It is spring. I love spring. Love the smell of new grass just mowed. Love the peonies blooming in my backyard. Can’t WAIT to pick strawberries. Love shopping in the greenhouses and picking out annuals. Love grilling on the deck. Love the warm sunshine. I want to live in the moment. Take a deep breath and enjoy. Sooo, I am trying to balance business and unbusiness. So I can have a life away from the computer and emailing and editing. This is a work in progress and it takes hard work. First of all, it has required me to say the little word “no”. Really, did you know that word can be so hard to say?!! Second, it requires self discipline. Such come up with a schedule and stick to it. Such as answer emails for an hour and then move on. Such as turn off the computer at this time so dinner is not spaghetti…again. Smile. (I think I will try a new guacamole recipe this week. It has tomatoes, garlic, onion, and cilantro…it is calling my name.) Such as Wednesday afternoons are pool time with boys…no shoots scheduled then. Third, start implementing. A big one is…”I don’t need do everything myself.” Photographer’s Edit does my basic wedding editing. SmugMug takes care of basic order fulfillment. Ever so wonderful Diane does the invoicing, pays taxes, and treats QuickBooks like a friend.  Honestly, I have nooo patience for this and well, it gives me a headache. Angie from Addison June designs my albums. Joell from Image Garden is designing a client website. Alicia with Easy as Pie pricing was such a help at understanding numbers and how they work together. Anyway…this means I don’t have to do that…which is good. I am learning. And slowing down. Which allows me to remember why I love snapping the shutter.

But really, I had no intention of talking about that. My real reason for stopping by today was to share a few of Nicole.

Nicole is a senior this year…soon she will be off in the big world of college. She was a sweetheart, brought a her best friend Heather and lots of cute outfits. We played in the sunshine.

Don’t you love my new red chair? Thanks Diane. Not only does she take care of invoicing…she also finds chairs for props.

I like the soft, relaxed feel to this one.

Happy spring.

Just because I LOVE her freckles and her pretty blue eyes…

Jade is a senior representative. So there will be more of her coming later this summer.

It feels like summer outside which is perfection. Happy weekend.

She is outgoing in a gentle way…if that makes sense. Her eyes dance and she laughs easy. Quick witted.

She loves to read…Dear John is the current fave.

A little detail that describes her personality… always has her nails done. Love this.

Makes friends easily. Although I don’t know, I bet she is one of those solid, for-life kind of friends.

After graduation she is heading to college to possibly major in sociology. Although she is not certain yet…too many options and she hates deciding at seventeen!

Her phone is a necessity….’cause texting is how she talks.

Meet pretty Gina…

With the rain drops, we started at an orchard…

But the sun peeked out near the end…

Let me introduce you to Hannah…

Easy-going, happy, hip, gentle, and just cool describe Hannah. With a fabulous sense of style.

She is good as long as she has a comfy sweatshirt, her phone, and some music.

Plans? Hannah is heading to University of Missouri and will major in accounting.

She seems to have a calm determination…like she knows where she is going and how she will get there.

And I think certain she will.

All the best to lovely Hannah…

Loved this soft, pink sweatshirt!

Flowers like this bloom such a short time…I was thrilled with the opportunity to use these trees during Hannah’s shoot.

Hannah paid me a great compliment…she said she looked and looked until she found a photograhper whose style she connected with. Thanks, Hannah!

‘Tis Friday. I have big plans for tomorrow…filling up my planters with lots of annuals. And of course, I will need to make another trip to the greenhouse to fill in the holes.

Don’t you love the greenhouses smell? Excited!

Happy weekend!

Isn’t she prrrrrretty?

Just a quick sneak for Hannah. More to come…

Her name is Abby. You may remember her pretty face from here last summer.

She is truly a sweetheart. At it’s very finest.

This past winter I was looking for a willing senior model for a little project.  Abby emailed me and said she was up for it. The position was already filled for the project, but I could not give up the opportunity of photographing Abby. She is just way too much fun! So I bugged her and we found a date that worked. I loved the opportunity to try a few new techniques on a beautiful senior! Abby brought a great wardrobe of clothing and was up for anything. Let me share a few of Abby…

Abby’s bestie and roomie for college. Crazy girls! Smile.

Seniors make me happy. Always. I love working with seniors.

There is something about this stage of life that so, well…. brimming with life.

Expectant. Ready to run. Conquer the world. Big aspirations. Excited.

Love the laughter, fashion, and personality you bring to a shoot.

You are willing to lay on the ground (ummm, ant hills…it has happened), walk in grimy alleys, climb fire escapes, and dance…all for the camera.

I am thrilled with the opportunity to capture this stage of life with my camera!

Being a senior representative simply means you have the opportunity to take part in a referral program.

Email here if you are a senior and wanna learn more!

Excited to hear from you!

Most if us get a little nervous with one camera being pointed at us. Not Lauren. She had six and didn’t mind a bit.

Bubbly and laughter. This is Lauren. And adorable outfits. Love the orange coat!

The following photo makes me smile. This is what Lauren put up with! Deanna got in touch with me awhile back and we planned to meet this winter. My thought…hey, why not add to the experience and invite a few others?!!  Meeting with other photographers always inspires me. I always learn. Thanks to Deanna, Jess, Michele, Jolyn, Tiffany and ever so fabulous Lauren for a good time!

I was going through 2009 senior images and fell in love with them and their pics all over again.

I love my seniors. Love what they bring to a shoot…fashion, laughter, and a zest for life.

There is no way I include all my favorites, but here is just a few for the girls.

A heartfelt thank-you to my ever-so-fab seniors!

Abby…

Kelsey…

Alex…

Gabby…

Alexia…

Shannon…

Andrea…

Brittany…

Chelsea…

Heather…

Kelsey…

Gabby…

Kelsi….

Lisa….

Lisa…

Shannon…

Abby…

Morgan…

You know how some coats are warm, but they just don’t let you move? Others are comfy, but don’t do the job when the snow is flying. There always is the baggy, brown coat with the blue plaid hood that I have had for years and years….yeah, it  ummm…looks like it belongs in the ‘woman’ section at Sears…a few years ago. And then I found it…buried on the clearance rack at Target. It’s soft, black, and long. Soft as in it reminds me of a blanket. Black as in it goes with anything. Long as in I can wear it over sweats if I really want to and you might not notice…perfect for “I don’t feel like dressing up days”. It’s warm and basic, but classic. So it feels perfect and easy and I wear it all the time.

So it is with sisters.

My sisters are companions. As easy to be with as my soft, black coat. We cry together, laugh together, shop together, wear each other’s clothing, and stick together through thick and thin.

This is my little sister. She is well, not so little anymore. I keep reminding her…take life slow, you are only seventeen. I want to keep her safe, protect her from hurt. To somehow make life all smooth. But that’s not my job, I couldn’t even if I wanted to. So I will stick with her through thick and thin. Take her shopping. Let her borrow my boots. Cry with her. Laugh at things we “get” because we grew up together. And tell her to reach for the stars.

Meet my little sister, Amber. I love her to pieces.

What do you think? We wanted a scarf…so this rolled up shirt kinda works?

She picked out this spot. The light was getting really low, but I love the colors and craziness.

Been wanting to shoot in a laundromat for a long time…think I will go back and play with it some more.

One of my favorites…love the soft light.

Happy weekend to you!