Sneak Peek for "V"

Here's a sneak peak from a session last weekend. More to come in your gallery very soon!



This one below has a midnight sepia filter applied for a dreamy look.

Gallery Wrapped Canvas

Here's a canvas that a client recently ordered. It's 20 x 30 inches. At first it seemed gigantic compared to the 11x14s that most people consider to be a "big print". But, when I hung it up on a wall in my home to take a photo for this blog, it didn't seem so big. In fact, the wall it's shown on is only 44 inches across. What a statment it makes on this small wall! I think I'm going to have to order one just like it (with my family, of course) for this same wall.

Scroll down for a special deal on a gallery wrapped canvas and two mini-masterpieces.

Tag... I'm it!

I have recently been tagged by my good photography friend Megan Peck to tell 8 things about myself that you all might not know...


1) I'm always on time. I can't even remember the last time I was 5 minutes late for something.
2) I love to cook. I wish I had more time to do it, and kids who would eat more of what I like to cook.
3) I don't love chocolate. If someone told me I could never eat another morsel of it, I'd be fine.
4) When my son was born, we didn't name him for four days. On his third day of life, we started calling him Christian, but then on day four, we went back to our original name. The nurses kept pushing me to fill out the paperwork, and I just kept pushing back. Now, two years later I can't imagine him with any other name, but it took over a year to feel that way.
5) I have to read myself to sleep every night. My latest read is a series by Sue Grafton, the books are "M is for Murder", "K is for Killer", etc.
6) In college I worked as a Habilitation Aid for developmentally disabled adults, many of whom had physical disabilities as well. I saw the beauty in each of these individuals.
7) I teach programs on public speaking! Yep, for those of you who dread it, I'm up there teaching how to do it. It's probably the most challenging job I've ever had... and that includes the eight years I spent as an engineer for a major technology company.
8) I'm a PK. That means "Preacher's Kid". I hated it growing up because church wasn't so cool. My dad's been my pastor my whole life. He married me and my husband, and he baptized both of my children. Now I think that's pretty cool.

A touch of luxury for you and two perfect gifts

For a holiday gift that will touch the heart and may even bring tears to the eye, here is a special bundle. This is a gallery wrapped canvas and two mini masterpieces of the same pose. Mini masterpieces are 8x10s printed on canvas. They drop into a regular picture frame for a tabletop masterpiece. Keep the canvas for yourself, and give the mini masterpieces as gifts. Did someone say heirloom?

Special Price: $390
1 20x24 gallery wrapped canvas (regular price $300)
2 8x10 mini masterpiece (regular price $90 each)

Calling All High School Seniors

Can you believe that 17 years can go so fast? I can't believe how my kids have grown, and I know in the blink of an eye they'll be taking the ACTs, applying for college, and getting ready to pack up their rooms and decorate their dorm.

Now is the perfect time to get those senior photos taken. I offer creative sessions that match your personality. What that means to you is that you get more than the typical cookie cutter session. Specifically, we'll work together and have a lot of fun. Your senior session includes time in my studio, and up to two outdoor locations. You'll get several outfit changes to capture the various moods and and aspects of your personality. The outcome? Senior portraits that you'll love for years to come.

Here are some from a recent session. Call me to set up your appointment while slots are available. I only do one senior session per week.

A Photo of the Day

Yesterday I woke up to find that I had another POTD (photo of the day) at Shutterbugs.biz. This is a fun photo contest because the photos they select are always fantastic, and it's fairly competitive. There are about 2,000 photos submitted every day, and only one selected in each of seven categories. Here is the winner from yesterday. To see my other winners you can go to the site at http://www.shutterbugs.biz/, and go to POTD Archives, and look under Photographer.

Christmas card designs are coming to town

I know, I know, it's still hot and humid outside. And, I'm definitely NOT someone who starts thinking about Christmas before Thanksgiving... unless it comes to holiday cards. I've been doing some shopping and have purchased some really clean, crisp, and whimsical designs. I've also been busy creating some of my own. Here are a few that I'll be offering this year. I've got many more to choose from. These can be customized and colors can be changed on most of them. If I've already taken your portraits, I'd be happy to create a card for you. If you haven't, I'd suggest booking a session soon. This fall is very busy, and I'm already got several bookings in October, and have limited slots in September. Prices for flat cards printed on photo paper start at about $1/card. Flat cards and folded cards are available on cardstock as well.

Adobe Lightroom Workshop

On Thursday, I had the opportunity to attend a workshop on Adobe's Lightroom software. This is a software package designed especially for professional photographers. I've been using Photoshop for a few years, and know that it came with a pretty decent learning curve. (Keep in mind, I'm very good at figuring out software with my engineering background!). So, this workshop would be a perfect introduction a new software package. An added bonus was that Scott Kelby (oooooh, ahhhhhh!) was the presenter. He is THE master in Photoshop. Aside from being amazingly talented and smart, he was funny! It was a fun day. I'm excited to use the software now, as it will surely make editing faster and better. And, for my clients, I've already used the compare mode. Clients can sit at my computer and we can do side-by-side comparisons of their photos to know they're making the right choices. Now, THAT is the best part.