For Cortney...

While running around with the Murphy kiddos, Cortney and her 2 little ones arrived at the park. I couldn't resist taking some photos of Jada and Omar (they're going to have a gazillion photos by the time we officially take their portraits). But I can't help it... I swear, these kids have some serious cuteness genes running through them!!!






This cracks me up... don't you think it could be one of those hilarious blank greeting cards?! Hmmm... perhaps I should be contacting Hallmark?



Jada is very serious about drinking her water



This image isn't from the park. It's actually from Teryl's shower several weeks ago, but I just had to show off proof that Omar snuggled up and fell asleep on me. My heart just melted!!! Thanks for the picture, Laura!

Murphy's Monkeys!

Last Friday morning I met up with the Murphy family near school. I figured I could handle taking portraits of the 3 kiddos without Isaac. Not such an easy task, I learned... little people are SO much faster than big people! Especially big people with camera gear. It was quite a challenge to keep up with the kids- parents everywhere, I applaud you! Just when I'd get a beautiful shot lined up... ZOOM, off they'd go again. A good lesson for me- FOCUS FASTER and PRESS THAT SHUTTER LIKE MAD!!! Despite the challenges I faced with the kiddos' unbelievable speed and maneuverability, they were TOTALLY cute, and it was so fun to hear their happy giggles all morning. We started off by climbing around a "digger" in a construction site. Nolan loved that! Amazing how testosterone surges through males at such a tender, young age! Next, we moved over to the school to let the kids run around on the play structures, in hopes of them "forgetting" about me and the camera. Little Olivia (who has the most adorable curls, ever!) DID NOT like my camera, nor did she trust me for a second. She did everything she could to avoid facing me when my camera was raised. She was a tricky little gal! Riley, the oldest, was such an adorable "little mother" and not only watched over her younger siblings' every move, but helped me get some sneaky shots of little Olivia. Thanks, Riley! I'm looking forward to going back out with the Murphys- and Isaac- for some more photos, and perhaps some ice cream. Mmmmm... ice cream! Not only a wonderfully scrumptious sweet treat, ice cream is a fantastic bribery tool! I have a feeling that with a cone in my hand, I'll be one of Ms. Olivia's new best friends... =). Thanks again for the fun morning (and great work out)!!!




Nolan hanging out on the "digger"







The little momma =)



Gotcha!











Riley helped Liv hang upside down like a monkey, so I could snap away







This picture just cracks me up! See how she is looking at me WAAAY out of the corner of her eye? This is what Olivia did all morning, so ensure that she never willingly faced the camera. Too funny!!!

Baby Bump Hansen

We had the pleasure of spending Valentine's Day with our friends, Donny and Natasha, and their cute little Baby Bump! Little Ms. Hansen is due to arrive mid-March and we are so excited to meet her! We started the session at Donny and Natasha's beeeautiful villa. Donny is an incredible artist and it was such a treat to see his amazing creations accenting their home! We wandered around their neighborhood, making use of the distressed walls and lush foliage, before heading to the beach for some silly sand shots. Donny was such a great sport, and even let us build him a big sand belly- too funny! After our photo session we had a scrumptious candlelight dinner al fresco- Donny's homemade chili, my twice baked potatoes and a fresh green salad- YUM! The perfect way to spend a Valentine's day, if you ask me! Thank you, Donny and Natasha for letting us be a part of this exciting time in your life, and for such a wonderful evening! We can't wait to meet your little one!!!








My favorite photo of the day, featuring the adorable couple and one of Donny's too-cool-for-words fish sculptures! He is making us a smaller version of this angel fish- I am so excited I can barely stand it!!!















Belly pats... one of the perks of this photography gig=) Natasha's belly took on a variety of bizarre shapes throughout the session... we are pretty sure Baby Hansen knew she had an audience and was practicing her tumbling skills. I think she's going to be a firecracker, just like her daddy!





















Muah!

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

*May I vent a moment?
ARGH!!! (whistles are blowing, steam is pouring from my ears, and I'm tearing at my hair)

I do not know why my image color is still wonky and some of my pictures look all distorted (such as the one above)! These photos look so beautiful on my computer, and as soon as I put them on the web they appear lack-luster=(. I have spent far too much time already trying to tweak the photos from this session to avoid this problem, and I have finally given up, and posted anyways. Grrrr!!! (You know I am serious when I resort to growling!)

Okay, all better.

Thank you for letting me get that off my chest =). Any ideas as to how I can fix this irritating issue?

**Update
Well, after many hours of putzing and tweaking, and some more helpful advice, I think I've found a solution for fixing my photo color issues online. The photos look more like they should, so that brings me some peace=)

Donny and Natasha Sneak Peek!

I need to get myself to bed, but I couldn't resist posting one picture from our photo session with Donny and Natasha (and Baby Bump Hansen) this afternoon...




More to come soon! Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Calyn... revisited

I was just processing the last few photos for Calyn, when I stumbled upon these beeeautiful shots. Seriously, this girl could be a model! (Or moe-del, depending on your pronunciation ;) )














We have several more sessions coming up soon- we can't wait!