Sunday, April 21, 2013

Shayla

My most recent photo session took place on a very cold Saturday morning in April.  My subject was a lovely young girl who I've known for a very long time.  Many years ago, she was a student in my first grade classroom.  It's hard to believe that the cute little girl who loved to be silly and had a great imagination has grown up to be a confident young woman who is on her way to becoming an amazing adult!

After a bit of scheduling and re-scheduling (due to the removal of her braces) we finally set a date for our photo session... and wouldn't you know it, the temperatures DROPPED considerably and provided a very chilly day for our session.  Not to worry though, Shayla was such a pro and you'd never know she was shivering and covered with goose bumps in between shots!

I love shooting individuals and especially close up face shots.  While Shayla is lovely on the outside, her inner beauty comes through when she smiles or laughs!  After many clothing changes and a variety of settings, I learned that my former little first grader has grown into a delightful young teen.  She was a JOY to photograph... and if we all weren't FREEZING, I could have worked with her all day!!

You will see in some of the photos below that Shayla is participating in the Miss Teen Ohio Scholarship pageant.  She told me that she is having a lot of fun being part of this program and you can check out her website here (Shayla Thomas).  I'm sure that being part of this program will enable her to develop many skills that will help her succeed in all that she does.  I wish her luck... but more importantly, I hope that she finds joy and happiness in all that she chooses to do!

I hope you enjoy the pictures from her photo session!






























Thursday, April 4, 2013

Winter 2013

Is winter 2013 really coming to an end?  I know that most people are cheering the arrival of spring... but not me.  Ever since my husband and I started skiing, I LOVE winter!  Every week end feels like a little mini vacation and I'm missing it already - sigh.

Over the past 3 months I've taken a variety of family photos.  Birthday parties, dance competitions, Easter, a ski trip...  and haven't had a chance to blog until now.

The photos below are just a some random images from winter 2013!  I hope you enjoy them.  I'm looking forward to MORE snow next winter!!

My husband and I after a day of skiing at Holimont in Ellicottville, NY.     BLISS!




My beloved K2 skis... I call them my "magic skis" because I had the most amazing day on the slopes the first time I wore them.  I got them as demos (but I was the only person to demo them so they were actually BRAND NEW) for half price!  What a deal!!  LOVE MY SKIS!



My nephew's birthday celebration!  Can he really be 7 years old already!  Isn't he adorable?!!!

My youngest niece - check out the hair bow, she LOVES to accessorize.  In fact, she sometimes wears MANY, MANY accessories! (smile)  Gotta love a girl with her own sense of style!!



The nieces and nephews ready to hunt for Easter Eggs!


Wow, everyone is looking at me AND smiling... I don't know how I managed to get this shot!

This shows my brother and his family last year compared to this year.  I wanted to see how the kids had changed (but I can also see how my photography skills have changed... oh my, a new camera and a year's experience make a HUGE difference)!


Another brother and his family... my niece and nephew are all grown up!  Yikes, how did that happen so fast!?


My lovely niece in her dance costume.  She is an amazing dancer!!



More nieces... having a silly photo shoot with me on Easter!  (all dressed up in their Buckeye gear so they could cheer for the basketball team that night)