Project 365 - Day 62. Wednesdays with Emma

I've mentioned before...Wednesday is our crazy day and, as it turns out, our "photos in the car" day.  At least this week I actually had my camera with me so I didn't have to resort to the iphone!   You're welcome.  :-)

So, this is how I see Emma most of our Wednesday afternoon.   In her coat, strapped to her car seat.  Luckily she was still happy when I had a moment to snap a picture!

As it turns out, cars are actually great places to take photos.   Did you know that?  It's true.  The light in cars and garages is often excellent for portraiture!  No joke.  This is a well-known secret to photographers.  Don't tell them that I told you.   I never have been good at keeping secrets.

Once I did all of my studio-type portraits from a newborn session out of the back of my van.  Luckily it was the summer and the van wasn't moving at the time.  :-)  It was parked in my garage.  We opened the back hatch, put a bean-bag in the bag and draped a black cloth over the back of the 3rd row and the bean bag.  Voila!   Can you tell?

{i heart faces} Hilarious Outtakes

This weeks contest at {i heart faces} is Hilarious Outtakes and we're allowed to submit several of our favorites.

The first photo I chose is from one of my earliest Modeling sessions with baby Nora.  I was going for the adorable feet shot, of course, but Mom got quite wet in the process!   (Note the drips.)  I particularly like how Nora is smiling away...quite proud of herself, I think.   :-)

This next shot is of my own little Emma.   It just makes me laugh.  I think she's saying "Well, I guess if you're not taking me to the zoo, this is just going to have to do."

And I have a ton of outtakes from a shoot I did with these boys last fall.   They were full of funny faces and well, just full of fun!  I like this one because to me it shows the love/hate relationship of siblings.   Kissing and choking at the same time.  Yeah....been there.

Check out more funny outtakes at:

Project 365 - day 57. A Treasured Gift | Delafield Children's Photography

Last night I had a wonderful visit from a couple I met last month.   Sadly, I met them as part of my Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep volunteer work.  They were the first couple that I'd photographed on my own, although they didn't know that until last night.  They came by to bring me a thank you gift for the work I did for them.  It was so thoughtful of them to think of me as they're going through such a difficult time and it was such a precious gift and something I will treasure forever.

Literally just a few nights ago I was looking at a stand in my bedroom that has two Willow Tree pieces on it and thinking...I really need a third one of those.  I received the ones I have on two separate occasions from my sister-in-law.  So, I thought I need another because you're really supposed to have things like that grouped in threes, right?   Well, wouldn't you know, that's what they brought me.  It's just beautiful and they said they chose it because it's called "Spirit of Giving - Generosity is your shining gift."   They also gave me a card with one of the images I took on it and wrote the following:

"There are no words that come close to describing how thankful we are and how blessed we feel to have met you.  Your selfless efforts and amazing talents have touched not only R. and I, but everyone who sees your photography.  Thank you for volunteering your time to Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep and for preserving our precious son with such love and care.     Love, K. & R."

Needless to say, I cried.

This sweet couple gave me two gifts.  The opportunity to meet their Angel and now this.  I'm truly touched.  And all three of us are anxiously awaiting our next photo session - when they are expecting their next baby!!  

Project 365 - day 56. Venue 3! | Delafield Children's Photographer

Well here's the third and final potential venue for the March Charity Event that's in the works.  I think it's my favorite choice because it comes with perks...   I loved the other spots too but for this event I'm leaning towards #3.   I'd love some feedback!!!   Please leave a comment or email me...which background would you most like to have for shots of your children??

Again, still finalizing the details but I think you can tentatively mark Sunday, March 21st down on your calendars as the day to get a mini-session with me and a free 5X7 of your choice just by donating to a VERY worthwhile charity!  I'll post more on the charity and the event soon but for now, please weigh in your thoughts on the venues.   I'd love to hear what you think!

Project 365 - day 50. Preconceived Notions

The little girls and I went out for a walk around the block today.  The weather is still fairly mild and the sun was gorgeous!  The only problem was trying to find a spot with some shade to take a photo.  Don't get me wrong...I'm not complaining just adjusting.

I love this fence that lines a street in my subdivision.  I had a split rail fence around the house I lived in as a little girl and I've always loved wood fences.  So when we got there I decided it was the picture spot...regardless of the sun factor!   I had a great idea in mind but Clare had some of her own so we went with that (obviously).

Oh, and yes....she is in her pajamas again.  At least we change them daily.  :-)

PS  You can click on the image to make it larger.

Project 365 - Day 19. Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

My oldest daughter decided to cut her hair into a chin length bob over Christmas break.  It looks very cute and really suits her.  Clare has never really had haircuts...I've trimmed her bangs but for the last year or so it's always been accompanied by a lot of tears and squirming so her hair has gotten quite long.  It's very thin and pretty scraggly but very blond and it's always suited her.  Well...this week she decided at the ripe 'ol age of 2 that it was time for her to cut it short too.  So, without tears or trauma, she walked right up to that pink Jeep haircutting chair, looked down at the poodles on her drape as requested and, darn it, she got that short hair.  And to top it all off...they did a Princess Up-Do.  Sigh.....  my little girl is growing up.    Good thing I still have Emma and her hair is still too short to worry about.

Project 365 - Day 17. Thrill Seeking

There aren't a lot of things that I hope my kids inherit from me but by far the quality I most hope they have is my love of adventure.  This has translated into some fantastic travels and some unlikely thrill seeking moments that I definitely wish on everyone I know!   The kids are still too young for me to determine just how much of my adventure gene has carried on but now that Corey is 7, I am getting to see some tastes of it.  We are the two that can't wait to get in line for the roller coasters that he's just tall enough to ride, we chose the local water park for our special one-on-one time together and we're both looking forward to a big trip we're planning for next year.

Sledding has been a fun way for me to watch them gain confidence in their risk taking this winter.  We take them to a local park that has a great hill and Corey just can't get enough of it.  I am so proud of the look on his face every time he heads off down that slope.  It looks like there's hope of some genetic rub-off after all!

Project 365 - Day 16. Movie Time

There are some things with 4 young kids that just don't happen as much as I would like.   One of those things is a trip to the movie theater.  There's always at least one, recently two, who is really just too young to take to the theater so family trips aren't an option.   Not to mention that the hubby is TOTALLY not into movies.   You should see the tension that sets into his face if I even mention the word in passing.  Just not his idea of fun to sit still for 2 hours...especially without a beer in his hand!  Hey...nobody's perfect and I've learned to accept him for all his flaws.   But I digress....    

I'd been promising the "big kids" (ages 7, 5, and 2) a trip to the movies to see The Princess & The Frog since before Christmas break and today we finally made it.   Truthfully, it's not my top choice of movies out right now but I was still kinda looking forward to it.  As it turned out, I actually quite enjoyed it and after being up all night at the hospital, it was a perfect solution....easy parenting of 3 kids for an hour and a half.   Overall, a win-win.

Regarding the hospital visit...I am a volunteer photographer for Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep and the early morning hours of today were spent at the hospital photographing one of heaven's newest angels. I was honored to be a part of his little existence.  Please say a prayer for the very handsome baby J and his truly wonderful parents.    You can learn more about this great organization at www.nilmdts.org

Project 365 - Day 11. My End of Day Lesson

I mentioned before that the kids frequently end their day with books.  Corey, in particular, loves to dig through his reference books before going to sleep.  Lately his favorite has been his Star Wars Encyclopedia.  He's only in first grade but his reading level is quite high and he's becoming quite the expert.  So, when I come in to say "Good Night" each night and I find Corey engrossed in his research, I feel badly telling him it's time for lights out.  And so we sit.  Well, I sit and he lays peering over his book and giving me a nightly lesson about this character or that light saber.  I listen.  I'm quite sure I've seen all of the Star Wars movies but I only recall bits and pieces of the original ones and nothing of Star Wars I, II, or III.  That doesn't matter.  I love that Corey's little brain is able to process so much information.  Ok...so Star Wars isn't my top choice of research material, but he's a smart cookie and a little intergalactic eye candy can't be too bad for him, right?

So, there's a lot wrong with this photo...the light was horrible and I'm pretty anti-flash and the focus isn't really where I wanted it, but the memory to me is important.  One I hope I never forget.

Oh, and it did give me a chance to play with some new Photoshop actions that I've been trying out.  I used one that uses Dust and Scratches to reduce the noise (bc of the incredibly high ISO I used...not only is his room dim but he's on a bottom bunk so really very dark!) and then a black and white conversion I like by Lemondrops.  I think it's a keeper.

Project 365 - Day 8. Valentine's Prep

On today's To Do List, among other things, was testing out my new pink background.   I got it for the party that I co-hosted over the weekend but it arrived late so it's new purpose is Valentine's Day.  I was a bit intimidated by it...sure that it would give horrible pink glows to the faces in front of it.  I'd forgotten.  I now have two lights!!  One to light my beautiful subject and another to reduce the shadows and highlight that lovely pink background.   I only had the little girls down in the studio (as I'm officially calling it now) for about 5 minutes and I got a bunch of shots that I like.  Yey.  I'm ready for Valentine's Day shooting now!  

Project 365 - Day 7. Bunco Babes

Ok...I don't know if Bunco is a cross-cultural thing or just a Wisconsin thing.?  I know for sure that I first heard of it just a few years ago but I don't know if that's because I wasn't an adult when I lived in other cities or just because I wasn't a Mom in a family-oriented subdivision before or what.  Regardless, my subdivision has a really great Bunco group and tonight was our night for great food and wine, lovely women, and a little bit of dice.   Love it!

Our hostess was a woman I think very highly of.  There's just something about her that I liked from the first moment I met her.  She describes herself as having a strong personality but that's not at all how I would describe her.   Her home, like her, is beautiful, welcoming and wonderful.   Thanks for everything, Pam.

And, Happy Birthday, Patti!

365 - Day 5 The Upgrade

Like all photographers, my equipment "needs" list is a continually growing thing. Because I'm doing more indoor shoots now that the weather isn't too conducive for outdoor ones, I felt a new light set was in order. My previous set was a beginners kit and worked fine for adults who didn't move too far away from where I put them but not ideal for kids. Problem solved. Today I unpacked my new Alien Bee 800 and 5 ft. softbox and I'm very happy. :-) I know that doesn't mean much to most so I thought a visual of before and after might help. Of course the shot is poorly lit because my lights were otherwise occupied but you get the idea. Happy me.

And a few pics of my first model with the new light....my little Clare Bear.

365 - Day 3 Project Runway's New Winter Line

I co-hosted a birthday party today for a 7 year old girl (not my own child...it was a charity auction offering). It was a Project Runway theme and very fun. One of the main activities was this cool little mannequin kit that the girls were able to decorate with fabric to come up with their own outfits. They were really into it and came up with some fun designs. This is the outcome...

Mt. Mary Models

I've had an extremely hectic few days which was capped off today with a fun mini-session with these 3 beauties at Mt. Mary College! They all do modeling so are no strangers to the camera. Good thing because it was freezing out and they were real troopers, even in the snow!

I think things are going to slow down at Illustrations Photography for the next couple of weeks while holiday festivities are ramping up (finally) with the Johnsen Family. Just so you know how bad it is....my neighbor today offered to loan us some Santa hats for our pumpkins!!! We decided that it's not that we're behind...it's that we're really good planners for next year. That's our story and we're sticking with it. At least until I can get our wreath that was delivered 2 weeks ago out of the box!!

Glad to have ended my crunch time with such a fun bunch! Thanks to all the M's, including Mom!