Army mom

Army mom, originally uploaded by Life Happens.

They say that the Army is a tough job.

They say that being a mom is the hardest job in the world.

Sometimes a mom is in the Army too....that makes "hard" not seem intense enough for what it requires.

All I have to say is that I am glad that I never had to make the sacrifices that Army moms make.

That being said, I hope her dad likes the pictures.....he is deployed right now and has never met her....

Someone beautiful....

My darling daughter is performing in the Spring Recital for her Dance Studio.....and I thought it was a good time to start advertising....plus it's a good time to prove to my friend Juliet that she is absolutely gorgeous!
So check out the ad!

The Wedding

Doug and Susie_022 bw, originally uploaded by Life Happens.

Okay, I promised more sneak peaks, but darn it all...I just don't have the hang of my website yet. So here is another one that I just loved taking. This entire series (the kissing at the gate) turned out so cool. And they were more than happy to kiss for as much as possible.

So this was a great wedding.....I loved almost everything about it....the idea was perfect and it was a lot of fun. I thought the baseball theme made the entire wedding unique and special. It was cool to see the casual, happy couple and friends....and not see the typical wedding day stress!
They had burgers at the reception (how cool is that?) and everyone was invited to attend the game afterwards. It looked like everyone had a wonderful day.

The one and only downside was that it was a beautiful, bright and shiny day.....and photographers HATE bright, sunshiny days. Or at least at high noon! There were very few shaded locations and to get the "look" of the Dell Diamond, I couldn't put them under an awning with a brick backdrop for every single picture....so I hope they like what they see!

Wedding Kiss

Wedding Kiss, originally uploaded by Life Happens.

Susie and Doug were married on Sunday at the Dell Diamond. It was wonderful to see them with their friends and family in such a unique, fun spot!

I've never seen a wedding before that had hot dogs, burgers and the first kiss caught on the jumbotron! It was a great way to show off thier love of Baseball and each other.

Susie looked wonderful in her capris, jersey and veil.....and except for the veil being blown around, she looked like the most comfortable, laid back bride that I've ever seen!

Fun Shoot

, originally uploaded by Life Happens.

I had a blast with these kids.

Amy is lucky to have 2 kids (out of 4) who love to pose and smile for the camera. Her other two adorable kids are still in the wiggly stage, but they are just as photogenic....just faster!

Dividing it up.

Since Tresa's efforts have linked my little blog to the world at large, I'm going to start posting more of my family and personal blogs on a different site....sorry for the inconvienence!

check it out here

And for those who track me over at flickr and joeuser....I'll still post there for some stuff....but I think I'm going to eventually make this my primary spot.

Starting something new.

I love pictures of my family. I love having pictures displayed on my walls, on my computer and in my wallet. I love to see the people I love and remember the moments I loved as I look at my pictures.

I wanted "good" pictures of my kids and didn't feel like my meesly efforts were worth hanging up. So dutifully, I went to a studio and handed over money. I hated paying the overcharged prices for subpar pictures at overcrowded studios where after my kids have waited so long they are overtired, they push a bunch of products that I don't even want.

So then I tried looking for a great photographer.....but I can't afford the wonderful pictures that they showed me...not at the prices they charge!

I figured that the only thing to do would be to do it myself! I practiced on my kids and anyone else who would hold still. I took classes, read books and finally, one day someone paid me to take some pictures.

Someone else saw them and the next thing I know, it snowballed into a pretty decent side job.

I realized that not only do I love having photographs, but I love taking pictures, I love capturing the connection between two people. I just love doing this.

I decided that I wanted to do what I love and keep it affordable so that people can get something better than just one overpriced, stiffly-posed, picture. I want people to buy pictures that showcase their child's personality. I don't need a bunch of pictures sitting around on my hard drive. I want to see the smile on someone's face.

So I take pictures in my tiny little studio and (my favorite) outside with natural light. I'm learning as I go that I know WHY photographers charge so much! It's time consuming but I love it and I'm finessing my workflow so that I am much faster now.

My friend, Tresa is amazing. She heard that I didn't have a website, so in 3 days she got my beta website up and running. There are more things I need to do and I'll have to adjust some stuff.....but here it is!

www.photosoftheheart.org

Who knows? Maybe this really will turn into something great. I don't feel like I'm fantastic, but I love what I'm doing and people seem to like it.

So let me know what you think!

Brothers!

I took these pictures last week and I have to admit that the boys were adorable! They have such great personality and they did a great job. It was a joy to shoot them!

I loved this shot!