a big girl one our next go round. So, without further delay, meet baby "E"

I have to say I am loving my new bucket with an old favorite blanket


I think this is why "E" was not in the mood for my antics :)



I love the sweet simplicity of this shot

Oh baby!

I got to meet a super cool couple yesterday afternoon. They are expecting their first baby boy pretty soon. I was really excited about the session b/c "K" had told me that she was under 5 foot, since I myself am under 5 foot I felt an instant connection. I rarely ever meet anyone as small as me, so it was fun. Let me just say that "K" is rocking her maternity body! She looks amazing. They are such a cute couple and Dad is so into the whole pregnancy which I LOVE! They were open to try anything and we had a great, long session b/c I couldn't stop taking pics, ha! I was on such a high when I got home b/c we got some great stuff and I feel like I made some great friends in the process. I have an amazing job :) So, thanks again "K and J" for a great afternoon and I will talk to you soon. Wow, I used the word great about 4 times, oh well, that is an appropriate word to explain how I felt about it:)

UPDATE 6-24-09: Baby "D" has arrived. I don't have details yet but Mom says he is doing well. Congratulations to Mom and Dad and I can't wait to meet him!!!!