This will be my family some day

I just know it. This reminds me of such things my husband would do, and I'm sure the reaction our children would have. Please go watch.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sb9eL3ejXmE

YOU'RE A SINGLE LADY!

The Chicks are Famous!

I am so excited, one of my most favorite bloggers posted some of the chick pics on her blog! Miss B from Blah, Blah, Blahg (cutest name I think) loves baby animals, and posts them every Monday to brighten the day. Which is actually how I started following her blog, because she posted this cute little guy:

(found on blah, blah, blahg)

Make your heart melt, huh?? So sweet--and I never thought I'd say that about a pig! Maybe Lindsay will want to get a little piglet after seeing this... 

Anyway, I love Miss B and her Blahg, and you should go take a gander at her cute pictures and great ideas. And then you will be hooked, just like me.

Dramatic Black and White

This weeks photo challenge at I Heart Faces is dramatic B&W pics. This picture was from an engagement session I did a while back. These two just had a baby, and I'm going to take some family photos soon, yay!

chick pics on the pro blog

The little ladies are too cute to not get another shout out. View them here!

Weekly Photo Challenge

This week, over at I Heart Faces, the photo challenge is "Focusing on Angles." Here's my entry!

This is from one of my first, and favorite, photo shoots. It was before I had my blog, but maybe sometime I will post some pics from it. I am always striving to be better and more creative, that I forget that sometimes before I got a fancy pants camera or a bunch of actions, that I actually did some good work. Don't get me wrong, I have improved heaps over the past year, but sometimes I envy the time that I wasn't so concerned wasn't so concerned about what the trends are, or keeping up with other photographers. I was much more freeing.

I think one of the reasons I love this shoot is because I didn't know really what I was doing. And I failed tremendously on one idea that I had -- I made this patchwork heart thing that I thought was going to be so cute, but it ended up being really stupid. And it took me forever to make! And after all of that, this picture with nothing but my subjects and the props that mother nature provided ended up being one of my favorite shots. 

So, anyway, that's it for today. Check over at I Heart Faces if you want to enter one of your pics, too!

Why must I have expensive taste

I was looking at one of my fav photography blogs, The Savvy Photographer, and saw these little pretties that they're doing a gift card give away from Shey B:

Aren't they cute? I hope I win the contest because, as always, my favorite one is the most expensive one. It doesn't matter what it is, and I don't mean to, that's just how I am. When Ryan and I were registering for our wedding at William Sonoma, we were looking at salt and pepper shakers, and out of all of them I picked out this little set as my favorite. Too bad they were pure silver and some ridiculous price, like $300. I just have that knack for some reason, to know what is expensive. I think that I was supposed to be born an heiress or something.

Anyway, in other news we just spent a great weekend hanging with friends, celebrating birthdays, playing Truth or Dare (yes, we are in our mid twenties), getting rear ended in the snow, but the best of all was the CURLING BIRTHDAY PARTY we attended. Ryan has decided that he's ready to go pro: 

Warning: This is a long, mushy, and overly thought out post, and with out photos, so watch out!

I read a blog named Brand Camp Blog. Today they posed a question:

What would you do if you knew you could not fail? What would you be shooting if money/success/fame/family worries were all taken care of?  You have everything you want in life, and a camera.  Where do you go?  What are you photographing?

For the life of me, I can’t settle on one answer! First of all, anyone who knows me, and some of you who don’t, know that I am the most completely indecisive person. Once I’ve made a choice, I follow it through full force, but it’s just getting to that jumping off point. I am surprised that I ever chose a boy to walk down the isle to. But I guess I got lucky and a good one picked me. But I guess that brings out another characteristic in myself – I am totally okay with people telling me what to do. Down to the point that basically someone told me that I should be a graphic designer, and I thought that sounded good, so I changed my major the next semester.

I digress. Anyway, so I saw this question today, and I’ve been thinking about it a lot. If I won the lottery (which someone in my family actually recently did, so I figure that’s out of the question since what are the odds of 2 people in one family winning the lottery…and plus I’d have to buy a ticket), and all the worries of taking care of my family and my future were taking care of, what would I do?

Well, let’s be honest, I would probably sleep all day and do nothing except for shop online and fill my wardrobe with fabulous clothes from anthropologie for a couple of months. But then, after a while, I would want to get life back to a more normal structure. I know that I would want to do photography full time.

Okay, let’s start there. Photography. Why do I want to do it, why do I love it? There are a couple of reasons I can think of off the top of my head. But one of them is that I get to create my own little world. I can not express myself verbally very well – words don’t come to me when I’m talking to other people. I used to be better at it, but ever since I graduated from college, it seems like my brain has been stuffed full with things like mortgages, and work projects, and recipes to think about cooking, that all of my ability to explain something has been pushed out of my ears with-out me noticing. It’s actually really frustrating, and it makes me feel really bad for people who have diseases that attack their body, but leave their mind intact. I think being trapped inside your own body would be so horrible.

But photography gives me a way to create a little world inside a 4x6 window. You can’t see what’s going on outside the edges of that frame – but inside that space, I can create and control what’s going on. And show people a little of what I see going on in my head.

Another reason that I love photography is that it is relational. It is that it is a moment that I can give to people that can never be exactly reproduced. Especially in the wedding photography realm. What a legacy pictures are to be able to leave to your family, that their grandchildren will put out someday and say ‘look how beautiful grandma was’ or ‘can you believe she made her bridesmaids wear hats?’ It gives a jumping point for them to tell stories about Ryan--I mean—grandpa balled as she walked down the isle to him.

I also like photography, good photography, because it makes people see the best in themselves. I love my wedding photos. I actually think I look pretty, which I can’t really say for any other photos I possess. And I hope that my photos do that for other people.

So where am I so far—I want to be a photographer because it helps me to express myself, it’s relational, and it helps people to feel good about themselves. Sounds cheesy, but I promise I don’t take myself too seriously. All those things are nice, but where is the solid answer in what I should chase after…should I pursue just wedding photography, or just children portraits?? Should I drop everything and get into editorial photography (which I think would be a BLAST), but what about all those sweet babies whose little cheeks are just waiting to be kissed and photographed?

But maybe I don’t have to know it all right now. I suppose I can keep loving taking pictures of giggly toddlers, AND of blushing brides, AND of loving families until these questions work them self out. Or at least until someone else tells me what to do…. 

Announcement of Business Sorts

I know some of you who read my little blog here are also some of my lovely clients. I wanted everyone to know that after much time, thought and exhausted hours, I have been seeking consult on my business pricing. So, starting in May, I will be implementing a new package and pricing structure for my Family, Children and Senior portrait sessions and products.

Obviously, I will honor all sessions booked before this time, but I wanted to give anyone who was dragging their feet on booking the chance to do so while I am still in my portfolio-building prices.

And because a blog with no pictures is no fun, be watching for these little guys on the pro blog :)

I Heart Faces...."All Bundled Up" Contest

This post is to enter a photo for the I Heart Faces photo contest this week, the theme is 'Bundled Up.'

I Heart Faces photo contests are a fun way to get your creative juices flowing, or show off some of the stuff you have been working on. If you have a camera and want to learn more about photography, I would encourage you to participate in some of these contests.They are a great way to hone your skills, and give you a reason to get out there and get some practice.




Check out I Heart Faces for their weekly contests :)

I know I shouldn't like such things...

But I'm sooooo excited!!! The next Twilight movie, this summer! Wooo Hooo!

Little Marin Preview

Watch the pro blog for some pics of this sweet little nugget :)

Into the Woods

I have to share something with you. Okay, really someone. The wife of someone very special to me. Clare.

Have you ever met one of those people that as soon as you spend 10 seconds with them, you wish that you could live a day in their mind and learn as much as you could and bring it back to your everyday life? That's how I feel like with Clare.

She is quite possibly one of the most creative, talented, caresmatic people that I've ever met --and I've decided that in the accumulative time of 2 hours I've spent with her. But I just know. And the fact that our friend James loves her so much, just confirms that it is true. And they have a vespa, seriously, how much cuter can you be?

Anyway, last month Ryan I and made a trip down to Austin to help Lori move (boo), but one upside was that we got to spend a last night recap with James and Clare. And I completely fell in love with their little garage apartment,  I just have to share the pics with you. Especially the dining room that she HAND STENCILED.

 Check out the process of how she did it here.

And the rest of her apartment is just as adorable, too.

Almost as cute as their little puppy....Almost.

You should follow her blog, http://intothewoodshouse.blogspot.com/, and become as jelous of her creative mind as I am.

Oklahoma Girl Featured on Grey's Anatomy Tonight (actually March 3, 2010)

*note: This is a repost: as I've been looking at this post as I post more, it kept bothering me that it said "OK Girl" because it sounds like I just thought she was alright, not fabulously talented like she is. What I MEANT by that was "Oklahoma Girl." Because that is were I live :) So I changed it to clarify.

I don't know if any of you are addicted to Grey's Anatomy as I am (I know, it's a philthy habit), but I was excited to find out that a local artist, Ali Harter, is going to have two songs featured on the show tonight. I think that's pretty neat!

You can read and article about her at Newsok.com, and see here she perform one of the songs that is going to grace the show tonight:


They lyrics make me wonder what sort of drama is going to happen....
xoxoely

Dreams and Hopes for the Future Fairs

I hope my kids are hilarious like this one:



xoxoely

Epiphanie Bags

My newest obsession is Epiphanie Bags. They make super-cute photography bags that I would just assume use as my purse! I really think that one of these babies would really help me to follow through with my resolution to carry my camera with me more often to just take "life" photos. And it would be nice to have something a little stylish, so I didn't have to lug around my super giant (but I love because it is so sturdy and fits everything!) normal photography bag.

Another thing I love about Epipanie---they're running a sweet contest right now that you could win a fancy pants camera! And for one of my entries, I created this little lovely...

Isn't it fun that they not only offer a product, but also inspire creativity?? You can see more here.

So if any of you are photo gooroos like me, you might hop over there to see what you need to do for a chance to win! But you have to share it with me if you do :)

Surprise!

This weekend I attended a surprise party for a dear friend Seth. Seth the husband of my dear friend J.J. He's a lucky man. And she's a lucky girl. They are a special family.

J.J. is 8.5 months pregnant, yet she put together a super secret party complete with an amazing from scratch cake and pigs in a blanket. I mean, I've never been pregnant before, but I'm guessing that I'm going to be doing much of anything when I am 8.5 months pregnant. Probably my biggest task will to be a decent human being.

But J.J. is selfless. She knows that here in a few weeks, their lives are going to change forever. And with all the hub-bub with the baby coming, J.J. wanted to make sure that Seth had a special celebration all to himself.

Happy Birthday Seth! We love you and your lovely wife :)

And I simply can't help but take pictures of this little guy when he's around ;)