DECEMBER 5-ON-5

A whole year already! It's hard for me to believe I've been participating in this monthly photo share...what a good reminder that time just flies! I'm especially grateful for this monthly reminder for me to be intentional with my camera as we move into the winter months. Fall is always a busy season for me followed by a slooow winter with the camera, both personally and professionally. Hopefully this will help me continue to pick it up every day.

Unfortunately December found me without my main camera. I am still relying on my back-up and I am still uber-frustrated with repair shops and their lack of information on the whereabouts and schedule of back-ordered parts. Nevertheless, I'm pushing on and shooting primarily outdoors.

My first image is from a newborn shoot that I put off for almost three weeks due to the camera issues. While I know I could have captured better photo quality with my main camera, I was happy with most of the shots I took, artistically anyway.

The remainder of my photos in December came from one beautiful, unexpected, snowy weekend. Everything about snow is artistic and beautiful, especially through a camera lens.

 Check out Stephanie's beautiful images here!

NOVEMBER 5-ON-5

This month started with a camera malfunction; that's always fun! And (of course) there has been a delay with the part that had to be ordered, so my camera has been in the shop for a looong time. This means I've had to rely on my 'back-up' camera. It is not as fast as I would like, but this process has been a good reminder that it is less about the equipment and more about the person holding it. This has been a good reminder for myself when I doubt my skill level.

When I first started out, I would shoot mostly newborns inside of their home, using natural light. And if I shot the whole family, we would use their front porch and yard. The concept of capturing a family in their space, where they do life, was what I loved about those shoots. Unfortunately, my gear at the time did not allow for a very high ISO, so I quickly moved to more outdoor photography. This month I found a few families to allow me to test out my newer camera inside of their homes (thankfully right before the aforementioned malfunction!). I loved the end product!

Screened in porch counts as their home.

The rest of the month I had my 'old' camera, so it was back outside. But late afternoon fall light is my favorite!

And any pictures containing my middle child are my favorite too.

Check out more awesome photos in the blog circle: click to see Sam's work this month!

OCTOBER 5-ON-5

That month flew by! Between the up and down temperatures, school, sports and the usual influx of fall photo shoots, October was gone in the blink of an eye!

The first session I had this month was for a family I've known for over 10 years. We've raised our oldest together from birth, and they've lived in this house since I met them. This month they will be moving to a new house and leaving behind a home with amazing memories. I wanted to give them photos to help them remember the family they've built in the home.

Even though I prefer to shoot outdoors, I am trying to grow and improve my indoor (no flash) abilities. I took the boys up to their rooms to get a few shots of them in the only bedroom they've ever known...Loved the way this boy just 'was' for this part of our session!

My favorite shots have always been the little moments that happen between the 'poses'.

I got to shoot this little peanut at her aunt's wedding...she stole the show and her aunt couldn't have been happier about it.

I stumbled upon a cotton field a few weeks ago. So. Cool. I'd never seen a cotton plant before; they are very complex and beautiful. 

Finally, another example of why I try to 'lightly' pose my families and then let them fill in the blanks. Big sister knows just what to do!

Check out more awesome photos in the blog circle: click here to see Stephanie's work this month.

SEPTEMBER 5-ON-5

We are entering a very busy season for our house. Fall sports for all three kids, full-on school projects and activities, my busy photography season, and the holidays fill our calendar in a way that unfortunately makes my favorite time of year fly by. On a positive note, there are plenty of things to capture with my camera!

We escaped to the panhandle for a few days while the kids had the week off from school. Ruby's love of everything 'beach' made the trip oh-so-fun.

Last month we attended our first Dragon*Con Parade. We saw many of the same costumes we see at the L5P Halloween Parade, making it a fun event to photograph.

 

One of those lazy afternoons cleaning out the garage. Ruby was facinated with the small fan we had running.

 

We took the girls to the Beltline Lantern parade one night. This meant a trip to the smallest playground ever, which surprisingly my big kids love.

Sports are probably my favorite thing to photograph as they offer so many cool action shots!

Check out more awesome photos in the blog circle: click here to see Stephanie's work this month.

AUGUST 5-on-5

This month snuck up on me! We were busy, and thankfully I had my camera with me most of the time :)

First off, I got to shoot an engagement session for a good friend of mine. She wanted to try the sunflower fields so we braved the MANY MANY other photographers there that night to get some fun shots just before the sun went down.

I have a family/friend that has hired me very consistently since their family started expanding. I feel privileged to have shot the three boys so many times in the last five years!

Two of my favorite girls. Unlike the family above, I've only shot them a few times, but they always give the best smiles (and it doesn't hurt that blond hair and blue go so well together!). 

Before the sunflowers wilted, I brought the girls back to the farm for a quick morning shoot. Maddux shot along with me and Ruby was the subject for both of us. While my girl was 'working' with Ruby, I turned my attention to the flowers (and bees).

But you know I caught as many as I could of the two of them!

Check out more awesome photos in the blog circle: click here to see Nicole's work this month.

JULY 5-on-5

I did a few senior sessions this last month, a few events, several swim meets, an indoor show and our church's summer camp. Plenty of opportunities to stretch my camera legs, for sure!

I love this time of year because my kids are fish. Eli and Maddux have always loved swimming, and swim team's craziness is also fun-ness. I'm so happy to shoot our neighborhood's swim meets so that all of the parents can have pictures of their kids. An added bonus is being able to play around with my skill set to capture things in new ways.

Music is a big part of our lives. We love it, we (not me) play it, and we try to support it. A friend's new band had a show last week that needed some coverage. Since taking photos of shows and festivals is part of my dream job, I jumped at the chance to try my hand at it.

Our church camp is SO fun and there are so many amazingly fun and funny moments throughout the week. Outdoor games never disappoint!

Senior sessions are something I only started doing last year. I'm still working through how to keep it interesting with only one person in the frame, but this last session was a success. The senior in question is comfortable in front of the camera and had that 'outside of the box' mentality regarding our shoot.

Finally, it's summer which means my garden is my happy place. And by garden, I mean flower, not food (much to my family's dismay). This year I finally grew a sunflower that wasn't eaten.

Check out more awesome photos in the blog circle: click here to see Stephanie's work this month.

JUNE 5-on-5

My five favorites from this month...the transition month, not just from school to summer, but (usually) from me taking a break to shoot my own world to starting to shoot for others again.

These siblings are some of the sweetest I know. They spend most days running between our yard and their own, and it has been my joy to watch them grow up.

The start of summer always means jumping right into swim season for our family. The last few years I have had the privilege of shooting our neighborhood swim meets. One of my favorite assignments.

Check out more awesome photos in the blog circle: click here to see Sam's work this month.