Christmas Countdown 2011 - Find out how many days until Christmas 2011

Christmas Countdown 2011 - Find out how many days until Christmas 2011

I love the festivities involved in Christmas. I love listening to Christmas music while decorating the tree, setting up the Nativity Scene, baking sweet chocolaty fudge at Grandma's house, and standing at the end of the driveway making the drumroll sound while my husband plugs in the Christmas lights for the first time (this is us reenacting Christmas Vacation). All of these little things bring me much happiness and I'm so very thankful for them! It's the little things that count right?

The magic that Christmas brings makes me smile. This holiday reminds me to believe! Believe in what? It reminds me to believe in miracles (now if you don't believe in miracles it's time you start-go here to start believing http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjTob53BElQ). It reminds me to believe in happiness, in goodness and giving. It reminds me that there is so much to this life, much more than what my mind can see. It reminds me to slow down and see what's truly important in life...the true meaning of Christmas and that is the incredible act of love. For me it is a majestic time to remember the birth of Christ and share the gift of giving.

What traditions do you have for Christmas?

Nikki & Nolan

Nikki & Nolan had a beautiful wedding and were wonderful to work with. The ceremony was decorated with lovely flower arrangements, including sunflowers.  I loved the eggplant color Nikki chose for her wedding party. It was perfect for bringing out a pop of color in her images, but still kept the softness. When Nikki entered through the church doors, she immediately locked eyes with her groom. Her eyes were sparkling as she walked to the alter to meet her husband to be. The couple stood strong, hand in hand, as they read their vows to each other. They said "I Do" and looked at each other for the first time as husband and wife.

When Nikki and Nolan exited the church their family and friends were waiting outside to congratulate them, including Nikki's grandpa with his  old, antique, red car. Thanks to Nikki & Nolan for letting me be part of your extra special wedding day! Click the comments button below to leave them a special comment!

Ready, Set, Actions!!

I am expanding! I have started creating my own templates and actions and am extremely excited to launch them at the beginning of the year for other professional and aspiring photographers. Although us photographers would like to spend the bulk of our time taking pictures and simply uploading, that is just not the case. Photographers spend 80% of their work time on the computer! We spend hours upon hours on editing in order to create the perfect image! We may work on things like enhanced lighting, skin retouching, eye sparkles, sun flares, color enhancements, resizing, watermarks, and so much more. Manually setting your camera to the correct settings in the beginning is crucial as well, but creating that perfect image involves retouching and enhancing.  Having a simple "go to" action can be a huge time saver when it comes to editing and that's why I'm creating them for YOU! You can look forward to a variety of actions, from basic to advanced, in the near future. I can't wait to share my new products with you! Look for the launch to begin January, 2012.

Season's Greetings from the Bowmaker Family

This family was so incredibly nice to work with. I honestly walked away feeling like a better person just from having the opportunity to work with them. They were kind and genuine to me and to each other. The children were playful and such good listeners and it was easy to see that they loved each other unconditionally. I wish them all the happiness in the world, although it seems to me they already have it!

Happy Holidays from Andrew, Melissa & Hunter

I've had the opportunity to photograph Hunter since he was a newborn. Now, he is 6 months old! It's so fun to compare children's last sessions and see how they are growing. He is such a happy little boy and has parents that absolutely adore him. Hunter looks like he could be on the cover of Parent's Magazine with his smooth and creamy skin and his beautiful blue eyes. I love some of the poses from the family in this session, so relaxed and playful, yet full of emotion and love. Don't forget the music for the full effect!

Family Full of Love

Angela and her boys were so easygoing. They were relaxed and full of smiles. I love that these boys had a clear bond of brotherly love. They were making each other giggle throughout the session. I could see that they love their mom unconditionally! They were always looking to her for guidance and wanted to be near her, whether that meant sitting on her lap, kissing her or giving her a big bear hug.

Baby Josie & Proud Big Brother Colt

This little lady was just seven days new when I had the opportunity to photograph her. She was born on Thursday, October 27th, and greeted by her proud mom, dad and big brother Colt. Once she got cozy, she was quite the poser. I especially love the ones of her smiling, what a sweetheart! Baby Josie will make you swoon. Enjoy!

Brittany

Wow! Brittany is an incredibly beautiful girl. Several times while editing her senior session, I had to take a step back, just to look at her gorgeous expressions. Her beauty inside more than matches her beauty on the outside. Her personality is extremely fun-loving and so very sweet. I imagine she has an array of people who love her kind soul and whom she will captivate with this video.
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