Thursday, March 31, 2011

Lorelai & Kent - Children's Portraits

I am obligated by contract to state that these are two of the cutest kids that i am genetically related to within a 2 hour radius. Okay, maybe not by contract, but seriously. how can you not find two little faces such as these adorable as all get up? These are FAR overdue, as Lorelai is nearly two months past her third birthday, and sooner than i know it, i'll be photographing Kent's 6 month photos! i've already started informing him he needs to work on his sitting up skills for those. Not totally sure he understood the importance of that though! without further adieu, here are the kidlets!yet again, lisa must be showing her crafty-ness all over the photo shoot, no matter the degree. she made both lorelai's hair pieces this time around. super cute? i think so. my claim to fame for accessorizing are those cute little pink hi-tops lorelai is sporting.
and who doesn't love a handsomely dressed little fellow? lisa strikes again, with her color coordination. she even bought her husband a "daddy" sized tie that goes with kent's, and crafted herself a necklace to coordinate with lorelai's purple flower headband.
oh little baby hands. so tiny and cute. but look at those big blue eyes! i think lisa's going to have a future heart breaker on her hands!

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Savannah & Shawn - Love Birds

When Lisa and I first started our craft fair adventures, we would just donate something random as our "door prize" offers. usually some form of tote bag or accessory. it wasn't until this past "season" of craft fairs where i thought i would switch it up a bit, and donate something that would be loved by the recipient. Every craft fair we did, i donated a photo session and free 8x10. excellent right? I thought so! But after each craft fair, i checked my email like i was waiting for santa to arrive, and got nothing! That was until i got an email from Savannah! She was interested in a session and i was all ears. Originally it started as a valentine's day session with her and her boyfriend Shawn, but then they found out the military is re-stationing him to Colorado in the coming months. We took advantage of the Sacramento surroundings in order to capture their time here before the move to wide open spaces :)i think incorporating steps in any way, shape or form have become one of my new favorite things to do. so much more fun than having them stand on the same level for every single shot!
it was january, savannah was wearing a tube top, and not cold at all. can you believe this crazy california weather change we have going on?
so, we might have snuck over two sets of ropes on the delta king in order to get this next shot, but i loooooove it!
the marines. the few, the proud, and the gorgeous girl that goes right along with them!
savannah & shawn - thank you SO much for being up to the challenge of replying to the craft fair door prize. You both were excellent to work with, and such a breeze to photograph! I wish you both the best, and hope Colorado treats you well :)

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Toe Shoe Tuesday - Katie

this is another appreciation for the sac state dance program week. i'm so glad i was able to get in touch with the in order to help me with this project! katie was one of the girls in the intermediate/advanced ballet class taught on campus, and i loved photographing her! she came with kristin early sunday morning (the day of daylight savings to be exact!) and rocked it out. in my mind i was imagining simple, stereotypical ballet poses, but between the two of them, they were bouncing ideas off of each other left and right, i didn't know where to begin! there were so many photos to choose from, it was hard to narrow it down. we met at the memorial auditorium, and even with only shooting at that one location, we were able to get TONS of different looks.

Saturday, March 26, 2011

"let's do 52" - wk12

last week, you saw the rain storm. usually, that's all we get here in loomis as far as wet weather goes. which is fine with me. i don't mind the rain at all, and "extreme" temperatures don't tickle my fancy. well, out of nowhere, this is what happened on monday. hail, almost the size of peas! i didn't know it was coming until the loud BOOM from the sky - followed by the sound of the cat falling from the windowsill out of fear. i looked outside, and the entire deck was white! needless to say, after the loud thump, not a single cat came rushing to the door to head outside.

Friday, March 25, 2011

Friday Feet - March 25th, 2011

amy - "I'm attempting to re train Rue so that he doesn't have separation anxiety when we leave. He is not happy with me. My socks are from the lovely Emily, and they are great!"
emily - "even though i love the cold and the rain, i still love to stay in my bed more... also, standing on a bed is harder than it seems it would be"
jenny - "that fire insurance didn't last long....*pout*"
kasey - "Been playing Pokemon White for most of the week. Working my way through Victory Road much to Dons displeasure. He hates that I get so far ahead. What else is an unemployed housewife to do?"

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Josh & Holly - Jr. Prom 2011

it was the last corsage in the store, and it was perfection. white roses, black ribbon, glitter out the wazoo, she had to have it. i might have been convinced i wanted it more for myself, but can you blame me? i haven't been to prom since 2006, and finding out my brother had a "date" to prom, it had to happen. Josh & Holly have been friends since they met freshman year through del oro's marching band, and they have now fought their way to senior status. from what i've heard, prom was the talk of the table a few weeks ago at a winter competition for the colorguard/percussion programs. Holly was asked if she was going to prom, and if she had a "hot date." what she answered, and what others heard could potentially be two different things. she might have asked Josh if he was going to prom, and he might have interpreted it as asking if he would go with her. the answer was a simple "okay" to whatever the question may have been. we spent the early part of the evening shooting a few photos outside the blue goose in loomis before they headed off to dinner at the macaroni grille. and i might have requested some bread to be snuck home, and Josh might have interpreted it as i expect him to buy two dinners and bring me home one. either way, the answer was a simple "okay" ;)we were shooting outside, in the cold, wind and rain. "Joe" from Del Oro's Rugby club offered for us to go inside and shoot around in there. of course we took full advantage! unfortunately, the gate to the upper level was locked, and i couldn't convince Holly to climb the gate in her dress, so we used these awesome steps leading up to it and shot there.in case you don't believe me... here is proof of how windy it seriously was. or you can just be amazed by my tie posing :)and these next two i used the excuse "okay, we need some for the moms!" when really, i just wanted a picture of holly by herself in her dress. gorgeous! alright, i'll say it. Josh cleans up pretty well himself!
hope you too had a fabulous time at dinner & prom (hey, getting in for free as seniors, it might as well be fabulous!) and when its time for senior ball, you'll know where to find me! maybe it won't be windy, rainy & cold that day.

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Wedding Wednesday - Michael & Jamaica

this time two years ago, i wasn't even blogging my photography. this time last year, i was a terrible blogger. i was shooting images, but never posting them. now, i'm kicking myself for it. i read blogs like nobody's business, and always jealous of when photographers such as jasmine star and katelyn james have their wedding wednesday posts. i wanted SO BADLY to have posts like this of my own. it was always that i either had the images, but wasn't blogging. or i was blogging, and didn't have the images. but now, that can all be pushed aside. because not only am i regularly blogging every week, but i have images!
michael & jamaica we married late last year, and had a reception held in their honor at the sonoma valley woman's club. a small little two story "house" i suppose you'd call it down the road from sonoma city hall was a fabulous place to hold their intimate reception for just their immediate family. my dad, who photographed weddings through his college years, came along with me as a second shooter (and driver) and helped capture images throughout all of the reception. jamaica was a gorgeous bride, her dress was a light lavender color, and when she found this dress, she changed the entire color scheme of the wedding just to coordinate with it. this next one is probably my FAVORITE image from the entire day. gorgeous couple + gorgeous stonework building = well... gorgeous!
i found this cute little room while exploring the upstairs of the woman's club house, and thought it would be an excellent place to photograph jamaica and her gorgeous daughter savannah.
because of the size of the families, and the small limits of the club house itself, we tromped over to the next door driveway and used it for their family formals. michael & jamaica has their own little moment as we were gathering everyone together. love it!
before today, i had never shot with a second shooter. all the wedding images were my own, and shot from whatever angle i thought to be best suited to my style. so with the following images, i found it interesting to see how my dad and i shared similar subject matter, but how different our takes on them were. these next two images were shot at the exact same time, but different angles. the first is mine, and the second is dad's.
thank you so much michael & jamaica for having us there to share your special day with you! i hope you had an amazing time, and many more years to come :)

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Toe Shoe Tuesday - Rachel & Dakota

when the thought of working with two ballerinas crossed my mind, i didn't know what to do with myself. how would i incorporate them together? did i want them posed together as a unit, or two separate individuals within a scene? and what would i find around that would even allow them to be posed simultaneously without looking just plain awkward. well, here you have it! you saw Dakota last week, down on tower bridge, and once we rounded the corner, i saw this parking garage and just knew THIS was the place. Dakota and Rachel climbed up to the second floor, and held on with all their might. no, there wasn't a nice flat spot for them to pose on. just a small ledge that was just perfect for a pointe shoe box. i'll let you in on a secret. their arms aren't positioned there just by coincidence ;) i'm sure if i went back again, i would bring 4 ballerinas... one for every level! oh yes, the wheels are now turning... well anyways, these girls worked long and hard in the wet streets of Old Sacramento, and deserve a high five for their hard work! So if you see them around, seriously. high five them.

Saturday, March 19, 2011

"let's do 52" - wk11

there is something i particularly enjoy about rainy weather. sure, i despise being sopping wet as much as the next person, but there is just something about it that makes me happy. well, minus the fact i can't shoot in a down pour. well, i'm sure i could, but i would have to do some serious convincing of my subjects. so while everyone else is complaining about the rain, you'll find me happily sitting inside enjoying the rhythmic tapping on the roof, and glad that it is NOT 1000º outside.

Friday, March 18, 2011

Friday Feet - March 18th, 2011

amy - "Chillin with my slippers and enjoying some much needed reading time over spring break! The house is clean, there is no home work to do. Life is good. :)"emily - "totally unintentional feet, but here they are. this was the only "before" shot that i got of my green with envy bowling shirt before it became what it is now (which is to say it was a mens 2x, and now it fits me snug)"
jenny -"Spring in sacramento lalalala...I'm soaking it in while I play pokemon and try in vain to catch up to cousin!"
kasey - "Went for another walk with the monster on one of the last sunny days this week. Sat down on one of the hills overlooking the town/fields below."

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Toe Shoe Tuesday - Dakota

i've known Dakota for FAR longer than i can remember. probably can be safe to say its been about 16 or 17 years. i started taking dance lessons back in 1992 around my third birthday, and the only girl to remain consistently in my classes was her older sister Jessica. (someone please hit me with a virtual stick... i NEVER blogged Jessica's wedding OR engagement session last year! ugh!) When my younger brother and cousin also began dance classes with my studio, Dakota was in their class as well. Over the years I have been able to watch Dakota take her talents to a whole different level, and pursue the passion that she has for dance. I was super excited when she replied with interest in being involved in my ballerina project, and couldn't wait to work with her. Dakota totally rocked it out, along with her friend Rachel (you'll see her next week!) in Old Sac in the rain no less!

Monday, March 14, 2011

oh nostalgia - del oro winter guard

my friends and i have been getting a bit nostalgic about high school lately, not even going to lie. i've had it pointed out to me that this summer will have been five years since i graduated high school, which leads to halfway to my ten year reunion. never mind that, but this is also the year that my sister started her first year of high school. oy! i can remember the days she was eating goldfish crackers at my 7th&8th grade basketball games, and sitting out in the stands wearing her "guard groupie" jacket at all our marching band & color guard performances. now, its her turn. she's joined the winter guard team, and has been (and will be) competing every weekend this month! i haven't made it to any of their competition performances due to my school project, but the parent's show i made it to, they did AWESOME! and yes, there was a reminder of how much i missed it as i watched them take the floor. of course, it also put me on the wild goose hunt to find this lovely gem of a photo from MY freshman year winter guard (taken by my dad, roger carroll).good luck on the remainder of your season, ladies and gents! you rocked it out at your parent's show, and i can't wait to see you come full circle at championships. keep up the good work :)

Sunday, March 13, 2011

"let's do 52" - wk10

10 weeks in to the year already? how crazy is that! yesterday was a sunshiney day (in contrast to today's cloudy cold rainy-ness) and even though i was out of bed and had things to do, mushu tried to trick me in to lazing around on the couch instead of running errands & sewing baby quilts.
those sunbeams seem to catch even the most energetic cats in the house and make them sleep.

Friday, March 11, 2011

Friday Feet - March 11, 2011

amy - "I should be cleaning in preparation of my parents coming to visit, but i'm being lazy and watching royal pains that finally posted online. "
emily - "crazy saturday with my 'to do' list sandwiched in between my photo shoots. this would be post younger sibling sr. portrait shoot out in penryn as we headed back to the car. after the mosquitos swarmed, the rain began, and a train came our way... AGAIN. oh! and you get to see my kelly clark bag that i just love so very much! insert uber excitement here :)"
jenny - "witnessing buddy the rabbit take on charlie the cat at betsy's house. i thought it was funny that her animals are even crazier than mine."
kasey - "Went out for a walk on a windy Thursday. Sat at one of the benches and snapped this shot. Monster Papa is waiting slightly patiently for me to get up so he can attempt to chase after the elderly man who walked by while on his cell phone."

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Toe Shoe Tuesday - Kelli

most of my shooting has happened out of my area. whether it has been down the freeway in one direction or the other, i just found more excitement in buildings in places away from me. i took advantage this past weekend and met up with kelli in my town, and used the big event hall as our shooting location. i'm finding myself incorporating stairs quite a bit. they're just so useful!
kelli did such a great job, we were done shooting in no time! it was so nice of the sun to be out for us as we were shooting. it remained rain free, which was a huge plus!

Monday, March 7, 2011

Coming Soon - March

i've been so caught up with ballerinas, that i've come to find that i'm a little bit behind in posting anything else. okay, maybe a fair amount behind... but have no fear! i present you now with a preview of full posts that are yet to come as i finish the edits completely (in no particular order)