Kara's Adventures in Photography

let the light in

2012-02-09T00:37:00.001-05:00

so last week before we left for our belated honeymoon to jamaica we had insanely good weather here in ky. i still haven't gotten to play with my new lens much, so i used the great light & temperature to snap a few pics of my daughter in our living room. i just opened up the front door and let in the light :-)

sweetness times two!

2012-01-15T16:08:00.000-05:00

i was so excited to have a newborn shoot scheduled for today...for twins! jaxon & jagger were too sweet & cooperated perfectly for little guys who are less than 2 weeks old. i got so many great shots, but i especially love this last one of the boys with their daddy.

first pinterest project complete!

2012-01-06T16:15:00.005-05:00

like so many other people i know right now, i am ALL into pinterest. there are so many great ideas & creative things on there...it's hard not to be inspired! my first attempt at getting crafty turned out much better than i expected.

i wanted to try these because i thought it could be something i could offer my clients if i could get good at it. they are photo coasters! and they really did turn out pretty cool. my mother-in-law helped me with them since she had worked with resin before. after some trial & error (& using WAY too much product when we first started), i think we actually got it down.

i don't agree with how cheap the original pinner claimed it was to make these, but i have no doubt since i've only made them once, i will be able to fine tune it in time.

i am pretty excited to have something fun & different to offer my clients :-)

here is a photo of my first attempt. i did not take these photos of vivian. these are from her one year session in december with michael stepp. he is located in east louisville and has a fantastic studio set up in his basement that i'm totally jealous of. i'm going to make round 2 next week with some of my previous work so i can sharpen my coaster making skills even more!

quitters are never winners

2011-12-30T10:20:00.003-05:00

yeah yeah yeah. i totally spaced on the challenge. 9 days in. so at least i've realized that there is probably no way in heck i'd ever complete the challenge of taking a photo every day for a year. i can't even get through 30 days! in my defense i had alot going on with vivi's first birthday & the holidays. BUT i knew the timing i was choosing, so i am feeling pretty unhappy about not finishing. i am going to pick up where i left off and finish the 30 day challenge. even if it takes me 60 days to do it!

here is the birthday girl on her big day...

day #9 someone that i love

2011-12-14T19:21:00.002-05:00

of course this one was easy. in the aspect of knowing WHO i wanted to photograph. unfortunately, i forgot about today's assignment until naptime & it was dark by the time she woke up-so i didn't get to use the gorgeous light that was available to me this afternoon. *BIG frowny face*

i had to literally get right in front of the television to take this. when her stories are on, she is hard to distract. she was not laughing at me...it was pocoyo that was so darned funny. but her jack-o-lantern grin cracks me up.

little vivi mae is the best part of me. i never knew i could love someone so much.

day #8 a bad habit

2011-12-14T16:57:00.002-05:00

so i snapped this yesterday but i never had time to download or post i had so much going on.
this is def one of my many bad habits...ah but how i love me an ice cold mountain dew :-)

day #7 fruit

2011-12-12T20:41:00.001-05:00

what more is there to say really? i'm just lucky there was any real fruit in my house. otherwise i'd have been taking a photo of canned peaches. which probably wouldn't have looked as cool with todd balancing them on his head.

day #6 high angle

2011-12-11T21:00:00.001-05:00

while i was giving vivi her bottle this afternoon, i looked down and noticed her forcep scar on her forehead. she'll be 1 this week and it's still there. so i decided i wanted to try to photograph it. (and i got her lovely long eyelashes in the process.) i wonder if she'll have that scar her whole life or if it will eventually fade? i kind of like that it's there. it's her battle scar from being born.

already a day behind

2011-12-10T15:04:00.001-05:00

so yesterday i got totally sidetracked because i had my annual girls group christmas party. i baked all day, then had errands, then had to get ready for the party-blah blah blah & meant to take my camera with me to take the photo there-but i completely forgot it when i loaded the car.

then to add insult to injury, i took the wrong photo today! i knew the next two were low angle/high angle and i thought that was the order they were in. wrong. high angle was suppose to be first. but instead...low angle is today & i'll do high angle tomorrow! i'm thinking no one will mind. or probably even notice for that matter.

officially here is day #5 LOW angle

i am really loving this new fixed lens the more i play with it. it looks like i was close to them, but i had to back pretty far away in order to get this much of them in the shot. and i was on the floor & he was standing.

random extra shot thrown in

2011-12-10T02:45:00.001-05:00

i got a new lens today! nothing fancy, but i have been wanting a fixed lens-so when it came this afternoon, i had to try it out right away. and luckily it was lunch time when it was delivered...as you can tell from the photo, vivi was enjoying her black beans & carrots.

day #4

2011-12-09T14:32:00.001-05:00

something green. i love gum. i do not however, care for green gum. it's always what's left in the bottom of my candy bucket after everything else is long gone.

day #3

2011-12-07T17:38:00.001-05:00

clouds. i was concerned all day because there were NO clouds. i was coming up with a back up plan that included cotton balls if you can possibly imagine. my sister & niece ended up stopping by just before sunset & for the first time all day...there were clouds!

so this is carly & the clouds

day #2

2011-12-06T17:42:00.001-05:00

what i wore today. well, i wore sweatpants & a thermal shirt. not a terribly exiting ensemble to photograph. & i was determined not to fudge on my outfit. so i took a picture of my uggs. i wear these at some point EVERY day. these are one of four pairs of uggs that i have at the moment & this pair is probably on it's last legs. i'm kinda sad about it...i bought these while i was pregnant because my feet were so swollen that my other ones were all too tight. before i got these i tried some 'fuggs' for the first time ever, because it was hard to justify spending so much money on a pair i figured (& hoped!) wouldn't fit me after i had the baby. but the fake uggs aka fuggs were just not even remotely the same. knocked up & swollen...i just wanted something to feel good on my feet! once i had these, they were all i wore for months. now they are loose & worn, but they served their purpose well.

my name is kara & i am an ugg-a-holic.

day #1 self portrait

2011-12-05T17:29:00.001-05:00

i hate to come out of the gate bitchin, but i hate self portraits. i do however love my new holiday wreath :-)

new challenge

2011-12-04T16:09:00.001-05:00

a friend of mine who's a photographer challenged herself to take a photo every day for a whole year. and did it! pretty impressive. she posted the pics to her blog & wrote a little something about each photo. i have been considering doing it. i remember when she started she encouraged me to try as well. i am still not sure i am ready. that is a big commitment! BUT i'm going to start here. with this 30 day challenge. starting tomorrow. we will see how that goes & then i'll think about the year one. i like this particular challenge because it gives you a little direction. of course, for that reason alone, the year challenge would be much more difficult. but you know what they say...you gotta crawl before you walk.
see you tomorrow with pic #1!

rub a dub dub, vivi in the tub

2011-11-28T23:05:00.001-05:00

i def do not photograph my own child like i thought i would. i have been meaning to take bath time photos of her forever because she LOVES her bath sooooo much. mainly this is because i am always the one giving her the bath. but tonight i twisted her daddy's arm, so that i could snap some shots of her. she is getting so big. i can hardly believe in just a few weeks she will be a year old. it seems like just 5 minutes ago i was in the hospital having her. everyone tells you to enjoy every second because it goes by so fast. everyone is right. and i truly make it a point to soak it all in, because i realize that in the blink of an eye she'll be grown.

mollie makes 5

2011-11-28T09:30:00.001-05:00

this family just got home a couple of weeks ago from adopting their 5th child-mollie, from china. she was so sweet, i could've taken her home with me! all of the kids were just darling actually. usually the number of children in a family photo tends to add to the complication of the shoot, but with this crew, it really didn't!

mason

2011-11-28T09:26:00.001-05:00

such a cutie patootie!!

noah

2011-11-20T23:56:00.001-05:00

such a sweet family :-) and what about noah there with those big baby blues...he was a hoot!

fall fun ya'll

2011-11-04T16:23:00.000-04:00

for this session i actually went out to fredricksburg where the family lives to shoot. we had another location chosen, but that day, it ended up not working out & i'm glad-because the backdrop we ended up with was beautiful! the first image shows it. i did no editing on this photo at all. the color is completely natural.

let's just talk about elise's freckles. they are flat out amazing. i LOVE freckles! oh my gosh & adam with those big baby blues. talk about a heartbreaker...

of course leaves are the favorite background/prop in october ;-)

his expression says it all

happy halloween

2011-10-31T09:16:00.001-04:00

from me & my lil turkey!

marlee is 3. (and a half!)

2011-10-29T19:16:00.000-04:00

and sooo dang cute!

this is her big brother patrick. marlee LOVES her some patrick! what about his manley football pose, that he struck all on his own? love it.

they have such a sweet relationship & i love how this image captures it.

bloomin flowers

2011-10-29T11:57:00.000-04:00

this is another family i have been fortunate enough to watch grow...these sweet little girlies are sophia & piper the first time i photographed them in may of 2009.

here they are now...

piper has especially grown up since i last saw her. she was just a baby when i photographed them before! but now there is a new baby sister in town...meet harlow :-)

all 3 girls are just darling. mama & daddy are pretty cute themselves, so it's no wonder they have such beauties. i had such a fun time with them playing & taking their photos. well, with the exception of poor harlow being a little traumatized over a horse we were going to have her sit on. she did not like that horse. not one bit. as you can see.

i love watching families grow!

2011-10-19T15:31:00.001-04:00

it is such a wonderful opportunity to shoot each & every family i photograph. but i especially love it when i get to see some of the same families year after year & see how they've grown. here is a photo of the first time i photographed shawn, sara, lucas & libby, just 2 years ago, right after lucas was born...i still love this image so much. the baby is so teeny & libby is looking right a the camera. sarah looks amazing just days after giving birth & shawn has the "new proud daddy" look. love it!

and here they are now, expecting bambino #2. i am so in awe that they haven't found out the sex of the baby. they found out the first time & decided to let it be a surprise this round. i would love to do that, but i couldn't stand the suspense! i think this image of lucas reaching up & touching her belly is so sweet. & that shawn gently has his hand on the baby bump too-still the proud daddy.

lucas has gotten so big i can hardly believe it. & he is ALL BOY. so much fun & loves his tractors. he was a busy boy with his tractors. he did make time to sit down for me...for a minute...when i showed him the sucker in my pocket. sugar. the way to every kid's heart ;-) or at least a way to get them to sit for a minute or so. lucas had things to do & i was totally interrupting him. but thanks to the suckers, i got a couple of sweet pics.

our viv

2011-10-13T11:52:00.000-04:00

so i just realized i haven't posted any pics of my own baby in almost 4 months. my daughter, vivian, will be 10 months next week. every month since she was born i've taken her photo on the 17th of the month (her birthday is dec 17th) so that i have monthly documentation of her first year. thank goodness i've been doing this because otherwise, i rarely get out my camera & take pics of her! bad mom. i take tons on my phone but hardly any with my camera. kind of ironic isn't it? here she is...

8 months

9 months

we are so lucky to have such a healthy & HAPPY girl :-)

not for the faint of heart...or fearer of heights!

2011-10-05T09:48:00.000-04:00

the past couple of days i worked at the icuee (the international construction and utility equipment exposition) in louisville. mostly i just work as paparazzi at the evening parties one of the large companies host, but yesterday i was lucky enough to work the actual show photographing the booth. which meant i got to go up in one of the highest bucket trucks out there & snap a few pics! they only have clearance of 150 ft because, being so close to the airport, if they go any higher it affects the radars at standford field. it was awesome to get such a cool view of the city! but i will tell you, that little bucket sways in the wind & if you're remotely afraid of heights, the ride up alone could cause a panic attack.

bird's eye view of the show

ye old ky kingdom

downtown in the distance

here you can get more of an idea exactly

HOW high up we were-check out the guys

below us in this other bucket

carlie 6 months

2011-10-03T12:07:00.001-04:00

earlier this year, i took newborn shots of carlie...seriously one of the most gorgeous newborns i have ever laid my eyes on.
click here to see that session:
http://kararuckerphotography.blogspot.com/2011/05/sweet-carlie.html

a couple of weeks ago i was able to to photograph her for her 6 month photos & she's of course still crazy cute. & she has such a fun little personality! bless her heart, carlie, along with her parents & i, endured some serious humidity to get these photos. & she hung in there without any major meltdowns-which is alot to ask from a 6 month old.

see how she's grown...

beautiful sunday

2011-10-03T11:26:00.001-04:00

the theme for yesterday was beautiful. it was a beautiful day, beautiful place & beautiful families i was photographing. i am blown away with all the gorgeous places at bernheim to shoot. every time i go, i find a new spot or 2 i haven't seen before. i feel like i could go there every day for 2 weeks & find something new daily! so keeping within the theme here are some of the 'beauts' from yesterday ;-)

i'm such a blogging slacker

2011-09-26T23:13:00.001-04:00

i am. i know i am.

i had a great weekend shooting, but i can't seem to get caught up editing on the photos i've already taken! i overshoot so much, that choosing what to delete gets harder & harder. i know it's a good thing that i get so many great images that it's hard to decide-but it makes the process so much longer. ugh! i am determined to give the best set of pics i can to each family i photograph. so i hope they understand & that the few extra days turnaround time, makes it worth the wait!

here are a few of my favorite images from the weekend at bernheim :-)

shelby's senior pics

2011-09-13T19:41:00.003-04:00

ok. ok. so she's beautiful & fabulously photogenic
...which def makes my job a little easier.
but i just love how fun these pics are!

ready for fall!

2011-09-05T17:38:00.002-04:00

this cool weather has got me jonesin for fall. it's my favorite time of year to shoot. there is nothing like beautiful ky weather as a back drop.

hadley is 3

2011-08-17T00:15:00.005-04:00

so i've had the privilege of photographing hadley each year on her birthday. if it's possible...she just gets cuter! it is so much fun to be able to watch her grow up before my eyes.

sarah's senior pics :-)

2011-07-29T09:08:00.001-04:00

it's a...

2011-07-28T00:32:00.002-04:00

boy! i loved photographing matt & anne thomas with her
baby boy bump ;-) i love how clean & simple the images
are...yet they still convey the sweetness between the
two of them.

monica & her beautiful boys :-)

2011-07-22T21:04:00.003-04:00

good friends

2011-06-29T00:48:00.002-04:00

this is my dear friend dan holding vivian...she LOVED his
hat. she's wearing the beatles onesie he got her. he wants
to get this girl started on the classics from the jump. i love
how they're looking at each other. just a sweet moment.

my vivi is 6 months

2011-06-20T11:50:00.002-04:00

with the daddy on father's day :-)

girlfriends

2011-06-13T16:30:00.002-04:00

i love this. i photographed a group of girls who've been long

time friends, with their children. of course when you're

photographing a group this size with this many little ones,

you can pretty much expect it will be hard to rope all the

kids into looking at the camera at the same time. but that's

always fine with me...it's more realistic & adds to the dynamic

of the photo :-)

summa summa

2011-06-04T23:10:00.003-04:00

well so far summer is so hot, it's ruining my photography appointments! little ones do not do well in 90 degree weather, so i've been forced to postpone several appointments until it cools down some. it bums me out, but i'd much rather wait until the weather is conducive to getting some great shots.

until then, i will be happy photographing the subject i have on hand. today we fed viv baby food for the first time. sweet potatoes to be exact. you can tell from the photo how it went! so tomorrow we are going to give carrots a go.

where is the pot of gold?

2011-05-23T19:38:00.004-04:00

oh how i wished i had my good camera with me

on saturday!! luckily i was able to snap a

pic with my camera phone...when i got home

my neighbor & her daughter were walking

in the rain, they had walked to try to find

the end of the rainbow. i guess we're all just lookin'

for that pot of gold!

surprise favorites

2011-05-17T23:51:00.002-04:00

so as i'm sure every photographer does, i have a specific way i go about editing. when i am done with a session i have to look through it immediately. i mark all my initial 'favorites' & do some basic deleting (eyes shut, etc). then i generally wait a day or two before i look at them again. in this case it's been almost a week since i've seen these images. which is unheard of for me, but i am behind! always when i go back that second time, i come across images i LOVE. & i think to myself, 'how did i miss this the first time?' i love those surprises. this is one of them.

my viv is 5 months today :-)

2011-05-17T21:31:00.003-04:00

Phone blogging

2011-05-16T23:22:00.005-04:00

ok, so this could be dangerous...i'm blogging from my phone! i'm probably a little behind the times realizing i can do this, but better late than never :-) this is one of my fave phone pics of vivi...it is from one of the first times i was able to hold her. bless her little heart, she was a little beat up. she had a hard time getting here!

alec is 1!

2011-05-16T15:21:00.004-04:00

alec is the baby of the family with 2 big brothers, david & dawson. i photographed both of them for their 1 year photos & a few weeks ago it was alec's turn! isn't he beautiful? he was such a happy boy & such a joy to shoot.

sydney jean

2011-05-15T10:47:00.004-04:00

what a sugar plum! she was soooo sweet. awake & alert the whole shoot.
totally oblivious to the costume changes. miss sydney is already a totally
fashionable girl, i have no doubt there will be lots of costume changes in her future ;-)
her big brother was so cute and excited about baby sis. he was especially proud of
their 'big brother/little sister' shirts.

happy birthday mabel & james

2011-05-14T20:39:00.004-04:00

they are the big #3! and FUNNY FUNNY. their birthday
party was today & the theme was princess & dinosaurs.
and let me tell ya, it was a princess & dinosaur free for
all! the whole time i was taking these pictures, mabel
wanted to kiss james & he was just rolled with the
punches. i think mabel is probably the boss of both of
her brothers...at least she thinks she is!

greyson turns 2

2011-05-12T15:48:00.000-04:00

this is my nephew greyson & i really can't believe he's 2! it seems like just yesterday i photographed him in the hospital when he was born. he's so much like my brother it's almost frightening. but he's such a cute little booger :-) so full of energy...& so much fun!!
2 is a hard age to photograph generally. when you have one that's as busy as greyson you might as well just put on your running shoes. thankfully i was able to keep up long enough to get some good shots of him.

john ross

2011-05-12T15:17:00.000-04:00

isn't he handsome?! how could he not be? mom & dad
are pretty cute themselves. i love that first pic...he's so
chill! & check out those chubby piggies. such a sweet
family :-)

boys rule

2011-05-12T15:03:00.000-04:00

i have been photographing liz & rick since she was first
pregnant with cooper (her oldest) & their family just
gets more beautiful every time i see them! the boys are
so much fun & baby jack was such a jolly little thing. i love
being able to shoot the same families over the years so
that i can see how they grow :-)

my how motherhood changes things...

2011-05-09T22:55:00.002-04:00

my first mother's day...

since i became pregnant it seems like photography has

taken a back seat to everything else. and now that i'm a

momma, the direction i want to go with photography has

really almost become a nod to my past...to where i started.

i first studied photography in college. i majored in photo

journalism & loved working with film in the darkroom.

over the past few years, digital has overtaken film & it's

practically antique. i felt this immense pressure to learn

how to do all this insane photoshopping to 'keep up' with the cool kids.

i also had a really strong desire to

push myself artistically from an internal place.

i just don't feel that any more. obviously, i still want to

learn & grow & be creative! i have

SUCH a respect for the photographers out there who

get it right & do amazing things with it. a beautiful

image is a beautiful image & i love seeing what others

can do...especially the people who push

boundaries & make amazing art. but it's just

not who i am as a photographer. it was a fun adventure!

but i an fulfilled in a different way now. i truly want to get my images

right through my lens. i want the natural. i have decided

that i am going to do what i have always done & hopefully

continue to grow & evolve with every shoot.

i know in my heart that it's the place for me & my work.
and the new adventure begins...

cousins

2011-05-09T22:47:00.002-04:00

my cousin dana & i are almost 5 months to the day apart
in age. so i ironic our first daughters are almost exactly 2
months apart. it's so much fun seeing them together!
here are our girls vivi & aracelli :-)

sweet carlie

2011-05-09T22:19:00.008-04:00

now i'm the first to tell you, all babies are beautiful. but carlie was an especially cute little bug.

Summer in the spring...

2011-04-19T21:02:00.004-04:00

my faves of vivi :-)

2011-04-15T14:35:00.004-04:00

so when you have a subject constantly on hand...it's hard to maintain control.

new inspiration

2011-02-03T00:21:00.002-05:00

on december 17th my eyes were opened to a whole new world.

i became a mama :-) vivian mae was born & i am truly inspired.

sweet emery

2010-08-24T23:38:00.007-04:00

emery was SO sweet! very typical of her age, she was quite the busy bee & like all little ones it was go go go-but her disposition stood out to me so much because she was just so kind & gentle.

i'm tryin...i'm really really tryin!

2010-08-23T22:28:00.003-04:00

but i am just not keeping up the blog like i intended to! ugh! i am frustrating myself here. i did so well the first year, but alas, i can't beat myself up. what is done is done. what i can do is try to catch up...

this is annabelle, she was too much fun. ( & everyone knows i love me a redhead!) i have known her mama since grade school so i was super tickled to get to see her little one & take her 1 year pics.

hadley turns 2

2010-07-26T23:48:00.004-04:00

i photographed hadley for her 1st birthday last year & was so excited when i got the call for her 2 year photos. she is such a little bird...as you can see from the pics ;-)

hot mama!

2010-06-23T22:33:00.005-04:00

literally. the hottest day we've had all year & i had a maternity session scheduled. god love this family-they stuck it out! and we got some great pics :-) here are a few of my faves:

mabel & james turn 2

2010-06-19T23:37:00.005-04:00

i love that i've been photographing the twins since they
were born. big brother noah too, for that matter! it is so
amazing to watch your friend's children grow...and even
more fun for me to be the one who gets to document it :-)

back to bloggin...hopefully :-)

2010-06-19T23:35:00.001-04:00

ok, so i've been neglectful of my blog. in my defense, i've had a lot goin on these days! but it's no excuse...& i'm planning to be better about posting. i've had a few recent shoots lately so i'm going to share a few of my faves from the sessions...

pretty as a picture

2010-04-24T14:59:00.000-04:00

spring has sprung!

2010-04-01T23:22:00.005-04:00

and i'm right out of the gate with some sweet new pics.
today i photographed emma (who is just a week old) & her big
brother dane. nothing like 2 cuties to get me started off
on the right foot with spring sessions :-)

greyson

2010-03-21T03:44:00.003-04:00

i stopped at my brother's today & picked up my camera for the first time in awhile. i haven't been feeling terribly inspired the past few months. i am hoping the warmer weather gets the creative juices flowin...but i think this was a great little start to getting re-inspired. this is my nephew & brother. grey is such a dollbaby! and i'm not just saying that as a proud aunt (although i am). he's happy as a little lark & giggles all the time. there is no sweeter sound than a baby laughing.

sunday

2010-03-09T18:52:00.003-05:00

i went to the zoo with my friend kari &

her kiddos...snapped a few pics :-)

gettin that itch...

2010-03-05T22:07:00.003-05:00

yay it's finally SUNNY in kentucky & all this warmth & sunshine is getting me pumped for spring shoots! be prepared, i will be posting my new sessions to the blog as they come :-)

first post for 2010

2010-02-21T11:39:00.002-05:00

the cold hinders my shooting so much since i really prefer to shoot outdoors. but yesterday i got lucky with a little warmth! which was timed perfectly, because i went to visit my cousin dana, to see her new boys. she & her husband traveled to ethiopia a few weeks ago to adopt their sons joshua & jeremiah. the kids were so sweet & loving-just adorable!

2009 comes to a close

2009-12-29T23:45:00.004-05:00

i have had such a great year with my passion of photography! i am looking forward to all the new endeavors 2010 will bring. and i will do my best to keep everyone 'posted' on what i'm up to!
thank you to everyone who has believed in me, encouraged me & allowed me into your world to photograph your beautiful families. i appreciate your support SO much!
i have many favorites from this past year, but here are just a few i particularly loved :-)

santy smokes a pipe?

2009-12-25T01:01:00.002-05:00

i just love these old postcards- merry christmas! i hope everyone enjoys this time with
their friends & loved ones.

it's beginning to look alot like christmas!

2009-12-13T01:00:00.005-05:00

these are my beautiful neices...who are growing up so fast.

the adams boys

2009-12-05T17:59:00.003-05:00

i think brothers can sometimes be especially cute :-)

just kickin it

2009-12-03T01:03:00.004-05:00

i snapped this by chance in between shoots one day at tyler park.

i just liked the shot.

the taylors

2009-11-25T00:59:00.004-05:00

silly string!

2009-11-21T17:57:00.002-05:00

sunny day:senior pics

2009-11-20T23:40:00.005-05:00

how cute is carley? she seriously has
the best dimples EVER.

welcome to the world lucas :-)

2009-11-15T15:04:00.004-05:00

little libby stealin the show in this one!

d's senior pics

2009-11-14T22:17:00.002-05:00

this is me with my nephew dylan. he was born my senior
year of high school & now, he's a senior. that makes me...
old.

i love the 'hawk!

brothers

2009-11-08T20:23:00.000-05:00

sarah & lily

2009-11-08T20:02:00.001-05:00

boys will be boys

2009-11-08T18:41:00.005-05:00

so much fun...

& they can be awfully sweet!

i LOVE chubby cheeks!!

2009-11-08T18:09:00.003-05:00

i photographed this family last fall. the girls are just darling & since last year they have added a boy into the mix & he has the best cheeks ever...i mean how much do you just want to pinch 'em?!

it's my favorite time of year to shoot!

2009-11-07T23:46:00.004-05:00

these gals were faboosh!

2009-11-01T21:44:00.003-05:00

but then...you can tell that from the pics ;-)

happy halloween!

2009-10-31T15:32:00.002-04:00

i love this vintage photograph...it would be so much fun
to re-create it!

i just love this...

2009-10-30T22:21:00.002-04:00

i read this today & something about it really struck me. i just had to share...

"The time will come
when, with elation,
you will greet yourself arriving
at your own door, in your own mirror,
and each will smile at the other's welcome
and say, sit here. Eat.
You will love again the stranger who was your self.
Give wine. Give bread. Give back your heart
to itself, to the stranger who has loved you
all your life, whom you have ignored
for another..."

-Derek Walcott, Collected Poems

sophia grows up

2009-10-26T22:30:00.004-04:00

this is sophia when i first photographed
her in november of last year. she
had the best baby cheeks!

this is sophia now...so big! and such big beautiful eyes.

i love when i have the opportunity to photograph
families as they grow :-)

caysen

2009-10-25T01:36:00.002-04:00

i photographed caysen's mama RIGHT
before she was born & i was so excited
to see her! i'll have to say she is one
chill bambino-just like her folks ;-)

sweet eva

2009-10-21T22:35:00.003-04:00

look at those perfect little baby lips!

love me

2009-10-21T21:57:00.003-04:00

you know, i am really coming into an appreciation of the way i see things. i went through this phase where i wanted to try to expand myself creatively to this more "artistic" place...and i still would like to do that. i want to learn & push anytime i can. but lately i have just begun to realize that the way i see things is special too. trite but true, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. you can take 3 images & show them to 50 people & ask each person which image they are drawn to the most & you will get a mixture of response. it causes a struggle when i am shooting & editing because my goal is for my client to love the images as much or more than i do. part of what i do is to create something beautiful for THEM. so i am always trying to step out of what i am drawn to in the images & think about what they will be drawn to. after all, i'm shooting someone THEY love. but in the end, i can only produce images i find pleasing. i am drawn to what i love, just by nature. those images that are full of emotion...excitement in the eyes...or even sadness or anger. it's about a moment for me, rather than a look. although sometimes a moment IS a look.

all i know is i am loving what i do, more & more. i don't feel like i'm an 'artist' as much as i'd like to call myself that. i wish i could think that way & i hate to use the word CAN'T, but it just doesn't feel like it fits me. i feel like more of a journalist...documenting moments. that feels right to me.

i am making a list of new ways i want to challenge myself & goals i want to achieve. ahhh...so much to do! but i am excited :-)

fall fun x 2

2009-10-19T23:38:00.001-04:00

fall fun

2009-10-18T21:14:00.003-04:00

jennifer & pat

2009-10-11T21:38:00.005-04:00

it's fall ya'll

2009-10-07T20:40:00.004-04:00

and i am ready for all of the upcoming shoots i have scheduled! here are a few of my faves from this time last year :-)

girls girls girls

2009-09-30T18:12:00.004-04:00

it's been a sad day

2009-09-24T22:32:00.005-04:00

For the soul of every living thing is in the hand of God.
-Job 12:10

my dear friend's little dog lola passed away. i am so

heartbroken. she was my, 'dog niece' & i just adored

her. she was the funniest little thing. she had this one

crazy tooth that stuck out, we affectionately named it

her snaggle tooth, i loved it! we often joked that she had

a face only a mother could love...but her aunt kara loved

her too.

to me she was beautiful.

she will be terribly missed.

carson

2009-09-21T18:58:00.001-04:00

don't worry. be happy.

2009-09-21T18:43:00.003-04:00

i have realized over the past several months that i seem to be the kind of person who is creatively inspired by happiness. now most artists (not that i totally consider myself an artist...i think of myself more as a visualist. is that even a real word?) ok i'll generalize here & say lots of artistic 'types' i've known are inspired as much by pain & anguish as they are by happiness...or sometimes they are inspired only by pain. but for me, when i am sad, mad...or especially blah, i just don't have that spark that i have when i'm in that blissfully happy state we achieve at different times throughout our lives. this doesn't really affect my work or the way i see things when i'm shooting, but it seems to affect my ability to come up with new ideas or new things i want to photograph. or it keeps me from getting excited about ideas & wanting to push myself creatively. damn. i hate that!

i feel like there is this eb & flow in my life right now where people seem to be coming...and going. i have always been a firm believer that people come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime. it's just waiting it out to see what part they play. i guess, sometimes people surprise me. and i'll have to say, it's disappointing when someone ends up being a season or a reason when you thought they'd be a lifer. but i believe everyone you allow into your own little world teaches you something, sometimes the lesson just isn't revealed until later down the road. but it's the damnedest thing to feel like you're sitting around scratchin your head thinkin.."wait, what just happened?"

aaahhhh...

2009-09-13T01:12:00.003-04:00

i've finally finished editing this session from a couple of weeks ago. the kids had so much personality! i'm glad i was able to capture it...

emily & drew

2009-09-04T22:53:00.001-04:00

sweet girls

2009-09-02T19:53:00.001-04:00