Miss {V} Mini Session | Altus Teen Photographer

Through various circumstances Miss {V} missed her school pictures this year. So..... what's a girl to do???

Get your own photo shoot of course!!

We had such a fun time during this mini session, changing poses, expressions and backdrops! I hope she's as thrilled with the experience as I am!

The Boys Mini Session | Altus Childrens Photographer

These sweet brothers stopped by my studio just before heading out of town. They are moving to sunny California!! I'm so glad that we were able to get some fantastic, funny and light-hearted shots before their long journey.



Best of luck {P} family! You will be missed!

Year As A Military Spouse: Week 13

Week 13:



Woah, it feels like I just did this yesterday....oh wait it almost was ;) Atleast I was on my game and got this posted on the correct day! Woot!

It was another busy and fun filled week here in SW Oklahoma! Big C was allowed to use my point and shoot all by herself one day while we were playing in the backyard. She took 94 pictures!!!!! The large pic is one she took of me (ahem....with no editing) and she also took the one of her brother's feet on the bottom row. She really enjoyed herself and only 1/3 of the pics had her fingers in the way ;) The other top 2 pics were from my children's Easter party at school. The 2 horizontal pics along the side are from my photography workshop held on Saturday!!!!! It was a HUGE success! I'll try and do a separate post about the workshop, but we all had a great time!!!! Last but not least my hubby got a new job last week. No, we aren't moving from OK but he is in a new office so as is customary in the AF he got a signed lithograph from his old squadron and a nice going-away lunch!

I hope you all have a wonderful and blessed Easter week! See you again soon!

Patriotic Mini Session | Altus Childrens Photographer

The {R} Family was my first of the Spring Mini Sessions. Beth told me that she fell in love instantly with the flag backdrop so that's what we used!!!
The kids were dressed perfectly in their red, white and blue. =)

Year As A Military Spouse: Week 12

Week 12-


Ugh, the first time I haven't been on time. We had a very nice Spring Break vacation to the Dallas area! We enjoyed going to the zoo and seeing all the animals! We were all exhausted from a short stay at Great Wolf Lodge! (If you haven't been to a GWL, you should check it out!)

I hope you all had a wonderful Spring Break as well!!!

Year As A Military Spouse: Week 11

WEEK 11:



We has a very busy week! Obviously, our Irish family celebrated St. Patrick's Day! Love my kids green outfits and accessories =) In the bottom right is our St Pattys Day tradition of making rainbow cupcakes.
Back up at the top, Big C's new glove! We signed her up for Tball!
Next to that is our very green grass. It's one of those strange things I'd never seen until moving here to Oklahoma..... a green/blue weed killer & fertilizer that is sprayed on your grass every Spring. Interesting huh?
It's definitely March Madness around here! I'm originally from Michigan and a HUGE Michigan State University Spartans fan! And I'm ringing my kids up right.... of course ;) MSU is doing really well and currently in the Sweet 16! Go Green!
On Sunday it was our dogs 9th birthday! This was the most recent 'good' picture of our male dog, Dakota.
Last but not least is a picture of my first attempt of making salsa. Um....... I think I'll be trying it again, after slightly altering the recipe ;)

Well, it's Spring Break around here so we are off on vacation this week! Hope you're all having a great day! See you when we get back!

Year As A Military Spouse: Week 10

Week 10:



Mini Sessions have arrived! I did my first set of mini sessions this weekend. Those cute kids at the top did a wonderful job! When the flag backdrop was up I couldn't help but snap a pic of my little man. But he's certainly not looking so little in that pic! How can he be only 2 1/2???
We had a few nice days of sun and warm weather so I took my kids in the backyard and took some pics of our dogs while playing around with some settings on my camera. How many of you use back-button focus??? I've heard such great things about it that I had to give it a shot. While it does take some getting used to, I think I'm going to LOVE it!
After those nice sunny days, we had a cold front come through and bring rain. Lots of rain....it flooded our back yard =(
By Saturday we had dried up a little bit and I was able to go pick-up my Bountiful Basket! I LOVE having this available in our small town. I had no idea how much I was going to miss fresh fruits and vegetables when we moved from Florida. I know Bountiful Baskets aren't available everywhere, but I'd suggest you check it out to see if there is a pick-up near you!

Have a wonderful week everyone! 1 more week until Spring Break!!!

I Heart Faces: Black and White

I looooooove black & white photos!!! I wish the rest of my family did, because then I could have them all over my house ;)
One of my all time favorite photography websites, I Heart Faces is starting a new type of challenge. A monthly photo challenge with a CASH prize!!! Amazing right? On top of that each person that enters the challenge is also entered to win a prize, this month it's a Tamron 17-55mm lens!
This is a seriously awesome new twist to their challenges!

I've been fiddling around in LR3 trying to create my own B&W preset. Something that I can use on all my images in the future that speaks to my style and will save me a ton of time!



Here is a recent photo of my sweet baby girl edited only in LR3 with my B&W preset.

I'm so excited to see what unbelievable B&W's will be entered this month! Check them all out here!

Year As A Military Spouse: Week 9

Wow, Week 9! How are we already into March!??!
Last week we were quite busy! We traveled to North Texas so my husband could get some testing done. Thankfully, he did a wonderful job and passed every test. This is a big step for his ability to be allowed to fly again! The top three photos on the right are of my kids playing at a park while Daddy was testing with the doctors. Below that is a beautiful spring flowers that bloomed while we were on 'vacation.' To the left of that is my daughter thoroughly enjoying herself at a Hibachi type restaurant. It was such a fun experience for the kids! To the left of that is the view from our room on base. It's so much fun staying on base while on trips. Lastly, the picture at the top/left is my daughter playing with her new dragons. Have you seen the movie, How to Train A Dragon? My kids love it and now have the dragons to prove it ;)

Things are warming up here in OK and we are so happy to be spending more time outside! I hope you've all had a wonderful week and get to enjoy this Spring weather!

Year As A Military Spouse: Week 8

Week 8 of my photo project!


After 5 weeks, my husband returned to work. The kids and I tried to get back into a 'normal' groove. Heck, I even got to the gym 4 times! Woo hoo! In other pictures: We said good-bye to some dear friends. With all the positives to military life, there are a few real downers....friends moving away is one of them. You may have seen the {H} family on this blog often. They were one of my biggest fans and supporters. They will be deeply missed. =(
Below that picture is cosmic bowling! One of my favorite Air Force events each year here is their bowling fundraiser! I even won the silent auction for that amazing 'movie/game night' basket in the next picture!
Next to that is a pic of my freshly washed kiddos....is there anything cuter =)
Above that is a typical pic here in SW Oklahoma! This is about 2 minutes from my house...moo! At the top are pics of my kids, again. Little C is playing play-dough and Big C is sitting nicely in her new spring dress. I used this pic for my new Spring Mini Session Specials!!!

Our family is going to be out of town a few days this upcoming week, while my husband gets some testing done. This is a big moment for him, as he needs to pass to have the chance to fly again! We would appreciate any prayers you could send his way! Thanks and have a great week =)

NEW - Mini Sessions Now Available!

I am SOOO excited to announce that I am now offering Children's Studio Mini-Sessions! Only $45 for a 30 minute session in my new home studio space.

It is perfect for birthdays, holidays or just because!

Choose from my large assortment of backdrops and props. (Or bring your own.... mementos from home always add a special touch!)

These mini-sessions are customized to fit you!

Here are a few recent images of the new backdrops!




American Flag.


Pink Sparkle


Cream Tufted


Black and White Damask

Contact me for more information or to schedule a mini-session!
(These sessions are designed for children only.)

Year As A Military Spouse: Week 7

Week 7 included a LOT of food! What's not to like about that =)
First of all we celebrated Valentine's Day with flowers and chocolate. I made the 'whoopie pies' at the bottom. My husband and Big C went to the Daddy/Daughter Dance on base that night while Little C and I got some ice cream. =) Our next door neighbor baked us a large chocolate cake, YUM! We went on a little day trip this past weekend and while at Olive Garden (a restaurant we don't have in our little town) they served us this wine, a Moscato from the Puglia region of Italy. That is the exact region when my Italian ancestors are from! So, of course I had to have a glass....and it was wonderful =) This week I also attempted to make sushi for the first time. Asian/sushi restaurants are another thing we are missing in this town. The flowers are a little preview of what I'm planning for my upcoming Spring Mini Sessions! And last but not least, my kids posing with their "scare-me-not" monsters!

The {M} Family Deployment Reunion

Last week I had the amazing opportunity to photograph a families reunion after a 6-month deployment.

It was a fantastic reunion and I think the pictures speak for themselves =)











Isn't that just the look of pure love and happiness. I'm so happy this moment was captured!

PhotoJoJo

I came across a really neat picture of camera cookie cutters today and thought, "wow, what a cool idea!"


The Camera Cookie Cutter Set

So I clicked on the image and saw that it linked to an actual store called: Photojojo.

AWESOME! They have all sorts of cool and unusual camera related products.

Here are some of my favorites:


Canon Camera Lens Mugs


Digital Time-Lapse Camera


Bokeh Masters Kit


USB Film Roll

Check it out and let me know what your favorite is or if you have any of these cool products!

I LOVE finding fun new camera stuff!! Now I just wish I had an iPhone ;)

NEW - Custom Designed Slideshows!

I am so excited to share something new that I will be offering to my customers this year!

Custom Designed Slideshows!!!

These slideshows will include every edited images from the clients photo gallery and will be set to music. Once purchased, the client will have the slideshow on a disk and be able to upload it to their own blog, Facebook and share it with family! It's definitely an amazing keepsake!!!

Take a look below and two versions of a short, 30 second slideshow. The full versions can be up to 3 minutes!

My children in a "Valentine's Day" video of the quick photo session we did together...to make their Valentine's cards for school. =)

One of my favorite couples! We went out and did a "Modern Country" themed photo session. I loved everything about this!

I think everyone will LOVE having this memento from a photo session!

*Slideshows can be purchased 'a la carte' and are included in each Package.*

Year As A Military Spouse: Week 6

Phew, week 6 was a much better week!



On the last day of a visit from my husband's parents and grandparents, I took out the good camera and snapped some pictures of the kids. I love how they turned out! My husband taught my kids how to 'dance' while I was out of the house. How precious are they?? My husband ordered flowers for Big C and I for Valentine's Day. They came a bit early, but we didn't mind =) Big C had a very important moment this week: she read her first book! The picture is of Big C reading a Bob Book to my husband! I had the opportunity to have a girls night out to celebrate my 30th birthday (which was in December, but I delayed the party because of the holidays and then my husband's accident postponed the festivities until this past weekend!) We went out and all got our nails done then had dinner. It was a fabulous time! Last but not least, we got our 1st snow of the year!!!! A fun week all around!

I also had the amazing opportunity to photography a deployment reunion of some friends of ours. I will have photos of that coming up soon. The family had been apart for over 6 months! I was blessed be asked to capture the memories them!

We are so thankful for a happy, fun week. My husband did have a doctor's appointment with some good news (the break in his hand has healed) and some not so good news (the doc thinks he may have torn the MCL in his knee). But things are still good.

Thanks for stopping by again this week. I appreciate your visits!!!

Year As A Military Spouse: Week 5

Week 5: Another week down in the hubby's recovery process. His family came into town so we had a little bit of action, thankfully....only the fun kind!



Little C and I after his haircut, I took the kids to their very first high school basketball game to watch our neighbor - who is the cheerleader. (They LOVED it, although their faces don't show it in this pic.) My husband's family came in town and we went and saw some buffalo on the way to a restaurant, everyone eating pancake breakfast and we stopped by my husband's office and people placed a tumbleweed on his desk as a joke. Nice.

It was great having family in town to help us get through another week at home. There will be a doctor appointment this coming week, so hopefully good news is around the corner!

Have a wonderful week =)

Year As A Military Spouse: Week 4

I am on to week 4 of the project and I have to say that I'm really enjoying it and thankfully, remembering to take at least a few 'personal' not professional photos each week!


My husband is still recovering from the motorcycle accident. He should be home from work another 2 weeks or so. We are thankful that the military has leave that allows him to stay home and recover while still receiving all our benefits and pay. We didn't do much outside our home, because my hubby still can't get into our vehicle (Suburban).
So the pictures this week: hugs with both my kiddos. We played a lot of board games. Little C (my son) is not just beginning to be able to play with the correct rules. =) My husband growing out his beard....a nice side effect of not having to go to work. The kids playing with the tornado tube - for hours!

Thanks for stopping by. Feel free to leave a comment or any questions you may have. I have some photography related stuff coming up too!!!!

Year As A Military Spouse: Week 3

Oh boy, there's no way to really describe this week for our family. It was one of those weeks that you hope you never have to repeat.......



My husband was involved in a motorcycle accident. He was riding in a group of 5 guys (all AF co-workers) when 2 of them crashed going 70mph. - Yes, you read that right......70 miles per hour! It is nothing short of a miracle that they both weren't killed. Thankfully, both were wearing helmets and other protective gear. To save you the LONG story of the accident, hospital stay and remainder of the week.... my husband was taken to the local hospital and then released 6 hours later. He had a concussion, broken thumb and serious sprains on his right ankle, left knee and wrist. The other guy was flown to a larger hospital, had surgery on his arm, but is now home as well.



My husband, the night of the accident, his motorcycle before it got towed away, his swollen hand and broken thumb, the life-saving helmet, my mom came to help us and we are SO incredibly thankful she did, and my kids hanging out in the wheel chair.

My husband will make a full- recovery, although we don't know quite how long it will take. There are some hoops we will have to jump through to make sure he can fly again.

The military community is a very special group of people. We are family to each other. We had such an amazing amount of support, both at the hospital and once we got home. Countless numbers of visitors came to check on us and many brought us meals. I have cried through the emotions of this week, some out of fear and some out of gratitude for those around us. Our family at home is wonderful and always there for us, but we are equally as blessed to have our AF family....they are family to us because the choose to be. There isn't much better than that.

I would appreciate your prayers for the continued healing for my husband and the other guys involved in the crash this week. I certainly hope this next week isn't nearly as exciting!

Year As A Military Spouse: Week 2

Here we go for week 2!



This was a tough week.

So lets review.... My husband flew this week (well he does every week). You know its cold outside when the leather jacket makes an appearance. He had an in-flight emergency on the flight and had to make an emergency landing. They landed safely and it was probably scarier for the student than my hubby, but those are definitely some of the not-fun moments around here.

My daughter continued to work on her pre-reading skills. She also had her first dance class! That was a big success!

Unfortunately, besides the flight emergency, it was past 7pm when hubby got home several nights this week. This led to one tired and cranky momma!

The kids had playgroup at the local gymnastics place.

I had fun playing with a few new backdrops and props! Thankfully my kids agreed to be good models =)

So far I'm enjoying this project and I hope you like getting a glimpse into our 'military life!'

Year As A Military Spouse: Week 1

Wow, I'm so excited that I have some really good photos and stories to share for my first week!

I'm not sure if I will always have this many photos to share but here goes week 1 of my "Year As A Military Spouse" photo project. (Inspired by These Ladies on Facebook.)

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One of the nice things about the base we are currently stationed at (in Oklahoma) is that it is primarily a training base. And since the students weren't back in town yet, our family took the opportunity to take a mini vacation!
We played putt-putt (mini golf), took a ride on the bumper boats and went on the go carts! Fun was had by all and it was great having Daddy home with us!

We also had some unseasonably warm weather for January and took advantage of that by playing outside! That nice day led to some super cute pics of my kids =)

And last, but not least- the picture of me and the kids dressed in green. I grew up in Michigan and am a lifelong Michigan State Spartans fan! We enjoyed wearing our Spartan green while watching an awesome football bowl game! Go Green!

Year As A Military Spouse: In Pictures

Thanks to the inspiration of a group of American photographers in Germany who created a 365-challenge: Year As A Military Spouse
I plan on sharing a little bit about our military family life with all of you! I hope to keep this as a once weekly post - hopefully posting on Mondays. With pictures of course! I look forward to what this year has in store for us and sharing it with you!
My first post should be up on Monday, January 9th!

Here are a few pics for now of my Air Force Man:





And our "official" picture at the 2011 Air Force Ball =)

I look forward to hearing your feedback on this!


***Disclaimer: This is in no way meant to imply that military life is better or worse than anything else, it's just a little different and at times, unique! And for safety reasons names, dates and locations may be changed or removed. Thanks for understanding! ***