so I'm feeling a bit nostalgic

my baby was three months old yesterday.  did I get a picture?  nope. so I hope he doesn't look much different tomorrow because that's when the photo shoot will take place.  you can call me a cheater, I deserve it.

but just in case you're not a mathematician, three months is halfway to six months.  and that is halfway to twelve, which equals a year.  and then he's off to college.

so yeah, I'm feeling a bit nostalgic.  if anyone knows anything that will make the time slow down (or stop!)  let me know.  because as much as I can't wait for this little man to grow up and wrestle his older brother (who may or may not try daily to go ahead and see if he's ready for it yet), I just can't seem to slow each day down enough to soak in enough of this baby and his bright eyes and his perfect mouth and his little dimple.

Friday Favorites

i love these (huge, wrinkly, alien-looking) little feet.

I'm indecisive. well almost always. Actually, just sometimes.

as in, I love both of these and can't decide which one I love more.

black and white instantly feels nostalgic to me and usually feels more emotional. but color captures everything and it seems like you can actually feel the ocean breeze and taste the salt water and jump right into that moment all over again.

what say you? are you a black and white kind of person?  or are you all about color?  

Shockley

I'm starting this new super fun game that no one likes to play.  I don't tell you where your photo shoot is actually going to be located, and you have to follow smoke signals to find it.  I thought just for kicks I'd try it out with these three.

AND, when you finally find your way, the location is freezing cold and within 5 minutes your baby's teeth are chattering.

but lucky for me this family are not only great friends of ours, but also great models with even greater circulation, so you can't tell at all if they were annoyed or cold (or both).   me on the other hand, my lips turn blue and I wear a perma-scowl, so had the tables been turned we'd both be in trouble.

Thanks Shockleys, for being so freaking photogenic.

friday favorites

just a sneak peak into next weeks post.

I'm kind of obsessed.

Merrill

So one year ago I had a new camera and was taking a bazillion pictures of my (somewhat) newborn when this little lady asked me to do her family Christmas photos.  Actually scratch that, I think maybe I begged her to let me.  Bottom line is she trusted me even though she really had no reason to.  But we got some amazeball shots that are still some of my absolute favorites.  

I love Amy's style, I love her vision, and I especially love how she knows who she is and what she wants (and what she doesn't want).  She wants real life.  I love that both times I've shot her family its been a challenge that helped me grow exponentially.

Thanks Ames.

next year: chick-fil-a picnic with the pups.

love love love love love this family.

Hultgren

still not quite sure where to put his head on his big boy bed.

friday favorites

this was from my very first Christmas family photo shoot.  I was terrified.  Luckily they were the best, most easily photographed, most kind and open-minded family on the planet.

thanks for giving me a shot.

*two spots left for my fall family shoots.  contact me here if you'd like to book!*

FALL 2012

with a new babe this fall is quite a bit busier than last, but I'm too in love with your beautiful faces not to do any shoots this year.

I decided that I'll do four to six family shoots this season, so let me know if your interested and my 

assistant will put you in the books!  (who am I kidding, my assistant is me and my books are my google calendar on my phone.  so maybe my phone is my assistant, and my book is google?)

the many faces

Queen Creek

because, you know, we're trying to live in every city/town/township and range in the greater Phoenix area by the time we turn 30.  

I love how rural this area is.  I loved that I could rollerblade only in our community because no where else had sidewalks.  I loved that I saw the same ladies biking every morning.  I loved driving for ten minutes and passing nothing but fields and fields of corn and grain and alfalfa.  

that is, until I needed milk.

which I probably could have just picked up from the goat farm next door, but I was too shy to ask.

these film images are virtually untouched, and its this top image that reminds me daily that I'd chop off and sell my right arm to be able to buy a camera and shoot with film again.

but until then, I'll just drool over the colors of these photos and dream of buckets and buckets of money being dropped on my doorstep.  (you know, I have one of those now!  it feels so fun to say "MY" doorstep!)

to order these prints or any others, go here.

a girl and her boys

wedding on film

I know I've been the worst blogger of all time, but WE GOT A HOUSE!  Well, not technically I guess, not until we close, and apparently the closing date is subject to change?  madness. 

so in hopes to make up for my time gone, here are some of the wedding photos I took on film from this wedding, as promised. 

I always tell people that film and digital are like twins.  for everyone unfamiliar with it, it may be hard to tell them apart, but to someone who is with them all the time, they are completely and totally different. 

(confession:  I STILL can't tell the olsen twins apart if they have the same hair color, which really says a lot since I grew up watching them solve any crime by dinner time.)

I was assisting Ashley of 41st Avenue Photography for this shoot so my shots are pretty random, just whenever I could pick up my film camera and snap.  you like that ONE PHOTO I got from the reception of the soda bar down there at the bottom?

so, can you tell a difference between this post's pictures and this one?