Photography by Erin

see you at the new blog!

Find me here.

And then update your bookmarks and links! Happy New Year!

last (minute) session of 2008

The first few days of life are precious and fleeting which is why I always try to make room in my schedule for newborns. Once those days are gone - they're gone. No getting them back. Capturing newborn sweetness is one of the best parts of my job so without hesitation I took a last minute pre-holiday session with this little doll and her family.

And what better way to showcase her 7 pounds of perfect dollishness than with her great grandmother's antique doll bed...

 

I think she would have slept there all day...she was so cozy!

  

One week old and bright eyed and bushy tailed already!

Those wide eyes didn't last for too long though before she was off to dreamland once again... 

I can't think of a better way to close out 2008 than with a sweet, cuddly newborn. Thanks for the call you guys...and happy New Year to all!

Giving is Awesome WINNER ANNOUNCED!

There's something I didn't count on with this whole "Giving is Awesome" thing. 

Picking.

I mean, giving IS awesome -and it's easy. But picking is most definitely not. The stories of four incredible families were sent in by people who love them and every single one of them touched me and rattled me just a bit. Picking is hard but giving is awesome so, no worries, I'll be hooking each of them up in one way or another. If you nominated a family for this contest check your inbox. ;)

The family that I've chosen to receive the full shebang was nominated by Meredith Sledd. She relayed the story of a family of four young girls from her church and school who lost their father barely two months ago in a tragic car accident. One week later, right before Halloween, one of the daughters was diagnosed with diabetes. A few weeks later that same daughter broke her finger. Meredith shared how the biblical story of Job kept coming to mind when thinking of these friends and I can certainly understand why.

So today on the Eve of Christmas I plan to get in touch with Meredith's nominated family and share what I hope will be a bit of good news on a day that is surely still filled with fresh grief. Thank you for opening your heart, Meredith. And thank all of you who nominated deserving families. I'll be in touch soon. =)

Merry Christmas all.

open your heart

There are only two days left to nominate someone for the Giving is Awesome giveaway! Three amazing stories have been shared so far and I know there are more out there. Email me today to share who is on your heart this holiday season!

GIVING IS AWESOME!

There's a bandwagon among photographers across the country and you're about to see me jump on it! Started by Pennsylvania photographer Kristen Kalp, Giving is Awesome is a movement whose goal is to giveaway 1,000,000 (yes, one million!) dollars worth of custom photography to families needing a bright spot in their lives. As of this blog post 423 photographers have signed on and pledged almost half a million dollars in giveaways. I'm about to add $1400.00 to that number.

So, here's the deal:

You know someone. You know someone who's experienced a tragedy, is struggling to stay afloat, is raising kids while holding down more than one job, or is volunteering selflessly despite extenuating personal circumstances. You know someone who can't afford custom photography, but who would cherish it this holiday season. You know someone who deserves a year-round reminder of their family's spirit, love, and beauty.

You know someone. I guarantee it.

I want to know who they are, and I want to give them the chance to experience complimentary custom photography -- $1250 worth, to be exact. Enough to cover my session fee and my Show It Package - and, believe me, there are tons of goodies in that package.

Oh, and the best part? The person who nominates the winner receives a free session of their own (to cover the $150 session fee). What better reason to show some love could there possibly be, people?

The rules:

* You cannot nominate yourself, and the person nominated must sincerely be incapable of purchasing my services. (Being unable to make mortgage payments for a two-million-dollar-vacation-home in Paris does not qualify as sincere financial need.)

* The nominee must reside in Alabama or be willing/able to travel to Huntsville for our session. Tell me who you know, what they're experiencing, and why they deserve my artwork. Please include a way to contact both your nominee and yourself as well.

* You must e-mail me the full story : (link to my email addy in the sidebar)

The winner will be announced on Christmas Eve -- get nominating! I can't wait to read all of your entries!

Open your heart to someone this holiday season -- and thanks for giving me the opportunity to open mine.

With love,

Erin Cobb

out of my box: Megan and Jesse

My love of photographing babies, toddlers, and kiddos is fairly well documented.  This weekend I had the chance to try my hand at something new and I LOVED it. When Megan initially called asking for an engagement session I hesitated just for a moment. One of the reasons I love photographing children is because they're so unencumbered and free in front of the camera - adults are a different story.  After making sure she was familiar with my style I decided to go for it. And I'm SO glad I did. It was awesome. They were awesome. Completely free and unencumbered - like a coupla kids!

We spent the first half of their session trekking around downtown Huntsville, discovering cool spots along the way.

From what I hear, Jesse's aim on their first kiss was even worse than this...

Now this is more like it...

(did they rock that pose or what?! Nailed it.)

I asked Jesse to look proud and he assured me he could totally do it. He was right.

Hello beautiful girl...

And now you know why looking proud comes so easily for Jesse. Is Megan gorgeous or what?

Before we headed back to their house Megan was brave enough to take a couple of spins around the parking lot on the handlebars of Jesse's bike (okay, technically it was Megan's bike). My heart was racing as they made their first turn toward me...I was fairly certain my first engagement session was going to end with a broken bone for the bride.

But once again...

NAILED IT!   

Megan and Jesse, thank you SO much for asking me to do this. I had a blast and I can't wait to show you the rest of your images!

I am definitely up for doing this again so if there are any equally free and unencumbered couples out there, give me a call! =) 

victory!

During our presession conversation I asked the mom of this sweet little 6 month old the question that I ask all of my clients: "If there's one image that you hope we capture, what is it?"  And I loved her answer - the giggle. She hoped we would find a way to preserve her precious firstborn's baby giggle. And who doesn't want to remember those first few months of baby belly laughs that bring tears to a mamas eyes?

So  I got my crazy giggle-inducing antics all geared up for a morning laughs. And what do you think I got?

Some fascination...

A little curiosity...

A touch of get-this-lady-out-of-my-face...

But in the end...she couldn't resist!

Thank goodness for ticklish baby ribs!

And one more just because it makes my insides melt everytime I look at it...

 

Thanks for the fun...and the hard-earned smiles little miss!

while I'm at it...

It's probably time to make good on another promise.

Back in September on a girls weekend with my book club I grabbed some maternity shots of my dear friend Jennifer while we were touring Monticello. While I was photographing Jennifer my equally dear (although crazy) friend Susie commented on how she hates having her picture taken. And not half a second later she was sprawled out on a bench posed like this...

I'm totally not kidding. It makes me laugh every time I think about it! I noticed a harassing comment from her a week or so ago so I figured it was time I post a few of my girls for all the world to see!

Check your email girls...these bad boys are on their way to your inbox. It only took me three months. That's pretty good, right?

better late than never?

So. Two months ago I promised to share more of my session with Angela Crutcher's family "soon". Actually, "SOON". Oops. As I've said to many of my friends over the last week or so, October and November swallowed me whole and I'm finally re-emerging and making good on many of my earlier non-business related promises. Like, "SOON" I'll post a few more pics of the fabulous Angela Crutcher and her sweet fam.

They were SO much fun to photograph. Seriously. We laughed the whole time and now I can't even remember what was so funny. Probably me. I'm pretty much a freak when I'm photographing kiddos...ask any of my previous clients!

Sometimes my favorite moments are the ones right before the shot. We first had to get this...

To get this...

I wanted to grab a few of Angela and her hubby together since the only thing less photographed than a photographer mama is a photographer mama with her honey. Once the kissing started though little man said it was all over...

Does that sum up life as parents to small children or what?! He looks proud of himself, doesn't he. =)

We finished off with a friendly competition between brother and sister in a back alley. I love how Angela's cheering them on!

Thanks again for the fun day, Angela. I'm already counting down the days until we meet up again next summer!

mama + baby = love.

I'm not sure I can add any words to these images. They speak for themselves.

Thank you all for the incredibly kind and loving comments. I appreciate them and I know Daphne does too!