by Amy | Jun 17, 2014 | Blog, The Art of the Moment
It’s senior portrait time! Have you booked your session yet? Do you know a senior that needs amazing photos? You should book with me…or send them to me. I love seniors, and I love creating amazing portraits at a reasonable cost–without silly print packages that require you to pay me for every 4×6 you want to hand out to grandparents or 8×10 you want on your wall. That mind set is outdated. I believe in creating amazing photographs that you can have. HAVE.
There’s just one flat rate. You’ll get your photos, a release to print them, a release to share them online, a custom grad announcement and a Facebook cover collage. It’s just that simple. You can print your photos however you like, wherever you like and share them any way you please.
So call me. Email me. Get in touch.
In the mean time–take a look at 10 reasons why I love shooting senior portraits.
***It should be noted that I love all the sessions I do. Otherwise I wouldn’t do them. I love big families and naked babies and wedding days. So, don’t be offended. But…seniors sure do rock.***
- They’re able to pose on command. And even better…they smile on command.
- Seniors never pee on my props. {At least none of them have yet.}
- They’re parents never ask me to shoot them in the nude.
- We never have to stop mid-session for a snack break.
- I’ve never had a senior poop their pants during a shoot.
- They are able to sit up on their own, and aren’t at risk of falling off of chairs.
- A lot of times they bring their own, cool props.
- They don’t cry when it’s time to change clothes.
- There’s only one person in the photograph–that means only one set of eyes to avoid blinks, one mouth to get smiling, and one body to pose.
- And…the biggest perk: Hanging out with a senior for a few hours always makes me a little more hip. Whether that’s because they explain SnapChat to me, or talk about cool music, or just let me drool over their adorable outfits–I always leave a senior session a little cooler than when we started. {At least, I feel a little cooler.}
by Amy | Jun 13, 2014 | Blog, The Art of the Moment
Everybody, meet Leah. She’s new here. As in, new to Earth. So be nice.
She was born on May 31st. And she is an addition to a beautiful family. You might recognize them. From Zoe’s Cake Smash, Fall, Christmas, or–most recently–an adorable mommy and me maternity session.
Leah is a pure joy. I’m just so happy she has arrived.
All new born sessions make me giddy. I just love putting a sleepy baby into little spaces and cute little headbands…taking a zillion photos of their perfect fingers, toes and noses. But this session with Leah had a particularly magical moment. You see, I got to be there when Zoe was first allowed to hold her new baby sister.
If you read the post about the mommy and me maternity session, you know this one can be quite a handful…and a challenge to wrangle a smile out of. But when Allison and Scott sat her down on a blanket in the yard and told her she could hold Leah, I’ve never seen her happier. She eagerly raised her hands up, grabbing at the air, eager.
It brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it. Really. This was an artful moment.
What a great looking family.
xo
Amy
by Amy | May 30, 2014 | Blog, The Art of Living
I think we can all agree that life doesn’t always follow our self-designed plans and paths. My friend Molly is no exception. {You might remember her from our 15 Ways to Clean Like a Pro post.} That’s why I love her and I love this story. I find her endlessly interesting because she is in love with her work. I don’t know that I’ll ever tire of talking with people about their passions and how they found them.
Delving into Molly’s head was such a treat. Her journey to her passion and success took turns and twists and included a few seasons of confusion. But she came out on top. Let’s look at her, and learn how to follow the lead she has set up for us.
Molly cleans. You might remember her from a post I put up a bit ago with some awesome cleaning tips. That’s her. She cleans and she loves it.
Recently I was at her apartment with another friend and the night soon turned from pizza and frozen bananas to a lesson on cleaning dried toothpaste off of mirrors and the best way to keep your faucet sparkling. She really loves it. A gleam comes into her eyes, she likes talking cleaning, she likes seeing things go from grimy to glistening. To Molly, it is fun. I think that’s a big part of mastering the art of living: knowing what gets you jazzed and finding a way to keep doing it over and over. After that night, I knew she was doing something very, very right. So I asked her if I could go to work with her one day and pick her brain. Like the awesome friend that she is, she obliged.
I followed her out to the Practically Canadian country side to a very {very} large log cabin style home. It was stunning. Hunting lodge-woodsy decor made me feel like I’d stepped into a mountain resort. Hanging from the living room rafters was a swing. A swing. So cool. I knew coming to work with Molly was a great idea.
Like lots of high school seniors Molly planned to go to college. Because, well, for a lot of us…that’s just what comes next. When she thought about what she should study, she looked to her interests. Deep down, what she loved most was being with people, acting as a listening ear and offering support. She thought about turning that passion, and a natural knack for it into a counseling job. As she entered her freshman year, she selected social work as her major.
As time went on and she dove into courses, she found that she wasn’t happy. No, she was miserable. She told me she’d sit up at night pouring over the university’s course lists, reading detailed descriptions of majors–waiting for one to reach out and grab her. None did.
There had to be a reason nothing was sticking out to me.
She started to think about the possibility of leaving higher education, a notion that was foreign to her. But as she prayed over what to do next, she told me she was stressed all the time–except when she prayed and thought about taking “time off.” Peace came when she thought, prayed and considered leaving school. So she did.
She was discouraged after leaving college. As she moved into the future with no real plan, she felt judged by the people in her world, for abandoning the “correct” next step in life. She took a job cleaning and helping out at a local bed and breakfast. But that came to an abrupt halt in 2011 when, what folks up here refer to as The Flood hit and closed the property.
Molly told me all of this as she polished the stainless steel in one of the most beautiful kitchens I’ve ever sat in. When she was finished with the fridge it looked like we were in a Whirlpool appliance ad. She stepped away to return her rag to its caddy, then paused and added,
I didn’t have a plan for the future. But even though I didn’t have a plan, I could hear God saying, “It’s okay–I have a plan for you.“
It’s one of the most profound things I’ve been told. Especially considering she was only 19 when all this went down.
She took some time away to visit family, then picked up a summer job working on a construction site doing clean up {of all things.} Then one afternoon she was hanging out with two older ladies, friends of her grandmother. Jean and Marlys. Molly and Marlys were helping Jean clean up her house as she prepared to move to an assisted living facility. Molly told me it was during this afternoon that they asked her bluntly what she planned to do. She couldn’t keep drifting from job to job, and they knew construction wasn’t her ideal workplace.
Molly didn’t know.
They asked what she liked and why. They observed that she was naturally talented at cleaning, something she really loved. Then they encouraged her to branch out on her own, to make a job for herself. That same afternoon Marlys placed Molly’s first ad online {she’s pretty tech-savvy.} Soon after, Molly was in business and it’s been that way ever since.
Molly told me that in a lot of ways cleaning allows her to do all the things she enjoys most. Best of all, her job has allowed her to become that listening ear and shoulder-to-cry-on she always longed to be. Coming in to a home requires a certain level of trust. Once in, she finds that many people are put at ease and become comfortable talking to her about hard topics, like life, loss and God.
Cleaning homes allows her to connect with people on an intimate level. “I come to the door and see women who normally always put together wearing no makeup and pajama pants.” She told me it’s an honor to think that people are that comfortable with her. She loves that cleaning genuinely helps people, and points out that when you feel good and confident about your home, other things will follow.
She admitted to me that at first she saw her new undertaking as “just cleaning.” It didn’t take long to realize that it was much more than that. God has used her as a strong witness to all of her clients. Amazingly, she told me that nearly every single one of her clients has spoken with her at one time or other about spiritual needs, topics or curiosities. Molly says that if she wasn’t in the home, cleaning, those opportunities would never have arisen.
She takes pride in leaving the home sparkling and fresh, but is most fulfilled when she can offer comfort to the people living there. As she talked about her clients that she cares so deeply for, I realized that she is so much more than just a “cleaner” to the many people who invite her into their homes. And to her, they are much more than simply “clients.” They are friends, people she cherishes.
Molly is a prime example of how when we trust God, He will perfectly put our skills to effective use that will bring us joy and serve Him well.
Recently Molly has given her expanding business an official name: Victory Cleaning. I find this very appropriate, because she brings victory into the home in so many ways: victory over grime, stress, life, and best of all..the victory offered to all of us through Christ.
xo
Amy
PS–Keep your eyes out for more from Molly. I know this graphic designer who is currently working on creating a logo for her and will soon be assisting in a business page set up.
by Amy | May 23, 2014 | Blog, The Art of the Moment
Say “Hi” to one of my favorite families, the Gillman clan.
Now, let me issue a public apology here. I’m very sorry I didn’t get your session finished up and to you before I ran away to Maine for 10 days. But–I did get a sneak set up of some of my favorite images from the shoot. I hope these will hold you over until I get home. In the mean time…enjoy these. Loading them on wi-fi that runs slower than molasses in Minot is proving to be quite the feat. However, I’m committed and I’m sorry. So here goes.
So what if the grass isn’t quite as green as Ireland and the trees are still pretty darn bare? After rescheduling our session multiple times due to weather {read me…snow, ice and 20 wind chills in MAY} we were just happy to finally get out and get some fun photos. Even though it was still a little gusty, the temps were in the upper sixties and we had a great time hanging out at the trestle under the train tracks.
These kids are so fun. And very well behaved. For me, it is always the most fun to shoot kids with personality. And there is no shortage here. I like it when kids are happy. So catching these two playing in these wide open spaces and giggling at their mom’s antics behind my back was a real treat.
Thanks again Gillmans! I can’t wait to see you when I get home…and after a multi-hour lay over, I should have your session pretty much finished up.
xo
Amy
by Amy | May 16, 2014 | Blog, The Art of Projects, the house
In all the commotion of telling you about the what’s been going on underground, I almost forgot to mention what’s happening above ground. We are getting a new roof. This, however is a project we felt better left to the professionals.
So, the last few days we have had a yard full of…professionals.
They seem to be good at their job. The job is getting done. There is also a fair amount of smoking, throwing cigarette butts in the yard and taking breaks on the patio going on. But who am I to judge the work of fine artists? All I know is, the shingles are going on…and these guys are braver than I am for climbing up those insanely high ladders. Oh, and I do know that their work is guaranteed–so that is in our favor {no matter what happens to their lungs, I know our roof won’t be leaking any time soon.}
They say it’ll be done tomorrow.
I’m really glad to have the basement underway that the roof almost finished, but somewhere deep down, I’m also a little bummed. While extremely necessary, these aren’t the “fun” projects. I can’t help. I don’t participate. I just sit back and let the pros work. Oh, and scrimp and save until we have the budget to take another step toward a cozy, finished, livable basement. {Projects cost money, you see.}
On another note, the weather here has been sweet.
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 | May 1, 2014 | Blog, The Art of Living, The Art of the Kitchen
Recently I helped out with a funeral at church. I have to say, it was quite a privilege. I mean, I spent all of my growing up years watching at the “church ladies” serving our congregation…making Swiss steak dinners, doing dishes after the pancake breakfast {naturally using those adorable church dish towels that all church kitchens seem to have}, working concession stands at the fair. As much as I dislike admitting that I’m a grown up, it’s very exciting to finally be one of those “church ladies” who is serving. I think is suits me.
This story is not, however, about church lady nostalgia. It’s the latest edition of Practically Canada Culture Shock.
Okay, I’ll admit…I’ve never written specifically about the PraCan culture shock. But I should have started a long time ago. Over the last year {almost 2!} I’ve alluded to how drastically different things are up here in the great, white north. It’s different like I didn’t know different can be. And the most charming thing about it is that the folks up here don’t even realize it’s quirky or offbeat.
They don’t realize that “normal” 80-something year old women don’t typically make social calls without complaint in -60 degree wind chills. It never crosses their mind to think that skirts and cropped pants aren’t usually worn in the “heat wave” of a 40 degree day. They poke fun at Wisconsin accents…but insist that rag is pronounced “reg” and bag is properly said “beg.” A casserole is a “hot dish” and the correct response to hearing about a friend’s weekend away is “Oh, for fun.”
It’s a different world up here.
I’ve seen a lot and been surprised by a ton. But nothing has taken me aback as much as the funeral food I prepared from behind the counter of First Baptist Church Minot.
I was put on sandwich duty. When I was shown buns, ham, and chicken I thought everything looked pretty regular. I should have known better. This isn’t Indiana, Florida, Oklahoma or anywhere else. This is PraCan…so there’s always a twist.
Sandwich instructions:
One bun split open. Spread margarine liberally one the upper half. Add one piece of lunch meat. Close bun. Place on tray.
Just meat and fake butter?!
Yep. And we made trays of them.
Next up, I was taught to make open faced sandwiches. Now, where I come from this means a bun split open with hot roast beef or turkey, topped off with mashed potatoes and covered in gravy. Or something vaguely similar.
Now, hang on tight. What I’m about to describe is not for the weak stomached. In Practically Canada, an open faced sandwich is made like this:
One half of a sandwich bun. Add a thick spread of Cheese Whiz. Top with sliced green olives from a jar. Eaten cold.
Folks, I cannot make this stuff up. And we made trays of them. And get this…they were the first to be eaten. When the mourners came down from the funeral service to the luncheon I saw folks stacking two or three of these bad boys on their plate. The ladies in the kitchen with me reminisced about how much they love open face sandwiches, and it’s such a bummer that they are only eaten at funerals.
What?!
It’s a funeral food. What I can surmise is that this delicacy is something quite special. While to the average PraCan outsider it may look like a disgusting sodium trove, to the natives its ceremony. Like the Matzah Ball on Passover. Like mulled wine at Christmas.
A friend who happens to be about my age, and not a native, came through the food line. I was busy on the other side of the counter pouring lemonade from one of those class church-kitchen-pitchers.
“Did they make you eat one of the open-faced sandwiches?”
“No one could ever make me to that. That is straight up nasty. Why do they eat that?”
“I don’t know. It’s funeral food. Maybe it’s like the bitter herbs of Passover. It reminds them of bad times and makes them feel sad inside.”
That’s a theory. And I think it’s pretty viable. It made me sad just to make them. I guess there are some things that separate the wanna be Practically Canadians from the natives.
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!
