more "fun with the christmas tree" photography

i told you i had some more to try...
(note to self--you really must clean your sensor. there is definitely not a large spot above the mantle in real life. c'mon on now...)

those gorgeous starbursts that i wanted to capture--finally got 'em!
swirls--my "go to" doodling shape. love love love 'em.
the happiest place on earth.
our most recent anniversary trip, along with some pirate pride. ARRRRRGH!
the only snow we'll see in eastern NC this year... but so pretty.
my favorite one from tonight. shared this with the pioneer woman's photography assignment group on flickr --maybe i'll get featured!
and this one, too. had a tougher time with the lighting on this one. not quite sure why.
i'm not sure when we're taking down the tree...maybe this weekend? i'm still having fun with the lights!

and while we're on the photography subject, i was interested in starting a 365 photo project for 2010. there's an easy way to do it at this website but flickr is also always an option. i just like the idea of purposefully taking a picture every day and having 365 of them at the end of the year to represent the whole year--and maybe turning that into a book or something. anyone else want to get in on it? i wouldn't share those photos all the time on the blog, but i think it could definitely be fun. just an idea...

(edited--i'm getting interest in the 365 project, so i went ahead a set up an account at their website. if you'd like to join in, they have a really nice, neat interface that combines some of the better networking tools of facebook and twitter. you can follow other users of the website, and their new stuff shows up in your feed when you log in. you can find me here on their website!)

last edit before the holidays

i write that post title with a great sigh of relief and a bit of disappointment. i love taking photos, but i do need a break and definitely some time off to rest up for 2010. six weddings already on the books, a ton of interest in family and senior photos in the next few months. let's just say that i will fully enjoy the next couple of weeks!

i can't say enough about how much i enjoy photographing the avery family. they have a long track record of challenging photo conditions--always raining, a storm coming up behind us, and this day--just plain old cold. but they were troopers and worked with me through it, even when i had some equipment failure (note to self: don't decide to try new equipment on a photo shoot with clients at the last minute. test it out first. and be thankful for husbands who will drive across town with original equipment that you actually know how to use.) as much as the equipment failure put me in a funk (darn type-a everything-must-go-right personality) we still got some awesome photos to use for their Christmas cards.

amanda came to me with a specific idea a few months ago--black and white with downtown urban scenery and decorations. well, i was up for the challenge. so we tried several different places around downtown and got some really fun photos that should fit the bill :)

(just one in color, before we start the black and white. i loved the lighting we got here and the gorgeous blue of the night sky.)
now in black and white!
(okay, i'll admit it. i added the lens flare. but that corner needed a little pop of something, and i think the flare just does it.)
i think this is the cutest pose ever. however, try getting a 2 year old to stand still for it.

we really didn't switch up the poses too much... i think the combination of it being cold and trying to get the lighting and shutter speed right had us stick to pretty simple poses. maybe next time...
and then a couple just with chris and amanda. again, love this window. it's just perfect for capturing the downtown scene without being right in the middle of it.
perfection.

thanks, again, chris and amanda for being so understanding! can't wait to do a spring shoot in a couple of months :)

edited: todd and teresa

i met todd and teresa at the imperial center in rocky mount on the saturday after thanksgiving as we made our way back from fayetteville. i do love the imperial center--it offers for so many great locations and is pretty contained, which is helpful when you have an active little one--like their daughter, riley.


and the exposed brick is always a great backdrop!
riley was sweet--a little camera shy at first, but we got her to warm up and captured some great smiles and her beautiful blue eyes.

she also carried her favorite blanket around--she does love that blanket!

and then over to the railroad tracks for a few more shots...
and the warehouse entrance to end the morning.

my favorite from the day...
hope you guys like the photos! thanks for a fun morning in rocky mount with your family!

edited: marty and exie

a couple of weeks ago, i met marty and exie for a portrait session. we included their niece and nephew early on, but those are Christmas gifts for their mom (exie's sister) so we have to keep them a secret :)

i'm happy to share these, though. i haven't known marty and exie very long, but they're friends with a lot of my friends at church. and we realized a while back that we live in the same neighborhood. after spending an hour or so with them, though, it felt like we'd known each other for many years. they're the kind of people that you easily get along with and have you laughing immediately. i love it when couples have fun and are completely natural with you--let's just say there are some fun outtakes...

this one is probably my favorite. they admitted that they weren't way touch-feely, but i thought they did a great job :)

this is one of the great park locations we have in town--but looks like you're out in the middle of a forest. love it!


then we got to include their boston terrier, gabe, who was incredibly well-behaved (even though he had eaten marty's bojangles wrapper in the car and inadvertently called someone on exie's phone lying on the seat.)
he did a nice job of posing for us and even perking up his ears a little!
after the park photos, we headed downtown to hit up some of my favorite urban locations. yes, you've seen these before with keely's senior photos and some of the woolard family photos. it's all literally within a 4 block area that is so easy to use!
and back to my favorite little window on the street...
love it.
thanks for a great morning, guys--you rocked it out and i hope you love your photos!

so close to being caught up: the albrights

i met nate, kelly and their two girls at brock's farm one autumn afternoon to do some family photos. i was excited when they approached me about taking photos, because i think their girls are adorable! though it took them a while to warm up to me, we got some good photos that day and some awesome expressions...






that sunflare is just amazing--so glad we were able to catch it!
she gave me some beautiful smiles once we got comfortable with each other :)
but i do like capturing some of the other faces that kids make--doesn't always have to be smiles!



so sweet...
thanks for sharing your daughters, nate and kelly! hope you enjoy the photos :)

(i'll bring the disk to church on sunday...)

catching up still: the woolards

upon request, i finished these up last night and had to share them before the holidays. i'm determined to finish another session tonight--maybe two if i'm motivated. and then (only then) will i be caught up until saturday, when i have another 2 sessions scheduled. but it's manageable, and that's where i need to be.

so without further adieu--one of my favorite church families. who am i kidding? they're all my favorite.

i do like working with them because they're creative and are open to more artistic ideas. chris spotted this wall of meters and thought it was cool, so he and silas went in to check them out.

while lindsey chilled with savannah over by the other side of the alley.
we do have some nice downtown streets in our city, especially during the fall!
love this one!
haha, silas' face made me laugh here.
savannah is such a sweetheart--she has the most beautiful eyes.
chris is a talented musician (we've shared marching band stories before) and he is teaching silas to play the drums. silas does a good job of keeping the beat on songs and has potential to be an awesome drummer one day.
haha, i found it funny that this one of the best photos of the whole family. silas has this thing lately where he wants to do the "thumbs up" for pictures. so, of course, he had to have a "thumbs up" picture--and it turned out so well!
i loved this location--the leaves really added to the background.
so sweet!
she has great expressions, doesn't she?

and finally, my favorite of the day.
hope you love these as much i do, guys! i think they turned out so well...