Just because...

Baby girl,

It's 2:44 am and I am sitting in your room/the "office" typing this. I couldn't sleep so I aimlessly searched the internet for entertainment. As I did, you would sigh every now and then and I so badly want to pick you up and hold you and cuddle you, but on the other hand, I don't want to wake you up.

I thought about how much you have changed since we brought you home and it blows my mind. We finally put you in your crib this week and there is no more little baby sleeping in a Moses basket. You're getting to be a "big girl" now. Only 4 1/2 months "big girl", but still bigger than the baby we brought home.

These days are passing so quickly and there isn't one that goes by where I don't thank God for you and Daddy. I am so blessed. I saw a sign in a children's store and it said, "First we had each other, then we had you...now we have everything." That's the way I feel.

I decided to take a picture of you sleeping...to look back on this time when you get REALLY "big girl"ish and these baby days are gone forever. You can't see much because I took it by the light of your musical aquarium. I am in love with this moment of time, you in your pajamas, your soft little sighs, the "Rock-a-bye Baby" from the aquarium, the snugness of your sleep positioner, your pacifier, red toy block, and quacking duck toy laying nearby and wanted to capture it and remember this feeling when looking back on this image. You may not ever "see" what I will see and remember, but at least I can share the story with you.

I love you, my little Riley Grace.

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Print Quality

I can't even begin to try to really make my point with the following images because I took them in between Riley fussing and wanting to be held, blind closed with no good available light and I took them with my macro, which is really no good for something like this...but I think you can still get what I'm saying.

We usually have family/friends/clients choose to purchase the CD of the session instead of making a print order of their favorite prints. For some reason, people seem to want all of the pictures, even though they might not ever print them all. I know some photographers don't even give clients that option, but to each their own. I think it's a nice option and I was thankful when our maternity photographers (and friends) gave that option to us. But...we chose to print them with a quality lab - we did NOT take them to Target or another place.

I know it's so easy to upload your images to Kodak or take them to Costco or Target to have them printed. That's fine and yes, they can look "fine", but when you have them printed from a lab, they look like they really should...a professional print. When you pay a nice investment for a session, you should get quality images throughout - this means even down to the actual print. It doesn't make sense to skimp on the print quality when you've already invested so much with the session. It's like making a award winning cake with all of the finest, pure, even hand-made ingredients and then throwing on some generic brand frosting on top. It starts to taste just like any other store-bought cake. I know that's probably not the best analogy, but I've got to make dinner so I'm in a hurry. :)-

I had these printed from our lab in 8x10 format to display at some events we have coming up. I am THRILLED with them. Anyway, hopefully you can see here how the photos still look FANTASTIC when I didn't take them in great light, with the right lens, or even in taking my time. They just ARE fantastic on their own and even when I messed up all the rest...they still look good. Don't judge the colors or the grain...that's me with not enough light, and having a low setting since I had no light which produced grain. I just wanted to show how the photos STILL look good and pop off the paper. These photos are PERFECT color (as when shown in their own blog posts) in real life.



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Inspiration...

Inspiration for me comes in many forms...it comes from this photographer, these musicians, this little piece of heaven on the internet, these loves of my life, this cause, and this runner. Danica.

I LOVE running...when I run. Ever since I got pregnant and had Riley, it's been tough getting back into it. But every time I run, I feel like I can do anything. And the times that I don't run, I think of Danica. She has motivated me to run on some days and on others, to at least go to the gym.

Not only is she inspiring, she's funny, smart, beautiful and real. To hear her say that yes, there are somedays she doesn't even feel like running made me feel better about myself and to not be so hard on myself the days that I don't make it to the gym. But I'll be honest...just thinking about Danica and her cute little body and her tough little spirit can push me to go to the gym on the days I don't want to. Not everyone you meet has a gift to "inspire", so when you come across someone who speaks to you in that way, you should soak it all in. She has even inspired me to sign up for another 5K to get back in the swing of things. I'm going to do it this week. I should have some more blog posts this week, so when I blog, I'll let you know which one I choose. :)

Thank you, Danica...for all the inspiration you give me and all the others that read your cute, witty and informative blog. And...thank you for a great afternoon of smiles and laughs. :)

BEST OF LUCK to Danica...she's running a MARATHON this weekend!!!!! I can't wait to read all about her adventure! She's going to do FANTASTIC!!

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Goodness gracious.

My mommy went to a yard sale and all she bought me was this stupid bonnet.

My daddy said that the 1800's called...they want their bonnet back.

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Holy hotness, Batman.

That's all I have to say about Brandon. And yes, my husband is OK with that. ;)-

My favorite is still the very first one from this session.

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Roncovacoco - Finished images slideshow

I posted Roncovacoco's sneak peek last week, I think(?) and finally got around to uploading their images to a private gallery for larger viewing and choosing for their CD insert. These guys and ONE gal were so much fun and soooooo incredibly nice. Janeth, if you are reading this, thank you so much for thinking of us. We hope to do it again soon...and if it's not soon, at least let us know when they are playing and we'll come and have a couple of adult beverages. ;)

I asked Roncovacoco if they had one of their songs that I could play for their slideshow and they did! Be sure to listen and visit their site!

Alex, thank you and your group for a fun time...next time will be even better and we just might get the rooftop shot in!

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Working on wet t-shirt photos...

...get your mind out of the gutter...not THOSE types of wet t-shirts. ;)

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Butterflies

I usually get a little bit nervous when I head out for any shoot...even if it's someone I've photographed before (!), but today was a little different. I had butterflies in my stomach!

I've been reading Danica's blog for a couple of months now. I was looking for blogs to inspire me to start running again. I picked up running a couple of years ago and I've run (ran?) two 5K's, but I normally was just running a couple of miles on the treadmill before I got pregnant with Riley. Running is extremely difficult for me and I don't ever think it will come easy, but I feel soooo awesome after I run.

Danica is a running warrior! She is about to run a marathon in a couple of weeks and when going out for a 20 mile run the other night, she forgot her iPod and STILL kept running! Craziness! I don't think I could have made it past mile 2!

I actually contacted Danica and asked her if she wanted to have a session. I LOVE her writing (she's soooooo funny!) and I wanted to fill up my time between family sessions with a "lifestyle" session. A session just for a person that kinda reflects who they are and what they love. I was soooo excited when she was all for it!

I met Danica today and within 5 seconds of our introduction we just started talking back and forth about the shoot, life, running...it just was so easy. I knew I liked her through her blog and I had a feeling that I would love her just as much "in real life" and I was right!

Thanks for a fun hour or so, Danica! You are such a great sport!! Here is just a sneak peek! Slideshow to come later in the week!

P.S.
If anyone is interested in running in the least bit, you have to start reading Danica's blog. She's funny, inspiring and best of all, she tells it like it is - no matter what the topic.

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Hugh Jackman...the North Carolina version

I always told Al that I never found Hugh Jackson "sexy" like People Magazine did. He was always too "pretty" and I don't find "pretty boys" sexy. But that was until he started being stalked by TMZ over and over again and is always soooo incredibly nice about it. That's when he started being "good looking" in my eyes. A person can be good looking, but if they aren't nice...well, they just aren't that sexy.

So today I met Hugh Jackman...the North Carolina version. That's how I describe Brandon. He's from North Carolina. He's good looking. Some may even say he's "sexy". Either way, he's soooo incredibly nice - and that's just icing on the cake. Therefore, I expect to see him on this cover in the future. ;)

This is just a sneak peek. More to come later in the week.













I like this image cropped longer...


Al likes it cropped like this. Al also says that this can be one of those funny/hunk greeting cards for women..."Happy Birthday, little lady..." LOL!


This image is technically wrong in so many ways, but I still love it.

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Happy 4 Months, Baby Girl!

Dear Riley Grace,

Wow! I can't believe it's already been 4 months! You have your own little personality now, you are grabbing your feet, you're sitting up a little more in your chair and you've started to roll over. It's crazy. I was telling Daddy last week that when we brought you home you just ate, slept, pooped and did it all over again. We loved you, but we didn't really "know" you. We "know" you now and love you more every single day and cannot believe all the things you can do now!

You had your 4 month Dr. appt today and that meant vaccinations. :( Grammy went with us. The Dr. told us that you are now 24 3/4 inches long and weigh 13.13 lbs. He said that everything from your growth to your lungs, eyes and ears looked good. He also said that we can start you on rice cereal and vegetables now! We are excited for that! So tonight we are either going to give you carrots, squash or sweet potatoes. Of course, I will take pictures of that!

Speaking of pictures, I have to start taking more time with yours. Today I didn't take time to change my lens so I had to lower my shutter speed and raise my ISO to get some light in (I'll explain all this later). This resulted in some grainy and blurry pictures. I promise to start taking time in changing the lens and using the right settings to that you will have some good pictures to look back on. Another thing for Mommy to feel guilty about. ;)

Here are some memories of your 4 month "birthday" and your day at the pediatrician's office. I love you so much, baby girl. Happy 4 months!

Your 4 month picture (I've taken one each month for a frame and your scrapbook). You're lucky I couldn't find your white bow...otherwise it'd be on. ;)



Waiting in the lobby at the pediatrician's office.


Grammy undressing you for your measurements/weight and visit with Dr. Rick.




Nurse measures your head and takes your temperature.




Dr. Rick! This man has returned many after hours phone calls. :) Your look says it all. :) And...this was BEFORE the shots. :/

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Roncovacoco - SNEEK PEAK

I had a great time this morning shooting some fun guys and a girl(!) and seeing a former co-worker of mine! Janeth called on us to help shoot some images for their CD that will be out soon! They are in the studio recording right now!

Janeth and friends chose a great location for this session. Al and I really need to scout L.A. more. There are some great places there. And some of the graffiti is AMAZING. I'll post more about this great group after I finish their images later on during the weekend/week, but for now, some of my favorites of Roncovacoco!

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Deserving...

Do you know of a mother who could really use a pick-me-up on Mother's Day? Someone who you feel could use something special or just someone that inspires you?

This is my first Mother's Day and to celebrate the blessing of my healthy little one, I want to give a gift to another mom. I'm offering:

• a 1.5 hour session within 15 miles of Long Beach
• 1 8x10
• 2 5x7's
• 8 wallets

Entire session will be uploaded to a private online gallery so mom can share it with family and friends! Session must be completed by July 1st.

If you feel you know someone who deserves a special gift, please leave a comment here or feel free to e-mail me if you'd like to keep it private. I will choose one winner Sunday morning! Happy pre-Mother's Day to all the moms out there!

And because every post is better with a picture...here is a shot of my high school friend with her youngest. :)

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"W" Family

I had such a nice time seeing a friend from high school today. She was just as sweet as ever and her family is just gorgeous!! Here are a couple of sneek peeks...









I asked the kids what they liked best about Mommy and both of their answers were "I love her." :)

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