This little sugar was a dream to photograph…meet Isabel. Tiny, delicate, sweet and very peaceful. Once we settled in and her tank was full she was up for anything. The bright sunshine didn’t wake her, she was comforted by its warmth and cozy in the bowl on the rocks. If she woke up or got startled it just took a quiet minute with her Momma or Daddy to put her right back to sleep. Speaking of them, they are naturals with her and are in love beyond what they could have ever imagined and it shows. Thank you for trusting me with Izy’s first shoot. Enjoy!

is where the best material comes from.

Shots like some of these are a perfect examples of the in between moments I adore. I LOVE it when someone is unaware that I’m still shooting. Or when parents spend an entire shoot coaxing kids to smile and it turns out those aren’t the favorites. I love capturing a genuine look from a little one who is unaware of how perfect the look is. Or the shot that catches a busy toddler just discovering something neat around them. In between is where people let their guard down for just an instant and I can catch who they really are. In between is where real laughter shows. In between is when families are just themselves and I’m able to scoop up that moment and save it for them to see for a lifetime.

I just LOVE the in between. Enjoy.

What is this big thing?

Look at this…he’s just two and he’s trying really hard to shield the sun from his little brother’s eyes to help him stop crying.

Just a quiet moment with dad while mom takes a nursing break…

Check out this cozy little guy. Aidan was such a sweetie in the studio – unfazed by his big dog, Moose, soothed by his momma and daddy, and up  for just about anything except for hats. I LOVE, LOVE my newborn shoots, there’s nothing quite like ‘em.  Enjoy!

What a day we had…we woke up that morning and I told Lael we were going to find some puddles to play in and that we would go to the new tea shop to have tea together. Later that morning she grabbed my face and told me “you’re the best momma…we go to the tea shop together momma?”  It doesn’t matter what could have come up to change our course – with sweetness like that how could I even change our plans?!  So, we went to Fairbanks’ newest treasure Sipping Streams Tea Company to have tea and lunch, then we were off in search of puddles. 

If you haven’t visited Sipping Streams Tea Company  you’ve got to check it out!  It is in the little mall building by Gulliver’s Books on College Road and it is an absolutely adorable shop that features tasty handmade teas, amazing Hong Kong style steam buns, Chinese rice soup, Alaskan Fireweed Honey, homemade baked scones and muffins and many other delightful treats.  Jenny, the owner, would love to have you stop in and stay awile. Spread the word and give her new business a try, you will be pleased you stopped in.  Enjoy!

My Auntie Dee Dee and Uncle George live a beautiful life. They live on a quiet little farm with an amazing mountain view in Wasilla. They take in abused or unwanted horses and give them a fabulous place to recuperate and train them so they are able to be ridden again. I think my Uncle George is a horse whisperer – he can calm a wild stallion or an abused mare with his presence alone. Look at the way that horse is calm against his gentle touch or the way he lights up just talking about his work!  

Auntie Dee Dee is a passionate about everything she does whether it’s rescuing animals, teaching her little nieces about baking, make-up and dressing up, loving her babies and husband with a fire others have trouble expressing or her dedication to being the best teacher she can be. She makes those around her feel special and loved in a way I’ve seen from few. She is fabulous and I am so happy she has made such a wonderful life in Wasilla. I just miss her so…    

The boys weren’t around so I wasn’t able to capture them on our visit, but they are two beautiful boys who are almost all grown up and who have been raised to be confident, hard workers, incredible horse riders, awesome soccer players, and most of all they know they are loved, loved, loved!

They have a beautiful life in Wasilla and I’m so happy they have found it. I am only sad to say we don’t see them enough and I miss them while they are away. I want my little ones to know them and to see how special they have been in my life. I want to visit more often so that my kiddos have memories carved out in their childhood from spending time with them like I do.

Thanks for so many sweet memories, I sure love you guys!  

This visit was last August and I’ve been meaning to blog about it so we can show just how great our little visits with them are. There are lots of photos, Enjoy!

of mice and men often go awry…

So I had this plan to shoot some fun pics of Lael and me while testing out a new contraption for one of my lights. I did my make-up all fun and smokey, put on some heels and cute jeans, I set up the tripod, camera and lights, ran the trigger button up my pant leg to hide it and fired a couple shots of Lael playing with ‘her camera’. I checked the shots (there was backdrop and lights showing in the test shots so I was sure I had plenty of wiggle room). So it was go time, right?!  

So we get ready for the first shot I wanted…a fun shot of me in my jeans & heels with Lael peeking through my legs – I got it – sort of…

On to the next fun series…Since I spend so much time in the studio working in my chair with my little munchkin climbing all over me I thought I’d throw in the chair and get some fun shots to catch us the way we are most days…(minus the heels)

Well I’m not sure if there are little mice living in my house that know how to operate the camera and tripod, but that seems to be the only explanation for the shots we ended up with…They are so not what I was going for, but funny nonetheless. Look how fun these tie shots could have been! 

Little Lily was a little rock star during her shoot – she didn’t want to miss anything so she wouldn’t sleep no matter what we tried. Her mama had a vision for Lillian to be surrounded by lily’s so she ordered flowers for the shoot and they weren’t the right ones so she gave up on the concept. When she arrived and told me what happened she was thrilled to hear I had star gazers from my sweet hubby on my counter. We patiently waited for little Lily to close her eyes and after three wide awake hours she finally conceded and closed her eyes for the shot of the day. Adorable!  

With every visit with my Dad I am reminded of all the little things that often go unnoticed all around us. For instance as we were watching this amazing sunrise he noticed the way the edges of the clouds were being blown smooth on the edges because of the nearly 100 mph gusts of wind happening 1000 feet above our heads. Or how he showed me how to distinguish wolverine tracks by watching for the marks its long hair leaves in the snow. Because of him I notice the sound of the birds when I walk through the woods and know to listen closely to hear the grouse beating their wings on the ground in the distance at the cabin. Life is full of so many little moments that make each day special and my Dad has done an incredible job of teaching us to enjoy them as they pass through our lives. He is down in Juneau and just knowing it will be months before we will see him again is heart breaking. Our family isn’t whole when one of the pieces is missing and it’s those little things we miss out on each day that makes the distance unbearable. 

As I shot the photos of the sunset I looked up and Lael had her head on his shoulder and he was pointing out at the sunrise and though I didn’t get that shot I had to capture them.  In watching him hold and talk to her I was brought back to a thousand memories of him showing me the little things all around us and I knew at that very moment he was sharing one of those little things with her. 

I’ve been craving some outside shooting and when I came across this shoot from last winter and it reminded me that with all our beautiful sunlight returning and the incredible sunrises and sunsets we’ve been having that some snowy fun is in order. So if you’re up for some snowy family fun give me a shout and we can gear up and head outside! Have a great weekend.  

There are some really amazing things about it being 40 below… Hot tubbing at the cabin with icicles on your eyelashes yet feeling like it’s warm out is pretty amazing. Dropping a quarter in the parking lot and trying to retrieve it within 30 seconds only to break a nail because it’s already embedded in the ice is pretty amazing. Our ice fog sunrise and sunsets are pretty amazing. And lastly, the site of a spider web at 40 below, to me, is also pretty amazing. So for all of you who are wishing for warmer temps here are a few shots at 40 below to make you smile, cringe or at least appreciate for a minute these chilly days. Oh and a fun collage of a sunny backyard shoot I did of Lael while we were in Texas. Stay warm!

Hot tubbin at the cabin with my bro & my tough Alaskan girl over New Years

Sun rise, sun rise looks like morning in your eyes…

Chilly spider webs

A little sun for the soul…