Weekend!

What a week it has been.

School is ALMOST over for the semester and I am finally able to get things done that I have wanted to get done for forever. I spent all morning tossing old things from my room, reorganizing all of the things I didn't toss, and putting together bags of clothes, stuffed animals, books, etc. to give away to charity. It's important to remember this time of year that there are families who don't have extra money for presents...so it feels great to send those things off to kids who really need it.

Last weekend I forgot to mention that Friday Five will be every other Friday. So if you were expecting a FF post yesterday...oopsies.

This afternoon I'll be off to Solomons to shoot the beautiful Miss Lyla Rae. She will probably be on the blog before the weekend is over. However, she's incredibly adorable and you probably won't be able to get enough of her :) Just giving you fair warning.

In the meantime, here's a little throw-back to this summer. I was just testing his patience a little... ;)

"Why are you doing this to me?"

"Come on now! It looks sooo delish!" (Yes, he says delish.)

And when I finally gave him permission...Nom nom nom :)

Keep an eye on the blog in the coming weeks. I'll be posting Lyla's pictures, a handsome older Lab, more product and even some packaging photos, a new Friday Five, 2010 in review (with a slideshow), and tons of Landon cuteness! :) I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Christmas-time Giveaway!

Skye Hardwick is a phenomenal and inspirational photographer and with the launch of her new website, Soulographer, she is having four week long Christmas giveaways for some AMAZING resources for photogs! This week prizes include her Workshop Workbook (which I already own unfortunately), newborn props, Photoshop actions, barnwood floor rugs, and so many other great things. Photographers, check it out, and everyone else, keep your fingers crossed I win something :)

Friday Five

I know it's a Sunday, but I wrote this Wednesday in advance for Friday, then promptly got a really awful virus on my computer and had to take it to the computer dudes to work their magic on it for 2 days. So bear with me for this Friday Five on Sunday haha.

A little about the Friday Five...it's semi-popular among photographers with blogs, and maybe a bit over-done, but its totally new for me and it's something I've wanted to start doing for a while. Basically, Fridays are the bomb and since the purpose of this blog is not only to share my photography, but a bit of my personality/personal life stuff too, I'm hoping these lists will fill everyone in on some of the cool things I'm into lately, what's on my mind, and give me a way to share some good ideas/things/etc. that you all may not have known about otherwise.

So, for the inaugural Friday Five...

1. To-do lists
   Yup, I'm a list freak. Especially at this time of the year, and this point in the semester, I really don't know how I would ever get through life without a list of things to accomplish everyday. Lists keep me organized and help me feel like I'm actually getting things done. Crossing things off is so liberating and motivates me to keep plugging along. Don't get me wrong...sometimes lists can be overwhelming, specifically when I write my list for the week (usually in my Monday night class...while paying attention...yanno) and it's the front and back of a normal lined notebook paper. Most often I want to repeatedly bang my head into my desk, but at the end of the week when I've usually crossed out about 80% of those things, I feel pretty badass! Anybody else a list junkie?


2. Sealed With A Fish Inc.
   Sealed With A Fish Inc. is a new venture of a friend (Mary Theresa) of a friend (Blaize). Since Blaize's wedding this summer, I've gotten to hang out with MT a lot and she is so fun, energetic, genuine, and creative, and it really shows in the fun stuff she creates, too. I didn't know she was so crafty but a few weeks ago she officially launched her new shop on Etsy and as you can see, her stuff is so charming with a beachy and vintagey touch to it. And she has the coolest name ever for her business...I love it! I've had so much fun showing off my ring and bracelet I bought from her. Below is the bracelet.
   
   


3. Thanksgiving & Christmas time!
   There's really not much to say here...I just love this time of the year and all of the holiday decorations and pretty things. I know the malls get more crowded and you have to figure out what to get who, but I love decorating for Christmas, cooking Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner, and giving people gifts :) Plus you get to spend extra time (and less time at work/school) with family and loved ones.


4. Tumblr
   This week I ran into a blog post from another photographer who suggested using Tumblr as a way to collect inspirational pictures, quotes, videos, recipes, etc. So that's just what I've done. You can find my tumblr here, and it's a really easy and user-friendly way to put all of those things you see and think "Ohh, that's pretty" into one place. That way you're not bookmarking out the wazoo and totally lost when it comes to looking back for something you thought was a really good idea, inspirational, or something you wanted to try. I guess when you're kind of a design junkie like me...stuff like this is cool. So if you're not, then don't judge haha.


5. New blog!
   This goes more with news kind of...but I have decided at the beginning of 2011 to take the leap and go for a new blog...as in move off of blogger and onto my domain. I am really excited about this transition as the blog has become such a great communication tool and a really awesome way for me to connect with people and share so much more than just photos...I can voice a bit of the story behind them and include other fun personal things as well. So get excited for 2011! :)

Since every post is better with pictures, here's a few of my Ry-guy and the roses that keep surviving the sub-freezing temperatures (is it just me or is that weird?). I hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Vegas the Great Dane

Just after Thanksgiving we had Vegas and his buddy Junior down to the farm for some quick photos. The focus was definitely on the big guy, but there's a photo of Junior the hound thrown in as well. Vegas belongs to Mandy, a friend and past employee of my mom. She plans on showing this studly guy in the future, although I think that Vegas would rather hunting down scents in the grass and frolicking with our horses (that was interesting...the horses were absolutely terrified of this "mini" horse barking and corralling them up). Mandy, thank you for having your boys down...I had a great time following them around and laughing at Vegas. I hope you like these photos!

And just for the fun of it...some brotherly love.

Thanksgiving Week & SC!

I tried really, really hard to think up some neat Thanksgiving-ish blog post to do but unfortunately I came up with nothing. On one of those rainy downer days back in September I blogged about what I'm thankful for, so I can't really do that again. But Thanksgiving is one of my all-time favorite holidays, so I guess I could just jot down a little list of some of the little things that have made me feel grateful lately :)

• Our super cute Blue pony being a total rockstar lately
• No class all week...so I can live in a make believe world where the semester is over for about 5 days
• Getting to spend 4 wonderful days with my love and his awesome family in SC
• As always, my Riley boy and Dustin's Lexi princess (Okay, and all of our other furballs too!)
• The excitement of cooking Thanksgiving dinner with my Mom
• Dustin having his first northern Thanksgiving with my family
• All of the great pets and people I have been fortunate enough to photograph in the past few months
• The fact that I'm a little over a semester away from graduating college (Although this one is equally as scary as it is exciting/something to be thankful for!)
• The unusually warm weather
• And last but definitely not least...my family...as always :)

Okay enough with the boring stuff...here's some photos from South Carolina! The cows belong to Dustin and his best friend Jayson, the dog that looks like he has no ears (but who actually does haha) is Mick and he belongs to Jayson and his wife Ashley, and of course Lexi and Riley are easily recognizable (or should be at least!). I hope everyone has a fantastic Turkey day! Look for an exciting blog post with photos of a super handsome Great Dane named Vegas next weekend!

That's a happy dog...

Adventures from the Lexi perspective...

Playtime with Mick makes Riley's tongue do this...

Mick has the most gorgeous eyes and a killer doggie smile :)

Products | Gallery Wrap Canvas & Session Album

As promised, here's a few other products I'll be offering my clients. Today you'll be seeing the beautiful Gallery Wrap Canvas and the classic Session Album.

Gallery Wrap Canvas

Gallery wraps offer a fun, modern way of presenting your beautiful artwork on the walls of your home. The image is printed on fine art canvas, wrapped around the wood frame, and preserved with a UV-light protective coating. Gallery wrap canvas's come with a wire hanger in the back, ready to hang the moment it arrives home.

Session Album

The session album is a larger, more inclusive reminder of your session? The 12x12 session album is another high-end product available for you to cherish the memories from your entire session, as it includes approximately 35 to 40 photos. Paired with a timeless and clean layout, the session album also has thick lay flat pages (much thicker than the coffee table book) with no gutter. Session albums allow for more flexibility in cover options than coffee table books. While custom photo covers are available, other options include Classic Leather, Alligator Leather, Vintage Leather, and Suede, all offered in a variety of rich tones.

Classy black leather cover and thick pages

Quite possibly the coolest looking spread ever! (Well not ever, but I think it's pretty neat!)

Thick, beautiful lay-flat pages

Family | The Smiths

Josh and Gemma were married just about two months ago at the beautiful Running Hare Vineyard in Prince Frederick. The wedding was absolutely beautiful and this new chapter in their lives is very exciting...I really think they are a fantastic couple and compliment each other so well. So of course when Gemma asked me if I would take pictures of them for their first Christmas card, I was definitely in! Plus, they've recently added a new addition to the family...a precious little Yorkie they call Maggie. We met at Jefferson Patterson Park along the Patuxent River on Sunday evening and I can't wait to go back...I hadn't been since I was little and it's just a gorgeous place for portraits. Anyway, onto the photos. Gemma and Josh, it was great to see you and Maggie! Have a great first holiday season together as a married couple! :)