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!

Trapeze!

Layout, originally uploaded by Life Happens.

Matt was kind enough to try and get some cool shots of me at Trapeze. I only did one front-end (2 part) splits as a demo before i got down to work on my layouts.

I'm getting to the point where I am working on finessing my swing and technique.....but today I got to try my very first back double. (That would be a double somersault!) Woo Hoo!!!

CTR

CTR, originally uploaded by Life Happens.

For all those wondering, CTR stands for Choose the Right (similar to WWJD)

This was a happy accident. I usually try to get a shot of newborns with the mom and dad's wedding ring on their toes. Mom's hands were still a bit puffy so we used her CTR ring instead.

I love how this turned out and I love how their faith in God and hope for their son's future is emphasized.

The sneaky one

Handmade Dresses, originally uploaded by Life Happens.
So when I was painting Maddy's room, I took the doorknob off and I never got around to putting it back on. I had realized that it made a GREAT child lock.

This simple bought of laziness solved the problem of my daughter changing clothes 9 times a day. Suddenly, she couldn't get to them and her original outfit stayed on! Plus it gave me a place to put toys that were too messy or not played with anymore.

Her room was so much cleaner with the excess tucked into a childproof closet.....but not for long!

She discovered that she could stack the stepstools on top of each other and reach the doorknob that sits on top of her dresser, then using the same stepstools, she could turn on the closet light and open the door! (So much for it being too complicated to figure out!)

I found out about her new ability when she started bringing me baby toys and wearing too small outfits! Crazy child!

I have been pleading....

I have been pleading...., originally uploaded by Life Happens.

...with every pregnant chick I know to let me try this!

Thank you Leila for being brave and trusting me. Thank you Tony for not dropping Adam!

Congrats to both of you!

EDIT EDIT EDIT

Adam is only a few inches above a couch cushion....you can't see it because it's covered with the same black fabric that is in the background.

I can't believe I'm THAT big!!

I can't believe I'm THAT big!!, originally uploaded by Life Happens.

Gina was so much fun! I loved doing these pictures! The crazy thing was that her tummy REALLY DIDN'T look big at all!

I had to get really creative to get her tiny 8 month belly to LOOK like she was that far along!

Heart Breaker

ChalkRidgeFalls_Girly Girl, originally uploaded by Life Happens.

Yeah, I'm not above a bit of bragging.....my little girl is a doll. I love how her hair shines in the light and how she gets a satisfied little smile when she is happy. I love watching her as she grows and develops....

Mostly, I can't believe that she is already 3. When did my baby grow up?


PS Dad, want an 8x10 of this one?