TJ - 2011 Senior

I love shooting seniors.

 I love being able to bring out their personality with their expressions.

Best of all, I love golf carts. And since TJ had a golf cart... it was a win win situation! :)

And since he likes purple, we took advantage of the awesome color in the tunnel. (Favorite shot!)

TJ's an awesome skateboarder/snowboarder, and has even lived in Colorado - just so he could snowboard all the time!

I was so happy the light cooperated with us... it was beautiful.

Then we got bored outside, and went inside...

And we had fun. :)

Happy Thursday!

Cherish sincere expressions

Families are the bestest.

Especially families that love each other. 

I love telling families to interact, because that's when their personalities really come out.

Not that they were hiding before...

I did this fun family almost a month ago - and just got around to blogging them! Even though we got some super cute group shots, I find myself drawn to the candids. 

I love candids.

Candid is defined by Webster as: marked by honest sincere expression.

Sincere expressions. 

 Parents - watch your kids. Take mental pictures of their sincere expressions.

Kids - watch your parents. (Take notes, cause one day you'll be just like them!)

Cherish them. 

I don't intend to be sappy - God's just been teaching me a lot lately about holding on. And letting go. 

But most of all, cherish.

Cherish each other.

The Johnson's | Family photo shoot.

I shot this family waaaaay back in August, but haven't even had time to post their session yet! We'd never met in person before, but I had a great time hanging out with their family. Isn't their daughter adorable??

She was sooo sweet. She has the BEST expressions ever, and loved anything I wanted her to do! Perfect model. Perfect. :)

I have one confession to make.

So, usually when I'm with people and they have sunglasses, I offer to put them on my own head so they are not in the shot, right? It makes my life easier (instead of photoshopping sunglasses out of a picture), and it's pretty easy to carry them on my head. 

Well, mistake number one. Offer to carry Mr. Johnson's prescription sunglasses.

Mistake number two: Go near water.

Mistake number three: Bend over the water:

Mistake number four. Fail at catching the glasses as they fall into the watery abyss. 

Mistake.

Big mistake. 

I apologized profusely!! They were very sweet about it though - even though I was completely mortified. I offered to pay for them, but sweet Mr. Johnson said, "No, I'll just come back tomorrow and hop in and find them myself!" 

And he did.

And he found them. 

And I will never wear sunglasses again.

 Even though I failed, we got some gorgeous shots in the evening light.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for putting up with me!! :)

Melissa and Jose Luis - sneak peak

Every time I see this photo, it makes me happy inside.

God definitely knew what He was doing when He put these two together - and He definitely knew how to bless them with a beautiful wedding day. I was soooo thrilled to be apart of it, and I wouldn't change a thing. (Except for the chilly forgot-my-jacket-at-home reception part.)

I survived.

Congrats, Melissa and Jose Luis Rodriguez!! :) I love you SOO much!!

More outtakes to come! :)

Mel's a-gettin' married!

My sister's getting married today. 

And I'm shooting her wedding. 

And I'm a bridesmaid.

And.... I'm nervous.

She'll be beautiful, and I'll cry. Then, I'll be super happy that I finally get my own room - to myself.

I wish I could say more - but I just don't have words this morning. Instead, I'll steal some from Solomon: 

"An excellent wife, who can find? For her worth is far above jewels."

"A woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised."

That's what she is - a woman who fears the Lord. And that's what she'll be - an excellent wife.

I love you, Mel.

The Tolosa family | Family photographer

I made an oops. Now I have to make a correction. Remember when I told you that the Schneibel's were my first repeat clients? 

Well, I mispoke. Typed.

Something. 

Actually, the Tolosa's are my first return customers! :) They go so far back... into the days when I didn't even have a blog! This post was actually their second session with me. I won't even show you the images from our first shoot.... 

This session was quite uneventful until the very end. As she was running past a branch, Sara got stung 5 or 6 times by a wasp (or something...), right when we were packing up to go home! The poor girl just bawled! :(

Thankfully, it happened at the end, and we got some fabulous shots at the beginning! :)

I'm spoiled! They have adorable children to shoot!
Yes. Shoot. At f/1.4. :)

Silas is such a jolly child!

One thing that I really really really love about this family is that Zeke (The youngest) is deaf. But that's not what I love - I love that fact that they left in his hearing aide for the shoot! 'Cause why pretend?

Yes. I'm addicted to hands.

I LOVE the love in this shot. Makes me feel happy inside.

Zeke, you make my heart skip a beat.

I love how in love they are. 

(I think I'm saying love too much.)

While I was shooting the above pictures... the kidlets starting playing around mommy and daddy's legs. How cute is that?

Everything about this picture is perfect. The stick. The little hand on daddy's knee. All the toes.

Stud.

Studlier.

Princess.

Oh, how I love this family....