life. photos. scrapbooking.

4 Year Letter for My Boy

When Macho turned one I sat down and wrote him a letter. I recapped his first year - discussed milestones he'd reached (standing, feeding himself, etc) - what was happening in the dynamics of our family - and the dynamics of the world at large. It's a traditon I've kept up ever since. (A WHOPPING 4 years now... he he he. I'm all about commitment :)).

And when the H.B (I'm now referring to the little missus as Honey Badger - some of your out there might know what I mean.... she just "don't care" and "does whatever she wants")... turned one - I started the same tradition for her too.

You can read those related posts HERE and HERE
....

Which brings us to the next installment.... Macho's 4 year Letter. Basically the format was the same - with one exception this year. This time, I added a personal interview portion to the letter. I asked him some questions... Favorite Color, Movie, Toy, Holiday, Friend.... etc. and took note of his answers.

My two favorites were. 

Q: What do you want to be when you grow up?

A: I want to bake cookies. :)

Ahem - Cake Boss. MMM kay.

and

Q: What is your least favorite part about preschool?

A: We are not allowed to kiss.

Hmmmmm. Lover boy. Mamma best keep a keen eye on you. ;)

.....

I have a few prints ordered from the lab that I intend to put inside the envelope when they come back. Snapshots of him RIGHT NOW... and one of he and HB and myself right now. This has been a consistent inclusion in all of the other letters... so I had to keep that part up too.

Finally - one of the most fun parts for me is decorating the envelope for him. I'm trying to keep them age-appropriate each year... which should be a fun thing to see evolve.

On another note... It has been MONTHS since I picked up some patterned paper and my adhesive - so I felt a little out of touch and experienced a bit of creative blockage... It's hard to just pick up and "BE CREATIVE" sometimes.

But dang - it felt good just to sit down and make something.

Here are a few shots...

Have an awesome weekend! We are taking the kids to Six Flags tonight!!! Woo hoo!

:)

Fu Manchu For You

:)

Rauch Family | Easton, MD Family Photographer

I met Meg and Casey via mutual friends a year or two ago. Instantly - I knew they were FUN people. Infectious, warm, witty. Just how I like it.

Casey employs the perfect amount of sarcasm and humor into nearly every social run-in I've had with him... and Meg - rolls with those punches with the kind of grace and supportive (and hilarious) undertone you'd expect. They make a GREAT team.

Their boys have personality to match. As you will soon see. :)

When Casey emailed and said he and Meg were interested in doing a picnic themed family shoot by the water - I was totally on board and excited.

The spread they prepared was perfect - as was the light and location.

After we'd had some time hanging out and shooting the four of them as a family, my assistant Shelby, hung back and played with the kiddies while I took Casey and Meg for a little "couples time."

I know - because I'm guilty of this too - that once the babies start coming - the camera is nearly always on them.... and as a result - most couples haven't had an updated professional portrait of just THEM since their wedding day.

It was important to me to photograph them by themselves too. And boy - when I asked them to turn up the heat... they delivered!! Meg - you are stunningly beautiful.... and Casey - you are one lucky guy. The final photos were some of my all-time favorites.

The two of you are just spectacular people. I loved every minute working with you and the boys. Your careful planning and energy made for an effortless evening. Thank you so so much!

I hope you had as much fun as I did.

xoxo

Please enjoy some of my favorites from our time together. :)

Happy Monday!

Another fine use of the Instax Mini :: Thank You Notes by Macho

Spoiler alert. Those of you who participated in the celebration of Macho's 4th year, or sent a gift... You may wanna just stop reading now. Your thank you notes are promptly posted - but they'll look an awful lot like the ones I'm about to show below... so if you wanna be surprised...

JUST STOP NOW, K?

 

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You couldn't help yourself could you?

I know I couldn't.

Yesterday was an "at home with mom" day for the kids and getting Macho's birthday thank you notes checked off the list was a high priority. I'm BIG on thank you notes - getting and giving them.
In this culture of instantaneous communication - we email, text, etc. to get our point across... so sitting down and taking the time to write/create a nice personal thank you note - says "hey, I really give a hoot about you and what you did" or "i'm suuuuuper grateful."

My point is - THANK YOU notes go a loooong way with me.

Stepping off soapbox.... now.

I wanted Macho to do something personal... but he's 4.... hmmmm. Hardly Hemminway at this point.

So I thought about my handy dandy little Instax Mini Polaroid Camera.

I ordered/used it for the little bugs hospital guest book... when she was born in Nov 2010.

You can read all about that HERE.

Anyway - it had been quite awhile since I dusted off this fun little toy and I thought this would be just the project to do it.

Here's how it all went down...

1 - I had my list ready of all of the things Macho had received for his b-day and from whom.

2 -I snapped instax pix of him playing with each of the items. And let them "develop" a couple of minutes.

3 - I gathered some textured cardstock, a few select stamps (which Macho helped choose), permanent ink pad, a spool of ribbon, some glue dots, a sharpie pen and a stapler.

4 - I began stamping the little pirate guy (Stampin' Up! stamp from a few years ago) onto the cardstock... and Macho began to sign the bottoms of the photos.

5 - Macho then glued the photos to the pages and stamped the second "Thank You" stamp underneath my pirate kid.

6 - Finally - after I'd lost Macho's flea-sized attention entirely - I cut some small strips of ribbon and attached them with a stapler to the cards.

VOILA.

Personalized - signed - easy - and something we could did TOGETHER on our day at home.

Check that box, y'all.

 

 

 

Giving this a try.

Two of my girlfriends (hi Renee!) (hi Sarah!) use freshly laundered bandanas as everyday napkins in their homes. Every time I've joined them in a meal - I think to myself....

Self - you must remember to do this!

You can find them pretty much anywhere - I got this stack at Wal-Mart for a buck a piece.

The more you wash them the softer they become. It's no big deal if they get stained... You'll hardly notice. And, the best part is - you'll use FAR fewer paper towels at mealtimes.

I wouln't really consider myself an "Earth Mamma" - but I do use chemical free cleaners in my kitchen - vegetable based dishwasher pellets - and Mrs. Meyers laundry soap.... and now these.

I do believe in conservation... I don't like to be wasteful... and we go through A TON of paper towels, it seems.

So - we are gonna give this a try.

Just thought I'd share.

:)

 

Naked Truth.

I'm just sick.
On Thursday, I arrived at my shoot. Properly greeted my client. Began chatting away - and as is my custom, fidgeted with my camera settings - effectively "zero-ing" things out in order to start fresh. It's pure habit for me to reformat my memory cards at the onset of every session. Make sure I have a nice clean slate before I begin. I've done it a hundred times.

I was chatting and not thinking. My fingers were pushing buttons almost subconsciously.

Little did I realize, that the card inside - contained the entirety of Macho's 4th birthday - of which - I had yet to download to my computer.

I didn't realize this the moment I got home. Noooooo...
It hit me as I lay down to sleep (mind you it was 1:30am). I realized it then - because that was the first moment all day long that I had a second to breathe and reflect. And boom. OMG.

I hopped out of bed. My entire house asleep for hours. Scurried in the dark to the kitchen to check my camera.
Yup.
Gone.
Sick.

The worst part is. I didn't even NEED to reformat. I had a 32G card inside that had plenty of room for Macho's birthday, this session, and probably a few more. It's just a crazy habit and my brain has been so watered down I'm just screwing up!

As I sulked back into bed, I felt like I was carrying a TEN TON bag of guilt with me. I've been going ten million miles an hour for the past several weeks - actually since about May - and I'm tired.
Shit is slipping. I'd love to say this was my ONLY oversight this week - but that would be a lie.

I'm running myself into the ground. Playing "yes-man" again to every request that comes over the wire. And once again - I find myself looking into the eyes of my husband and children - and facing the fact that I'm all talk.

"Yep - honey one, maybe two shoots per week should be a perfectly manageable amount with the kids in school 3 days a week." -- this was my proposed plan of attack as I began my 2012 season.

Yet here I sit - typing this on a Friday - what should be a "home" day for the kids and I - with a babysitter in the other room while I'm holed up with the door locked editing away.

Earth to Katie...
You best CHECK yourself before you wreck everything that you love.

It's like anything else I suppose.

• I'm going to exercise.
• I'm going to watch what I eat.
• I'm going to date my husband every month - though every week would be even better.
• I'm going to put work aside and spend quality time with my kids on Wed/Fri and on weekends.
• I'm going to remember to take photos of the kids on a routine basis.
• I'm going to make time to scrapbook at least once a month.
• I'm NOT going to let work OWN me. 
• I'm going to go to bed ad a decent hour.
• I'm going to sit down at night and relax on the couch with Clark - just ONCE.

I say it. And I MEAN it.
And I remind myself of these goals often enough. I have the best of intentions.

But do I follow through?

Not so much.

It's hard to say no. Especially when it comes to the financial part of things. We are in a VERY tough economy right now... yet somehow I'm busy. Business has been amazing this year. I'm making money - paying for the kids childcare - and a few extras and pumping a large portion of the balance back into growing the business even more. Heck - as of TODAY and not accepting any more clients through the end of 2012. Yesterday I booked my final opening.
Today is August 10. That's just bananas, folks.

When you hear the jobless reports on the news each day - it's hard not to accept - with blind ambition - every work opportunity that comes your way. To try and figure a way to "make it all work."
A little over two years ago - I would've laughed in your face if you told me people would actually PAY me to take their photo. So when someone calls - I obviously wanna move mountains to get them in...

And like any business... you want to keep that momentum going. So you say yes - when you should say no. But - there is a price. The more I say "yes" to my work - the more I'm, in effect, saying "NO" to my family.

Balance. Is a very elusive thing, I'm finding.

So - losing Luke's birthday photos I'll consider my warning shot. If I don't get my priorities in line - I'll be in a real tough spot. The slope is effectively slippery.

And worse yet - I'm eating crow. I said I wouldn't let things get out of control... yet here I am.
I'm tired, cranky all the time, and I feel like I'm starting to fail at the relationships I need the most in my life.

I recently hired a team of design professionals to rebrand my business. I'm in the thick of this process right now. It's exciting - and expensive - but I'm ready to elevate things... (The idea is to work smarter, not harder - elevate the brand - by outsourcing when necessary.)
I'm hoping to roll everything out at the beginning of 2013...

As part of the process - I had to sit down and do something that was looong overdue.
I had to write a mission statement.
I always intended to do it - but again - no follow through.
This situation forced me to. It was part of my "homework"
Here's what I came up with...

To honor the needs of my family first and foremost. God, my husband and my children are what sustain me. My priorities must not waver.
To operate my business with the utmost level of integrity - always showing kindness and my own brand of infectious enthusiasm to each and every existing and potential client and colleague.
To have fun and feed my creative spirit. If I can't create... I wither.
To not be afraid of success and trying something new. Be open to growth.
To be a blessing to others. By sharing my God-given talents - in helping my clients to savor their memories, and by mentoring others in my field.
To try my very best to exceed expectations and ultimately have a positive impact on the lives of those I come into contact with.

A work in progress, I suppose. But that first line item must be the litmus test against all things I say "yes" to.
When an opportunity arises - I gotta throw it at this statement like a wet noodle. If it sticks - do it.
If not - let it go.

And that's the naked truth y'all.

Thoughts on newborn photography safety....

As many of you are well aware by now... photographing newborns is definitely my passion.

It is truly an honor to have a family choose me to capture those first amazing days of their new son or daughter's life.

Those first few days - by two months down the road - seem like a total blur for mom and dad - are miraculous in and of themselves..... As parents, we all end up thinking - was our baby really ever that tiny? It's hard to imagine.

Their growth in that first year goes at an amazing and feverish pace. Doubling in size in just a few months. Tripling in just a year.

Could you imagine yourself as an adult tripling in size in twelve months? Sounds crazy, right?

But it's the truth. And that's why I feel so lucky to do what I do.

The window is so small... and therefore incredibly important.

In my humble opinion - capturing the birth of your newborn baby - particularly in those first few days is every bit as big a deal (if not bigger) than photographing your wedding day.

And for all of you newlyweds out there reading this - I mean no disrespect. The very moment you hold that little bundle in your arms for the first time - and realize that baby is ALL YOURS - you'll know exactly what I mean.

:)

So... even though I have a great deal of fun - I also take my job very very seriously. And that means taking great care of my miniature clients when they come to see me. Their safety is always my #1 concern.

I would never even consider attempting a pose that I felt would ever endanger them. I always have an assistant or second set of hands in the studio, sitting just inches away from my little subjects at ALL times.

And I always allow plenty of time during the session to keep them comfortable. We pat bottoms, we change lots of diapers, we take breaks to nurse or bottle feed. I usually get pooped on. :)

A happy baby makes for an excellent subject. That's just the way it has to be.

So many of the complex poses you see out there on the internet are nothing more than fancy post-processing tricks. Photoshop stuff we like to call "composites." Where we take a few different photos and then merge them together after the session to achieve a desired result.

I'm happy to show you what I mean.

A pose like this for instance...

is really just a combination of these two photos merged together in Photoshop.... Daddy is sitting right next to his baby girl... supporting her the entire time.

or a photo like this one...

is a combination of these...

And by the way - that hand under her head is my assistant Shelby's. She's sitting cris crossed on the floor right next to this little sweetie with her legs under her - mere inches off the floor.

I take this shot while laying down flat on my stomach. :)

Here's my Shelby giving one of our "supermodels" a little cuddle time...

This one... the ever-popular potato sac.... :)

is handled this way...

Here's another...

Pretty neat, eh?

This little love-bug looks like she's floating out in space, right?

Nah - not not so much.

Dad is just sitting in an EZ chair with some black non-reflective fabric wrapped around him barber-shop-style.

Now that I've shared all my secrets....

Just kidding.

Anyone with a computer can basically Google how all this is done... they're nobody's secrets.... And should be nobody's secrets!!! Every person out there who calls anyone one month or younger a client should familiarize themselves with proper safety techniques when working with these tiny little subjects.

I only say all of this because sometimes I hear about people attempting to try these poses in unsafe ways. Not good. Not good at all. So - if I put this out there - and just ONE someone reads it and is then encouraged to adopt a safer routine in their business - I'll feel like I made a small dent.

Here's a link to two more excellent articles on this topic with more supporting photo examples...

READ HERE

AND HERE

Shoot safe out there everybody! Getting some crazy pose isn't worth putting a baby in danger!

Have an awesome weekend!

:)

 

Oh my word... He's FOUR.

How did this happen?

Love you past the edge of infinity Macho. My MAAAAAIIIN man.

 

 

Sweet Baby T | Easton & Baltimore, MD Newborn Photographer

As promised.... today I share with you the oh-so-beautiful baby T.

Her mamma and daddy are two very VERY handsome people so it's no surprise where this little sweetheart gets her stunning good looks. ;)

Not only that - but she slept like a total champ!

I have to give a huge shout out to T's daddy, Rob. He was the most incredible assistant the day of the session. He was ready for anything I threw at him - despite the 80+ degree heat in the studio! What a trooper. You are indeed, the man, Rob. :)

And - they brought along some really fun props to incorporate... some purple bedding from her new nursery - which we used as a wrap - and a crab bushel basket. Love it when my clients arrive armed with creative energy and enthusiasm!

Rob, Tricia and sweet little miss T. Love you all. Can't wait to see how this little princess grows!

Some favorites of mine...

:)

I made that little crown she is wearing from some lace I bought at Jo-Anns and a combination of fabric stiffener and glitter fabric paint. Cute, right? Actually I made several. With different lace patterns and paint colors.... I used these directions I saw on a blog called The Girl Inspired.

HERE

Little TINK.... :)

Her little "hurricane" cowlick was just about the cutest thing I've ever seen.




Pretty mamma.

Handsome daddy.
Beautiful family.

xoxo!

Tricia's Beautiful Bump | Baltimore, MD Maternity Photographer

As in so many other facets of my crazy life - I'm suuuuper behind on blogging my client sessions. I figured if I kept up a pace of sharing one per week that would be good and y'all wouldn't be overwhelmed with toooo much photography content. But I've been averaging more like 3 jobs per week over the last several months - so that inflow has backlogged the outflow, so to speak.

In short - I'm behind.

It's not because I don't LOOOOOOOVE my clients. I love them ALL. Fer reals.

Especially this one. Tricia called me very close to her due date to schedule both maternity and newborn photos. She was so amped up about getting good photos I couldn't have been more pleased to have her. I just love a client who is enthusiastic about getting great work done.

When she stepped out of her apartment complex the day of our session wearing that blue dress - I thought I'd died and gone to maternity photographer heaven! What a babe! Girl, you got it going on! 3" heels at 38 weeks??? You GOT THAT! I was in awe the entire time. And she just couldn't have been more eager to trust me and try any silly thing I had in mind.

And Rob! Well Tricia - don't hate - but he's a total babe too! The two of you make a beautiful couple - and because we already have the newborn shoot in the can (it's coming soon to the blog y'all!) I can confirm that the two of you make GORGEOUS babies. You need to seriously do it again sometime - and call me. Society thanks you for adding such beautiufl people to the planet. :)

And Rob was also so so so sweet and kind and gentlemenly through the entire process. I just love him. I knew in 5 minutes he was going to be an incredible daddy.

Thanks so so much you guys - I adore you both. Can't wait for next time!

Here are some of my favorites from our time together. Enjoy!

xo