Models Needed!

Here I am again.  I've been pulling out my camera and experimenting a little.  I think I'm ready to try my hand on a few new subjects.  I'm going to work on my portfolio for the time being.  If you know of someone who would like a no risk session have them contact me!!

And if you know of someone who may be pregnant - send them my way!!  I really miss photographing the newborns.  I mean really miss the newborns.  And since there will be no more babies in our frat house I need to borrow a baby.  Seriously.  Send the baby (and mommy) to me!

*5-10 days old is the preferred age :)

Oh. My....

Sunday night I ventured out of my little box and went on a walk with area photographers.  I didn't know what to expect and was quite nervous but I went anyway.  It was organized by two very helpful and friendly professional photographers and they organized a few models for us.  Take a look at this little beauty!

Seriously.  I could not get enough of her!  The eyes.  The hair.  *sigh*  She had a matching personality that was just a beautiful...

Hellllooooooo out there

Well hello there!  Yes, yes.  It's me.  I know I've been away for, oh...a couple of years...but I'm here!  Where have I been you ask?  Here, just not HERE.  I've been raising my boys and getting caught up in the every day mayhem that comes with a frat house.

Every year around Christmas I fret about our card and have to capture the perfect picture.  This past year I had a bright idea thanks to Pinterest (a love of mine).  I gathered all the boys, gave them the proper attire and we headed out back to do our thing.  So it didn't turn out exactly as I'd hoped.  In fact.  I thought it was a complete disaster.  Three days later I finally downloaded the images to my computer, went through each one always finding something wrong.  As I went through them again I realized I was looking for the wrong image.  I needed not the perfect one to everyone else, just the perfect capture of who my kids are these days.  I found one, did my PS magic and came up with this...

This card made me so happy!  I was excited that I was able to capture my boys just as they are these days.  It wasn't what I had envisioned...it was better.

Then came a den meeting for our Tiger cub.  They had to scrapbook and who better to provide the supplies than the mom who used to scrapbook.  I brought out the books for the boys to look at and laid them on the table as examples.  Before the meeting began I heard giggling and belly laughter from the dining room.  I found the big boys going through some of the family blog books that date back to when they were much younger.  They were laughing at the pictures and things they used to say.  They loved them and spent a long time going through each one.  It made me miss the days I used to blog.

This year I made a new year's resolution.  I need to pick up my camera again.  If not for Queen Bee then for me, for my boys, and for the sake of keeping our memories.  Memories like this one...

Yes, his underwear is on backwards.  Why?  So he can "see the picture".  It's a memory that we'll laugh about when he's older and one that needs to be documented.

So here I am.  I'm back to the photography.  Where do I want it to go?  I have no clue.  But I do know that I have three very willing subjects, a bag full of equipment and no more excuses.

What I've been up to...

First off, here's the little guy that has brought our family soooo much joy. He's a breath of fresh air every day. I'm just so sad that he's already almost 7 month old!! :(


Met this little guy when he was three weeks old. He was a curious little thang and oh so precious! :)

And I've had a chance to play with some friends. It only took us a year to get our acts together and actually get a session going. Too bad we were melting outside in the June heat!

And an old friend. He was back for his one year pictures...already! Sooo fun and finds growling hi-larious. Didn't know I could be so funny! :)

Aside from trying to actually photograph my boys a little more, these are some of the friends I've been playing with this summer. :)

Wow!!

It's been a long time since I've touched this blog! Am I still alive? Am I still taking pictures? The answer is yes to both. :)

The addition of another little boy around here sent our house into a bit of a tailspin for a few months but we are emerging from the "Holy Cow!/What's My Name?" phase and moving into the "We've found a new normal" phase. :)

And yes, I am still doing the photography. I've had a few sessions and I'll post some pictures from those. It is still best to book those newborn sessions before baby arrives...not only so I can keep my calendar open but I also have to find childcare for Baby J now. No sitter, no pic-a-tures.

Here's a little news on the Queen Bee Photography front:

** I will be doing a limited number of Christmas sessions. Last year I was booked every Saturday morning for weeks and missed a number of my boys' soccer games. :( I've decided I just can't do that this year. Very soon you will find my new plan. Evening sessions during the week will work best (availability will be posted). As for a weekend session, I'm thinking I will have one Saturday in October and one Saturday in November for quick sessions. On those days I'll have up to three sessions booked back to back. What does this mean for you? Let me know now if you would like to be notified when I figure out my schedule and you will get first dibs on one of my sessions.

** NEW Prices. You will find a change in prices effective August 1, 2010. I've also added the sale of two JPEGs cropped for cards (announcements, etc.). They are not full size JPEGs but are big enough for you to upload to a website and make your own cards. They are priced at $75. Why? Because I am selling you my work and rights to use them as you like on any card, on any website.

That's all I have for now!! :)

Our Little Blessing

is here! The latest W boy entered our lives on January 25 at 11:13 a.m. He was 7 pounds, 3 ounces. We feel so lucky to have him in our lives. Here are a few pictures for you to enjoy...

All of these pictures were taken in the hospital. I think that is such a special time for a family and would love to be able to do more hospital work in the future. Preferably when I'm not under the influence of Vicodin. :)

My turn

Yes, there is another little guy on the way around here. :) The photography has taken a bit of a back seat for now mainly because I can barely get myself from point A to point B, much less chase a child around with my camera. Don't worry, I'll be back up and running again as soon as humanly possible. In the meantime I've been trying to embrace my belly and get some new shots.

Now here I am 6 days away from delivering and so ready to see this little guy!

Warning: The following picture may make you gasp and giggle...

I promise that's a baby in there and not a basketball. :)

Holiday Catch up...

The holidays have come and gone. How sad to see the house without the Christmas tree and all the decorations. In my determination to enjoy the season I did not update the blog...at all. Yikes! Here are some pics from those fun sessions I did before the holiday craziness.







And easily my favorite photo to date...

It's not always fun and games around here! :)

Baby Girl!!

We all know I'm waaaay behind on my posts here. Hope that doesn't shock anyone. :) Well last month my oldest friend (we go back to middle school) had her first baby...a beautiful little girl. I was so excited to be able to share this experience with her now that she lives in the same city again. I had to visit her in the hospital and get some pictures of that cutie.

Then of course I offered to take her newborn pictures. You know I can't resist those tiny little things!!

Congrats, J and V! Thank you for allowing me to play with your precious little one...

Eeeeeekkkk...BABY!

Oh...my...goodness! I LOVE BABIES! I attended the class with Kelley Ryden back in October and I've been itching to get my hands on a little one. This was my big moment!!! I had a little warm bundle of joy come visit me this week and I could not have been more excited!

This little girlie is number 4 for Mommy and Daddy and as precious as her siblings. She was sleepy and cooperative. I was secretly hoping Mom would accidently forget her here so I could play with her all day. ;)

Onward!

This weekend was a packed one! Three sessions...6 parents, 6 kids, two locations and a blissfully exhausted photographer.

Here is our first cute family. I've known them for many years now. In fact, mom is quite the photographer herself. She's the one that invited me to photograph the priest ordinations back in May. So when she asked me to photograph their family I was quite flattered!

Now seriously, who can resist those eyes?!


Check out this little handsome guy...


It was so nice to spend the morning with you M family. Thank you for inviting me to capture each and everyone one of you just as you are today...

Another Believer

Here's the second family I mentioned. I've known Mom since she was just a middle schooler. :) Her sister and I were BFF in high school...partners in crime...Thing One and Thing Two. I started this blog more for myself, never did I expect to be contacted about photographing others. However, here's another one that believed in me before I did. I photographed this little guy when he was just six months old. I have to say, he's still as smiley as ever! :)

Thank you "I" family for all your support and encouragement! :)

Double Header

What a great day this was! I had two sessions, AM and PM, both with friends who believed in me before I believed in myself.

This morning I met with the P family. Mom asked me to photograph her when she was pregnant with the youngest...back in May of 2008! At that point I had only taken pictures of my own family. I was a nervous excited that day. Without her support and encouragement I know I would not be where I am right now.


This is the little cutie I photographed when she was still in Mommy's tummy. She's 16 months now! Wow, time really does fly!!

Omaha, Nebraska

Saturday my husband and I hopped on a couple of planes and made it to Omaha. I was beyond excited to finally meet Kelley Ryden and Tracy Raver...I tried very hard not to drool all over myself. :)

I felt like a little kid on Christmas Eve as I prepared my equipment and double checked my list of things I needed to have with me. Monday morning I was up and out the door to make the short drive out to their studio. Nebraska really is beautiful. So calm and peaceful...I can see why people love it.

The class started with our newborn models and they were all so precious. Each with their own personality and cute as buttons. I got a lot of helpful tips and met some other great photographers in the process. Half the battle of a good photo is the set up but the other half is taking your photos and editing them to make i hem beautiful. That afternoon we looked at the editing part and again, lots of great tips. Here's one of our little models...

I'm back at home now and ready to get my hands on some cuties!! Yes, I have one on the way but he will not be here until January. So in the meantime I need some newborns. Know of anyone that is about to have a baby? Send them my way!

Time's Up!

Thank you to all of the families that have booked a session in the coming weeks! Queen Bee's calendar is now full! I have a short waiting list so please email me if you would like to be added and if something falls through with another appointment I'd be happy to squeeze you in. :)

Opportunity of a LIFETIME!!!

Before I even begin I have to tell you that the picture below is NOT MINE...it belongs to the fabulous Kelley Ryden.

Isn't it the cutest picture you've ever seen?! The coloring, the hat, the way the baby is posed and sleepy! I love all of it! I've admired Kelley's work for about two years. She has been an inspiration to me in so many ways. Kelley and her sister, Tracy Raver, are photographers based out of Omaha, Nebraska. In the past I've emailed them to ask questions and they have been nice enough to help out a newbie like me.

A couple of weeks ago they were featured on The Today Show for their beautiful and simple photography of newborns. I was so excited for them!! What a great opportunity to showcase their work! Since I've been in contact with them before I knew they offered Baby Posing classes but never thought I'd be able to make it up to Nebraska for a class. Welll.....I'm going!!

My husband is my rock and main cheerleader in all that I do. It was his idea for me to email and find out about taking one of their classes. After hearing that I'm due with a little one in January they were nice enough to squeeze me in to an already full class so I could learn from them before our baby arrives. I cannot thank them enough or say enough great things about them and their work. I am beyond excited and thrilled!!

So those of you that may be expecting little ones in the near future...look out! I'm going to be after your precious bundle to try out new hats I've been crocheting and backgrounds I'm collecting! :)

I'm Baaack!!

Wow! Where does the time go?! The whole summer has passed and I haven't touched this blog. Well, to be quite honest I didn't really feel like touching the blog. Come January our family will go from 4 to FIVE! Yup, we are expecting a boy at the end of January. :) So what did I do all summer? I took it easy, stayed indoors to avoid the heat and had a little photo break. It was all much needed and just worked itself out.

I'm now 21 weeks, Christmas is coming and I'm getting fat...time to pick up where I left off and get the ball rolling again until I just can't do it anymore. :) The calendar is filling up for the weekends - some weekends I have two bookings. Yippee! As I've stated on the website, Christmas card pictures will not be taken after Thanksgiving. Why you ask? I learned a little after last year. I was doing pictures up until the 19th, editing like a maniac and neglecting my family. This year I'm drawing a line because I need to...for my sake and my family's sake. :) So if you're wanting pictures please email me ASAP so we can work something out!! :)

Little Man

Awww...babies. I love them! Yesterday I had the chance to meet a new little guy, N. Mom contacted me last month asking if I would photograph their new family after he arrived...uh, of course! I still get super excited when I'm asked to photograph newborns. Maybe it's because they don't come around very often.

I drove to their house armed with some new backdrops and props. When I arrived he was awake and aware of all that was going on. I thought for sure he'd fall asleep after his bottle... who doesn't get sleepy with a full belly?! Apparently, N. :) He was awake 90% of the session!! I was amazed! He wasn't upset...just...awake.

No worries, we run on their schedule anyway. So, Mom and Dad have pictures of N, with his beautiful blue eyes wide open. :)

M and A, thank you for inviting me into your home and allowing me to capture your new family. I left feeling full of energy and super excited about our time together. Here's a sneaky peeky for you...

A New Look...

I've had a little down time lately so I've been playing around with a new look...textures.

Here's the edited image...

Hmmm...I kinda like the way it warms up the image. I think I'll keep it.

Here's another from the same session...

Very interesting....What do you think?

Changes

Whew!! It's been a busy April and May...so busy that I've barely had time to think about anything other than scheduling sessions and editing. Please do not misunderstand - I am NOT complaining! :) In fact, I feel very blessed and honored each time I am asked to do a session. I thank everyone who has supported me and Queen Bee!

There are a few changes in place now. I've got my feet on the ground and am ready to move forward. The first part of the year was very much a learning experience for me and now I'm ready for the next phase. I've changed the sessions and included more details. The basic is still there, set up for a family of 4.

New to the sessions: Newborns! Oh my, they are quickly becoming my favorite. So warm and snugly and sleepy! Very, very sleepy! :) I feel so giddy before each newborn session. I've done a few sessions and with each one I look forward to trying something new or using a new prop. I've even dusted off the knitting needles for these little cuties! I may be a little obsessed. If you know of a new Mommy, send them my way!

Also new, Seniors. What a different experience that has been! Again, I'm not complaining. It's just so different to go from chasing a child in order to get that perfect shot, to grown "children" that sit the way you want them to, take direction and smile on cue. Kinda crazy! This year I worked with 4 girls (need those boys too), two of which I've known since I taught second grade. Now they're all taller than me and more beautiful than ever. What fun they have been!

I am keeping the individual session but reclassifying it as the Birthday Session. This is still for one person. It's perfect for those...well, birthdays. But remember, there are many "birthdays" that first year of life...3 month, 6 month, 9 month, then 1 year. If I find this session to be popular for those going through the first year of life you may see a new package pop up. I'd love to help you document the many changes that first year will bring.

In addition to the sessions I've redone the galleries...added some new faces and rearranged a bit. I hope you find the added information useful. And thank you for sending new people my way! :)