Family Photos, Fall 2014

Just putting these out here because I love them, and I'll take any excuse I can get to shove my virtual wallet full of family photos in your face. This is my group, my family, my trible, my littles, my bear.

My everything. 

Thank you (again and again) to Pam Burke Photography for capturing this moment in time for us. 

Spring Photos '14

After a few weekends of bad weather and then busy last-minute plans, we finally got ourselves together and got our photos taken! Stephanie, our resident family photographer, came down and chased us around our yard and little church next door, and we got some decent shots. 

I say "decent" because my two of my children, who need not be named as evidenced below, are so not into having their picture taken. To capture a smile from them on camera is akin to capturing photos of bigfoot -- it doesn't happen, and when it does, it's probably a conspiracy behind camera. 

But nevertheless, this is our family, our six pack, as we live and breathe and in total 100% honesty, flaws and all. At least we have some photos to look back on, and laugh about, for years to come. 

'Til next time! 

And my favorite family photo of the day, even though RJ has her eyes half-closed and Jaxon looks mad as hell and poor Toby isn't even aware of what's going on. 

Still my favorite, my family in a nutshell!

And from last spring to this spring -- Justin hates doing these "walk away" corny shots, but I love them, especially now that I have two to compare side-by-side. 

Family Photos

Finally, we have some "family of five" photos....casual, unorganized, chaotic and un-styled -- we've been meaning to get professional photos done all summer, but with our business, this is the best we could do in a pinch. Pretty dang good if I do say so myself!! 

Can't wait to take photos again this time next year when little Jameson is with us!!

Thank you, Stephanie!! 

Rhealen & Me

Okay, so Rhealen is most definitely not my twin! She's her own little gal with the genetic lottery on her side! Who knows who this kid looks like?! One thing's for sure, though, I absolutely adore those big blue eyes. They could melt away the trouble of the world, those blue eyes.

Photo Source: Pam Burke Photography

Sidney & Me

Everyone always tells me that Sidney is a mini version of myself - and these pictures make it kind of crystal clear. She is most definitely my twin! I love this big little girl of mine, heart and soul.

Photo Credit: Pam Burke Photography

(I'll be sharing more of our recent shoot with Pam throughout the week - it's so amazing to finally have found a family photographer that I adore! We've got more sessions lined up for the rest of the year, and I know the results will be amazing. Her work is so beautiful, and she's a dream to work with. Anyone in the SWVA area looking for a fantastic photographer should definitely contact her, her work really does speak for itself!) 

{our little family}

A few weekends ago, we had some casual family photos made and I couldn't be more pleased with how they turned out. It's hard to catch our family in motion, so what came out of our little mini-session was definitely a pleasant surprise!

And yes, I know it's a total contradiction that we live in Virginia and root for Tennessee - I blame it entirely on my husband. 

mock-polaroid

I'm slightly obsessed with "Polaroid" applications on my phone -- I use them all the time and honestly, can't get enough of them. It's amazing we pay so much for phones to make our photos look so "vintage" -- oh, the irony! I've been scouring the internet looking for 600 film for my Polaroid. I want to get some real photos in my hands and start a little collection of my own, especially of the girls.

For now my phone applications will do. My two favorites are the Roidizer app and the Polaroid setting under the LittlePhoto app (both for the Droid) -- check 'em out if you've got a Droid!

PS: Don't you think my car looks like Shrek?

Am I a Photographer?

The thought has been in my head lately, what it means to be a photographer? (Cue long rant...)

I am not a professional photographer, by any means. I never went to school, took classes or got any sort of professional training in this field. I have no certifications and no titles. I feel like I put too much emphasis on the fact that I'm not a professional sometimes, but only because I want people to know up-front that this is just a hobby of mine.

Don't get me wrong, I love photography. I have ever since I got my first Canon Rebel 35mm back when I started high school. I still have it, and I love it. There's nothing (in my opinion) that compares to film photography. Even as advanced as we are today in our modern times with Photoshop and Lightroom and all the other wonderful tools of the editing trade, to me nothing can replace a film-photograph.

I also love to shoot SOOC, but not a lot of people like that these days. I think we've all grown really accustomed to clean, perfect, edited photographs. I play around with editing and have fun with 99% of my digital shots, but I find myself doing it moreso for the "client" and not for myself. If it were up to me, I'd shoot nothing but film all the time, no editing at all.

There are a million photographers out there today, some really good and some really bad. Anyone with a fancy camera and the want-to can and will call themselves a "photographer". And I'm in that bunch. I'm just a lucky girl with a good camera who loves taking photos of friends and family. It's not my business or my craft. It's just an enjoyable hobby I'm lucky enough to do on weekends every now and then.

But I still feel the need to be appreciated. I don't think I'm bad at what I do. I enjoy it. My "clients" seem to enjoy my photos. I have a ball during the entire process. I don't want to be looked down upon or judged or feel inadequate standing next to professionals. We are in two different categories. I would never claim myself a professional or try to charge an arm and a leg for my services.

And I don't feel like someone needs to pay out the behind to get great photos of an event or moment in their lives. Photography is all about fun and preserving those moments of fun forever. Who could put such a high price tag on such a thing?

I'm very blessed and thankful for all those wonderful people who have given me a chance to photograph them over the last few years. It's been such an awesome experience, I wouldn't trade a minute of it for the world. I've learned a lot of hard lessons through this process (always carry a back-up battery pack or two and a few extra memory cards! especially at weddings!) and I feel like I'm improving every time I pick up my camera.

And that's what I want to focus on in the future - my camera. Perfecting my SOOC photographs and to stop using editing as a crutch. I might even ditch the digital all together for awhile and shoot film only. (If only I could develop my own photos! Every girl needs a dream, right?!) I have a wedding coming up next month, and of course, I'm going to take my trusty digital gal along with me. But after that, I think I'll just stick to what I know and love best: film. I'm not sure people will be clamoring for those kind of photos, but at least I'll be doing what I love the most and I'm sure there's someone out there willing to take a risk and give me a chance.

I'm an amateur photographer, and I know it, believe me. But my love for photography is anything but. My love is my passion, and I refuse to let other people call me out or call me down because I lack the experience or education to be a professional. This is something I will continue to do every day of my life, if only to photograph my children and my family.

I am a photographer, regardless of what some would say and what doubt may fill my head from time to time.

{Featured are just some of my favorite photos from the last few years -- so many good memories!}