a thousand words...

i heart faces {smile}

2011-01-11T12:46:00.003-05:00

It's a big birthday bash over at I heart faces! I've decided to enter this week's photo challenge, which is SMILE. Lots of cute smiling faces to take a peek at, so head on over and you'll probably find yourself smiling as well! To top it all of is a fabulous guest photographer judge, Jasmine Star, whose photography and writing has won the nation (er...probably even the world) over!

i heart faces {vroom, vroom}

2010-09-12T23:11:00.004-04:00

This week's photo challenge over at i heart faces is "Vroom, Vroom!" Entries must have both a face(obviously!) and a vehicle of some sort. Excitedly I have the perfect entry, and cannot wait to see what everyone else's creative minds come up with for the challenge this week.

This recent newborn session was filled with personalization, which I love, because the images are then more meaningful to the family. Daddy rode his Harley motorcycle over and asked if there was anything I could do to incorporate it into his new baby's photos. I'm in love with the result, and I'm pretty sure he is too! Here's his little Biker Babe:

i heart faces {got to wear shades}

2010-08-16T16:44:00.003-04:00

It's another photo challenge over at i heart faces This week, to celebrate bright, sunny days the theme is "Got to Wear Shades!"

This photo came to mind for me, one that I really love of my daughter Chloe. This is our pool at home...we spend quite some time here in the warm weather! I love the reflection of her feet and the bright summery colors. But I mostly love that this will be a memory that I will hold on to in the future when she grows up!

Lots more fun entries over at i heart faces! Click the button below to see them all.

Yahoo! Top Ten Winner {i heart faces}

2010-06-22T23:16:00.005-04:00

My entry for the "All About Babies" photo challenge at i heart faces placed 6th last week. That is SIXTH in over 600 entries! I'm pretty proud, estatic, I could do a happy dance, lol! See my entry below:

i heart faces {celebrating teens}

2010-06-22T22:59:00.003-04:00

It's teen week over at i heart faces. And boy, are there some very creative, fun and inspiring teen photos in this week's challenge. Head on over and check out some of the entries!

i heart faces {all about baby}

2010-06-15T12:45:00.003-04:00

What a great theme for this week! "all about baby" If you need a baby fix, head on over to i heart faces and check out the babylicious-ness!

i heart faces{yellow}

2010-05-24T17:18:00.004-04:00

Here is my entry for this week's "i heart faces" photo challenge at iheartfaces.com .... YELLOW!

Fix It Friday {i heart faces}

2010-03-05T16:46:00.004-05:00

Today is "Fix it Friday Challenge" at I Heart Faces. I have never participated in this challenge but thought it might be fun to give it a shot.

Many people don't appreciate or even realize the post-process work that many photographers put in to the images after the photoshoot. Digital photography has allowed us to create a work of art and really express our style though this process.

The following photo is not one taken by me, but is the photo offered by I Heart Faces for this week's challenge. The first photo is the original, and the second is my "play" at how I would fix the image's flaws and add my processing style.

I Heart Faces: Autumn Beauty

2009-11-17T21:46:00.006-05:00

This week's photo challenge at I Heart Faces is {Autumn Beauty}. Boy did I have a hard time choosing a photo. I had it narrowed down to 5. I had to take a vote to pick the final one! Needless to say, I love the beauty which lies in this season. I only wish it didn't go by so fast!

Here is my entry:

Click on the button below to see more amazing entris at I Heart Faces!

I Heart Faces: Balloons

2009-11-03T21:52:00.005-05:00

So, I've never entered into an "I Heart Faces" photo contest.... This week's theme, though, is Balloons. I thought of this cute capture from last month and decided it wouldn't hurt to add it to the collection of other great balloon shots! Check them out by clicking on the button below.

FEATURED!

2009-07-22T18:23:00.002-04:00

So, yes, I have been swamped. Maybe buried is a better word. Or drowning... :0) Either way, I am having a great, but very busy summer! And I have been taking tons of pictures....just haven't been showing them off! I hope you all are enjoying this summer, even if the weather is somewhat strange!

I have been trying to keep updating my recent photo sessions on Facebook (you can find me HERE) and on FLICKR (view my photostream HERE), so come visit me to see a little of what I've been up to lately!

And some more exciting news.... One of my recent newborn photos, titled "Snuggle" was chosen to be featured on The Cutest Little Baby Face Blog .

It is one of my favorite recent newbie shots... check it out! And while you're there, take a look at the blog! It has some great photo-taking tips if you are trying to catch shots of your little ones.

Have a great week!

BEACH BABE [florida part 3]

2009-06-18T16:49:00.002-04:00

And here's Annie,Grets's little sister. She didn't love having her pic taken too much...but I snuck in a few :)

FLORIDA FUN [greta]

2009-06-15T22:30:00.002-04:00

Just sharing some snapshots from last month's Florida vaca. I will continue to post some of these shots a little here and there.

This is my cousin's little girl, Greta. We had such a good time and I enjoyed getting to know the girls even better!

PIERCE@HOME [9months]

2009-06-08T23:48:00.003-04:00

All I can say is how ADORABLE is this little boy? I have done several home sessions lately. No backdrops, no props, just capturing kids in their own environment with the surroundings they are used to. I'm loving the way they have turned out... something different! And Pierce is so cute and seemed like a natural at this picture taking business.

WHERE IN THE WORLD....

2009-05-28T21:49:00.004-04:00

Have I been? I know. It probably seems as if I've fallen off the face of the earth! What can I say? The last 2 months have been INSANE around here. I've been out of town a total of about 4 weeks. In between those trips, we have managed to pass around some kind of nasty virus that I happenedto get... not once, but TWICE. And everyone else took their turns, too.

I know my blog has been stale and I've probably bored many of you. I even had several people check up on me and make sure I was still taking pictures! (thank you for that) The fact is that I've actually been swamped and have many, many sessions to share with you all. I should have enough fresh, new photos to last the entire summer! I guess it's time to begin catching up...

For now, I'll share some photos from our vacation(s). My younger two kiddos obliged me once I begged for a few minutes away from play for a photo shoot. I got about 2 minutes from Callen. Chloe was a little more generous and let me play a little longer... maybe 15. These are my favorites. More to come!

Here is the same photo as above, but I broke out the "summertime wash" effect that I played around with last summer. I love the airiness of it, but I'm not sure... I may like the original coloring better.

The eyes that melt my heart:

HAIDYN [3 months]

2009-04-15T23:54:00.004-04:00

Haidyn is just the prettiest little thing. Remember her newborn photos? {see here} She has changed a lot since last time, but she's still pretty as ever! She was so full of expression, and held herself up on her tummy so great for her age. What a cutie-pie. I had a great time photographing her.

What a sweet smile!

I think this one below is my favorite from the session. I love the seriousness of her eyes, down to the little bit of drool on her mouth. And, of course, the hat looks adorable on her!

I loved how Haidyn grabbed the strings of the hat. She stayed that way for the remainder of the session!

RIGBEY [9 months]

2009-03-10T23:56:00.004-04:00

Wow! Rigbey was a little ham for the camera. I love how intense his eyes are- he has some wonderful expression! Rigbey's newborn photos are some of my all-time favorites. I can't wait until his 1yr photos to do a then/now post to show you how much he has changed....I'm amazed. Enjoy!

MACY [turning one!]

2009-03-03T23:15:00.003-05:00

Yes, it's another little Macy turning one! She seems to be such a girly-girl, so I had to create photos to show it! Check out her infatuation with these pearls...

A little bit of vintage...

And who doesn't love a little zebra and hot pink together? Obviously Macy is happy about it!

She's TU-TU cute!

We even bundled up and ventured outside...

Macy has the sweetest mouth and fullest lips. Lookout, Angelina!!

SWEET ABIGAIL

2009-02-25T17:53:00.002-05:00

What a treat Abigail was to photograph. As most of you know, I love newborns! Although she was 2 months old at her newborn session, she was still so tiny...around 6 pounds! Abi really let me move and "mold" her into position without much fuss...which is rare for a baby this age. I'm in love with all of these, but I'd have to say that the first 2 are my favorites! Thanks to Abi's mommy and big brother for sharing her with me that day!!

I love how the fuzz is stuck in her toes here. Too funny!

Ok, this one is amazing, too. It's a 3-way tie ....

Big brother Karl was so sweet with her. Look how gently he's holding her head:

Karl realy wanted to be a part of the action, so I grabbed a few quick shots of him. He wanted to include some of his things in his photo: a green army man, a small truck, a "Cars" blanket(that you can see in the below photo) and a stuffed frog. He cracked me up!

MACI [turning one!]

2009-02-23T18:18:00.002-05:00

Sweet little Maci is turning one already! I can hardly believe it. We had alot of fun for this session, although I think her mommy got a workout putting her back in front of the backdrop when she wandered off!

Here's one of my favorite photos from her newborn session, taken one year ago.

She may have the BLUEST eyes I have ever seen. No joke, I did not change the color of her eyes in any way!

MY FAVORITE FROM THE SESSION:

Some color to brighten up these dreary days:

What's a BIRTHDAY GIRL without a TUTU???

I love her smile in this one!

DANE [day 11]

2009-02-02T13:24:00.007-05:00

This is little Dane at 11 days old. He was a fiesty one and made me work for my pay!! But I think the work paid off. He eventually dozed off into a sweet little slumber....I think that keeping him wrapped and warm was the key. He wasn't too keen on being naked!

WINNER[S]

2009-01-14T23:19:00.002-05:00

WOW! I am totally overwhelmed by the awesome response to the contest. I had over 280 comments alone on the blog post, and a handful of votes on other posts, through email, and in Flickr comments. Overall, I'd say that my first contest was a success! I thoroughly enjoyed reading your comments and guessing which image may win...

The race was super close between the top 2 images... and for that reason(and the fact that they are both wonderful shots!), I decided to award both of them the 11x14 print.

Congratulations to my winners, #17 and #1

To all other entries: Having your image chosen out of the thousands of photos I took last year deserves something, dont' you think? Sooo-I am offering one 11x14 metallic print of each of the remaining 28 images at 50% off(=$27). This offer is good for one week only. I will be placing the order next Wednesday, Jan. 21. Please email me (contact link is in my sidebar) by Tuesday night at the lastest if you would like to jump on this offer!

Thanks again for making 2008 an amazing year! I am grateful to all of you for sharing your babies and families with me, for being amazing clients, for becoming friends, for everything! I hope to be seeing you all more in 2009!

LAST DAY TO VOTE!!

2009-01-12T15:00:00.001-05:00

Just a reminder that the voting for the contest will end tonight at 11:59pm. No votes placed after that time will be accepted. Happy voting!!

HAIDYN [newborn]

2009-01-12T13:25:00.002-05:00

I thought about waiting to post another post until the contest was over, but I thought you all might want to see some new pics! And I have been wanting to share these precious ones of tiny little Haidyn.

I have been photographing Haidyn's big sister Aislyn since whe was as new as Haidyn. And now Aislyn is a proud and very helpful big sister!

2008 FAVORITES [CONTEST!]

2009-01-02T21:46:00.007-05:00

OK, so I'm a day late on the monster post that I promised for yesterday. But in my defense...it took me almost the ENTIRE day yesterday to go through my files in preparation for this post!

To kick off the new year, I decided what a better time to showcase some of MY favorite images from 2008. This was one of the hardest decisions ever, ever, ever! My original idea was to do a TOP 10 of 2008 showcase. HA! That was a joke! I narrowed my choices down to my top 50, and then had my family help me narrow down further until we came up with 30 amazing images. Each is unique in their own way, and each I love for different reasons. Some I like because of their uniqueness, some because of the subject's expression, and some just because they make me smile whenever I look at them. Overall I didn't look for the best smiles or even eye contact....but just something that is there that makes me in love with the image.

So, to make this more fun, I decided to have a contest. I want you to vote to pick the top image for 2008 that represents Leah Hoskins Photography. The winner will receive a mounted 11x14 wall portrait of their image, printed on metallic paper(no substitutions).

Here are the rules for playing:

1. Leave me a comment below telling me the number of the image that you want to vote on.

2. One vote per person only. I will not count votes left under anonymous users. You must create a Google Account with a username to vote. Please be honest and don't vote more than once!

3. If your photo is in the running, contact everyone you know to vote for your image!

4. Voting will end on January 12, 2009 at 11:59pm. Winner will be announced on January 14, 2009

Here they are! Each photo is below it's number. Enjoy!

***EDITED****

I have noticed that there are several anonymous votes! I cannot count these votes as stated in the rules above. If you or someone you know voted for your image this way, please have them re-vote with a Google user name.

Also- DO NOT click on the photo and leave me a comment under the photo in Flickr. I cannot count these votes, either. Some images that have votes this way are #6, #11, #13, #18,#21, #25.

#2

#3

#4

#5

#6

#7

#8

#9

#10

#11

#12

#13

#14

#15

#16

#17

#18

#19

#20

#21

#22

#23

#24

#25

#26

#27

#28

#29

#30

DEAR BLOG,

2008-12-31T15:11:00.002-05:00

I am so sorry.
I know that I've neglected you.
I've ignored you.
And quite honestly, I have not even had time for you.

All of our friends probably think that we don't like each other anymore and I know it's my fault. I promise to never treat you like this again. You see, the past 2 months I have not even had time for myself or enough time for my family. So you're not the only neglected one!

I will make it up to you. Tomorrow I will be make a monstrous post to kick off the new year! And I may even be offering a fun contest as well.

Please wait for me. I won't let you down!!

To my friends....I MISS YOU, TOO!! But I'm back to the blog now. Stay tuned.....

WIHEBRINK [family]

2008-11-05T20:00:00.002-05:00

One word to define this family: STUNNING! We had the perfect evening, warm weather, great light, well-behaved kids.... everything just fell into place for this session. Can I say how easy I had it? Lucky me! I look forward to seeing this family every year.

A little more serious version....so fitting for this spot!

IAN:

THESE EYELASHES! OH. MY. GOSH. I'm jealous.

DELANEY:

SO PRETTY!

AISLYN [two]

2008-11-04T22:04:00.004-05:00

I hope you enjoy looking at these as much as I do. I adore the joy shown on 2-year-old Aislyn's face here! As usual, her eyes just glisten and are to die for! But, also as usual, I love the more serious one(2nd down), especially how her little curls stand out from the background.

Such happiness here!

A photo with Grandma.

Is this a perfect little smile, or what? I can see wall portrait written all over this one!!

PAIGE+ELENA [family]

2008-10-27T14:06:00.006-04:00

I love the colors in these photos, and the girls were awesome to work with. I've been taking pictures of these two for about 4 years now. I think they are seasoned subjects! I can't show many of the whole family shots, because I don't want to give away any they may choose for their Christmas card design!

Paige:

I am loving this next one. I was talking to Paige's grandma, and she was just playing, and kept jumping off the retaining wall. I noticed her jumping, and quickly grabbed my camera and fired off a few shots. I love how her curls are bouncing in this one.

And I'm loving this one, too!! It was a really tiny dandelion. I wish it were bigger so we could see the fluffy seeds floating away.

Elena:

The whole family!

SNUGGLE!

IAN [family]

2008-10-24T14:04:00.006-04:00

I think I need to officially declare October as Family Portrait Month. I do more family sessions in this one month every year than I think I do the all of the other months combined!

But, really, what a great time to get gorgeous shots of your family out in the beautiful fall leaves and cool, crisp air? And it's perfect timing for the holidays, to use your portraits for Christmas gifts and holiday cards!

Speaking of Holiday Cards.....HOLY COW I cannot believe how close they(the holidays, people!) are getting. Please, please get your card orders to me in a timely manner so I can enjoy some holiday time with my family, too. Watch for some card examples coming in the next couple of days, along with deadline information.

And, I can't forget to introduce our family below: The Wallick Family

And this is the mild, seemingly shy(but oh SO cute) Ian.

I absolutely love this one, his little shy smile is so sweet!

I'M BACK!

2008-10-15T21:32:00.004-04:00

I know, I know....I have been boring you all with a totally stale blog! I was actually out of town last week, and returned to several sessions and lots of catch-up work to do.

Matt surprised me and took me away (that reminds me of that old Calgon commercial!) for a few days of "us" time without the kids. Although he barely gave me any notice about the trip, it was a wonderful time and needed break!

Thanks to those of you who checked up on me to make sure all was well. I appreciate knowing there are some who miss me when I don't seem to be around!

I promise that I'll keep the posts coming for a while. But since this is my busiest time of year, you may see a little less of me than usual as I try to keep up. Work first, post later! :0)

See below for the 3 posts I made earlier today.

ELI [newborn]

2008-10-15T16:32:00.007-04:00

OOOOH, I just love little Eli's photos! He did very well, sleeping almost the whole session. He really let me pick on him. Ok, not really pick on him, but really move him around to get him in the perfect position. He and his big brother are very well- behaved! Sleepy, curly, scrunchy newborns.....my favorite!

A storyboard:

LOVE these lips:

ABBEY [re-shoot]

2008-10-15T14:37:00.005-04:00

Although I loved the shots I got of Abbey a little while back, I didn't feel we spent enough time with her for a good variety of images. We went out again, and she did wonderful! Just a short amount of time was all we needed ! I love how giggly she looks in some of these.

TAGGED!

2008-10-14T15:35:00.006-04:00

I was tagged by friend Katie, and I decided since I haven't posted in FOREVER I'd play along!

Rules: Each player answers the question themselves. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5 people and posts their names, then goes to their blog and leaves them a comment letting them know that they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve answered the questions on your blog.

10 Years Ago I...(1998):

1. Was in my second year of college at Grace College, Winona Lake

2. Was pregnant with my second son, and he was born on April fools day of that year. I got to finish that college semester early(whoo-hoo!)

3. Took my first vacation away from my boys, just Matt and I. Went went to Las Vegas for FREE, paid for by Matt's company.

4. I really can't remember much else, sad to say!

5.

5 Things on Today's "To Do List":

1. Catch up on work, since I was out of town most of last week.

2. Catch up on work.

3. Catch up on work ( can you tell what is #1 on my priority list for today?)

4. Try to pick up my house, since I have a full day tomorrow and know I won't get to it!

5. Order a couple of things online, before it's too late: 1. Callen's halloween costume-I love his choice for this year! 2. Callen's swimsuit for the Y swim team. I can't wait to see his cute little butt in those jammers!

6. Blog a few more times. Boy do I need to catch up!

5 Places I have lived:

1. Bourbon, IN- when I was really small

2. Warsaw, IN- the remainder of my life. Really boring, I know.

3.

4.

5.

5 Places I have traveled: ( I added this one, since my "places I have lived" wasn't too interesting)

1. Paris, France. We had an exchange student for a month, and then I went and visited her and her family for a couple of weeks.

2. New York City

3. Las Vegas, my hubby's favorite

4. Jamaica, twice

5. Costa Maya, Mexico and the Grand Caymans- stops on the last cruise we took

5 Jobs I have had:

1. Car-hop girl at the B&K Rootbeer stand.

2. Clerk at a video store-Matt and both worked here, when our Marsh grocery had a video store.
3. Secretary at Wildman Uniform & Linen- this was short-lived. I'm NOT the secretary-type.

4. Photographer!

And now I'm tagging: Rebecca, Christi, Priscilla, Sara, and Aleesha

PIERCE[announcements]

2008-09-29T11:40:00.008-04:00

Since I posted Pierce's newborn shots, and talked about his announcements I thought I'd post his announcements for everyone to see.

Mostly because I LOVED how they turned out, my favorites-ever! And also because I don't know if everyone knows that I do offer custom-designed cards made from your photos. Birth announcements, birthday invitations, grad announcements, holiday cards, save-the-date cards, thank-you cards, you name it, I can probably do it.

So, here are some shots of Pierce's birth announcement. His was a 4.5x5in folded card containing images on the front, back and inside spread of the card.

front

inside

back

And the file images so you can see it better.

outside, opened

inside spread

PIERCE[newborn]

2008-09-28T22:00:00.006-04:00

I've been dying to post Pierce's newborn photos! I felt I needed to wait to be sure I didn't ruin anything - so I decided to post after the birth announcements had enough time to arrive to all of their destinations.

We did two sessions for Pierce. One studio-style, and one lifestyle, in Pierce's nursery. I love both styles for different reasons. I love shooting sessions in the baby's own surroundings. If you remember back several months ago, I did the same thing for Pierce's older brother, Hudson. The photos turned out great so we decided to do it again!

Studio-style:

Pierce's mommy requested this next shot. Since I had never tried it before, we experimented! They turned out better than I expected for a first-time try!

I like this one the best:

Lifestyle: Pierce in his room.

A newborn smile:

OPAM [october]

2008-09-27T15:12:00.004-04:00

If you were to walk into my house on any given day, unexpected, I would totally freak out. This is because, well, I DO have 4 kids that like to be messy. I DO run a business. And I DO NOT have alot of time to keep my house in well-organized perfection. Not that I expect it to always be perfect, but I love organization! And I am an organized person.... in spirit. But mostly I don't have the extra time(and money!) that is needed to keep things the way I want them to be around here. And to be honest with you, it drives me crazy that I can't keep up.

About a month ago I stumbled upon the blog of another photographer who had a great idea. It's called OPAM. One Project A Month.

I've decided to start this challenge, and I am hoping some of you will, too! It's a great way to accomplish those things we have been wanting to get done. It gives motivation and accountability, and a one month time frame to accomplish the task.

Here's how it works. Choose a project at the beginning of each month. Take "before" photos and post them on your blog for all of us to see. Label your post OPAM followed by the month. Comment on my blog and leave me the URL of your post so that I can check out your project! Then, spend the month completing your project. When you are finished, take "after" pics, and post them on your blog for us to see.

I think the importance lies in choosing projects that can be completed within the month, so we can choose a new project for the next month.

So here goes...my project for October: The front coat closet. And this is really embarassing! Please know that not all my closets look this way. I have no idea how this one got soooo messy, but at this time next month, it won't be!

FAMILY AT THE FARM

2008-09-27T00:23:00.007-04:00

Aren't these fun? This family chose to have their session at the family farm, though we didn't really get too much of a "farm" look. The scenery was just wonderful....from pretty to rustic to clean. I loved the variety. I took some fun shots of 2 year old Austin, and then some with his two favorite people-mom and dad!

I love these, driving the tractor up the tree, and then pulling the bark off the tree.

Sitting in the tractor wheel.

And sitting among the old equipment parts... I love the one with the old sign, since Austin IS a Polk!

These two are my favorite from the day:

What a cute family!

CALLEN'S COMMENTS PART II

2008-09-24T16:42:00.007-04:00

I just had to share this funny comment made by Callen today!

A little background info-

Callen began talking today about how his throat and his "head" hurt. Two of my other kids stayed home from school in the last week with these exact symptoms, along with a fever. I thought "Oh no, here we go again!" It seems like we all might end up going through this.

I had a couple errands to run, and off and on he complained about his head. And he felt a little warm to me. We were still out and it was past lunch time, so I told him we would go to McDonald's for lunch. If you know Callen you'd know that this is his favorite place to eat(they are marketing geniuses if you ask me!). He was so excited because he is trying to collect those little Wizard of Oz dolls because he is fascinated with that movie. Forget the Batman toys, which are the ones that are intended for the boys! Nooooo, my son requests a happy meal "for a girl."

Anyway, we sit down and with much anticipation, he pulls out the little Lullaby League munchkin girl.

(if you're thinking he is going to be disappointed, think again!)

With a VERY pleased look on his face he says:

"Mommy! I got soooo excited to see my toy that my hurt in my head just POPPED right out! "

I laughed inside. He is so funny and I just love listening to his comments and seeing life from his
point of view!

Here is a pic I took of him watching TV the other night:

The funny part..... here is the same pic from the front view!

MY GOAL AS A PHOTOGRAPHER

2008-09-23T17:48:00.013-04:00

I had a conversation recently that got me thinking. I began thinking about what my I am trying to accomplish when I go to a photo shoot. What do I want to capture, to show through my images?

I guess I know what what my main goal is, and I hope it would be evident by my work. But I feel I should share with you just what I feel my "style" of shooting is. Communicating with you what to expect when/if you are considering hiring me as your photographer...that's what I'm doing here!

If I had to pick one word to describe what I want to accomplish, I think it would be documentation. My goal is to capture the personality of your child as he is right at this moment. I want to freeze time, in a way, so that you will be able to look at your photos and remember that funny expression, shy smile or squinty-eyed laugh that was your child at this particular time. In essence, I want to capture the true spirit of your child.

That said, let me tell you this: I am not a cookie-cutter photographer (such as Sears, Wal-Mart, school portrait photographer,etc). I won't spend our whole time together trying to get perfect smiles and happy expressions. While these do have a place and I do love a precious smile from a child, I more strive to see them as they are, without forced expression. NATURAL. period.

It's good that everyone is aware of this. If your child sits still well and is easily entertained by my sillyness and will give me hundreds of smiles, then great! But if he generally only sits for a minute and is on the go constantly, than I would rather chase him around and play and capture what I see than fight with them for that one(probably forced) smile.

Don't get me wrong...I will get smiles in almost all sessions! But I can tell you that they most likely won't be perfectly posed... If this is what you want than please don't hire me because this is not what I do. I am not the right photographer for you.

Ok! Now that that is clarified, let me show you some photography, Leah style!

This is Logan, who just turned one. What one-yr-old sits still and smiles? We warmed up by taking pics of Logan is his awesomley-painted bedroom.

I love this one below of him cracking up. Too funny!

Fun climbing up and down the steps:

and playing in the rocks:

And "driving" the John Deere:

Playing with the puppy:

and a few of just the puppy:

Playing peek! through the sliding door:

and a few more of my favorites of Logan beign Logan!

A LONG JOURNEY...

2008-09-21T21:56:00.006-04:00

Emmy Elizabeth is described by her family as a "miracle baby."

Emmy's parents had been trying for years, over seven years, to have a second child. After so much trying, and the pain of several miscarriages, they decided to place their troubles into God's hands. Their church congregation prayed over this family, that they might be blessed with another child. That the journey would end, the wait would be over, the pain replaced with the joy that comes with a new baby.

God does answer prayer. Glory be to HIM, for sweet little Emmy! What a blessing.

This is Emmy with big sister Drew, who is 9. I love the way she is kissing her so gently...

and I love how PROUD she looks in this one:

I saw these old suitcases in their home, and couldn't resist! A perfect ending to a long journey....

MY FAVORITE AGE

2008-09-15T23:05:00.005-04:00

So, yes, Maci is SIX months old. And six-month infants are at the age I absolutely love to photograph. I love the curiosity they have, and the limited mobility is good! It's second only to my favorite age....sleepy, scrunchy newborns! (of which I have 3 sessions to post, and will be soon)

I love the "jungle" look here:

I love these next two!! My favorites never tend to be the ones with the big smiles. I love unique much more than typical!

A vintage look, becoming my new favorite processing:

My FAVORITE shot of the day:

CLAIRE'S ONE YEAR OLD!

2008-09-14T23:46:00.001-04:00

I haven't photographed Claire or her family before, but I'm glad I got the opportunity! We had perfect weather, perfect evening light, and ended up with lovely photos. We mostly just played and I captured the fun of a 1yr old.

Here are some fun and casual family shots:

and the sweet Claire:

COME VISIT KIDS MARKET!

2008-09-12T11:13:00.006-04:00

Yep, it's here again! Tomorrow is the fall Kids Market sale. If you have kids and love good deals on anything related to babies and children, then you need to stop by!

Sale hours:

8am-2:30pm
3pm-5pm-all items are 50%off!

Kids Market is a bi-annual consignment sale of gently used infant and childrens items. Anything from clothing, shoes, and accessories to maternity clothes, nursery equipment, and toys....you name it, we probably have it!! Hundreds of people throughout the community bring their items and we sell them.... all for a great cause. Proceeds from the sale are donated to benefit women's and children's charities thoughout the community.

Look how excited Owen is that it's finally here!

*SMOOCH* I LOVE KIDS MARKET!

Check out the site at http://www.kidsmarketinc.com/ for more information.

GRETCHEN

2008-09-11T18:15:00.005-04:00

I cannot believe I haven't blogged these yet! I was going through files, and realized that there are a couple of sessions I have overlooked....and haven't posted from. If you haven't seen your photos on my blog yet, keep checkin! I'll be posting them soon.

This is 1 year old Gretchen from this summer. I love this park. There's a new look around evey
corner!

Look how smiley she is! I giggle just looking at her.

UPTOWN GIRL

2008-09-09T16:45:00.003-04:00

Do you have a blog? Do you love design? Would you love to have your blog reflect you, your style, your tastes, so everyone who visits can know more about you just by the way your site looks?

If you answered "yes!" to any of the above, then you need to visit Uptown Design Studio! Or the blog of Uptown Design, Uptown Girl. My bloggy friend, Rebecca, recently re-opened her blog-design business and is now taking clients!

I know, I know.... just hearing this makes you want to quit reading what I have to say and DASH on over to check out her site....but there is more!

Rebecca is using her excellent talents to fund her family's adoption of Owen, who waits for them in China. What a cause! So not only would you get a custom design that nobody else has, but you would also be helping bring Owen home.

And there is one more thing...visit her site to check out the giveaway she is having for some pretty neat stuff. Added bonus!

I have gotten numerous compliments on my own design(which was also designed by Rebecca). Wouldn't you love your own? :0)

AND THE WINNER IS.....

2008-09-07T21:41:00.002-04:00

WENDY! I tried to search for some nifty random number generator online, thought for sure I could find one somewhere, but no luck. I ended up having my hubby draw the old fashioned way!

Wendy wins a free photo session! Wendy, contact me(link is in my sidebar) so we can chat!

Thanks to everyone else, for commenting!!

ABBEY

2008-09-02T15:59:00.006-04:00

Yep...another 2yr old! We pushed Abbey to her limits, and ended up losing our lighting, so I will be shooting Abbey again soon... But still got some great shots, anyway! Abbey's photos were the very first ones to appear on my blog, back in this post from last year. She's such a petite little thing. I love her dimples!

Here we moved the chair. Look how different the look is, just moving a few feet! I really like both, for different reasons!

Abbey's curious look:

Abbey with her sisters, Haley and Emily:

Love these faces!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On a side note..... THANKS to all who commented on the post below! It was good to kind of "meet you" or at least know some who are looking at my work! I had decided when I made that post that the first 10 commenters would be entered in a drawing to receive a FREE SESSION from me! Since there would be only 2 of you left out, I decided to enter all of you as a thank you for coming out of lurkdom :0) I will post the winner by the end of this week. To the rest of you who haven't yet commented..... leave me a note! You never know when I might decide to give something away!!

ARE YOU A LURKER??

2008-08-28T12:41:00.004-04:00

As the number of views on my blog reaches close to 12,500, I have begun to wonder " Who are you guys?" Although there are so many people viewing my work, I have only received around 130 comments through the "life" of my blog(and sadly, many of those are multiple comments from the same few people!).

So what I'm saying is... "Hey, don't be shy!" Introduce yourself, let me know your thoughts on the photos, say 'Hello' etc. I want to get to know you! Even if I know you already and you are viewing your family's photos, leave me a note! As a blogger it's exciting to get comments. The hit counter let me know that people really are visiting, but it doesn't tell me who is visiting! I am planning out a few contests for the near future that will require you to comment, so if you want to join in, better get practicing :0)

Here are a few photos I want to share:

BEAUTIFUL

2008-08-27T22:02:00.005-04:00

These kiddos are so precious...not to mention gorgeous! And such great little helpers! Owen was bound to give me great faces for his one-year photos with his two big sisters helping me out. Take a look at these. The smiles are contagious!

This next one is my FAVORITE!

And I had to nab a few of Owen's sisters, who were ever-so-willing! How sweet are these guys?

One more try at the vintage look:

LOOK WHO'S TWO!

2008-08-25T13:47:00.006-04:00

Remember this face?

Here's an update on Annika who just turned 2!

Annika loved her baby!

I absolutely adore her dress. I had to process one of the photos to look vintage, like an old retro photograph!

WOW, WHAT A DAY

2008-08-23T19:28:00.006-04:00

My earlier post about my trip to Chicago left a few of you asking me how it went.... I thought I may as well post about it so that others can hear a little bit of the story!

I'll try to make a very long story short so I don't bore most of you!

I began my trip by heading up to Mishawaka. I was invited to go along with a couple of other photographers(who I had never met!), Christi and Erin, and so we were meeting and going from there.

We headed to the windy city and needless to say, we arrived waaaayyy early for our 6:00 seminar. Almost 4 hours early. But that was our goal. We wanted to make darn sure we got front row seats. As Christi put it, "If Jasmine Star spits while talking, we want to feel the spray!"

When we arrived, we drove around the parking lot, trying to find the Free to Succeed Tour bus, which the team was traveling in. We found it alright! I, not thinking ahead whatsoever, FORGOT TO BRING MY CAMERA!!! What was I thinking? So Christi took a photo of the bus. We felt a little childish to be so excited over seeing this bus, but seeing these photographers is kind of like a teen going to a Jonas Brothers concert. After all, they have been living in this bus for the past month!

After this we went inside the hotel and found the room that the seminar would be held in. We chose our seats, then made nice "reserved" signs to hold our places. Hey, we didn't come that early for nothing! As we were doing this, a couple of guys showed up. We thought they were just other photogs mapping out their seats, too. Come to find out, they were with the tour! We struck up conversation.....and discovered that Todd was David Jay's business partner and childhood friend. They took our photo in front of the tour bus. And if it couldn't get any better- they let US take a tour of the inside of the bus! And when Todd went to get David Jay so that we could meet him, he came out from the back IN HIS PAJAMAS!!! OK, then we felt bad......I mean, who wants to meet googling fans in their PJ's? And one more thing! Todd got us free t-shirts. That nobody else has. That they don't even sell yet. We felt so special.

The speaking ended up being very motivational. I learned alot about the business of photography that I will end up using. J* was amazing to listen to and is so real and down to earth. She rocks! I was lucky to get a few pics(thanks, Christi!) and will not fail to bring my camera if there be a next time! Overall we had a fabulous, eventful day. In fact, the eventfulness followed us on the way home, onto the freeway. Where we got a flat tire at 12:30 am. And that's another story in itself!

The girls and I with J*

And all of us with Todd, our new friend!

Can I mention that I LOVE my F2S tee? It is totally comfy, and even stylish!

a close-up of the shirt shows what it says: Freedom

more on this later!

MACY AT TWO

2008-08-21T17:50:00.002-04:00

Another 2-yr-old! I have had lots of them lately, and all have gone smoothly! Macy was so fun and full of personality. I love it when I finish a session and leave feeling like I captured the true spirit of the child. Take a look!

I'M OFF!

2008-08-19T10:54:00.003-04:00

I'm heading to Chicago and am SO EXCITED!! I'm going along with a couple of other photog gals to listen to a photography seminar. What's to be so excited about that, you ask?? Well, it's only that Jasmine Star (who is speaking today) is someone whose blog I stalk regularly, a totally amazing photographer, and has a way with words that I could only wish my blog-writing compared to.

I hope to learn alot about the business side of what I do, and I'm well-equipped with a full notebook that I WILL FILL EVERY LINE....if I have to, and if there is even that much info given out! (that was a total run-on, I know).

Anyway, I know that nobody else probably understands my excitement. I just had to share! And hopefull you all will benefit from whatever it is that I will learn today.

CARSON LEE

2008-08-18T19:07:00.006-04:00

Carson was such a joy to photograph! And such a little HAM for the camera. I have been so fortunate with every 2 year old session I've had lately. I can't believe my luck! Look at this little guy:

SUMMER'S END

2008-08-18T11:03:00.006-04:00

It's sad, but true, that today is offically the end of summer vacation. I know that school actually started on Friday, but with a weekend following, it didn't seem like the summer was over until today.

We have done our best to cram in all that we possibly could these past few weeks, and have been spending alot of our time in Michigan with extended family....what we call our annual "Hoskins- Fest." It's kinda funny, I know. Matt's family is located practically all over the place, and for the first 2 weeks in August, everyone meets together in MI on Coldwater Lake. Our kids have a blast, and we take our time to relax and visit everyone we won't see again until next year.

All of this, and getting everyone ready to go back to school has made for a full month!

I will be blogging like crazy to show all of the sessions I haven't been able to post lately...so if you haven't seen your photos yet, keep checking back!

I can't leave you without something to look at ...so here's Max at 9 months.

"Ooooo, this looks neat! If I could only reach it!"

"YES! I got it!!"

"What IS this thing, anyway?"

"Anybody know??"

Big eyes!

*HUGS*

"GOODBYE!"

JUDE @ 9 MONTHS

2008-08-11T12:49:00.006-04:00

I just love the expressions of this kid! I got tons of great smiles, but had to show you the variety of "looks" he gave me during our shoot. And those EYES! Love 'em!

SUCH CUTIES!

2008-08-05T19:23:00.006-04:00

These two little ones did such a great job for me, and we had a fun time. For being 3 and 1 I was impressed with the images I was able to capture. Great smiles but also some fun natural captures. Enjoy!

Also... I am on vacation this week(acutally at a family reunion in MI). I am getting limited internet connection and my Yahoo! mail isn't loading correctly. I am hoping to sort through emails and return them when we get home! I will return by Saturday afternoon. Thanks!

THEN AND NOW

2008-08-02T12:47:00.008-04:00

I love seeing the way a baby changes throughout their first year, and I get lucky alot of times to get to see babies every 3 months or so. When they turn 1 it's fun to look back at them as newborns and see how much they have grown!

Here is a "then and now" of William, who just celebrated his 1st birthday.

This is a collage that is one of 2 I designed and had printed(rather large) for a wall in William's house.

NEWBORN: (click on any photo to enlarge)

AND AT 1 YEAR:

I designed his birthday invitation:

We can't leave big sister out!

"CALLEN'S COMMENTS" PART I

2008-08-01T17:50:00.004-04:00

Our now 5-year-old Callen is constantly cracking us up with the funny things he says. I don't know if it's him, or just common for his age( I don't remember our other kids saying such funny things) but he is such a little comedian. Most of the time, he is not trying to be funny, it's just the cute little things that come from his way of thinking. I have decided to blog about these occaisionally for 2 reasons: (1)I think they are a fun thing to be shared because everyone needs a laugh now and then, and (2) I want to document them so that I can look back and remember how he was at this age!

Callen is a little timid around bugs, mostly scared of them. Lately they have been a topic of his curiosity...I think he is trying to find out more about the little critters in hopes that they won't seem so intimidating. Here are two recent conversations we had about bugs:

TODAY
Callen: mom, there is a BUG in your HAIR!!

Me: can you get it?

Callen: I CAN'T

Me: (swatting at my hair to find the bug and get it out)

Callen: oooooo, it is a funny color

Me: Oh, it's a Japanese Beetle!

Callen: yeah....

(very LONG pause, thinking)

Callen: Mom??

Me: what?

Callen: What color do you think Mexican beetles are?

Me: (just trying so hard not to laugh!)

A FEW DAYS AGO

Callen: Mom, look what I caught!

Me: (trying to sound excited, but really engrossed in my work) What is it?

Callen: It's a lightning bug!

Me: Oh, pretty neat!

Callen: I have him trapped under a cup so I can keep him. Can he be my pet?

Me: (looking for the right words) Wellll....he will die if you keep him trapped under the cup.
We really should let him go back outside.

Callen: Why will he die?

Me: Because he won't have anything to eat, so he will starve.

Callen: I KNOW!! We can fee him CHIPS!!

WAITING FOR BABY

2008-07-30T22:32:00.010-04:00

I just had to post these of two expectant mommies... Although I was never loving the way I looked as a pregnant person, these 2 pull it off nicely! What a special and exciting time in life, awaiting the arrival of a tiny little person to join your lives.

This is Sara, expecting her second little boy, due any time.

And this is Allison, whose baby girl Nora has already arrived. We got these in the nick of time!

FIVE YEARS AGO

2008-07-29T23:38:00.008-04:00

**WARNING! LONG POST!**

I find it hard to believe, but it was really that long ago. But I find myself asking "Really?" Can it be possible that five years have gone by since my littlest guy was born? It is sad to think of how fast the time we have with our little ones flies by us, like the blink of an eye... To me, the age of five seems to be so old. It's sort of a rite of passage, from baby or toddlerhood to "big kid." So I officially no longer have a toddler-aged child. That is really strange for me to say because since having my first child 12 years ago, I have never been without either a baby or toddler in our family. I guess this is also a new stage in life for me, too. Shall we call it "getting old?" Inevitable, I guess, but I don't think I'm ready for that quite yet!

So, a word of advice for all of you mommies out there...spend every minute with your kids that you possibly can. The first five years go fast, but the nex 5 go even faster! And I don't even want to know how fast the five after that go.

I can say this.... I am loving the age that Callen is now, and I wish I could keep him like this (selfishly)forever. Not a day goes by that he doesn't say something that makes me laugh, and then something that melts my heart.

I have chosen some of my favorite photos of Callen from each year that I want to share. Please excuse the poor scans of some of these! (all taken by me)

_________________________________________________________________

Newborn, with the hands of his siblings

14 MONTHS

2 YEARS

3 YEARS

4 YEARS

JUST BEFORE 5

ON HIS 5TH BIRTHDAY

with big brother

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CALLEN!!

DEE DEE IS THREE!

2008-07-23T18:32:00.007-04:00

I had been holding off posting these for a little while...and now I can post them! These are the kiddos of my friend, Katie. She wanted to use these photos as part of her brand new blog re-design (which was created by the ever-so-talented Rebecca, who also did my design!) So I was waiting until her grand un-veiling to keep the surprise....

Anyway, Kennedy, or DeeDee as she has been nicknamed, turned 3 not too long ago, and these are some of the photos from her session.

And a couple of her sister and brother...

TINY OLIVIA

2008-07-21T22:17:00.004-04:00

I am so excited to share these! Olivia was soooo tiny, and had the most hair of any newborn I have ever seen. Have I mentioned that I just love newborns? (:0) Ok, I know I've mentioned that a few times! Anyway....enjoy!

MY FAVORITE!

In this one, she reminds me of a Glo-Worm...remember those??

Itty-bitty feet!

OUT OF TOWN

2008-07-19T10:39:00.001-04:00

Hey everyone! I just wanted to let you know that my family and I left spur-of-the-moment to go away for the weekend. I don't get many free weekends with my wedding schedule, and we decided to take advantage of this time to spend time together! I'll return any emails when I return. Thanks!

COUSINS

2008-07-16T13:35:00.006-04:00

I recently had a session with 2 families of kids... 2 boys and 2 girls who were cousins. How fun! We got interrupted by a thunderstorm so we finished our shoot under the front porch!

Meet Riley:

Hudson:

Ava:

and Emily:

TYLER AND MERIN

2008-07-14T22:06:00.005-04:00

These are some cuuute kids! I really couldn't narrow it down... :o)

MY CHLOE

2008-07-10T21:04:00.005-04:00

Chloe and I saw this field on the way home from a baseball game. I have been by here hundreds of times and don't know how I never noticed it! Anyway, we pulled alongside the road, let her hair down from the pigtails, and wandered out into the field for a few shots...luckily I had my camera along, and she was a willing subject!

This next one I processed 2 different ways, a BW conversion and a summertime wash with some texture. Not sure which one I like better!

I love this one, it's my favorite. I really like the old train in the background.

And one from before the field, with attitude!

MACY ELIZABETH @ 4 MONTHS

2008-07-08T11:18:00.004-04:00

Remember precious, tiny little Macy? Well, four months have gone by already since then! We worked through rain, poor lighting conditions, and a teething baby to get these shots...I am totally pleased! How fun are these?

Drumroll, please, for my favorite shot of the day:

NEW LITTLE GUY

2008-07-07T10:50:00.005-04:00

What a little peanut! I just love newborns...

Rigbey's mommy is "J," who I did a maternity session for awhile back. See the photos HERE.

PLAYING CATCH-UP

2008-07-03T15:08:00.007-04:00

As I'm sure you can tell, I am a little behind on my posting! Sorry if I am boring everyone to death! I have been doing a little traveling to Chicago and Indy for some shoots and weddings lately, so I have been out of town alot! I have TONS to post, and will hopefully get to all of the sneak peeks soon.

My best friend from Texas came to IN for a visit this summer and I was lucky enough to spend some time with her AND take their family's photos! Boy have I missed them...and it's amazing how fast the kids have changed. What a treat!

Here is 4yr old Cole:

and 2yr old Rylee(what a cute personality she has!)

and a fun one of them together!

COVER MODEL CONTESTANT!

2008-06-24T15:55:00.005-04:00

Ok, so I entered Callen in the Parents Magazine Cover Model Contest. The chances are like 1 in 75,000 to win, but hey...I guess he has as good of a chance as anyone! So I took him out yesterday for a mini-session to get some shots of him to enter.

That being said, WE NEED YOUR HELP!! Click on the link below to view Callen's photo gallery(you won't be disappointed, he did a great job!)

From there you can rate all 6 of his photos, 1 to 5 stars, with 5 being the highest. You can also "recommend" his photos. Doing both of these will help Callen's photos get closer to the front page, and more easily viewed by the general public on Parents' site. You can rate and recommend his photos once per day, with the higher ratings the better. Will you help? We have until July 1st to get as many recommendations as possible, so pass this on!

Here is the link:
http://www.parents.com/app/sharemy/photoDetails.jsp?photoId=213902385

Here is a sneak peek of his gallery:

And I have to say "thanks!" to one of my clients, for letting me know about the contest. Her son, Ryder is entered, also!

AISLYN

2008-06-20T12:50:00.005-04:00

Look how pretty she is! I have been photographing Aislyn since she was a newborn, and I have always been amazed at her eyes. And now I am am loving her blonde hair!

I think this one has to be my favorite. I love how natural and unposed it is:

And she had fun on the beach, until we put her feet in the water... She wasn't too happy about that!

MY FAVORITES OF ANDON

2008-06-17T22:23:00.004-04:00

Andon was such a trooper for this shoot. It was a terribly hot day and he was sweaty and we were all so hot. Nonetheless, I was very happy with the results of the photos.

I love these of him and the fence. He had a good time peeking at me through it:

Look at those BLUE eyes!

Soooo serious!

GREAT BIG smile!

Most often my favorites are the more unique ones, and are usually not your typical cheesy smile shots . The next 2 are my favorites. I love the first because of his expression, like "Hey, what are you doing on that side of the fence!?"

And the second one because the eye contact is great, and he just put himself in that cute little "pose" with his arms crossed!

RYDER

2008-06-16T12:35:00.005-04:00

Ryder is such a happy guy. We didn't work too hard for these smiles! Remember him from newborn and 4 months? And now he's 8 months old, already.... What a cutie!

BIRTHDAY FAIRIES

2008-06-12T16:38:00.004-04:00

Take a look at these sweet gals! We were wanting some non-posed, "whimsical-looking" photos to create a birthday invitation. Here's what we ended up with....
love 'em!

Handsome Boy

2008-06-09T18:59:00.006-04:00

Terrible Two is definitely NOT a fitting name for this little guy! He was such a joy to photograph, and I think is the most photogenic 2-year-old ever! He reminds me of my own son at this age, who was a total ham for the camera. We ended up with an amazing amount of excellent shots. It was hard for me to choose the ones to show!

I LOVE these 2 groupings!

JUST MINE

2008-05-30T22:59:00.009-04:00

My kids, that is.

We had a family gathering on Memorial Day weekend to say good-bye to my brother and sis-in-law who are moving(already have, actually) to Tennessee. The kids were just playing, but I managed to sneak in a few photos.

Here is my one-and-only girly who usually loves to pose for me. This time she wasn't real pleased because she was "missing all the fun!"

here's a different crop on the above photo: I like it!

And here's my little guy, always with tattoos and no shirt...

WHAT IS UP with this smile?? This is what I have been getting from him lately...not sure where he got this one!

A couple of my nephews:

SO SAD because he will miss his AUNTIE! :0)

3 MONTH MACI

2008-05-29T21:32:00.008-04:00

Dainty little Maci was one of my little newborn girls not too long ago....her newborn photos are some of my favorites!(see HERE) She has changed a ton, but is still a petite little thing. Here's a preview from her session:

I have been playing a little with textures and borders lately, and this one of Maci was perfect practice! Here's a girly-grunge effect...

BEFORE:

AFTER:

SNEAK A PEEK...

2008-05-27T17:41:00.004-04:00

...of 8-month-old JACK! Love the faces he makes!

BRODY IS ONE!!

2008-05-23T17:04:00.006-04:00

I have been processing lots of sessions and wedding images lately! I will be posting several sneak peeks here pretty soon, so there is more to come.

Take a look at this smiley little guy! He has the bluest eyes.

JOHN AND JANELLE

2008-05-19T22:25:00.009-04:00

I had a fabulous time shooting an engagement session for Josh and Janelle. Let me tell you, I could not believe how obviously in love these guys are! I didn't really pose them, they just interacted with each other and had fun.... the results were some really wonderful photos. I had so many favorites, I just had to share the video I made of the images(see below).

Here are a few....Oh, it was so hard choosing!! I cannot wait to shoot their wedding in June.
J&J- thanks for such a fun time!

J&J's "E" SESSION VIDEO

2008-05-19T22:25:00.001-04:00

TRISTYN AND KAITLYN

2008-05-12T21:53:00.004-04:00

A sneak peek for mom....these turned out great! enjoy!

My FAVE:

PRETTY{HOT} MAMA

2008-05-08T15:42:00.005-04:00

Oh, to be this pregnant and look this good!! Not to embarrass you, J! Thanks for being willing to try a few things for me!

This one has a little bit of cross-processing, a "retro" look:

ARE YOU KIDDING ME??

2008-05-03T21:50:00.002-04:00

.....FIVE THOUSAND HITS!! Last night I logged on and noticed that the blog wasn't too far from reaching 5 thousand but still had about 80 or so to go....I thought it would be at least Monday before it got there. So after a long day shooting a wedding, I am pleasanty surprised to see it there already!! It's good to know that people are interested and that and checking back. I actually think I have a few "blog stalkers!" More people than I expected stop me and talk about seeing this or that on my blog....THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for the great support....(FIVE) thousand times over!

SWEET!!!

2008-05-02T22:49:00.009-04:00

The title says it all!! Look at this face:

A couple with Big Brother:

And my favorites of the handsome Quinn alone. I think that the 2nd one might be my favorite from the whole session!

These little guys were so fun and easy to work with....and very well-behaved! We got soooo many great shots. Way to go!

C'MON SUNSHINE!

2008-04-28T18:37:00.007-04:00

I am sooooo ready for some outdoor photographing! I did get one session in last week while the weather was awesome, and the subjects were awesome, too!! I am still working on editing those, and want to post my absolute faves, so I'll wait until they are finished. Until then, here are some to get us all excited for spring and more sunny days! These are from last fall, and I found them as I was going through some files...

LOVE THEM! And I thought these girls'(twins, by the way) mommy might like seeing them. They are great friends of ours. Thanks for looking!

And just for fun, I love this one:

JUDE UPDATE

2008-04-25T12:31:00.005-04:00

Here is a sneak preview for Jude's mama....and she wasn't sure that we got any good ones!! Another little cutie who is growing so fast....

Watch Jude grow by viewing his earlier photos:

NEWBORN photos HERE
3 MONTHS photos HERE

{IN LOVE}

2008-04-22T21:38:00.005-04:00

Can I say that I am such a lucky, lucky gal to have such a wonderful job...I'm in love!! I get to capture some of the sweetest moments, the cutest faces, spend time with great people, appreciate the beauty in God's creation as I work outside, and constantly get my baby "fix." What could be better?

One of the great things is getting to photograph a newborn and then photographing them throughout their first year and seeing them grow. It's amazing how much they change every 3 months!

Pete is one of these little guys. Look how big he is getting! You can see photos from his newborn session HERE and his 3-month photos HERE. What a cutie.

6 MONTHS, ALREADY??

2008-04-21T16:42:00.006-04:00

They say time flies....and it does!! Here is a 6 month update on one of my newborns, Max. You can see his newborn shots HERE. He has the greatest eyelashes. Here's the little future MVP:

And I had to add a couple of adorable big sis, who decided to smile for me:

MADDOX

2008-04-19T08:58:00.005-04:00

This little guy set a record for the longest awake time during a newborn shoot! Nonetheless, I absolutely love how these turned out because it looks like he is so hard a thought about something. And the eye contact in some is amazing. He has the cutest little mouth-I love how he has it open... Angela, it was great getting to know you and your little guy!

BACK IN TOWN

2008-04-18T14:20:00.005-04:00

Well, we're back from vacation and I'm trying to get back into the swing of things! I am so thankful to come home to such beautiful weather! It's definitely made for a smoother transition coming home.

I will have lots to share over the next few days as I get back to work. First off- a new little guy, Ryan. So, so sweet, he stayed in a newborn snooze almost the entire session...way to go, Ryan! Tim and Rachel, you have a cutie for sure!

{PLAYING WITH LIGHT}

2008-04-06T23:58:00.007-04:00

I was a slight bit bored during our 17hr drive down here for our vacation. The kids were watching their movie, and my husband was listening to his ipod, so I decided to play a little with my camera. It was dark and pouring rain, and I was noticing alot of cool "lighting effects" from the rain drops and the various passing lights. What I ended up with are some pretty cool, abstract images. In all of these I focused on the raindrops/streaks on our window (the best I could...it was pitch dark and I was hand-holding the camera). Then I let the light do the rest!

1.The rearview mirror with another car's headlight shining on it:

2. A mixture of head lights and tail lights:

3. Pouring rain on our windshield, street light illumination:

4. Various lights. It had mostly stopped raining here:

5. The reflectors on the road. I love how you can see the motion here:

6. The sign and their faces say it all!!

{MIA}

2008-04-04T23:46:00.003-04:00

I know I have been "MISSING" for several days! We are on vacation and just arrived today in Sunny Florida!! I do plan to post while I'm here but they may be a little few and far between as I bask in the sun and play with my kids! I have some pics to post but don't have them quite ready yet...it's late and the traveling has tired me out. Until next time...

WHOO-HOO!

2008-03-24T22:26:00.004-04:00

My new, fresh blog design is here!
Thanks so much to Rebecca, from Artistree Blog Designs, for my fabulous new look. I love every part of it, and she did such a great job making it soooo "me!" She rocks!

Rebecca is designing blogs to help fund the adoption of their son from China(who is precious, by the way). If you have a blog and want a new look, or know someone who might, take a look at her site and design options. You'll be helping bring a little boy home to his waiting family, and getting a facelift for your blog at the same time!!

Let me know what you think....

2008-03-21T17:58:00.003-04:00

"BLOGOVER"

I know, that is a made-up word, but I am hopefully just a short while away from having a total new blog makeover! I am so excited about my new design, I'm giddy! I have lots to say about it, but I don't want to give away anything at this point. So, STAY TUNED....

2008-03-20T23:08:00.003-04:00

NOTHIN NEW

Hi everyone! I don't have much to say today...just wanted to share a quick pic of my little "mad man" (you know, so that you don't check back for days with no new posts!). Enjoy!

2008-03-17T12:27:00.004-04:00

LAGGING.
Yes, I have been lagging behind on my posting. This past week was a crazy one. I serve on the committee for KidsMarket, and we had our spring consignment sale this weekend. My week was more than consumed with my job there, and getting my own items ready to go in the sale. So, sorry for the "stale" blog the past week. I will try to keep up a little better!

2008-03-17T12:17:00.005-04:00

TERRIFFIC TWO!
Two-year-olds are not always terrible! I had a great time photographing Austin, who is really beginning to talk tons and showed me some great expression. He was really curious about my camera, and got a kick out of seeing himself in the monitor. As always, I love the serious ones, but I'm sure his mama will like these smiles. Here's a peek....