day 30

My "baby leave" is almost up, February starts my first month back shooting sessions! I'm excited to be starting back up. While I've not taken a complete break from the business, I did keep the sessions and ordering appointments out of my schedule (unless it was a baby planner or someone from the fall needing something). Thank you all for so much understanding, and for all the love you have shown our family.

Have you seen it?

Have you been to http://www.carlabphotography.com lately?

I updated the site...FINALLY! There are some sessions not in there right now that I intend to put on the site, but someone got a little "archive" happy and I am looking for those archived images.

I have some tiny things to change, but it's viewable by everyone now. It's about time I updated as well since there have been so many wonderful sessions this past year!

Playing catchup - 366 photos

I'm getting the images taken...but failing the posting part!

25

Katie wondered what this was today. She just stared at it with a questioning look in her eyes.

24 - Cute!

day 23 - my desk

I can't believe I'm posting this. I really can't. This is my desk, where I do all the processing, where I read your emails. Don't worry, all client files are safely stored in another area that is NICELY organized. My in-box for my email looks similar.

I've heard that a messy desk is a sign of a creative mind. I know I saw that somewhere...probably on a coffee mug! LOL

"Take a photo of your desk" was the theme for today. I have a feeling that the photo theme of the day later this week (or next) will be take another photo of your desk AFTER it's been cleaned! I think I'll clean it soon.

day 22 - a sad day

We found out on Tuesday 1/22 that our cat of 12 years was very terminally ill. Our choice was let him wake up from surgery, bring him home to die. Or let the vet just not let him wake up from the surgery. There was nothing left to do to help him get better.

Our first "baby" our "furbaby" is no longer with us. The cat food bowls are needed no more.

Days 19 and 21

Yes, that means I missed day 18 and day 20. I just forgot to take a photo. We were traveling, busy, and I forgot. I am thinking I need to do something to make sure that I make the attempt, or at least hopefully ensure I do not forget again!

Day 19 and 21 are just snapshots from the point and shoot. I'm not feeling very creative right now, but hopefully this week of slower activities will help refuel me and recharge me!



There was a theme for day 21 - DREAM in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. While a dream about our daughter isn't in the same league as the dream of MLK, it was a dream. It is a dream that is now realized. I had to quickly come up with an image as Katie is soon to go to bed for the night. On short notice (I read the theme and remembered I was supposed to post a photo today about 30 minutes ago) this was the best idea I could come up with.



I hope you all had a wonderful Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend! I also hope you stayed warm in the freezing temps!!!

17

16th day

Sometimes I feel like there is nothing worthwhile to shoot around me. This is our flatware drawer, particularly the knives. Even the most mundane objects have a kind of beauty when looked at through the lens.

In just about 2 weeks....

My new site will be launched, just in time for me to come off of the Adoption Leave. I'm getting opinions, critiques, and praises on it now. I'm tweaking things left and right, and I hope you love it as much as I do!

This one WILL have my phone number on it! Promise. Until then though, my number is 256.426.9661

Day 15

Bedtime rituals here include a story. This is Samuel's current story, so far he likes it.

What are some of your bedtime rituals?

Day 14 - posted 1 day late

I did take the photo on January 14th, but after 7.5 hours of on the road and in doctor's appointments with the kids, I was not alert enough to post a photo.

Read that as "I fell asleep as soon I got home and handed the kids to my husband!" ;)

This is a photo of the bottom of Katie's shoe at the doctor's appointment, and it is always amazing what lens distortion can do to your perception of the size of things...such as feet.

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I did this earlier today, just forgot to post it!

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For all my clients. I feel your pain. I know what you are thinking when I leave a session with your 12-18 month old who is ACTIVE and moving. This pretty much sums up my own attempt at 1 year portraits for Katie. I managed to pull a few off, but she was not interested in participating. It was a long, tough session for me. Probably the hardest ever. Of course, it was my own child.

I had all these visions of how I wanted it to go, but alas I was not able to get them since she wanted to see MY face not the camera. Since my husband could not read my mind and figure out what I had in mind. The boys were wanting to help. It was time for dinner by the time we ended.

I am just so glad that all of my sessions with people other than my own family go MUCH better than this one did with Katie.

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She's a photographer's child already! Only smiling when we are all done with the session, and only on HER terms. Taking portraits of your own kids is much harder than taking portraits of other children. I will showcase some of the others in a few days.

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I hope you all survived the storms today and managed to stay dry!

7 Random Facts about Me

1. I was a very shy child. Extremely shy.
2. I took piano lessons for 9 years, and still love to play the piano today.
3. I have a B.S. degree in Math (minored in Computer Science)
4. My husband and I want to visit every Major League baseball park stadium - together. We've made it to 2.
5. I love to read historical romance novels to relax. A great place to do so is at baseball parks. ;)
6. Snow skiing terrifies me, but I love doing it even if I am only capable of the green easy slopes.
7. I held my first camera when I was 8 years old. Oddly enough the same year I started playing piano.

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8-366

Flowers from my Sunday School teacher. It's nice to be loved.

Working on a New Site!!

I'm so excited, finally, months after purchasing it I am going to get my new site launched! I'm slow sometimes, and admittedly this fall was a wee bit busy! Working on gathering all the photos from past years I liked, and photos from this year I liked. I am looking for those archived sessions that people inquired about, and enjoying revisiting images from all of you!

I will say it again, your kids and families are PRECIOUS! So many happy memories!!

Day 7

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Day 5

I couldn't decide.

Days 3 and 4

Snapshots are good sometimes too. In fact, the way my January 3rd went it was a good thing they are okay! LOL


I made her cry. How? I put her down for a few minutes today. She was rather clingy and wanting to be held 24/7.

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I'm a day late starting, so I've missed one day. But a 366 Challenge is that you take a photo, process it, and post it DAILY for a year. I encourage you to join me, and if you do, please send me your blog and I'll check it out!!!



This is one of the Christmas lights still in our front yard.

Happy 2008!!!

I am slowly trying to get back into the swing of all things photography business related, and ever so slightly I'm getting there!!!

But I wanted to thank all my 2007 clients for a WONDERFUL year!!!! I hope to see you all during 2008 (doesn't have to be for portraits, just running into you at the ballfield, the park, or even in a restaurant makes my day). I hope to meet new friends (also known as clients), and I hope everyone has a wonderful HEALTHY and HAPPY 2008!!!