It’s been a while…

Long time, no write *crickets chirp*.  Okay, it’s been a while.  After starting the photog business (and then lamenting its commencement just about every other day), I have finally decided to completely throw myself into it (and to throw caution to the wind).  I will be hanging out over here from now on.  It’s my new blogsite and I would absolutely love it if you had a moment to pop over and take a look around.  Pour yourself a glass of wine or a cup of coffee (or both, you have two hands, after all, and I don’t judge!).  My very first post is about Jesh de Rox’s Moment Design, which I think is pretty awesome and say so.  But go see for yourself.  And, if you feel so inclined, follow me over there.  🙂      

Back to school + a little silliness for good measure

I have been itching to share the following images of some incredibly spirited, smart, and strong-willed girls that exuded so.much.joy.  Seriously, I was having trouble keeping up with these girlies but am so glad that I tagged along.  They know how to have a good time 🙂

Fall by the wayside…

Don’t get me wrong, I love autumn in an astronormous way (this is the kind of love that only a made up word can really do justice).  However, with all the lovely things that arrive in the company of fall, the smell of the leaves crackling under one’s feet, the feeling that you are strolling through a painting by Monet, a renewed crispness to the air; autumn in the Pacific Northwest has another bedfellow, copious amounts of rain.  This makes it difficult to get outside and snap pictures and makes me want to do this instead…

but the fear of my photography falling by the wayside is absolute and so when the rain relegated itself to a mere drizzle, I grabbed the Lensbaby Velvet and went outside to get what I could before the weather changed its mind.  I shot wide open to see what kind of blur I could get in the periphery of the image (this lens is still very much a new play thing to me).  The images it yields are soft and glowy making ordinary objects like a tree and bird bath look otherworldly.

I love that this lens has macro capabilities.  I will be holding it close to itty bitty things more often in the very near future.

It may be raining, but the color of the leaves just cannot be beat!

I will be using this lens more often for portraiture.  That wonderful glowyness looks fantastic when applied to skin.  The velvet is not the only lens offered by lensbaby though.  For a taste of the other lenses and what they have to offer, continue the lensbaby circle by popping on over to  Maggie’s blog.

Because the little moments matter, too

We all have routines, those repetitive moments sprinkled throughout our day that can provide a sense of security and safe haven from chaos.  Sometimes we dread them.  Sometimes we look forward to them.  Oftentimes they go completely unnoticed and undocumented, shoes being dumped at the front door and homework finding its way to the kitchen table.   As a mother, I know that many routines, however unwavering they are now, will not go on forever.  Today’s images are about documenting the little moments because these matter, too, and sometimes they even matter the most.

      

Autumn has Arrived | Seattle Family Photographer

The leaves are changing color here in the Pacific Northwest and I couldn’t be any happier…and then this family session happened.  I knew this lovely lady in high school on the East Coast and was super pleased to find out that she, too, had recently made the move to the Pacific Northwest.  Her kiddos were a hoot and really were like night and day as far as personalities go.  I had the.best.time photographing this family.  And oh my goodness, check out the eyelashes.

nifty fifty (day 19, or long time no click, and also, this dog…)

Long time no click (as in the sound my shutter used to make).  Apparently, starting a small photography business has little to do with actually taking pictures.  This is highly unfortunate and was entirely unexpected.  This second little tidbit may also come as a surprise to some, I am in no way a business aficionado (just another way grad school didn’t prepare me for real life).  In fact, I know so little about business that I had to take a hiatus from the actual photography part of the photography business to read whatever literature I could get my hands on about running things successfully.  Consequently, it has been a full week since I last encountered my camera out of its bag (hello again, old friend).  So as a reward to myself for learning so little about the business side of things, I snapped a few photos of the only one in the house (other than me), Naiad, the labrador retriever that doesn’t retrieve (and she’s okay with that).  And I’m okay with not being instinctively acuminous when it comes to all things business because snapping away is bliss.

have i mentioned that i love deep shadows and moody black and white images? because i do…a lot.

such a solemn dog.

Naiad has her own ways of offering comfort.

nifty um, 56 (day 18, or golden hour at the Washington Park Arboretum)

Yesterday we took the kiddos to the Seattle Arboretum, 230 acres of lovely green, green goodness.  I cannot believe it took us so long to get over there!  But made it, we did.  And we visited during the golden hour, that dreamy period of time before sunset that makes photographers great and small swoon.  We have a whole lot more exploring to do, but I did manage to snap a few photos with the lensbaby while we poked around.  Have a lovely weekend!

yay for yummy, buttery light!

this duck really liked having his photograph taken

so did she

nifty fifty (day 17, or back to school calls for back-to-school photos)

Okay, quick disclaimer.  The following images were not captured today, but instead, were taken about a week before back-to-school to celebrate the joy that we all (I am definitely no exception) feel at this time of year.  I am talking intense, staggering, earnest, heaps of joy that bubble up inside and make us wonder (sometimes aloud), “why did our kids ever stop going in the first place.”  I love having my kiddos around and I certainly don’t want to send the message that I feel otherwise, I just genuinely believe that I appreciate them more if they are not glued to me all day, every day.

So here is a mini photo shoot that I did with my youngest before entrusting her burgeoning mind into the judicious care of her teacher.  I will be doing a similar shoot for other kiddos at her school (although probably even more mini than this) in an effort to fundraise for the fifth graders’ class trip to France.

nifty fifty (day 16, or sometimes you just have to dance)

Today’s images were taken with the nifty fifty and a wide open aperture of f/1.8.  That said, I would love to capture a few of these again with a little lensbaby blur.  Importantly, the bear featured in today’s photographs is none other than Ms. Mary Bear (always an advocate for women’s rights, she prefers not to have her identity tied up in a neat package and labeled as either wife or wife-to-be).  The other model is, of course, Nan.  She’s usually fairly willing, although today it took a bit of persuading in addition to digging out my old pointe shoes.  Hope you all have a lovely week and remember to keep dancing!

50 at 56 (day 14, or pottery painting parties are the bomb diggity)

We celebrated Nan’s 9th birthday today at a ceramic painting studio (this was the celebration with friends, but still, Nan’s birthday is beginning to feel like an Indian wedding).  The girls from her class attended and everyone got down to business painting their pretty pieces.  This, of course, kept them busy for the better part of an hour.  Then there was time to eat, unwrap a few gifts, and say our thank you’s and good-bye’s.  Easy peasy.  For an art-oriented child, painting parties are a simple solution for that, “what are we going to do to acknowledge your genesis this year conundrum.”  Nan had fun and she gets to add a masterpiece to her collection.  Win win.  All of the following taken with the lensbaby velvet at a wide, wide aperture.

it’s business time

yes! i caught him unawares and took advantage of the situation by snapping away.

and then this girlie decided that Grant looked hungry for an armpit sandwich. she’s very perceptive.

and so stinkin cute.

Nan was unusually camera shy today

action shot

the end.