snaps from the park

of course, the day we plan to meet friends at the park, it is gloomy and overcast. thankfully, the rain did not come. i got a new lens and wanted to try it out. it's heavier than my normal lens, so i've got to build my muscles to use it! :)

anyway, i wanted to share a few snaps. the kids turned and turned on the tire swing until finally ian threw up. but he survived. mr. a had a few bumps and bruises too. but everyone came through mostly unscathed.







t, do you see this? what got into him? he was still. still!

she painted my sugar too!

seriously. i have no words. amazing!

is this not beautiful?

i hope you will all pardon me while i gush for a moment!

i have a dear, photographer friend who is crazy talented! well, she did a digital painting of a picture of addie for me. it is unbelievable! seriously, this painting is gorgeous and i cannot wait to see it on canvas (and on my wall). i am just in awe of her talent! trust me, i could not do something this beautiful! i just wish it would post huge on my blog so that you could see all of the detail! i mean, you can see addie's sweet freckles on the full-size version! you know i'll be showing it off once i have my canvas in hand!

anyway, she is willing to paint for my clients. so, this option will now be available to clients as well. you can choose a picture from your session, and for a small fee, she'll paint it for you. then, it can be printed as a canvas or as a regular print. i am really excited about this! i think it is amazing and so incredibly gracious of her to share her talent with us!

so, a huge thank you to the fabulously talented mandy reger! just amazing!

favorite shots of 2007

i intended to do this last week, but just didn't have the time with christmas and such. i wanted to post my five favorite client images from 2007. some of them were easy picks and others were difficult. My picks were more about composition and emotion more than anything. i hope they evoke emotion in the viewer too.

In no specific order:












oh, who am i kidding? did you really think i would limit it to five total? let's just make it top ten!

happy new year!

ours was pretty uneventful. the kids went to bed early and i worked on the computer. michael watched some documentary about a boxer. yes. i'm serious. so, the ball dropped. dick clark (and ryan seacrest) said happy new year and that's all she wrote. i'm definitely getting old.

today, michael and i took the kids to the new park down by the old navy base. it was really pretty--there was a walk right on the water. and then, a few different memorials and monuments. some abstract art by, i assume, local artists. the only bad thing was that it was in full sun, so no really good areas for pictures. maybe on an overcast day.

we did find an old swing attached to a very tall branch. so, the kids had fun swinging, and swinging high. i think i took my new favorite picture ever. i think sometimes i get so wrapped up in perfect composition that i sometimes miss things. and at heart, i'm a storyteller, so i have to get myself back to that. i try to do it for clients, but i sometimes neglect telling my own story. and i really need to get back to that in 2008. i started good in 2007, but then let it slip away. i'm really going to work on that for this new year.

but, before i yadda on, here's my new favorite picture:



i tell ya, every photographer should have an addie. i've said before that she is my muse. she is the reason i really decided to learn how to use my camera. i'd always been interested in photography, but could not get the results i wanted. she is the reason i decided to change that, and to become friends with my camera. and man, is she ever worth it. today, it was cool and windy, and she was such a trooper. oh yes, i had a bribe for her (the webkinz love frog), but she would've done it anyway. she's just like that. i wanted to get some new pictures to celebrate her turning six. and she obliged.





lookie here! will wonders never cease? even ian got in on the act. but his bribe was ice cream. hey. whatever works. seriously, he is such a total love and my sugar. through and through, he is sweetness. okay, yes he has an ornery, stubborn streak. but even when he is being ornery or stubborn, he's so darned cute that it's hard not to giggle. but anyway, here is what cold stone creamery cotton candy ice cream (with rainbow sprinkles) bought me:








i got a bargain for sure!

oh, and her froggy is named smooches.

canvas sale

i hope you all had a wonderful holiday season! i can't
believe another Christmas has come and gone!

as a thank you to all of you, i want to announce a
canvas sale to start off the new year!

now through january 14, you can order a canvas for $50
off published prices! i will also expand my canvas
options to include additional sizes! your canvas can
come from any session held between september-december
2007.

sale prices are as follows (prices do not include 7.5%
sales tax for sc residents):
11x14: $150
16x20 :$250
20x24: $350
24x30: $450

square canvas sizing:
16x16: $225
20x20: $325

sales prices are applicable through january 14. order
and payment must be received by january 14 in order to
receive the special sale pricing. please allow 2-3
weeks for canvas delivery.

thank you for a great year! i'm looking forward to
2008 and the exciting opportunities on the horizon!

happy birthday, beautiful dreamer

i cannot believe you're six. how is that even possible? it seems just a short time ago, i was holding you in my arms on the night you were born. it was that night that i first sang to you "beautiful dreamer." and now, you're six. where has the time gone?

i am so proud of you. you started kindergarten this year and are a wonderful student. my normally talkative girl is obedient and quiet in class. you are so eager to learn and i have loved watching your knowledge grow these past few months.

you have gone through many new things this past year. you've lost two of your teeth. and you've started riding horses, which is so fun for me to watch little you controlling those big horses. you've discovered webkinz and american girl. you've developed your own sense of style and it suits you. you've grown several more inches. and this year, your feet actually grew more than a half size too!

you are such a joy to be around. you make me laugh every day with your silly songs and stories, your sunny personality and your goofy nature. i love listening to the poems and songs you make up. i love listening to you mother your stuffed animals.

i love how much you love. you are a good friend and genuinely love other people (sometimes, your brother, not so much). you may not be an overly affectionate girl, but i know that you love. and you try so hard too, even when some things are not in your nature.

thank you for being my muse. thank you for always going along with me and my camera, even when i don't have a bribe, and even when you just don't feel like it.

thank you for being you. i adore you. my little monkey.