can’t wait to meet #2 but until then….

this farm is lucky to have this family.

we cannot forget the rooster and his chickens.

thanks for letting me hang out with you on the farm! i won’t forget how welcoming and genuine you all are!

and one for the road!

thank you taylor family!!! you guys were fun to play “family photo session” with.

thanks so much for including me!

clients with small children are always worried they won’t get good images from the session. kids are crazy and excited and mom and dad are stressed enough already to have photos made and even more so when the kids don’t “cooperate.” but it always turns out great! the point of it all is to capture the here and now, the reality of life as you know it at this particular time of your life.

if you have a lot going on, this session is proof it is possible! she is a doctor and he owns a bike shop, with two, very young boys. WOW! you also can get this done and come out glad you did! i need to practice what i preach…….

i love family sessions like these and need to do more of them. thanks guys for letting me into your busy world for a couple of hours. you have a lot to be thankful for and your hard work will pay off!

it all started here…….

after putting this post together, i am even more happy with the results. i love my job!

my family has been wondering when the next ball was going to drop. we have had our fare share of sad occurrence’s. more so in recent years. from my niece’s serious problems, (she is pictured here), to my uncle’s,  motorcycle accident and death, to my grand-father leaving us shortly after my uncle’s death mostly from a broken heart.

we had a bit of down time which was nice. it doesn’t last long though does it? none of us thought it would be my mother getting a breast cancer diagnosis that would break our peaceful streak. I think I can speak for us all when I say, her getting sick was a big shock, as it is for anyone who is diagnosed. but our mother is healthy as a horse. never smoked a day in her life, doesn’t drink, eats well and exercises. she picks up pieces, listens, gives awesome advice, supports our endeavors, spends quality time with her family, especially her grandchildren. always gives thoughtful gifts, insists on paying for our lunch, dinner, AND vacations, comes to our rescue, performs at nursing homes with the “sing along sisters” helping sick people laugh and smile, etc etc etc. in other words she puts herself after everyone else. there is no time for her to get sick. that is for the rest of us, so she can be there to help and make it all better. she said it is much easier to go through it herself than to see it happen to someone else. of course she would say that.

this trip started in june and it has been a fast moving train. it came after a routine mammogram. last year it was clean. she has had one breast removed and started chemo last thursday. didn’t think for a minute they would find the cancer in her lymph nodes, but they did. she has an unbelievable attitude about it. I have seen her worried only a few times. she is doing everything in her power to get well and stay that way. for instance, eating cancer fighting foods, yoga, cranial sacral therapy, walking, praying, etc. she is strong in body, mind, and most importantly faith. after my grandfather died two years ago in february, she was able to look after herself for a change. instead of wallowing in sadness, she picked herself up and found her life again. the stress she had been under for years was going to take it’s toll and I am convinced Jesus knew she was headed for this and he prepared her for it by leading and motivating her to wellness. yoga became a priority. she has made several good friends in the classes. I believe they were God-sent. a few of them who had dealt with cancer told her about cranial sacral therapy and she tried it just to see if it would help some of her ailments. it has and it works. the preparation has helped enormously. the recovery from the mastectomy was so fast it blew all of our minds. we believe the same will hold true for the next several weeks of chemo.

as far as pictures go, and I say this a lot- get them taken! do it when everything is good. do it while you can. do it if you know something is coming. whatever- just do it! I don’t care if you hire me, someone else, or set up a tripod. when you get together with family and friends, take pictures. who cares if everyone is looking at you like you are crazy or turn away when you get in front of them. you never know if it’s the last picture they will ever be in. then get someone to take some of you too. it may be your last. face it- life is right here and death right there. it is that simple. bad things happen and all we have left is photographs and memories. if you won’t listen to me, listen to this guy. he gets it too. I guess it is something us photographers instinctively know and that is why we are passionate about what we do.

kodak porta 400 kodak porta 400 kodak porta 400 IMG_0022 IMG_0024 IMG_0025 IMG_0030 IMG_0040 IMG_0046 IMG_0051 IMG_0053 IMG_0057 IMG_0067 IMG_0068 IMG_0069 IMG_0071 IMG_0072 IMG_0074 IMG_0077 IMG_0079 IMG_0081 IMG_0082 IMG_0086 IMG_0089 IMG_0093 IMG_0095 IMG_0096 IMG_0098 IMG_0100 IMG_0101 IMG_0102 IMG_0103 IMG_0108 IMG_0114 IMG_0116 IMG_0117 IMG_0119 IMG_0123 IMG_0125 IMG_0128 IMG_0131 IMG_0134 IMG_0139 IMG_0141 IMG_0143

 we love you mom, wife, mamaw, great-grandmother, sister, daughter, aunt, cousin, niece, friend, believer, and we are all here for you. the ones in heaven and on earth.

the following images were taken with kodak porta 400. the more i shoot film, the more i want to ditch digital.

IMG_0431 IMG_0399-headswap IMG_0220 IMG_0228 IMG_0166 IMG_0454 IMG_0129 IMG_0268 IMG_0034 IMG_0184 IMG_0118 IMG_0128 IMG_0112 IMG_0259 IMG_0087 IMG_0137 IMG_0139 IMG_0246 IMG_0422 IMG_0074 IMG_0105 IMG_0279 IMG_0284 IMG_0061 IMG_0325 IMG_0338 IMG_0343 IMG_0354 IMG_0445 IMG_0452 IMG_0455 IMG_0458 IMG_0460 0CHISM8_0CHISM8-R3-038-17A 0CHISM8_0CHISM8-R3-036-16A 0CHISM8_0CHISM8-R3-034-15A 0CHISM8_0CHISM8-R3-032-14A 0CHISM8_0CHISM8-R3-026-11A 0CHISM8_0CHISM8-R3-024-10A 0CHISM8_0CHISM8-R3-020-8A

thanks you guys! it was fun to hang out with you and be a part of it.

(some photos were taken with kodak porta 400 35mm film)

mom is just beautiful. she doesn’t want me to say it i am sure, but she is a real beauty queen. i admire her determination and hard work  very much. a real inspiration to women everywhere.

just for fun:

this horse does not like him- at all.

i was very blessed to photograph this family. they are one to be admired. i hope i can raise my kids as well as chuck and beth. you both should be extremely proud! you are a wonderful christian family.

see the young lady in the pink sweater? that’s mimi. she’s an amazing woman and the real reason this day happened.

here are some of my loves from the day

i had such a terrific time with all of you. can’t wait to see you all together again. please tell mimi that laura the photographer who made her go outside into the cold says HI!