I’ve been looking forward to this shoot for a long time. I met Meagan when she called me for a job shadow – to give her a feel for me and my work I did a fun shoot for her and showed her how it all goes down. We had a great time, she loved her shoot and she assured me she would be back for senior photos. We had a great time exploring and chatting about volleyball, college, relationships, and photography.

Athletic. Funny. Beautiful. Interesting. Unique. Friendly. Adorable. Beautiful images, beautiful gal! Enjoy.

Effortless. Natural. Quiet. Confident. Strong. Talented. Sweet. Stylish. Beautiful. Melissa. Enjoy!

I wish they would sing and dance with reckless abandon forever! Carefree. Confident. Rockstars!

Yes! We rocked it didn’t we?!

Elia – 10 Months

See those fingers?  She can SNAP like a grownup!!

She gives the BEST stinkeye on the planet!  We get it all the time.

Lael – 4 and 3/4 as she likes to say

Michael + Cristina, my cousin and his dear soon to be bride…what a delight to photograph, thank you for trusting me! May these photos always make you smile and may they always remind you to laugh together all the days of your life – a motto my hubby and I live by. We wish we could be with you to celebrate your big day. We can’t wait to have you home with us. LOVE YOU GUYS!  Enjoy.

A little insert from their invites…

2010 was a BUSY year for me and blogging took a back burner to all the exciting shoots, family fun and the biggest news of the year – our ‘new’ baby girl – Elia Chelle!  Why it’s taken me 4+ months to introduce her can only be summed up by saying I’ve been soaking up all the delicious moments with my girls and my computer has been collecting dust most days. I knew going into baby number two that the time would fly by and I was determined to slow down to enjoy it all. Once again we have been blessed with a laid back, sweet, sweet baby and I couldn’t be more grateful. I am LOVING my time home with my girls and am looking forward to getting my photog wheels turning for the spring and summer season (available sessions are limited for this year so I can continue to enjoy these two beauties so if you are hoping to book with me catch me early to be sure you get in). I have some fun shoots on the horizon and a ton in the archives from last year and have my fingers crossed and big intentions of getting some blogging time fit in…

In the meantime below are a couple snapshots of the accordion style announcement we sent out and a couple recent candids of the girls from last week.

The November rain was a Godsend for me – all the warmth allowed me to shoot outside in the snow and Lael just had to have a shot of her new sis in her snow cave…

Enjoy my little lovies…

(far right of the second spread is the front panel of the card, the spread below is the inside and the rest of the bottom spread is the back – accordions are confusing).

Her baby blues are so sparkly…

Lael LOVES her little sis and we couldn’t have had an easier transition!  Elia gets no fewer than 50 kisses a day, they are so stinkin’ cute together!  Elia crosses her feet like this all the time.

Look at that smile and those gorgeous baby blues! What a treat it was to photograph Lexi and her beau, DJ. The fun clothes, the texture, the colorful junk…my photo heaven! We were in a race against the rain and made it through the last shot with just a few sprinkles falling on us. Lexi was down for getting dirty and up for anything I threw her way. I’m not sure her clothes survived, but I hope the images were worth every junk stain.

DJ headed south to play hockey so Lexi’s heart is a little heavy and I’m hoping these images make her smile. Soon she’ll be tearing it up on the volleyball court and working hard to finish her senior year which will make the time apart and her senior year fly by before she knows it.

With her beautiful smile, those bright blue eyes and her funky hair (care of her fun employer Charlotte Rouge Hair Spa) you can’t miss this cutie in a crowd.

Thanks for trusting my vision. Keep your chin up and keep smiling!

Enjoy!

…to be able to make such a fun family smile! It’s especially nice to be able to do it all for such a wonderful cause. You might remember the giving is awesome campaign from around Christmas time. You can read my full blog post here. This is one of the families I chose and couldn’t have been more honored to do there shoot. Sharlot, Rachel, Cynthia, Shantel, Kenny & Drew you guys were so much fun to work with, thank you! Sharlot – you are so tender with your kids it warms my heart to see and feel the love you give to them. Raising five kids on your own and working so hard to support them is commendable! I hope my glimpse of your world makes you smile for years to come. Enjoy.

Below is the nomination this special family received.

The nomination for our third family came from Tonya Garnett and here is her story.

Her name is Sharlot Evans.  She is such a nice, sweet, hard working person and has gone through a lot.  She and her soon to be ex husband have five kids together.  She always worked full time while raising her kids. Her kids are all nice, well behaved sweet kids and all of them have such a nice personality.  She goes above and beyond for her children even while in a bad relationship with her husband.  She took on many of the responsibilities; school, work, practices, bills, etc.  She never let anything hold her back when it comes to her kids.  She always made rent, car payments, provided for all five children.  All her children are so nice and a delight to have around. Even though all these things were going through her life she still made time for family and friends and is always a person you can call on when you need help.  Sharlot works at the Cancer Treatment Center here in Fairbanks.  Sharlot always thinks of creative ways to make life interesting and fun for her kids with activities and outings!  Even though she has five of her own children she still babysat for her cousins and other family members.

I just think that she needs something special, especially during this holiday season.  She is such a neat loving smart person and she only deserves the best.  She is really an inspiration and we are so glad to know her.  If you meet her you can just feel the genuine person she is; loving, nice, and goofy and she is contagious by making others smile and feel good around her.
She’s just had a tough year and I think something special can probably bring up her spirits.  Her and her kids are all very beautiful people and they are such a joy to be around.

Thank you Cassy!  You too are an awesome person!

…And even at twelve below they were so delightful…we were freezing and many breaks were needed, but these guys were troopers through it all and the outcome was perfect! They were my models for my second official photo shoot when they were preparing for the arrival of their oldest son and I was testing the waters to see if this photo stuff was going to work out for me and I’ve been capturing their adorable family ever since. It helps that she’s one of my best girlfriends and my neighbor. Thanks for believing in me and loving my work since the day this journey began. Love you guys!  

You know when you meet a family and you just feel like you’ve known them forever – that’s how we felt from the day we met these guys. We bought land from them in Cantwell and after a little back and forth on price we got the deal sealed by throwing in a photo shoot! They are a young, fun, down to earth, Alaskan family who feel genuine to the core. They have a great life in Cantwell – they live in a beautiful cabin on the river, they hunt, grow their veggies, bake their bread, enjoy the land and teach the kids how to appreciate the little things. He’s a pilot and owns a guide business. After working super hard in the summer and fall they head for warmer weather in the winter. We admire the simplicity of their life and feel we could all use a lesson in getting back to the basics and appreciating the little blessings life has to offer.

The kids were a little cranky about being cold so the shoot wasn’t quite the vision they had in mind, but as a result there are a TON of awesome images. Enjoy the teaser!