Abigail: Anytime

Yesterday I had the privilege of baby sitting little Miss Abby for the first time. She is such a sweetie which made it easy for us to have a blast together. Our fun began outside, transitioned into a nap, and ended with lots of awesomely fun dress-up. Of course I couldn't resist capturing some of our fun to share with you all. Here a couple pictures from our afternoon:







Probably my favorite image of the day
Click HERE to see Abby's slideshow

Mickynzie and Brenna: Anytime

Okay, okay. I know it may seem like I'm always posting pictures of these two but I just can't help it. They love posing for my camera and my camera loves them. So if you're sick of seeing these precious faces go ahead and book a shoot with me to get some new faces on here. But for now, enjoy:

Can you tell it was dress-up day?



We had a minature "spa" day









Edited to add: I am super excited to present my brand new slideshow program. This new format allows me to send you a slideshow of your images after your initial viewing with me, letting you share your images with friends and family everywhere. Enjoy!

Click HERE to see the slideshow

Mom: Anytime

Mom is always looking for ways to help my photography improve so yesterday she let me practice shooting in manual mode on her. We got several really cute ones. Take a look:








Thanks, Mom. You're awesome, beautiful, and I love you!

An afternoon of dress-up

Torrents of giggles flooded my ears as the dress up bins made their appearance. Mickynzie, Brenna, Taylor, and Shaylee were bursting with anticipation as the lids began to come off of the boxes. Throughout the years, Mom has collected wigs, jewlery, glasses, scarves, old high-heels, and much more and stored them in bins for such a time as this. Nearly every time the girls are over they put out a request to get out Ms. Karen's "crazy things," their name for the contents of the dress up bins. It had been quite some time since we had taken the plunge and unloaded all the crazy stuff but this was their lucky day. Before long, all the girls were decked out from head to toe. And then it was time for the parade. With Ms. Karen leading the way (yes, my MOTHER) the girls paraded through the living room to give their father's a fashion show. Of course this elicited more laughter followed by the pounding of little feet headed to put on the next costume.

The girls had a blast and we all got many laughs out of the experience. Here is a taste of our fun:

Probably my favorite shot of the day: Check out those sweet glasses (don't ask me how she walked with them on)

The girls with the leader of the pack a.k.a. my Mom

Taylor thought the old pipe was something else

The sunglasses Mickynzie is sporting were actually worn by my mother in the 90's



Brenna's new do

A final photo (notice the upside down glasses again)

Lessons from a 95 year-old

One of my friends posted a very inspiring entry entitled "Lessons from a 10 month-old." Her entry explained what a 10 month-old little girl that she babysits has taught her about God. Well, today my mom and I visited 95 year-old Gertrude Hill and I decided to share with you what I learned from 30 minutes with someone on the other end of the spectrum.

Knocking gingerly on the the door to room #22, my mother peeked her head in to see if we had the right room. As we approached the wheelchair, Mrs. Hill turned and asked "Are you here to help me?" For the past couple of days poor Mrs. Hill has not been able to hear due to malfunctioning hearing aids and was hoping we were there to help her fix them. My mom attempted to explain to her who we were but it was mostly in vain. "We're from your home church," she offered. "Burleson," she added only to be met by a confused look. By the end of our visit she had figured out that we were members of her home church but was still confused as to which church that was. "Several people from this place have lived to be 100," she informed us. "I hope to be 100," she added with as cheerful a smile as she could muster. "God has blessed me so much and as long as He wants me here I'll gladly do that," she stated before launching into the second explanation of her children and grandchildren. As my mother said a closing prayer that I'm sure Mrs. Hill didn't hear a word of, I found myself choking back tears. Hugging that frail body, listening to her tell us she loved us, watching her follow us in her wheelchair out the door I felt more determined than ever before to do my part in spreading God's message. My mom put it best as she mumbled under her breath outside Mrs.Hill's door: "Oh, Lord Jesus, please come." That pretty much summarized what we both felt.

So here's what I learned from a 95 year-old:

Family is God's greatest gift

Energy and mobility are not to be taken for granted

God sends people our way with a smile when we need it most

Everyone, yes, even we teenagers, eventually grows old

If a 95 year-old woman who sits in a wheelchair all day by herself can praise God for how good He is, I never have anything to complain about

Laughter is a beautiful gift from God that soothes the soul even when circumstances appear bleak

Last and most important:
Life on this earth is but a breath

My visit with Mrs. Hill taught me many things but most importantly I was reminded of how quickly life passes. God has given each of us the gift of life and breath and we should praise Him every day for these blessings. But God has also given us the privilege and responsibility to spread the Good News to all the world so we don't have to face life on this earth at 95, all alone, fading away. I left that nursing home with a new resolve to share the love of Christ with everyone I meet and I want to challenge every one who reads this to do the same. May God bless you all!

Karen and Barbie: Anytime

God has blessed me with the most wonderful mother in the entire world. No joke. Not only does she manage our household, find time to do a few things for herself (and I mean a few), and chauffeur my brother around, she is also the best assistant anyone could hope for. My mom's got the silly faces and monkey dances down pat (as you'll see in the following pictures) for when we need a little help smiling. She and her winter coat make a fabulous wind block on blustery days. The poses she comes up with are phenomenal. All of these things are crucial. I would not be doing what I am today if she weren't by my side. But my favorite thing about having her for an assistant is her passion. Whether I'm showing her our most recent photos from a photo shoot, asking her opinion on something I'm designing for my business, or just telling someone about what we do she is always there to donate some extra gush. I love her so much and am so grateful for all she is to me; as a mom and as an assistant.

All the above being said, it was all the more an honor to get to snap some photos of her and Barbie, one of her best friends, during Barbie's photoshoot. They made me laugh so hard I could hardly focus on snapping the photos. It was so much fun and I love what we got.



It wasn't long before their true personalities shone through...


One of Mom's fun ideas


Thanks again, Mom and Barbie. You two are awesome. Love you both so much!

Barbie: Anytime

One of the things I absolutely love about photography is helping people see the beauty that God has given them. Capturing each persons beautifully unique personality. Barbie is one of my mother's and my best friends and I was delighted when she asked if I would do some portraits of her as an anniversary gift for her husband. Almost exactly two years ago I was blessed to be able to travel to the gorgeous country of Tanzania, Africa. It was Barbie that took on the "challenge" looking out for me on this trip. In fact, she's the one that invited me to join her. That was one of the best trips of my life. Now, two years later, Barbie is headed back on her 3rd trip to this fabulous country. This trip happens to be the same time as her wedding anniversary and she wanted to make sure to have an extra special gift to leave with her husband. So I was extremely honored when she asked me to do these pictures for that special gift. She is such a fun friend and our session was a blast. Enjoy:






Remember, if you're friends with Barbie... Shhh. These are a secret for another week. Thanks again, Barbie! You are such a blast! God bless!

The Best of 2007: Contest Winners

Thanks so much to everyone that voted. The response was much greater than I had hoped for and it was super exciting. I had a blast watching the polls as they escalated and seeing my photography through your eyes. It is with great pleasure that I present to you the winners of the Olivia Leigh Best of 2007 contest winners.

First Place ~ Sisters
Second Place ~ Giggles of Glee
Third Place ~ Kiss

Contest winners can expect their images within the next couple of weeks. I'll be in touch with you!

Once again, thank you all. Be sure to schedule your session with Olivia Leigh Photography for your chance to win the Best of 2008 contest!

Time to Tally the Votes

The Olivia Leigh "Best of 2007" contest is now officially over. I want to say a huge thank you to everyone that voted. I had a much greater response than I could have hoped for. The votes will now be tallied and I will post an entry Sunday morning showing the winning pictures... Thanks again! God bless!

Best of 2007

After much deliberation I chose a few of my favorite images from 2007. I absolutely love all my subjects and the images that have resulted from each shoot so selecting a few was very difficult. I've finally narrowed it down to the following pictures. Now it's your turn to help me! Please encourage your friends and family to vote, as well. Anyone may vote, but please remember to only vote once!

Prizes will be as follows:

1st Place~ An 8x10 of the winning image
2nd and 3rd Place~ A 5x7 of the winning image

Contest ends February 15 so vote away!

1. Bluebonnet Beauty
2. Here Comes the Bride
3. Country Day
4. The Horse and His Boy
5. Under the Sun
6. On the Playscape
7. Fishy Face
8. Giggles of Glee
9. Hide and Peek
10. Just Me and My Swing
11. Classic Cousins
12. Sisters
13. Days Gone By
14. Kiss
15. The Music Man



Thanks again to all my fabulous clients! God bless!

First Shoot in 2008!

"Let's make a song for Daddy and record it!" Taylor enthusiastically suggested as we made our way back to the cars. With Russ's birthday fast approaching Tay was excited to find something special to add to the pictures we'd just taken. Ang had been wracking her brain to think of a unique gift and then thought of me. And I'm so glad she did! We had an absolute blast and got some fabulous pictures. Their aqua shirts looked amazing with their gorgeous eyes. In most all of these pictures there eyes are untouched. It's their natural color. Wow. In fact the one I messed with was only for fun and looks the same as the original. Check these out:








Thanks so much guys! I had so much fun with you. It was next to impossible to narrow down favorites to post on here. And Happy Birthday, Russ! God sure has blessed you with a beautiful family, inside and out. I love you all!