I'm in LOVE! My little sweetie Nina captured my heart again, and this time I caught the moment! How could you not fall in love with that beautiful smile and those big brown eyes? I'm melting! So I found my secret weapon: GRANDMA! I brought my mom along for Nina's 15 month/Fall photos, and had her stand behind me and interact with Nina. Well, Nina just LOVES Grandma, so it worked like a charm! I am so excited to have captured that smile. It's the one she gives me every day when the camera is NOT out. I was so worried that she would grow up and not do it the same, never capture it and it would be a distant memory. SO, you can tell I'm super happy with these! She is just so fun to watch, and with the sunset and the great fall colors in the background, all I have to do it follow her around and get some great natural pictures of her. Anyway, I'll stop obsessing about my kid like a teenager over a crush. I just thought I'd share these with you! See, I told you I'd get her looking!

Alright, so I had my first busy weekend! That's exciting! Now if only the rest of the week could be like this! I had three shoots between Saturday, Sunday and Monday, and I think they all went very well! The first one was of a super happy 8 month old boy. I knew it would be a fun shoot when I walked through the door and got a big grin right off the bat! They had a great entryway in their house. It had a great rustic look to it, so it made a great backdrop for black and white photos. The walls were pink, and since he is a boy, it wasn't working too well for color, but that's ok! I love the look and feel of black and white.

My Sunday shoot was a bit more challenging to say the least! It was supposed to be an overcast day, but what do those weather guys know? The sun was out full blast just begging to challenge me. Well, I was up for the battle. No blazing sun was going to stop me! So, with the sun in all it's glory and two very energetic children, I went to work. I found the spot with the most shade, which had a little bit of sun on their hair, which I think added a nice accent, so it worked nicely. The kids were adorable and full of personality and energy, and I think I captured that pretty well. I managed to work with the lighting situation I was put in and ended up with results I think everyone will be happy with.

The third one is an old friend from high school, who is engaged. She HATES getting her picture taken and never likes pictures of herself, so it was an honor that she would trust me to do her photos! She says that the only pictures of herself that she likes are ones I took of her several years ago in the studio. That was a nice ego booster! Anyway, this couple was a lot of fun. The way they interacted with each other was kind of funny. They are outspoken and easy going, pretending to push each other into the water, giving each other the "look", and just cracking jokes. I just finished proofing their session and when she got a chance to see them online, she tells me, "I actually really like these!" Well, normally I would be thinking, actually? What, you didn't expect to like them? But coming from her, it really is a compliment. Like I said before, she's not too keen on having her picture taken, so to get some that she really likes is a big step, and I'm proud to be able to do that for her!

Here are some of my latest photos of my little munchkin, Nina. She's going through a phase (I hope it's a phase!) where she refuses to look at me when I have the camera out. That figures! So, most of the pictures I have of her recently are looking away, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, since it's letting me capture some real candids of her just being herself. Someday soon though, I'm going to catch that little stinker looking at me!

behind the camera.....with Kari

Ok, so this is my first blog entry.....better make it good, just kidding. I really don't know the first thing about blogging so I'll just type away! So, where do I start? I am just getting started with my own photography business, finally! Yes, you heard right, I'm now an entrepreneur. That just sounds strange for me. Anyway, I've always had a love for photography. Taking pictures has always been fun for me. It wasn't until I started working at a local photo lab/studio when I was 16 years old that I became serious about making those pictures actually look good! So I studied up, read a bunch of books, took some classes on manual photography and photoshop (it was the simple 2.0 version at the time) and from there I was hooked. I took the necessary training classes to become a photographer at the studio and have been in the business ever since! That was nine years ago - wow, time flies! Since then, I have been a photographer at two other studios. I've learned so much over the years, from my work in the studio and especially from all the practice I've had outside the studio. I've photographed countless weddings over the years, each unique, and each one a great learning experience. I've worn out my cute little nephew Conner photographing him constantly since the day he was born (yes I was at the hospital taking pictures!) borrowed my friends and the children of my cousins so I could practice and learn how to get THAT photo - the one that sticks in your mind long after you look at it because it touches a special place in your heart. I've come to love the look of natural light and I try to use it as much as each situation will allow. Now that I have my own little girl, Nina who I adore, I enjoy seeing all different sides of her and all the unique expressions she makes and the funny things she does. This has given me a whole new perspective on portraits, making me work extra hard to capture those looks that each individual child makes that leaves an impression on their parents and his/her loved ones. After eight and a half years as a photographer for somebody elses business, I finally decided that the time was right for me to take that extra step. As of September first, I work for myself! It's liberating and scary at the same time, but with time and patience, I'll get through this startup period and hopefully make this a successful business. Wish me luck!