by Amy | Sep 6, 2013 | Blog, The Art of Living, The Art of the Moment
I met Bethany a bit over a year ago. At the time, I was brand new to Practically Canada…and she had been here over a year herself. As we chatted over some delightful Qdoba I learned that she and her husband were in the process of becoming foster parents. They were young, fun and longing for a family. Not to mention, awesome people who would make great parents. After our lunch date she was headed to Target to buy a few things for some respite foster care they had volunteered to do. {Respite care just means that they looked after a couple little ones while their foster parents had to be out of town for a few days.}
Shortly after that, Bethany and her husband Austin had the opportunity to care for a beautiful little girl who had been put into the foster system. They learned that this precious child had an older brother and sister and fought to bring all three children into their home. Those three children have been there ever since. Soon after their arrival Austin and Bethany began actively pursing a formal adoption of all three children. Since then they have been loved and cared for in a way that I know in my heart of hearts makes Jesus smile.
Then, nine months ago Bethany became pregnant. And just eight days ago beautiful baby Briggs was born. Yes, folks in less than a year these two willing parents have gone from “just the two of us” to a nest full. Let me say, it’s a lovely thing. When I went over to their house to take some family photographs and some portraits of their newest addition the house was full of action, laughter, a little scolding and a whole lot of love.
Families come in all shapes, sizes, colors and timelines. As you look at this one, I think you’ll agree that no matter how the pieces come together the puzzle is always uniquely perfect when it’s complete.
Amy
by Amy | Aug 6, 2013 | Blog, The Art of the Moment
One hundred years. Can you even fathom that? I certainly can’t. I can’t imagine what it would be like to have seen and remember when telephones became commonplace. Then to see them transform into something cordless…and something that we now carry everywhere with us. To remember the earliest of records and the invention of the MP3 player. To have probably known people who fought in the Civil War {or at least remembered it} and have lived through many, many others. If you were 100 years old you would have lived through Charles Lindbergh’s flight…then seen a man walk on the moon.
Incredible.
I could go on all night. It just blows my mind.
That’s why several weeks ago when a friend who comes to my fitness classes approached me about taking some formal portraits at a family reunion honoring her mother’s 100th birthday…I was all over it.
So I showed up with my camera to her {stunning} home. The garage door was open and there was a woman sitting in a wheelchair surrounded by family. As I walked up the driveway I figured that this must be another relative. Someone probably in her mid-80’s. She chatting and asking questions about the evening. This didn’t look like a 100 year old woman. For goodness sake, she was sharp as a tack and beautiful.
“You must be Amy. This is Jean…our guest of honor.”
This was her. In all the years that I’ve been blessed to live I’ve thought about time a lot. In school I learned history. In elementary school we counted out the days. Evey year on the 100th day of school we were supposed to bring in 100 of something, to give us an idea of what 100 “looked” like. I’ve pictured 100 in pennies, elbow macaroni, crayons and even Kleenex. But never have I seen 100 look as brilliant as Jean.
Being able to photograph these precious family portraits was a great honor. I’ve still got some editing to do…but here is a sneak peek for you.
{Jean and her four children}
{The whole gang. 38 in all!}
{Look at all those beautiful great-grands}
by Amy | Aug 2, 2013 | Blog, The Art of the Moment
You remember Lauren and Ricky {oh, and Samson of course}?! Well their beautiful baby has made her debut and I had the grand pleasure of taking sweet baby Evolet’s first set of portraits. Just like her parents, she is great in front of the camera. So photogenic, so laid back. She doesn’t even know what it means to pose, but she’s pretty darn good at it.
Recently I added these super adorable vintage nursery scales for my prop collection. Don’t you love it?
Shooting Evolet’s session was so super fun. And I do mean SUPER. Lauren and Ricky are a fun, quirky couple and I’m all over that. So when Lauren pulled out a pair of daddy-daughter super hero capes that she gave Ricky for Father’s Day {how sweet, right?} I was more than excited to shoot a few {okay, a few dozen} frames of the two disguised as their alter egos.
Tomorrow I’ll be putting together a birth announcement for this exciting addition. Be sure to look for Evolet’s full session on the Facebook page next week!
Amy
by Amy | Jul 9, 2013 | Blog, The Art of Faith, The Art of the Moment
This is Kate and Jacob. Aren’t they precious? They are getting married in October and I am so very excited for them!! Kate and I have gotten to know each other over the past year through our women’s Bible study at church. This is what marriage is about people…two people, committed to loving each other and glorifying God through their union. It’s awesome.
Now, I must say, this was one of the most adventurous sessions I’ve ever shot. We started our session in a local park. But that didn’t last long because the mosquitoes chased us away. They were so bad I couldn’t even stand still to take a single shot. They were flocking to my fingers, my legs, my hair. They looked like clouds of gnats…so gross!
So we ditched that idea and headed to a sandy bank by the river. I laid out some plastic and a quilt for the happy couple to sit on. When I was finished laying out the quilt I about pooped my pants when I saw a special visitor right next to us…
YIKES! It’s a GIANT snapping turtle! So scary. {I’m a whip, okay?}
So again, we took just a few and left. But first we picked up a couple cans of bug spray.
We smelled bad, but at least we didn’t get any more bites. Okay, now to the real stuff.
Jacob is a golfer and soon, they will be taking up golf together. In fact, the couple is so enthused, that Jacob actually hid Kate’s engagement ring in a set of clubs he bought for her birthday. Adorable.
As I alluded to earlier, one of my favorite things about this couple is their deeply rooted faith. I can tell you from experience, a couple who lives in the Word will grow to have a strong marriage. When their wedding was 150 days away Kate and Jacob began reading one Psalm each day together. On the day of their session they chose to do their daily study in front of the camera.
You can see more from this adorable session tomorrow on the Facebook page!
Amy
by Amy | Jul 2, 2013 | Blog, The Art of the Moment
I’m so glad I was invited to capture a homecoming. Photographing this magical event was my honor and privilege.
There is really no way to describe what it’s like to see husbands and wives; kids and parents reunited after months of separation.
So happy Fourth everybody. I truly pray that God continues to bless America.
by Amy | Jun 28, 2013 | Blog, The Art of the Moment
The first time I met Lauren and Ricky I knew we’d get along. They are avid DIY-ers who love a good yard sale, auction or thrifting expedition. We chatted at length about their knack for picking {yep, like “American Pickers”} and all the treasured they have rehabbed. These are my kind of people. They are expecting their first child and I cannot wait to see photos of their adorable DIY nursery. From what I’ve heard, it’s just exploding with cuteness!
Just over a week ago this fun, photogenic couple invited me to capture the excitement of the upcoming arrival with a maternity session in the open air of Minot, ND. Did I mention that this is a super fun couple?
by Amy | Jun 26, 2013 | Blog, The Art of the Moment
Let’s all say hello to a doubly adorable session! Ava and Aiden are twins that I recently had the pleasure of photographing. I’ve never shot two babies at once, so this was quite a treat. It was adorable how the crying stopped when they were moved closer together so they were touching. Probably because they spent nine cozy months together already. Just amazing.
As you can see, Miss Ava was wide eyed through most of the session…while her brother was sound asleep! Love those curious eyes.
I was lucky enough to also have the opportunity to capture Ava and Aiden’s first family photos. Both of their grandmothers were in town, so of course we got a few with babies and grammy. What a precious, growing family! Look for their full session on the facebook page next week.
Amy
by Amy | Jun 18, 2013 | Blog, The Art of the Moment
I cannot explain in words what a fun working weekend I had. I’ll have sneak peeks of everything up next week…but in the mean time I just couldn’t wait another minute to show you what I’ve been up to. I have a hard time picking a favorite, but here is one of my most loved from each session.
I shot a new born session for my friend Kim’s adorable twins! You remember that “Go Bananas” baby shower I threw in May? That was for these little ones. They are here…they are cute and they are tiny! Two little people in a suitcase. Eek! It’s just so precious!
A couple hours later I headed back out to capture some beautiful maternity images. Lauren and Ricky were a blast to work with. And to top it all off, they knew exactly what to do with their faces. You know what I mean? They are seriously beautiful people. No joke, no lie. Oh, and their pup isn’t too shabby either.
Sunday I had a day of rest, then this morning I was invited to capture my first ever homecoming! I’m going to write a whole post on it later, but for now I’ll just tell you that there is nothing like it. Seeing folks reunited after a deployment is pure magic.
More from these next week…and a DIY gallery wall tomorrow.
