Now, I am sure you are wondering about the strange title of this post…

How is a senior session terrifying? This has nothing to do with my subjects, as they were completely wonderful! The moment that made me gasp for air and had my heart pounding was something that every photographer dreads!

Side-track for a little back story …

I recently purchased a new camera body online and when it arrived, it didn’t have a strap attached. I have been meaning to get one for a couple weeks but didn’t feel it was a huge priority. The following will prove how wrong I was!

So, here we are… driving to the beach. I was riding in the passenger seat and “chimping” (looking through the images that we had previously shot in my camera). We arrived at our location and everyone began to exit the car. I unbuckled and hopped out… only to feel something slip out of my hands and then my worst nightmare…I see my brand new camera drop… to the ground… on concrete… and it bounced once!!! THUMP! I feel like I saw this in slow motion. I immediately scooped it up and inspected it. Everything looked OK. The lens was fine, there was a little ding on the body but it took a photo like nothing had happend. I was relieved but ,just for the sake of being thorough, I pulled out my back up camera (this is where it pays to invest in  extra equipment) and continued our shoot. I am happy to say that “my baby” is just fine and still shooting like she used to! ( I know, I speak about my camera like she is a person) SHEESH! Talk about a close call!! So all this to say, I have learned my lesson and will be getting a strap ASAP! Thanks for listening to my little rant. I know this may not be that big of a deal for all of you but I think my photog buddies will relate!

Now on to the images! These seniors keep getting better and better looking!

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Here are the heartfelt words they wrote about eachother…

Kaet (daughter): “Ever since I can remember, my mother has lived her life with seasoned grace. Whether it was setting the table for Thanksgiving dinner, or remembering to get birthday presents for the neighbor children, she did it with grace.

Now…everyone makes mistakes and messy situations are common in this crazy thing we call ‘life’, but my mom has taught me to make the most out of each and every “Woops!” moment. I can remember a time as a young child when I was coloring and made a mistake. Instead of starting over, she suggested we turn my little error into a heart. That’s not only brilliant, but that is full-fledged grace. Ok—maybe that is ‘graciousness’ in a small form! But seriously–from all the years she raised me as a single mom and still making each day a “happy day”–to the girls trips where she threw her head back and just laughed in the airport when our luggage got lost thousands of miles from home–to the way she will NOT let her world get rocked when life’s heartaches are presented…  she’s done it ALL with GRACE.

When you meet her, you will see notice that my mom’s aura is filled with a warm brightness that is unrepeatable. To me, she stands out like a glowing fire in an inviting hearth. She is filthy-rich in spirit– a reminder to myself that I too, have a magic about me that is all my own.”

Kim (mom): ”

If we are being ‘heart wide open honest’ here….being a Mother was something I

was uncertain was for me.  I purposely waited many years to conceive my

daughter (she was very planned) and it was a difficult pregnancy.  Kaetlyn

arrived VERY prematurely and although that was frightening on many levels, I

chose to look at it as a sign that she couldn’t wait to meet me and greet the

world!

I so clearly recall the moment I looked into my Daughter’s eyes for the first time

and I said to her “Well there you are…so great to finally meet you”….

I recognized her — from where I do not know, but I KNEW her the moment our

eyes met.  It was like reuniting with a long lost love who you had always carried

in your heart. At that moment, I realized, it wasn’t our first meeting — we had

always known one another.

As a Mother, I wanted to be the teacher, the example, the mentor to my

Daughter.  But it is my Daughter who has taught me SO much in life. She has

been a catalyst for me to be a better person so that I am worthy of being her

Mother.

It has been such an amazing journey — to watch her grow and learn and become

this beautiful woman.  Worldly and poised, graceful and intelligent.  A true

beauty inside and out…her light from within shines out of every pore like radiant

diamonds.  At times, I can barely take my eyes off of her.

I look at Kaetlyn with such admiration, inspiration and hope.

I am so honored to have had the experience of raising her as a child and I’m so

excited to watch her journey as an adult.  Although she is a woman now, when I

look into her eyes, I see the same eyes I saw moments after she was born and I

am forever filled with gratitude for the gift of Motherhood.”

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Most photographers say the same thing… “this is my passion!” As much as it is true, I am not going to share about how much passion I have for photography (that should be self-explanatory by now…I hope). I want to talk about how amazingly sweet, beautiful, and talented these girls are that pass through my lens. I love photographing seniors because I feel a connection with them (maybe because I see glimpses of my girls as teens now and again). I get to see, in a very short amount of time, who they are… including their little quirks and nuances that make them unique. I want to show them that those are the things that make them beautiful… those little traits that no one else can replicate. I love the story-telling behind each shoot and showing teens how perfect they are… just as they are … right NOW!  Teens these days are so bombarded by un-realistic images of beauty. They could use a little reminder of what real beauty looks like (and it doesn’t always come in a size 1). I am so blessed to have met all these ladies that have trusted me to portray them in this amazing season of life. They all have a special place in my heart and we have made memories that I won’t soon forget!  Not to mention the awesome time we get to spend in hair and makeup and all the laughs we have during the shoot! It’s not all sappy and sentimental…I promise!! I basically make a fool of myself during these shoots, fall or trip at least twice, and have been known to go into complete “nerd” status to get a laugh. I am planning on getting a behind the scenes video made someday and then there will be no where for me to hide! lol Get ready folks…it should be pure comedy!

Now onto Elyse and her cute self! I adore all her images…and THAT hair!!! I want it!

The BEST smile! 

I am already booking shoots for the Class of 2014 this summer so please inquire soon if you want to ensure that your desired date will be available!

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From: A Mom without Facebook

“I’ve been wanting to post for a while now about real life. When I say real life, I mean the real life that happens in between the instagram posts and the status updates.I’m talking about real life that happens in all of our homes, but we don’t dare post about those times because then someone may think we don’t have it all together. I am not saying in the slightest that I am not one of those people, because I am. But I’m here blogging tonight in hopes to get an amen from a lot of mommas out there, and maybe just help a few of you feel a little more sane. ”

I was having a day of all days last week.

I woke up and within 15 minutes was already cleaning up Sawyer’s spilled bowl of cereal followed by his entire smoothie. How he could spill both items in such a short period of time I’ll never know. I’m not sure if I was more irritated by the clean up or the fact that I was watching my organic fruits and veggies that I had just whipped up lay strewn across the floor. For some reason I have become and absolute freak when it comes to wasting food. This is a total tangent, I’ll get back to my bad day, I promise, but seriously I hope someone can relate. Since spending the money to buy things organic and since spending the time to actually prepare meals, such as smoothies, I now for some reason feel that this food is like rare gems and not a bite should be wasted. I would save and refeed the kids’ almond milk from their cereal if I could! I’m a freak, I know.

Okay, so after cleaning up the spills I proceeded to chase the kids upstairs to throw us all together to get out of the house and get Addy to school on time. It was one of those mornings where I was on repeat. Get dressed, get your shoes on, brush your teeth, brush your teeth, brush your teeth. While trying to feed baby girl on my bed I did what any other mom in my place would do and covered baby’s ears with my hands and proceeded to yell, “BRUSH YOUR TEETH!”

Ugh, I feel horrible telling this story, but I’ll go on.

As we drove to school we sang songs, but I still couldn’t shake the morning. I was so irritable.

I knew at the end of the day of course it could have been worse, but I just felt exhausted. The moment my husband walked in the door to help relieve me couldn’t come fast enough.

That day I didn’t have cute pictures uploaded on instagram or fun meals I had made. It would have been pictures of whining kids, a quesadilla, and a mom so utterly exhausted, covered in spit up with no make up on and my hair in a messy bun on my head.

That was reality. Yet no one saw it.

If it weren’t for me posting on Facebook that I had a hard day with 3 kids 4 and under, that day would have gone by and no one would have noticed. Tomorrow I would have a cute picture of us all at the park and a new vegan meal I made and no one would even think that life may not be as hunky dory as it seems.

Crazy huh? Not so much.

Looking back at every one of my instagram pictures I post I could tell you a story that you would never believe.

But it’s real life. ”

Heather goes on to give us a message of encouragement as well and challenges all of us to get real and post one photo on instagram that isn’t all butterflies and rainbows (and shares some stories behind her instagram feed!) . This really hit home for me. We all see the e-cards with quotes that say “Don’t compare your behind the scenes to someone else’s highlight reel!” and I think that would be a completely accurate way to explain the social media world. We are human and we aren’t perfect! Why do we compare ourselves to other people’s “seemingly perfect” lives? We know its not real life…its just the highlight reel. So lets stop beating ourselves up because we didn’t cut our child’s sandwich into the shape of a heart. Let’s enjoy the real, messy moments of motherhood and be able to laugh at ourselves. Thank you Heather for sharing your heart!

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“Each and every single moment being a Mother has been amazing; so amazing that I find it extremely difficult to write about just one thing! However, through the good, the bad, and all of the in between – thinking of my boys (2 & 4 years old) singing and dancing to the radio in the car always puts a smile on my face. I have to sneakily watch from the rear-view mirror; otherwise they will stop once they realize I’m looking. It is during moments like these I am reminded that children are so innocent, free-spirited, and simply precious. So whether it’s Carly Rae Jepsen’s Call Me Maybe or “I’m gonna hop some tags, only got $20 in my pocket” – the sweet purity of them not knowing the right words to sing is sweet music to my ears.” -Shaina 

Want to schedule a shoot of your very own or gift a session to the special mom in your life?
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{April and Ellis} A real account of savoring tiny doses of affection…

“My daughter Ellis is busy. Always moving, always exploring and always looking for new things to get into. She’s not a snuggler much to my disappointment. One of the things I most looked forward to as a mom were the snuggles. The little moments of validation that she actually does love me, actually wants to show me her affection. The language of touch that would let me know I’m doing a good job, let me know that she want’s to be near me and be comforted by me. While, as she grows older (she’s 1 now), I can ask for a hug and she will deliver it’s only for a quick second and then it’s gone and she’s onto the next thing. She hugs me to perform for me, not because she knows I need that affirmation. The affirmation does come though. It comes when she’s sick or just not feeling well. I hate to see her sick or in pain from teething of whatever else might ale her but selfishly I soak it in. I gladly and swiftly go to her at her first cry during the night to pick her up and smile to myself when she lays her head on my shoulder, puts her hands around my neck and melts into me. It is then that I know she needs me, needs my comfort and wants only me. I sing her a lullaby and rock her gently and if I even inch out of that chair she protests as if she’s saying ‘mommy I just need to be with you, you make it all better. You help me feel better and I love you’. It’s in those quiet moments in the darkness of her room that I know we are bound to one another and even though she doesn’t show it all the time, she does need me, when it matters most to her.”

Thank you April for sharing your heart! 

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These sessions were a hit last year and space is limited so if you would like to give something extra special to your mom, grandma, or wife this year, please don’t hesitate to plan ahead! Additional details will be provided to those who inquire.

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