Just a small sample

How can you not fall in love with this baby? He was in the best mood, and I have so many good ones to choose from for his proofs. These are just a very few from the beginning of his session.






Despite what I am showing here, I do have some of him smiling! I'll just have to post those later for everyone to see.

M, J, and N - I had a wonderful time!

You three are some of the best kids I know, and I had a great time with you during your session! This shot is for you. I saw it when I was downloading and had to immediately edit because I know you all will love it like I do. Your true sneak peek is coming soon, and I do have some great ones.



(yes I'm jealous that I can't do that with my tongue even though it has to be in the genes somewhere as my youngest can! She is rolling it if you can't see it clearly)

100th Post!

We don’t take pictures with our cameras. We take them with our hearts and we take them with our minds, and the camera is nothing more than a tool.

~ Arnold Newman

Okay, I know I have some families (and kids) not so patiently waiting for their previews. I know it's almost like Christmas. I'm working on it, and stay tuned!!! :)

I've been TAGGED!

I can't believe, my first tag. *what a great day this is* Thanks Kimberly (yes, you can choose to add the sarcasm or not, it's up to you)! Kimberly is one of the best high school Senior photographers I know, and she lives in one of my favorite places - Myrtle Beach! If you are planning at trip to Myrtle Beach, definitely look her up for your family beach portraits. I'm waiting until we have Katie in our family before I plan our trip. :)

Brace yourselves, you are about to learn 8 completely random and useless facts about me. :)

The Rules are that I'm supposed to answer and post 8 random facts and then tag 8 people to do the same on their blog.

1. I got married when I was 20 years old, 4 months shy of 21. I was 3 semesters from graduating from a university that I had a full ride scholarship. I threw away that scholarship to get married, move to Tucson, Arizona, and go into debt. 1.5 years maximum to wait. I don't regret getting married though. :)

2. I once played an orphan in Cumberland County Playhouse's version of Annie. I was 12, and the tallest Orphan. They needed me for the bottom of a pyramid we built on stage, and the ONLY way for me to get to my spot in time was to sing a 1 line solo. I'm not sure anyone who ever attended a performance will ever be the same. I sure hope their ears have stopped aching by now!

3. Yes, I have a degree. No, it's not in photography. I graduated with honors from the University of Arizona (after also going to Tennessee Technological University for 5 semesters). I earned a Bachelor's of Science in Math with a minor computer science. I even worked a "real" job once upon a time.

4. I love to read, but I especially love fluffy historical romance novels. At one point I think I was single handedly keeping The Book Shelf store in business with all my exchanges. Since then I have joined a book exchange group, and my expenditures for purchasing books has gone down. However, shipping book rate packages has cost more than I care to admit. I think I currently have around 100 books sitting beside my bed...waiting for me to read them.

5. I despise driving. It took bribery on my parents part for me to even consent to getting my driver's license at the age of 16 and 4 months. I especially despise driving long distances by myself. So, when I tell you that I drove back from Orlando and drove the entire way myself (the car was full of my family though), I hope you get the full and entire appreciation for my feat. Not to mention we hit Atlanta at rush hour. Are you suitably impressed?

6. I love going to Disney World. Yes, we even went on our Honeymoon and returned for our 10th Anniversary. If you are planning a trip, give me a shout and I'll help in any way I can. The next best thing to actually going is planning a trip to Disney. I've learned it doesn't even have to be my own!

7. I play the piano and the french horn. I'm a little more accomplished on the piano as I started playing in 3rd grade. By 12th grade I was playing competitions with original classics. My favorite composer for the piano is probably Mozart for classical music. I also enjoy playing Dino Kartsonakis pieces for contemporary (his compositions really make me sound great). The french horn I played through high school, and ended up section leader. I'm such a band geek.

8. I fell during a band competition my Senior year. It was our last competition, and I fell during the drum break. The very next song I played a solo, and mud dripped off my mellophone (the marching version of the french horn that actually sounds nothing like it...just easier to carry I guess). I tell people I ended my marching career with a splat.


OOOPS! I forgot to tag people! I will have to think on that and update this soon.

I'm tagging:
Jill
Beth

I think I'm at the end of this tagging thing. All my other friends have been tagged already...is it fair to tag them back?! LOL

I entered a new phase of my photography career

"Yearbook Photographer"

Ah yes, going back to my roots. :) Only this time I'm not just doing the candids, but I'm also taking the school yearbook photos (for my children's coverschool). It was very fun, very entertaining, and I have a lot of work ahead of me (I'm also on yearbook committee so I get to help put all these photos into their appropriate pages as well).

As such, if you have any businesses that you like to advertise in our yearbook I would love to talk to you!

One of these days I will have to show you some of my earliest photos, those candids I took for yearbooks. I think you will all be amazed the amount I have learned through the years!

Emails sent!

I have sent emails to the clients I know who took advantage of the special I ran, and if you know you were getting this special and did not get an email from me then please let me know!

If you have not completed your session yet, but want to see the cards then let me know as well. I will give you the access code.

If you are wondering if you want me to do your Holiday cards, then send me an email as well and I will be happy to share the access code with you as well.

Does this mean I have openings still? You bet it does! However, I do not have many and those few left will not remain open for long at the rate of inquiries I am getting.

Holiday Cards 2007

I have just about gotten all the Holiday Cards ready for putting on the online gallery so all of my awesome clients can look at them and decide which one they would like for themselves!

Some info on these, they are all sized for 5x7, but some can be resized to another size if you so wish. Colors and text are somewhat customizable. Last, but certainly not least, I have an "exclusivity clause" from my studio. This means, when you choose the template then it is yours. However, there are other studios in our area and they might have bought similar templates. I don't think they did, but I can not guarantee that. Any photo from your gallery can be used in any card, but the orientation must match (horizontal to horizontal and vertical to vertical).

I will be sending out an email to all the clients for this fall and all the clients who have qualified for the free 5x7 file for a Holiday Card with the access code to the card gallery!

Watch for samples on this blog soon as well!!

I know this family has been patiently waiting

Their really sweet little boy and handsome big boy were awesome! I loved getting to know them and see their rooms. This photo is actually just a little too blurry for a large print, but I just had to show off how much fun they are. They were laughing and giggling through so much of the session, and it totally warmed my heart to see how close they are.




I love little baby feet, the cute little toes, and this little foot has to be one of the cutest I've seen since my own little boys' feet.



I was so happy the parents did what I asked without comment, and let me take a photo of their feet on the bed. I loved how this turned out, and how you can see the little one drinking his milk and watching the Wiggles. Well, okay, you can't see the Wiggles, but I know that is what he was watching. :)



What sweet boys they are! Poor little guy here had just had a slight fright (his balloon had popped).

I'm working on the rest of this session, and I hope to have it done by the end of the week. This session was less about the posed photos, and more about interactions. Wonderful, loving, family interactions. I love seeing families who are so in love with each other. Thanks for allowing me to capture that love!

Surrounded by Quiet Courage

Have you seen it? It's everywhere. I hope you find it as noble and inspiring as I do. What is it? It's the quiet courage that surrounds us at this time of year. Where can you see it?

* It is found in the young girl going into middle school for the first time. She hopes she will fit in, be liked by the other kids, maybe even be popular. She hopes, but she doesn't know. She is genuinely anxious. But still she goes. Quiet courage.

* It is found in the high school and college graduates who must look for a job. They took the summer off but now it's time to put together a résumé and start interviewing for a job. They are simultaneously hopeful and frightened. But still they go. Quiet courage.

* It is found in teenage boys going into their first year of high school. They've heard all the urban legends about what the upper classmen make the freshman boys do. They don't know how to separate truth from fiction. And, while trying not to show it, they are scared. But still they go. Quiet courage.

* It is found in parents taking a child to college for the first time. They arrive at school, unload the car, set up the room, and hook up the computer. They go shopping for sundry items, go out to dinner, and keep making small talk. Finally, when they can stall no longer, the moment comes when dad says, "Sweetheart, it's time for us to go." After tight hugs and long kisses they go separate ways. The parents get in the car and are sad. The child is sad too. But, as he or she walks into the dorm room, that sadness is instantly joined by self-doubt, loneliness, and anxiety. But still they go. Quiet courage.

* It is found in young children going to their first day of school. For years they have repeatedly been told by mom and dad, "Don't speak to strangers and never get in a vehicle with them!" Now they find themselves getting on a bus with a stranger while mom and dad stand there smiling, crying, waving, and taking pictures!

There is so much the child secretly wonders about: What do I do when I get off the bus? How will I know where to go? And, at the end of the day, how do I know what bus to get on? How will I know when I get to our neighborhood? How do I know where our house is? Will mom or dad be there to meet me? There is so much they don't know. But still they go. Quiet courage.

I hope you have had a great summer. But now as we head towards Labor Day, guess what? It's time to go. It's time to dust off your dreams. It's time to set some clear, measurable weekly goals for your business. It's time to do those things you don't enjoy that are the necessary precursors of success (i.e. getting appointments, setting up meetings, motivating those on your team, reconnecting with customers, etc.) In short, it's time to go to work.

Not motivated? Wish you could blow off doing what's necessary? Tempted to coast into the Fall? Finding it more attractive to quit your business rather than crank it up? Wishing that massive success could come with minimal effort? Longing to avoid the inevitable hassles encountered on the road to uncommon success? Are you feeling some entrepreneurial loneliness, anxiety, or doubt? Welcome to the club. Look around you. You are surrounded by heroic, wonderful, quiet courage. Millions of people are experiencing the same things as you. But still they go. It's your turn to join them.

Committed to your quiet courage and unmistakable success.

Tom Barrett, Ph.D


I got this from a friend today (she's a wonderful photographer in the Myrtle Beach area). I know of many people around us that have courage, loads of courage. One of my little clients went to Kindergarten this fall, even though he wasn't sure he would like it. Wasn't sure he wanted to go to that big school. He went. He does love it now.

I have other clients that I took their Senior portraits last year, their parents are taking them to college this year. That's courage. I can not even imagine at this point.

Today, I took my youngest to his first day of "school" and he happily trotted in. But he looked a little apprehensive until he spotted me this afternoon. Courage in staying calm and looking for Mom (he knew I would be there as I've not failed him yet). Yes, there was courage on my part for actually leaving him and trusting those teachers. It's tough to let go.

What a little trooper she was!

This little girl was not going to share many of her gorgeous smiles with me because it was hot. Hotter than hot actually as you all know it has been for awhile here. Plus, she's at the age where naps just aren't the most exciting thing anymore. As a result, by the time our sessions started she was not sure she wanted to smile for me. I got a few smiles, I got some giggles, and we played.



I think she liked this basket, and I was amazed to see that little bitty girl turn it upside down to sit on, climb in and out of it, and lay down in it. I'm very glad I brought it.



and then she was done!