I AM IN SKIRT MAGAZINE!

This past summer I helped out at the Upstate Women's Show and had a booth for my biz. I met the wonderful ladies of Skirt Magazine who had a booth right across from me. We spoke about opportunities and advertising and being women. Later months after I find myself in their magazine. Its exciting! Take look at the link above to see my responses to all their questions, they only printed a few.

More photos to enjoy from my life as a photographer.............

http://greenville.skirt.com/skirt-247

Summer is here!

Summer has arrived in South Carolina once again, it took a little longer this year than in past and its alot different in that we are getting rain this year and lot of it. I think God has the perfect plan, when there is a drought for several years he gives us rain for a whole year to catch up. Maybe he was busy somewhere else and didn't notice that we were dry and its not a desert here but he is definitely in control now. Everything is growing like crazy and our evenings are full of strong storms that drop alot of rain and then another lovely day begins and it starts all over again. Its really not bad, I kindof like it. Keeps the watering can out of my hand.

Its been a busy spring and the start of a busy summer, I hope it stays that way. I will post some new stuff from the past couple months for the heck of it.

The kids are out of school now and thinking about where I will be in Fall is just crazy. I don't know how I got to a place where I can have a sophomore and a 7th grader. My lfe seems to have moved along so quickly especially these past 5 years. Its summer, than school is back in, then its Christmas and New Years and Easter and Summer again......is it age? I don't know but I will continue to try to drink all the moments in and make the most of them all. Enjoy the photos!

Did America get it wrong again with the new Idol?

So does the look on Kris's face sum it up or what? He is as shocked as the rest of us and look at Adam, just as gracious as always. I have to say I am once again a disappointed viewer. I spent the entire season glued to the tv on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings waiting to see Adam perform. I thought about when I first began watching Idol, I saw a little of the debotacle of Ruben Studdard and didn't go back til Taylor Hicks which in my mind was a huge disappointment. What is it about the American public that they can't seem to get this right? Don't get me wrong Carrie Underwood, Kelly Clarkson, David Cook all great choices but this was Season 8, so that means that out of 8 they only got it right 3 times, the rest of them.....no thanks. They are talented people in their own right but not American Idol's.

Now Adam Lambert, from the moment I saw him I couldn't believe he had not been discovered yet. Every week, week after week he showed up with the most dynamic performances. Not once did I think he could be beat and certainly not by Kris. Not even Kris thinks he desires this title, isn't that telling. What is it America? Why can't you get this right?

Adam I have no doubt you will be a fabulous superstar, your grace and humble presence will continue to astound us all. Nail polish or no nail polish...I, for one will be watching and buying whatever you do! American Idol, I'd like to say I am done I can't watch anymore, but I know that by the time the Winter rolls around and the idea of at the very least being entertained is my option, I will be there. Maybe the 9th season will be a charm!

Helping Mom's with Cameras

Almost once a week I hear from someone with a camera asking for help in learning how to use it. Next week I will be giving a talk at the Mothers of Multiples meeting on the subject in an effort to help these Mom's demystify the situation. Not that I am a technical expert believe me when I say I am so NOT, but I did go to school for photography and I did once learn all about reciprocity, and how to mix chemicals in order to print my own black and whites, I know how to load medium format film onto a spool in complete darkness, I can probably still fumble my way through a shoot with a 4x5 camera, things I thought I was not capable of ever so I think I have something to share with these Mom's. Today in this digital age, more and more people are buying cameras, cameras that are close enough to the ones I use to make my living to scare me but they don't have any idea how to use them beyond automatic. This is something of a problem in my industry because in alot of ways it devalues what we do, if you can do it yourself why would you pay me to do it for you kind of thing. I don't worry too much about that because I know that when the day is done my vision and my eye in the camera is what will get me a job and keep me happily playing with babies but I know its something photographers think about alot.

If I had one piece of advice for these Mom's with cameras, it would be this, use your automatic setting, its there for a reason. Do you really want to know about depth of field and white balance and gray cards and the reason all those buttons are there? Leave that knowledge to the professionals and when time and money allows have them make the beautiful pieces of art that you will line your walls with. What is better than having art of your own beautiful family and children? The automatic setting is there because it works. With just a few additional pieces of info you can document the awesome moments you see every day and keep the memories alive. Every day is a new day with a baby and the blessings are in the moments you get to keep in your heart and your minds eye.

I look forward to my very first speaking engagement, hopefully nerves won't get the best of me. See you on the 19th ladies!

Bows and Babies

I just had to post photos from this session, I had the best time photographing this baby she was only a couple weeks old and it was a free for all when she went to sleep we did everything with her. Enjoy as the snow leaves us and warm weather blesses us with it presence! Thanks Stephanie and Miss Ashley - your order will be here soon!

Global Warming - Really?

Well I've never believed in the global warming scare but now that I am sitting on 5 inches of snow AND in South Carolina in March I am hoping that some of the rest of the world will get it and see that Al Gore is an idiot. Sorry but he is! Anyway, last night at about 4:00 PM what had been a very very rainy weekend turned into a snowy one, when the rain that had been pounding us for 3 days turned to snow. Soon it was alot of heavy snow and the forecast became 2-4 inches. Then at 8:00pm, the power went out and stayed out all night. We played some charades (or at least our version of it) and lights out (already out of course)at 9:00 something. I awoke at 4AM thinking it must be morning. Freezing as I stuck my nose out from under the covers. Back to sleep and awoke to Dan almost leaving for work at 6:45AM, still no power, he must have wanted a hot cup of coffee and heat BAD! After the kids got up and we realized we couldn't survive here for long out of the bed we headed over to Uncle Tate's for some joe and heat. Finally after we decided to come home and try to tough it out at 10:30AM it came back on just before 11:00AM. Thank you lord!!!!

So here is what snow looks like in the south. Tonite is supposed to be only 17 so who knows what tomorrow will bring but 65 and 70 degrees by weekend and then IT BETTER BE OVER! This has been the longest and coldest and grayest winter in the 5 years I have been here and maybe just maybe people will start to see that its not getting warmer by any means and then after that hopefully before we are all broke and all the small businesses have gone out of business, people will realize that the government is the PROBLEM NOT THE SOLUTION!

What's going on?

Today was a day like alot of others, its Friday, my partial cleaning day, if I am not too busy with work I try to get some portion of my housework done so its not all left for the weekend. First my car almost didn't start this morning when i went out to the carpool run. Well it didn't but then it did eventually. This when my husband has been away on biz for the week. Possible battery issue hopefully it will hold til he returns. Then the gym and then down to work with bathrooms, floors etc. I had a client at 1:00 so finished up and ran to the baby shop that is close to see what cute bows or hats or ribbons i could get to photography little Mary in. I've been there before, we've talked about business etc. This time though as with every place I go that is a small business the economy and the state of our businesses always comes up. We are both worried, us two women who own businesses and rely on the spending of other women who husbands may face layoffs, who feel the need like us to tighten up the spending until something shows itself. We are all concerned I feel it. Some days, I feel it so strong and I am so afraid I have to get out of my own head and do something, anything that keeps me from reading news on the web, in the paper, or even listening to what others are saying.

I hope that soon the scare will be over, that with Spring a renewal will come for all of us. The people out here not the politicians, not the messer-upers of the world, just us the lowly people out here, trying to pay our bills, keep our businesses alive and keep our families safe, I pray for our spirit to renew and for us to move forward no matter what the "sources" are telling us. Stop the media from scaring everyone and let us all go back to our lives.

I put this photo here to remind me and all that life starts here and this is the innocence we all crave. Enjoy!

A need for a bright spot!

Looking at this photo I remember specifically what it felt like standing there in the way too hot sun looking down at the beach and wondering if my freckled skin could take another day of sun. I remember the smell of the ocean and how happy that smell makes me, the taste of the salt water when I got hit by a wave. I remember how happy I was to be there.

Today with the cold weather, I need to think of this beach and think of better days.

Its been a hard week, one of those weeks when you get kicked in the teeth and still have to get up and continue. When you ask yourself what and why you are doing what you are doing, what's the point anyway?

Today I feel like there is no point, so i decide to take the day off from my work life and go in the kitchen and make something with my hands. Something everyone will approve of tonite when they all get home and not something anyone will judge, except to say "Mom, this is so good" and today that will have to be enough for me.

I ♥ Faces Kids Entry

"Baby Joy" 2008

This is my first entry to the I ♥ Faces contest. I am still trying to figure this out so bear with me while i try to get this entered. Its for the kids contest expressing "Joy". Check them out at (http://iheartfaces.blogspot.com/) to join the fun. You don't have to be a professional photographer to join in. They have both a kids category and an adults. Lets see how this goes!

Blogging Freeze!

So i am not that great at blogging. Its been months since i was on here and as i've said before its hard to blog when you feel no one is listening. In the past couple weeks I have been learning about social media and its effect on your business. I truly do believe it in, after all it fits right in with relationship marketing which is even part of our tag line but there is so much to keep track of and add information to....facebook, myspace, web site, twitter and blog its almost ridiculous. But I have a client who told me about something that might breath life into my blog. Its "i heart faces" a photo sharing place with a contest for a face of the week. It appears that we have to link this all through our blog. So here is their link to check http://iheartfaces.blogspot.com. Stay tuned while i try to upload my entry today.