Little Miss E

We shot E's photos the day after tornadoes came through our state. I was worried they weren't going to happen but luckily, other than being a bit wet, the lighting was beautiful that morning! I was working with a new lens and it was my first time using it outside. Let's just say I am in LOVE! Getting a new piece of equipment is like Christmas morning for me!
Miss E was such a delight to work with! She was by far the smiley-est little girl I've ever met! She was so giggly and fun! She stole my heart! Thank you so much, Hailee for sharing her with me! You guys are beautiful together! She is such a joy!

Photo Challenge Day 4

Day 4- something from a high angle

This is my middle child, Samual. He is such a joy to me! He's my little cuddle bug. His older brother is cuddly too, but once he's done, he's done. Samual is never done. He's always up to cuddle! At night he'll climb up in bed and lay on my pillow so his nose is touching mine. Yep, he's my little lover. <3

Photo Challenge Day 3

Day 3- Clouds

Well.... it rained today, with zero clouds and I actually never left the house until around 6 meaning it was dark out. I had no idea what my day should be today, I thought about switching days and going back to this one tomorrow, but I figured that defeated the point so here it is. Yes, I drew it, yes the cloud is a sad rain cloud. It's not cheating, right? :)

Photo Challenge Day 2

Day 2- What you wore today

If you know anything about me, you know I am NOT an early riser by any means. I love to sleep and I love to sleep LATE! In my defense I'm usually working until 2 or 3 in the morning, because my dogs are settled down, my husband is usually asleep, and my house in nice and quiet. It's my most reflective time and that's when I work the best.
This morning at about 9 am (super early for me, normal hour for most people) I got a call from my mom. She was calling to tell me she bought me something and that she was bringing it by. I told her to call me back when she pulled up and I'd roll myself out of bed to get it. I was up last night, like I'd say 89% of the adults in my state, watching the Crimson Tide roll over LSU in the BSC Championship game. It was a great game and a bad game all at the same time. Our boys did their job, and did it well. LSU.... well they just didn't show up, so it made for a bit of a boring game. All in all the excitement of the night and my home team winning a 14th victory kept me going for quite a while. When my mom pulled up I gave her a big Roll Tide (!) and she handed me a newly printed championship shirt! Hooray! She'd stood in line after the game last night for one for me and my sister, but they didn't have scores on them yet, so she went back this morning and picked one up for me. It's the cutest thing! Of course that is what I wore today! I enjoyed going out to eat and seeing all the other fans sporting their new crimson shirts as well. It feels good to be a part of something big, even if it's just something silly like football. I'm proud of my boys, I'm proud of my state, and I'm proud to say ROLL TIDE ROLL!

M Family | Winter

The M family kicked off my new year in style (as they always do)! This is my second time photographing them as a family, and my 3rd photographing their oldest, Miss L! I couldn't ask for a better looking family! I'm not entirely sure how you guarantee winnings in the genetic lotto, but these guys certainly have! And they have the personality to match those beautiful looks!

I had the pleasure of my dear friend Andy joining me on this shoot to assist (aka man the reflector and tickle stick), and before we got to the session I was telling him all about Miss L. This little girl is every photographer's dream. She poses and smiles and would probably stand on her head if I asked her to, never with any complaint and never forgetting to give me her best grin! She makes my job easy! Her feisty counterpart Miss C makes me work for it, and I LOVE it! She is an explorer to boot and so fun to watch! When I worked with them in the fall she was walking and running everywhere and was so fun to keep up with! Now she's all about climbing! She adored the stairs we went to. She keeps me on my toes. That smile makes all the running and rolling on the ground worth it!

We went to a few great little spots in Gadsden, one of which I've never shot. I've been around Gadsden a lot more lately while working on the latest show with CharACTers Entertainment and working with 2 other Gadsden photographers on launching the newest branch of Olive Photos, Lucky Sixpence Wedding and Event Photography. I'm originally from Gadsden so going back to shoot feels like going home, every time. My husband and I have fallen in love with Broad St. The shops, the artsy atmosphere, the timelessness. Love. The red door you see above is there and is actually rumored to be torn down soon so I'm glad I got a chance to shoot it. We also popped into the courtyard to grab a few shots and Miss C adored the little bench that was donated by the Dance Conservatory! 

Photo Challenge Day 1

Day 1- Self Portrait

Yes. Today's picture is suppose to be a self portrait, and it is of my feet. I took several and I felt very self conscience of my face, but I was wearing very cute shoes. 2 years ago, right before my wedding, I was about 60 lbs smaller than I am now. I have 4 solid months of albums on FB with over 100 photos each most of me just picking up a camera and shooting a photo of my face. I love how I looked and you could tell. That confidence is gone. I don't feel nearly as good about the way I look, but this year I'm redefining my exceptions.
Every year I have a new years resolution to loose weight. Not this year. This year I'm determined to love who I am and how I look no matter what the number on the scale is. I will no longer tie my weight to my self worth. There are baby steps. Today, I didn't love how I looked. The last day of this 30 challenge is another self portrait. My goal is for my face to make an appearance in this one.

“Yes no yes no yes no? 

Red blue? 

Yes red, no blue? 

No red, yes no? 

In out, up down? 

Do don't, can can't? 

Choices sit on the shelf life 

New shoes in a shoe shop. 

If the in crowd are squeezing into a must-have shoe 

And the one pair left are too tiny for you 

Don't feel compelled into choosing them 

If you're really a size 9, buy that size. 

While everyone else 

Hobbles round with sore feet 

Your choices should feel comfortable 

Or they aren't your choices at all. 

Why limp when you can sprint?” 

― David Baird, Fiesta of Happiness: Be True to Yourself

30 day challenge

I've heard it said it takes 28 days to form a habit, so here I am giving myself 30 to pick up blogging on a regular basis. I'll start tomorrow, because it's a Monday, and Mondays are good days to start new things, right? Okay, I'm lying. I'm starting tomorrow because the first shot is a self portrait and I'm not wearing any makeup, nor do I intend on putting any on. (At least I'm honest!) I'm nervous about doing this, because well, I am terrible at sticking with things, but I think it will force me to be creative and to pick up my camera at least once a day, and it will force me to take time out even for just a few minutes each day to do something other than work on the computer, and that's never a bad thing!