Passion

This word passion pops up quite a bit in my photography conversations lately. Yes, I am totally passionate about it......can't wait to get my camera in my hand and start snapping away. I need inspiration, no doubt, but my life is such that it's all around me. I am so happy to have artists in so many different forms around me at all times. I feed off of the energy and use the fuel to ignite my passion. So, if you want to come get a piece of the passion, email me about our workshop. Kathy and I are destined to work together, to teach together and inspire together. She is the reason my love of the art took off and I can't wait to share that with everyone as a team with her. What an amazing mentor and bff! Our workshop will be held on Oct 24th. Additional day of shooting on the 25th if you choose!

Oct 24th-All day workshop with cocktail after party 395.00

Oct 25th-Addt'l day of shooting 100.00

Email me or Kathy for more info!

The past few weeks....

I've been busy. I can't lie. It's been nuts. Day job transitions, a possible move on the horizon, 2.5 year old twins going wild at times. HOWEVER, I am loving photography and it's keeping me grounded and things in perspective. As a photog, you get to escape into someone else's life for a few hours which is nice for a full time stay at home work at home mom. Kind of like going to the movies where you forget about your reality for a bit of time. It's fun, I love it and I keep learning so much more about myself, my life and mostly my art.....So I shot a beautiful wedding for two fools in love and a beautiful family and I escaped into both like I was supposed to! Good times!

Two nite nites

Gavin became extremely attached to the 2 blankets (he calls them his "Two nite nites"that he and Aubrey got as shower gifts before they were born around 18 months. Aubrey could care less so she shared her "nite nite" with Gavin and he was hooked from that point on. For those of you wondering if we let him take it everywhere, the answer is NO. Just at home he partakes in the nite nite action. Anyhoo..he was watching me edit photos today, holding and smelling his nite nite and I asked him if he wanted to go take pictures with it. He is usually anti-photoshoots (happens when your mom's a photog and won't get the darn camera out of your face). So we did, he was in heaven, smelling, feeling the silk lining, and smiling the whole time. Oh and Aubrey got in on the action as well......she loves the camera and the camera loves her......

Happy Fathers Day!

Dad, without you, where would I be? I found the perfect mate because of you. I got my 3 point shot because of you. I got my hustle/sales skills because of you. My love for gadgets, cameras and all new techy things because of you. I got my eyes because of you and I love you forever dad! Thanks for making me tough, but sweet.......you're the best! Let's go shoot some trap soon!

To the love of my life, thanks for everything. For sweeping me off my feet at the tender age of 21, baggage and all....for helping me remember my old althetic self and taking me down to a small little college in Central Florida. For making me feel like a total rock stars wife (still, to this day!) while everyone knew me as "Josh's Girl" throughout college and your amazing basketball career. For being a humble, silent leader and a TRUE man of God without having to say a word. Gosh, that is just the hottest thing ever, seriously! For our 2 amazing miracle twins who have more then brought you and I closer as a team. I can't imagine life without you or them. You are truely the most amazing father and our kids are just as much in awe of you as I am. And for our future, I can't wait to see what it holds. You are truly amazing and I am so proud to be your wife! THANK YOU BABE-O!

Cece 7 weeks!

I love it when parents want to capture the first year of their baby's life with frequent shoots. I was lucky enough to be friends with an amazing photog ,Kathy Carlisle, when my twins were born. Man, we did so many shoots, which was a total win-win for us both. I got great images while she had the most BEAUTIFUL set of twins to add to her portfolio. Fast forward to now, we are still friends and she has instilled in me the "give back" mantra. So I picked the Fairbens and their beautiful baby Cecelia to be my "first year" family/baby. All is well, Cece is waking up from her newborn slumber, but all in all, they are kicking some first time parent arse! She is by far the prettiest 7 week old I have shot! Can't wait till her 6 month.....

Here's me and CeCe having a moment......more like she was ready for her nap!

Lincoln

Welcome baby Lincoln! Rosie had a sucessful VBAC and so far everything is happy and healthy. I had a blast hanging with big sis Regan and the proud parents this past week. They are doing an amazing job! Goes to show that that second time around ain't so bad......Congrats to you crazy kids and I am sure this is the first of many more babies I will be shooting for you! ;)

Sweaty Bettys

Oh how I love my girls at Box Wine Betty. Jessie and Kaarin are about as sweet as they come...BUT they are kinda bad too, which I like. Some how I have always gravitated to the girls that really don't like to follow rules or go with mainstream. Jessie is actually the lil sis to one of my best friends in high school. Erin introduced me to her Jessie 17 years ago! I feel old. Anyhoo, Jessie and I reconnected after a funeral this past October brought me and Erin back together after a few years. So, like in the movie "The Big Chill", old friends reunited after a tragedy and have a blast. And now we hang out all the time. Sweaty Betty is Box Wine Betty's new workout line that can be worn at the gym or around town or even out on a hot date. I love these clothes, they are so comfy and the detail is impeccable! I tip my hat off to Jessie and Kaarin for all the long nights in front of the screen printer and making sure all the models had something amazing to wear for the shoot. Oh, and the shoot went great...I invited Kathy and Bianca, my photog soul sisters to see all the hype and awesomeness (not a word, I know but I likey! Also not a word...I digress) of the Box Wine Betty girls. Beautiful girls with great stories and warm souls = best photoshoot so far! Thanks ladies!! Here's some pretties from the day...

Share the love..

Yep, that's what we did. Kathy spearheaded this "workshop" for some just starting out photogs and friends. The day was sunny and warm so we decided to walk around the lake by my house. It was very informal and so much fun. I have not shot with Kathy since before the holidays so this was exciting. We walked the lake, talked about lighting, angles and connecting with our subjects/clients. Yep, it's not all about the money....which is easy to get caught up in with this biz. The best part of the day was seeing everyone light up, get excited and be passionate about photography.  I even learned a new trick or two! Thanks again to everyone who went and like we said before, let's do this more often! I absolutely love this one of Kathy...this is her, she is so happy doing what she does...you can see it in her face behind the camera or facing it.  And beautiful Bianca....what can I say, the girl is amazing, a true talent and I can't wait to see more work from her.  Aaron....super cool, talented and funny! Gotta love that face!

Happy Mothers Day!

I am pretty sure my mom does not read my blog. Not because she doesn't want to but like most parents her age, the internet is a complicated thing. She has mastered the forwarding feature on her email which I receive daily and rarely ever read unless it's short and sweet. She has figured out how to attach a photo to an email and to send an e-card. She is doing pretty go for a 60 year old that's for sure.

Anyway, I got a card from my mom in the mail today. She always tells me cards DO mean alot to most people (I don't do cards for the most part)....and this card was nothing short of that!  I wish I would have sent her a card, but instead I called and wished her a happy mothers day. I am so blessed to have such a strong woman for a mom. She is loving, generous, funny, crazy and beautiful all wrapped up in one! She passed on to me her confidence and charisma and I am very thankful for that. I hope I can show my little girl how to be confident and to chase after your passions. So happy bealated mothers day again mom, I love you and thanks for everything. Oh and congrats on the Masters degree......now go get a job! HA! The pic is of my mom and and I when I was 2.5....the same age my twins are now.....time flies!

BumJuice Entertainment

BumJuice? What? So Tra told me that "bumjuice" is all her and her hubs call each other. She said it started way back in the day when they were dating. Hubs used to say "bumjuice!" when someone playing ball made a bad move, or good move, a great shot, a cheap shot, whatever.....she said she gave him a hard time for it but eventually it's all they ended up calling eachother. Oh and BumJuice Entertainment is the name of her company. I can relate, Josh and I have nicknames, slang, our own language really.It's what happens when you call each other your given name, it sounds weird. I can't imagine addressing Josh as Josh..he's my babe, hottie, honey ect....... It's what happens when you are with someone most of your adult life. You just become like each other, you speak the same language and it's just so easy to be a team. Sometimes you just give each other a look and you know what the other is thinking. So I had to chuckle when she told me the BumJuice story....

Tra hired me to help her update her headshots/lifestyle portfolio. I was happy to do and get to photograph the prettiest green eyes I have ever seen! She is a local DJ personality on Jammin' 107.5 from 10am-2pm everyday! Check out her show, you are sure to laugh! I am looking forward to all the new gigs she gets after the agency sees these ;) Thanks Tra, let's get you in the studio soon!

Baby Cecilia

She made it, safe and sound. Mo was beyond a first timer in labor, Brain is an amazing dad and I am proud of them for being so laid back.. Love you guys and thank you for letting me capture this moment. It's one you will never forget. I'll be over soon to watch her grow!
 

The Outsiders

Box Wine Betty does it again! They hired me to shoot out in a vintage car junkyard for their website and I was so excited. The morning of we were all freaking out when we woke to a downpour of rain. The weatherman said overcast (typical NW weatherman!) So, I asked God to clear the rain clouds away for a couple hours. If I hadn't said it before, I am saying it now: Thanks God for answering me! First off, when I saw the "models" who would be in the shoot I about fell out of my seat. Jeremy of Jackalope Tattoo , Jessie (Box Wine Betty) and her hubs Joe, Kenzie, Kaarin and Kathleen were all dressed in complete 50's retro meets modern rock attire. The tattoos were so fun to photograph as well with all the attention to detail and color. The vintage car "cemetery" as they call it was 20 acres of old school ambulances, school buses taxis and of course my all time fave CADDIES! I have never seen so many suicide doors in my life......the "Entourage" boys would be impressed.....I digress....

I learned so much about lighting and being able to switch exposure with clouds and sun going in and out in a manic fashion. Thanks again Jessie and the crew from Box Wine Betty for a one of a kind experience. Can't wait till the site drops and you guys are all outfitting the stars with your beautiful accessories!

Keep it Simple Soultions

KISS is something I came up with the other day on a great run when the sun was finally shining. KISS is from my old days of corporate America and our sales meetings. They were always trying to get us to buy into the cliche sales catch phrases "WYSIWYG" What you see is what you get.... "KISS" Keep it simple stupid. I would roll my eyes at these silly phrases, but now, I can see how they make sense. I am also thankful to my corporate job for helping me carry on my business skills into my photography business. KISS for me now means "Keep it simple solutions". My "green" statement for my life and my work. I am no hippie by any stretch, but I do like to do my best to leave my carbon footprint. So why not incorporate my love for the earth into my photography. I don't use film. By shooting digital I don't have to use harsh chemicals to develop my images. No proof books after client sessions, just online galleries to view the images paperless. Also, I package all my final work for clients in 100% recyclable materials as well. This is just a few way my photography is "KISS" friendly. I will be putting a section on my website soon to expand on the subject and let my friends and clients know what my passion truly is by being more green with my work. My "KISS" section will feature local businesses who also follow the "Green" theme. One of my personal favorites is Camas Produce. They work with local growers/dairy's to keep costs down and provide amazing organic food for the neighborhood. I am a regular there and I highly recommend buying from them.
Here's my tri-weekly shopping bag from Camas Produce (note: Thanks to the big whigs at Costco for making HUGE reusable shopping bags! They hold so much more!)

Also, today is day 2 of 10 of my spring cleanse! Angela of Radiant Wellness hooked me up with a great cleanse that you can eat on, is a short course and really works! I made the "Cleansing chicken soup" yesterday and the great part was that I already had all the ingredients in my kitchen to make it! This soup is DELISH...fresh ginger, grean beans, garlic, coconut oil and cyanne pepper.....YUM-O! Oh, and the suppliments are all natural. You do a "Perfect Cleanse" every season so your body can reboot. This is my spring cleanse and I am really enjoying it!!

Radiant Wellness

When my dear friend and kindred spirit Angela asked me to help her out with her website images I jumped at the opportunity! Angela and I met at our old "office space" job in 2003. We lived the cubical life together, but had so many great talks about life, spirituality and love. We also liked to go get sushi and coffee and shop at the mall.... and well, be total slackers. This is when I knew office/cubical life was NOT for us. Fast forward to today. Angela is an artist like me, she dances, is a yogi, a healer and most of all a wonderful person. She RADIATES light and love and I just get so excited when I get the chance to be around her. We had a great shoot...Josh got a rub down, and I got to shoot something I have never shot before....HEALING. The energy was amazing......and she is a true healer. Oh and she got me hooked up with a great book about cleansing. "Perfect Weight" by Jordan Rubin (my Jewish brother from another mother). I am excited to "clean" myself and start over. Everyday is a new day right? Love you so much Angela. And watch out for her new website "Radiant Wellness"....coming soon!