Being Thankful...

Thursday, November 25, 2010

that if I'm going to spend time from my family on Thanksgiving Day, I'm going to spend it with some very special families.

I started the day with the T family as they move on to their next adventures. I've known them for many years from when my daughter cheered at the same gym as their girls, and their youngest babysat for us. Their youngest is now in college and their older 2 are living the life in the Big Apple after having finished their collegiate studies. Being invited to document all that was special in and around their house and neighborhood, particularly to the girls, was my pleasure and I had a great time!
Following that, I headed out to see the C family again, but with special guests, the Grandparents visiting for the holiday from Atlanta! More photos of Mr. T and this time some candid moments with his Grandparents whom he absolutely adores! And I guess you can see I adore Mr. T!  What a great way to spend my day...and the bonus?

Coming home to a nicely fried turkey and no fire extinguisher required! My husband is an awesome cook and, I'm not. I'll leave that part to the expert and continue to be thankful for my family and those around me who surround me with love and enhance my life! Happy Thanksgiving!

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3rd time's a charm!

Monday, November 22, 2010

I have had regular sessions with this family since they came to me a year ago (literally 1 year to the day ago!!!) on a referral. I have watched their son grow over the past year and learned so much about his personality. The first 2 times we met, he started out very apprehensive about this lady with a camera. After visiting their home and seeing him in his environment, I knew that I was going to grab that happy energy in our next session. Luckily, they called me again and I couldn't be more thrilled about bringing this soccer ball (or is it a volleyball?) to start our meeting. He immediately warmed up to me and I got to see that energetic boy full of life and wonderment in all it's true glory---and I don't think he thought I was that scary lady with the camera this time...And as you can see---he OWNED that ball!

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Do you recognize this family?

They're actually above, on the banner of my blog. I have done quite a few action photos and family photos for them over the past few years. I was humbled walking into their house and seeing the huge print of the banner photo above. This year, we squeezed this shoot in before the holidays, and in between cheer practice and competitions, and were lucky enough to have a perfect backdrop, their yard! GORGEOUS! I always love it when, at the 'end' of the shoot, the kids are still suggesting places to shoot and poses they want to do---a fun photo session? Yep! Thanks for the opportunity to make more photos for you!

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The T family

is another family I met last year during my PTO photography fundraiser I did at his school. I have had the honor of capturing some action photos of their son's action football moments and am grateful that they called me again to do their Christmas photos. I had a great time and I wanted to share a few of the moments I captured from this session with them. Their son and I ran around the playground as he suggested some locations and poses for himself while their daughter, in her beautiful Christmas dress, happily enjoyed her favorite part of the playground, the swings!
I'd also like to add that, if you have a moment, learn a little bit about spina bifida .  This can impose some great physical challenges but I can tell you that the spirit of their daughter is totally inspiring.

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The start of a busy weekend

and I loved every minute of it! On Saturday, my son was in a flag football tournament, I helped coach one of our association's cheer squads - we're hoping for a win at Regionals Thanksgiving weekend! and then headed to my daughter's former cheer gym to shoot their family day. What a blast! Brought back great memories of when my daughter cheered for 5 years (before she retired at the ripe old age of 10). Here's one of the MANY photos I captured on their opening day. This gym is located in Jacksonville, FL and you can check them out here here.

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The A family SneakPeek!

She called for another session with me! Last year, I offered a photo special at my son's elementary school as a fundraiser for the PTO. This family kept my number and asked for another shoot. I had such a great time with them and catching up with their academic adventures this year since I no longer have children in elementary. I had a fantastic time! Aren't they a great looking bunch?

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An honor on Veterans Day

Friday, November 19, 2010

to have a session scheduled with a Naval Veteran and his family.  I've known this family for about a year through our baseball club affiliation. Now I'm sure you can't tell from the photos, but their son is TALL. When I say tall, I mean REALLY tall at 6'+ in middle school! I really enjoyed my time with them and am thrilled with the photos we made!

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They really don't like to have their photos taken...


or do they? Mom called to ask about a family photo session in the park but she was concerned that the kids really don't enjoy having their photos taken. Apparently, they just needed to have FUN while getting their photos taken and that's what it's about! Simple, spirited and special!

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