My Last Family Session of the Year

Wednesday I had my last family Christmas session. The Hunts opted for some relaxed farm-style photos. We ended up with many great shots, but here are a few of my favorites:

Family of Four: Cindy, Nathan, Ryan, and Daisy







My favorite of the family
Thanks, Cindy! I had a great time with you and the boys! Enjoy the sneak peak!

Happy Thanksgiving!

It is with a guilty conscience I sit here writing this. I have a big make-up test tomorrow afternoon and many, many other things I should be doing. However, I just finished making this short little video from clips of our trip and couldn't wait to share. Our entire trip was indescribable. I hope to have time to journal more in depth about it soon, but for know this video is all I've got time for. I realize it is terrible quality, but it can give you the general idea of the many blessings experienced on our trip.

More Family Photos

Yesterday afternoon I did my second to last Christmas picture session. The Johnson family, along with their Grammy Penny, came over for some fun family photos. The kids had a blast running around the “farm” and we got some cute photos. Hope you enjoy the preview, Mark and Karyn!

Getting warmed up...



These kids can handle a tractor!

Hannah loves her Grammy



Daddy's boy

My favorite family photoThanks again for letting me work with you guys! Have a Happy Thanksgiving and I’ll see you in a few weeks!

Silly Sweeties

This past Tuesday was my last day of weekly babysitting for the precious Haslam girls. Before bedtime I sat down with the girls and took some silly pictures with my computer to capture some of our fun. The quality isn’t that great and kind of blurry but here are my sweet girls:




I love you Abby and Ally! Be sure to hug me everytime you see me!

My Friend Ry-Ry

“Lily’s House,” said two year-old “Ry-Ry” when asked if he wanted to go to Livvie’s house. January 28, five-day-old Ryan entered my Mom’s hospital room to greet his newborn friend. Guess who… you guessed it, me. Just five days apart in age, Ryan and I have grown up having a special bond. Although we haven’t always hung out a lot Ryan is truly a brother to me.

Several months ago I was trying to think of people to practice my shooting on and Ryan came to mind. Graduating in May, he needed a senior portfolio. We talked a little bit about what we’d do at his shoot and my mom and I began tossing ideas around. “I know I’m going to want some pictures with my piano,” he informed me when I asked what was important to him. Piano. Hmm… what can I do with a piano? I don’t do typical studio shots and therefore don’t have lighting to do piano pictures. “Mom! I would love to get some shots of Ryan with a piano out in the middle of the pasture,” I gushed, sure she would bring me back to reality. “That’d be awesome babe! Let’s call Uncle Dale,” was my mom’s surprising reply.

And so began the saga of Ryan’s senior pictures. I had so much fun with Ryan and am jazzed to have such great pictures to add to my portfolio. Other than me dropping Ryan’s new guitar, getting bitten by a cat, and losing my camera bag for several hours, the shoot was super relaxing. Ryan was a great sport and an awesome model. I love these pictures!






Thanks for being so awesome, Ry-Ry! I love your pictures. Glad we’ve stayed buds so long! Love ya!

Special Thanks:
Julie- All your ideas were great! Thanks for finding so many neat spots for us!
Dale, Dad, and Armondo- Can’t believe you guys were willing to move a piano to downtown Cleburne! Wow! My portfolio would never have been the same. Thanks!
Alyssa, Dad, Dale, Julie, Ryan- For praying for my lost gear
God- Thanks for helping me find my camera, fixing my computer problems, and helping the cat not to break the flesh

Energy Aboundz

I absolutely love little kids and their unique antics. Alyssa turned two a couple months ago and her mom and dad were looking to capture their precious little girl before they blink and she's all grown up. From the moment I met her, Alyssa was all smiles. An hour of racing around visiting the cows, horses, and cats was enough to wear out our little cutie. But before she was too tuckered we snapped lots of precious shots of Miss Alyssa in action. Baby brother, Preston, joined us for some pictures, as well. He has got to be the most content baby I've ever seen.

Little Alyssa in her birthday dress

Baby brother Preston

Look at that adorable face!

Alyssa doing her dance



My favorite of the dayIt was a blast to work with you, Greg and Amy! You have two adorable kids (which I'm sure you already know) and it's was a priviledge getting to spend time getting to know all of you. God bless!

Dunn for the Day

Sunday I was blessed to do not one shoot, but two. The Dunn family of four joined my mom and I for an afternoon of fun. What a blast we had! Connie and David are both such fun people it's no wonder their kids are a blast. Although we got several beautiful "posed" pictures lots of our shoot involved tickling, silly faces, and games. I love the pictures we got of their happy family!



Some real family fun

Alexander the Handsome





Dunns, thanks so much for our fun evening! You guys are such an inspirational family. It was truly a fun afternoon. God bless! Can't wait to work with you all again!

Laughter and Lollipops

Sunday morning we were blessed with an extra hour of sleep. Yay daylight savings! Then at 9:00 Mom and I met the Wallace family in Grandview where our photo fun began. A Christmas card picture was our first goal so we started with the whole family. After several fun family shots we changed the little beauties for some sister pictures. Stunning red dresses from Grandma accompanied by the twins' precious personalities were the recipe for some of the most adorable shots ever! The girls did so good that we ended our photo shoot with a tasty reward. Favorites were next to impossible to pick.

A litte sister action



After the clothing change



I think she likes that lollipop, don't you?

Postcard PictureWallaces, you guys are great! You are raising two sweethearts. Thank you for blessing me with the opportunity to share in the lives of your daughters. Can't wait to do it again! God bless!

Oh Happy Day

Oh what a happy day it was. Yesterday was one of the most relaxing days I've had in...way too long. Alyssa and I had planned a day of relaxation weeks ago to make sure and fit it into our insane schedules. At the time we didn't have anything booked for that day but of course as the day got closer we got busier and busier. By Thursday evening I was beginning to get stressed. I wanted to see Lyssa, but I have a project and test due in two weeks, several photo shoots coming up quickly, a new lab that I need to check out, and tons of graduation to-do's. I decided I wasn't going to cancel on her though, I would just get everything done later.

Friday morning I flew around the house like a tornado. Before my 8:30 class I had my devotions, packed for our outing, got ready for work, got my things ready for work, played the piano, and studied for my quiz. I didn't really even have time to eat much breakfast. Class and work went well. After work, I drove to Mexican Inn to pick Alyssa up. By the time I had gotten in my car at work my attitude had shifted 180 degrees. I found my anticipation for a day of NOTHING growing by the second. Also, a day spent with one of my favorite people in the world.

"I have to admit when I talked to you this morning I wasn't really excited about today," I informed Alyssa. "I was so stressed and frazzled that I was running around like crazy. But now that we're on our way, I am so thrilled! Thank you so much for holding me to this," I said with a smile. Our afternoon was wonderful. We spent the afternoon laying on a blanket at Cleburne State Park, talking and enjoy the marvelous weather. We planned to do some hiking as well, but before we knew it the time had come for us to head back to my house for dinner, vespers, and our Thanksgiving mission trip meeting.

Here we are, basking in the glorious weather:

And the fantastic view we enjoyed
Alyssa, thanks so much for spending the afternoon with me. I had a blast and look forward to doing it again soon! God bless! Love ya!

All Booked-Up

It is with mixed feelings that I am writing this. On one hand, I am super jazzed at the prospect of a booming business. On the other hand, however, I don't like turning any one down for a photoshoot. But the time has come. My calendar and schedule are all booked up for Christmas photos. The time it takes to process and recieve your pictures combined with my lack of availablity within the next two to three weeks result in no more openings for 2007 Christmas card pictures.

Don't put the phone away yet, though. Although I have no Christmas card shoot availablity I would still love to book your family sometime in December/January for a fun filled family shoot. Also, if you are ready for senior pictures, want pictures of your kids, or are looking for a fantastic e-session, let's book your shoot!

Once again, I don't like posts with no pics. I present to you Mr. and Mrs. Morgan Kochenower

Excited

I booked my first non-aquaintance photoshoot on Wednesday and am so excited about it. Up until now I've shot only friends and family (which I love) but word-of-mouth is now beginning to get around resulting in a busier schedule for Olivia. Mrs. Bunch shared my name with her daughter-in-law and I will be shooting her two-year-old's pictures this coming Monday. How fun!

Also, today at my dentist appointment Dr. Weiner (my dentist since age four) asked me what I was doing next semester after graduation. After I filled him in on my plans he asked for my web address. Instead of having him write it down I offered him a business card. "Oh, do you have another one?" one of the dental assistants piped up. "I'd love to have one, too," chimed another. By the end of my appointment I'd given away five business cards.

When I got home and checked my e-mail I was ecstatic to find a message from "Bruce Weiner." Anxious to see what he had to say, I clicked on his e-mail. What a treat! Dr. Weiner had checked out my website and his e-mail was full of encouraging compliments. It was so neat to recieve an e-mail from one of my childhood mentors commending me for my artistic style. If you're reading this, Dr. Weiner, thanks so much! You're e-mail means a lot!

To sum it up, I am eager at the prospect of many new clients. I think a photo-less entry is boring so here's a picture of my adorable cousin Blu:

Another Fantastic Family

I just finished a family photoshoot of some of our best friends. There property is beautiful and their family is extremely good looking. What a privilege to photograph their Christmas photo! Here’s a sneak preview:



The Men of the Family

Once again, my favorite for lastThanks for having me shoot your Christmas pictures! Love you guys tons! God bless!