Friday Photo Week 15

Here we are in the middle of April already. Things are blooming and the weather is on it's way! Well, that's what we are told. Tomorrow is going to be a doozie. We need the rain, so we have to take our blessings as they come to us.


This week I am posting some photos of my son I took this morning. I needed some shots with his cowboy hat on (with clothes, he tends to want to be naked more these days!) and thought it was as good a time as ever. Sometimes when I set out to do shoots like this, I'll have one good photo out of many. My son tends to not want to stand still and once he sets his sights on the swings, we're done. This time, however, I was floored. He gave me such expressions, I melted. I am so glad I caught him at the right moment!!

My little cowboy in training!

Happy Friday!

Friday Photo week 13

Now that we live in an area where I can grow a garden, I am going to attempt it. Those of you who know me, know this is going to be quite a feat. It should be fun for my son to help me out there.

Here is the exciting part~ I actually got something to GROW!! We bought some tomato seeds and planted them in some recycled pudding cups. Stuck them in the window with the most light and waited.

AHA! Not one, not even two, but FOUR sprouts!! I am hoping to keep them going to eventually get them outside in late May. Here's hoping!!

I have to give a lot of credit to Sprout Robot, it is a GREAT website that helps with what date to start which vegetable. I hope to have jalapenos, red peppers, tomatoes, and a few pumpkins (for the little man!). Will keep you posted!

Friday Photo Week 8

Is it really almost the end of February? This Winter has seemed not existent this year, am I right? However, yesterday the wind was blowing HARD here in Nebraska. I am a really good sleeper, and it woke me up! Needless to say, my Son and I stayed inside for the day.

I was looking up a homemade play dough recipe, and all the ones I found called for cream of tarter. Now, is this a staple in kitchens? Am I the only one that has never purchased this? lol Seeing as we live 60 minutes from the nearest grocery store, it's not as if I could just pick some up. So, I compromised and mixed good ole flour and water.

One cup water and two cups flour to be exact. Now, we had to add some more flour here and there to make it "doughy", but that was the fun part!

At first it was pretty sticky, and messy, but after we played with it awhile it didn't stick as much. It had a stretchy quality to it, not unlike bread dough. It would bounce back into a ball when put into a certain shape, which was fun to watch. Oh it was hours of entertainment!! I stored it in a plastic container until I can make the real stuff next week. Though, I have no complaints over this recipe at all. 

Good cold, windy day fun!! Happy Friday!!

Friday Photo Week 7

As promised this week's photo(s) is from last weekend's Heart City Bull Bash in Valentine, NE

Having never attended a Bull Bash, I wasn't sure what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised, I must say. It isn't just a day for Ranchers and Cattle men and women. There are many more activities to make it a family event. Scavenger hunt, 4H "Luck of the Draw" (which was a huge hit), and many downtown sales.

Main street was blocked off, and bulls of all types and sizes were lined up. It was quite a sight to see! The day was bitter cold, but the residents of the area still flocked to the streets!

I have written an article for the Plains Edition Fence Post magazine, so please look for it for more details on this wonderful yearly event.

I will be there next year, will  you??

2012 Blog Post Challenge~ January

I hope you enjoy viewing my January Color Challenge blog post!

Seeing as January's color(s) is Blue and/or White I went with the blue sky here in Nebraska and for a subject I chose one of the many windmills we use in this area. We don't have any snow, and it pretty much feels like Spring most of the time!!

 Please check out the next photographer on the list: Lynn Puzzo Photography and continue through the entire group of 14 photographers. We'd love it if you'd leave comments on our blogs and sign up for email reminders so you are always kept in the loop!

~Year in Review~2011~

Wow. That pretty much sums up my 2011 year. It was a year of firsts and growth.


Looking through my photographs I can see so much change (for the better) throughout my shooting. I love finding new angles, making a few mistakes so I know how to fix them the next time. I started shooting in RAW this year and will NEVER go back! It took some getting used to, but is totally worth it.


I jumped right into wedding photography with both feet this year. Yes, it was totally crazy, but weddings soon became my favorite events to shoot! All of my brides and grooms were wonderful to work with and appreciated the fact that I will do anything for a laugh! Six weddings are now under my belt. No, not a huge number, but enough to know that I want to continue with them in the future!


Another first was newborn photography. Since I became a Mother I knew the importance of these precious moments. I loved meeting the little ones and parents! Learning poses, and then realizing that the interaction between the parents and the new little bundle of joy was what I wanted to capture. Yes, newborn photos can be oh so cute, but I find the most emotion in watching a Father and Mother cuddle their newborn, and the comfort they give them. A lot of the shots truly brought tears to my eyes.

I have two photos that are my absolute favorite this year. It was so hard to choose! I have favorites from every session (see my Facebook page for the best of 2011).


The first was from a wedding I shot in Breckenridge,CO in July. It was an odd situation from the start, the bride was out East and the groom was in Germany. In fact, his whole family is from there. Everything was booked via email and phone calls, paypal was a Godsend for this wedding! I didn't get a chance to meet the bride and groom before the day of the wedding due to unforeseen circumstances. Which was fine, I am good at winging it! The venue was a lookout down a hiking trail, and as my assistant and I made our way, it was breathtaking. Perfect day for a wedding. They had a string quartet in the trees and a lovely view for the ceremony. The bride and groom arrived a little late and I was able to quickly introduce myself before they started down the isle. The nice thing about this couple, was they were so laid back. I knew the whole day was for them, and was in no hurry. After the ceremony we took a lot of posed and candid shots. As we were leaving the venue I was relieved of my duties for the day, but I turned around and caught this amazing shot.

It is my favorite image of 2011.

The second image is a personal one. I took my Son outside on a nice day and shot is two year photos. Every year I try to get a photo of him and our dog, Maverick, as they are best buddies. This was a shot I was so excited to get, that it didn't matter to me that it wasn't perfect. This just speaks volumes of the relationship between my son and his dog. 

No, the whole year wasn't filled with great things. I had a few clients bail on me last minute, so I had to enforce a retainer fee. Sometimes the photos weren't what I expected them to be after I got them on my computer, and had to make the best of what I had. More often then not, the client was more then thrilled with what I was able to put together. I always prepare myself, however, for the bad reaction. That's all part of the job, not everyone will like your work, but those who do, love it.

2011 was a great year. My clients are the best I could ask for, and look forward to watching their children and families grow.

 We are ready for 2012! Some changes in prices, as I had mentioned before, but there will be specials EVERY month! And for the fun of it, there are THREE in the month of January! :-D I will also be doing "Photo Fridays" and sharing a photo from my week with all of you here on my blog. It may be from a session, or my everyday life. Something so I can look back over my year and relive it, and also for you to get to know me.

The biggest surprise of all?! We are moving! My family and I are headed to Northern Nebraska! I will be serving  most of the state of Nebraska and South/Western South Dakota. I am very excited for this next chapter in our lives. This will bring us within driving distance of both sides of the family. Which will be nice, since we are getting married!! EEEKKK!! Yes, let's add some MORE excitement into our lives! ;-) 7.5 years together and we decided to make it official. We are oh so very excited.

So, bring on 2012!