Photography by Erin

tapestry.

When we moved to Huntsville last summer we were in the midst of mourning. Our old life, our old home and, most notably, our friends. Of all the things I prayed for I prayed for friends the most. And within weeks of our arrival I was reminded yet again that God is good. All the time.

I don't think I'll ever forget the day we first met our dear friend Steven. We bumped into each other in the cul-de-sac and after several minutes of chit chat Brent and I got back into the car grinning from ear to ear. We seriously couldn't wipe the smiles off of our faces. We knew we'd found "our people". Steven and his wife Amy have been a constant part of our Huntsville world ever since that day last summer and I am so incredibly thankful for that.

And another thing I'm thankful for? Their brand new, five day old daughter. So fresh from God. And so loved.

Halfway through our shoot Steven brought out this gorgeous tapestry from Pakistan. They have the most amazing things in their home and this was no exception. It's textured and jeweled and full of character. If their daughter weren't so dazzling I'm afraid it would have stolen the photograph. But no chance of that with this beauty around. 

And finally, Little Tree. Her big brother insisted that be her name. That little dude has quite the personality let me tell you! He didn't win in the battle of the names but he made a pretty lasting impression.

Thank you, Steven and Amy, for letting me photograph your precious girl. And for being "our people". =)

Heads up: I'll be out of town for the next week with limited internet access. I will respond to all phone calls and emails as soon as I return home. And I'll have lots of sneak peeks to share too so don't give up on me!

three beauties.

Last but not least, big sister. Just like her sisters she was fun and real and sweet and if I ever get to be 15 again I'm asking to be her. When I arrived at their house she wasn't quite ready because she was...get this...READING! A real live book! Not myspacing or texting or facebooking but reading. I knew at that moment that we would get along just fine. I ♥ books. And book lovers.

The girls' mom is an artist (among other things) and has lots of fabulous ideas for redoing their playroom/hang-out room - including a 40x40 canvas of the girls together. Now that's my kind of design sense! I can't wait to see how she pulls it all together. Their house is seriously amazing.   

Enough of my rambling. Thanks for letting me share these beautiful sisters with all of you. And thanks, beautiful sisters for the fun afternoon!

"you get the beeeest of both worlds..."

If you have a tween girl living in your house that line might sound familiar. And after my time with this sweet little one I can't get it out of my head! She was a tad on the shy side but it didn't take a whole lot of convincing to get her to belt out the Hannah Montana theme song! (and for the record, she sounded great)

Check out her eyes...so soulful and gorgeous.

Ahhhh...I don't think I'll ever get used to the beauty of Alabama in the summer. It may be hot as hades and humid to boot but it's FAB-U-LOUS when it comes to things like lush, climbing greenery and white picket fences. Add a stunning little girl and you've got the recipe for a timeless portrait.   

Thanks for the fun you sweet girl! Tell your big sister it's her turn tomorrow. =)

the one in the middle.

I'm the youngest in a family of two girls so I can't say this for absolute fact but I hear that middle children never get to be first at anything. To help fight that trend I'm posting this beauty of a middle child BEFORE her younger and older sisters! (don't worry, they'll get their own posts later)

I feel like I hit the jackpot when I was asked to photograph these sisters - they are so incredibly sweet and amazingly polite. I finally had to put the kabash on all the "yes ma'ams" because I was just feeling so old. Their mama and daddy sure are raising them well.

I had tons of fun talking with Ms. Middle Child about all kinds of stuff - and she even gave up some good info on how to get her sisters to laugh. Thanks girl!

Is that a beautiful child or what? And the best part is, she has a heart to match. 

new product highlight: coffee table books

  I've been dying to highlight my new coffee table book sample but wanted to wait until the mama of these sweet girls saw it first. Last night was their ordering consultation* so now I'm free to show off the awesomeness to you guys!

These books have just been added to my product line in the last month and I am SO thrilled to be offering them. They're 8x8 hinged books which means they lie completely flat when opened...I love that! I design every page with the spirit of each child and his/her session in mind.

I know the product photography here doesn't even begin to convey the beauty of these babies but at least you'll have the idea.

The custom-designed, wrapped cover. This isn't a dust jacket...it's the actual cover.

Check out the hinged pages..

A little more love on the back cover...

I had so much fun with this sister-themed book! The colors are pulled directly out of their outfits and their gorgeous backyard.

Love, love, love.

If you have a session coming up, be sure to ask to see a sample at your consultation! And past clients - don't feel left out! Give me a call if you're interested in getting a price quote for a book from your previous session. I'd be more than happy to put together something for you!

* I didn't realize until last night that it was possible to have as much fun at the ordering consultation as at the session itself! If I didn't love my own family so much I'd ask to be adopted into theirs. It just reminded me of the many reasons why I love my job!

maybe it's just cause I love THEM...

but I really adore this shot...

My sweet cousin Lori and her daddy goofing off yesterday.

I rarely get to photograph adults (and, yes Lori, turning 21 officially makes you an adult...sorry) so being asked to bring my camera along to a family function yesterday was a treat. Not only was it a little something different but it was my own fam.

And what could be better than being able to document how crazy-weird your family really is? =)   

sister love.

19 months apart and seriously sweet to each other. They swore to me that they never fight and if I didn't have a sister 18 months older than me I might have believed them!

I've been on quite a toddler streak lately. It's been awhile since I've photographed big kids so these girls were quite a treat. Not to mention that they're...GORGEOUS!

Can you believe the stunning eyes they have? Oh my. I hope their daddy has a game plan for a few years down the road. And a really, really big stick.   

And their backyard was almost as gorgeous as they were! *Almost* 

Thanks so much for the fun girls. I hope we get to do it again sometime! =)

my baby's buns

Oh he will surely hate me for this one day. But when he's 14 there will be a laundry list of other reasons as well so I might as well just go for it. The fact is, you won't be seeing another session on this blog for several days still so I might as well make it interesting for all of us, right?

Check out his why-in-the-world-am-I-sitting-up-here-NAKED stare. Oh but you're not naked my love...you're sporting some pretty cute shoes. =)

I'm usually a color kind of girl but the b/w here just speaks to me so you get both versions...

scheduling update: I only have one available session left in July and one in August as well so get in touch soon if you need a summer spot!

product highlight: storyboards

I only take on four sessions per month. Sometimes they're spaced out, sometimes they're not. This month I happen to have a two week break (well, shooting break, but not a break from work). That gives me a great opportunity to showcase some of my favorite products though.

When I was first putting together my product list I was undecided as to whether or not to offer storyboards. I didn't have one of my own and wasn't sure it was something I wanted to put the time/effort into. I've heard so many colleagues rave about them though that I had to see for myself what the fuss was all about. I ordered a sample. And I was in love.

A storyboard is a 10x20 print that is mounted on 3/4" standout. It's extremely light weight and comes ready to hang or stand. Typically storyboards are comprised of 2 or 3 images from your session but I've seen them done beautifully with more photographs as well as just one single image.

I love mine so much it sits on my mantel...

The standout mounting...

And one in color...

My favorite thing about the storyboards is that most of the time I get to design them together with my clients at the ordering consultation. We're able to pull together the grouping of images they like the best and come up with something that suits their needs and style perfectly. And that, my friends, is just another reason why you can't beat custom photography!   

easy peasy

Every child is a joy to photograph. Every child has a unique sparkle waiting to be captured. Sometimes they make you work for it.

But sometimes, it's like taking candy from a baby*.

It's been a long, long time since I've met a child who was this easy to photograph (if I ever have). This little guy is 11 months old and right on the border between crawling and walking. He would stand for long periods of time but never take off...a photographer's dream! Add in the perfectly chubby cheeks and his delicious green (blue? hazel?) eyes and it's a recipe for beautiful portraits.

How cool is this truck they brought along? I love when clients bring unique things to incorporate. It can elevate images from cute photos to one-of-a-kind pieces of art.

And what one-year old shoot would be complete without an airplane shot?

 

Yep. Are they cute or what? I told them they could totally be the picture frame family!

*no candy was taken from this baby in the creation of these images. =)