One of the great things about being a photographer is that when my kids look cute or do something I want to preserve, I have the tools to capture it! Of course, THEY are not always willing to be “captured”.

Growing up with a camera in your face makes you want to run when you see one. Well, that is my scientific theory based on my sweet boys. Poor Timmy — I have less and less pictures of him because the older he gets, the less cooperative he is when my camera is around. Even when I try to catch him doing something neat without him noticing. The second that first shutter sound is heard, the hand goes up or the head goes down.

My poor kids.

Well, the other day I was making dinner and Kellen was helping me. He is my little cook. LOVES to be in the kitchen. Here is a shot I grabbed of him a couple of months ago. His attire was a Christmas gift from our friend Melissa (the hand-made apron) and grandma (the hat).

So, Kellen is in the kitchen with me and we are making cheese stix by rolling string cheese into crescent rolls. Yum. He looks up at me and the combination of the catch-light and the awesome coloring of his eyes is just beautiful. I run for my camera and he obliges. Sort of.

First I get this:

It’s adorable (love that crazy surfer hair), but he is chewing and you can see the last of my edemame snack in his hand (oh, yeah — He steals all of your snack while looking adorable). So I wait until he is done chewing and this comes next:

That is definitely my child and, hey, there is the awesome catch-light in one of his eyes. Still. Not quite what I had in mind. Next is not too bad:

I don’t want quite so much shadow, though, so I ask him to turn more toward the window and here is what came next:

Well… that certainly is some nice even lighting.

Here is where you are probably laughing at the fake smile and crazy little face. Although it’s not a great portrait, it is my second favorite shot from this little window session because this is my child. I see this face ALL THE TIME. Not just when there is a camera in it. But next is my fave:

I have no idea what he is doing or what possessed him to put his head that way, but here is the true stinker. That shot before this one, while it was my son, was the “on” Kellen. This one is the “I am planning my next caper” Kellen. The eyes looking out from the side, the grin that is a genuine smile but shifty all at the same time. Sooooo my boy.

And last, but certainly not least:

The universal face for “DO NOT TAKE ANYMORE PICTURES”.

I’m lucky that I got as many as I did before that face made its appearance.


Would you like to take pictures like this of your child? Set your aperture (the F-stop) as low as your lens will allow. If you use Auto Focus, change it so you are using only the middle or one of the outside points. Put the focus point you just selected over the eye that is closest to you and press the shutter button halfway down. Holding it there, move your camera so the face is in the frame the way you want it. Press the shutter button the rest of the way down.

If you are not used to doing this (it is called focusing and recomposing), you may want to practice a bit on something that doesn’t move before you tackle your kids. :) Before you know it, you will be able to do it all in a matter of one or two seconds.

Note: If you are a bride getting married in Fiji skip to the bottom!


I am a big fan of a photographer — Me Ra Koh. She blogs frequently and also is a big encourager and teacher of women with cameras. Yesterday, her blog post was about unlocking those dreams that we have hidden deep inside. The ones that we don’t ever think can actually become a reality.

Well, the first place my brain went to was CCM (contemporary Christian music). That is not a secret dream, though, and there is just something within me that keeps pushing that forward. So, I don’t think that qualifies.

Today, I found a different post from yesterday. Posted by one of Me Ra’s business coaches (Fay). He dream is to spend the winter in her fave town in Mexico. Although my CCM dream blocked me from coming up with anything else yesterday, Fay’s dream reignited an old dream of mine that is totally what Me Ra was describing.

I don’t just want to spend the winter somewhere — I want to LIVE in Fiji.

It is a strong an irrational dream. I even spent about a week of time when work was slow researching what it would take.

Here is the irrational part — I have never been to Fiji! Ever. I have no idea why my little heart so longs to be there. But it does.

I know this is probably way more romantic than reality, but I crave a slower lifestyle. One that would keep me from going to the grocery store more than once a week because it takes an hour to get there; coffee in the salty air every morning; a gentle breeze in the afternoon as I work on a design for someone in the states; and inspiring views.

I know for a fact that it is a seemingly impossible dream for many reasons. First, the government there has been in turmoil for a while. Although I would want to be on a more secluded island far from the main island, there is still that nagging “do I want to take my children into that?”.  Second, you have to come into the country offering something that a native Fijian can’t already do. Which is a good rule. I certainly don’t want to come into a country and take away the business of someone that was born there! And last, you have to have a fat bank account. First, they want you to be able to support yourself until you get settled and second, be able to send your butt home if it doesn’t work out. :)

The good news with this dream is that I think it has a long shelf life. I mean, if I can’t make it work now, I could still see myself uprooting and heading to live the beach life in 10 years. Or even 20.

So here is the (possibly temporary) compromise: I need to shoot a wedding or two in Fiji!

Are you getting married in Fiji or know someone who is? Bring me along! Do your own research, but from what I have read you will get a better deal (and possibly better shots) by paying for my flight, a room, and food. That’s all I want.

Check it out and hit me up!

I had my camera on the tri-pod yesterday. While it was there, I thought, “Hey, why not shoot me?” So I did.

Nothing fancy. Just typical ol’ headshots.

I am not a very high maintenance person. I don’t wear make-up, I usually have my hair pulled back in a ponytail, I rarely spend lots of time in front of the mirror. But when I go them on my giant screen, I totally started scrutinizing myself.

The first thing I noticed was my crooked teeth. Well… actually, the weird thing is that they are not crooked. The insides are, but the outsides are not. I think that means I have lopsided teeth.

Now, I know this to be how my teeth are, but man, oh man! Look at how funny they look when I smile. My lip just falls in between them. Silly teeth.

Next, I noticed that my eyes are really different! It’s not a bad thing or even something I mind. I just noticed it. My left eye (on the right below) is more green on the edges (or less brown in the middle) except at the top. The brown from the middle of my juts all the way to the top. Weird.

And then the right eye is much more of a true hazel color.

Here. I blew them up for you. :)

Sorry for the randomness of this post. I just wanted to share.

I have all these great pics from July 4th and I just haven’t had a chance to post them yet. So what better time than now — at the end of August? :)

We lost a dear family friend the week of July 19th, but we were blessed with getting to spend time at his house and him and his wife on the fourth. Their back yard is a perfect place to view the fireworks and for the second year in a row, they had us and Jeff’s family over for some food, friendship and fireworks. I am thankful for that last day.

They have a fully fenced-in back yard, comepete with privacy fencing, and the kids went wild! There was just something about that little space that made them feel safe and they ran and played soccer and caught lightning bugs.

While the kids ran and played, the adults ate (and drank). :) Check out the yumminess:

That purple drink was something with tequila, lavender and champagne, I think. I only had one!

The light was just beautiful so I had to take advantage of that. Check out that dirty mouth. I think someone had just eaten a popsicle!

I know this doesn’t fit most people’s definition of a perfect portrait, but this is SO my boys. I LOVE it!

And my man shot from the balcony.This is a neat picture for me personally beacuse Coble is usually a Momma’s Boy. The fact that he was clinging to Daddy all night needed to be documented. :)

Then I helped Kellen catch fireflies.

When it got dark, of course Uncle Bobby and Aunt Sharon had sparklers for the boys! They kept saying, “I’m Harry Potter” while they were slinging them around.

I love, love, love this one! This is Timmy for sure. Even through the blurriness of the motion, his stance and the look on his face all say that he is ready for battle. :)

These last three are among my favorite for a very special reason. This year, my eight year old sat on my lap to watch the fireworks. His long, string-bean legs almost touched the ground, but there he sat. Those were the best 15 minutes ever! He’s just growing up so fast, he never wants to even sit with me, let alone on me! I loved every “Whoa!” and “Oh, yeah!” that came from him as we saw different flashes of light. So sweet.

These are among my favorites because I shot them with him on my lap. I didn’t shoot many because I was so enjoying those moments, and they are imperfect. I hand-held the camera which makes an interesting effect (they are squiggly with camera shake). But every time I look at these, I will remember my 15 minutes with my oldest boy.

I love you, big buddy.

It’s back to school week here! Yesterday was the official start day. I have two Kindergartners this year, though, and they stagger their first days (so each teacher only has to teach a small number of students the “routine” at one time). So, today is the first day that there is peace and quiet in the house.

Don’t get me wrong, I love my children dearly and do miss them when they are not wrestling each other right outside of the door where I am trying to work. :) But it’s definitely nice and quiet now.

The last day of freedom was apparently “Let’s Build Something Day”. I missed the memo, but, thankfully,  my boys filled me in:

Kellen build this sweet house. He asked me many times if I got the “shiny piece” in the shot. :)

Duplo House

Coble built an awesome robot with a crazy-tall appendage.

Duplo Robot

Duplo Robot

And Timmy created a whole fun little scene.

Lego Scene

Complete with Jedi:

Lego Jedi

And a giant, man-eating dino:

Lego Dinosaur

Lego Scene

LOVE my boys!

So sweet.

Like, you have to go to the dentist to have your cavities filled kind of sweet.

I met Robert at the theatre when Jeff absconded with my lights to shoot a video for Macbeth. He was the stage manager. I immediately liked him because he was just a gentleman. He helped me tear down my gear and load it into the vehicle, held doors and was just an all-around friendly guy.

Fast forward a few months and I find out he is engaged. I become Facebook friends with his fiance and my news wall is FILLED with sweet nothings that they post to each other. I say it again, so sweet!

So in June, I am blessed to be able to capture their wedding. They got married in a little beach town near Charleston. This is the first thing I noticed as we drove to the hotel. Appropriate, don’t you think (I apologize to all of my attorney friends). :)

My man got to come with me! We had a nice little overnight getaway (kid-free, no less). And yes, I have weird crooked teeth. Don’t look at that part.

The bride and her family were so happy. I don’t have many pictures where they aren’t full-on laughing.

This little guy did so well the entire time. Until…

…the bride (aka Mom) wanted pics of the kids frolicking in the waves. She wanted feet in the water. Here’s what she got instead…

She carried a beautifully simple bouquet of gerber daisies. love.

I stepped on this shell during the ceremony. Right there on the beach! I had to keep it and use it for the rings.

And, after dark, we had a little fun-with-flash. The moon was so beautiful, but I think it paled in comparison to you two loving on each other! I know. I am cheesey.

And lastly, the view from our room that night.

Robert and Allison, I can’t thank you enough for letting me (and Jeff) be a part of your beautiful day! Keep up the mushy Facebooking. :)

If you are a “fan” of my work on Facebook you may remember that I was running a contest. The 500th person to “like” my page AND the person the invited the 500th person both won a free session. This happened at the beginning of the summer, but neither winner has had a chance to cash in their prize. Until this week.

Anna Meade, the 500th fan of my page, and I got together this week to shoot headshots and just some fun model-type shots. Anna is a theatre arts student and wants to have a career in film. As with most of the actors I shoot, she was a breeze. We got lots of great shots and just had fun (even though we were attacked by a band of starving mosquitoes — I am still itching).

As usual, here are a few of MY favorites. Anna, I will have them all to you before you know it!

Anna and I both share a love of old run-down surroundings:

Would you know by looking at this next shot that she had a handful of mosquitoes on her (as did I)?

North Carolina Model Photography

Check out the awesome-ness that we found:

Unless I am shooting a band or some similar beast, there are only a few photo treatments that I am a huge fan of. This is one of those:

Aaaaaaaaaand, one of my top faves from the day…

Anna, you are so gorgeous. I wish you all the best in your venture to find your place in this world and it’s creative arts circle!

I love this family. L.O.V.E — love them!

I met them about a year and a half ago at church. The first thing I noticed about them? All of the kids were so laid back. Especially the baby. I don’t think I have ever — EVER — seen her cry. She was always just chillin’ with whoever was holding her.

Flash forward almost 18 months and I am honored to get a message from mom asking me to shoot the family. Not only the family, but also the “adopted” daughter that was once a foreign exchange student. Now she is an honorary member of the family and has visited a number of times since her first stay.

With five kids (yes, you read correctly, five — plus the exchange student) I have lots of fun shots, but I will share a few of my faves:

Mom and dad. Married almost 20 years!

Itty Bitty

A couple of Mama squeezes:

Every 15 year old boy loves to have a picture of his mom hugging him on the world wide web. Right?

Itty Bitty #2

Baby lovin’

More baby lovin’

The whole clan (minus the exchange student who was standing beside me doing a crazy dance so everyone would get their laugh on.

Thank you for a fun morning (even if we did all get eaten by bugs)!

I have a sister. She is three years younger than me (although I thoroughly enjoy asking strangers who they think is older because they usually pick her — hee hee).

I have managed to spend more time with her so far this summer than in a very long time. You see, she is one of the most awesome CPAs ever. EVER. Seriously. My sister is meticulous, fair and brilliant. Which means she works like a mad woman. All the freakin’ time.

I had two opportunities to spend the night at her house in June and just have some good sister time. Much need. We are so different, but we both love to eat too many crab legs and drink sparkling wine. That is an excellent place to start. The first trip, I conveniently had my camera with me. She looks just like my mom:

Oh, and she hates to have her picture taken. She says her nose it too big. Problem solved:

Almost 10 years ago (geez, that makes me sound old — OK forget you just read that). A few years ago, I wrote a song about our relationship. I have sung it (in public, even) quite a bit over the last year and each time I explain it a little. But I have never had the chance to just spell it all out. So, to make a long post even longer I give you, Purple Monkeys (If you wanna hear it, there is a live version here):

I climbed a tree, and left behind my lifelong stowaway
But saw the tears and came back down to take them all away

I used to hate that she wanted to follow me everywhere and do everything that I wanted to do. My mother told me to was a compliment. That she wanted to be just like me — she wanted to be me, even. When she was too small to follow, I would climb the trees in our back yard to get away from her. I wouldn’t stay long, though. I had to be pretty mad at her to not give in to those crocodile tears.

Dreaming together, you’re up with the sun and it’s off to the races again
In search of our prince we’re building the scene, not knowing when life will begin

My sister was always up at the crack of dawn. No. BEFORE the crack of dawn. I was not. I still am not a morning person, but Vicki. Oh, my. She was up. Early. Always. As we got older we were your run-of-the-mill boy crazy girls. Me more-so that her. But then she became obsessed with weddings. She would get wedding magazines and cut out the dress she wanted, the bridesmaid dresses, her perfect man. She would set them all up like paper dolls and “build the scene”.

When London Bridge came falling down and you lived in self-defeat
Please don’t cry my dear one
Tomorrow will bring peace when you come down
If you come down here with me

This is the chorus. Most of the song is about our lives together as children, so I wanted something child-like in the chorus to represent that. Enter the London Bridge line. Self-defeat? Well, my sister was always the perfect child. Really. She pretty much still is. She used to like to tell on the trouble-maker (that would be me — I wear it with pride), but from time to time she would end up somehow implicating herself when she told on me. Silly girl. :) So my answer? Just be bad with me and you won’t get yourself in trouble. :) Really. There is some logic in there somewhere.

Partners in crime, creating ways around the rules created
Devising our plans, acting them out, keeping them both frustrated

Eventually (for a short time) we got along and were partners in crime, looking for ways to get around all of those annoying rules. I think the rest of this lyric is pretty self explanatory. The “them” is our parents.

Engraved in love is a hate that makes the bond between us stronger
Through all the smiles, there will be those days that make our nighttime longer

I was specifically thinking of an ID bracelet when I wrote that line. Remember those bracelets that all of the cool kids had in the 80s. Gold with their names engraved on them? Without the name engraved on it, it was just a gold bracelet with an empty space on it. Likewise, the moments of “hate” (I put it in quotes because it was just a sibling thing. We never really hated each other) in our younger years helped to mold the love into a stronger bond. The second line just refers to that. Even with all of the good, there will be times when there is darkness and headbutting.

When the lights go out leaving only stars and you loosen your grip on the handlebars,
I’ll be the one to make you laugh and hold your little hand

My mother used to tell me that I was the one person that could make my sister laugh anytime in any situation. Especially the scary times when she was feeling the fear of growing up.

And if purple monkeys they come to stay and they try to steal all your things away, I’ll sacrifice myself for you to make them understand

Her favorite color was purple and her nickname was “Monkey”. And I would do anything for her if she needed me. Anything.

A shift in time forever changed the course of history
I became me and you became not me and “we” ceased to be “we”

One day I realized that she was all grown up. She was off at college and she didn’t want to be me anymore. She was happy to just be her. And we weren’t a “we”. I was me and she was her. She became a quite person that didn’t need her big sister to confide in or hold her hand or make her laugh.

Two women together to each her own identity
Go where you will but my sister you’ll always be

I love you baby sister.

My son had the wonderful opportunity to have the same teacher for both 1st and 2nd grade. Really. That was not a sarcastic comment. We all loved her so much that we went to the principal and asked to have him  placed in her class again when we found out she would be moving to 2nd grade this past year. She is fan-FREAKIN-tastic!

And I had to wonderful pleasure of being able to give back just a little bit to her family this week. I met her, her husband and her daughter at Southside Park in Newton for a shoot. The session was mostly for her daughter, but we got Mom and Dad in a few shots too.

Now, be aware. This is no ordinary child. This is an actress-waiting-to-happen. Wait. Scratch that! We are going later today to see her in her first play, so this is the Birth of an Actress.

She is an adorable, over-the-top, ham-it-up, ball of energy. And I LOVE her!

Unfortunatelty for Mom and Dad, this is a preview of MY favorites. So, there is a lot of laughter and not so much posing. Have no fear! I got plenty of hang-on-the-wall, my-child-is-behaving-for-the-photographer kind of shots. But I like these the best:

Newton Child Photographer

Her best evil laugh.

Newton Child Photographer

Can’t you just hear her laugh?

Newton Child Photographer

And, perhaps my favorite:

Newton Family Photographer

Great teacher, great family! Thank you so much for two wonderful years of not only stuffing my child’s brain, but also nurturing his love of learning.