2012 A Year in the Making.

Well. I debated on a "Best of 2012" from all of the sessions that I have done this year, and I found my self trying to include everyone...and that's a lot of people. So I had to stop, because "Best shade of pink" was just getting a little ridic. ;) So I will narrow it down (Since I am off until 2013 now) to some sappy words and a big thanks. I seriously can not believe how fast this year has gone by. As most of you know I only started my business, under my own name, a little over a year ago, and I am still shocked and so grateful at how much success I have had. I have met some seriously amazing people-clients, vendors, photogs.- some who I consider friends by now, and others, very good friends ;) Over the next year, I will be traveling a lot for work, and I am so excited for the opprotunity to meet more people from all over the country. 2013 will also bring a few exciting changes for Heather P. Photography as well. (stay tuned ;) So on to the thanks. I want to thank my very first "digital" clients. Some of you know that when I started photography- everything was still pretty much still film- and I was taught that digitial was for sell outs hahaha- so I clung to that- and refused to switch over. Until I branched out on my own that is- BUT I still miss that charm that you get in film images, and the calm of a darkroom. Anyway. my very first Digital family. The C. family, whose Christmas pictures I did last year, and...I dont even want to talk about it. And The O. family who was my first "on my own" family, and they even had back since then (thank goodness) So needless to say, the switch was not easy. What is with camera's trying to do things for you?! I needed something fully manual with no other option apparently. But I got the hang of it. And then the editing. Oh lord the editing. Photoshop took me hours and hours (times a million basically) to get right, and I kept falling into trends, like over brighting, saturating and yellowing. Ick. (sorry if you are one of those clients who got all that) So I stopped looking at everyone else and did my own thing- not looking back. I want to thank my 2 best friends, Kate and Kendra (and Mike for obvious reasons ;) for always making me think Im the bomb. Thats all I need to say about that. My Grandmother-for everything. She is amazing. My love, Austin- for supporting every decision that I make, even if it's not a good one. My Parents for believing in me even though they know that I always have a spectacular idea, and then lose interest in it very quickly. My Mother in law, Nila, and Father in law Dennis- because I couldn't have come this far without them, and they have put so much into this. My son Conner for making me smile, even when I am totally stressed. My newest BFF Kelly for making such amazing banners and props and always giving me awesome things to use for sessions. (Green Jazz Face on FB- check her out) Jaimee from Ava's Tutu Cute Boutique for making the gorgeous accessories that you see all over my page. My old boss Kelly, for letting me use her kids,for my random ideas, even if they dont make sense. My 2 fav. fellow photogs- Scarlet and Dana for always listening to my obscene vents, and always making me laugh when we chat. Giovanny, who I do some commercial work for, and he always has to listen to me when I am cranky- and he still gives me work ;) All of my clients, you have all been amazing, I cant even put into words. All photographers say that they have the best clients, but I truley know, for a fact- that I for real- do have the best of the best. There are a select few, who I have seen more than once, and I have fallen in love with your families. (Santerre,Spooner,Williams, Castagna to name a few ;) And Last but not least. My team. Austin for handling all of the technical stuff that I dont have the patience for. And some beautiful ladies who you may see behind the scenes. Michaela, who also happens to be my sister, you will most likely see by my side at a wedding, or big event. She handles all of the second shooting, and either doing, or reminding me to do things that I typically forget about, because I have gone crazy 10 min. in ;) And You might see Brittany at one of your sessions. She is helping out with the shooting, so she can get ready to start her business when she moves away next summer :( And she picks up some of the editing as well. Love them. Thank you.

'Tis the Season

I remember as a child, the feeling of Christmas (I celebrate Christmas, not hating on the other holidays-this is just the one that I know ;) Starting right at Thanksgiving, and you could feel that holiday excitement radiating every where you went, right through New Years! People were happy to hear Christmas music, and they were nice to each other, and SMILED! It was fun to decorate, and wear cheezy sweaters and earrings shaped like presents or that jingled when you walked. It was okay to make ginger bread houses in school because people werent so paranoid about one thing or another- and allergies werent as common. Fast foward 20 something years to 2012. First of all, you can't say Merry Christmas without offending anyone- people gag at the sound of Christmas music. Nobody even glances at their neighbor out in the yard, or the person walking by them. It is a burden to have to string up those lights. And we have parties to mock those chunky sweaters adorned with snowmen, cardinals and Christmass Trees- extra points if you throw in those jingle bell earrings. Ginger bread houses at school?! Your child is lucky if they can bring reindeer shaped cookies- because so and so cant be in the same room as anything with butter in it because we haven't properly trained him to be aware of his surroundings. (ahhh the art of over protecting and coddling)(btw, I have a child with lifre threatning allergies, so this is somehting I am very familiar with) As a Photographer I am aware of my responsibilities. I chose them. I knew that it was a close and personal career- which is why I love it. I am a person. I like to sleep late when I have the chance. I eat my asparagus with my fingers. Sometimes I dont even feel like putting on concealer under my eyes. I put on sweat pants as soon as I walk through the door. I hate when the house is messy, and when people wear their shoes inside and track things all over the floor. I could drink pepsi from a trough if it were available to me. Sometimes I don't brush my teeth for a full minute before bed-because I am just too tired. I like to wake up my 2 year old to bring in in bed with me for the night. I LOVE packing a picnic and finding an open space where I can just lay and watch the sky and Conner can just run and play. When i start reading a book, I finish it in 2 days. I love cooking, playing, singing at the top of my lungs even though I have the WORST voice in the world........AND-I spend more time with other's people's kids than my own...because that.is.my.job. I hate that sometimes I have to spend time editing while my son is awake, just so I can get a session finished. But I do it. I stay up until 1 am sometimes later, so that I can answer emails, perfect images- update my pages- design albums, and order prints- or take an online workshop to learn new tricks or tips. Most of the time, I go out of my way to meet up with the client to deliver one thing or another. And my prices are STILL lower than my COMPETITORS (please note that I did not just say other local photographers) So now it is the HOLIDAY SEASON. And I am still all of those things. Clients sign a contract that has all of the info that they need in it. I am FLOODED with emails asking questions that could have been answered if they had read that contract. And I cater to them. And then I stay awake until 3 am to make sure their needs and wants are fulfilled. And then wake up at 8 am for a full day of sessions. And it's not enough. So I want to just remind everyone that- HELLO! It's (Christmas, Hannukah, Kwanza, whatever!) Relax! It's a time for joy and cheer. Photographers, small business owners, vendors- we are still people. But we are not a huge corperation. We are us- by ourselves. And when we have 10 antsy people at our throats because they aren't getting what THEY want for THEM, in THEIR time-It is not exactly joyful. It's sad and depressing. And when I have to "have dinner" with my family by looking at them over the top of my computer, so that I can try to make someone else happy-I'm not exactly cheerful. Now- since I am a Photographer, I'm going to take this in that direction now- COMMUNICATION. You chose your photog. because you liked their work. So you know their style. If you want a full styled shoot and for the photog. to execute it for you- tell them. Ask questions, but know- you get what you put in- clothing, location, time of day etc. And take a second to step back and think about the work that is going into your images, your prints, whatever the case. But don't forget that there is ONE person behind of all that- standing in front of 5-20 families at a time. On the sidelines of their own families. Happy Holidays :) xoxox

Client Vs. Friends.

I have a hard time keeping that line drawn. Especially when there are children involved. I fall quickly in love. I have to...right? So if you ever catch me stealing a quick smooch from your little, don't be surprised ;) No seriously though- I struggle with keeping a professional relationship with most of my clients, and I am unsure if that's a bad thing or not (SO feel free to leave your comments below and give me your opinions please!) because, I need your children to be comfortable with me, right? And that requires a lot of close contact and playing and loving. And I also need my older clients to feel at ease with me as well, so that your sessions aren't stuffy and boring, it's like we're hanging out and I'm just snapping some pics while we are at it. Now, with that being said, most of you who know me well, know that I am sort of a strange person. I talk to myself, I crack up at my own jokes while you are looking at me uncomfortably, unsure of what I'm doing- I'm a very touchy and hands on person. I try to feel out my clients before I mark my boundaries, but 90% of the time, I forget, and I'm all up in your personal space again. So, the point of this blog is to get people's opinion on where the boundaries should be drawn. The OTHER point is to chat about on my fav repeat families, who I feel like I consider my friends almost, and not clients, although we only ever talk when they have a session coming up. I met them because mom is a friend of my sister, who recommended me to them, and we met for the first time when their little lady was just 7 weeks old. I.was.SMITTEN with her. She has these big chocolate eyes that just melt my heart. And they have been to see me 3 times since then. I have lost all personal boundaries with them for sure! (I don't think they mind though ;) So they came to see me yesterday for baby girl's 6 month portraits and some Halloween shots (re scheduled since we got hit by that Pesky Sandy)and I'm not even sure if they were in the door before I was reaching for some baby snuggles! So they handed her over, mom and I did our thing with the playing dress up and picture taking of baby, I got lots of snuggles, and most importantly, lots of adorable shots. So i wanted to share one! Such a simple shot, but I love those the most. <3 On another note- I want to send out good wishes for anyone who was affected by hurricane Sandy this week- so horrible :( xoxox

$Money Money$- An answer to the age old question.

"WHY do Photographers Charge 'so much'?!" Ha. Let me give you the run down. And before I begin, I would like to point out that FOR THE QUALITY, my prices are extremely fair in my area- and I could be charging a lot more. But- I want people to comfortably be able to afford my work- and you all know, if you are one of my repeat clients, you get good deals ;) So. We start with the Photographer (go way back to education and start with that number) (We'll use me), and your session. Up to date cameras are a must, and now we need to add on lenses,that give you different results in images- flashes, to control your light- diffusers to adjust it. Then we have tripods, filters, bags. And then you can double that up for back up equipment. Lets chalk that up to...oh we'll low end it for a start- $3,000 (I wish)- right on up to $20,000+ in some cases-worth of equipment to make your photos.- Backdrop stands, backdrops,accessories,props that I hand pick at antique stores, tag sales, etc. BUT- it doesnt stop at your session, does it? Nope. Then I go home to carefully cull through, and process your images. On my computer (add price here) with photo shop (CS6)(retails for what? $1600.00?) And then I spend hours upon hours on your images, going through them, editing out any un wanted details, touch ups, color changes, ect. So next, we move on to packaging. There are the discs that you preview your images on, the packaging that I hand assemble to give that extra special touch. The business cards, and the cost to mail your package to you if need be. We can add contracts in here, the paper and ink that is used to print your session, and my wedding contracts. The cost of legalities and other buisness related issues. Marketing. Networking. Emails. Website Maintenance. Workshops. It all takes time, and costs money. Not to mention gas, mileage, and time away from our families, (And I have a 2 year old) even when we are at home. BUT I love it. You have to if you want to succeed. So I do it, happily. But it has to be worth my time as well. It is my JOB. Just like any other person. So when we get questions, or remarks like "Well, can I have the unedited images too?" or "I dont need them edited, can I have a discount for that?" It is A-insulting, and B- we are artists, editing is part of our process, and helps us to enhance features that we can't inside of the camera. Or "Can you give me a break on that price?" do you go to the gas station and ask for a break on gas? It's no different. Or The very common, wanting to have your wedding photographed for $1,000.00 or less (a solid $1500.00 LESS than the average price for wedding photography in my area) Let's break that down by the hour, to pay myself, and my second shooter. For the DAY, and for the weeks of editing that come after the wedding day. DON'T GET ME WRONG! I have given some awesome deals on weddings because I CHOSE TO- but when it is expected, and argued upon, it's not fair, and not right. And Dare I even mention the ever so popular "It must be so fun to get paid for taking pictures every day." (Please don't ever say that to me, or to any photographer) Now, with all that being said. I love what I do, and I love working with everyones budgets, to make sure that it is possible for you to come to me for your photos. And not have to waste your money at a chain studio, where you KNOW you won't be as happy with your images, because they wont work to capture the real "you". It is really hard for me when someone argues my price. It makes me feel like an awful person, and puts me in a really hard spot. I dont just take your money and run after your hour long session. I might even work longer hours than you do. (in most cases) I work a good, 60 hour week. So the next time you have an issue with an independant Photographer's prices. Save your self the grief, and go to JC Penney's or Picture People. And let me know how that works out for you ;) And to all of my WONDERFUL CLIENTS, I love you all, and I wouldn't be where I am without every single one of you. None of this is directed toward any of you, because you have never done it! And I am so thankful for that :) xoxoxox

"The Biz"

Well... I have said more than once that I SWEAR Im going to keep this blog updated. That was a lie I guess. I try, and I mean to, but I always end up too busy. So Here I am after midnight- on date night (baby is with my parents)...blogging ;) I just received an email from a repeat (and one of my fav's) client asking why I don't keep up with my blog- and that she and her husband love to read my posts and would love to hear more about the business side of things. Really?? Well "A"..you asked for it! :) Photography is a very "catty" business. But.. a business none the less. As well as an art. So sometimes I am swimming in sessions, which, in all its glory, leaves me swimming in a nice paycheck-which most of goes right back into the business. It is a business that requires constant training, workshops, learning, and upgrading. BUT. Being an art as well.... sometimes I am twiddling my thumbs for a week with no sessions. (Undoubtedly catching up on editing from previous sessions- but there isn't an extra paycheck for that). And- a lot of people don't count any art form- unless you are extremely famous...or dead- a "job". So there is that aspect as well. "Ohhh so you get to take pictures all day??" (Please dont ever say that to me by the way) Oh and the "competition". Everyone is so concerned with what other photographers are doing, and while it is a great learning tool, they don't hold your camera in front of your clients, so it isn't THAT important. I have said it before, but I am from a small area where "professional" (and I use that term loosely here) photography is seemingly a growing trend- and that is a breeding ground for snide remarks and whispering. But I don't feel any competition. I feel like my clients are loyal to me, and I am comfortable enough with my work, that I don't feel threatened by anyone else around me. I practice my weaknesses, and I know my stregnths, and I play to them. So that is the business side of things for now. (I know it ended a little abruptly, but it was sounding too serious for me) So on to regular BLOG things. To shoot, or not shoot. THAT is the question...I am talking about weddings by the way. They are what I started out with, and I had an amazing mentor. And I recently did my first wedding under my own name, and I loved my clients, and I loved their wedding. And after they booked with me, the weddings came rolling in. One after another. Some I turned down, some I kept. So I have quite a few lined up. And while it is great money-is it?? I can;t bring myself to charge people $4,000-$5,000 per wedding. I can't and I won't. But how much of my fee gos to prints? A good chunk. And then there is weeks and weeks and weeks of editing. And I love it all. But I feel like I am centering more around a certain "genre" if you will. (To be discussed at a later time) Not that I dont LOVEEEEEE my weddings-because I do. But I am thinking about only taking on one or two weddings a year, that way I can give them a million percent of my attention. This will not in any way affect my 2013 weddings, so noooo worries. Just something I am thinking about, :) What have I been up to lately? Lots of sessions, lots of editing, dealing with a new attitude from my 2 year old- mostly. He is so my child that it scares me. :) Off to bed now- I hope that saitisfied your itch to read about my awesomely interesting (not so much haha) life "A" and I cant wait until your Holiday session, which I will FOR SURE be Blogging about ;) xoxox

Oh the world of Photography.

First of all- HI! I wanted to quickly let everyone know that I re launched my new website FINALLY. You can find the link on the right side of this page under Heather P. Photography- just click on that and it will take you right there! If you have had a recent session with me, theres a good chance that you may see your images there :) Now on to some annoying business stuff. I have been thinking about this for a while, and then a fellow photog friend of mine, Scarlet, got me thinking about it more tonight after I read her blog post.(Check her out BTW, if you are in the Columbus OH. area, shes a real treat!)She blogged tonight about how Photoshop doesn't define a GERAT photographer. So I want to chat a little about that, and branch out from there. Photography is an extremely competitive industry, and unfortunately, a lot of photographers have placed themselves on a very high stool to look down upon others. EVEN beginners do this. And it gets under my skin- ohhhh does it ever. Photography is an art, and each person has their style, their THING. And most importatly, WE ALL started somehwhere. What is a GREAT photograher?? There are SO many self taught photogs out there that are AHHH-MAZZZING- I cant even put into words. I myself, am an educated photographer- but guess what- that means NOTHING when it comes to the editing process that is now involved in digital photography. When I was learning all this, editing involved a paint brush in a dark room for selective color (ok people we are talking 2003 here fyi, I am not ancient) I taught myself PhotoShop and it.was.HARD. Because I did it right, I took the time to learn, and boy was I reluctant to do so. (Digital SLR's were just becoming the "in" thing when I was in school and we snickered and whispered about the sellouts bringing in their new DSLRs to class. [cheaters] so I SWORE I'd never do so. And I didn't- for another 8 years.) So I aplogize to my first "digital" clients that had to be part of that disaster- but look where it got me ;) Anyway, I stayed up until ridiculous hours of the night tinkering around with PhotoShop and editing, and re editing, and watching tutorials. And more tutorials. And throwing things because I am SO imapatient. But I did it. YAYYY NOW- I am a GREAT digital photographer.....no. If I am great (IF- I'll let you be the judge of that)it's because I KNOW my camera. I know light. I know how to manipulate my camera, and light. I MAKE my photographs. Not the camera. NOT PhotoShop. "Ok Heather, so why are you boring us with this chatter about cameras and software?!" Ok- so here's the thing. I live in a small town. (Just a little while longer ;) I watch people crash and burn trying to "be" photographers all.the.time. And it's not just here. I belong to a few different forums and online groups. Especially in this economy. People think that if they own or buy a "good camera" and have some editing software, BOOM- they're in business, its easy money right?! "ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS TAKE GOOD PICTURES AND THEN BUMP UP THE SATURATION RIGHT?!" <----No. If you want to be a photographer, that's GREAT! I LOVE what I do. But it takes work. LOTS of it. CONSTANTLY. That means, watching any new tutorials you see, researching new equipment, just see what is going on in the camera world. Attending workshops, and networking. It is non stop renewal. Editing software changes, cameras, lenses, flashes, filters, it ALL changes, and picture styles change. Look at your family photos from when you were 10. Would you want that re created? You start with an entry level DSLR (Canon Rebel t2i or t3i- I know nothing about Canon- or Nikon- D3000,3100, and what is with this new D3200 with 24.2 megapixels for only $699.00?!-LOVING that!!) And you LEARN YOUR STUFF. You learn every aspect of how to work a camera, how to edit your images. And then you upgrade. And upgrade again. And again, until you get where you want to be. NO need to run out and by a top of the line camera when you have no idea what you are doing, because guess what? It's a waste of money. Take your time. LEARN. Go outside and take pictures of EVERYTHING. Develop your EYE for the art of photography. Change your SS, FStop, ISO, WB. change it again. and then another 10 times. Do it EVERY DAY. THAT. Is what makes a GREAT. Photographer.

Longing for Fall.

Although I can not wait to move out of CT, I will say, I will so miss Fall in New England. The cool crisp air, and the rustic colors of the changing leaves- the smell of autumn in the breeze. Yea. It's my favorite time of year, and I can not WAIT for it to arrive. In the spirit of fall, I have been trying to gear my sessions towards a "fall kind of feel". You can find a few peeks of my Back to School Sessions HERE . And I have also been playing around with a more antique session- which you can see HERE. But for now, here is a little treat to get you in the mood for fall, and Halloween, New England style. xoxox

Wiped.Out.

Although I am extrememly happy to be so busy (that means people think I'm "the bees knees"...right? I am WIPED OUT. I was having mixed feelings about my session being cancelled last night to to gross-ish weather. I wanted to get out to the lake and shoot away for this gorgeous family- but I felt a sigh of relief, because as of now, I am completely caught up on session editing. (I'm not counting the fact that I have a good 3 solid weeks of wedding edits left that I'm sitting on) Yay for me! So. What's going on over here while I had a whole night of no editing to do? (I gave myself a break) I am catching up on True Blood (don't judge me ;) I am getting ready for my Back to School Mini's on Sunday. My niece's birthday this weekend. And still figuring out tiny details from my super secret project. One of my best friends from waaaaaaay back 19 years ago when we became bff's- sent me a delcious package of crocheted goodies today, and I am working on getting her to open up shop. Also trying to get Nana to open up shop too. They should go into business together. Except that they live across the country from each other. Anyway, their gorgeous items will be making their debut in upcoming sessions- so keep an eye out. That's all on my end. Have a peek at oneeee more wedding teaser. xoxox Everyone is all about the Bride's Bling...but what about the Groom's?! Here you go...

Conner's "Peel Out"

Ok so- this post is just a quick informative vent/plea/story. I am an "allergy mom". There. I said it. My two year old son (Conner) has quite a few allergies- some of which are deadly to him. (In order from worst to least severe: Banana, avocado, kiwi, cabbage, chestnut, pear, peanut, almond, cow's milk <--which I think we may have over come!!! :) and then theres the annoying things, like red dye, dust, and latex that just itch and bother when hes exposed to too much.) But we are different from a lot of other "allergy parents". We are pretty laid back- and we cringe when people say things like "allergy mom" "allergy dad" and "allergy parents". So you should know that when I said I was an "allergy mom" I only said it to grab your attention and bring notice to what I am saying. Conner is a child. Our child. He isn't a statistic. Or a freak show. Or by any means someone to be treated differently. We dont shield him from the world that he is going to have to grow up in. We dont keep the things he is allergic to out of the house. Why should we? We are adults, and we are responsible, and oh yea, we are parents. It's our job to be able to manage several things, or situations at a time. It's what we do (especially the moms, right ladies?! ;) Before I go any further, I want to throw out there that if you are one of those parents who does things I just stated that I do not, thats great, we all do what works for us- I am not saying either way is right or wrong, but the way that we do things seems to make more sense in reality- for us. Conner knows when we have something that he can't have, he will get his own "version" of that, and being the well mannered child that he is, he accepts it and moves on. He eats very healthy, and he is extremely happy. Yes, we have to wipe down shopping carts, tables, chairs, whatever we touch when we have Conner, and we are always washing our hands. But we do it without stressing, and we do it because we have to. Anyway. Back to the main point of this post. We had an incident at the playground yesterday, and I posted about it on FB and that was that. Well, tonight, one of my family members sent out post about the situation to raise some awareness, and I was so touched by the response and that several more family members re posted it as well as some others. It totally touched me. So- Playground yesterday. I took Conner, and the two children that I watch during the summer, and it was a gorgeous day and we had the place to ourselves. The eight year old girl(Sam) that I watch pointed out that conner had some "red spots" (hives) on his face and I went to check them out. Yep. Hives. Great. So I do the usual rundown. Check behind his ears, his neck, belly and back. Yep all covered in hives. Time for benadryl. So I instructed everyone to follow me to the shade where my bag is- and carried Conner. By the time I got the medicine bag (equipped with medicine droppers, tylenol, sunblock, bug spray, and of course, benadryl and epi pens) out of the cooler bag, Conner's legs and arms are now covered. Looks like a double dose of benadryl this time. I sat him down, gave him his doses, carefully and subtly pulled out the epi pen just in case- wiped down everyones hands and faces and waited. 2 minutes and the hives start to fade. we all have some water, check Conners breathing and play with him in the shade to see if hes ok- which he is. thank goodness. easy peasy. This is where I thank myself for being so laid back. All of that without breaking a sweat, calling for help or freaking out. Because i was able to do with a clear mind, and confidence in myself. 15 min and most of the hives are gone. I put the epi pen away and we move to the other side of the playground (there are 2 play areas at this playground) because I am cool like that. I'm not going to freak out and leave when he wants to play- and he is clearly fine. On our way to the other part of the play ground I notice a brown pile on the ground near the play area. Banana PEEL. (DUN DUN DUUUNNNNN) That's our worst. "Ok sorry guys, no more play ground stuff, but we can still play in the grass with our ball and bubbles" Problem solved. End of story. Except it wasn't. I jumped on FB via my iPhone to vent for a sec about moms letting their children eat while they play. They aren't going to starve at the playground if they don't eat while they use the equipment. They just wont. And if they do- you have a much bigger problem than I do. It is so so soooo important to be aware of childrens allergies. It is a serious issue that is easily over looked. I belong to several forums (which I never interect in I just read) and I know several people with children with allergies, and I find SO often that those people think that they are so high and mighty because their children eat healthy- when it's only because they are forced to. I mean, thats great, but just because you aren't giving your kids nuts or dairy (which generally are in every junk food) doesn't mean its ok to let your children run around with healthy food either. Because fruit allergies are just as serious.- I've seen it. bad. And you don't ever want to see your child the way I had to see Conner when it happened. The point is- every child is different. Assume that SOMEONE is allergic to whatever you are eating. I mean come on- BANANA? who is allergic to that?! I know. But we are, and there are other people too. Have your children sit off to the side to have their snack, away from the other kids and equipment. And always carry wipes to clean faces and hands if there isn't a sink available. Allergies aside, it's safer and it creates better eating habbits. So after seeing the awesome response that my original post generated, I wanted to give a huge thanks for everyone who was part of that, for supporting Conner, it means so much to us. I also am including this link where you can learn more about Anaphylaxis (this is the type of reaction Conner would have to Banana's if he ingests them- not just comes in contact with, like at the palyground)and Food Allergies . Thank you all for reading, feel free to share! xoxox

Conner playing :)

Slacker.

Yep. Thats me. Not only am I a slacker (except when it comes to editing, which I consume absolutely all of my free time with for some reason) I am also a procrastinator. I told you I would be blogging regularly- and apparently that was a lie. Who thinks I can do it from here on out? I will try to blog at LEAST 2 times a week. Ok- what have I been up too?? Well, on the 28th of July I had my first wedding under my own name. (for those of you who aren't aware, wayyy back 8-9 years ago After I finshed school for photography I only ever did weddings, as a seccond shooter, THAT was what I was determined to do. Unfortunately bras and cute Pj's at my full time job at Victorias Secret were much more demanding than I thought, and from there I got introduced to make up artistry-working in their beauty dept. left there, worked at Sephora doing makeup and going to school for cosmetology- which I lovedddd and photography became more of a hobby. <--- Lame- I know) Anyway back to my Jul 28th wedding. I brought along my sister (who is also into photography and not too bad either!) as my second shooter and we had a blast. The bridal party was hilarious- and depside the torrential downpour immediately following their grand entrance, it was a gorgeous day. Heres a peek. I did several edits on this photo- I regular color, a classic B&W and then this vintage haze sort of look- which I think is my fav of the three- but thats just me. you can find more of their wedding HERE . So this week brings more editing, finishing up a couple of sessions, and then the week off...until Thurs. when I have another session, back to school minis this weekend, along with my niece's 4th (OMG) birthday- and then more sessions scattered through out the next week. So look out for my Back to School Mini's on the blog! xoxox

I'm Back!

Well it certainly has been a while huh? My blog site was malfunctioning, and not letting me post links or photos, so I have been protesting it for a while. I stuck to my guns too ;) A few new things. I got to meet little Oliver and his family, and I fell totally head over heels for them. Please check out his blog, linked to his name for more info on his condition, and how you can help! They taught me that you truly do need to make each moment count, and I am so thankful for that.

I have been working on some important details for a super huge and secret (for now, you'll def want to stick around for details) that a friend of mine, and I are working on, and I am so excited for it all to come together, so stay tuned!! Im glad to be back in touch, and you can look forward to seeing my posts, and session regularly!! xoxox

Holiday

I got to take an actual long weekend, no sessions, no editing.It was fabulous, although busy- and of course since my entire family was together on Monday we got some good ole' fashioned family arguments (I was going to say fights because that's what it really was- but I want to maintain my proper and professional image on my brand spankin new blog so I'll leave out all the juicy deets.) I am feeling under the weather yesterday and today, and I'm going to blame the fact that I may have gotten wayyyyyy too much sun...but its probably because I am pretty anemic and always forget to take my iron pills so this heat is kicking my behind. But its back to the grind for me starting tomorrow- kicking off with a newborn session and a couple of family and or children sessions throughout the week.
I hope everyone had a fabulous holiday weekend!!
xoxox

Vineyard Love

Last weekend I got to finally meet the Bride and Groom (and their amazingly gorgeous children) from my July 2012 wedding! (oh- I definitely fell in love with them if you were wondering) I did their children's photos on Saturday and then Sunday I met them (along with my sister, who will be the second shooter at their wedding-shes my right hand gal) at a local vineyard- with some amazing fresh organic strawberries, and a cold bottle of rose' (right from the vineyard gift shop) in tow.
We did some laid back, fun engagement photos. (And while I was editing the session all week, I really felt the need to be listening to Strawberry Wine- and I don't really care for that song but it fit) So I wanted to share a couple of the Bride and Groom since the rest of the peeks from their gallery are on my Facebook page.
xoxox

Here I am (Signed/Sealed/Delivered)

So...Here I am. I wasn't into a formal "website"...and my clients didn't seem to be either. I am a very personal person, and I found that Facebook was the best way to interact with my clients. So they- along with their family and friends- could see their photos (if they wished) and everyone can make their comments or likes right there, and we were all sort of "together".
That was all great- when I only had a few sessions a month. (And it still is! I love being close with my clients, and meeting their family and friends!) But now I have quite a few sessions a week, and I tend to photo bomb my clients/fans newsfeeds.
So a blog. That seems to be the happy medium right?! Because people can still "follow" me and view and comment and LOVE! PLUS I can still babble on a little bit for other people to see. (Which is something I happen to be great at.)
There are no photos here yet. One- because I don't know how. Two. because it would be IMPOSSIBLE for me to chose which photos go on here. So My very next session will start the blogging of client galleries. It should be fun- for sure!
I just realized that there is a little icon at the top of this screen to add photos into my blog post! So here it is. My very first blogged photo. Nothing fancy. Just my boy being handsome :) He's the greatest.
Heres to blogging success!!! I hope you enjoy the ride!

xoxox