Guys Have It Easy

Can I just say it? Guys have it easy. I don't mean in every area and in all aspects of life, but in one specific way -- events. Guys don't usually get invited to wedding showers, baby showers, etc... Lucky!

I have been to about a million showers in the last ten years of my life (a little exaggerated but it's still a large number). Being a girl is hard work sometimes. :) I'm not saying I hate these things altogether, but I do loathe one part of the showers more than any other. Games! This is the one word that I'm always to avoid hearing at an event. I'm not sure why; I think it's that most of the games are pretty cheesy or embarrassing for either you or someone else. I'm always secretly hoping for it to be someone else. That's normal, right?

Another tidbit about me is that I like unique things, go figure. I don't like giving gifts at these showers that may be the same as something someone else brought. In an effort to be unique, I asked my mom to teach me to sew. Sewing is cool now, right? If it's not, then I don't want to know. I assumed that this would prevent me having the same gift as someone else. Yes!  Since I started learning, I've made exactly two dresses in the last month with the help of my mom. I didn't get a picture of the first one, but here's one that I brought to Mitchell Claire's party last weekend.

You Gotta Love this Kid!

I have some pretty great friends in my life. One of my favorite families just moved a few months back, so my friend Maria and I made a short trip to visit them last weekend. It was their daughter's first birthday, so I wanted to be there to celebrate with them and take pictures of two of the cutest kids I know (no offense to all my other mom friends with adorable children).

Justin and Brooke are really two of the greatest people you would ever want to meet. Justin the ever calm, smart, laid back guy and Brooke is the one who has never met a stranger and is full of expression. Take a look at our time together.

Laney Anne & Her Family

Like I mentioned before, I had a blast with Laney Anne and her family the other day. All of the kids were pretty cooperative, especially once we started bribing them with M&M's. The things parents and photographers will do to get a good shot. :)

Here's the big sister:

The whole family:

With the cousins (where Laney Anne is the only one smiling):

Laney Anne, Part I

If I haven't mentioned it yet, I really enjoy babies! They're so adorable and cuddly in those first few weeks. It's easy for me to say this when I don't have kids of my own who keep me up in the middle of the night or throw up on my shoes. I also have the luxury of handing them back over to their parents at the end of a photo session, so I'm living in ignorant bliss of the joy of newborns.

Congratulations to my co-worker and his wife who welcomed a new little girl, Laney Anne, into their family last week. Of course I was not only excited for them about their new addition, but I was pretty stoked about having a photography session too!

More pictures to come soon!

Randomness

Random things grab my attention when I'm out taking photos. Here are a few of the things that caught my eye over the past few months.

An Old Pal

Amber and I have been friends for roughly eighteen years...wow! We passed a notebook back and forth during our middle school years with all our young dreams and secrets. If only I still had that notebook today; we would both be totally embarrassed. Thankfully I tossed it many years ago.

She's been married for awhile and now has two adorable daughters. They were in for a visit, and we were able to get together for some photos....finally! I've been waiting to get pictures of these two for some time. I had a great time chasing the girls around and getting to know their personalities. They are very different.

Thanks Amber and I love you!

Birthday Party Fun

Nathan is my bosses oldest son, and he just turned four. I was there at his birthday party with my camera in hand to capture all of their special moments.

Parents, indoor inflatables are the devil if you want good shots of your child's party. Desipte the lack of light and the oh so enjoyable inflatables, many pictures were taken. This one is my favorite of the day taken right after the candles were blown out.

Newborns, how exciting!

I did my first newborn shoot yesterday. Erin was nice enough to have me over bright and early in the morning to take pictures of her new son, Elisha. He was just seven days old and oh so adorable.

He was pretty cooperative, even though he didn't really want to be in the buff or have me touching him. I had such a fun time, and I can't wait until the next time around. The first shot is my absolute favorite of the day. I can't get over seeing dimples in his cheeks so early in his life. Amazing!

Yay for Jackson

My friend Casee had a beautiful baby boy a few months back, and I've been bugging her for awhile to let me take some shots of him. I was originally going for newborn shots, but clearly he isn't a newborn anymore.

We took him out to a golf course for these shots; unfortunately, it was extremely windy. He was NOT a big fan of the wind, so we kept things short. I'm ready for our next shoot once he's able to sit on his own. It was great seeing seeing both of them.

Gobs of Graffiti

Graffiti is everywhere here in New Orleans, and I love seeing it in all sorts of places. Now, I'm not saying it's cool to illegally mess up other people's property, but the artist in me really appreciates quality graffiti. I realize that some people wouldn't know the difference between the crappy or quality stuff, but I'll submit that almost everything we saw at this school was pretty sweet.

As a side note, I have always wanted to tag something, but I have refrained because jail really doesn't seem like a place I want to check out, even if it's just a night. Enjoy! The pictures, not jail!

Fire!

The other night I went to a fire breathing show in the French Quarter. It ended up being way more exciting than I initially thought it would be. I sat in the front on the ground, so that I would be close enough to shoot with my 50 mm lens. It wasn't too long before I was regretting this decision. I could feel the heat of the flames as several different people, dressed up like Alice in Wonderland characters, performed. They each had their own "thing." Some of them twirled rods with fire on both ends or flaming balls on a chain; their motions were so intense that I was concerned about them losing control. This was especially true when one chick lit her whip on fire and started cracking it over and over again, right near my face. That whip was close, a little too close for my comfort. All in all, it turned out to be an eventful hour, and I didn't get burnt. Yay!