by Amy | May 6, 2014 | Blog, The Art of the Moment
Meet my friend Allison, she’s the one with the belly. I’m so happy to call her a friend. She’s one of those super-cute, super-cool moms that makes me feel like I could {someday} do the whole get-pregnant, be-a-mom thing.
I had a great time taking some maternity photos for her. It was extra special that Zoe, now a full two years old, could come along. She’s a bit of a tough client. Her smile, while lovely…is usually fleeting. On the request of a professional holding a camera, it’ll only last a fraction of a second. Better hope you catch it.
In my brilliant {cough, cough} mind, I had the great idea to move the shoot to a local cookie shop. I’d give them both cookies, I could bribe Zoe with sugar and I’d get my much sought smiles.
This didn’t work so well. Now, instead of a child unwilling to smile, I had a child who didn’t want to look at me at all…and I was catching weird photos of her chewing. {#unflattering, even on an adorable toddler.} When I took the cookie away for a moment, we were met with a mini-meltdown. And a baby, crying in the street because I cruel photographer has taken her cookie…is just too heartbreaking to bear. So, sadly, I had to revoke her modeling privileges until we could get the hot pink icing out of her hair and off of her face.
Okay, enough about Zoe. Isn’t Allison flawless?
After the cookie had been fully consumed she perked up for a few photos at the end of our time. Really, I just couldn’t keep this face out of the view finder forever. She’s simply too sweet. And wanting a cookie is no crime, after all.
Thanks for letting me hang out, ladies! Everyone else…stay tuned for a new born session!!
xo
Amy
by Amy | Apr 23, 2014 | Blog, The Art of the Moment
This is Ariel.
Isn’t that just the best name? I’ve never known an Ariel. But boy am I glad I met this one. She called me up…looking for a senior portrait session. You see, she’s graduating this spring. Yeah, a little late in the game.
She even told me she wasn’t going to have senior portraits taken. Get this–she told me she didn’t think she’s very photogenic. I think you’ll agree with me when I tell you that that notion is a big, fat laugh. Ariel is beautiful, charming, incredibly polite {she was raise in the South, after all}, and just lovely in front of the camera.
Not only is Ariel completely gorgeous…with hair more beautiful than a Disney princess…she’s also super smart. She is tied for valedictorian at her high school. Their class motto–which will be mentioned in her graduation speech?
Daring Greatly.
I love that.
Now, you may be wondering…Was it cold in PraCan on April 13th? Answer: Yep.
Cold enough that it was snowing. Cold enough that we scurried from car to location and back to the heat-blasting car again. Ariel was a real trooper, though. No complaints, no crazy looks when I drove down back alleys and asked her to sit on a fire escape. I love a girl who can smile through snow.
In the fall, she’ll be headed to Minnesota to study nutrition. I’m so happy to have had a chance to get to know her!
by Amy | Mar 4, 2014 | Blog, The Art of Faith, The Art of the Moment
Take a sneak peek at one of my latest projects. Cute, right?
It’s a short promo video for an upcoming women’s retreat that my church {First Baptist Minot} is hosting in April. The theme that the committee is working with is “One Wise Woman.” An over arching idea for the weekend is the wisdom in learning from women of the past. A short brain storming session later and we had a basic story board for a promotional video that would highlight wisdom from “women of the past.”
I’ve got to lend props to a few of my personal Facebook friends for replying to a call out for mom-isms. My personal favorite was, “Good medicine doesn’t always taste good.” We used those lines, along with others I found on the P&G “Mom Always Said…” Pintrest board. The idea is that we filmed a montage of wise, witty, womanly sayings.
And lucky for me…FBC is stocked with plenty of adorable 20-somethings that were willing to take part. {I’d say three of the four are pretty keen looking. That one in the lower left is kind of goofy…} I’m excited to show you all the finished product. But you’ll just have to wait.
In the mean time, tell me…What’s the best advice you ever got from an older, wiser woman?
PS–If you are in the PraCan area, you should totally come to the retreat. Details here. The guest speaker is Lysa Terkeurst, president of Proverbs 31 Ministries!
by Amy | Feb 25, 2014 | Blog, The Art of Living, The Art of the Moment
by Amy | Feb 20, 2014 | Blog, The Art of the Moment
Kate might look familiar. You may have seen her engagement session {when we ran for cover from the mosquitoes.} Or maybe you remember her gorgeous wedding back in October. You know, the one with the romantic saved-their-first kiss and read-a-Psalm-daily-together details? Oh, and who can forget her dress? But that’s not why she’s back on the blog today.
Today she’s here with her dog Muffy. But apparently no one calls him Muffy. Instead he answers to Bad Baby. Yeah, you read that right. Bad Baby.
Bad Baby is 15 years old. He and Kate have been together the whole time. He is her baby. She’s his momma. If you an animal lover you’ll totally get what I’m saying. So when she called with a “weird” request, I didn’t think it was weird at all. She wanted a couple good shots with her pup before his health fails. I love dogs. I love pets. I know the heartbreak you can feel when an old pal reaches his end. Weird? Nah, I’ve done weirder. I was honored to come over and meet the Bad Baby {who isn’t really so bad after all} and take their portraits.
Furthermore, I think we should dedicate this post to everyone who has lost a loving pet. Isn’t it so true that even after they are gone, they leave a giant print on our hearts? A good pet let’s us cry without judging us. They never say the wrong thing. They are there when we need company, and convince us to play…even when we don’t feel like {because deep down they know what’s best for their humans.} They’ll kiss us to make us feel better and sit with us when the house is quiet. A good pet will see you through a long rough patch and welcome you home after you’ve only been gone a few hours. Pets are such a lovely part of God’s creation for us. Give yours some extra love tonight.
Amy
by Amy | Feb 14, 2014 | Blog, The Art of the Moment
Since it’s Valentines Day and all, I thought I’d show you some love. Really. Images of love.
No, it’s not a mushy engagement session. It’s better. It’s a family session. Meet Chris, Naomi, and Boaz. {PS, isn’t Boaz, like the coolest name you’ve heard…like ever?} This family radiates love. Shooting their portraits was so fun, because they simply emit joy. {Boaz’s antics gave me a laugh a minute.} I love shooting people who are crazy about each other and their little ones. And this was just that type of session.
Now, Boaz…he’s quite the character. I love a busy kid, and this one could be the king of the busy-bees. Once he was up from his nap it was go-go-go. He was very curious about all the oddities in my house: stairs, chairs, boxes, pillows trunks, hardwood floors to break dance on…He’s not the type to sit and have his photo taken {a la Annabelle.}
So we just tailored the session to him. Soon the living room was a scene of things to climb on, pillows to toss, and furniture constantly being scooted across the floor. Will this family look back at these photos and think, “Yeah, those look like formal family portraits…” I don’t think so. To me, these portraits turned out more like snap shots of real life, and I think that’s pretty beautiful. I think this family is pretty beautiful.
{I just love this one! What a stinker.}
This is love of the most real, raw and solid variety.
Happy Valentines! xoxo, Amy
PS, look for the full session next week on the Facebook page.
by Amy | Feb 11, 2014 | Blog, The Art of the Moment
You’ve heard the saying, “You can’t have your cake and eat it too.” Well, I’ve got news for you. At Annabelle’s cake smash session in honor of her first birthday, she had it {all over} and ate it too. Look at her. She doesn’t care what old sayings tell us. She’s too busy breaking the mold.
You might remember this sweetie pie from her newborn session just about a year ago. In that session her mother {master of sentimentality} had me incorporate heirloom blankets and clothing into her portraits, to make them extra special and personal. When she showed up for her birthday portraits, I was in no way surprised that she had another sentimental touch in mind. Our first photos had Annabelle in an antique dress that belonged to her daddy’s grandmother…hand made by his great-grandmother. There is a photo of Grandma in the dress standing next to her first birthday cake. Obviously, we needed to recreate the moment. Awesome, right?
Let me tell you some things about Miss Annabelle. I’ve photographed lots of kids. And there are just about zero that I didn’t enjoy spending time with. But, here’s the thing. I’ve never {ever} worked with a more photographic being. Adult, child, pet…Annabell tops them all.
The kid went from crying while her mom wiped lunch off her face to cheesing like a maniac as soon as I got the camera out. And it’s not just show for the camera. She’s a genuinely lovable, charming, sweeter-than-birthday cake baby. I’ll call myself blessed just to know her.
I’ve been to a few cake smashes in my time. But this one was different. See, the times I’ve witnessed this before or photographed it {check out this one of Zoe}, the baby has eaten a bit of cake, but mostly just played with the frosting. Not Annabelle. The child loves cake. Loves it. Once she discovered it was edible, it was all over. Cake was going in that tiny mouth by the fistful and fingers were being licked clean.
I’ll be totally transparent with you. This is my living room floor. I cleaned it and disinfected it right before we started. Annabelle’s mom, Tiffany is a good friend of mine. I took all of that into account….then I ate some cake off of my floor as well. I mean, really–it’s funfetti. How could I not?
Tiffany also snagged a few bites. At which point I asked her to step in for what became a priceless mother daughter moment. I love this shot. And I know it will be cherished by them as this little one grows up. {Aren’t fun mom’s the best?}
All in all, I’d say this session was literally a sweet success.
PS…You may have recognized these two from other sessions you’ve seen here. Like Tiffany’s maternity session, Annabelle’s newborn session, or most recently–their Christmas card session. I LOVE my regulars!!
by Amy | Jan 23, 2014 | Blog, The Art of the Moment
While in Louisiana I spent a good deal of time with one of my greatest friends in the world. In addition to a lovely husband, she has three roommates full of personality and antics. While staying over a snapped a few quick portraits of them.
Meet Sam.
He was Megan’s first dog when she lived along shortly after college. He may be tiny, but he loves his mom and will protect her from any and all threats. Be it slippered feet moving a bit too quickly, a dog on TV, or the doorbell, Sam is on guard. I think deep down he is happy to have Dallas out of the house so he can have his momma all to himself.
Meet Stella.
She was in a litter of puppies at the animal control center in Enid, OK. Megan and Dallas adopted her and rescued her from the clutches of death. Now she likes to spend her time cuddled under blankets, rolling over for belly rubs, and on long walks. Actually, she likes to be carried on long walks. In the car her favorite spot is slung around the back of Megan’s neck between the headrest and her mommy. Best of all, she loves her dad {and men in general} and cannot wait for him to come home.
Meet Mo-Kitty.
Mo was once a nursing home cat. He took long walks around the old folks home in the basket of his owner’s walker. His career as a therapy cat was cut short due to his habit of nipping at the residents on occasion. From there he moved on to his new home where he quickly packed on a few pounds and discovered his passion for bird watching from sunny windows.
I just love pets.
