Family "Matters"

I hope I am not the only photographer who finds it a million times harder to photograph my own family than clients....especially my son! I wanted to take a picture of my parents and all three grandchildren while the "California Cousins" were in town...but well, it didn't quite work out like I hoped.

California Cousins

We are so excited to have our family from California visiting for a week, so my son and I decided to head down to my parents for a little California Love!

Here's a few pictures of the kids having fun today in the sprinklers at Grandma and Grandpa's house.

My son surveying the situation at hand.

More fun than out of a cup I guess.

Just in case the other side tastes different.


Yes son, you do have to share with your cousin and I AM watching you!

See what happens when you share?

My cutie patootie niece!



And my handsome nephew...mohawk and all!

Special thanks to Grandma and Grandpa for putting up with us all!

Jennifer + Jerry's Slideshow

Click on the title of this post to see Jen and Jerry's slideshow.

Thirty something years ago today...

My wonderful parents welcomed me into the world! What a ride it has been...ups and downs and everything in between. I can't wait to see what is around the next turn.

What do I want for my birthday you ask? I want the people who check out my blog to let me know who you are. I know you're out there, I have a stat counter to prove there are lots of you, but I can't tell who you are or how you found me...so on this very special day in my life, leave me a comment...how about a first name and what city you live in?

I must sound desperate asking for comments, but you start to feel like you are talking to yourself and posting pictures for yourself after a while...and well, that's just weird!

Updated! Jennifer + Jerry

I had a wonderful time sharing in the celebration of the marriage of Jennifer and Jerry this past Friday at Eagle Eye Golf Course. There were so many personal, handmade details that were a special part of the day and I am sure the guests noticed how much love and thought was put into them. We had a blast exploring the golf course after the ceremony since both Jerry and Jenn are VIPs at Eagle Eye. There are a lot of images so turn up your favorite tunes and pretend it is a slideshow as you scroll down!

Special thanks to Abby for coming to shoot with me! I really appreciated your help and can't wait to see your images.

Congratulations you guys!










Can you name the dance?


Just in case I miss my son while photographing a wedding for a full day...I try to scope out the kids to see what they are up to!

Jenn requested a few images at sunset. I would have stolen them away from the party anyway if she hadn't made the request. While I try to do new things with couples at their weddings, I can't resist this shot...I suppose it is becoming my "signature" shot at Eagle Eye since I take it every time I am there. The colors of the sunset, lines of the staircase and silhouette are just too cool to pass up.

But this might be my new favorite shot!

Summer

Nothing fancy, just trying to build up my wrist strength with the new lens.

I am having trouble with images disappearing and showing up as narrow boxes. Will someone let me know if they can see the images in the post below? I can only see the one with the airplane.

I've got you now my pretty!

Okay, maybe "cutie" is more fitting than "pretty" but my latest photography investment has made it a little bit easier for me to hide from my son and still get close-ups of him. It's a yummy but heavy (for me...I am a wimp with weak hand joints) Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 IS lens and after only using it for a few minutes, I am in love!

Here are a few shots from today.

A boy and his trains...don't disturb them!

Oh my...first a binkie that won't leave his mouth...now this?
And a trip to the park. Thank goodness for sticks and water!
And airplanes.

Warm and fuzzy!

Photography isn't what I went to school for...in fact, you might be surprised if I told you what I did go to school for. (Don't you blog lurkers who know me suddenly pipe up and spill the beans either!)

So despite my numerous posts, putting my photographs out for the "world" to see, I am very critical and shy about my skills as a photographer. So it really means a lot to me when I get such nice feedback from clients. Both Rachel's and Julian's sent me such nice emails recently about the photographs of their children and I just wanted them to know how much I appreciate the feedback!

So as a small token of my appreciation, here are a few more of your gorgeous children!

Miss Rachel

Mr. Julian

Megan + Steve

The lucky wedding day 07.07.07! I was lucky to be able to second shoot for my friend Abby again of Abby Rose Photo. It was a gorgeous day, a wonderful couple and lots of cute kids!

First some of those cute kiddos!

Pardon the speedy removal of the couple's last name on the fan out of respect for their privacy.

The beautiful bride.


A few ceremony shots.


In my experience, this is how most kids feel about formal portraits at weddings.

This is how most kids feel about me trying to take their picture.

So, it is safer to try other angles sometimes!

And if all else fails, I resort to taking detail shots.


A few of Megan and Steve.



Beautiful blue skies!

The father-daughter dance from afar.

The mother-son dance.

Some really good dancers!

You can't buy a lens just for its macro and not use it at least once! The charms on their favor bags.

Congratulations Megan and Steve and thanks again to Abby for allowing me to shoot with you! I can't wait to see the day through your eyes!

Julian

Too cute for words, but here's my best attempt...

I had the pleasure of meeting 15 month old Julian and his parents today. He was so fun to be around and his parents were such good sports helping the session go as smoothly as possible. My children's sessions are always a group effort as parents who have worked with me before know.

I was only going to post one or two since I have another session to edit before I work on their images, but like always, I couldn't pick one or two favorites.

A little fun with dad.
I would smile too if someone could let me fly like this!

The whole family.
Of course, mom is fun to play with too!

Mom took the brunt of the bubble "bath" from Julian after he took control of the bubble wand and the bubble jar. This is while everyone was still dry and there was "parental control" of the bubbles!

Such a big boy and so proud to do things by himself!

He had just figured out the gate key in the one below.

I love this one. This is a series of metal plates that play music when you step on them. Julian and all of us gave it a whirl!

Thanks for making the trip you guys. It was great meeting you and I hope you enjoy the sneak peek!