Twins!

My week last week was FULL of babies:)2 of the baby sessions were twins! This being the first
set of the week I shot. Twins are so amazing and funny because they are usually totally opposite from eachother! One usually hams it up while the other is not so fond of the camera. No matter, they are adorable just the way they are!

Love A Local Business

WE'RE SOOOO EXCITED!!!!!!!
I am very blessed to have been able to find my true passion......being a portrait photographer. I remember when I first found it. At my first job as a photographer years back (don't need to reveal how old I am) I told a co-worker, "I could do this for free." I remember she looked at me in the strangest way but that is what I honestly felt. Realistically I can't do it for free but I just LOVED how rewarding it was and STILL is!! One main component of portrait photography is people! After all, without people, who would I take pictures of? I have always been a people person. I get to hear about other people's lives and a lot of times get to relate to them. I have laughed sooo much that my cheeks hurt! I have also cried at very sad times in some of my client's, who became friend's, lives. I know that capturing these moments for people, in essence, is making time stand still. Who else can do that?

When the opportunity to win a small business grant came up such as the Love A Local Business one, I jumped at the chance! With this, they want to know what does your company do for the community and how have they helped. I TRY to help organizations as much as I can! Sometimes I run myself a little too thin because I can't say no. One of the biggest contributions that I made was creating a collage of Parkersburg after an EF5 tornado wiped out almost half of our town. The collages were sold nationwide and ALL proceeds were donated to help rebuild our City Park for our children. Overall, the donation ended up being $12,000. I was floored at how well it took off! The collage was a combination of 11 different images. The images together showed a sign of hope and what a strong community we do have......together.

This month, July, starts a new trimester. A grant of $5,000 is also rewarded once a month. At the end of the trimester, I have the chance of winning $30,000 to put towards growing my business. I started running my own studio out of my home in 2005. By 2009, I had outgrown our house and needed to make a decision of what to do and where to go. I chose to relocate to a storefront downtown Parkersburg. Right now I am currently renting but I would like to own. This grant would be very helpful in doing that.

My clients are a HUGE part of why my business is successful. They are loyal and have faith in me to capture those special moments for them. Because of that, I continue to grow!

BABY.......

A new baby is like the beginning of all things~
wonder,

hope,

a dream of

all possibilities.

EF5 2nd Year Anniversary-Parkersburg, Iowa

I am posting these images by frequent requests. Since I created this collage after the tornado in May of 2008, the requests to purchase have never stopped. I am amazed and touched at how many people's lives I have reached. One of my good friends told me back then, "this is something our kids or grandkids will see in their history books." I can't express enough how blessed I feel to have been given this opportunity. I am posting another collage I created to mark the one year anniversary last year. To show what has become of our town of Parkersburg. To show that there is hope. They still are able to be purchased. If interested, please contact me.

8x10 $10
11x14 $20
16x20 $40

It's Monday!!!!

It seems as soon as the weather turns warm, BOOM, every weekend is FULL! This weekend was filled with shooting, helping a friend make mints for her son's graduation (I highly recommend not ever volunteering for-waaayyyyy too time consuming), my son's preschool graduation, cleaning inside and out for my son's graduation party and then finally his party! Whew........it's a good thing he is darn cute! So this morning I thought this would be an appropriate picture for a Monday morning! There is more of this little guy to come. Hope everyone has a great week!

Oh BaBy!

I absolutely LOVE shooting maternity pictures! I get to hear some pretty amazing stories of their lives. Some share how challenging it was to conceive and others want to remember this special moment because it is their last child. I know how important it was to me to be photographed while I was pregnant and I want it to be just as special for the client.

This particular session we tried something different by waiting until the sun went down. The day we chose to schedule it however, it was the cloudiest day and the sun wasn't even thinking of coming out AT ALL! But, we still got some good shots even though they were freezing! And yes, it is May but we are in Iowa!

To the Sager family.......I really enjoyed getting to know you. I can not wait for your little guy to get here! It was so much fun shooting these, I can imagine what is yet to come:)

An Afternoon Out

I have a friend who I think has a beautiful home with so many neat decorations. I had asked her a long time ago if she would be okay with me photographing in her home. She said YES! So, I couldn't wait to bring this little angel there. I had so many ideas but towards the end, this little angel started having tummy trouble but I absolutely LOVE what we did capture! Take a look for yourself!

Spring Has Sprung!

Easter 2010 was fun and interesting! For those of you who don't already know, I tried using lambs along with bunnies this year. My thought was that they'll just lay there beside the child and look cute. WRONG! Thank goodness I had spare bunnies on hand. Lambs have a mind of their own which didn't always coincide with I wanted them to do. They wore diapers to avoid any mishaps but those flew off as soon as they started running around the studio! It made for great entertainment! I got some great shots this year and here are a few........

Easter 2010

Every year I do live bunnies for Easter pictures and this year I am adding baby lambs! The dates are coming up quickly so if you would like to book an appointment call me ASAP. Here are the dates and openings as of today:

Monday, March 15th~1:00pm

3:00pm

Tuesday, March 16th~10:00am

11:30am

1:00pm

Wednesday, March 17th~10:00am

1:00pm

Thursday, March 18th~BOOKED

Friday, March 19th~BOOKED

Saturday, March 20th~BOOKED

Sunday, March 21st~10:00am

1:00pm

Monday, March 22nd~1:00pm

2:30pm

Tuesday, March 23rd~10:00am

11:30am

1:00pm

Wednesday, March 24th~10:00am

11:30am

1:00pm

Miss Jenna

Meet Jenna.....

Jenna is one of the happiest babies I know! We had such a blast taking her pictures! We being her mom, her big brother and I. I think I could have kept her all day and just shot away, but in the end, I think her mom will already have a hard time trying to decide what to order:) You can check out more of Jenna on my Facebook page! Have a great day!

A friend of mine from high school reminded me of this poem that I once used for my son when he was born. It brought tears to her eyes and still does to me:

Before you were conceived I wanted you.

Before you were born I loved you.

Before you were here an hour I would die for you.

This is the miracle of life.

Baby

One of my favorite images......Happy Friday Everyone!

A baby will make love stronger, days shorter, nights longer, bankroll smaller, home happier, clothes shabbier, the past forgotten, and the future worth living for.

Think Outside The 8x10 Box

You did it! You had pictures taken and they turned out GREAT! Then you turn to me as your photographer and ask "Now what do I do with these?" I have helped in the past by simply showing my gallery at the studio and giving different ideas of how to hang and display your photographs. I have been asked by clients before for me to actually come to their home and help them to visualize better. So I am branching out and offering this as a complimentary in home consultation with the purchase of larger prints to create wall art. Many people think that they do not have enough wall space, but I am confindent that if I visited your home I could find a perfect spot or several for prints.

Friendship

~Friendship~

I've discovered a way to stay friends forever-
There's really nothing to it.
I simply tell you what to do
And you do it!
~~Shel Silverstein~~

Saw this one today and it made me laugh after spending some time with one of my dear friends yesterday. Thank goodness for understanding friends:)

Onto a little sweet pea for you to peek at as my Thursday photo of the day. She can be my friend any day! I will come out and play anytime!!


I will be out and away from the studio starting Friday, February 5th thru Wednesday, February 10th. I will return back to the studio on Thursday the 11th. If you need to reach me you can still call me, I will be checking voice mail periodically.

My Little Man

My little man, okay he's not so little anymore (snif, snif) has had his own camera for a couple of years. When we go on roadtrips, we both bring our cameras. He'll carry his right along with me and snap away! My daughter, who is 2, also has one and has to bring her's to bed with her everynight. She REFUSES to go to bed without it! Am I sending some sort of message to my children? Nah, I think they just see how much joy it brings to me and who wouldn't want that? With that said, I had to use this quote from Dr. Seuss today-one of my many favorites!

You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. You are the guy who'll decide where to go.

~Dr. Seuss

To Make You Laugh

I have gotten my kids some of Shel Silverstein's books......we LOVE them!!! He has such a creative mind! The most recent one I got was A Light In The Attic. A collection of his poems and drawings are inside. The one I chose for the website "If You're A Dreamer" comes Where The Sidewalk Ends. I decided that when I see a deep, or cute, or just plain funny poem or quote, I'm gonna post it. They make me smile and sometimes really get me thinking. Hopefully they'll do the same for you! Here's one I chose today:

PUT SOMETHING IN
Draw a crazy picture,
Write a nutty poem,
Sing a mumle-gumble song,
Whistle through your comb.
Do a loony-goony dance
'Cross the kitchen floor,
Put something silly in the world
That ain't been there before.
Shel Silverstein

New Year, New Website, New Studio!!!

What more could a girl ask for? I am so excited for this new year. Everything is all about change. Getting rid of things that didn't work and adding new exciting things to replace them. I look forward to updating my website every year. Not only do I update it, I totally give it a whole new look. Throughout the year I write notes of different ideas and thoughts and then put them all together at the end. This makes for a very tedious week or so to get it up and running, but none the less, still worth it! The theme with the trees and birds flows with the theme in my new studio. I am drawn to them both for how they relate to us. Trees are deep rooted right into the earth, much like people's family trees that go on and on forever. And birds, well, they remind me of beauty and freedom. Beauty and freedom is what we long for. I hope you enjoy my new vision! Happy New Year Everyone!!!