Casting Call | Northwest Arkansas Lifestyle Photographer

Posted on January 17, 2010

Today I went to my grandparents’ house and spent the day with them. After a yummy lunch and lots of talking, I set up my lights and camera to take a formal portrait of them as well as with my little family. It made me think of what kind of photographs I really wanted to be taking of them. The interaction between them and my children. The laughter and the smiles that were natural and at ease. My grandparents are not fans of the camera so I’m happy with what I got today, but it made me think of how I would want a family session to be. I found myself wanting to focus a little more on the relationships & connections in a family. To give myself the opportunity to experiment a little and give some new ideas a try, I’m officially announcing a casting call for models! Here’s the scoop:

*These sessions will be geared toward capturing one or two specific ideas so participants would have to be willing to agree to one of a few ideas.

*The session will be free of charge and will take place at the subjects home. Prints & products will be available for purchase at regular prices.

*A model release will be required allowing me to use the images on my website, for marketing, etc.

*Standard Raining Light Photography policies apply.

So what types of models am I looking for?

*A family with 2-3 children that are toddler to preschool ages.

*A family with a single baby three to nine months.

*A family with a single baby two to six weeks.

Please contact me for more information on the specific types of images I’m hoping to capture and if you or someone you know may be interested. A 5×7 will gifted as a thank you.

The Little Guys | Northwest Arkansas Lifestyle Photographer

Posted on January 5, 2010

I have four kiddos.  Four beautiful, bright, funny children that light up my life.  There are days when they drive me insane, days they make me want to cry (and sometimes I do) and days when I think I just can’t do it anymore.  Mostly, though, there are days where I am completely amazed that these little people are mine.  That they need me.  That they love me no matter what.

It’s cold.  It’s snowy.  The baby is asleep and I should totally be taking advantage of this time to finish cleaning the living room, but I’m going to share these little snappies of my babies instead.  I edited them in Flickr’s PicNik mode for fun.

I don’t have nearly as many photos of this guy as I would like. Not only do we only see him on the weekends, but he has hit a stage where he is just too cool for photos. Today while chatting on the phone, I actually got him to agree to a little mini-session the next time he comes over. I’m super excited!

He just HAD to include the new PSP he got for Christmas. This is actually his 2nd one. The first was stolen a few months ago and he has been such a sad panda over it.

Santa brought a Wii this year and my sister gave us the New Super Mario Bros. She is rather obsessed with it and plays whenever she is allowed. I find her concentration game face hilarious!!

Bright, blue eyed beauty, huh? She got her intense eye color from her dad. She got her dirty face from cereal, I think. She’s pretty amazing these days. Lots of pretend play, learning to talk, and recently, attempting to master the potty.

Peanut! Little peanut! We can’t forget her. I love this photo because she looks like she is saying, “Um, Mom. Why aren’t you picking me up? And why did you leave me way over here?” Well, doll, because Mommy has to clean the house sometime!!
Two months tomorrow. Wow.

Notice the spring attire on the older two? Apparently they don’t notice the snow on the ground. I made them change into something warmer shortly after this was taken. And see how sad our couch is? Santa apparently didn’t think I was good enough last year to bring me a new one. One of my goals is to get a new one sometime this year. This one had a good life, but I’m so ready for a change.

Supper needs to be made, a certain baby needs to be fed, and I need to inspect just how ‘clean’ is defined by a five year old when it concerns her room. She says it is done, but I have my doubts.

Sweet baby girl | Northwest Arkansas Newborn Photographer

Posted on December 23, 2009

Oh, how I love this family!  I’ve had the pleasure of taking their engagement photos as well as their wedding.   Now I got to take photos of their sweet baby girl.  I’m having internet problems again at my house so this is going to be a short entry since I’m at a local hotspot.   I promised I’d get the sneak peek up before Christmas. I’ll edit it once I get the internet back at my own home.  Until then, just enjoy the sweetness of this beautiful family!

Look at those eyes!  And her lashes were probably the longest I’ve ever seen.  I have to admit I’m a little jealous of them with my own short, blonde lashes. 

I hope to have my internet issues resolved, a sneak peek of a lovely wedding, and a few fun photos from my girls’ birthday party up on the blog soon.   Happy Holidays to all!!

Three’s a Family | Northwest Arkansas Family Photographer

Posted on October 13, 2009

My friend and local photographer, Melissa, decided that we were going to exchange family portraits this year. I was flip-flopping around trying to decide if I should do a session before the baby and show off the belly or after the baby. Well, our schedules were so hard to mesh together that reality decided for me- there is no way I’m getting in front of the camera this swollen. Sure, if it was just baby weight, I’d get over it and take one for the team and take some photos, but this isn’t baby weight. It is waking up in the morning and not being able to see because your eyes are so puffy type swelling. No worries, the doctor is making sure that everything is okay. Believe me, I’ve been down the preeclampsia road once before and would not like to return.

So, anyway, Melissa and I decided to postpone my family’s session until the Spring while going ahead and getting some fun fall photos of her and her boys. Despite neither of the guys feeling in tip-top shape (we all know how men tend to become babies when they are sick ), I think we got some great photos! Yay!

Here are just a few that I’ve snagged for the sneak peek.

My fave so far.

Since they hadn’t had couple photos taken since they were married, we spent a little time focusing on on just the two of them. Awwww.

I can’t wait for my session come spring! It’ll be so fun.

A Very Special Little Guy | Northwest Arkansas Family Photographer

Posted on September 28, 2009

Meet Leighton, one of the toughest little guys I know.  And he is really cute, too!

A little back story.  I met Leighton and his mommy, Laine, through my sister.  Autumn was the assistant director of the daycare that was the sister company to Laine’s dance studio, Kaleidoscope Dance Academy.  Autumn encouraged us to enroll Tatum into the dance studio shortly after we moved back to Arkansas, which we did, and we love.  Despite being at the studio every week, it was a couple of months before I finally met Laine face to face.  Why?  Because not only had Baby Leighton been born early, he also had Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome.  Basically, the left side of his heart did not develop properly.  Because of this,  his mommy spent most of her time at Children’s Hospital in Little Rock.  In fact, Leighton spent the first seven months of his life at Children’s.  The little Tin Man, as his family calls him, had a pretty tough road to travel along, but on the 5th of February, Leighton received the best gift- he received a new heart.  As you are about to see, he is doing so very well.  He is a special little guy and I was very honored to be able to take his portraits.

(I’m trying out a few new ways to display photos on the blog. I think I like how it looks!)

Oh, Leighton, you are just too cute!

Are they not one of the most beautiful families you’ve ever seen?  And super nice, too.  Some people get all the luck. 

I hope you enjoyed your sneak peek, Laine.  I’ll have the rest ready for you as soon as possible.  See you at dance!

C Family | Northwest Arkansas Family Photographer

Posted on February 18, 2009

This wonderful family welcomed me into their home on Sunday to take some family portraits. They have a gorgeous house with all these amazing little details; it was a lot of fun to hunt around and find the perfect spots to use!

Little K was such an adorable little guy! He reached out for me to hold him within just a few minutes of meeting. He melted my heart and I got some wonderful photos of him. Could he be any cuter? I really think not.

K was a bundle of crawling energy and we had to find fun ways to keep him in one spot. I love this one!

And I can not explain why I love this one so much. I think it is because I really try and take family portraits in a way that really captures them, as if you were looking into a moment in their life. I think this is a perfect example. I can easily imagine seeing this lovely scene if I peeked into their bedroom one day. Just a sweet family playing on a relaxing afternoon. And I adore the way that M is looking at her baby.

Thank you so much, C family, for welcoming me and letting me have such a great time. I hope you enjoy these and the rest!!

Lazy Mornings | Northwest Arkansas Lifestyle Photography

Posted on January 4, 2009

If I had a million wishes, one of them would be for the morning light in my bedroom to exist all day long throughout the entire house. It is so yummy.

These make my heart happy. They were taken on a lazy morning. I can’t quite remember when. During a recent photo clean-up, I’ve discovered a few folders of images I’ve never edited. It’s been a lovely surprise.

My sweet baby, now a toddler.

Yes, I know. My husband’s eyes are too die for.

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