Project 365 # 3

My photo for today is of the glider I used to rock my babies in. I have spent many nights in this chair rocking, singing, and cuddling my children back to sleep. Lots of great memories, but now it is time to make space and move on. Posted it to Craigslist this weekend. Hopefully someone else will love it as much as I have!

Project 365 #2

Publish PostDay 2, so far, so good! It was super foggy this morning, so after dropping the big kids off at school, I bundled my 2 1/2 year old up in layers and trudged out through the fog. I had intended to take a picture of the oak trees, but this was the shot I ended up getting, and the one I liked the best! Just a simple water droplet on a chain link fence. Looking forward to tomorrow!

Why Not? All the cool photogs are doing it…. Project 365 #1

Ok, here it goes: I am going to start a project 365 (Ack!!). It seems simple enough: take a photo a day for a year (365 days to be exact). In reality, this is a huge commitment… there are days that just get so busy and out of control that pulling out my camera drops to the bottom of the list.

But, I have started to let things go and not get out my camera everyday. When I first got it I took it everywhere. I would always be on the look out for great photo ops. I would make my husband pull over and wait on the side of the road with our three kids just so I could get the perfect shot of the cherry blossoms in the spring. (Sorry guys!)

Hopefully by the end of the year, I will have a wonderful album of memories and I will have learned a few things to help me become a better photographer! I'm sure they won't all be canvas-quality masterpieces, but at least they will be moments of my life! Hey, an iPhone camera counts right? Wish me luck! Here goes nothing!

I thought I would start off with a pic of me and my camera! Not the best picture~ I can see a lot of things I don't like about it, but it's me and that is what I wanted a picture of!

Birthday Party|Folsom Area Photographer

On a personal note… My two oldest kids have been to countless birthday parties over the years. They have grown up in playgroups and had friends that they have met through school. These friends (well, their parents) have always been very gracious and always invite ALL three of my children to the parties (thank you!). Because of this, my youngest has been to countless parties as well, but not really for her own friends. Today she got to go to her very first party where she was the one who was actually invited! She got to pick out her dress (and oh boy, was she opinionated on this ~ it had to be pink, not purple, mom!) and pick out a present for her friend and get it ready for the party.

She was beyond excited and so happy to get to go to a party for her friend. It was held at a time when my older two are in school, so it was perfect!

The girls had a blast and played like crazy! We had amazing "Dora" themed cupcakes made by Angel Cake (check her out on Facebook!). They were strawberry icing on a delicious chocolate cupcake! She hand made the Dora faces and they were melt-in-your-mouth delicious!

All in all, I think the birthday girl had a wonderful day and my daughter had a blast playing with her very own friend!

The Jarretts | Folsom Area Photographer

A few weeks ago I got to take wedding pictures for this beautiful couple. They couldn't wait to get married, so they eloped in San Francisco! Then they asked me to take pictures of them in their wedding attire (who could let that dress go to waste?)! We took pictures around Folsom near Lake Natoma. It was a beautiful day and they were willing to follow me on a hike down to these rocks!I am so glad they did, because it was well worth it!
Because Folsom has been a big part of their lives, they wanted their photos to "say" Folsom, so what better place than the historic walking bridge?
Ahh, newlyweds!

It was a great day and I am so glad I got the opportunity to spend time photographing them!

I got to go back today to take pictures of them with their daughter. She had a flower girl dress, after all, and she couldn't let that go to waste either!At 7 years old, she took the lead and directed me during most of the shoot! She had a lot of great ideas and it was a change being told how to photograph! Doesn't she have a great smile? ;)And I have to say thank you to Charlè for all of the shout-outs she has given me recently! I love when people use the pictures I take AND give me credit for them! Thanks for all the kind words!
They certainly are having a lot of fun!

Such a beautiful family and so much fun to be around! Congratulations Jarrett Family!

Senior Portraits | Folsom Area Photographer

My poor blog has been seriously neglected this past month. I have been uploading most of my work to Facebook instead of posting here! I know, where is the fun in that? I seriously need to update my shoots. It is so much more fun to post here and be more descriptive about the shoots. Lets begin with my latest senior portrait shoot! Brittani brought her mom and sister the help assist her. I love it when friends and family come along. It is always great having extra people there and it adds to the energy of the shoot. Friends are always welcome to come along to your session and I can even do 2 senior portrait sessions at one time for friends.

We went to Old Folsom for the first part. Even though it is torn up and being remodeled right now, it is still a great place for pictures with textures and great backgrounds.

For instance, this great red stool was sitting outside a door. I pulled it into the middle of the sidewalk and told Brittani to sit down on it. She wasn't too sure at first, but it turned out to be a great picture! I love how it says "Psychic Readings" on the sign in the background. It goes so well with being a senior and going off into an unknown future!
Then we moved on the an area along the bike trail in Folsom. Folsom is filled with great trails and nature areas. I am so lucky to be able to photograph here!
I love these railroad tracks and it was another fun place to take pictures! Again, something about looking out into the future and senior pictures that go so well together!

This bridge is fantastic for pictures too. The sunlight and the trees make an amazing background!

And of course, the jumping shot! My daughter is still amazed by this one and always asks how she could jump that high! Being a cheerleader, it was easy for Brittani! I had a blast taking her pictures~ and I promise to start taking better care of my blog!

New Camera

It is finally here. I have been waiting forever to get it! My 7D is home! I couldn't wait to try it out!I can only imagine the possibilities! I am scrubbing my kids down and taking them out for a photo shoot tomorrow! I can not wait to see the results. This camera is a monster, especially compared to my XSI. I love the weight in my hands and the battery grip is a dream. I love to shoot vertically, and this makes it so much easier. The 8fps is lightning fast and perfect for catching those action shots. I am in heaven ~ I only wish there was more time to shoot!