Making My Job Easy

Remember how I said that last Wednesday I did my first "real" people photo shoot?  Well it was both nerve wracking and fun, and I've included a ton of pictures in this post to show you how it all went.

I'm very fortunate to have photogenic children of my own, and I just wish that I had found photography when they were little, but better late than never right?  Up until last Wednesday, my kids were the ONLY people I had ever really photographed.  The idea of photographing other people really terrified me, but I knew I wanted to at least try it.

So I sent out a few emails and asked a few friends if I could practice on them or their children, and "C" was my first subject!  C is the daughter of one of my oldest friends, her mom and I have known each other since we were kids, which means I've known C since she was born...well actually even before she was born!

She and my son are just 3 weeks apart, and they practically grew up together.  Our last house was right down the street from their house, so both C and her older sister K, who is just a year younger than my daughter, were constantly at one another's houses growing up!  Our son Bugs still reminds us about how he was constantly in the company of girls growing up.  I would have to say that it made him who he is today, and one day, some lucky girl will get a husband that won't be one bit phased by everything girlie because of it!

C and her sister are both beautiful young women, and I sometimes have to remind myself when I see them that they are no longer the little kids that used to dress up at my house or sleep over!  Case in point, if you look at the photo above this one you'll notice a little photo editing which I did to appease her mom.  If you look closely, you'll see that in the first photo there's no nose piercing, but the one above has it!  I did virtually no photo editing for this shoot, except turning images into sepia or black and white and a few actions, but for my friend's sake I edited out the piercing.   My friend S admits that it's growing on her, but she's not quite there yet...give it time mom! ;-)

C was such an easy subject to photograph.  She naturally pretty, and is comfortable in front of a camera without being fake or unnatural.  I loved when I would catch her just being herself like in the shot above.

She has two horses which she keeps at a beautiful farm and the fields aglow with yellow buttercups were perfect for taking pictures.  We did wonder if there were any snakes in the grass so to speak, but she was a good sport and laid down anyway...thanks C!

And animal lover, just like her mom, from the day she was born, she brought along one of her 5 dogs (a stray she found) for the shoot.  After posing in the fields, I had the two of them jump in the back of her big 'ole truck so that I could get a few shots.  She loves this beagle to pieces, so I'm glad we could get some pictures with her pooch even if the light was kind of harsh.  I used an action on this shot to punch up the color and give it a slightly different look.

After the truck shots, we moved inside one of the barns.  I knew as soon as I arrived at the farm that I wanted to take a few shots in this space because the light was wonderful and I loved the setting!  The picture above is one of my favorites from the shoot.  I used one of Pioneer Woman's free actions on it to soften it just a bit and then I played around with the colors to slightly mute them.  I really love the way it turned out.

I love candid shots like the one above, they somehow capture the essence of a person and I think that makes for a great photo.

I also love the way adding sepia or making a picture black and white can change the whole feel of an picture!

This saddle was sitting in the same barn, and I thought it made a perfect prop for this shot.  Finding an interesting place to shoot is so important, so I felt lucky to be able to use the farm as my backdrop for this shoot.  This picture is one of her dad's favorites!

It was a gorgeous day, and even though the sun was a little intense when I took this shot, I still like how it turned out.

Here is the same basic shot, just without being cropped.

As the sun was getting lower in the sky, we moved over to a pasture where C keeps her two horses.  I love this shot and thought the texture would frame it nicely and give it a bit of a vintage feel.

Of course we had to get some shots with C and her horses!

The horses were wonderful and posed as naturally as C did!

Even before the shoot started, I knew that I wanted to try and get a few silhouetted shots if I could.  The sun wasn't quite low enough to get a "real" silhouette, but I still liked the way it turned out and how it gives you a sense of place with the water and pasture in the background.

I don't even remember what action I used on this shot, but it turned out to be one of my favorites, and also my daughter's favorite.  It just seems so natural to me, and I love the vintage 70's feel to it.  I wonder if C would mind posing as an Anthro model...I think she has what it takes, don't you?!

Thanks for indulging me and letting me share this shoot with all of you.  I quickly overcame my fear of shooting people, though I'm not sure it's the career choice for me.  And having such a beautiful and willing subject in C really did make my job easy.  Thank you C for being the perfect model!

What do you all think makes a good portrait, I would love to hear.  Is it the setting, the lighting, do you prefer color to black and white or sepia?  I would love to hear your thoughts!

Check back later this week...I'll be hosting another giveaway!

Feeling a Little Sheepish

Is there anything quite as cute as spring lambs?!

The way they jump and frolick in the fresh green grass is so cute!

Or how they play hide and seek behind an old turned over feeding trough.

I get to see these cuties each and every day, and they make me smile when I see their darling faces, and sweet wooly coats.

There are 4 of them this year, all of them have the most kissable faces.

Don't you just want to hug them?!

I hope each of you will find something to make you smile this week. 

Big Yellow Taxi

Well it's Monday again and we all know what that means...back to the grindstone!  I hope each of you enjoyed a little down time, I know my weekend gave me a much needed break.  You see, last Saturday was the three year anniversary of my father's death.  And although I know he's in a better place and no longer ill, those sorts of anniversaries always make me stop and reflect on how life used to be.

I recently had a friend who lost a family member and she shared with me the pain of not only losing that person, but also the pain of what might have been.  Things not resolved, missed opportunities, or harsh words exchanged.  Things we all deal with when someone we love leaves us.

That was the case with my own father.  We were very close, both geographically speaking and emotionally.  We were very much alike in many ways and for most of my life we had been as thick as thieves as my grandmother would have said.

After my mother's unexpected death things changed.  He met a woman who was not interested in him but in his money, and he fell for it hook, line, and sinker.  He was lonely, desperate in a way, and even though we tried to be everything for him, it wasn't enough.

When my mother was alive, we were like a Norman Rockwell painting.  Big family dinners at each holiday, a house filled with laughter, cousins playing, life was normal.  When my mother died, the glue that bound us together slowly dissolved, bit by bit, the crowd at the table got smaller.  And the information dissimenator (my mother) was no longer with us, so we all became a little less connected.

Ten months before his death, my father and I had words, things were said by both of us that needed to be said but should have never been said.  It was time, I had cracked and could not come to terms with how my father had become someone I didn't even recognize.  In my mind, he had chosen to walk away from everything he knew and loved for a perfect stranger.  The strange part is he made a choice, but we never asked him to.

Often times when families have problems, it seems like there is one person who bears the brunt, and I was the chosen one for some unknown reason.  Maybe it was because I look a lot like my mother, or maybe it was because I was the closest to my father in distance so he needed me out of the picture to pursue this relationship that he knew was toxic.  I'll never really know.

All I know is that it was a pain like no other, and one I hope to never inflict on my own children, but we can't predict the future any more than we can change the past can we? 

The years of stress, and ultimately not speaking to my father before he died (a choice I am still comfortable with today) came at a huge price.  I ended up with an adrenal gland and thyroid that gave up the ghost in response to everything.  And I've spent the last 3 years just trying to get my once healthy body back to some sort of level playing field again.

It's getting there, and I'm much better now.  But the point of my story isn't about woe is me, it's not about hanging on to the anger, the hurt, or even the pain.  It's about letting other people know that life is full of challenging relationships, difficult times, and hard decisions.  And it's what we do when faced with all of those things that really matters.

Although it's sometimes hard to bare your soul, sometimes it is that very act that frees us, and it can sometimes even help someone else in the process.

I like to say that my life went from Norman Rockwell to Jerry Springer in just 6 months time.  And although I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy, the experience made me much stronger, more in touch with who I am and able to face almost anything and know I will come out on the other side a better person than I was the day before.

Life is full of choices, easy ones and tough ones, happy ones and sad ones, but the fact remains that they are our choices to make.  I have chosen to be happy, to move forward, and to remember the good instead of the bad.

If life is a sum of it's parts, then I'm on the plus side and for that I am grateful.  You see, my father was a good man, and I was a good daughter.  The cabin in the photos above was something he built for all of his grandchildren.  My mother helped him and filled it with things as though it was her only home.  Birthday dinners were held there, mine included.  Sleepovers filled with giggles, lanterns, and a hot breakfast made on a woodstove happened there.

When I walk this property that once belonged to my grandparents, I am transported back in time, back to when I was a child, learning to drive a tractor, picking vegetables in the garden, feeding the horses sugar cubes pilfered from church each Sunday...I think God would have approved!

It's a place where old machinery is never discarded but stacked in hopes of being useful again someday, to someone.

The carefully groomed fields which once had horses and cows roaming freely are now overgrown and a bit neglected.   We had to put a sign on the cabin and around the property line telling others to "Keep Out" and "No Trespassing!" 

Trails which used to be used to haul lumber and for hayrides in the snow now lay dormant and some are completely impassible.  And time waits for no one as the saying goes, with suburbia surrounding this once quiet place.

What you can't see in these pictures is how strip malls ring this beautiful property, and you can't hear the hustle and bustle of people living there in spite of its history.  Tranquility has given way to car noise and people now outnumber the deer, squirrels, and birds which once roamed the vast acreage that surrounded our little farm.

Yesterday, as I wandered around our farm, now owned by my siblings and myself, I realized that my grandfather wouldn't still be living there if he were alive.  He would have long since sold this land and moved to a place just like it, but way far out in the country, maybe even back in the Blue Ridge Mountains from which he came.

And I also realized that like this place, I had changed, that I too hadn't stood still and that I had moved on.  But like the giant oak trees that stand guard on this plot of land, a part of it will always live inside me.  It's burned on my heart, carved into my memory, and part of what makes me...ME!

One day, like everything around it, it will be a strip mall, a restaurant, or a movie theater.  And like the song says "Don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you got till it's gone, they paved paradise and put up a parking lot."  But in my heart, it will never change!

To my friend, and you know who you are, I hope you find comfort for the memories of the bad times, and pure joy in those of great happiness.   Choose to live without regret...by choosing to live out loud!

(I used several Flora Bella Textures on all of the photos above, including Ethereal, Memory, and Attache all in warm)

I am in a musical mood these days, so here's another little song for you to enjoy...

Down On The Farm

The birth of a child is always special, but when it's your first born, that thrill is magnified.  The nervousness, the excitement, the anticipation all add to this important time in people's lives.  Finding just the right outfit to bring the baby home in, or the perfect crib bedding are all part of the fun when it comes to planning for your first child.

Today, there are so many great products on the market to make a baby's nursery a special and calming space to come home to.  But it's sometimes those little touches, like a handmade blanket or special piece of furniture passed down through the generations that makes a room truly special for that tiny little bundle of joy.  

This spring, I had the privilege of photographing a nursery that showcases a mother's amazing artistic talents and ability to create a one of a kind space for her darling baby boy!

 

Mary Beth Griffin is a talented artist who specializes in faux finishing, custom painting, and mural work.  Her artistic abilities are well known throughout Maryland and DC, but one of her most special works is the full room mural she created for her tiniest client, her newborn son!

Taking her cue from the home's beautiful location, Mary Beth created a farm scene which envelopes the entire room.  Living on a family farm along the water's edge, she incorporated details from the property's past and present to bring to life the scenes of every day farm life!

When I visited, Mary Beth and her husband Joe were still expecting the birth of their first child, and you could tell that she was tickled pink and ready to finally meet her new charge.

She beamed as she spoke about the impending birth, and the nursery spoke volumes about how truly loved this baby was going to be by both of his parents!

Everything from the books to the bedding were picture perfect and just waiting for the new arrival.

But what took my breath away was the incredible artwork which adorned every wall!

And the attention to detail was absolutely awe inspiring!  I thought I went all out when I stenciled a sailboat border for my son's room, and sewed Beatrix Potter curtains for my first child, but this nursery was beyond wonderful!

Just look at this darling model bi-plane that they suspended from the ceiling so that it looks like it's pulling a banner...so very unique and cute!

And Mary Beth found a great dresser and changing table and gave them a fresh coat of bright blue paint to make everything in the room colorful and cheerful!

I love all of the cute decorative accessories, like the polka dot lampshade and the flower pots filled with bright red and yellow poppies.  And of course every baby needs a piggy bank, this one is perfect!

Everywhere you turn in this room there is something wonderful to look at!  I'm partial to old farm trucks since we owned a '56 Chevy pick-up when I was growing up, and I even got to drive it until I went away to college, so Mary Beth's rendition of this one brings back fond memories.

Along with being beautifully decorated, the room gets tons of natural light, and the views are equally as charming.

And when he gets a little older, he can peek out the windows to see all of the real life animals in the fields beyond!

Even on a cloudy day, it's still a sight to behold!  This property has been in Joe's family for years, so to raise the next generation here makes it very special.

But before this little guy can run around with his own prized pig or little calf...

He can dream about the animals that adorn his walls.

It's hard to believe but several months have passed since I shot these photos, and I got a chance to see this sweet baby boy just a little over a week ago at a local beach party.  As proud as his parents were before he arrived, that feeling has only increased 10 fold now that he's here.  And he is just so cute and happy!

I think his contentment may have something to do with the loving environment that his parents have provided for him, even before he was born.  I know that in the coming years he'll be able to look all around his room, point to the animals and equipment, learn their names and know that someone really loves him to have created such a wonderful place for him to call home!

If you would like to contact Mary Beth Griffin to have her transform your home a little or a lot, simply click HERE