Engagement Sneak Peek: Amy and Neil

I had a gorgeous and fun engagements session with Amy, Neil and their awesome daughter Rhiannon yesterday. Even though the wind whipped around us, we managed to find some calm in the impending storm for photographs.

Amy and Neil are an incredible couple and I cannot wait to shoot their fabulous wedding at Blackwell House in the fall. I cannot wait to share the rest with you! 

That One Person

I am a major homebody sometimes. On cold nights when my husband is at work on the graveyard shift there is nothing that I like to do better than unwind with a cup of tea and watch movies on Netflix as the dogs curl up next to me, snoring and barking at cats in their sleep. In the wee hours of Wednesday morning I watched The Giant Mechanical Man. I watched it on accident -- I can't remember what I thought I clicked on but I didn't want to stop watching. Definitely a happy accident. It starred Jenna Fischer of The Office and it was both heartwarming and comforting.

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It was all about a woman who feels lost in the world and finds love and acceptance in the place she least expects. It was realistic and uplifting at the same time.

My favorite quote from the movie was about finding the right person."I heard someone say something recently that it just takes one person, you know? Just one person to make you feel like you belong. To make you feel special."

I am blessed enough to have that one person. My husband James makes me belong. He makes me feel special. And because I have him in my life it's my job to pass it on -- to people in line at the grocery store, baristas at Starbucks, and everyone around me. That movie reinforced that for me and it was so sweet and refreshing. 

Who or what is a breath of fresh air in your life today? If you can't name anyone, I dare you to go out and love someone on purpose. Make them feel like they belong. Like they're special. You can be that one person.

Vissi d' Arte

I love music.  I grew up immersed in it. My dad sang loudly on lazy Sunday evenings after church was over -- belting out his best Bohemian Rhapsody for all to hear as he made himself sandwiches in the kitchen. 

Our family of eight listened to music everywhere. Christmas carols while coloring on snowy winter days as we proffered crayons to each other, Saturdays as we did our chores, and of course as teenagers for hours alone in our rooms. In the days of dial-up and Napster we listened to the CDs we bought ourselves or ones that were around the house. My parents were as patient as saints while my brother and I both went through a long obsession with show tunes. Each morning in high school I harmonized with Ben, the brother two years below me, on the way to our zero hour class as the sun rose hazy gold over the world and the frost still sparkled jewel bright on parts of the windshield. 

I used to take voice lessons two days a week with an extraordinary woman called Anne who had an amazing ability to whistle any tune loudly. Almost every time she picked up the phone when I was around she answered in Italian. A formidable grand piano stood in her living room, its dark gleaming surface reminiscent of a deep lake that beckoned students to fall in. Every student was offered tea or hot water before a lesson. I gladly partook every chance I got before I began to delay what often felt like two hours of mistakes. But I kept coming back week after week because I wanted to get it. To master the songs, make the music my own. 

Another thing Ann poured out along with her tea was wisdom. And while the music that gets my heart going now has a strong lead guitar line and is punctuated by eighth notes most of  the time, her words have always stayed with me. "You have to live for art," she said. Vissi d' Arte. 

As a teenager I didn't understand what that meant. Art seemed like a cruel mistress. Auditions, scary audiences full of critical people and a lifetime of chorus parts stared me in the face. It felt daunting and I did not find any sort of artistic passion again until six years ago as I held my first DSLR camera in my hands. I clicked the shutter as a flock of geese made their way up from a snowy beach into a blue sky. I knew at that moment that there was something special in this glass and mirror contraption and I wanted to get it. And that day love was born.

When I sing an aria in front of people my heart finds a home in my throat and my stomach is infested with butterflies I can't seem to shake. I become pale and shaky. But when I click the shutter something inside me begins to sing. I feel strong -- like an archer who pulls back the string on her bow, lets her arrow fly and hits the target dead center. God gives me vision to capture that one blink of a moment and as a result I have recorded history. That married couple's first kiss. That look of exhausted bliss as they leave the reception to spend their honeymoon proudly saying "My husband..." and "My wife..." with a beaming smile and a heart filled to bursting. I feel purpose in creating beautiful memories for people to last for a lifetime and to share in that love. It's the kind of art worth creating as I walk my way through this world. I hope every day that it honors and reflects the God I love and the people I am privileged to serve and love too. Vissi d'Arte.

I think I may live in Winterfell...

The year we moved to the mountains we had fresh snow on Easter. I was very sad because if there's one thing I like to do it's go sleeveless on Easter. I thought maybe my dear husband had moved me to Narnia. You know, the mythical place where it's always winter?

Last year our friends got us hooked on Game of Thrones. We spent hours cuddled up watching the Starks of Winterfell as they continually proclaimed "Winter is coming!" For those of you not familiar with Game of Thrones, winter lasts decades and is kind of a big deal.

This morning I was on my way out the door to a meeting I realized our lawn was carpeted with snow. And not accidental hail. Real live snow. Although my sister-in-law may have referred to it as "hard frost" this morning.

This is the hill right outside our window. This is the kind of snow that has no intention of melting. And no, this is not a super high altitude or a zoom lens crop.

Since it seems like winter will never end, I am considering increasing the feathers and furs in my wardrobe. If we're lucky, maybe we'll only have a five year winter this time. :)

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How's the weather where you are? Warming up? Warm and summery already? Leave me a comment and tell me all about it. :)

Engagement Sneak Peek!

I just have to share. It's late at night but I cannot get over how cute these two are! I had a shoot with Rebeca and Joshua today and they were so fun. :-) 

I can't wait to share the rest with you! :-)

Makes Great Bokeh

This weekend  after church James and I realized we were hungry and headed for the nearest source of sustenance -- Sam's in Kellogg. Their breakfast burritos are absolutely legendary, and the lighting wasn't so bad either. :) Actually it was great and I could have shot in that northern window light all day. 

Many of my portraits of myself are either silly or unattractive because I usually aim the camera at myself and just let the shutter go. Your standard dorky self portrait. I need to do better about that and decided I wanted a cute one so I did the settings up and handed James the camera.

Clearly I need to teach James the trick I learned from my last Jasmine Star seminar -- One focus point always on the eye makes a gorgeous image when shooting wide open portraits. Otherwise it just becomes bokeh. Bokeh is anything that is not the central focus of the image and is always blurry. I make great bokeh. :) Don't I?

Springtime is coming

Springtime here can be so fleeting. I love those beautiful moments where the sun breaks through the clouds and for a moment the rainy weather breaks and...ahhh! It's gorgeous! It is a pleasure to photograph the moments, no matter how short. 

Monday Night Around the Campfire

James and I are lucky enough to be close neighbors with our good friends. I think we all grow up hoping that we have friends for neighbors and vice-versa. It creates a real sense of community as we participate in each other's day-to-day lives.

Last summer James and our neighbor Steve decided on a whim to build a fire pit. They searched out the perfect specimens of river rock, brought them home, and then dug out chunks of the yard as their wives watched in terror. "Not the lawn!" we shrieked as chunks of sod came flying up. We may have had to go to my house to spend some time in the air conditioning and recuperate, a modern girl's version of the Victorian style fanning oneself to avoid passing out.

Eventually we came back after the boys had laid the stones. After the kids were put to bed we lit a fire and sat around it, joking and laughing for much of the night. It's still a big hit, and James and Steve were eager to hop on the home bonfire bandwagon again.

Did I ever mention that my husband is an honest-to-goodness Eagle Scout? He can both perform first aid and start a campfire. It may have been one of the (many) reasons I married him. 

It was so cold and because one of the logs was a little more wet than it should have been, we had lots of sparks. 

The kids joined us for a short while until bedtime. Then it was nothing but us old grownups sitting around the fire in the crisp spring air. Perfect Monday night if you ask me. :)

What I'm Excited About This Week

Yoga for photographers on Creative Live. If you're not familiar with Creative Live, it's fabulous. Classes on business, technique, and style all reside there -- free. If you catch the live seminar or a replay, you don't have to pay a dime. :) I have also bought seminars from them and was extremely pleased. I have learned so much from Creative Live and I am excited that they are starting to do more seminars about well being for us artsy types.

Apple Brides vendor night. It also happens to be the same day as Yoga for Photographers...I hope that I will be able to catch either the replay or at least some of it before the event. Also I have to find a dress. And shoes. Okay, a whole outfit. :) And I maybe already tried on dresses for an hour or two the other day. :)

This week I am borrowing a new lens from a photographer friend... the 40mm. I prefer prime lenses (which sounds really fancy, until you realize it just means "fixed focal length.") because they provide the best use of all available light, including extremely dim lighting situations. I like the "try before you buy" idea and I am excited to have a new toy to try out next to my trusty 50mm and 85mm.

What are you excited about this week? Feel free to share in the comments. :)

The Horoscope Effect

James and I went out for Chinese last night and after my enormous plate of Orange Chicken stood partially demolished and the leftovers boxed, I got this fortune.

I like the idea of positive fortunes like this one. Right now I am looking for the positive all around me and I'm finding it even in unexpected places. That positive mindset, looking for the blessings in life, is renewing and changing my mind. It's something I am really appreciating right now, even if it's just the horoscope effect.

A Lesson Learned -- or Three

On this rainy day I am hearkening back to a sunnier one earlier in the week when I attended a meeting at Gonzaga with my friend Amber. Amber is an advisor (soon to be manager!) for Lia Sophia jewelry and when she invited me I had no idea what I was in for. However I took it as a learning experience. I figured that even though I am not  directly involved with them that there was still something to be gleaned. Plus it was right behind St. Al's, one of the places I dream of shooting at one day.

I guess I shouldn't have been surprised when I found women who were energized and excited to be doing what they love -- sharing their favorite jewelry with their friends. I sat and absorbed all I could, spellbound.  Here are some main points I came up with to share some of my personal goals and hopefully inspire you to pursue your own today:

Recognize your successes. A lot of times women (especially me) can get bogged down worrying about how they aren't "enough" -- not doing enough, not booking enough, not shooting enough. When I was brand new at photography I didn't count the successes. I only counted the things I didn't have -- the "right"equipment, the "right" blog layout, the "right" kind of logo. This especially resonated with me because it's so easy to get caught up in that idea that turned out to be only half-baked rather than the one that turned out golden. Whatever you're doing in this life -- whether you are writing copy, fixing cars, or making widgets -- recognize your successes. Those little victories that make up a greater story. And that story is the one worth telling.

Invest in yourself. My jaw about hit the floor when one of the leaders brought up this simple life truth. If you're not willing to invest in yourself, how can you expect others to? Treat yourself the way you deserve to be treated first. For me right now this means working toward attending WPPI (a conference for wedding and portrait photographers) next year as a means to grow as an artist and learn more. I need to invest!

Give your heart. At the heart of every business is other people. Whether you are shooting wedding photos, rocking barista skills at Starbucks, or juggling schedules as a stay-at-home mom, you do your best when your heart is in it. One of the photography blogs I read  put it best:

We just work harder for people we care about. It's not something that's intentional, it's just true. We do better work. We care more. We get more inspired. We're more set on fire.

That's why I like to get to know my clients well. Because the more there is to know, the more there is to love and the harder I work. May that be true of all of us.

Spending the first warm day on the boardwalk

On Monday James and I went over with some friends to Coeur d'Alene to enjoy the sunshine. And also the swag at the mall.

I cried and begged for James to buy the boots that said "SWAG" because they are just too hip for words. He politely declined.

My best friends' kids are really good at mugging for the camera. 

They are regular hams indeed.

After our goofing around at the mall was through we went downtown to walk the boardwalk. It was warm and there were so many people out in shorts. Your average fifty degree day in the Inland Northwest, I guess.     

If you've never been out to Coeur d'Alene, it's a gorgeous place to take a walk.

Or, you know, jump off every available surface.

It was such a gorgeous day. The first day of real spring is so much fun and it always reminds me how much I enjoy sunny weather. It was great to spend a long afternoon with friends with nothing in particular to do and nowhere in particular to be.