52 Week Project - Week 17

My sweet three year old. She loves her ballet classes and yet this last week she seemed quite detached. Before we had even left the house she was saying that she did not want to dance, she just wanted to watch. Well I told her that she needed to be ready, in case she changed her mind. When we arrived, we found that instead of class being in the main room on the stage, a conference was going on and her class had been moved to a smaller room. This was a first for her and she seemed to become even more uncomfortable.

She was not her usual confident self, she seemed shyer and more reserved and even at one point shed a few tears. It broke my heart a little to see this other side of her, but she came through it.

How often do we take the easy road, the wide road traveled by so many before us? It is the safe route, for sure, but are we really living to our full potential within those confines? Creativity often involves trying something different, or new, and there might be a risk involved.

A tiny spark is all that is needed to start the fire, it does not start as a raging furnace. Maybe, in order for our wildest dreams to become reality we just need to take that first tiny step.

52 Week Project - Week 16

Just a very simple one from last week. My children constantly remind me that I over-complicate things, even life. There are chores and responsibilities and to-do lists and the reality is that they are never ending. There are always things to worry about. Where are my priorities? Where is the joy?

Children want to have fun! They know how to have fun, they can turn the park that they have been to one thousand times into a fun adventure. Life is simple and sweet (as long as mom is not nagging them to tidy their toys or clothes again!)

I am so glad they have each other, I am so glad that they have this time to be children, to enjoy the world around them, without having to constantly rely on TV or electronic equipment to keep them entertained. I want to protect this short window of time for them, to allow them to not be overly-scheduled, to let them play and be...kids.

Yes there is training and preparing for the life ahead of them, and responsibilities to learn. They live in a different age than we grew up in, with a whole new world of pressures we never knew, but this still should be a time of freedom and fun.

52 Week Project - Week 15 {Bay Area Child Portrait Photographer}

I love the relationship my kids have with each other. They truly enjoy each other and have fun together. The girls really are each others best friend and the time they have spent together since their brother started school has only served to strengthen their bond.

Yesterday I made a new dress for Bryttain - a pillowcase dress. I have been looking for something simple and classic, for the longest time and it just has not materialized, so I decided I would just have to make it. I ran to a local thrift store and found one pillowcase that would work, ran to Michaels for some ribbon to make the ties and an hour later she had a cute dress, perfect for a little shoot. She was pretty excited and all of a sudden all three of them were excited. We were losing light rapidly but they were insistent! Arran (kind of) helped me drag my bench out into the field and I just started shooting.

I love to catch them interacting and this fun stage of their relationship. I know that in the years ahead they may not always be this close, but I will have proof that they were and I know in my heart that they will always have an undeniable bond, that I hope will come full circle.

Love the natural outtakes too.

Of course we have to have some fun too, we cannot be all serious when it comes to photographs, otherwise how many do you think I would really get? Love, love, love these little people!

52 Week Project - Week 14

We, or maybe I should own it and say "I", can be my own worst critic. We so easily see our flaws, the places where we are far from perfect. We see ourselves as nobody else can, because we are the only ones to know the internal dialogues, the struggles that we hide from the rest of the world.

I am on a journey. I want to be able to see myself as I was truly created to be. I want to humbly be able to recognize my areas of strength, my talents, the gifts that I have been given, the things that make me unique and different from everybody else...from every other photographer out there.

When my children look at me they see my heart! They know that I love them, and will fight for them to the end. They see my loyalty and that I truly want the best for them. They see that I am beautiful and fun and creative. They see me at my worst and my best, the highs and the lows...and they love me. Their little eyes see ME! They are a gift to me and teach me new things each day, I want to be better for them and for that to impact everyone that I come in contact with.

This past weekend I 'attended' a live, online photography class. If you are a photographer, or aspiring photographer, I encourage you to check out Creative Live, it is such an amazing resource. They provide free classes, as long as the timing works with your schedule and you can attend the live event. If that does not work, then you can buy the class after the fact, to watch at your convenience. There are many workshops out there, but they cost a small fortune; through Creative Live you can have access to amazing teachers for a fraction of the cost.

This weekend's course encouraged more searching of myself and challenged me to be prepared to take risks, to try...and do things 'wrong', because in that process I might find the 'right' way to do something.  To try to let go of my perfectionism, because all that does is encourage me to procrastinate. None of us will ever be perfect - yet how many of us strive for that, or to appear to be that? To think about what makes me different and use that to my advantage.

Take a moment to step back and see yourself as someone who loves you sees you...you might be pleasantly surprised!

Howards' Sneak Peek {Bay Area Newborn Photographer}

Do not be fooled by the photo above...this sweet thing did not sleep a wink during her little shoot! I guess I was just far too interesting.

Ah sweet newborns. A brand new, tiny person, with their whole life ahead of them. Sometimes it is hard to believe that we all started out that way. Little Miss 'S' has such delicate features with the most perfect girly nose. She was incredibly alert and gave me great eye contact and even some faint smiles. What a treasure.

Congratulations again to the Howard family, another beautiful little girl to bring joy and laughter to your household. Enjoy every moment (in spite of the sleepless nights) these are the best days of our lives!

52 Week Project - Week 13

A little late posting this one; the recovery from international travel with children, was harder than anticipated. I blame it on a certain three year old and her body clock, whose schedule dictated how we got to recover from the jetlag.