Happy New Year!! Welcome 2011, so long 2010

This has been an Ah-mazing year :)!! My business grew almost faster than I could keep up. I was able to meet and photograph some very interesting people. And I enjoyed every second of it!!! I very often revisit the photos I take in order to learn and grow from my past work. I decided it would be fun to try to chose my "favorite" photos for the year...my own version of a top 10 list if you will. Though I quickly realized that narrowing my list down to only 10 would be difficult- if not impossible. So rather than giving myself a limit I just went through and picked, and picked and picked photos that I liked.

OH DEAR- I ended up with SIXTY! I knew I couldn't possibly have a top 60 list so I started chipping away at the selection. I took out all photos that were of "non-humans". Animals, rings, shoes, nature etc. While I love those photos too, I decided I had to create some sort of criteria to make this easier. So humans it was...

I STILL had too many. So next step...I asked myself, "why did you chose the photos you did? Was it composition, lighting, location?" NOPE! It was the FEELING the photo gave me. It either showed obvious emotion in the photo or it sparked some sort of emotion for me....they are MY favorites right!!??

So, the last step- to chose the photos that were the most beautifully emotional. It's the goal I set out with at every photo shoot and I feel like these photos are examples of times I succeeded and reached that goal! Whether it was a bride waiting to walk down the aisle, a couple in love, children laughing or just a certain look on someone's face- there's a story there and that's what I look for.

So take a look at my choices, in no particular order, my favorites, my TOP photos from 2010. Take them in, slowly and feel the photos. I hope you enjoy!! Thank you all for helping to make my 2010 Ah-mazing!!! I am so excited to see what 2011 brings! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Winter Wonderland

Just for fun I really should count up the number of BCHS grads I've photographed over the past year- 1996 graduates alone even...or just labby's...in any event there are a BUNCH and that makes me smile! I love reconnecting with people and meeting their new and growing families. Liz is one of those people! She contacted me a few months ago and said she was going to be in town for the holidays. See, the nice thing about me is I still live in our home town so when people come "home" I'm right here waiting! :)

Well, Liz told me she loved what she has seen of my work and was really looking forward to having a winter photoshoot. She said something about stark, bear trees and winter white landscapes really spoke to her. LUCKY LIZ!! Just a two days before her shoot we had a whopper of a storm and the snow blanketed the location we had picked for her family's photoshoot.

So we met at Five Rivers, a favorite place for me to photograph families, and ironically a very popular "field trip" venue from way back in our elementary school days. As we were walking onto the Beaver Dam Trail (which by the way is actually called the Beaver Tree Trail, though no one I talk to ever calls it that- we always knew it as the Beaver Dam Trail) Anyway, as we were walking along the trail, Liz said, "this is so soothing"...I think it was a combination of the beautiful snow, the calmness of the woods and the completion on the holidays....that's what it was for me anyway!

So take a gander at the wintery photos we caught this beautiful December morning. My last photoshoot of 2010- and it was a great one!!

Shelter From the Storm

Chad contacted me a while ago with a great idea. He wanted to do a group photoshoot of all of his cousins and give the photos as gifts for Christmas. I've been sitting on these photos for a while since they were surprise gifts but now that Christmas is over I'm free to share them!! 

So this photoshoot was slightly different than my normal session. It's not very often that I get to work with all adults, who aren't couples, so it was a nice change of pace. 

Unfortunately the weather didn't cooperate as well as the group did, but we made due. It was POURING that day!! Luckily, The Crossings has an indoor space as well as a few gazebos that we used so we could stay dry. I think the gloom and grey gave us some beautiful light- especially for the individual portraits.

These guys were super easy to work with and willing to do quite a few variations of group shots. We did the brother/sister pairs and the large group. How lucky are their parents to get photos of their kids? What a thoughtful gift!

What a good lookin' group!!

Blue Eyed Boys

Had I known ahead of time, about the electric blue eyed boys I'd  be photographing, I would have been unable to sleep the night before! These two little boys were just too cute for words! Melissa contacted me after talking to a mom of two other little boys I had worked with a few months ago. Turns out they're just another family I have a VARIETY of connections to. I went to the same high school as dad, and have mutual friends with him as well. My sister grooms their dog etc etc etc. It's such a small world and I love making connections like that!

So without further adieu, I introduce you to the Lurie family! While their older son got a "break" from shooting and got to watch a little TV, I took the opportunity to catch some sweet moments with just mom, dad and the new baby Jack.

Then I grabbed Paul again and he hammed it up for me. I guess a little cartoon break was SO worth it!

I love getting cute shots of siblings like these. It makes me think of how my girls will interact together when they're older.

And these eye...come on- I can't stand it!!!

And we can't forget Hogan- the second Pug I photographed that weekend. Just too cute to resist!

Thank you Lurie's for inviting me into your home! 

There isn't much more to say than this is the CUTEST dog!!! Cooper is adorable, doesn't sit still and LOVES his mama!!! Enjoy.....

I think this next one is my favorite...I can't even put a caption on it...I know he's saying something cute though!!!