PF Photography

Coming Soon: Kiley {Southern IL High School Senior Photographer}

2011-10-12T16:00:00.004-05:00

Seniors: Megan {Southern IL High School Senior Photographer}

2011-10-12T15:46:00.004-05:00

Families: The Stoneciphers {Southern IL Family Photographer}

2011-10-12T15:10:00.007-05:00

Seniors: Allison {Southern IL High School Senior Photographer}

2011-10-12T14:12:00.005-05:00

A few weeks ago I got to catch up with one of my high school classmates while I photographed his beautiful daughter for her senior pictures. We did a few inside and went to a couple different locations ending up at a local winery for dinner. Allison has the clearest (not sure that's actually a word, but I'm sure you get what I mean), brighest blue eyes I've ever photographed. I typically add just a little spark of light to the eyes to give them a boost when I edit pictures, I did absolutely nothing to hers. I'm a little jealous, I've always wanted blue eyes!

Coming Soon: Drew {Southern IL High School Senior Photographer}

2011-10-12T13:49:00.004-05:00

Coming Soon: Baby Emmalyn {Southern IL Newborn Photographer}

2011-10-12T13:45:00.003-05:00

Coming Soon: Elizabeth & Kevin say I Do! {Southern IL Wedding Photographer}

2011-10-12T13:39:00.000-05:00

Coming Soon: Tim {Southern IL High School Senior Photographer}

2011-10-12T13:16:00.000-05:00

Families: Packer Family {Southern Illinois Family Photographer}

2011-10-12T09:09:00.004-05:00

The first time we scheduled this session it was right at 100 degrees out so we decided to wait a few weeks because who wants to purchase pictures of hot, sweaty kids? Then school started and one or two of the kids had some kind of bug they picked up at school. When we decided on another date/time, it was a little cooler than we'd hoped for and the wind was blowning strong but we were determined to get a few pictures taken.
We headed out to where they keep their horses, which my niece said were the biggest horses she'd ever seen! This is what we captured that Sunday afternoon.....hope you enjoy them.

Four adorable children!

I love this one!

Coming Soon: Baby Veda {Southern Illinois Baby Photographer}

2011-07-11T21:26:00.003-05:00

More pictures of beautiful little Miss Veda coming soon!

Families: A few more of the Galloway grandkids {Southern Illinois Family Photographer}

2010-12-03T12:13:00.012-06:00

A few weeks ago the 'Galloway Grandkids' aka my nieces and nephews got together for their annual photo shoot. The past couple of years they've had on their Christmas outfit for their photo session. This year we decided to do everyday clothes. I love the way their pictures turned out. The fact that everyone was happy and in a good mood helped!

They are one good looking family if I do say so myself!

The lighting out on this warm November day was absolutely PERFECT - I wish everyday was this beautiful, it'd make my job so much easier.

Johnathon - 13

Brittany - 10

Katie - almost 9

Matthew - almost 8

I couldn't decide with pic for Matthew so I'll show you both of them :D

The cat Katie rescued (it now lives with Grand MaLou and Pappa Deaner). Her name is Dottie.

Coming Soon: Galloway Grandkids {Southern Illinois Family & Child Photographer}

2010-11-12T11:48:00.005-06:00

Kids: Introducing Olivia {Southern Illinois Child Photographer}

2010-11-09T10:53:00.011-06:00

I'd like you to meet little Miss Olivia. She came over to my parents house to take a few pictures and was a little memorized by the chickens. My father came out to feed and let her pick the eggs. We went on a little adventure around the yard, in the old barns and to the pond.

She was a joy to photograph - thanks for coming to visit! You can come back and feed the chickens anytime you want.

I know the picture below is a little fuzzy (out of focus) but there's something about it I love!

Here are the eggs she collected and took home for breakfast!

......and this is the picture she took while we were in the coop.

Thanks for letting me take your picture Olivia!

Coming Soon: Madison's second senior session {Southern Illinois Senior Photographer}

2010-11-02T20:23:00.003-05:00

Coming Soon: Gavin's 5 {Southern Illinois Child Photographer}

2010-10-25T12:11:00.003-05:00

Coming Soon: Bonora Family {Southern Illinois Family Photographer}

2010-10-25T12:08:00.004-05:00

Coming Soon: Kayli {Southern Illinois Senior Photographer}

2010-10-25T12:04:00.003-05:00

Coming Soon: Olivia {Southern Illinois Child Photographer}

2010-10-22T23:10:00.002-05:00

Seniors: Madison

2010-10-17T20:37:00.008-05:00

I'd like you to meet Madison, a senior from Sesser. When we started out on our adventure of taking her senior pictures she was extremely nervous. After our first location stop she started to calm down and I think have a little fun. Her mom was laughing at her wardrobe in the back on their SUV - she brought about 10 pairs of shoes (my kind of girl!), I mean you gotta have options!

We just did a second session, here are a few from the first session! Hope you enjoy them.

Comin Soon: Karly {Southern Illinois Baby Photographer}

2010-10-17T11:15:00.002-05:00

Expecting: Chelsea & Nick {Southern Illinois Maternity Photographer}

2010-10-17T10:32:00.005-05:00

Coming Soon: Savannah Grace {Southern Illinois Baby Photographer}

2010-10-14T13:40:00.003-05:00

This is what I'm working on today.....

Coming Soon: Madison {Southern Illinois Senior Photographer}

2010-09-09T09:16:00.005-05:00

Can't wait to show you more of these!!

Seniors: Cady {Southern Illinois & Denver, CO High School Senior Photographer}

2010-08-10T10:15:00.014-05:00

Cady is the beautiful girl below who lived in Sesser, IL for a little while and then moved to Denver, CO. She was home visiting family and I got to take her senior pictures. Of course the weather didn't want to cooperate, temp was in the mid-nineties and a rain shower moved in on us (which just made the already high humidity, miserable). That being said I think we were able to get a few good shots, here are a few of my favorites.......

Love the new glasses!

Thanks for letting me take your picture and Good Luck in your senior year!

Coming Soon: Knox {Southern Illinois Baby Photographer}

2010-07-25T20:34:00.004-05:00

Took pictures of this little 3-month old cutie. More coming soon....

Coming Soon: Dana & James Wedding {Southern Illinois Photographer}

2010-07-24T14:46:00.003-05:00

Little Ones: Madalyn {Southern Illinois Child Photographer}

2010-07-21T23:52:00.000-05:00

Meet little miss Madalyn. She wasn't too thrilled with my camera, but by the end of the day I think we were able to capture a few good shoots.

Her grandpa called up the horses for her to pet. This is the first horse I've seen (at least that I noticed) that has blue eyes!

Thanks for allowing me to take her picture.

Coming Soon: Cady {Southern Illinois Senior Photographer}

2010-07-18T13:52:00.004-05:00

More coming soon of the beautiful senior - Cady....

Coming Soon: Paxton 3 Months {Southern Illinois Baby Photographer}

2010-07-18T10:54:00.008-05:00

Sneak peak of Paxton's 3-month pictures.....

Coming Soon: Madalyn {Southern Illinois Child Photographer}

2010-06-22T22:54:00.005-05:00

Below is a sneak peak of an adorable little girl who didn't much like my camera (or any camera I'm told) but her grandma did a good job getting her to smile!

Just for Fun: Nina's Bridal Shower {Southern Illinois Photographer}

2010-06-16T16:46:00.009-05:00

A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of attending and photographing a friend's bridal shower. Below are a few pics from the day of the shower. Looking forward to her wedding in July!

The food was prepared by her parents and was delicious!

The dessert table....
Some of the decorations (adorable theme of pink and orange).....
Thanks for letting me photograph your shower!

Giveaway for Photographers!

2010-05-18T12:31:00.004-05:00

Calling all photographers - great giveaway......be sure to check out this website and register for a chance to win one of Skye's Workshop Workbooks!

http://www.theworkshopworkbook.com/

I've entered to win, have you? I've been stalking her site for some time now and will someday own this workbook, I'd LOVE to win it!

Babies: Introducting Miller {Southern Illinois Baby Photographer}

2010-05-02T19:58:00.006-05:00

I'd like for you all to meet baby Miller. He was about 4 weeks old when we shot his first pictures. We first met at his great uncle's barn and took a few outdoor pictures and then did a few inside (it was a little cold out to do the nude baby pics!). I was hoping he take a little nap so we could get some 'sleeping baby' pictures, but no such luck.

Check out those baby blue eyes.

Love this picture in front of the cows.
Miller with his big sister Maya.
Aren't they a cute family!

Coming Soon: Paxton {Southern Illinois Baby Photographer}

2010-04-25T09:24:00.006-05:00

Here's a sneak peak of Paxton's second photo session.
He's 11 days old in this picture. This session went MUCH better than the first.

Weddings: Linsdey & Ben {Southern Illinois Wedding Photographer}

2010-04-24T11:57:00.019-05:00

So, I kind of forget to get this posted.....should have been done months ago. This was my very first wedding which took place on a beach in Destin, FL. Not only was I nervous about it being my first wedding but also because it was on a beach!

Of course people weren't nice enough to move out of the frame for the pictures so any shoots of the ocean at one point in time had people in them (most of which you really didn't want to see in their bathing suits). While I was quite nervous and thought of at least 50 other pictures I wished we'd have taken once the wedding was over, I'm happy with how things turned out.

Couple of lessons learned: 1) It gets dark fast once the sun starts to set on the beach - be sure to always bring a flash. The grey cast people have once the sun hits a certain point in the sky isn't the most attractive color for humans! 2) I now understand why photographers won't let people snap pictures behind them - the subjects you're taking pictures of tend to look at the people they know taking their picture and not the 'photographer'.

Big ol' THANK YOU to Lindsey and Ben for trusting me to take your wedding pictures!

I hope you enjoy them.

The parents of the groom escorted by their grandson.

The mother of the bride escorted by her son.

The groom waiting for his bride to walk down.

This great picture was taken by my assistant, Arielle.

One of my favorites!

Siblings

The bride with her father.

Coming Soon: Baby Miller {Southern Illinois Baby Photographer}

2010-04-18T20:21:00.004-05:00

Meet Miller: he's one month old for his first photo shoot and did great. His parents and older sister got in a few pictures also, those will follow in a few days.

Isn't he just adorable!

Babies: Introducing Paxton {Southern Illinois Baby Photographer}

2010-04-18T14:39:00.004-05:00

Introducing Paxton Carter who is 5 days old today. Isn't he a pretty baby!

Paxton hasn't quite figured out the concept of sleep and wasn't much in the mood to have his picture taken. No more than he's slept in the last couple days we were hoping he'd be out for his first photo shoot.....no luck. I was only able to get a few shoots and we're going to try his session again in a few days after he's hopefully achieved some much needed zzzzzzz's.

Coming Soon: Eubanks Family {Southern Illinois Family Photographer}

2010-04-04T00:02:00.012-05:00

This was suppose to be a single picture sneak peak of the Eubanks who gathered at the Rend Lake Golf Course this evening for Evelyn's 90th Birthday. I took so many different groups of family pictures that I had to post more than just one for their sneak peak.....

Maternity: Kasey & Tyson {Southern Illinois Maternity Photographer}

2010-03-06T23:30:00.014-06:00

At around 10:30 tonight I decided to edit one or two of the pictures from this morning's maternity session and post a sneak peak. Once I opened the pictures up and got started I couldn't decide which ones to edit and ended up with several more than 1 or 2. So much for a sneak peak.......

Kasey and Tyson have been living in a little farm house since they were married. Upon learning that they're expecting, they made the decision to move into a home with a little more space. This is the last weekend that they officially live the country life, so we decided to take their maternity pictures around the farm before they move.

I personally love old buildings/barns and this farm is right up my alley.

I hope you enjoy your pictures!

Tyson loves to golf, our original idea was to take some of the pictures at the golf course but we ran out of time. So we played around in the field behind their house - in some extremely BRIGHT early morning sunlight.
I love that the sun has decided to return and warm us up some, but would have been equally as grateful for a few clouds in the sky this morning - oh well, guess you can't win them all.

I love this picture of Kasey! It's a boy!

I can't wait to meet the little fellow that should be making his depute into this world in about a month. Curious to see which of the three possible names he ends up with.

Thank you for letting me take your maternity pictures!

Families: Jones Grandchildren {Southern Illinois Family Photographer}

2010-02-27T21:50:00.012-06:00

Below are some pictures I took before Christmas that I forgot to get on my blog. The group of kids are the 'Jones' Grandchildren. They wanted to surprise their grandparents with pictures for Christmas. So, I couldn't post any of the pictures until after Christmas.....things have been busy and I simply forgot to get them posted - sorry!

The day we took these it was so BRIGHT outside. It was late November, mildly warm and super sunny. I believe everyone involved with the exception of the little one had a good time. She wasn't into having her picture taken as you'll see below. Since the grandparents weren't home the day of the session, we decided to take most of the pictures in their yard!

The boys....

Their serious faces....

The girls.....

Don't quite know how to explain this one!The Thompson's (yes the girls are twins, just in case you're wondering)
Kelcey
Little one just wouldn't look at me for anything

Brothers

Sisters
Thanks for allowing me to take your pictures!

Weddings: Mallory & Sean {Southern Illinois Wedding Photographer}

2010-01-02T19:37:00.018-06:00

The couple married at the Rend Lake Visitor's Center. While they appear all warm and toasty in the pictures below, it was only in the low 60's that day with a 15-20 mph wind coming off the lake. Even I was a little chilly and I had on long sleeves. I know Mallory had to be freezing, maybe the rush of getting married made her forget how cold she really was - obviously the cold weather didn't stop her from looking absolutely stunning!

The aisle runner was hand painted by Julie Heine and was just beautiful!
The groom and his men....
The bride and her sister, can you tell they're related?
The flower girl, Mallory's niece 'posing' for a picture.

Don't ask!
The bride with her parents.
The groom with his parents.

FOB, father of the bride with his daughters.

Mallory's brother "Shib" was the Sesser fireman killed in the line of duty on Interstate 57.

In his memory and in memory of her uncle who passed just months before the wedding, Shib's daughter placed a single red rose in the flower vase on the alter. It was a very touching moment.

The wedding party waited at the end of the line and I think each of them had at least 4 packs of bird seed.

As you can see they pelted them as they ran to the limo.

The wedding party.

Thank you for allowing me to photograph your special day and a special thank you also to Arielle for tagging along and second shooting for me!

Weddings: Mallory & Sean {Southern Illinois Wedding Photographer}

2010-01-02T16:37:00.024-06:00

The reception......isn't this cake just beautiful.

I think it's one of the pretties I've ever seen, and it tasted great too!

The groom's cake is a wasp.

The groom watched his father in law put is arm down on a wasp without warning him that there was a flying object that may want to sting him. Hence the wasp groom's cake!

The couples last initial "H" is carved into a pumpkin that set in front of the head table on the stage. It looked great when it was lit!
Head table
One of the four centerpiece designs, all created by the talented Julie Hiene.

.....and the dancing begins!

Families: The 'Bennett' Grandkids

2009-12-30T21:16:00.000-06:00

I met the 'Bennett' grandkids at their farm/barn for a family shoot for the grandparents.

We took a few serious pics then the kids decided to climb onto the barn awning, then a few more serious pics, then we built a pyramid and had a fight!

The Mays Family

The Arro's

'Shooting' me!

The Marlo siblings
The Mays siblings
Donna & Mark
They decided to have a little fun and stage a fight.

I had a good time, can't say there was a dull moment. Thanks for letting me take your pictures!

Coming Soon: The Rounds

2009-12-07T11:58:00.008-06:00

Below is a sneak peak of maternity pictures along with a family Christmas pic of the Rounds.

Coming Soon: The Mayers & Blakes

2009-12-06T18:54:00.006-06:00

Here is a sneak peak of the Mayer's and Blake's who are sisters. Running behind again on my sneak peaks & should have this album uploaded tonight to view!

Of course it was SUPER bright out that day - a photographer's nightmare.

Families: Sneak Peak of the Wrights

2009-11-30T22:50:00.004-06:00

Below is a picture from a session with the Wright family last week. I did a lot of sessions last week and have lots of sneak peaks and edits to get done, so be sure to check back later in the week for more pictures!

Families: Sneak Peak of the Massie's

2009-11-21T16:59:00.005-06:00

I had the pleasure to take family picturs today of the Massie family. Below is a family picture and one of just Conner who is an adorable 1 year old.

Thanks for allowing me to take your picture today.

Weddings: Mallory & Sean Sneak Peak

2009-10-31T17:36:00.004-05:00

The beautiful bride....

Weddings: Mallory & Sean....the rings

2009-10-31T09:35:00.004-05:00

Going to attempt to catch up on edits and posts over the next couple of days, so hopefully you'll be seeing many, many posts from me in the near future. Below are a few pics of Mallory & Sean's wedding rings. I edited these last night and loved the way the pics turned out so I'd thought I'd share them with you. I'll have more from their wedding up soon, promise!

Both pics were taken at Mallory's with her mother's fall yard decorations.

Families: The Patchett's at the Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-26T19:47:00.011-05:00

Several weeks ago I met the Patchett's at the local pumpkin patch.

Ava LOVED the slide.

If you follow me on Facebook these will be a repeat - sorry! If you don't follow me on facebook, well you should. hehehe

I found out that a 50mm prime lens doesn't focus fast enough to catch a little girl going quickly down a slide.....but here's what I did catch.

My favorite picture of the day. month. possibly even entire year!

Okay, in this series of pictures I'm loving the 50mm 1.4f lens (action pictures it's definitely not intended for), check out the bokeh in these pics that I didn't have to edit in - LOVE it!

The Patchett's

Ben wasn't too sure about being placed in a bin of corn.

It's hard to believe that just a few short months ago this little guy was in a hospital fighting to breath. He's such an easy going, mild natured, cute little boy!

Below his expression can be summed up in one word......"seriously". Sorry Ben, it's your Mimme's fault - not mine.

Picking a pumpkin is hard work - Ava needed a chocolate chip cookie break.

sooooo many choices

found the 'perfect' pumpkin

Found the perfect pumpkin, stacked it on another pumpkin....time for another cookie break.

Peek.......

.......a boooo!

Seniors: Ashley {Southern Illinois Senior Photographer}

2009-10-17T15:25:00.010-05:00

Meet Ashley......

Seniors: Megan {Southern Illinois Senior Photographer}

2009-10-14T16:15:00.008-05:00

I'm running a little behind on my blogging....sorry.

Here are a few more pictures from Megan's senior session. I've known Megan's mother since we were young, she also attended Hazel Dell FWBC and was just a year older than me in school. The shoot was so relaxed and layed back which made my job soooo much easier. Megan and her parents pretty much let me do anything I wanted to try (crawling into or on top of whatever I wanted along the way).

The only down fall were the chiggars I dealt with in the following weeks from walking through a field in flip flops - maybe not the best choice of foot wear!! Oh well, live and learn. Unfortunately I'm positive I'll repeat that mistake over and over again considering I'd wear flip flops 365 if I could get away with it.

Thanks for such a fun session. Hope you enjoy your pictures!

Seniors: Ashley sneak peak

2009-10-06T22:10:00.003-05:00

I couldn't decide if I liked this better brown toned or in color.....so I'm posting both!

Seniors: Jessie

2009-09-05T00:09:00.007-05:00

Here are a few more from my senior session with Jessie that I just finished editing. Considering when I met up with her neither of us knew where we were going to take her pictures, I think we did very well.

I think this is my favorite picture!

I enjoyed our photo session, hope you like them!

Kids: Henry Sneak Peak

2009-08-31T21:20:00.004-05:00

Had to get a few pictures up of Henry - just couldn't wait to look at them. I really enjoyed taking his picture, he's a very intelligent little boy that will tell you exactly what he's thinking. I learned that he LOVES tractors and HATES spiders!

Oh yeah, Henry has some pretty animated faces too!

Little Ones: Dristen Sneak Peak

2009-08-30T21:52:00.004-05:00

Seniors: Jessie Sneak Peak

2009-08-30T20:59:00.005-05:00

Here is a sneak peak of Jessie, sorry it took so long to get up. More to come soon - can't wait to get the ones from the stairwell done and posted for you.

Seniors: Megan Sneak Peak

2009-08-24T22:16:00.003-05:00

The temperature was in the high 70's with partly cloudy skies at 5pm Sunday evening, Megan - the high school senior was willing to do anything I asked, her parents let me climb on and/or in whatever I wanted and I got to take pictures - what a great evening! I know sneak peaks are using only 1 or 2 pictures but I couldn't decide which one I liked the best :) I can't wait the get the rest edited and share with you.

Custom Hair Bows for Sale!

2009-08-23T08:15:00.007-05:00

Dreanna's mother is making and selling custom hair bows on her Etsy store at very reasonable prices and they're soooo cute. The one shown below is attached to a headband for little,little girls but you can get them for bigger girls too.

To see more examples of her hair bows check out this post.

As you'll see, Dreanna has a hair bow to accessorize every outfit.

Little Ones: Dylan Sneak Peak

2009-08-19T19:38:00.004-05:00

Little Ones: Dreanna

2009-08-10T12:26:00.004-05:00

I finally finished the edits of Dreanna and wanted to share a couple more of her with everyone out there. She was fascinated with the mimosa tree and loved the tickle of the bloom. The mimosa hung above the red grain truck and she kept rolling over to stare at it while we were trying to get her picture.

Little Ones: Dreanna @ 5 months

2009-08-08T18:01:00.010-05:00

I had a lot of fun at my photoshoot with little miss Dreanna. Sorry, I couldn't decide which pictures to share with you - I may have gone a little overboard! I'm not even done with all the edits yet, but figured I'd better get a 'FEW' up.

The pictures in the back of a red truck are in her grandpa's Ford grain truck.

Dreanna's mother makes all of her hair bows and is in the process of opening an Etsy store to sell them. Until she gets her store open, I can forward your info to her if you're interested in custom hand-made bows for your little girl. She'll design them to match any outfit, any age girl!

The John Deere Model B 1952 tractor is her Uncle Danny's, but originally belonged to my Grandfather (PaPa) - Dreanna's Great Grandfather.

Danny completely restored the old John Deere.

Dreanna's Grandma Helen made her a quilt. She wanted her picture with her new quilt and her grandmother.

Just hanging out, relaxing!

She thinks her grandma Helen is funny.

Little Ones: Dreanna Sneak Peak #2

2009-08-06T21:26:00.004-05:00

With everyone at the house Sunday, I didn't get a chance to take very many pics of little miss Dreanna. Well, all the people here and the fact that everytime I got my camera out she cried. So I went to see her tonight right after her evening nap & dinner. I had to share this pic with everyone. There are many others from tonight that I also like but this one is quickly becoming one of my all time favorites (and I didn't even had to set up the prop, the tub was overturned right where I took the pic)!

Little Ones: Dreanna Lemay

2009-08-03T20:47:00.003-05:00

I had the pleasure of getting to meet my cousin's new baby daughter Dreanna yesterday. Here's a quick pic that I took of her, I'll try to get more up soon. Isn't she just adorable!

Wedding: Sneak peak at Lindsey & Ben's Wedding

2009-07-16T23:35:00.003-05:00

Little One's: Emily & Elise

2009-07-07T20:41:00.009-05:00

I had the pleasure of taking pictures of 1-year old twins Emily & Elise

Little Ones: Emily & Elise

2009-07-06T23:02:00.003-05:00

I'm running a little behind on my blog posts, here is a sneak peak at a photo session of 1 year old twins - Emily & Elise! More pictures tomorrow.

Couples: A few more of Mallory & Sean

2009-07-06T22:34:00.009-05:00

Finally finished up the edits from Mallory & Sean's engagement session....

Sports: Matthew - Baseball 2009

2009-07-01T16:53:00.004-05:00

A few pictures of Matt's first baseball game this summer.....
Michael aka 'Coach' bought war paint and after putting it on Matthew, he had to put it on all of the players - every game!
Ready to play ball

Tagging 3rd base - too bad it wasn't a force out :)
The only bad thing about this post is that I'm just now getting around to putting a few pictures up and last night Matt's team lost their tournament game ending their season. Hopefully I'll have time to get more edited (Matt's, Katie's & Johnathon's) in the near future and posted for everyone to view. Johnathon's team plays another tournament game tonight, they won 26-0 last night. Hopefully they'll advance to the finals and win the tourney!

Couples: Mallory & Sean Engagement Session

2009-07-01T16:20:00.004-05:00

A sneak peak of an engagement session I took before I went on vacation to shoot my cousin's wedding in Florida (those pictures will follow next week).

Mallory & Sean were great to work with and very easy to photograph, I can't wait for their wedding later this year.

Promise to have more by the weekend!

Family: Shurtz Sisters

2009-06-13T18:19:00.011-05:00

I had the pleasure of taking a few quick pictures of my cousins before the two younger ones move to Colorado......and here are the beautiful sisters - Chelsea, Cady & Eden.

Seniors: Arielle - 2009 Prom (Part 1)

2009-05-24T22:56:00.002-05:00

I'm really behind on photo edits - sorry :( but here are a few from Arielle's 2009 Prom. I'm going to attempt to get a few more up tomorrow either before or after the Memorial Day lunch.

I'm thinking it'll be after.......way after in fact.

Seniors: Arielle & Bart's Graduation Announcement

2009-05-16T10:03:00.006-05:00

Hopefully all family and friends have received their invitation in the mail (and have opened it) by now so I thought I'd go ahead and post Arielle & Bart's graduation announcement that I made for them.

I did these in a 5x7 double sided format. For those who aren't family and may be wondering....Arielle & Bart are first cousin's graduating together.

Business: NAPCP

2009-04-26T09:09:00.002-05:00

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I'm very happy to announce that I was accepted into my first professional photography organization today. I'm now a proud member of the NAPCP, National Association of Professional Child Photographers!! I'm very excited about this, I had to be 'accepted' into the association and pass their qualifications - it's not one of those fill a few blanks on a website and you're now a member kind of things.

Now I'll be listed on their website as an Illinois based child photographer and can participate in their forum with other professional child photographers and they offer training classes too.
WOOOOOHOOOO!!!

Couples: Lindsey & Ben's spring session

2009-04-13T17:31:00.011-05:00

I shot Lindsey and Ben's spring engagement session on Saturday. We did a few inside and then hit a few local spots for a few more before heading to the Custard Stand.

No train conductors or cops running us off this time :)

This is one of my favorites from this session......

Another favorite from this session.....

Maternity: Mary and the little Cousins

2009-04-09T08:35:00.011-05:00

I was at my cousin's house taking a few maternity pics and then a few pictures of their daughter and her two cousins - Alli & Landon. Sorry it took so long to get the edits done, I seriously don't know where the time has gone recently. I decided to take a few days of from work to get 'caught-up' on everything and editing these was #1 on my list. You'll see in the pictures below, Alli is a wonderful model and enjoyed having her picture taken. The other two little ones weren't as excited about the camera pointed at them.

I kind of wish the final edits would have taken a little longer.....now I have to do my taxes. I know, I know you can't believe I've waited until the last minute to do my taxes. I mean it's not like I'm an accountant or anything!!

Couldn't decide which I like better....color or black/white

Landon's done.....he's outta there

Alli's giving her brother lessons on smiling!

Little Ones: A few more of Ava

2009-03-22T18:12:00.012-05:00

I had time today to edit a few more of Ava's pictures. Most of these she's on her rocking horse made by her grandpa. I don't think I've ever seen a child actually ride their rocking horse like she LOVES to rock away time on hers.

I don't think she's actually 'sticking her tongue' out at me in the next two, it just has that appearance.

She tried her best to ride her Gator.......

Mom and dad better watch out when someone shows her what reverse is!

Little Ones: Quick one of Ava

2009-03-17T19:29:00.004-05:00

I took a few pictures of my little cousin Ava and her soon to be brother this past Sunday. Here's one of Ava. More to come this weekend!

Little Ones: Can't take the credit

2009-03-10T16:37:00.003-05:00

I can't take the credit for taking this picture, I just viewed it on my cousin's smugmug account and wanted to share it with the rest of the family who visit my site. This is Jason & Emily's adorable little Molly.

LOOOOOVE the light red hair.

Couples: Allison & Joey's Engagement

2009-02-08T08:51:00.004-06:00

Couples: Save the Date

2009-02-08T08:32:00.003-06:00

I made these about a month ago for my cousin's upcoming wedding in Destin, FL. She had them addressed and mailed the week I gave them to her, so I'm pretty sure I'm not ruining the surprise for any family members who happen to check out my site.

They're printed on a full size magnet (just under a 4x6 print) and take regular postage to mail. The design was custom created in Photoshop by me and can be tailored to fit anyone's personal style. They wanted a beach theme to match their wedding destination and their primary wedding color is orange.

Business: New Design

2009-02-06T23:12:00.006-06:00

While the snow was falling last week I attempted to update my blog design with absolutely no luck. I'm able to change my personal blog background around (which I'm updating this weekend, hint hint stay tuned) but for some strange reason I kept hitting a brick wall when I tried to change things around on this blog. I think it had to do with the size of the pictures/post area. Anyway, I gave up on self improvement here.

I contacted Jaime to make a few adjustments to my blog design for me. She added some much needed color and gave me that great link bar (located just below the blog header picture). I think the link bars are soooooo cool. I tried to follow some directions that I download only to realize quite quickly that I was WAY over my head on that HTML stuff. I don't have all of the links ready yet but will by the end of the weekend.

I love the way my blog turned out and Jaime was SUPER great to work with. She didn't even get upset with me when I changed my mind a couple of times on what I thought I wanted. Her prices are the best around and she had it done in a week! It would have been sooner without my mind changing half way through.

Be sure to check out her site and have your blog updated!!

Kids: Couple more of Johnathon

2009-02-01T21:26:00.005-06:00

Two more from today's pictures outside.
Basically the same picture, one is just a little closer up.

Kids: Johnathon

2009-02-01T17:07:00.007-06:00

Just a couple of pictures I took of Spiff today.....

Seniors: Arielle in the Snow

2009-01-31T20:09:00.015-06:00

Here are my favorites from our photo shoot in in the snow....

Landscapes: 2009 Snow....

2009-01-31T13:58:00.006-06:00

Family: Frankie's Christmas Present

2009-01-27T17:18:00.006-06:00

This was Frankie's Christmas present from her kids. The sunset is real and if they look cold it's because it's around 20 degrees and we're standing on the road going over the dam with a nice breeze blowing, oh yeah it was cold.

Business: New look

2009-01-27T14:14:00.003-06:00

If you log onto my blog over the next couple of hours, be patient....please.
I'm working on a new look and I'm sure I'll mess up the HTML code more than once!!

Hopefully by the end of the day I'll have it figured out.

Business: New Business Cards

2009-01-27T10:57:00.009-06:00

I created two new "photo" business cards....what do you think?

Little Ones: Drake

2009-01-14T19:15:00.011-06:00

I promised this little guys mother that I wouldn't post his pictures until after Christmas. She was using them on her Christmas cards and I didn't want to ruin the surprise for any of her family members. Our first attempt at this didn't go so well. Drake wanted absolutely nothing to do with my camera, luckily on the second attempt he didn't seem to mind my presence in his house. I was happy with the pictures I got of him, hope his parents liked them too.

The Rose Family Continued....

2008-12-07T22:22:00.006-06:00

I'm just now finishing up the edit for the Rose family.

Thought I'd get a few of them up before I went to bed to give you a good start to your Monday morning!

New Favorite

2008-11-30T18:02:00.003-06:00

Finishing up Emilie's pictures....I think this is my new favorite!

More of Elijah's Senior Pictures

2008-11-30T14:21:00.008-06:00

If a few of these look as though it's cool and grey outside......it was just that.

It was only about 34 degrees with overcast skies and a light breeze, we were both just a little chilled by the end of the shoot. But working on a deadline - we didn't have much choice. Hope you find a few that you like!

Happy Anniversary M&J

2008-11-26T12:33:00.007-06:00

As I was drinking my morning pot of coffee, reading emails, checking up on my blog dashboard I quickly came to realize that today is the anniversay of M&J (of House of Rose) whom I took pictures of this past weekend. Still have most of the edits to complete, but wanted to get a few pics up for you today in celebration of your 4 years together.

I know you like the cool photo effects but I thought this picture was just too good to mess with. Hope you like it too!

For those who read the House of Rose, this is "P" that you here and see so much of........

............isn't he just too adorable!!
For most of the photo shoot, the adorable little P thought it was really funny to run away from his family all gathered together for a group picture.

But seriously, with a face like that who could get upset.
I really appreciate getting to take pictures for your family.
When I left your house I made a quick trip into C'dale and enjoyed my favorite coffee, Venti Caramel Latte - thanks!!

Happy Anniversary.

A little friend

2008-11-25T12:18:00.002-06:00

A quick pic of a little guy that joined me on a photo shoot! Isn't he cute?

When I saw him I had to do as any photographer would....take his picture!!

More of Taylor

2008-11-25T11:41:00.008-06:00

More of the ever so lovely Taylor....

Thanks for letting me take your senior pictures! I hope you like them.

A few of Elijah

2008-11-24T12:43:00.004-06:00

Below are a few quick pics from Elijah's session, more to follow in the next couple of days.

I'm off all week and hope to get ALL edits done.

Hopefully it will be a little warmer for the next set.

Thanks for letting me take your picture!

A few more of Lindsey & Ben

2008-11-23T11:33:00.005-06:00

Thought I'd share a few more from Lindsey and Ben's first engagement session before I call it a day and crawl in bed.....

I love this photo even though the one great dane isn't cooperating as well as he should.

And that's all she wrote! There are a couple more pics I like but I'm not going to show them to you in case you're related to the bride/groom - you'll just have to wait!

Lindsey & Ben

2008-11-09T22:38:00.004-06:00

Lindsey and Ben's engagement session was an interesting afternoon to say the least. We started at a local lake which you'll see below (I personally love the top picture). When we got bored there we crossed the road to a rail road track. I was excited because there was an idle train on the tracks...we start shooting pics and the conductor starts blowing his whistle at us. I was polite and approached him about being there and quickly realized that there's a reason he travels cross country by himself all of the time.....he doesn't play well with others. He told me we needed to get off the tracks. Seriously fella, we're not kids playing around moving trains - you're not even MOVING and we're not 12. But we decided to leave, to top it off - as we left he shut his engines OFF! (I love the pic's with the train, it looks as though it's moving - too bad I told you otherwise)

Okay, on to the next stop which is an old run-down factory. Super cool structure with lots of picture potential, my brian is going ninety nothing at this point. We park and duck under a gate the says "Keep Out - Private Property" and proceed to start taking some pictures (which I don't have up yet). I'm totally loving this old building and want to take bunches of pictures there but about that time I hear a car drive by and stick my head out from around the building to see a local cop drive by. Perfect timing on our part! He explains that he can see that were not vandels but the owner won't be happy when he finds out we're there so we need to leave.

So we stop a another place for a few quick shots and then head back to their house and attempt to take the picture with their four dogs (that pic is in an earlier post below). We give up on the four dogs that day and I get ready to leave only to realize that my keys that WERE hanging in my front pocket aren't there. We were in the empty lot next to their house where the grass is almost a foot tall looking for over 1/2 an hour for my keys! Luckily I did find them....here are a few from that afternoon, more to follow soon. But it's late now I must get some rest.

Future reference for anyone I'm taking pictures of, never make funny faces (or "cheesey") when I have a camera in my hands!

I'll catch it every time.

A few from Emilie's session

2008-11-09T21:51:00.004-06:00

A few quick one's from Emilie's 1st senior photo session....you'll notice that Diesel is sticking his tongue out at me.