I'm off!

Any opportunity I have to use my "away on adventure" tag, I try to. This time, I'm returning to the Panhandle for a wedding (which I don't have to photograph), my mister, and plenty of random photos.

Luckily, I don't have to bring this much film. See you when I get back.

B [52:30]

I've had this pin floating around my room for a while. I want to say my grandma got it for me. I finally decided to paint it and make it a little more me, just in time for this week's theme to be "a letter of the alphabet".

water [I heart faces]

This week's theme over at is water. I couldn't resist bringing back an old favorite.

Not pictured is how soaking wet I got trying to demonstrate to Melinda how I wanted her to pose.

double cousins weekend

Last weekend, I had the honor of photographing TWO beautiful birthdays back to back. Both girls were cousins and I was asked to photograph their parties by their 'grammy' (my auntie). Before I had both events on my calendar, I just had the baby naming because her mother asked me specifically what it would cost to have me do that for her. I'm tearing up just writing this because I was so honored that she looks at my work and wants to have it in her life.

Since I don't want to make myself cry with the mushiness of how my family loves each other, I thought I would share commentary on what was going on in my head, both as I was shooting and editing. The way I choose what to blog is based just as much on my emotional response as the technical aspects. While I have plenty of technically proficient shots, the ones that catch my eye and wow me the most are the ones that get saved in my 2011 folder and then I pick my favorites from those to blog. Just know that what you're seeing are my favorite moments and the ones that I want to see every time my screen saver kicks in.


Saturday night was a second birthday party at a pizza place. And what would a party be without balloon animals?

I was warned in advance that the birthday girl does not like to be photographed so I warmed her up by taking pictures of her friends. They were super cute and loved my camera (and me).



Eventually, she warmed up to my camera. But much of the night, people were trying to get her attention and kept distracting her so it was difficult to get good photos. Plus, the lighting was an awful color. So when I converted these photos to black and white, I had an "aha!" moment. This is the calm, happy girl who was hiding under the slightly overwhelmed one in front of me.


These shots were done this way on purpose. I've always loved the way some photographers focus on something in the foreground and allude to the person/people having a great time in the background. Plus, the Sesame Street cake was pretty cute.

Once we got her back to the house, away from the chaos, she became a completely different girl. She was completely calm and at ease, interested in both her presents and the people sitting with her. After going through all the awful ones in the restaurant, with the bad lighting and blurry arms of intruding family members, these were a relief. I was grinning nonstop and could not wait to share them.



Happy second birthday, lovely. I already have a glimpse of the butterfly you are becoming.



Sunday was a baby naming brunch at the Cheesecake Factory. I took many more pictures on Sunday than I did on Saturday but I'm more picky about what I share. These photos are all definitive moments where you can see the love in the frame or feel it radiating in from off-camera. At the risk of sounding mushy and making myself tear up again, we were there to watch the birthday girl be blessed and given a Hebrew name, but we were also there to witness how blessed we are to have such a great community. (Ok, so I'm tearing up.)







I also managed to get a few photographs of her cousin, now that she has learned to love my camera.


Just when I sat down to eat, I was requested to come over and photograph her eating a pancake. She was so happy to share her pancake with me and I love these photos. When I was editing and got to these, I let out a squee of joy. Not only are they super cute but her mom took my advice and sat her facing a window so the lighting is breathtaking and her eyes look unreal.




I was going to post the cupcake photo but they were nice enough to write her name on the plate and I'm trying to protect her privacy. You'll just have to imagine how she dug into her cupcake, everyone else enjoyed their cheesecake, and the party ended on a sweet note.

postcards from home [52:28]

This is a slightly different post than what I usually write but it's the best way to tell this story.

Dear Lauren,
I got your postcard today.

I already sent you one so instead, I'm writing you a letter on my blog. You promised when you come home, we can shoot our special reserve rolls of film together. In the mean time, I thought I'd make use of my digital camera to show you how home misses you.

The sky tonight was pink and purple as the day changed into night and it was lovely and I wish I could have bottled it up and mailed it to you. But this will have to do.

just a rainbow

I saw this rainbow as we were driving to dinner tonight and I figured it would be something nice to share with the blog while I finish editing photos from the weekend.

See? I totally love being home.

props and fairy tales [I heart faces]

I blogged this photo once before when I first shot it but I felt it deserved to be showcased again, especially since I eventually want to print this on a giant canvas and display it proudly. The sleeping beauty shoot was originally an assignment for an art class but it took on a life of its own. I've always loved the story.

This week's theme over at is props and this photo just would not be the same without any of the props. The princess brought the drop spindle and we dyed the roving together. I found the broken tiara on the side of the road on the way to where we shot all the photos. The fake blood is made of corn syrup and red food coloring. Simple, small details MAKE this shot for me. That, and my friend was willing to sacrifice her beautiful purple dress to make a fairy tale come to life.

cupcake love

I really have no idea how to categorize this but I just had to blog it. I probably should have started this post hours ago but I was busy being followed around by a snake.
Before the snake decided I was exciting, I had been doing a happy dance because I got a care package in the mail from Miss Alexa. When she's not blogging about being a professional fangirl or spinning cotton candy fluff into yarn for me, she crochets (and sometimes knits) amazing things. Today's amazing surprise, tossed in with the yarn she made me, was a crocheted cupcake garland. So much cuteness, so much love, have to share.

Pardon me while my brain continues to be mush. At least it's shiny, right?

sweet relief [52:28]

This week's theme for project 52 is 'sweet relief' so when I got the text asking if I wanted to go to Jaxson's, I knew I was going to be able to make deadline (and also, yum!).
On the way there, I took pictures out the window as we drove by the airport. We had perfect timing and I got to see both takeoff and landing.



While I was afraid to have my camera out while we were digging in and therefore missed the GIANT goblet my stepbrother ordered, I did take a few pictures of the interior and the sign.



It was pretty sweet.

fireworks and fun

This is going to be a really long blog post. I'll try to keep the words short and sweet and the fireworks plentiful.

I wasn't planning on going out for the Fourth of July but my aunt called and promised me a comfy chair, cute twins, and lots of fireworks. Since I'm trying to get out and take photos more, I decided I would go. We went to Fort Lauderdale Beach and I had a lot of fun shooting out the window while we were trying to find a parking spot. I love the way so much of Fort Lauderdale is old enough to have character.







When we got to the beach, I took a few photos of the boats and the boys and then settled into my chair. No need to overexert myself. Plus, I needed to set up my tripod (which wasn't completely level, no matter what I did).











The fireworks were lovely. I could see in the distance the display on Hollywood Beach to the south and whatever city was to the north. I also got a kick out of the kids with glow sticks because you can see them on the shore in some of my shots.



















































There were a few scary moments like when someone's bottle rocket backfired but for the most part, it was pretty awesome and lots of fun.