It is with great honor that I announce my Giving is Awesome petition for this Christmas season. Last year the entries were incredibly heart warming and overwhelming. This is a new season and I know you know someone who could use a little boost in their spirits this Christmas.

You know someone. You know someone who’s experienced a tragedy, is struggling to stay afloat, is raising kids while holding down more than one job, or is volunteering selflessly despite extenuating personal circumstances. You know someone who can’t afford custom photography, but who would cherish it this holiday season. You know someone who deserves a year-round reminder of their family’s spirit, love, and beauty.

You know someone. I guarantee it.

I want to know who they are, and I want to give them the chance to experience complimentary custom photography – $1,265 worth, to be exact on me! That’s right, the fabulous find collection will go to the winner and it’s in your power to help me find a family who truly deserves it this holiday season. Need a reason to nominate someone???  Here goes…the person who nominates the winner receives a $250 print credit. I want to make someone feel absolutely special this Christmas so please help me find a family who would truly cherish this gift.

The rules:

* You cannot nominate yourself, and the person nominated must sincerely be incapable of purchasing my services. (Blowing their cash on their trip to Hawaii or the sweetest ride out there doesn’t count as financial need.)

* The nominee must reside in the Fairbanks area. Tell me who you know, what they’re experiencing, and why they deserve my artwork. Please include a way to contact both your nominee and yourself as well.

* You must e-mail me the full story : cassy@exposures-studio.com

* Shoots will take place in the Spring, Summer, Fall of 2010 – a date mutually decided on by me & the recipient.

The winner will be announced on Christmas Eve…get nominating! Please share this with your friends and family – the more people we reach the better. I can’t wait to read all of your entries! Open your heart to someone this holiday season – and thanks for giving me the opportunity to open mine.

Cheers!

Cassy

We got a special treat of going to Seattle for a quick trip with my dear cousin, Michelle and her family. We only had time for a day trip to the zoo as a group, but it was worth it! I didn’t get many great shots of the day, but these few are fun…

Marek & Lael would wait for the otters then bolt when one came up to see them!

Our little snow leopards!

Zavier has the most fierce growl I’ve ever heard – seriously if I didn’t know better I would have thought a jaguar was there! He and Jahnna were giving their best growl…

After Seattle we headed for Pennsylvania…

I like to pretend I can sew and I tackle projects like making a quilt or pillows or halloween costumes and instead of patterns I use logic and ask myself how might these pieces go together…the results are usually pretty impressive if I do say so myself. The ladybug was a fun one!

This year we were lucky enough to spend Halloween in Pennsylvania and I can assure you I was stoked to trick-or-treat with a light jacket and not 5 layers of clothes. It was great! The bummer was Lael didn’t have any kids to join her so she’d see a random group on the street and take off running yelling “hey guys wait for me!” It was pretty cute!

Here’s the little ladybug getting her wings…

Never-mind that my logic of how the wings might stay on failed me…I thought giant construction staples and broken chopsticks would hold the straps on and keep the wings connected together. It sounded good right?!  So what if I was wrong and she didn’t wear them, that’s okay – we have a picture.

So who puts this awesome display in their yard then doesn’t have candy for the kids?! This house, that’s who…

Our real reason for our trip to Pennsylvania is Michael’s sweet Nan celebrated her 90th birthday and we wouldn’t have missed it for anything!

Nan is the hardest working woman I have ever met! Everyday she works in her yard or around her house to keep herself busy. While we were there we had to cut down a huge pine tree and she was right in the throws of it loading and pushing the wheel barrow down her two acre lot and back. When it was empty she’d toss Lael in for a ride back up! Oh and a little side note, she’s the tiniest woman…only 4 foot 8ish.

She lost her husband of 70 years a little over two years ago and though she’s lonely she doesn’t let it get her down – she puts herself in God’s hands everyday and lives by her faith. She is an inspiration and an incredible example for our marriage, our faith and our work ethic. She’s incredible and we love her dearly!

She did not want 90 candles on her cake so we settled for a little bunch in the corner.

Family…faith…health…healing…fun…lazy days…safety…snowy walks…baby belly laughs…silliness…     for all the simple things that make our life complete, I’m thankful.

Happy Thanksgiving!

It’s been a while since I dedicated a post to our girl. She’s my favorite subject and with the crazy schedule of life my images of her get filed in their special folders to be enjoyed at a later date. Every morning I wake early to get my work done while she snoozes quietly next to me. She doesn’t mind the clicks of the computer or that she’s snuggling next to the cold, hard laptop. Lael inspires my work and her patient manner in front of the lens helps me to better my craft. She is patient with me when I work and allows me to easily balance my time with her and my work. I watch her mimic me as she carries my old 35mm around to photograph her ‘clients’ – usually the dog. The workings of the old camera intrigue and challenge her – I often hear the timer buzzing and then an ‘I made it just in time’ comes out of her mouth. Recently she said ‘I’m your little photographer momma’ – I imagine there will be some incredible images coming out of this little one in the not so distant future. My heart is more full than I ever imagined possible because of our girl. Enjoy a few of the many images we’ve filed away.

I’ve been dreaming about this shot since the ground was snow covered and summer shoot cravings consumed me! First, I needed a mom who trusts me enough to allow her week old baby to float in the pond and a baby calm enough to sit still for me. I found the right mix and for a first stab at the concept I’m pleased! It wasn’t without drama and great effort for sure…it’s 37 degrees out and the sun is quickly setting. We pull up, check the water, test the bowl to make sure it’ll work, get Max dressed and everything appears to be set. I forgot my waders so I take my shoes off and roll up my jeans. We look up and we’ve got company – over comes a happy black lab to check us out. We say hi to the pup and hope he’ll leave. Seems like we can keep him occupied and out of the water until…over comes two very large rottweillers! Okay now we are nervous. They seem to be nice so we settle down and hope they will all leave. After ten minutes of trying everything to get them to leave with no luck, Max’s trusting mom decides she’ll play with the dog crew while I do my thing with Max. Into the cold water we go – baby in bowl, bowl floating, (albeit a little lopsided) it’s go time! I get comfortable enough to let the bowl go and the wind quickly pushes it towards the shore. Out he goes again and just as I get a couple shots fired, Mom yells “Cassy, the dogs are coming!”. I steady the bowl and prepare for them to join us in the water, but Mom is a quick thinker and lures them away again. Okay, baby has to go out a little further so I can get the shot I want before the wind blows him to close to me – out he goes, shots fired…um is he starting to wiggle? I throw my camera on my back and grab the bowl, settle Max and steady the bowl. Here we go again…out he floats for one last shot – GOT IT! Phew! My heart was racing – I could hear the dogs fighting in the distance as I was watching the baby in the viewfinder and freezing in the water all at once. It was an ordeal,but worth it don’tcha think?! I’ll share more of this shoot in the coming weeks so check back. Enjoy!

Oh and I love comments – so call me crazy, show me some love, whatever, just let me know you’re checking in!

We took a couple quick trips while my in-laws were in town from Texas. Our first adventure led us WAY up north to Coldfoot, Wiseman and Adigan Pass. And what an adventure it was! The temperatures varied from 60 in Fairbanks to a windy 20 degrees in the pass. We saw caribou, sheep, moose, incredible rock formations, the ice jam on the Yukon and the treacherous and famous Adigan Pass the truckers brave on their way to Prudhoe Bay.  

We met a lovely family in Wiseman and stayed at their cozy bed and breakfast called the Arctic Getaway.  If you are ever headed up North look them up – the cabin is immaculate and has all the comforts of home and they’ll cook you an incredible breakfast to boot. Wiseman is beautiful, quiet and full of history and I am so happy I got to see it. 

Us girls were prepared to have dinner at the Coldfoot truck stop and were so surprised when we found out instead we’d be having a late night king crab feast at the cabin what a great Mother’s Day treat!

Just before our family went home we took a day trip to Denali and Cantwell. We have a piece of property in Cantwell that we feel incredibly blessed to have found. The last two shots were taken a couple minutes from our property on the Jack River. We feel ‘at home’ there and cannot wait to be able to build our cabin there. After playing in Cantwell for a couple hours we went 30 miles back into the park then out to dinner in Denali. We had an awesome day!

Amazing weekend, girlfriends and scenery! We had an incredible time with our book club on our first overnight adventure. Laughing so hard our cheeks hurt, hiking so high our buns hurt, eating so much our bellies hurt and some of us drinking so much our heads hurt! It was a very special trip with very special girlfriends. Since I was on ‘vacation’ I only captured images from our hike and saved the silly ones for the others. Thank you to these 8 amazing gals, I sure love you. To M & R you must join us next year – you were sadly missed. Enjoy!

at my house with my nieces usually consists of photo shoots, cooking good food, watching movies and chatting up the latest teen drama. It is my hope that these nights will hold a special place in the memory of these sweet girls like girls night with my auntie Dee Dee does for me. Each one of my nieces and nephews are a treasure to me and I hope I am able to making a small difference as they carve their way through life. I love each and every one of you – thank you for being you. Enjoy!

To see a world in a grain of sand

And a heaven in a wild flower,

Hold infinity in the palm of your hand and eternity in an hour.

by: William Blake

While my Dad was reading my blog over the weekend this quote came to mind and he and mom shared it with our family. It holds so much in three short lines and gives one a lot to ponder. Both my parents attended Monroe Catholic High and were taught by a priest named Fr. Boileau. Each day he would begin his lecture with this quote. After 40+ years it sticks with them. I’m happy they shared it with us and that I can share it with you.

Since posts are better with photos here is a shot of Worthington Glacier near Valdez that I took last summer.

While the rest of the crew we were road tripping with hiked to the top of the glacier I sat back on the rocks at the bottom nursing Lael and taking in the sheer beauty around me. I wouldn’t have traded that hour with Lael for anything. Had I known this quote then it would have come to mind during that quiet hour. Have a wonderful weekend. For the full version of the poem click here.  Enjoy.