update.

has it really been a week & a half since i last blogged? yikes; i guess it has. :\

well, in my defense, it has been a crazy week & a half! last week was filled with talk of wedding shoots for next season. i spent lots of time researching other photographers and getting together a price list that offers a competitive price + inclusive package.

and now...i finally have a engagement/wedding package list all typed & printed, ready for those brides-to-be!

yesterday, my grandma was taken to the hospital for chest pain after she had passed out. she spent all day yesterday in the ER and now she will stay there until later tonight. and this afternoon, i'm off to do a senior session down on the farm! ;)

as you can imagine, it's be a little crazy here. i can't wait until monday when i post pictures from jake's session! stay tuned. :)

children + family [emelia]

i've known emelia since she was born 9 months ago; and let me tell you folks, she's only getting cuter. her parents, heather + aaron, are my boyfriend's cousins, so they're practically family. this past saturday morning, we treked through the woods behind my apartment to a small clearing.

the day was cloudy the entire morning before they arrived; and finally, the sun broke through (after much praying on my patio!). the light in this clearing was just what we needed. not too much to blind us, but enough to illuminate this beautiful baby's face.

aren't they adorable?

we spent a good hour out there together until emelia let us know that she.was.hungry. and when she was hungry, we listened! we got to spend the rest of the afternoon catching up and playing with a happy (and full) baby girl.

thanks for coming up to holland, guys! i had a great time! :)

p.s. a big hoot'n'hollerin' "thank you" to adam for making emelia smile so much! i couldn't have done the shoot without you!

portrait [trevor]

i've known trevor for 16 years. since he was in diapers, actually. i should, because, well, he's my cousin. :)

while i was home this past weekend to help my grandma work the garage sale, trevor came over. and since i had been desperate to use my new lens (50 mm, f/1.8 ii), he willingly obliged to a spur of the moment photoshoot.

he's a junior this year [he's growing up so fast!], and i'm so thankful that they've already booked me for senior pictures! :D ...as if i could say "no"... ;)

we've gotten a lot closer over the summer, since he would stay with me at my grandma's after my grandpa had died. he's a sweet guy and very musically talented! i'm so proud of him!

i love you, trevor anthony!

personal [my peace]

if you follow me on facebook, you would know that i went on a vacation for the past week. to my favorite place. my peace. its a tradition my family has had before i was even a thought in my mama's mind. a camping trip that ties together family + friends + flee markets + fair food + early morning breakfasts + hikes down to "the rock."

it was my fuel. it gave me the rest i needed to seek new perspective in my work. to challenge my current skills and reach a new potential.

i breathed.

i breathed in fall leaves and cinnamon spice. i breathed in squeezes from my nephews and kisses from my sweetheart. i breathed in my grandma's laugh and the feel of the wine bottle on my lips. i breathed in the muscle aches after horse-back riding and the night-time sounds from my tent.

i breathed in life. more than i have in a quite a while.

and it felt mighty fine.

mighty fine.

Q + A

what type of equipment do you use?

i've got to admit. i'm a canon girl. always have been & always will be. whether its the powershot, the rebel, or my latest investment (60D), canon has always produced bright and popping photos that fit my style.

when did you start photography?

the summer of 2008, my mom's best friend lent me her canon 20D. i never wanted to get it back. i shot everything. since then, i've learned a lot, but that summer was the beginning of a passion that wasn't going to die down!

what are your normal shooting settings?

all my work on here has been done in manual. i'm can have OCD tendencies, so i wanted to have control over how my pictures were going to turn out. i'm always at the smallest f-stop (usually right around 5.6); when i'm outside, i use mainly 100/200 iso and 1/100 aperture.

parents -- do they tag along for senior pictures or do you request them not to be there?

whatever makes them feel the most comfortable, honestly. i haven't had any "hover" parents because they understand that i'm the photographer - and i know what i'm doing. if parents start to hover, i will, of course, listen to their comments & try to incorporate their concerns. however, if the client will loosen up or be more "real" without a parent hovering, i'll suggest they go get a cup of coffee while the client & i just shoot together. but remember, patience is needed in all career fields!

what is the best advice you've ever been given?

j*, my favorite lifestyle photographer once said, "I dove head first into my business when I realized fear shouldn't dictate how I live my life...because the life I wanted to live was trapped in a Canon camera, a unknown blog, and 250 black business cards. That's all I had, but fear couldn't rob me of following my dreams. It shouldn't rob anyone of them."

fear has stopped me from accomplishing a lot of things in the past, but this - this business i have right here - is my dream. and like j* said, fear shouldn't rob anyone of following their dreams.

+ since every post is better with a picture...

portrait [jada]

jada is a gem. (not pun intended: jada....jade)

and just so happens to be the cousin/niece of a family that i've know since second grade. you can only imagine the fun all 9 of us had yesterday...outfit changes, moving ladders which were not our own, standing on top of mamas to get better shots...& that's only skimming the surface.

jada's entire session was great. she was willing to try any pose that i wanted her to, and to be quite frank, looked great in all her shots! we ventured downtown holland, to kollen park, and finally to a private beach where we concluded our session.

jada, you are beautiful!