Merry Christmas!

Updating for 2012

Hi everyone! I'm working on updating my blog for 2012, so please bear with me through some of the changes =)

Merry Christmas!

Moo Is AWESOME

If you've never checked out moo.com before, you need to! Last year I started researching different companies that make business cards. And believe me.......there are A LOT of them out there! But I finally came across Moo! They have the most amazing technology (Printfinity) that allows you to print a different image on the back of each card! This is the PERFECT way for photographers to show-off and advertise their images! I purchased a set of these last year and when they arrived I was SO pleased with the quality! The cards are THICK, really thick. There is no way a potential client will let this card get lost with all the other cards they may have. This one stands out from the crowd. And from experience I can say the customers love looking through my cards and being able to choose the card with the image they like best!

If you're in the market for business cards or any of the other cool products they sell (stickers, mini-cards, postcards, etc.) please use this referral link:

http://www.moo.com/share/sc8dr8

Thanks so much and feel free to leave me a comment if you have used and love MOO!

What To Wear Wednesday

WOO HOO! December! Our final installment of What To Wear Wednesday in 2011!

December is an extra special month for my family. Not only do we celebrate Christmas, but both my and my daughter's birthdays are in December. And to top it off, our birthdays are on the same day! Crazy right? We think it's quite special =) So in honor of my daughter and I the outfits this month are based on a Mother/Daughter session.





Any of these adorable outfits would look great for a special, girls only photo session!

My First Composite

Hey everyone, I'm about 1/2 way through the busy season and having a great time. But not only am I working on photographs of beautiful families but I get to work on images of my own kids!!! We need a Christmas card too ;)

So, after a quick outdoor sitting at the local resort I had some cute pics of my babies....but as I'm sure you all understand getting a 2 year-old and a 3 1/2 year-old to smile at the same time is next to impossible!

So, here is my very first composite!!!!!!


A great picture of my daughter.


A great picture of my son. (I asked my daughter what was going on here, she just laughed hysterically and said that she looked like a pirate. Great ;)


A beautiful composite!!!!!!!!!!

I think this opens up a whole new world to me =)

What To Wear Wednesday

In the November installment of What To Wear Wednesday I'm inspired by BOLD colors for family portraits!




These colors just jump off the page and would look amazing for a fun, fall family portrait!!!

What To Wear Wednesday

In October's installment of What To Wear Wednesday we're finally reaching FALL!!!Ah, the cooler weather is finally approaching and we can break out the long pants and rich colors! =)




LOVE this! It just looks fun and the color palette is so 'October-ish!'

Oklahoma Sunset

Here is a recent Oklahoma sunset from my rear-view mirror!

Beautiful....driving down a dirt road. Good 'ol Oklahoma! =)

Busy Season

Oh man. I'm sure you've seen these same words around the photography blog-o-sphere. It's busy season! I don't mean to be neglecting my lovely blog, but I'm busier outside taking photographs!!! It's a great thing =)

Stick with me, soon things will calm down and I'll have tons of posts full of beautiful babies and families!

To hold you over here are my 2 beautiful kiddos:

Big C

Little C

Edit Me Week 20

I've had the oppotutnity to photograph a few newborns recently so I totally connected with this week's Edit Me photo from Kala!

SOOC:

My Edit:

I used ACR to warm up the photo and added contrast. Then in PSE7 I cloned out some of the baby stuff on her face than ran 2 actions from the NEW Florabella action set! Beautiful!!!

Edit Me Week 18

Week 18's picture is of a place I've actually been to! The Navy Pier in Chicago! That was quite a long time ago (high school trip) but I definitely remember the fun we had hanging out down there!


The image this week is brought to us by the one and only, Kathryn - the Edit Me challenge co-host!


Here is Kathryn's SOOC:







My Edit:








I went a little wild and crazy this week! I brightened it up a bit in ACR and then wanted to play with some of the effects in PSE7. I almost NEVER go into the effects palette, but for some reason it was calling me tonight ;) Under the Brush Strokes tab I selected "Accented Edges." After that I ran a color pop action. I like it and think it reflects the fun and crazy nature of the Navy Pier!

What To Wear Wednesday

For the September installment of What To Wear Wednesday I'm focusing on Seniors, in honor of all the students returning back to school!!!



One of the best things about Senior sessions is the amount of fun outfit changes they have!!! These are 4 great choices to show a variety of looks, lengths and styles that would lend to an awesome variety of images!!!

Edit Me Week 17

We're back from our Labor Day vacation just in time for this weeks, Edit Me Challenge!


Our image this week is from: Jill Samter Photography. What a beautiful farmhouse photo! I wish it were that green here in Oklahoma!


SOOC:








My Edit:








I opened the image up in ACR and made some minor exposure adjustments to brighten the picture. The in PSE7 I ran Florabella's Vivid Color action and painted over the reds, blues and greens. That really made the colors POP! Then a ran a "sunshine" action to further brighten and warm up the photo. Lastly, a little sharpening. That's it!





Thanks for stopping by and feel free leave some commment love and check out other beautiful edits.

Edit Me Week 16

We have another sweet beach themed photo this week! Oh, how it makes me miss Florida and look forward to the day when I can get my kiddos back and take some beautiful images like this!

Before:


My Edit:





I made minor adjustments in ACR then opened it up in PSE7. I ran a sun-flare action and then Florabella's B&W Champagne Haze. I really like the sun-filled, dreamy look!

Stop by Branson's blog for all the other beautiful edits!

I Heart Faces: White

The theme this week at I Heart Faces is white!
My son turned 2 yesterday (Sunday) and I pulled out my white backdrop and took some birthday shots of him. This is definitely one of my favorites from that day!




Happy 2nd Birthday Little Man!!!

The {B} Family

It was another scorcher on the day of the the {B} families photo session. BUT, they handled it like champs! Just amazing for a family of 6!
I just about fell over when I saw the two boys with their hair styled in little spikey mohawks! I LOVED IT! Everyone got to wear 2 outfits so we had a wonderful array of looks, backgrounds and styles for this great group. Enjoy!

Pixel Perfect Blog Hop

It's been a while since I've joined Monica's blog hop. But I really liked this image from a recent photo session.

SOOC:




This cute little guy was playing with the airplanes I had brought with me while sitting on my favorite blue bench.


Edit:


I ran it through LR3 along with all the other photos from the session. I did the basic color, exposure and contrast edits. Then I brought it over to PSE7. The airplane was distracting in the image so I got rid of it using the cloning tool. I then ran Florabella Luxe II Timeless action. Then MCP's Eye Doctor action. That's it! I great image of this adorable little man!

Edit Me Week 15

Another great image this week in the Edit Me Challenge. There have been a few changes with the challenge as Branson is taking some much deserved time off and sharing the challenge with Kathryn at OurTinyBigLife!


Here is the before image:



From Jamie. What cute and colorful outfits on these little girls! My daughter would LOVE this!


My edit:







I opened it in ACR and made some slight exposure changes and increase the vibrance and saturation. Then in PSE7 cropped out the grass. Although I liked the green, I thought it was not necessary in the picture. I ran Florabella Luxe II Sugar action. It added a pink "sugary" tone that I liked alot for this image. Then I ran Florabella Luxe II action Vivid Paint to paint over the color on the girls outfits to add an extra pop!


Thanks for stopping by and I'd love to hear what you think of my edit. Then stop by Branson's blog to see all the other amazing edits!

2011 Fall/Holiday Specials

I'm so excited to announce my 2011 Fall & Holiday Specials!







I'm looking forward to a wonderful fall season with the best clients ever!

Edit Me Week 14

Another water/boat theme this week on Branson's Edit Me Challenge! This image was a bit of a challenge for me, as I wasn't completely sure what direction I wanted to go. But I ended up for a more dramatic edit than I usually do and even added some texture!!!



Before:






My Edit:




I made very minor adjustments in ACR, then in PSE 7 I made a large crop to focus on the boat and dock. Then I ran the Coffeeshop action: Color Pop. After that I chose a subtle hazy texture and changed the blending mode to hard light and the opacity to 30%. There ya have it =) Head on over to the Edit Me challenge to see what other amazign edit were made to this image!!!

The {O} Family

The second session I had the opportunity to shoot was for the {O} family. They have been long-time family friends of my parents. I was thrilled when Sandi contacted me to do a family session with their two young boys.

She warned me that it may be the toughest session I've ever done ;) I assured her that it would be fine and that we'd get some great images. While the boys were not bringing the big smiles that day, we did get some wonderful family, fun pictures =)

I Heart Faces: 1st Day of School Sparkle

What an amazing theme for this week's challenge at I Heart Faces! EYES! I have to admit I'm totally partial to my little guy's eyes =)








Here he is this morning on his first day of Preschool! Those baby blues are just sparkling ;)

The {M} Family

While I was in Arizona, I had the opportunity to do 3 photo sessions. What an honor it is to have wonderful clients in Oklahoma and "back home" in the Phoenix area!



The first session I did was for the {M} family. Melissa has been a friend of my husband's since they were in school! Melissa contacted me about doing a mini-session for her parent. What a wonderful gift!!! Of course, she was there too and I had to get her in a few pics as well =)




This was the first time I had met Melissa or her parents and let me just say how absolutely wonderful and charming they all were! I can't wait to get back to AZ and see them again =)

The {S} Family

I LOVED this session, everything about it. The {S} family was one of the very first families we met when we moved to Oklahoma. Vicki and I became fast friends and during one of our long conversations, she gave me the push I needed to venture out into the photography business! Their family was out of the state for a while and I was SO thrilled when they returned that she asked for a family session with a special little twist of doing some pictures for Sophia's 3rd birthday!!!

There were SO many images that I LOVED from this session that I couldn't choose so you're going to see a lot of them! Even Titus, the dog was included =)

Enjoy, I know I did!!!






Super silly girl with her daddy!




I don't remember why they were laughing, but I love this shot!
Titus looking so regal! Granted it was 105 degrees outside!


I LOVED this blue parasol and it matched perfectly with her dress and little tutu from her birthday party!


Does it get better than a pink tutu with cowgirl boots and a splash of attitude?!?




This was literally the last picture I took. I LOVE everything about it =)

What a memorable session. I just don't know how they are going to choose a favorite ;)