{Western Lifestyle} A time to sort & send off

I've spent this year working on growing. I did a post about this near the first part of the year. My plan & focus for the year is "Growth"; be it for business, skill, creativity or relationships, etc, it pretty much pulls in every aspect of this life. One of the things I'm doing more of this year is shooting for me. No 'rules', no time limits, no pressure, just shooting what I love.

One of my all time favorite things is the 'western lifestyle'.  I'm working on adding more of that to my portfolio, thankfully, I can pretty much go anywhere in this county and be exposed to that.  Even more than that, is I can go to my teenage "home" and live it, up close & first hand. 

A couple weeks ago, I got up nice & early to head out to the house for a morning of cattle sorting. It was a beautiful morning, the rising sun, much like the setting sun creates gorgeous light. ♥   Here are a few images from that little adventure, starting with the beautiful rising sun. 

 Mr Rowdy, sharing his "Jet-A Fueled" breakfast with Sally, the 'cow dog' (or so she thinks, she's slightly senile in her old age)

 Even the star-thistle & fox-tail looks gorgeous at slightly before 7 a.m.

The calm before the storm.

 And here they come...

One of my favorite shots.

Everyone getting settled.

 In the alley, waiting for the 'in' or 'by' call.

Thankfully, these little 'friends' stayed put while we were out & about.

Doctoring.

 Important tool.

Such a fabulous morning. Excited & ready for the next adventure as well. 

{Sneak Peek} Miss M turns 4

Last Tuesday I had the privledge of photographing Miss M for her 4 year portraits. This isn't the first time that Miss M and I have gotten to visit though, I've been photographing the little beauty since she was 6 months old. I love the lasting relationships that come with photographing families. I am so lucky that not only do I get to photograph them as my clients, but also as my friends. 


Here's a little recap of Miss M's growth from 6 months.

Miss M is one of the cutest girls I know, she sweet, independent & full of energy. Photographing the little sweetie is like trying to keep the energizer bunny in one spot.

Here she is now, almost a full, 4 years old.

She was a tough little cookie this time, I pulled out almost every trick in the book to get her to crack her real, beautiful smile.

 Some of my favorite captures are those ones that are just in the moment, not really posed at all, but true expressions & emotions.  I just love these 2 parent photos, caught with a little game of "hide n' seek".

Towards the end of her session, we got out the chalk, well Miss M's momma got out the chalk & her sweet little brother helped by dumping the entire bucket out on the concrete slab. She showed me how she could make M's and then I had her draw some birthday balloons and then captured this one.

I brought along a little dress-up fun this time, which was a rarity. I normally don't do a ton with props. I like shooting my clients with their things, in their environment, making their portraits all about them, but who doesn't love a little dress up.

The little miss was a great model for this petti-skirt and even did a tiny twirly dance, showing off the ruffles. (clicking this last image will bring up the larger version)

Thank you guys for such a wonderful session, I'll be getting with you soon for your gallery & can't wait to see what your Holiday session produces. Big hugs & Happy Birthday to Miss M!!

{Sneak Peek} Kristen and Angie, a mother & daughter

It's almost been a week since I went out and visited with Kristen & her mamma.

Last Thursday evening, was just gorgeous; we had beautiful weather, and by that, I mean it wasn't nearly as hot as it could have been in August, a delightful sunset and we got to hang out with swarms of mosquitoes. I had a great time photographing these two (and we threw in a couple extras) and am having a difficult time choosing which images to showcase. There were so many beautiful photos from that evening.

 One of my favorite things about shooting on-location, and not in a tiny little studio somewhere (of course I would love to have a dedicated shooting space indoors, especially during winter months), is the availability of unique props. Sometimes it's the least likely items and places that make some of the most beautiful portraits.
This little tub made a great place to kick up a leg & rest a bit.

 Who would have thought an irrigation ditch could be so beautiful...these ladies made it look GOOD!

It wouldn't have been a complete session without the Man in the house. What a great sport. :)

 We shared lots of laughs. I think at this particular moment, I was actually being carried away by about 15 dozen mosquitoes (and I even used some repellant before we started).

The ladies were late in getting the little guys some dinner, and they promptly let us know about it, in fact, they tried eating the shirt right off Kristen's back. 

This is probably one of my most favorite images from the night. Such a pretty lady and those eyes are SO blue.

Thank you ladies for a great session. I'll be in touch with you this week with the rest of your proofs.

{Real Life} Air Tankers & Helicopters

Summer just wouldn't be summer without seeing some Air Tankers & Helicopters. We are fortunate to live in a wonderful, beautiful, rural area where we can just go out to the base & watch them fly.
Here's a quick peek from yesterday evening.

Have a great Thursday evening. I'm off to photograph a beautiful mother & daughter, for a sunset session.

(Sneak Peek) Elizabeth & Tim, Engaged

I love shooting babies, toddlers, and families, but that's not all I shoot. I actually love getting to photograph lots of things, including high school seniors, couples &  I take a limited number of special events each year.  Tim & Elizabeth are one of those special events, scheduled for 2012.  That's right, they'll be getting hitched next summer and I'll be there capturing all those little moments for them. I'm super excited for them & for their wedding. Last Saturday evening we did their engagement portraits & I love, love, love what we came up with. 

Here is a little peek into the fun we had. 

This was quite the adventure...I was sure the 'brothers' had rigged up the hammock. :)

We actually had quite a few adventures during their session, including the circle of bovine on-lookers.

 

This last one is quite possibly one of my most favorite shots ever. 

I am an idea gatherer, notebooks, magazine clippings, miscellaneous mismatched notes jotted on scraps of paper.  Often times the ideas & inspirations are just begging to come out & play,  but they get stashed away until just the perfect moment. Making portraits in the evening is one of my favorites, not only is the light gorgeous, but this time of year, it's starting to cool down & get a little breezie by then. I don't shoot much in the evenings because that's when most little people head to bed & well, since I do a lot of child and family portraits, you see how this is going, things don't always match up.

Everything finally came together & I was able to get this shot of the two love-birds.

You guys were awesome! I can't wait to hang out with you again and photograph you some more. I'll be in touch with you this week with the rest of your proofs.