We ♥ Summer Days...

This was my first experiment with the Oh So Posh Texas Skies Overlays and Action set.  (wow...that was a mouthfull!).  I'm very excited about it as there are over 125 overlays with various skies....from subtle to dramatic.  I don't really include sky in too many of my photos because it often looks boring and white...blown out if I expose for my subject correctly.  So I love the option of helping things out to add a little color or interest.  In this case, I was not so worried about being subtle and was instead trying to capture a sense of whimsy.  Hannah was doing her happy dance and this just seemed to fit.  I think you may see more sky in my pics, now that I have options.  BTW...I applied this overlay without any directions and I really didn't know what I was doing.  It turned out OK, but I see things that would have been better if I'd had access to directions on that day.  Ha ha! 

And two became three...

Love...

L....

n

Sweet baby girl!  I actually like this one in color and black and white.  I decided to process the black and white at the bottom like the middle maternity pic, in case they would like to hang both prints together.  I love this L from her nursery.  And I especially love how much bigger it looks in the baby pic than in the maternity pic.  Everything is relative....

Throwback...

This one is a throwback to a shot of Abigail at this age. Ahh....memories.  Hard to believe she was ever this small.  Glad I saved her little hat.  :)

The real thing...

Usually I have a clear preference for black and white or color.  Not this time...lol

Yankee Doodle Dandy...

Yep, born on the 4th of July...A real all American Girl...

She found her prince...

His name is Daddy.

On a sea of lavender...

I'm still in the midst of editing, so I'm just posting these as I finish them.  So far, our most girly shot.  Indoctrinating her early into the world of purple for her TCU alum parents.  :)

Sweet dreams...

I don't know what made her so happy...and don't say "gas".  Ha ha!  I prefer to think she was just extra happy that she finally got to lay in her momma's arms after a few failed poses. 

Hang in there...

Yep...life is tough if people try to move you around while you're sleeping.  I just love how this shot turned out!  I had seen something very similar online and wanted to try for my own version.  Funny story.  AFTER struggling to get her balanced on her daddy's arm, AFTER the shoot was over, I looked at the inspiration photo again and realized the baby was actually in a football hold up against dad's chest.  Since he was wearing a black shirt I didn't notice that right away.  Pretty sure that would have been a LOT easier than this was.  lol.  Her daddy's arm was getting TIRED. Oh well, I'm sure it's not the last time he'll go out of his way to help his little girl!

All in a day's work...

Her routine at 2 weeks old is "eat, sleep, poop"...so I used this shot from a recent newborn session for week 29 of the 52 week project theme of "routine".  It was anything but routine for me.  I learned a few things...like that posing newborns is a LOT harder than what it looks like.  Miss L did not particularly want to bend her legs on this day.  Maybe we didn't get her quite sleepy enough.  Who knows?  At any rate, it was really fun for me to do this session.  Her mommy and daddy are the cute couple from the maternity shots a few weeks ago.  Miss L made her appearance 10 days early.  Isn't she precious?  More shots to follow.

In Daddy's arms...

Isn't that the sweetest?  I just love her little curled up fingers on his arm and her sweet expression.  I started to title this one "Daddy's girl" but it would be a lie.  She is a mama's girl for sure! 

Gammy snaps...

Thanks to Jenny for capturing a couple of shots of me with the girls.  We tried for one of all 3 of us, but....That.Was.Not.Happening.  Abigail had other ideas!  ha ha!  I still really don't like being on this side of the lens, but I do want the girls to have some memories of me without a camera in front of my face.  :)

Happy Birthday America!

Yes, I'm behind.  lol.  Just now getting around to processing the pics I took on Independence Day. 

Ahh...the simple pleasures...

...like fresh blackberries on a hot summer day.  This was for week 28 of the 52 week project:  "Simple".  I really love this shot.  :)

Girls just wanna have fun...

Shot for week 27 of the 52 week project.  Theme was "wild".  This is about as wild as it gets for this cautious girl!  :)

Ready to learn...

My newest little student.  How cute is she????  She pointed out to her mother last week that she is the youngest student I have ever taught since she is only 4.  Of course, her sisters started piano when they were just 5.  And yes, she will start kindergarten this fall, but her birthday is not until next week.  Cute as a button and ready to learn!

Tired girl...

This is what happens in the first few weeks of giving up her morning nap.  After swimming and playtime, she is exhausted.  Still making the adjustment.  Sweet baby girl.  And, as always, a toy in each hand.  :)  BTW....Bob made a gravel box for them to play in a few weeks ago.  He had given them 2 cups for pouring gravel and couldn't figure out why Abigail was crying.  After all, there was one cup for each of them, right?  Well...Abigail wanted them both.  Silly girl! 

The happy homemaker...

Hannah loves her little kitchen and I love how it fuels her imagination.  BTW....I shot these a month ago, as I'm very behind on processing.  Actually, I haven't been shooting too much this month.  But this was shot with the rental camera and, since I was experimenting, these were all at ISO 1000.  Pretty clean for that high ISO, right?  I still have yet to be sure I have my own new camera set up exactly how I want it yet. I need to read more on Ken Rockwell's site as he had some pretty good suggestions.  I think he's right that skin tones tend to be a little too green. I can tell especially on that middle shot, which I didn't really correct.  He suggests changing it in camera as a preference so you don't always have to adjust it in post processing.  Pretty smart...but I need to read about how to do it.  lol. 

Just because...

Nothing special...just a snap to show you that a new generation is still enjoying the Mickey Mouse club.  Hannah actually watches VERY little TV...only a 30 min. program 2 or 3 times a week...and RARELY at our house.  But when she does, her eyes are glued.  lol.  And hey...get a load of those curls! 

Do you like my bow?

 

Well, I wish Abigail didn't have her arm up, but I'll take what I can get and try not to get greedy.  Four eyes  looking at me.  That in itself is a rarity and worth documenting!  lol

They're having a baby, the end...

 

Th-th-that's all folks!  I really enjoy the portrait sessions.  Don't know that I could ever be like the "real pros" who do a LOT of this, because it takes so much time getting the photos ready.  But I'm enjoying the learning experience.   I was kinda nervous about this one, because it wasn't like I could have a "do-over" if I didn't get anything good.  She was so close to delivering that she wasn't going to endure another session.  Not as much pressure as a wedding (which I would NEVER do, even if anyone was crazy enough to ask me)..but enough pressure for this girl!  lol

They're having a baby, Pt. 4..

So, by now you're getting the picture that we walked a LOT, right???  And it was HOT too....did I mention that it was REALLY hot?  We were there mid afternoon, so the sun was high.  We just wandered looking for open shade.  So there was a lot of dappled light that I just couldn't get away from, but I guess that's called real life.  I was especially happy to get a few shots in Crepe Myrtle Alley as I've NEVER been there before when it wasn't crowded with people.  We were literally the only ones there as the park was closing.  Now, if only the Crepe Myrtles had been in bloom.  lol. 

She's having a baby, Pt. 3...

Got a little silly with some of these...asked for goofy faces (love) and the clothesline idea was something I saw online.  It made me think of them, because the way they announced their pregnancy was to post on Facebook a clothesline photo of 2 adult TCU jerseys and the little baby onesie.  How cute!  They are hoping Lilah will be a 3rd generation horned frog!  Can ya tell?

She's having a baby, Pt 2...

It was really lots of fun for me to do this shoot. First time for maternity, so I probably had too many ideas...but I guess that's better than not enough, right?  We tried a LOT because I wanted to give them some range.  As much as I love color, I especially like black and white for this kind of shoot.  So timeless.  I haven't been shooting too much of anything else with helping Kara, so more maternity shots tomorrow.  :)

They're having a baby...

I had the privilege of doing a maternity shoot with my former student.  H graduated out of my studio 11 years ago (wow...can't believe it's been that long!) following 11 years of study with me.  She's very close to completing her goal to become a pediatrician.  So proud of her!  She was at 37 weeks when we took these.  She walked the Arboretum in 90+ heat.  I was exhausted so I KNOW she was, but she was a great sport!  I had hoped to get the photos to her before the baby was born, but was delayed with Kara's move. I finished them all this morning and guess what.....Baby Lilah arrived this morning too.  A Yankee Doodle girl....born on the 4th of July.  Congratulations to this sweet couple!  More photos to follow in the next few days.  (BTW...it was really fun to get to know her husband a little.)

Below the surface...

Not the most exciting picture in the world, but I wanted to show you the flip side to Abigail's peaceful looking photo from yesterday.  She was calm as could be on the top....at least for a moment, but it wasn't very long before she was squirming and saying  "down...down ...down ...down".  Her little chair is just high enough to keep her contained for a few moments.  I love her curly little toes.  Can you sense her restlessness?  Isn't that kind of like a duck in the water....all calm above the surface and paddling like crazy underneath?  lol

She wore an itsy bitsy teeny weeny pink polka dot tankini...

Totally cheating on the title.   It's really just a plain old one piece suit but the polka dots made me think of the song.  My mom has been commenting that it's strange Abigail's hair is not curly like Hannah's...but here's the proof that it is.  :)  Cutie pie....

Cutie "Pie in the Sky"...

Wow...cheesy title.  Shot for Week 26 of the 52 Week Project (halfway there!).  Theme was "sky".  Didn't get too many tries for this one as she is HEAVY for Jenny to lift that high.  lol.  got Abigail to look by putting her hat on my head.  She thought that was FUNNY.  :)

A different perspective...

It's fun once in a while to shoot from an entirely different point of view.  I love the hazy, summer feel...shooting straight into the sun at high noon.