autumn love

i had the day off today (sort of), which doesn't happen much anymore. between studying, working, shooting, and editing, life it a little bit crazy. in fact, the first 2 things in that list have pretty much taken priority over everything lately. so after hours of studying, cleaning, grocery shopping, and all the mundane activities that keep my world rolling, i grabbed my camera (and Axle!) and headed out for a quick break from all the nonsense.

while i hate to see summer go, i love this time of year. everything smells like pumpkin and spice, hot apple cider, and warm vanilla. and then there are the chilly nights spent huddled around our crackling fire pit. all the burning bushes are changing to that deep shade of red, and right now the trees in our front yard are a buttery golden color. today was unseasonable warm, but was a gentle reminder that summer isn't too far gone just yet. i've got a bunch of shoots coming up in the next few weeks so here's to hoping that the beautiful weather sticks!

IT'S OFFICIAL!

it's up and ready to roll! I could not be more excited about my new site! Huge thank you to all my family and friends for their love and support! more galleries to come :)

barns, barefeet, and benny :)

it looked like rain this morning. for a brief second, i frowned, until i inched closer to the window and saw the sun just starting to peek up in the distance. i yawned, i stretched, and i got ready. first stop, an old brick house and barn. this is where we would pick up after a long time.

i hadn't seen her in years, but her familiar face reminded me fondly of college days, residence halls, and a lifetime of memories. while finishing my undergrad, i served as a resident advisor. that's where i met Krystyne and her husband Bernie--only the best hall directors around, of course. :) now, mom and dad of two little guys, i had the opportunity to work with them in another capacity...

truly all gems, and full of so much love for each other. anthony and benny are some of the funniest kids i have ever met. and if you could even read a bit of krystyne's personal blog, you would understand even more. these guys were troopers today. let's just say that we had to talk the boys out of trying to unlock all locked doors...multiple times. and i'm pretty sure i worked off 10 lbs chasing benny around trying to get a smile out of him. thank you, thank you, thank you to my wonderful friends for the opportunity to capture your beautiful connections. check out their sneak peek below :)

if you are interested in booking a fall session, 

i still have spots available :) contact me for more information.

out with the old | in with the new

i love fall. it's crisp, cool, and full of enough warmth to remind me summer isn't gone yet. last night my husband and i caught up on our dvr as a huge harvest moon was shining through our open windows. this week has been awful, but today has brought some newness that has made it all worth it. i'm saving all the goodies for my next big post, but in the meantime i had to share a straight out of the camera (SOOC) shot taken with my new lens :) i am in love. still playing with focus/function a bit, but couldn't wait to bust this baby out! have a shoot this weekend with an amazing friend and her family....can't wait! stay posted, more pics soon to come!

coming unglued

he's got this cool, calm, collected, This-is-what-we're-gonna-do way about him. he's reasonable, and forward thinking. he sees the big picture. except today, when i presented him with a proposal about where i want to take my business and the fact that i wanted to invest in a new lens (or 3). that's when the cool, calm, collected man i call my loving, wonderful husband came a little...unglued.

please do not misinterpret: he supports everything i set my mind to, with an undying love and affection that i may not always deserve. however, as i have been famed to do, he was caught off guard. somewhere between a mid-day stop at home for lunch, my sugary sweet voice, and his next bite of an egg sandwich, i struck a cord with the reasonable man that i love--the one that pulls me back from the edge right before my compulsive, ask-forgiveness-later self blazes a trail with my mastercard in tow, all the way to the local photography shop to buy them out. THAT man is the one that came unglued.   

when i really want to do something, when i REALLY put my mind to it, i'm pretty much unstoppable. i will pick away at every detail and labor over a project until it is perfect--or at least satisfactory. but this time, i didn't push. i could see his frustration. i'm going back to school, we're saving for a house, and planning for my loans, and there's that vacation that we have been putting off since we got married...3 1/2 years ago. and then there's my new camera that we just bought, and i swore i wouldn't ask for anything for a while...and then i realized that the lens that came with my camera was crap. but, i didn't push. he gives and gives and gives. 

he left to get back to his daily responsibilities...and i sulked. let's be honest, i like to get my way. but i dropped it, and expected to not talk about it for a long time. i called and rented what i needed for my upcoming shoot. i would just make it work. i went to the grocery, did some laundry, bought books for the start of classes, and watched a little bravo (love!)...hours later, the garage door opens. the silence is audible. i ask how his day was, and he strolls over to me and envelopes me in his strong, affectionate arms. "how much is it?" i tell him all i want is one. and i will work overtime. and i will use it and care for it like it were my first born. "we'll make it work". and i know he means it. because he loves me, supports me, and understands the importance of a dream.

on another note, speaking of dreams...i stumbled across this photo today (which is EPIC!) while i was cleaning old files off my computer... it reminded me of my dreams that have come true...marrying my husband, having a loving family, a wonderful home, and the cutest pup ever. this photo is EPIC for several reasons, and i just had to share. 1. it was literally taken during the last vacation we took together alone (as mentioned above), our honeymoon!  2. yes, we are in vegas. yes, we are at hooters. and YES it was at my request because i-love-their-wings. classy? no. delicious? yes. 3. massive inspiration for both of us to get back into shape. lens or no lens, i love my husband and my life. thank God for both :)

lessons learned

it started off with just a few scattered stepping stones. each day more fall into place in the form of inspiration, words of wisdom, innovators, and learning opportunities. now, i'm starting to see a small path develop in front of me paved with support, knowledge, experience, and encouragement. and each lesson along the path is like a crash course in learning how to fall the right way...here are a few i learned this week.

LESSON 1 | practice makes perfect ::: my recent shoot has given me much to study, dissect, and critique. there are of course composition, lighting, focusing, and many other issues that have room for improvement. for all the wonderful feedback i have received, i've learned so much that has given me a basis to grow from. i like portrait photography. it's my "thing" and it's where i want my focus to remain. that being said, while my photos from this past weekend made me very pleased (and exceeded my expectations of my grossly amateur ability), the essence of what i really WANTED to capture is mostly missing. the eyes! the old corny "window to the soul" kind of thing--the feeling that the subject might actually reach beyond the corners of the image and touch you. that being said, my focus right now is all about "shiny eyes" as discussed here in the amazing and wonderful blog of Katelyn James. so it's back to practice, practice, practice. set a stone in place, mark it with a sign, and move on down the path...

...and a new lens or 2 wouldn't help (santa if you're listening, i've been a good girl this year, and i wouldn't mind an early present or five) :) 

LESSON 2 | slow and steady ::: this is going to be a LONG road. for those of you who stick around and watch, sometimes feeling like it may be a slow motion car crash, i appreciate it more than words can ever express. this isn't some huge revelation that i just had, but while i took 1 step forward i also feel like i took 10 back because the gravity of where i want to be is that much more apparent. it's like i'm standing at the end of a checkout line to just get a pack of gum with 20 people in front of me with 100 items. it feels like FOREVER. but i know, slowly and surely, i will get to a place where i will feel proud, and skilled, and GASP--accomplished.

maybe the most important lesson is knowing that there isn't really an end to the path. all that matters is that you stop along the way to take it all in...

a walk in the park

it was a beautiful late summer morning--the type that brings the warmth of the sun and the crisp coolness of fall. and it was early. read my lips. i am not a morning person. however, on this particular morning, i bounded out of bed, down the stairs, and to my shoot 45 minutes early. i was beyond excited, a bag of nerves, and honestly wanted to throw up...my first shoot ever. the setting? a local park with plenty of character and great shooting opportunities. the light was perfect, giving off a warm honey glow. i checked and rechecked my camera and settings. i was ready. 

the glow of her eyes, the fairness of her skin, and her beautiful smile spoke for themselves. i swear this little lady could be a magazine cover model! i can't express enough thanks to my friend Kelli who gave me the wonderful opportunity of shooting her adorable one year old daughter, Riley. from the first click of the shutter, we were laughing, running, chasing, and making weird and funny noises to keep her attention. we had an amazing couple of hours and i couldn't be more pleased with the results! here are a few teasers for now--look for the final cut soon!

(i love this shot, especially knowing what it took to get it! we were standing on a bridge overlooking a pond. i was trying to distract her by drawing her attention to the ducks that were floating on the water. instead of looking through the railing, she decided to lay down and look underneath. note to self...invest in knee pads!)