Funk

Another day...another photographer friend. This is Micah and I met him at Starbucks. I think he is extremely talented and he inspired me yesterday. I have been in a little funk lately and I knew that taking my kids out to a spot that has been on my list, would help things. Micah came along for the ride and I was so glad that he did. Here is a shot of him in his glory:)
I always come away from a photographer's playdate with inspiration and knowledge. Watching Micah, I was pushed out of my box. He is free spirited with his camera and he is always trying to get a different angle on things for a fresh perspective. I picked up in that real quick and it reminded me to look at things with fresh eyes. Thanks for the short hours we spend with me talking your ear off:) Go check out the rest of my shots on my 'featured' section of the site.

Fans?

There is one thing for sure in this world...I don't think I will ever yearn to go to another Monster Truck rally! Was it a fun family outing? Yes. Was it what I expected? No! Much louder than I could have ever imagined. There was a lot of dead time inbetween rallys. I think the last time that I saw this group of people was at the local fair:) It was a new experience and the highlight of the night was the BMX freestyle intermission. I think we will have to attend one of those shows instead the next time. I think I have my hearing back by now, but my sense of smell is still recovering after sitting in front of someone that I am sure, rolled in manure. So if you are going to go to a monster truck event, make sure to invest in some of those Nascar headsets to save your ears and don't go if there isn't the Donkey Kong or the Grave Digger truck (they were the most impressive). Jake was in his element as you can see:)

For Grandma Marsh

My Mom could use some cheering up these days. My Grandma, her Mom, is not doing so well and it has been a very hard year health wise for many around my Mom's family. Mom, I wish more than anything that I could be there to help you and be there to hold your hand. I think about you all day, I pray that you get through these tough times, and I love you so much. I know you'll get a kick out of Jamie in these two clips. He wanted to make Grandma laugh, so I told him that I would show you these:) I hope it brightens your day, even for a moment. Tell Grandma that we love her very much and give Dad a huge hug for us. Hang in there...."this too shall pass." The first one is the first time he has ever read a book outloud. And the second is his rendition of how to say Supercalafra...whatever:)

Picture Day

Today Jalena had 'Picture Day' at school. So I took the opportunity to have 'picture day' here at the studio as well. I knew that her hair wouldn't stay curled for long and maybe she would pull out the awkward smile for the school shot. Last year I got her prints back and because of the digital world being so new, the shots came home with her having red hair. She said she had fun though and that she loved the school bus that she got to take them in...that's all that matters. We had fun at the studio here too and I got to get her real smile and Jaime-Jam jumped in a few of the pictures as well. Thanks to Fancy Pants for the rockin' attire:).
You know I have to get a 'keep it real' shot in the mix!

Ballers

So I got this hair-brained idea that while I had so many potential subjects in my house at one time, that I would come up with a concept to shoot them in the studio...as they are...one common thread...and minimum shots (I think I shot a total of 25 minutes). Well, this is what came out the session. Some of them really could have cared less and I think they were more concerned with the X-Box game that was on pause while they had to appease the hosts craziness. Thank you boys for being good sports...you almost look like you were cool in these....I'm that amazing:)

You know me...I had to keep it real. So all coolness aside, here is what I see the boys as. I think I captures a small piece of who they really are and how the week was for them:)Boys...check out the rest of the shots on the site under the 'featured' section on the site.

Let me introduce these two wildchilds. We'll keep them anonymous because of all the incriminating shots they MADE me take. This is what happens when you mix and in-home studio...8 teenage boys...two crazy kids...and way too many props (clothes) to choose from. I told these boy...we'll just call them 'J' and 'A'...that I was going to hold onto these until I could buy a WHOLE page in their yearbook for their senior year. These two had the smallest bodies on the courts this weekend, but they proved to have the biggest hearts. Keep the spirit alive boys, and don't ever loose those free spirits!


There was also a boxing match-up of Milo and Jake. It looks like things got pretty intense after the weigh in. Look out Jake, he is catching you!

Arctic Wolves

Can you hear me glowing? Well, if you could see me, you would know that I am glowing with proudness. My oldest brother brought his 7th grade comp-basketball team all the way from Fairbanks, Alaska to play in a tournament here. My nephew is here and 7 other teenage boys and they have been hangin with the Carlisles. I am so proud to watch my bro giving these boys this opportunity and especially watching him coach. He has the biggest heart and he loves the game so much. Talk about passion...if I could bottle his and mine up, we could pretty much sell it for millions:) I love seeing my kids with Milo (their cousin and idol) and all of his teammates with all of their politeness. What a great bunch of kids. They didn't win any games here, but I know they are going to go home more confident and have plenty to work on to step their play up. thanks for the great week Arctic Wolves.

Happy Love Day!

All you need is love...All you need is love:) Thought everyone could use a little kiss from my little man. Hope you are loving yourself on this silly holiday called Valentine's Day. Here's a quote from my passion book to carry with you today. "Love really is the answer. We're here only to teach love. When we're doing that, our souls are singing and dancing." (Gerald Jampolsky, M.D.) Well, you can see my soul singing and dancing reading this blog. Photography has opened up my soul to others and I have a medium to show it. My family makes my heart skip a beat.....speaking of skipping a beat.....my sister is great..heart is stronger than ever and I love her and ALL my family more than words can say.

Photographer Playdate

As many of you know, I love to network! I have said many times before that I am putting myself through college all over again. I get to set up who my speakers are going to be...what the subject is, and then I write a paper (or a blog entry) on what I learned. Well, I recently met up with a couple photographers from the area. Amy Pearson (beautiful soul) last week and Julie from Freckled Pear Studio this week. Yesterday Julie came over after I contacted her weeks ago and it turns out that we literally live 5 minutes away from each other! It was a day of "omg, me too" and "that is totally my story" moments. We are so similar in many ways and yet different enough to learn the world from each other. Everytime I meet with photographers and share knowledge, I am energized beyond belief and I always walk away with a deeper understanding of my own path. I can't tell you how many amazing photographers I have met over the years. What an amazing job that I get to socialize and learn from others in the industry...oh, and shoot together. Julie doesn't shoot in a studio much, so of course I took that as...well, let's just set up the lights and play! This is her beautiful daughter Avery and she was a busy little bug! We had a lot of fun with her and this was the first time any other photographer has ever taken her picture! I felt honored. Thank you Julie for the invigorating day and the ultimate playdate:)

This is a beautiful shot that Julie grabbed. Julie's not a girly, girl but she sure enjoyed seeing her girl is all the frills and pink!

Preggers

How cute is 'B'! I picked this girl up in a bar:) No really, I met her at our friend's bar right before she got preggers and when I heard she was going to have a baby I just had to capture her. I used her for one of my "inspiration shoots". I had a specific idea in mind using a white netting canopy. I got close to what I wanted, but what I didn't expect was to go beyond the original concept to get some great stuff. The phenomenal shots are the semi-nudes and some with her hubby, but I'll have to leave those for the imagination for now. What a beautiful girl inside and out. Thank you 'B' for trusting me and for opening up your soul:)


These are the concept shots:)

Yes we can

O.K. so I am not much into talking politics or religion on my blog, but this was fun to see and thought I would share. I saw the link on a friends blog today and it touched me. It made me smile, think, motivate, and above all, feel LOVE. It is a beautiful piece and it makes you think...that's a good thing:) You have to go check out this will.i.am video

My "Keep It Real"

My "keep it real" shot this week is all about the sheer joy that is seen on Jamison's face. As he scales the mountain side with his SuperDad backing him up, he just can't wait to get to the top so that he can have the ultimate bliss of sliding down on his butt. Simple pleasures. He isn't thinking about it being dangerous. He's not thinking of the outcome. He's not thinking about what he is going to do after that moment. He is just excited and completely living in that moment. Let's try to free our minds like when we were young and just live in the moment every once in a while. I know it takes massive practice, maybe through meditation and maybe it only lasts for a moment. But, we need more of this in our lives. Try taking a walk and smiling because you're walking. Whatever you do, do it well, and find some happiness:) Live in the moment, and just be.