Simmons Moments

Winter Break

2011-12-13T13:37:00.001-08:00

This year I decided to take December off. ;) I have taken a break from photography, and Facebook. I thought I would miss it, and to be honest, I haven’t. I have missed the “artsy” part of photography, but not the time. I am still trying to figure out what is coming next year… I’m thinking of cutting way back so that I can more fully balance my life. We shall see.

Today we were cleaning the house, when the power went out, Ian and I decided it would be the perfect time to go for a walk. I took my camera along because we got a fresh layer of snow, and who can resist a clean palette. I haven’t charged my battery in a while, and I got out a whopping 10 pictures before it died. Serves me right. ;)

Look Mom, there’s a tunnel…..

And here is one from a few weeks ago, I just love the innocence in his eyes.

I hope that all of you are having a wonderful Christmas season. I truly love this time of year!

Abbie’s 1st Birthday

2011-10-03T22:56:00.001-07:00

Oh man do I love and miss this little cutie pie!! She is such a spunky little critter, and so full of life! Her mommy made her a beautiful little cake, and she loved it!

Enjoy!

Dave & Nikki

2011-10-03T13:07:00.001-07:00

My little sister moved to North Dakota about six months ago, my little baby, oh oops, I mean her little baby, Abbie, turned one about a week ago. It was so much fun being up there for her big milestone, and also to be able just to hang out and see her and her beautiful family. I will post pictures from Abbie smashing her cake tomorrow. In the meantime here are their family pictures.

Enjoy.

My Mom

2011-09-30T14:55:00.001-07:00

My mom got a new bike a few months ago from my husband’s business (Far Out Hobbies & Bikes.. ;) ;) I teased her about doing a session with it, and she happily agreed. She rides it all over town, with her cute little “baby” in the basket. :)

Enjoy…

Family Picture Time

2011-09-28T09:32:00.001-07:00

Yes it is that crazy busy time of year again, I call it family picture time. I know, I’m super unique. ;) It is such a rewarding time of year, the lighting is beautiful, the weather is perfect, and the families are plentiful. I only wish I was wealthy enough to hire a housekeeper and a nanny, seeing as how everything else seems to go on the backburner right about now. I have had some amazing sessions thus far, and SO excited for the ones to come. I promise to take better care of this old blog too… ;)

One of my favorite things about being a photographer, is being able to take my own families pictures. I think everyone feels the most comfortable around family, which means you can try new locations, ideas, editing techniques etc. This is my husbands little sister Delsi, and her beautiful family. Enjoy.

My First and True Love

2011-04-10T09:11:00.001-07:00

When I was a bit younger, ha ha…. okay quite a bit younger I used to draw all the time. Since getting married and having children I haven’t found, or made the time for it. It makes me a little sad to think that I don’t keep up with it, and every once in a while I will get an urge to pull out the drawing paper and pencils. Well I got that urge last night, I was really worried when I first started that I wouldn’t remember how, after all it would serve me right. But after a few minutes I remembered why I enjoy it so much. It is such a relaxing release. I’m not a very patient person though, so after about two minutes of rough sketching in where everything would go I started in on the fun part the real detail and shading…. I learn every time after I finish that I need to slow that part down and be more patient. (So please don’t look to close.) I also need to get my easel out I’ve learned over and over that the perspective is very skewed when you are drawing on a table, you tend to stretch things vertically more. Lessons learned, slow down the first step, get everything right before you get to the fun, and next, DRAW ON an easel. :)

Do you know who it is?

What is something you wish you would do for yourself more?

Jana

2011-04-07T18:53:00.001-07:00

I LOVED doing this. This is my good friend Jana, and I just love her. She asked me to take a few pictures, we had so much fun! I think this is something that every woman should do. We are so critical and hard on ourselves, I think it is so refreshing, and eye opening to see ourselves the way others see us.

Jana you are beautiful, honest, trustworthy, giving, and just an all around amazing woman! Thanks for letting me call you a friend. :D

Through The Looking GLASS

2011-01-23T19:56:00.001-08:00

I took a few pictures of this woodpecker through our living room window a few days ago. This week I have been to busy, and too lazy to think of any ideas for my glass theme. Then it hit me ahaaa…. These were shot through a GLASS window.

I know cheap shot right… ha ha, but seeing how this is my blog and I make the rules, you will have to put up with it.

Glass

2011-01-10T19:39:00.001-08:00

At the beginning of this year I decided to make a few goals, and for once take them seriously… ha ha. I usually think about some general goals, but always thought people who make goals at the beginning of the year never finish them. I’m more of the make goals as you need them kind of person. Well this year I am making some New Year’s Resolutions. One of those is to become more creative with photography, along with a go back to basics kind of thing. I am going to take an ordinary item and through the year photograph and edit it as differently and creatively as possible.

I know a lot of people make 365 goals, or 52 goals, this is more of an as much as I want kind of goal.

I chose an old bottle that I found in a field for my object, nothing special, not to old or too new. After photographing it for the first time though, I decided that I would make this more of a general theme instead of one object (because what if I am on vacation, or on a mountain or….) So my theme for 2011 is GLASS. I am really, really excited!!

Join me if you like, choose a theme, object, objective for 2011, and share if you like. It is always inspiring to see the way someone else interprets something.

So here is to the year of GLASS.

I put water, oil and food coloring in the bottle.

In this next picture the bottle is on top of the little box. I loved the way the sun flare looked coming through the glass.

McAllister Family

2010-11-27T09:21:00.001-08:00

Well I officially survived Thanksgiving. It was a pretty good one this year actually. I stayed home in the morning, cooked some rolls and a pumpkin roll, then went up to my mother in laws just in time to eat. We stuffed ourselves, talked, ate some dessert, talked more, then came home and relaxed. :D My hubby is one of those crazies that likes to get up at the crack of dawn and fight crowds for “once in a lifetime deals.” ;) No he actually gets some kind of thrill off of watching the shoppers go crazy. He said there was a fight this year over a leapfrog, and the cops had to break it up? Come on people over a leapfrog? Ha ha. Anyway I am glad that he likes it and I don’t even have to think about whether the deal is good enough to get up for or not. :)

This is my friend Julia her husband Cassidy, and their beautiful little family. It was so much fun to take their pictures, even through the –12 degree temp. Okay it was realistically more around 30, but who can really tell the difference. ;) The kids were such little troopers even through all of my teasing, I hope we didn’t scar her for life Julia.

Here’s to the start of the most beautiful time of year.

Are you one of the crazies that tempts fate in the early hours after Thanksgiving, if so did you get what you were after, or was the Leapster ripped from your fingers? ;D

Long Family

2010-11-17T13:37:00.001-08:00

I am so excited, I got my Christmas tree up and decorated, new Christmas music downloaded, I am ready for the season… ;) I love, love, love Christmas… Okay I know I am jumping the gun just a little, but you know I figure, if you love it, embrace it, as early as you can. (Plus I have a husband who loves Christmas even more than I do, lucky girl right here. :D)

This session was beautiful!! The lighting was oh so scrumptious, and the Long’s are a gorgeous family, who could ask for more.

What is your favorite thing about this time of year?

Chelsea, Josh, and Jaidyn

2010-11-11T13:15:00.001-08:00

Chelsea lived across the road from us growing up, so I have known her for a long time… :) She moved away when she was 10 or 12? She and my little sister where the best of friends, and I tagged along sometimes. I remember we found a kitten that someone had abandoned on the side of the road taped in a box. I still can’t believe someone could be so cruel. OH man why did that memory just pop up. I remember building forts in weeds, chasing cats, and walking home from elementary school, she, her brother ,Nikki and I. We had some good times. :)

It was so much fun to see her again, it had been probably four or five years. Her daughter is completely GORGEOUS, and so friendly. I was a little worried knowing how young she is and also that getting here is a three and a half hour drive. My kids would have been going crazy! She was perfect, so friendly, happy, and an absolute doll to work with!

P.S. It was Chelsea’s birthday.

Thanks Chels it was so much fun to see you again. You have a beautiful family, and look so happy! No one deserves that more than you! Hope you like the pictures. :)

Natalie, Hannah, and Caprice

2010-10-23T15:13:00.001-07:00

I am sitting here in bed listening to the rain pound on the windows and LOVING it! I love the sound of the thunder, I love cuddling up in a big blanket and watching a movie. I am so glad that I got my house cleaned this morning so I now have the luxury of relaxing… Ha ha if you can call editing relaxing. ; )

These are my beautiful Laurels. Each one of them amazes me! I have been so blessed to be able to work with them, and have learned SO much! They decided they wanted to take pictures for one of the Tuesday night activities, and I am so glad they asked me because we had so much fun!

Because these were Natalie’s Senior pictures I edited a few more of her. : )

Natalie’s little sister Hannah : )

And last but not least Caprice, or better known as Reeses : )

Have a wonderful Saturday… Cause you know I will with all this rain….! : )

Shandee

2010-10-13T21:42:00.001-07:00

Shandee is SO much fun to take pictures of! She is so quick witted, which I am not, so it completely keeps me on my toes, LOVE it! She can rock any pose, and on top of all that she is gorgeous!! Thanks again Shandee, you’re awesome!

Have I mentioned before that I love taking pictures of Seniors? Well I do…. they are so much fun! Happy Wednesday.

Starr Family

2010-10-11T19:46:00.001-07:00

I forget how crazy busy October gets. I’m sure the rest of this year will fly by as well. I love Halloween it and Christmas are my all time favorite holidays. I ordered my boys costumes yesterday, I hadn’t ordered them yet because I was trying to convince them to be something other than a super hero this year. Ian said something about wanting a white face, I jumped on it and said well if you are a vampire, I will paint your face white…. tee hee. He was sold, then all it took was finding a vampire costume with bats on it and Easton was in. Yeah, I can’t tell you how thrilled I am. I am tired of Spiderman, Batman, Buzz Lightyear, Bumblebee, Iron Man…. etc. etc. etc. I want an authentic look… spooky awesome pictures here we come… YEAH!

This little family was so much fun! Melanie has been one of my good friends for a long time. She is an amazingly talented woman, you can check her cake blog out here. http://imaginethatcustomcakes.blogspot.com/ She and her children have the most brilliant, amazing blue eyes ever!! I had to be super careful when I was editing, I didn’t want anyone to think they were made to look that way. Her husband was so sweet to her, saying the sweetest kindest things, he reminded me of my husband. I wish for every woman a man half as sweet.

Happy October everyone, because you know all too soon it will be November and Snowing… brrrr.

Davey & Delsi

2010-10-07T19:36:00.001-07:00

This is my husband Court’s little sister Delsi, her husband and family. It was a lot of fun taking their pictures. I know that afterward Davey said it was the most fun thing he had done in a long time. ; ) Thanks for being so patient with me on these Dels.

My Mom & Dad

2010-09-20T20:59:00.001-07:00

My mom asked me about a month ago if I would take pictures of she and my dad. I don't think they have had pictures of the two of them in at least twenty years, besides st all of our weddings. It was fun taking their pictures, my mom is as camera shy as I am, so I had to keep reminding her even if she was facing the camera, her eyes still needed to be looking at me... ha ha Love you guys hope you like your pictures. :)

D-Neese

2010-09-10T19:12:00.001-07:00

This is what Ian calls his little auntie, "D-Neese." Denise is one of the most beautiful sweet girls you will ever meet, and I'm not just saying that because she is my sister in law, you can ask anyone. :) Shandee came along with us for fun, and I will post a few of hers here in the next couple days. We had so much fun taking their senior pics. Enjoy :)

Greg & Janice

2010-08-28T15:48:00.001-07:00

My big brother lives in Kentucky, so we only get to see him and his beautiful family a couple times a year. I love it when they come out, we all get together, and it is SO much fun! I can't wait for the day when they are able to move a little closer. He just got a well deserved promotion, Congrats Greg, you are the best brother anyone could ever ask for! He and the CFO's from the other hospital's in his region get along really well, and like to play pranks on each other, they asked me to Photoshop a picture of him meeting the pres. a few days ago as a joke, hopefully he still loves me. ;)

Baby Terrance

2010-08-10T15:43:00.001-07:00

I had the amazing opportunity to photograph this little "miracle baby". Lisa didn't find out she was pregnant until she was 35 weeks along, talk about a shocker! My little sister is good friends with Lisa and when she first saw him she told me, "he is the most beautiful perfect newborn ever!" I couldn't agree more, he is sweet, tiny, and oh so beautiful! Congrats again Lisa and Anthony on your new little one!

I also got the opportunity to photograph proud big brother Lawrence again, isn't he the most handsome little man ever!!

Young Family

2010-08-02T18:53:00.001-07:00

This was a super fun session, Michael and my husband have been friends since they were young. It was way fun to take pictures of he his wife, and their new little one.

My Three White Dresses

2010-07-17T22:01:00.001-07:00

I don't remember the first time I heard this poem, but have loved it ever since. I don't have a little girl yet, but if i ever do, I will have this framed hanging on a wall next to a couple huge pictures of her in her blessing dress, and then again in her baptism dress. Dreams... dreams ;)

My mom bought me a white dress,
Not red or pink or blue.
She said it was a special dress
Like very other few,
There has been just one before,
A dress now put away,
That I wore some time ago
Upon my blessing day.
As a little baby clothed In my first white dress,
My dad held me in his arms,
There to name and bless.
So pure and clean was I just then,
With time to grow and learn
About the Father's plan for me.
My glory I must earn.
Now I've reached the age to judge
The wrong road from the right,
And I am here to be baptized
In this dress of white.
So once again I'm free from sin.
The path is clear to me.
I'll grasp the rod and hold on tight, I vow with certainty.
Just as mud would stain my dress,
Sin would stain my soul.
The key is to repent or bleach,
For whiteness is my goal.
And if I try my very best,
Then richly blessed I'll be,
Wearing inside God's holy house
White dress number three,
So today I make this pledge:
I'll strive to choose the right,
Through this sacred baptism ordinance
In my second dress of white.

~Linda Gay Perry Nelson

Here is my cousins beautiful little girl, all decked out in her baptism dress. (She love, love, loved the camera... she had all of these ideas of where she wanted to be, how she wanted to pose, I was in HEAVEN!)

Congratulations!!

The Batty Family

2010-07-13T20:56:00.001-07:00

I love the warm summer sun, I love the colors, and the atmosphere it creates. I think I live in the wrong place, ha ha, what was I thinking only three months of summer?

Roseanna is a good friend of mine, and her two boys are about the same age as my two boys, LOVE taking pictures of boys. They definitely keep you on your toes, and make you work for their pictures, but in the end it is all worth it. Look at these two handsome little men.

Can you believe Roseanna is six months along with their third? She looks AMAZING!

Congrats you guys on your soon to be little princess, I can't wait to meet her!

Sarah

2010-05-19T10:33:00.001-07:00

Sarah has been one of my best friends for a long time. I just love her! Besides being completely gorgeous, she is one of the most fun people to be around. They moved away a couple of years ago, but still comes out several times a year. It is always so much fun when we get to go out. Her husband is in the Army National Guard, and has summer camp for two weeks, so the pictures are missing her husband, hopefully one of these times he can come out with her and we will snap a few "full" family shots. :)

Doesn't she have beautiful kids!

Do you have a friend you would pay their moving fee's to have them move back?

Brooklyn

2010-05-14T23:38:00.001-07:00

I was so excited to take Brooklyn's newborn pictures. She is such a pretty little newborn, and I couldn't get over how tiny she was. She slept the entire time, it made posing her so much easier. If I didn't think they would have noticed I would have slipped her into my camera bag. ;)

Congratulations Ben and Marcie, she is gorgeous!

Delsi

2010-05-01T21:48:00.001-07:00

I know I have said it before, and am sure I will say it again, I have the most beautiful sister in laws! This is Delsi my husband's little sister, and she is due in a few weeks with a little girl. I can't wait!

We had tried to get together several times to take these, but it never worked out. I'm so glad we finally got a few minutes to snap a couple.

Kai

2010-04-25T17:16:00.001-07:00

Here is a little teaser for Deedra until I get finished editing.

Junior Prom

2010-04-19T22:48:00.001-07:00

Wow, look at these two, can either one of them look any hotter. I love, love, love Shandee's dress, to bad one of my legs wouldn't fit in it. lol. Thanks for being such good sports you two, even with your parent's there teasing you. ;)

And here's one I edited a little different for fun :)

More sessions to come when I get caught up on my editing. :)

The Mountains

2010-04-10T14:11:00.001-07:00

You know, I love where we live. I love living in a rural community where we are just minutes from this,

this,

and this, (my favorite one from the day)

Seriously, I can't imagine living anywhere else.... Okay, maybe Hawaii.

Dramatic B&W

2010-03-28T14:43:00.001-07:00

I love how sometimes you change an ordinary picture to black and white, and all of the sudden it isn't ordinary anymore. I go through phases where I love, love, Love black and white, and others where I can't get enough color. But you know there is something about seeing someone else's work in black and white, it simplifies takes away all the business and color, and leaves the emotion. LOVE IT! This week at I heart Faces is dedicated to dramatic black and white, I am so excited to see all of the entries! This picture was taken at the end of the summer last year, we were celebrating our last day of freedom before kindergarten started. Can't wait for days like this to start again, SOON!

Make sure to stop on by I heart Faces this week, it is going to be awesome!!

"A true photograph need not be explained, nor can it be contained in words."

Ansel Adams

Love This Family!

2010-03-23T11:22:00.001-07:00

I just love this family. Emily and I tease we have an arranged marriage planned for my oldest son Easton, and her oldest daughter Maggie... Ssshhh, don't tell them, it will never work if they know we planned it... ha ha. Seriously though, Emily is such an amazing woman, and mother. Her children are beautiful, and I just <3 them!!

Logan

2010-03-21T17:14:00.001-07:00

Here is a quick one until I can finish editing the others. Isn't he beautiful, I love, love, LOVE his blessing outfit!

Denise

2010-03-13T09:04:00.001-08:00

I wanted to post one more from our preference session, this is my beautiful little sister in law Denise.

Preference

2010-03-08T02:17:00.001-08:00

Court's little sister Denise and two of her friends asked me to take pictures of them for preference. It was a BLAST! They were seriously so much fun, and their outfits rocked!

And she said she wasn't photogenic.......

Jumping

2010-03-07T19:18:00.001-08:00

The theme this week at I Heart Faces is "jumping." I had one of the most fun sessions this past weekend, my sister in law and two of her friends asked me to take pictures of them for preference. It was a blast. Don't they look amazing!

Stop at I Heart Faces to see more jumpers. :)

Dancing at I Heart Faces

2010-02-15T18:42:00.001-08:00

When I saw the challenge for this week, I didn’t think I had any pictures, and it is so cold out I don’t feel like dancing… lol But as I started going through my pictures I saw this one. I couldn’t believe I had forgotten about it, it is one of my all time favorites. It is of my husband’s little sister and at the time her fiancé. They have now been married for almost a year, and have a little one coming any day. I can’t wait to meet him and take pictures! :)

I hope it starts warming up soon, then we will for sure be dancing again! Take a moment to stop on by I Heart Faces, and see the other beautiful dancers.

Fix it Friday

2010-02-12T15:02:00.001-08:00

I think it is so much fun doing the fix it Fridays because it encourages me to try new things.

Here is the original:

And here are my versions:

Color:

Vintage:

And B&W with a texture:

Check out the other fixer uppers at

First Kiss

2010-02-08T12:47:00.001-08:00

I love this picture, every time I look at it, it makes me laugh. Last year this is about all we did, played in the sun, swam, and caught at least fifty toads. (Don’t worry, we are catch and release kinda people, lol)

They caught this one and were taking turns holding it, when my little one decided he wanted to give it a luv…. We have all kissed a few “toads” along the road right? Ha ha ;)

I am glad I had my camera, even if the lighting wasn’t “ideal”.

Now hop on over to iheartfaces for more kisses.

The many faces of my “Ian Bobian”

2010-02-06T16:49:00.001-08:00

These were all taken within about five minutes…. Man how I love my baby boy!

fOGGED iN

2010-01-30T15:28:00.001-08:00

Yesterday morning was beautiful, the fog had settled in and left frost all over everything. Beautiful! I called my friend Jana and asked her if she would like to go for a drive, and take pictures. We had so much fun! It is so much fun to see the way we each interpreted things as well. I think I would like to make this a habit. Anyone else in the area want to come along with us too?

Thanks again Jana for the fun morning, we’ll have to do it again for sure!

Fix it Friday

2010-01-29T10:41:00.001-08:00

I decided I wanted to play along with the fix it Friday. It really does challenge you to try and do something you may not usually do, or may not have thought of for your own picture.

Here is SOOC

And here is my edited version, they challenged you to try and incorporate texture because it is “texture” week there. It was difficult with such a light background.

Texture Photo Challenge

2010-01-24T22:55:00.000-08:00

This is my first time entering, and I am a bit nervous, but when I saw the challenge for this week on i heart faces, I knew exactly which picture I wanted to enter. A few months ago, I got a tri-pod for my b-day. I took a few test runs that day with my little family, I had no idea that when I ran back to my hubby my little ones "followed" me with their eyes, but when I got home to edit them, I loved it! My oldest got my dark hair, and my little one, is my hubbies all the way.

Beautiful Belly

2010-01-14T11:41:00.000-08:00

Deedra, my husband's sister, is thirty weeks pregnant. She asked me to take some pictures of her, are you kidding me, how could I not want to. People should not look this good pregnant, it makes the rest of us look bad... ;) Seriously though, I have the most beautiful sister in laws. Court's little sister and I are going to do a photo shoot here in the next few weeks, I am so EXCITED!

Sledding

2010-01-10T08:36:00.000-08:00

Our good friends invited us to go with them sledding about a week ago, so we got all bundled up and went along. The kids had so much fun, my 2 1/2 year old was begging us to let him go by himself from the top, ya not gonna happen. Lol. Court was at work so I didn't take my camera along, I didn't think I would be able to take pictures while still watching the boys. It was a good thing my friend brought her camera along because look how pretty it was, she was nice enough to let me snap a few. Thanks Jana!

On a side note, I am going to better this year on posting. I promise! :)

Merry Christmas

2009-12-12T15:22:00.000-08:00

I really procrastinated this year, and didn't get pictures taken of our family for Christmas, so I bribed my kids today and told them if they would be good for pictures we would run to get a treat.... Best way to get good pictures! ;) I hope all of you have a very Merry Christmas!

Grandpa & Katy

2009-11-27T09:23:00.000-08:00

My Grandpa asked me to take pictures of he and his new wife Katy. It is so nice to see him happy again, and to know they both aren't alone. She is very nice, and seems like an amazing woman! Thanks for asking me, I had fun taking them for you.

The Quinto Family

2009-11-23T19:59:00.000-08:00

What beautiful little boys this little family has! As soon as we got out and started shooting it got so windy and cold. I felt bad for the little one, he was just shivering. The picture of he and his mom just melts my heart.

The Holt Family

2009-11-22T21:58:00.000-08:00

It was so much fun to take the Holt's pictures. With four boys, and two girls it was hard to keep their attention, but they were seriously all so good!! You couldn't ask for a better family. Their oldest daughter was a natural in front of the camera, don't be surprised if I come steal her for more pictures! :) Here are just a couple from our session.

Back in Business

2009-11-18T08:21:00.000-08:00

Yeah... I am back in business. It is great to be able to take pictures again. I have a few appointments left before Christmas, email for dates and times.

And the Winner is....

2009-11-17T17:34:00.000-08:00

Sorry, I promised Easton he could draw the winner, so I had to wait for him to get home from school. :)

Congratulations to Lacey G!! Email me your info, and I will get it shipped out. :)

Thanks everyone who entered, I will for sure do another giveaway, I couldn't wait

for Easton to draw to see who won.

~Tis the Season~

2009-11-10T09:12:00.000-08:00

I have to admit something... Thanksgiving is my least favorite holiday. Something about the weather, it's not fall, and it's not winter yet. I don't really care for pie, and neither Court nor I's families play games, so it ends up being just kind of a boring day. I love, love, love the Christmas season though. I love the spirit that everyone carries around with them. The joy, the colors, smells, giving, I just love everything about it. Well I have decided to change my attitude this year, and really try and love, or at least like Thanksgiving. So in honor of trying to change my attitude, I am going to do a Giveaway... Yeah! Everyone loves a giveaway right? :) One of my favorite things is The Body Shop's body butters, they ROCK!! So I am giving away the Cranberry set (body butter, body polish, and shower gel. $40 value) Leave me a comment, and you will be entered. :) Anyone can enter.

I will draw the winner next Tuesday, 11-17.

P.S. If you leave a comment today, I will enter you twice.

Stewart Family

2009-11-08T09:45:00.001-08:00

I wanted to post a couple really quick for the Stewart family, until I finish editing their session.

Mentoring

2009-11-07T21:34:00.001-08:00

I had the amazing opportunity to go out and be mentored by Vanessa Millecam, she seriously ROCKS!! Thanks so much again Vanessa, I had so much fun, and learned so much! I hope that I can do you proud!

I have been so disappointed though since then I found out that my camera is having issues, and so I don't feel like I can do sessions until I replace it.... Any one know of a rich uncle or cousin or someone out there I don't know of? Ha.. ha... ;)

My friend Jana called me and asked me if I would shoot a couple pictures of her baby in her blessing dress. She said camera issues or not she wanted a few. Here is a really simple one of her beautiful baby.

2009-10-29T18:43:00.001-07:00

One more

2009-10-24T07:06:00.000-07:00

I had to share one more....

Jayson & Courtney

2009-10-23T10:04:00.001-07:00

This is Court's first cousin Jayson, and his wife Courtney. So Court and she share exactly the same name... lol. She is making quilts for my boys for Christmas, I can't tell you how excited I am!! Thanks Courtney.
This was a really fun session, their little boy is so happy. The only time he cried was when daddy took a piece of cement out of his mouth. Then mommy loved him up for a sec, and he was right back to his happy self.

Chad & Jessica

2009-10-15T20:08:00.000-07:00

I love this little family, even though they are all boys and all boy, they fight over who gets to hold their "baby", still give "brother loves", and aren't afraid to model for the camera... Except the little one. He knew I wanted a picture of his beautiful eyes, and so he made me work for it. But when I got home and loaded all the pictures, it was the one that made the whole session shine. :)

While I was editing this session, I asked my hubby, how can a girl have four boys and still be so gorgeous!! Not only is she gorgeous though, her entire family is.

Here is the one I had to "work" for, but like I said it was worth it!!

Poor Jessica though, we rescheduled these pictures so many times, every time we would, her boys would get sick. Then when we started taking them, her little one was not going to have it. He is getting his eye teeth, poor thing, and didn't want anything to do with holding still for a picture.

So here's to you Jessica, for all of your efforts, we got em.

Ben & Marcie

2009-10-12T22:52:00.000-07:00

This was seriously such a fun session! I had so much fun talking and laughing with them. You can tell they are still so in love, Happy Anniversary you two.

Garn & Aaryn

2009-10-09T20:43:00.000-07:00

Aaryn is a really good friend, and used to live across the road from me. She taught me how to play the piano, which I will forever be grateful for (especially once I find another piano...) She is amazing! I will forever be a better person for knowing her.

When she walked up with her family yesterday, they blew me away! They have all grown up.... Their daddy is going to be in trouble pretty soon because what beautiful girls, and one handsome little boy.

I have only been able to go through a few of them so far, but really wanted to share them with her...

I had to share this last one, their youngest daughter LOVED the camera, and I in turn LOVED that!! :) :)

Jon & Whitney

2009-10-04T13:04:00.000-07:00

Sometimes being a brother is even better than being a superhero. ~Marc Brown

I had so much fun taking pictures for this beautiful little family! I loved the expressions their little boys would give me. How lucky they are to have a brother, and a best friend, all in one.

Brielle

2009-09-19T21:51:00.000-07:00

Babies are such a nice way to start people. ~Don Herrold

This is my first newborn photo shoot, it was so fun! She is so gorgeous, even her name. Here are a few of my favorites.

Jessica

2009-09-10T22:10:00.000-07:00

Here are a few from the session I did last night. What cute cousins, they were such good sports, even the older boys, thanks for putting up with me teasing you... :)

The Sorenson's

2009-09-07T14:10:00.000-07:00

I had so much fun with this family! Their boys were absolutely adorable, and mom and dad had such good chemistry together, it was easy to capture it on camera!

This next one is pretty close to one of my all time favorites!!

2009-09-04T09:45:00.000-07:00

My little sister and I decided to make a new tradition of celebrating the last official day of summer break together with our kids. We took them up to Remember the Main, what a fun, fun day. I had a hard time narrowing the pictures down, so here are a whole bunch.... I have been in a black and white kick lately... Hope you enjoy. :)

More for Chauntue :)

2009-08-12T18:00:00.001-07:00

Here are a few more from our session last week. I love how children are so unique, carefree, and to them time means nothing. Don't you wish you could go back sometimes. :)

Manwaring Family

2009-08-05T09:08:00.000-07:00

To be honest I was a little intimidated with this photo shoot. It is my first "real" time doing cousins. But it was so much fun, they were all such good sports, and SOOO gorgeous! Thanks for making the trek out here, you have one fun family!

My Beautiful Boys

2009-07-30T21:40:00.001-07:00

"The happiest moments of my life have been the few which I have passed at home in the bosom of my family"

~Thomas Jefferson~

I am blessed with the two most amazing, beautiful boys! Don't tell them I called them beautiful, lol. They are always so willing to let me snap pictures of them, so here are a few from our outing at the park this morning.

By the way, I am not sure if it is because they are my children, or that I can see their true personalities shining through in these pictures, but I think they are my favorite pictures yet.

William, Steph & Paisley

2009-07-19T21:21:00.000-07:00

What a fun family to photograph! I can't get over Paisley's gorgeous blue eyes... Happy Late Birthday Paisley, you are way too cute!

Before & After

2009-07-13T22:35:00.001-07:00

A beautiful quote about moments:

“Kiss your life. Accept it, just as it is. Today. Now. So that those moments of happiness you're waiting for don't pass you by.”

~author unknown~

My sweet little Ian, before photoshop, and after...

Family Picture

2009-07-12T22:04:00.000-07:00

In honor of me turning 28 today, Easton turning 5 next week, and Ian turning two last week, I figured I would post this family picture we took today. We went out for our Sunday walk, and took along the tripod and camera.... We will have to do this more often, we had so much fun!

Another one

2009-07-01T21:34:00.000-07:00

After last night, I got thinking how cute it would be to do something like this to match a room. Our bedroom is decorated in a sea blue, so my plans are to take a picture of our boys, edit it to match our room, and hang it above our bed. Here is the perfect one for a little princesses room. Pink was harder than I thought.

Something a Little Different

2009-06-30T22:45:00.000-07:00

I was determined to go to sleep at 10:30 tonight... but then I got playing. What do you think?

Practicing with my tripod

2009-06-26T13:34:00.000-07:00

My husband got me a new tripod for Mother's Day, I hadn't gotten an opportunity to take it out and practice with it yet. So today while the boys were outside playing "Jedi's" I took advantage of their oh so cute pretend wars....

Don't mind that my son looks like Napoleon Dynamite with his snow boots on.... Lol

P.S. What do you think of my watermark? Leave me a comment, let me know.... :)

Families are Forever!

2009-06-22T16:07:00.000-07:00

Congratulations Lisa and Anthony! I am so happy for you and your family. What an amazing blessing we have to know that we can be with our families forever! It was such an amazing experience to be there, and take pictures of you and your family. What a fun, and beautiful bunch of people to call family!

And last but not least..... One of my favorites!! :)

A few for Nikki

2009-06-20T22:07:00.000-07:00

We will have to do this again, when Andru will give me her "real" smile. I love that you can tell the difference in their personalities even in the pictures, Lexi loves her "fuzzy", and is so sassy... Andru is such a sweet heart, and girlie girl.

Janice, Taylor & last but not least Morgan :)

2009-06-20T14:11:00.001-07:00

My sister in law Janice came out with my two beautiful little neices, it was so much fun having them out. I can't believe how much they have grown up since we saw them seven months ago. I had such a hard time picking which ones I liked most, so here are quite a few. :)

Kathy & Tucker

2009-06-08T19:51:00.000-07:00

Kathy has been my good friend for a while, and I just love her! She is amazing, one of the most Christ like people I have ever met. You can see it shine through, even in the pictures. Thanks again Kathy for letting me snap a few.

Lisa & Anthony

2009-06-08T18:47:00.000-07:00

We had a blast taking these pictures! It was my first time ever really taking pictures of a family, I loved it! The weather was perfect, they are a gorgeous family, and so much fun to hang out with! Who could ask for more? Here are just a few:

Loving the rain!

2009-06-05T18:35:00.000-07:00

I love the rain! This old stable is in a field behind our house, I couldn't resist going out and taking a picture of the beautiful rain clouds coming our way.

Green Eyes

2009-04-28T22:42:00.000-07:00

I have always loved my mom's eyes. They are absolutely gorgeous! My mom doesn't like pictures, and that is probably where I get that from as well. So hopefully she won't mind me posting this on here. :)

They really do have all of those little "freckles" in them. BEAUTIFUL!!

Finally here

2009-04-19T19:39:00.001-07:00

Deedra and Ryan's wedding day finally came. They are so cute together, I loved the way he would look at her, and she would look at him. I hope you can get a feel of how they are together from these pictures. Sorry there are so many, I had such a hard time picking. Here are just a few of my favorites.

Here they are coming out of the temple, I love the expression on Deedra's face!

They didn't plan for rain, amazingly enough someone at the wedding had an umbrella that matched perfect. What luck!

Ryan went to take his jacket off, I loved the paper sticking out of the pocket.

Along with his Coat not fitting right, his vest kept coming undone..

This one is my favorite!

We love you and will miss you Deedra and Ryan. Have fun on your cruise.

Shhh don't tell Ryan....

2009-04-10T06:46:00.000-07:00

I got to go out last night, and take Deedra's bridals. She looked so gorgeous, and we had so much fun. As I am looking through the pictures, trying to pick a few to put on here. I am having such a hard time, there are so many of them that I love.
You just have to promise me you won't tell Ryan. They aren't getting married until next Saturday.

Now can you see why I had such a hard time picking which ones to post. These are only a few of the ones I loved. But here is my absolute favorite.

I have seen a lot of bridals done in a full length mirror, but never with the mirror outside. I think it turned out so nice, and the sky couldn't have been better.

Which one is your favorite?

Spring

2009-04-05T14:54:00.001-07:00

Spring is finally here..

Deedra & Ryan

2009-03-15T18:01:00.000-07:00

Deedra asked me to take pictures for her wedding announcements. I had so much fun! Here are just a few of my favorites:

Sunset

2009-03-14T08:50:00.000-07:00

Catchlights

2009-03-09T16:18:00.000-07:00

Does anyone have any suggestions for great catchlights? I have looked them up and been trying,(as much as I can with a really active 4 1/2 year old). lol
I just know there must be a secret that I am not getting.
Any advise would be much appreciated

Here are some that I got, but they almost seem to harsh. If I didn't know anybetter I might think he was a vampire. lol
Leave me a comment, let me know what you think.

Maggie & Olivia

2009-02-06T11:30:00.000-08:00

Thanks again Em for asking me to take pictures of you and your girls, I had so much fun! I hope you like the way they turned out.

Frost & Fog

2009-01-21T10:01:00.000-08:00

You know usually if I woke up to frost and fog I would be disappointed... But how could you be disappointed when it looked like this?

Fleeting moments

2008-12-28T12:23:00.000-08:00

One of those moments right between awake and asleep..... I love it when they are so peaceful.

Playing around with Vignette's

2008-09-01T12:32:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of definitions for Vignette, that I found on mimi.hu

A vignette is often added to an image to draw interest to the center and, in effect, frame the center portion of the photo.

Vignette (Permalink)An image with an edge that gradually fades to black or white. Used mainly by wedding and portrait photographers either created by on-camera filters, using masks in the darkroom or digitally using software.

I love these two pictures together, you can see how Easton, totally stopped, looked at Ian's foot, and then just spontaneously kissed it..... From the moment Ian was born Easton has just totally adored him!!

The rule of thirds and the Golden Mean

2008-08-28T09:59:00.000-07:00

This week I have been scowering the internet for information on photography... I have been trying to learn how to use my camera, instead of setting it on the pre programmed settings. Every time I have tried to learn in the past I have just gotten overwhelmed with how much there is to learn, and how much information there is out there. Where to begin? I found some amazing sites online, packed with information, and this is where I am beginning, with the rule of thirds and the golden mean.. The very watered down version, is that we like the way photographs look, when the main element of that photograph is placed in specific places on the frame.....

Here are a few of my photos... Please let me know what you think.

Sweet Moments

2008-03-05T21:11:00.000-08:00

One day Lexi will probably not appreciate this...

Easton's New Hat

2008-03-03T12:46:00.001-08:00

Papa's Hands...

2008-03-02T21:02:00.000-08:00

First Picture

2008-02-29T20:57:00.000-08:00

Here is one of the first pictures taken with my new digital camera..... I am going to use this blog as my photo journal. I hope that I can look back and see the progression (hopefully good). I plan on taking photoshop and photography classes here at the ubatc. I would love and appreciate any comments and suggests.