In the beginning...

     So here it is, what the internet world calls a blogspot. To me, it's just a site to sort, share, and showcase the most recent results of this brand-new hobby of mine. I enjoy taking pictures. But I am a wife, a mother, a home maker, and -at least I would have thought- my time gets pretty well used up by the end of the day. So my husband's gift of a nifty new camera came as rather a surprise. Over the past several months, though, as I read his accompanying gift of The Canon T5 for Dummies and experimented with my equipment and several different subjects, I've discovered that actually, I love shooting photos. Especially of couples, young couples in the first flush of love. And my boys. Thank you, Sterling, for calling out the gift that was in me. And thank you, for having the best site ideas, for hauling my jazz, and humoring my subjects. You're my favorite!

Moses n Liz

     One hardly feels like titling the post, Moses Martin family when this couple still is obviously newlwed and loving it! Daughter and niece Ariana only adds to the joy of their life.

Truman Miller Family

     Again Sterling and I were racing the dropping sun as we did these. When everyone's schedules are tight, this is what must happen in order to snatch a set of family pictures! I say 'Sterling and I' because Sterling has started to realize he enjoys taking a turn behind the camera while I arrange the groups! :) I like it too, for something different. Anyway, enjoy these shots of a good-looking family. Taken at the Miller homeplace.

     
     This arrangement was Truman's idea, and a good one. Unfortunately, the light was pretty much gone, so this is the best we got of it. We'll have to try it again!

Miss Rochelle Byler

......more commonly known as Shelly.

     With my sister along as fashion advisor and a cheery dose of warming sun on the November day, we were good to go.

     My favorite. :) It was so fun to photograph this pretty girl. Her infectious smile and laugh came easily, making her a breeze to work with - and if she felt nervous, she sure didn't show it.

     The post wouldn't complete without including these shots of the besties.

     ^^^ Here we see the friends in their more natural habitat... the pose just wouldn't cooperate.

      Ahh, friends again. Best wishes, Shelly, as you head out to CBS!

Conroy Martin Family

     New babies call for new family portraits. :) What fun! Andrew behaved like a charmer, even looking straight at the camera for one shot. The rest of the family cooperated too, as we raced the fading autumn light. These were shot right on Conroy & Katrina's farm.

Sterling & Anna: 6th Anniversary

     What do you when it's your anniversary (again) and your 2 favorite photographer friends are still in Mexico and Pennsylvania and you badly want just-us pictures?

     You do what we did.
     We loaded up with tripod and accessories and went to downtown Rogers, AR for a long Saturday morning. And we attempted to take our OWN pictures.

     This - was interesting. It meant mad dashes across streets for Sterling, cars passing just as the shutter flashed, poses that weren't meant to be poses at all...

     ...blue socks and white belts in places they Were Not Supposed To Be.

      Just look at that handsome man! *heart eyes*

   

     Pardon the leafy green thing here. :( Sterling wanted to remove it. But for some random reason, I thought it added to the whole effect. Well, perhaps it did - when you stood 30 feet back. But sadly, on the computer screen, it is in the way.

     The wall here, folks, is the point. We loved this wall. But how to strategically use it - I fell short of ideas. In fact, in general, I was surprised at how hard it was to pose us. Perhaps doing this gave me a bit more empathy for the folks who are normally on the receiving end of my pose suggestions [orders].

     It was exhausting, really. Sterling sure thought he earned his lunch that day! I don't recommend self-photoshoots as a relaxing Saturday morning kind of excursion. Looking back, though, it was fun - really fun. One of those colorful chapters tucked into our lifebook of memorable days.

Happy 6th Anniversary to US! <3

Alexander & Sarah Vale

     Sarah & Alex were married...a few months ago. Okay, so yes, their wedding took place way back in August. It was the last of 9 weddings in less than a year involving our little church. So let's just say, I was enjoying a break and welcoming in the fall!...and getting a mite lazy in the photography department. Here's a handful of favorites from their memorable date, August 13.

     Mercy & Isaac Wagner - siblings of the bride, flower girl, ring bearer.

     Is that not a lovely circle of sisters?

     My lighting for the indoor pictures was - this. Stained glass. Congratulations to me, the inexperienced photo-taker! :/ Rehearsal gave me time to mess with the lighting though, and thankfully, I think the ceremony pictures turned out fine.

     Now Alexander is from Canada. If I understand right, from deep within an office, Canada. And the sensation of sweating is, apparently, quite foreign to him.
    One problem. He wanted an August wedding. In Oklahoma. With a suit.

     So what did we do? We laughed as he grumbled as we took the family pictures (which, by the way, include 12 children and several in-laws, so it's not like that just happened lickety-split.) And we tried for some indoor poses.

     The couple fell in love with this piano, and probably would have gotten stranded there for hours, if we hadn't had a time schedule to meet (always and always that time thing on weddings, right?).

    But then I just couldn't help it. I coaxed them out on to the streets, true to my penchant for town-shots.

    
   Poor Alex. He was sure he was going to melt.

     
     And if I don't sound very sorry, I'm not. I love this picture!!

     And Mercy. Adored littlest sister of the bride, spit-image of the bride, following right along in the intellect of the bride. Those are some shoes to fill, girlie!