I'm No Dumbie Cause I Got Smarties!

This is Isabel and her sister Chaney- two beautiful little girls that I have so loved to watch grow up!  I particularly love to take these girls portraits because their dad is a dentist, and I love to watch his face as I pump straight up sugar in the form of Smarties in his babies' mouths throughout a sitting!  I feel certain he brings a tooth brush and floss to clean after every session.  But I know these girls' currency- CANDY!  And as a current sugar addict myself, I love watching these children endulge in what I feel certain is a most forbidden delicacy in their home...totally non-nutritional, cavity provoking, smile- ensuring C.A.N.D.Y!  What great smiles we got at this sitting and what precious portraits they'll enjoy...totally worth the cavities, don't you think?!  Of course, at Chaney's age sometimes it can get frustrating when the flow of Smarties is not as rapid as she would prefer.  One of the key taglines for my business is 'True Emotion.'  And anyone who has a three year old knows the true emotion shown below.  I laughed as soon as I saw this portrait because it reminded me of portrait I took of her two years ago...notice her bow on the ground by her feet...that is after she grabbed it out of her hair and threw it down in frustration!  This girl's got attitude and I LOVE it!   

A Slightly Stressful Sitting

A common question posed to me when people come to my house is, "Who takes YOUR pictures?!"  Obviously I can't take the picture AND be in it at the same time (afterall it is nearly impossible to be the mom and photographer during a single shoot much less the subject too!)  The answer is professional photographers get OTHER professional photographers to take their portraits!  Usually it is done as a professional courtesy so it is a great perk in the business!  Until another professional photographer calls you to take THEIR portraits...then it is STRESSFUL!  These portraits are of a good friend of mine and a wonderful photographer here in Auburn- Brooke Dilworth.  Many of you may know her name because I oftentimes refer folks to her if I am unavailable or they are looking for a handtinted portrait...she is a super talented photographer!  Now understand, NOTHING did Brooke do to make this sitting stressful...it was totally me!  Afterall, most moms are happy if they can just get a portrait of a moving child in focus, but when another professional photographer is looking at portraits of their own baby, you want to make it perfect!  You want to have the lighting right and the posing correct and the color just so... and OF COURSE it must be in FOCUS!  To add to the stress, some of these portraits were going to be printed in East Alabama Living Magazine...ugh!  I said a fervent prayer on the way to this sitting!  Of course, it turned out great because Brooke and Michael are such easy people to work with, and Thomas is a doll!  As Brooke and I looked at the portraits together after the sitting, it reminded me of a very important fact I too have experienced after looking at portraits of my children- you're a mom FIRST and a photographer second!  THANKFULLY!  So if the color wasn't perfect, or the lighting wasn't perfect or the posing wasn't perfect, it didn't really matter because her little boy was!  P.S.  Love this last portrait of Thomas by the door...looks like he is pondering God's glory as he looks up at Heaven...in reality, his dad was at the top of the hill with M&M's!   I guess to a little child M&M's are a form of Heaven on earth!  :-)

Something to look forward to...

Well the day after Mary Charles' portrait sitting when I was feeling rather nostalgic about the passing of time, I spent time with this lovely family. With the children being 9 years, 13 years and 14 years old, it was a vastly different sitting than with younger children. Talking to the mom, she shared with me that she has really enjoyed her children at this age because they can interact on a totally different level than when they were little. So true...amazing that when you ask them to turn this way or that way or smile more or less, they actually understand! I asked her and sure enough she didn't have to buckle in even one of her kids or pack a diaper bag or find a sippy cup before she left the house! It served as a great reminder that sometimes it is difficult to know that a phase in your life is passing, but there are more fun times to come too! So while I will still have a touch of sadness knowing that I won't hear the quick patter of little feet running to my bedroom at 6:00 a.m. on Saturday mornings for much longer, I now will smile a bit dreaming about the day there won't be the quick patter of little feet running to my bedroom at 6:00 a.m. on Saturday mornings!

Growing Up!

So Mary Charles has a very special place in my heart! I have taken portraits of Mary Charles since she was a wee little newborn. To see her at three years old has just been amazing to me! What a beautiful little girl she has become and even more importantly what a sweet little heart she has. As I watched her play and pose and dance it made me think about how quickly time passes with children. They change so much in such a short amount of time. What a gift it is to be able to watch them grow up! I love this first portrait because it really showed how happy she was this day...just delightful the whole session. The second portrait got me because she looked so graceful and lady-like in it...it just gave me a glimpse of what she will look like as she gets older. And the last one, well, I loved the motion in the portrait...she was walking away and something about the flow of her dress and the movement in her feet...it just felt so vintage...so I added a little texture just to enhance that feel. Sort of nostalgic I guess...makes me wonder, where does the time go? How can I make sure I savor each moment? Kids don't look back...they just grow up...fast...too fast! I have to just remind myself of my favorite quote by none other than Dr. Seuss, "Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened." As our kids grow up, I think our natural instinct is to mourn each passing stage, but instead we should be joyful that we got to experience yet another piece of a miracle. Children truly are a gift from God!

What a Combination!

Red hair, curls AND dimples...it doesn't get any better than this! This is Carter, and I must admit I was a little worried about how this session would go since the first time I met him he didn't seem to be too comfortable with me. But oh, the power of M&M's! At the end of our first visit, I gave him some M&M's to tell him thank you for coming to my house...his mother told me he talked about it for days! And when he showed up to our portrait session he was ready to put on a show! I have a ton of great portraits to show his parents but these two just really caught my eye! The first one is captivating with his eyes... it just looks like you could peer into his little heart. And his precious red hair against that green grass just pops with color. I could hang this portrait in MY house! What a cutie! The other portrait shows off that dimple and those curls! The rim lighting on his little face just outlines the joy that is so evident from his enormous smile! What a joy this little boy was to take portraits of!

Itty Bitty and Oh so sleepy!

I've been asked what is my favorite age to photograph- this is a difficult question because each age has its own special part that I love. However, I must admit that photographing a newborn would certainly be in the running for my favorite of favorites! The key to getting great portraits of a newborn is getting the portraits in the first two weeks...when he is itty bitty and oh so sleepy! Colt's session was rescheduled due to some bad weather so I was a little scared that we had missed the opportunity. But, no sir, he was a perfect angel! I love this first portrait because it looks like something you would see of a baby still in the womb...probaby what he looked like in his mommy's belly not too long ago! This second portrait is classic...Colt looks so snuggly...THIS is what the saying is talking about when they say "Sleeping like a baby!" Oh, he looks so comfy and secure! Lastly, the portrait of a new family...oh, this just gives me chills because when I tell a new mom or dad to look down at their baby, that is all you have to say...their expressions say the rest! A miracle in their arms!

Four Under Four!

Whew, yes, yesterday's session was with four kids under four (cousins): Dorsey & Blair who are each three years old, Clyde who is close to two & Robert who is right at one year old. And to top things off, it was COLD! Truly a lot to ask of kids this age, but they came through for us! Actually, watching the two three years old made me realize just how poorly behaved my own children really were at this age- these two were so cooperative! Now, Clyde had some other plans for the day and was not really interested in getting that 16x20 canvas portrait his mom was looking for... but in his defense it was dinner time, he was overseas (they live in London), he was in a jon-jon, and did I say yet, it was COLD!? To back things up a bit, when his sister Blair was this age we took a PRECIOUS portrait of her in this location looking intently at, in her words, "an angel!" (It was actually a bride, but I must agree the bride could have passed for an angel gliding through the rose garden at Botanical Gardens!) Anywho, the canvas was gorgeous and the story behind it was priceless. So enter Clyde's portrait... we were under a lot of pressure to get something as telling of him at this age (and their residence over seas would not offer us a second chance, even if it was COLD!) So we were trying everything...we got some super expressions but nothing that told the story like Blair's portrait. And then an hour into the session, cold and tired, Clyde's mom decided to leave the scene to see if that would help. Clyde was none too happy to see his mom leave but luckily his grandfather was there, and it was then that the magic happened. His grandfather, as only a grandfather can do, started patiently talking with his grandson. With a toy baseball in hand he slowly tossed the ball to the little boy as Clyde watched and listened to his grandfather's instruction with the same intrigue as his sister had experienced with 'the angel' years before. So, the lighting in this portrait of Clyde is beautiful, the composure of the scene is inviting, but knowing that the little boy is looking up to none only than his revered grandfather makes the portrait priceless! Who'd have thought!
I love the other portrait of the little boy and his grandfather's hand as well...what a stark contrast the youthful hand plays with his elder's... with a baseball bridging the age gap. Really neat! Lastly, the portrait of the cousins walking away. In all honesty, there really isn't anything super about the actual composure of the portrait... it was actually totally candid as we were walking from one part of the gardens to the other. The reason I loved this was personal . These cousins are six months apart in age. I too have a cousin that I grew up with that is about six months younger than me...we always lived miles apart but even to this day we can get together and it seems not a moment of time has passed. As I watched these cousins walk away, I saw a glimpse into my own personal past. Which is one reason I love photography so much... a portrait is more than good lighting, it is more than leading lines and balanced composure... it tells a story...maybe a different story to whoever is looking at it at the time. For me, this portrait took me back and made me thank God for a friendship afforded me through simply the gift of a cousin!

Mommy and Me

So this is Jack! And yes, he IS as cute in person as he looks in these portraits! However, as many of you know, at 18 months old, separation anxiety sets in, and Jack wanted to make sure the whole time that his mommy wasn't going anywhere! The thing I like about 18 month olds is the fact that what you see is what you get! They don't get the bribing thing yet so there are no coerced smiles...when you capture the smile of an 18 month old you know he was HAPPY! And thus the sincere joy you see in Jack's eyes in his portraits. In contrast, I love the portrait of Jack with his mom. What I love most is the look of comfort in his eyes. This was at the end of the session and Jack had had enough. He wanted his Mommy and when she kneeled down to comfort him, he immediately settled down. As long as he could feel his mom at his side, he wouldn't cry because he knew he was safe. Wow, as a mom I am amazed that I am the person my kids ultimately rely for total comfort...scary in a way since I still feel like I am 'playing mommy' sometimes. When do you actually FEEL like the wise mom that will always be able to take care of things? I wonder! Guess for now, we as moms need to realize that as difficult as it is to be the one called Mommy, we hold a little heart in our hands whether we feel capable or not!

Meet Cannon

So, if you ask me of one time in a baby's life you HAVE to get their portrait made, I will say once they start sitting up but before they are crawling! What a precious time because they are so amused with anyone who is willing to entertain them! Cannon was a perfect example of this! I have 100 other jolly portraits we took this day I could have posted...he was so happy! And when you see a baby smile with such simple, pure joy, you can't help but smile and giggle back! What a great lesson in life to remember!!! Anthony J. D'Angelo once wrote "Smile, it is the key that fits the lock of everybody's heart." Cannon definitely unlocked my heart this day!

Welcome to My Black Hole

Okay, first I gave in to Facebook and now a BLOG!  What has become of my life!  :-)  Actually, I have wanted to create a blog for sometime but didn't really know how...and still don't really know the ins and outs, so be patient with me.  (Does this show my age, or what?!  Thirty-something for sure!)  Anywho, I hope to use this blog to share not only my photography experience with everyone but also my mom experiences.  So beware, I have said it before and I'll say it again:  I am a black hole of chaos!  If anyone gets near me I'll suck them into the chaos as well!  Sooo, welcome to my world, my chaos, my life!  :-)