I met Johnna last fall, when she came to help out during her best friend Libby’s senior portraits.  (Having a friend tag along for your session is a GREAT idea!  They know the little things that make you laugh the most, and can give you lots of encouragement that you’re looking fabulous!)  Johnna turned out to be a great reflector-holder, stuff-carrier, and all-around helpful person during Libby’s shoot, and we all had a great time.  Needless to say, I was thrilled when I had the opportunity to do Johnna’s pictures a couple of weeks ago!  And this time it was Libby who came along with us to help out, making it a fun little reunion!

Johnna wanted a more rural session, so we headed out into the country to see what we could find!  Here are some favorites from our session!  (I had a really hard time narrowing down the photos for the blog…I loved so many of them!!)  You’re beautiful, Johnna!!

We didn’t know what kind of field this was, but we loved the vibrant green color!  (Can anyone tell me what is growing here??)

The light this evening was so beautiful!

Love these next ones…

Look at those eyes!!

We just happened to do this session when the daffodils were perfect!  (A few days later when I went past this same spot, they were no longer in bloom!!)  Lucky us!

Johnna, thanks for having me do your senior portraits!  Good luck in all that lies ahead after high school!!

Filed under: Seniors on May 1st, 2010 | 1 Comment »

In 2007, I got to photograph a sweet little newborn girl named Lillian.  Well, that newborn has grown a lot since then - Lilly is three years old now!  Isn’t she beautiful?

And now, Lilly has her very own baby sister as well!  Meet precious little Evelyn.  She was 21 days old for our session.

These adorable booties were made by Evelyn’s great grandmother when her own daughter (Evelyn’s grandmother) was born in 1930.  Isn’t is neat that they were able to pass these down and that 80 years later, Evelyn is able to wear them?

We had to get a shot of her tiny toes too, though!!

Here is one more favorite of Lilly!

Evelyn is such a perfect addition to a beautiful family.  To end this post, I’ll leave you with a favorite photo of her with her mommy and daddy.

Robin and Joe, thanks for inviting me back to capture more memories of your growing family!

Filed under: Children on April 23rd, 2010 | 4 Comments »

Hi, everyone!  In honor of Earth Day, here is an easy way we can all be a little more green - start carrying reusable bags!  Here are a few quick facts (from www.reusablebags.com) that I recently read and found pretty startling:

Introduced just over 25 years ago, the ugly truth about our plastic bag addiction is that society’s consumption rate is now estimated at well over 500,000,000,000 (that’s 500 billion) plastic bags annually, or almost 1 million per minute.

• Single-use bags made of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) are the main culprit. Once brought into existence to tote your purchases, they’ll accumulate and persist on our planet for up to 1,000 years.
• Plastic bags cause over 100,000 sea turtle and other marine animal deaths every year when animals mistake them for food.
• The average family accumulates 60 plastic bags in only four trips to the grocery store.
• Each high quality reusable bag you use has the potential to eliminate an average of 1,000 plastic bags over its lifetime. The bag will pay for itself if your grocery store offers a $.05 or $.10 credit per bag for bringing your own bags.

Okay, so now here is the fun part!  Check out the Green Bag Lady’s website at http://greenbaglady.blogspot.com/.  She has free patterns and even video tutorials showing how to make a simple reusable bag!  I haven’t tried it yet, but at least it looks easy!!  :)  She also has a giveaway going on for earth day…if you leave a comment on her blog you have a chance to win one of 40 bags she is giving away!

Personally, I think carrying reusable bags is a really great (and pretty simple) way to live a more earth friendly life!  I got into the habit of using them at the grocery store while shopping at Aldi (oh my gosh, the bargain hunter in me LOVES that place!), because at Aldi, you either bring your own bags or buy those that you need.  Now I’m realizing that I need to start using them at the other stores that I go to as well.  So who is with me??  I’m making it a goal (and since I’m telling you all it will help keep me accountable) to drastically cut down on our family’s plastic bag usage.  Maybe by Earth Day 2011, we’ll be able to say that we use reusable bags everywhere that we go!

Filed under: News, Personal on April 22nd, 2010 | 1 Comment »

I’m so far behind in blogging so many of the exciting things I’ve been lucky enough to photograph in the last few months!  But I want to make a change and get back in the habit of blogging!  I know many of you may have startled wondering, but I am alive and well, and hard at work!  :)  Anyway, I thought this post would be the perfect way to restart.

I’ve been getting to meet quite a few beautiful newborns during this winter season when there are not so many weddings!  It has been so much fun.  When Ashley and Jon contacted me about doing photos of their newborn son, Aiden, I was thrilled!  It was just a couple of years ago that I got to photograph Ashley and Jon’s wedding, and I’d loved working with them.  It is always so fun to get to photograph people at key stages of life…and when you get to capture not only a couple’s wedding but also their growing family, it is such a privilege!

Anyway, sweet little Aiden’s session took place when he was 4 weeks old and he is absolutely precious.

Look at the joy on those faces!!

“Okay, I’ll give you half a smile.” 

Hanging out with Dad.

Ashley and Jon have these great green chairs that coordinated perfectly with Aiden’s blanket.  I love all of the color in these next two shots!!

All that photo-taking can wear a little guy out!!

Ashley and Jon, thank you so much for letting me in on all of the excitement of this next big step in your lives!  You are a beautiful family!

Filed under: Children on March 22nd, 2010 | 2 Comments »