Learn to "Let It Go"

    Notice I title it LEARN to Let It Go.  Periodically (like once every 6 months) I watch an episode of 20 Kids and Counting on Netflix. You know, the Duggar family that has so many kids and they drive a big bus everywhere and spend like amazing amounts of money at the grocery store?  One of my favorite quotes from that show is something Michelle, the mom, said regarding their music lessons. Her saying is "Practice makes progress".  That has stuck with me and periodically I will remind the kiddos of that simple truth.  There is no progress without practice though, and almost always no progress without a bit of failure, or at least reaching beyond your comfort level into the zone where you might possible fail, or in my case, not get the pictures I knew we could get.

     Last week I had the privilege of taking pictures of a sweet family that drove all the way from Midland to see me :).  My mom's reaction was "Wow!".  Silly mom, she didn't know I was so famous (ha ha).  It was time for this particular group's annual treck to SA for photos.
     The shoot went beautifully.  Their family is amazing and so photo friendly.  The girls are so well behaved and just sweet little girls, even if the oldest did MAKE me call her Elsa.  I was ok with that.  I would rather be the kiddos friend while I'm trying to photograph them.  A child that's scared of you does not make for a good photo subject. So, you know, let it go!

*Notice Elsa.  If Mom is Ok with it, I'm Ok with it. I have a

favorite maternity photo of mine where #2 is holding 

a little tiny plastic cow.  It brings back those moments for me

almost like the smell of crayons!

     This is the part where I reveal to you the difficulties in this shoot and how we overcame them. Anyone who has been a photographer for any amount of time knows that there really is no "perfect" or seamless shoot.  And if there is, that means you probably didn't try something new. Other than the humidity and these poor folks dressing as if it were late fall for the sake of a Christmas card photo, the little sister did NOT want to take pictures by herself.  I had her pick flowers and we tried engaging her making her laugh, but nothing worked to get beyond her serious face.  Some children are in a constant state of observation and their face reflects this.  They aren't sad or mean; maybe more quiet than most because they are just soaking up their surroundings like a sponge, so that's what I want to capture.  But when I saw this little girl play with her mom and her sister, and the fact that she would smile and hold my hand and we were "tight"(!) while walking from one shooting area to another, I knew she was hiding the personality and the soul I wanted to capture.  I knew that the only answer would be to take photos while her mom was playing with her, maybe even in them.  Let it go!

     She reminds me so much of my #2 child (yep, the infamous "middle").  Quiet, observant, painfully shy, but such a huge heart that usually only the under-dogs of a group get a quick glimpse of.  She has a sassy posed red carpet side, but you'll only see it during a full moon or a long shower.  So the mom held her, swung her, played with her and we got some sweet shots of a real smile.  I love capturing those smiles because they are unique to a moment between a mother and daughter.  In some instances the differences between that smile and a tickle smile or another one I can stir up are small, but these are the details a mother (and others close to them) will appreciate after seeing the finished product.

     The Hyatt Hill Country provided the perfect backdrop for our shoot that took right about 45 minutes.  The Hyatt has a beautiful landscape and a variety of areas to shoot that are beautiful and unique to the others.  Cedar Post Fences, Xeriscaping, paved flagstone walkways, greenery, and knee-high stone walls are just a few of the areas we chose to shoot in.
     So keep this in mind for your next family photo or the next time you shoot.  If a child is not cooperating with individual shots, my philosophy is that pushing them continually just makes it worse to the point of no return!  Don't resist letting the parents hold them while you shoot.  Just may warm them up enough that they'll want to do it!
     What are your thoughts or common struggles with family shoots and how do you handle them?

Tales of a Fourth Grade {CIRCUS!}

I'm re-entering the blog world to try and catch up with the rest of the universe that tweets, blogs, vlogs, whatever.  I said "try" so don't take me too seriously, meaning, I don't really know what I'm doing.  However, that being said, I know what has worked for me whether it is related to photography, family, cooking, child rearing ideas/theories, or the art of little girl hair or home studios.  Most of this was learned through trial and error, so in an effort to save others some time and trouble, I will attempt to put some of these things out there in blog space.  I definitely don't know everything and I've learned that the only constant is my need for flexibility.

Recently I've had a couple of things affecting the normal balance of my circus act.  Self-imposed things.  I am all about organizing and streamlining and making things work more efficiently. Sometimes we try new stuff and it bombs so we just let it die a natural death.  Take the
chores for instance.  Or tickets for good behavior.  Or the projector and huge projector screen I bought specifically for my new studio when we were building the house.  I've never used it.  Ever (the screen with projector).  My attempts at organizing lately were probably the result of
school starting and the rush that it always seems to be.  I must be organized or things just don't happen.  And photography.  My busy season has officially begun as fall is right around the corner, so I'm trying to get as organized as humanly possible.  I made binders for business and for home to help with that.  I printed out the cutest templates from Pinterest that were free after making a few changes to customize them to my needs.  For home it helps me be more on top of bills, things to sign, and also has info for reference.  Also has a cute babysitter page that I was probably the most excited about (to use it, that is!).  I used a combination of pages from Pinterest and www.sissyprint.blogspot.com.  I did a custom cover but really you can do whatever.  For my business, I'm using it to help me keep track of receipts, taxes, etc.  All the fun and important things that are more easily viewed against a lime green and pink chevron background.  Amazingly, that does really help.  Really.  Helps me want to look at the stuff I'd rather procrastinate.  So grab a binder while they're on sale and print up your binder pages!

The second thing that has rocked my balance lately is a book called "Boundaries With Kids", by Dr. Henry Cloud & Dr. John Townsend.  It's from a Christian perspective but I do believe that the logic behind it would be appreciated by any audience.  And I say Christian perspective, but
I don't feel like it's a big influence.  Mostly the book is about teaching realistic perspectives to your kids and allowing natural consequences to take place instead of "saving" them from themselves, essentially.  I'm writing this like I totally do that, right?  Nope.  But I am stopping myself more from "saving" them.  My oldest left her homework at school the other day so we just read and practiced math, but as soon as she realized she left it there she was immediately overcome with anxiety.  If they don't bring their homework in completed the next day they get a folder mark (it's also what they get for misbehaving).  In her mind this would absolutely be the end of her life as she knows it, for this child has a spotless record.  And there is no Defensive Behavior class to clear it.  She would probably have to register as a "Folder Mark Criminal".  Damaged goods.  But instead of telling her I would save her and write her teacher a long note explaining how she left the homework there and we
spend hours upon hours on homework every night so I was actually glad it happened, I helped her grasp the inevitable consequence in her mind and start dealing with the feelings it brings.  We talked about how she will probably always remember that physical feeling of her heart dropping into her stomach and it would not happen again.  It's a mistake that she learns from and it's no big deal.  It's a reminder.  Just like speeding tickets...not easily forgotten and it has the amazing ability to cause your body to go into complete and total shock.  But it's what she learns to do with that shock that is important.  If I remain calm and don't put more shame or punishment on her for her mistake and just show her some sincere empathy and love, the natural consequence will be it's own punishment.  I'm not the bad guy anymore.  So there is still a since of grace with this thinking, but how easy it is to find this grace and empathy from deep within us depends on how emotionally involved (or provoked) we become with the situation.  My new "line" in my head for when we have a "situation" is
remain calm.  Yes, I need to help solve the problem and find the words to help them sift through all the stuff to get to the reality and figure out if someone is responsible or guilty or provoking, but I cannot become emotional.  She is a perfectionist like her mommy but she must learn to deal with mistakes that will come and things that are out of her control, which means accept and move on instead of trying to find ways to change the situation.

I still have a few times left (and I'm slowly creating more) for my Fall Mini Sessions on Saturday, October 18.  I have morning and late afternoon/early evening appointments in 20 minute blocks.  I know it's not humanly possibly to do a shoot for every single one of the clients I have that
want one for Christmas cards, gifts or just family pictures, so these Mini Sessions help me fit more in and because it's super efficient, it's at a discount.  If you're interested please contact me.  And if that day doesn't work, I'm also opening up a FEW times on September 21 in the late afternoon.  These Fall Mini Sessions are $150 for the session plus 5 digital images of your choice.  For $250 you get the session plus the entire set of digital negatives from that session on a cd.  20 minutes doesn't sound like much, but really clients have said that they've gotten all they need in that little block of time- family pictures (even with pets), individuals of kids, mom and dad together, siblings, some more
traditional shots and some candid shots.  We're shooting at Walker Ranch Park off West Avenue which has a variety of super duper cool natural backgrounds (think fields, windmills, BIG oak trees, a super cool bridge, thick greenery).  And I'll post about my Santa dates once I hear back from the North Pole and get a price :).  Text me, message me or email me if you want a quicker reply than a
phone call  although I will return those as well but it may take longer with my pack of girls always talking about something.  Never fails :).  I know, just say it.  Someday I'll miss it, right?

So there.  That's it.  A slice of my brain from this week with whipped cream and a cherry on top.

Happy Birthday, P!

Last week I was so honored to photograph this cute little man that I met about this time last year. He has such great manners, listens so well, and has a very extensive vocabulary! You can tell he has great parents who spend lots of time with him. We had a lot of fun at his shoot (even though I barely had a voice) with mommy and grandma there. We mostly played with his fire engines, trucks and cars, but also watched him ride his tricycle. He insisted that he wear his helmet when on his bike, so we got a couple of funny pictures from that! :) Here are a few of my

favorites from our fun day!

Yay for me!

I'm finally catching up with the rest of the world and starting a blog! I've been watching everyone else do this and just wasn't ready to take the plunge. It seems like a big commitment, but I guess I've realized that this is the best way to keep my life- photography, kids, husband, etc.- all rolled into one "update". I love milestones of any kind, but especially when it comes to my children (and also my work). I want to share this with whoever wants to read it! So, here we go!