Lil' Miss Olivia

Listen, this baby girl makes me want a baby girl. The big bows, the cute outfits, the way her daddy looks at her. Yeah, I'm teary eyed. I love this girl. I love her family. I don't know what more to say. I wish I could see her (and the rest of her crew) more often. So, so enjoyed our few days together and can't wait to do it again. Ya'll are awesome:)

Snap-n-Click 101 {August 28}

How many times have you thought about learning how to take better pictures? If you're like me, there's no time in your day...you always forget to sign up...or maybe you just don't know how to do anything put push the shutter button (that's the one you push to take the picture:)). If this is you, you probably aren't concerned with learning to shoot in manual mode or post-process (like use Photoshop), you just want to learn how to push that button and get a better looking picture. Sound about right? Then, this is the workshop for you!

This will be more than just a beginner's toolkit or manual. You'll get tips for shooting in any situation...like when one kid is screaming and stuck behind the couch, but the other kid is doing something really cute, but moving really fast...and you need to get a great shot quick. Yeah, we'll talk about that kind of stuff. This is all about finding the best way to get pictures of your kids, your friends' or neighbors' kids, or those nieces and nephews who come to visit. While I do some "real" photography sessions, this is the type of pictures I'm after everyday at my house. You don't have to have fabulous equipment or super-duper knowledge of all that technical stuff. You just have to want to get better:)

So, what do you get? I like stuff, so you'll walk away with some. You'll have a jam-packed booklet full of cool stuff to get you to take better pictures and some other goodies.

What do you need? Just your camera. You don't have to have a fancy one...just a point and shoot is perfectly fine. Oh, and you'll need a couple of hours without kids.

Is this a one-time deal? Yep. I'm going to start with this one workshop and see how it goes. I already have some ideas lined up for a lengthier, more detailed workshop for those of you with pretty nice cameras who are up for the challenge of learning a bit (or actually a lot) more.

Can we get feedback? or share our photos after the workshop? You betcha! We'll have a flickr page (if you don't do flickr, do it! It's awesome for sharing photographs. It's also an awesome place for photo inspiration! So, we can all share there, and comment on each other's work!

How much is it gonna cost? Workshop registration is $50, and it will be limited to 10 participants. I want to keep it really informal and small so that you can get lots of time to ask questions...maybe even time to practice! You can pay by credit card via paypal or mail me a check.

When/where is it? The workshop will be held in Fork Union on August 28 at 9:00 AM. It will last about three hours. We'll have some yummy snacks too!

What if I can't get a sitter? If there's enough interest, I have two amazing ladies who watch my kids for me occasionally. I haven't asked them yet, but I think they'll be game. If you need a sitter for the workshop, I'll just ask that you bring your kids to my house (workshop won't be there), and pay $5 per hour for each child you bring. Snacks for kids will be provided.

EMAIL ME IF YOU'RE INTERESTED:) I've probably left out something important, so feel free to email me with any questions too!

Can't wait!

I Heart Faces Fix-it Friday

I Heart Faces FIF, originally uploaded by 4mavrix.

So, if you like photography and you've never visited iheartfaces.com, go there. Now. You will love it! Mondays are for contests, and Fridays are for fixin' stuff. This photo wasn't taken by me, but this is my shot at editing it. I used CS4, lots of layers and masking and levels...a bit of saturation bump. See the original image on iheartfaces.com :)

Heather and Dave's Family

What a cute, cute family! I soooo enjoyed working with the two little gals. They are at the perfect age for cooperating, but they were still so natural. Mom and Dad were great sports, and did everything I asked them to do too! I can't believe these guys haven't had family photos done in years...yeah, years! They are too darned cute not to have tons of family photos!

Oh, and Heather makes the most.amazing.quilts. Period. I have three of them!

Happy 1st b-day Miss Lauren!

Wow...what a fast year it's been! I first met Lauren when she was just a few days old, and I've taken her pictures every three months since. It's been so much fun to document her milestones. She's gone from a teeny baby all snuggled up in mom and dad's arms to a little girl who can stand move around on her own. I imagine she'll be walking very soon, and I've already heard her say a few words. Time really flies.

Lauren's first year coincided with my business's first year, and I think it has changed nearly as much as Lauren:) To Lauren's parents, I have to say thank you for being patient and supportive throughout this first year. I'm so happy to have captured Lauren's first year for you.

Baby Shower, Baby Shower!

I was recently lucky enough to spend some time with two girls that were my best buds EARLY in our lives. Stacy is a graphic designer (and soon-to-be party planner), and she was the hostess. The details were just ridiculous (in a good way). I'm pretty sure I'll ask her to plan my next party...which will be a shuper-hero third bday party for my oldest. Anyway, back to Stacy...the food, the decor, the games, the fun...wow! I was impressed! And, I can't stop before I mention Amber. Our parents were actually friends in high school, so we go WAY back, but I hadn't seen Amber in like more than a decade...like pre-college, pre-marriage, pre-baby, so it was so different. My memories of Amber go back to like playing on the slip-n-slide outside...now we ave kids! It's crazy how that works:) I was so happy to be able to surprise Amber (as a gift from Stacy) and photography her first baby's shower and do some newborn photos after the shower. Here are a few of the party details and some of Amber and her family. Enjoy!

Stella and Oliver

These guys were real troopers! Their session was rained out the night before, so they had to get up at 6 am to make the almost hour-long drive to this location. I was shooting back in my hometown, so I didn't have much time to work with. But, Stella and Oliver's mom pulled through...she was the real hero here. Brooke managed to get two kids up, mostly dressed, and out the door much more quickly than I could:) So, it was early...perhaps too early, but the kids gave me almost an hour before they'd had enough. Here are a few from the session.