Reptile Party...

Luke Ashley turns six and it is a reptile affair!

Today I photographed my very first birthday party which is really where I want to focus most of my work.  I still believe that it is a great service for a Mom who has so much to worry about on these special occasions.  It was a BLAST complete with kids, snakes and iguanas.  I have to admit I am a little more familiar with princess parties and girly type events, but this was a huge hit and so much fun to photograph!  Happy Birthday Luke!

What a fun weekend!

This weekend I had the pleasure of photographing the Beseau family, my friend Tara and her brother Brett, along with two beautiful girls, Alex & Jenna.  Okay, so let me first say that I have the best boyfriend and as an early Christmas present he bought me a new camera. It ROCKS!!!!  So needless to say I was excited to take pictures this weekend.  This is quickly becoming more about the amazing people I get to spend time with and less about the photography - well for me anyway maybe not those in front of the camera who paid :).  My desire to take great pictures is not driven by my ambition to get the best shot anymore, but to give a gift to those who have been so gracious to allow me to photograph them...

My favorites from the weekend...

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So thankful...

This week has been difficult to say the least, but reflecting on our memories and all of the special times we shared warms my heart.  Jenny, Dad and I are dealing in our own ways - some moments are better than others.  There is no question that we all miss Mom greatly and she is now a true angel watching over us.

On Saturday, I spent my day with two cool families - the Mason's & the Terry's.  New learnings continue to overwhelm me...will I ever get it all right????  Capturing families can be a challenge - is everyone smiling, looking the same direction, etc....again, getting that one great shot requires taking many.  Oh yeah and naps for the little ones prior to the shoot are so important - I learned that from Addy :).  I think my one great lesson this day was to take my time - even when time is short.

Here are a few of my favorites from the Mason's & Terry's....

Change of plans...

Well, my NYC didn't happen...mom isn't doing well. so we are all gathered together just waiting. this picture is the last one my dad took of us together on our annual zoo field trip. just indulge me :)

My new blog & Shelby :)

so today, is the first day of my entry into the world of blogging....let's just play this by ear and see how it goes! sharing this journey into photography should be quite an interesting adventure.

on sunday, i had the privilege of spending time with my new favorite sixteen year old, Shelby. my camera and photoshop didn't need to work hard on this day - she has a beautiful soul and it showed through in every photograph. what i learned this day is that i really need to check my photos closely before moving on. i took some that looked great on the camera, but when i uploaded they were too blurry or had some major imperfections. i was bummed because several of the ones i thought were going to be fabulous just were not. i also learned that taking hundreds of photos really pays off! out of the 300 that i took, 200 of them were "Shelby worthy". these are just a few of my favorites.

i am leaving for manhattan in the am and plan to photograph at least fifty strangers along my three day trip, as well as, photo-journal the entire trip. hopefully, i will have a few cool things to share when i return. this weekend is busy too - three photo sessions scheduled!

j.