I ask you this...honestly, how am I supposed to photograph this kind of beauty every day and NOT want to have another baby? It seems like, as soon as I put the thought into the back of my mind, a stunning little babe like this comes to the studio and it all comes rushing back. Her full head of black hair reminds me so much of my first son, Sayer, when he was born. It looked just like hers.

Finnian just turned 5 and Sayer is going to be, gasp, SEVEN! I feel like a broken record when I say it but, really, where did the time go?

Today the boys are with my parents being spoiled having a grand old time. I'm still up at work at 7:10 pm. I might go for a run and then meet Steven for dinner. We'll wake up tomorrow without any kids in our bed. We'll enjoy some peace and quiet and within a day we'll be missing them like crazy. I'm not 100% sure how we got to be so lucky but I'm just grateful.

Silhouettes are striking and dramatic.  They are also fairly easy to create if you have the right conditions.  A good first try would be around dusk like the image below or by a window.  To make it simple for your first try, look for a situation where the sky behind the subject is brighter than the foreground. The background and foreground need to have dramatically different light values for you to easily create a silhouette. If you have this kind of difference in the foreground and the background, you will not need to do much more than point to the camera at the scene and click.



In a scene is like the one below, you may need to use your camera's built in spot meter. If you have never used the spot meter, the first step would be to pull out the scary manual and look up metering or metering modes in the index or table of contents. What the spot meter does is choose an exposure for you based on a single spot in the frame (the center) and not multiple points like your default meter will do. If you can point the spot at the background (which should be brighter than your subject) it will keep your subject dark thus creating a silhouette.


 

This image is not a full silhouette but it could have been depending on how my camera controls were set. If I had wanted him to be darker and the background to be even darker, I would have had to let less light into the camera by speeding up my shutter or opening up my aperture.

If the cameras auto settings are getting you close but not exactly where you want to be, you can always take the exposure that your meter gives you in the auto mode and switch to the manual mode and then adjust from there. Just move your f-stop or shutter speed up or down and experiment until you get it just right. The joy of digital is that you can shoot to your heart's content and just delete the ones that you don't like.

Some other tips for getting a good silhouette:
1. Choose something dramatic with a recognizable outline and shape for your silhouetted subject.
2. If your camera keeps trying to pop up the flash because of the low light in the scene, just turn it off. You may need to check with your manual to find how to turn off the flash.
3. Learn about the metering modes on your camera.
4. Bracket your exposure. This means shooting exposures on either side of the one that your camera gives you. In other words, if it gives you an exposure of (just an example) f8 at a shutter speed of 1/125, try adjusting the f-stop or shutter speed (choose one- not both) by one stop higher and one stop lower than the original exposure. You will end up with three images this way.

So, go play with your controls and see what you can come up with!  Remember to post  links to your examples in the comments below or on the Monday lesson Flickr Group.

I'd love to hear some ideas, suggestions, questions...what do you guys want to learn next?

Silhouettes are striking and dramatic.  They are also fairly easy to create if you have the right conditions.  A good first try would be around dusk like the image below or by a window.  To make it simple for your first try, look for a situation where the sky behind the subject is brighter than the foreground. The background and foreground need to have dramatically different light values for you to easily create a silhouette. If you have this kind of difference in the foreground and the background, you will not need to do much more than point to the camera at the scene and click.



In a scene is like the one below, you may need to use your camera's built in spot meter. If you have never used the spot meter, the first step would be to pull out the scary manual and look up metering or metering modes in the index or table of contents. What the spot meter does is choose an exposure for you based on a single spot in the frame (the center) and not multiple points like your default meter will do. If you can point the spot at the background (which should be brighter than your subject) it will keep your subject dark thus creating a silhouette.


 

This image is not a full silhouette but it could have been depending on how my camera controls were set. If I had wanted him to be darker and the background to be even darker, I would have had to let less light into the camera by speeding up my shutter or opening up my aperture.

If the cameras auto settings are getting you close but not exactly where you want to be, you can always take the exposure that your meter gives you in the auto mode and switch to the manual mode and then adjust from there. Just move your f-stop or shutter speed up or down and experiment until you get it just right. The joy of digital is that you can shoot to your heart's content and just delete the ones that you don't like.

Some other tips for getting a good silhouette:
1. Choose something dramatic with a recognizable outline and shape for your silhouetted subject.
2. If your camera keeps trying to pop up the flash because of the low light in the scene, just turn it off. You may need to check with your manual to find how to turn off the flash.
3. Learn about the metering modes on your camera.
4. Bracket your exposure. This means shooting exposures on either side of the one that your camera gives you. In other words, if it gives you an exposure of (just an example) f8 at a shutter speed of 1/125, try adjusting the f-stop or shutter speed (choose one- not both) by one stop higher and one stop lower than the original exposure. You will end up with three images this way.

So, go play with your controls and see what you can come up with!  Remember to post  links to your examples in the comments below or on the Monday lesson Flickr Group.

I'd love to hear some ideas, suggestions, questions...what do you guys want to learn next?

I mean, really, what can I say? This is so cute! I love how she's peeking over her Dad's shoulder with that curious look.

So how about you guys?  Any favorite shots this Friday? Post links to your images in the comments section or post your image to our Favorite Shot Friday Flickr Pool! Don't be shy!

For the past couple of posts, we've been talking about getting closer. For our lesson today, we are going to talk about getting close and being bold and creative in our cropping (specifically with portraits). Today's lesson comes with an assignment too but we'll get to that a little bit later.

Getting closer can be a challenge, especially when you are photographing people. I think it makes both parties a little nervous if the photographer is right up in the subject's face clicking away. I want you to fight through that anxiety, though, because getting close can make such a radical difference in your photography. This is why I have been focusing on it so intently for the last few weeks. If you feel nervous getting really close to your subject, a zoom lens can be a life saver. Feel free to back up but make sure you zoom back in, way in. Zooming in is also flattering for the face. When I say I want you to be close, I mean I want you to be this close...

As you can see in the copyright stamp, this amazing image was taken by Abby Braman. I saw this on Abby's Flickr stream and asked her if she would mind sharing it with all of you. What this image perfectly illustrates is how wonderful it can look when you get close and crop creatively. What makes this image work is how irreverently it was cropped. It allows you to really see that amazing eye! I also think the crop shows off her expression too (kind of a sweet smirk). You can even see the photographer in the reflection of her eye. I want you to see this example and feel confident that it's absolutely okay to crop off the side of someone's face or the top of their head or whatever. Just be experimental and try it out. You may surprise yourself and end up with a jewel like this!

This next image was taken by Betty Schueter. I found this amazing image example on Betty's Flickr stream. The best part? This image was taken with an iPhone! People always ask me about cameras and which one is best or which one should they buy. The real trick is knowing how to use the camera that you have to its fullest potential. Always remember, the camera isn't taking the picture, you are.

Not to digress too much but, speaking of iphones, you might check this site out. I love how he says that "the best camera is the one that's with you". 

So, back to the images and on to your assignment! I want you to try and emulate these crops. Here's my opinion, copying is not always bad. In fact, when you are learning something new, copying (for lack of a better word) can be incredibly helpful. It's the first step. When I used to teach photography at The High School for the Performing and Visual Arts and Episcopal High School (both in Houston, Texas), one of the assignments that I gave my intro class was to pick a photographer whose work you love and emulate it. Once you have experimented with replicating what someone else has done (tried it on for size so to speak) you can then personalize it and make it your own. It's a liberating way to try some new techniques. Enjoy!

Please post links to your images in the comments section below or in the Monday Lesson Flickr pool. I'd love to see what you come up with!

This little chunky boy is just too sweet! This is 4 month old Anderson leaning up against his Daddy's boots. The boots are kind of appropriate because Houston is buzzing with rodeo news. The trail riders are coming in, the cook-off is about to begin and the livestock show and rodeo opens March 2nd. We're not the biggest rodeo folks but the kids do love the livestock show. The first year we went, Sayer spent about an hour mesmerized by the chickens hatching out of their eggs.

How about you guys, any favorite shots this Friday? Post links to your images in the comments section below and/or post them to the Favorite Shot Friday Flickr Pool. Happy weekend everyone!

Tip: to add something to the Flickr pool, you must first upload the image to your own Flickr account. Then go to the group page and click the link that reads "Add something". Flickr is free to join and a great place to find inspiration. Come join us!

I will admit it freely...I have serious working Mom guilt. In my mind, whether or not it's rational, I imagine that my kids would be happier, better rested and generally more well balanced if I stayed home with them. I can't shake that ridiculous idea despite the fact that I know it's wrong. Their Montessori teachers work really hard everyday to show me how false my notion is. Even when they come home (at age 4) with little drawings of the sun and all its layers, pin-pricked renderings of dinosaurs and a working knowledge of the main organs of the body, I still feel like I shouldn't be working. By the way, even after 2 kids going through Ms. Amy's room 8 and doing diagrams of the sun, I still couldn't tell you the various layers. So why the guilt? It's obvious how much school benefits them. Why punish myself? To be honest, I don't know. All I know is that every Mom that I know feels it regardless whether they work in or out of the home.

For the last 3 days, Sayer has been home sick with strep throat. He actually got sent home from school on Monday for a different reason and then had a fever, which turned out to be strep throat. Sick days are a blessing and a curse for me. I love the one-on-one time with my guys but, because it comes without notice, I hate the stress that comes from missing work. I feel like I'm instantly behind. I did try to stay caught up. I brought my laptop home and it sat beside me while I snuggled with Sayer watching the Olympics and Tivo'd episodes of Crashbox and I Spy. Instead of working, we browsed YouTube for funny videos of pets. It's just too impossible for me to sit beside him and focus on work.

For a moment, I imagine that this is what it would be like if I stayed home. He'd sleep late and be well rested. We'd just hang out all the time and love every minute of it. In fact, he wouldn't have even gotten sick in the first place because we'd be at home! If I stayed home, he'd only eat homemade, organic food and...This is where it starts to fall apart because he's about to be 7 and is in first grade so it's not like he can just stay home all day anyway and I'm not a very good cook and he'd be bored to tears. So, Moms, why do we do this to ourselves? When I did stay at home (right after Sayer was born) I worried equally but about different things. It's a guilt-worry that I want to shake. I don't want to rob my work time of its joy and pleasure by thinking that my kids are paying the price for it and I don't want to be at home with my guys worrying that work will pay the price. So where is the middle?

All I know is that being a Mom has brought out the very best parts of me. I speak only for myself when I say that I couldn't do the work that I do without my experience of being a Mom. The Mom part of me is vital to my work behind the camera. So, unexpected sick days, as much as I dread you, I also thank you. You pop up out of nowhere and remind me what matters the most and why I do everything that I do. Someday my little guys will be able to administer their own Ibuprofen, pick out their own clothes, feed themselves (and so much more) and not need me quite as much as they do now. The thought just makes me want to hold on tighter...

On this Love Thursday, my heart goes out to all the Moms and Dads out there in the trenches trying to find, reconcile and celebrate their place. We're all in this together.

I'm very excited to share today's lesson with you guys! Today we have a guest photographer named Corey. I found Corey while browsing galleries on Flickr. I had wanted to include an image of hers for the last lesson on getting close. The more I looked through her images on Flickr, the more that I felt like she had a lot of great images to choose from and, in particular, a lot of close up images that really illustrate the point of the lesson. So, today I'm going to share some of Corey's images with you and address a few questions that I received after posting the last lesson. Corey has also answered a few interview questions for you guys.

The first image that I want to share is the one that originally caught me eye. I love how you can look at this image and know exactly what that nose feels like! I always talk about the idea of telling a story with your images. The story doesn't need to be long or complex and can be as simple as a soft, fuzzy nose.

I love, love, LOVE this little series. This is a great example of how getting close can add impact, draw your eyes right to your subject and remove distracting background elements. I also love how she framed these up a little crooked (for lack of a better term). I think it adds some energy to an already spirited series.

I asked Corey a few questions about getting close:

You have a real knack for getting up close and personal with your images, do you have any advice for new photographers on training yourself to get closer?

Thank you! One of the first things I discovered early on in my personal photography journey is to GET CLOSER. GET A LOT CLOSER. I find that most people stand a good distance from their subject, lift the camera to their face and start snapping. In my opinion, these photos capture the scene, but fail to really capture the moment. I like to move in close, get down at their level, and step right into their world. It's up to you whether you want to move with your feet, or with your zoom, but just move in closer. Fill your frame with the subject of your desire. 

When I was starting out, I'd snap a few shots the way I normally would, then I'd walk my feet closer. A whole lot closer....and then snap a few from that distance. It took some time, but as soon as I started to notice that the ones I had taken up close were my favorites it became easier and easier to  remember to move in close.

Do you use any special equipment for your close up images? 

Nope. Which ever lens I have on my camera at the time works just fine for the close up. I either zoom with my feet or the lens. Really doesn't matter how I do it...I just do. I do have a 100mm macro lens I like to use, but I don't tend to use it anymore than the others for my close up shots.

What kind of camera do you shoot and what is your favorite lens?

From June 2007- January 2010 I used my Canon XTi. Just recently, I purchased the Canon T1i, because I have worn my poor little Xti out. :) 

As for lenses, I love love love prime lenses. My favorite would be a toss up between the Canon 100mm 2.8 macro, and the Canon 50mm 1.4. They both give me the sharp focus in low light that I really enjoy.

Do you have any tips and tricks regarding keeping your focus sharp when you get up close?

First, I always select my focal point, rather than leave it up to the camera to decide which part of the photo I want in focus. This is very important. I typically set my focus on one of the subjects eyes. Also be careful of your Aperture setting when you move in close. You have to practice a lot with apertures to understand what you can get away with regarding the different sized focal plains. 

Corey brings up some really key points. Here's my hit list for things you need to know when getting close:

1. One of the first things to keep in mind and determine is how close up your particular lens can focus. To test this out, just grab an object (anything will do) and see how close up you can get while maintaining focus.

2. In Corey's last response, she talks about knowing how to set your focus point. This is HUGE. Take a moment and figure out how your camera is set to auto focus. Most cameras take readings from multiple places within your frame and make a decision about the focus. If you are having a hard time getting your camera to focus on what you want you may look into manually setting the auto focus point. To find the setting for this, grab your manual and look up AF points or AF area mode.

3. If you are having trouble getting up close and being in focus, you might also try backing up and then zooming in on your subject. Zooming in has the added benefit of helping blur out your background a little. Like Corey said, you can come in closer with your feet or your zoom lens.

4. In Corey's last answer she talks about experimenting with your f-stop or aperture to know how much of your image will be in focus. This concept is called depth of field. This is a definite photography fundamental but it can be confusing at first.

Many thanks to Corey for sharing herr images and your insights! To see more of Corey's work, you can visit her Flickr page or her blog.

As always, I would love to see your experiments! Please post links in the comments section or in the new Monday Lesson Flickr pool. Now, go have fun and GET CLOSE!

Recently, my Mom gave me my original birth certificate so I brought it out and showed it to Finnian. He got a kick out of my tiny footprints and we compared our feet now to the prints. I told him the story about the day he was born (a personal favorite thing of both boys actually). He showed me how his legs were so much longer now. His hands, feet and brain are also all bigger too in case you were wondering.

Today we're going to talk about a few simple, non technical ways to make a huge improvement in your photos. The famous photojournalist and war photographer, Robert Capa, once said "if your pictures aren't good enough, you're not close enough". So,with that as your new mantra, one of the easiest ways that you can improve your photographs is to just get closer to your subject. I want you to fill your frame with your subject. This does a couple of things that will improve your images. First, it gives the viewer a simple, easy to define subject that has big impact. Secondly, it helps remove distracting elements from the background and foreground that take away from your subject.

The other nice thing that happens when you get closer is that your background walls more out of focus, which helps add further emphasis. If you really want to create an out of focus background you need to study up controlling depth-of-field. If you don't feel ready to bite off the technical lesson on depth-of-field, just get closer and you'll see that your backgrounds get softer.

This amazing and simple image is by Julie Lackey. I found Julie's work when she contributed an image for the Favorite Shot Friday flickr pool. Isn't she amazing? I love the simplicity of the first image. If you have a small child, I imagine that you have marveled at their little hands and feet. This is the shot that would remind you, 20 years later, exactly how small they really were.

and I just love this simple composition...

Here are a few of mine from our trip to Carmel last summer.

The image of my feet in the sand brings me to our next tip. I want you to start playing with different angles and more creative cropping. I always like to say that your image is telling a story. Often times when snap a photo, we include more information than we need to really tell the story. This next image is by a friend of mine, Brene Brown. I think it tells the "soccer girl" story perfectly without a single face being shown. So you guys know, Brene was one of my main inspirations for doing these Monday Lessons in the first place. I helped her out with a few tips and tricks and she suggested I do the same for others on my blog. So, here we are! Thanks Brene!

The next time you go to take the picture, look up, down, sideways and tilt your camera in a new way. You may be surprised to find the shot looks even better from a whole new angle. Here's a shot of mine from Cabo San Lucas. It's on a fishing boat looking up a fishing rod towards the sky.

My friend, Danny Clark, sent me this one to show how looking up can be great too. Danny has this signature way of shooting some of his images that's kind of tilted and crooked and looks great!

Here's a couple more by Julie Lackey that show how getting low and close up can lend so much impact to an image. Maybe it's because I have 2 little boys but this image just reminds me how little boys play with their cars - lining them up and creating elaborate scenarios with them.

And who hasn't found their child looking up at them with a proud smile and saying, "Look Mom, I put on my own shoes!".

And I personally just think little baby feet are one of the best things in the world! How they turn into regular, not so cute, grown up feet I'll just never know. This next shot is mine ut in the same spirit as Julie's image. One of Finnian's favorite things to do is play in the yard with a hose and a watering can. I just love how his little toes look and how the water droplets are partially frozen in their fall.

and one more image from Julie that will hopefully inspire you to not worry about cutting off parts or pieces of your image. Getting creative with your cropping might just lead to some of your most interesting pictures. I like to think about it this way, sometimes the heart of the story lies within the things that you choose to leave out. When you do this, you also allow the viewer to fill in the blanks with some of their own personal imagination, which allows them a place of their own inside the story.

OK, now it's your turn, go get close! I'd love to see what you come up with. Post links to your images in the comments section below or post them to our Monday Lesson Flickr Pool.

How can this NOT be my favorite shot of the week?  I mean seriously! And what is it about babies in hats?! It's just too cute! This is beautiful little Marnie. She was the smiliest little baby that I photographed all week. All you had to do was look at her and smile and she gave you one right back. It's funny how different babies are with their smiles. Some just hand them out without reservation and some make you work for them. I have 2 boys and one of them smiled at everyone and let anyone hold him and the other made you earn it. The only thing better than a baby smile is a baby giggle. That is just a magical thing. I don't know how you watch a baby giggle and not do the same yourself. I'm powerless against it!

So, how about everyone else? Any favorite shots this week? Please share! Post links to your images in the comments below and/or in the Favorite Shot Friday Flickr group. Our new little pool is growing inch by inch, come and see the images that people have submitted! Thanks everyone for participating and I can't wait to see more!

Today's Monday Lesson isn't about taking pictures but, instead, about a fun project that you can do with your old frames. Fairly often I hear from my clients that they have older frames that just aren't their style or decor anymore. Framing can be expensive so today I am going to show you something fun that you can do with some of your older frames that will give them a new life. For this project, I found 4 frames at a junk shop here in Houston. They cost me $8 each.

I recently changed my living room from darker tones to lighter ones. My whole theme in the living room is beach. The wall in my living room is full of black frames already and I want to switch them all to shades of white and light blue. So, when I saw these frames at the junk shop I thought I'd show you guys how a little bit of craftiness can save you a good chunk of change. Tomorrow I will post a picture from my studio where I did a similar thing to a bunch of older frames but in a completely different style.

The frames that I found were a little beat up but sturdy. I don't care about the wear and tear because the finish I am going to do will go perfectly with it. Here are the frames before I started.

Here's what they looked like after I was done. They were still drying when I took this so that's why they are all up on boxes outside.

This is called a crackle finish. The frames weren't bad looking to start out with but I wanted them to be lighter and I thought the crackle would work great with my new design theme. Crackle is a really simple and fun painting technique that you can use on anything that you can paint. I did this same technique on a little set of Ikea chairs that I bought for the playroom a while back.

For this project you will need the following:

a place to spread out and paint

a drop cloth

a medium size paintbrush (2 inches or so)

water-based paint for your top color (I used an off- white and a light blue)

water-based paint for your base color (unless you can use the frames as they are like I did)

crackle medium (available at most paint retailers and craft stores, I got mine at Sherwin Williams)

water based clear coat

You may also need:

sandpaper, sanding sponge (medium grit) or coarse steel wool

spray primer like Kilz

TIP! This will not work on metal frames!  Also, if you are painting over frames that have a shiny finish on them or are newer, you may need to rough them up a little with sandpaper and then use spray primer (like Kilz) on them before you paint to make sure the paint sticks to them. If your frame has a lot of raised texture or detail, you may try steel wool instead of sandpaper as it will allow you to get into the detailed areas better. The frames that I used were old and the finish was pretty worn down already so I avoided that step.

Basics: Crackle works like this...the first color that you paint or, in the case of these frames, the color of the frame before you paint will be the color of the cracks. Typically, I like a darker color for this layer because it shows off the cracks better.

Prep: If your frame is newer / shiny, sand it a little bit all over, which will rough it up and give the paint something to stick to. Then spray a coat of Kilz primer all over and allow to dry. If you find frames like mine and you like the color that they are, just clean them off and sand a little if they look shiny.

Step 1: Paint your frame the color that you want the cracks to be. In my case, I just went with what was there already. I used my clean paintbrush to dust off the frames and I was good to go.

Step 2: Apply the crackle medium to the frame in an irregular and uneven way. The thicker you apply the glaze, the bigger the cracks will be. I like to leave some areas unpainted so there will be places where it does not crackle. Here is a detail of two of my frames. The shiny areas are where the crackle medium was applied.

Step 3: Allow the crackle medium to dry. The thickness of the medium and the amount of time that you allow it to dry will affect the size of the cracks. It will not dry completely like paint does but, instead, stay a little tacky. You can see how I used a varying amount of medium. I let my frames dry for about 30-40 minutes.

Step 4: This is a fast step so you need to ready. Get your top coat color ready, get a generous amount of paint on your brush and, starting at one corner of the frame, begin painting the top coat on. You need to have a good amount of paint on your brush because you have to paint quickly and you want to try and avoid going back over the spots you already painted. It will pull and make blobs where the medium and the paint combine. The good news about this technique is that it is supposed to look imperfect, old and worn so mistakes don't ruin it. Just slap the paint on there and don't try and be too neat.

Step 5: Step back and watch as the cracks magically appear! The paint will generally start cracking almost instantly. As you can see (in the image below) I applied my paint fairly thick.

Step 6: Allow your masterpiece to dry completely.

Step 7: If you want an even more distressed look, take some sandpaper to the corner and rough them up some.

Step 8: To protect the finish or make it shine, you may consider applying a clear coat but it is not mandatory.

Step 10: Once you have your finished frames, all you need is a piece of glass, a mat and your favorite image. If you are in Houston and need a mat or glass cut for your new frame, try the nice folks over at Davis Hardware in the heights. They are also a great place to find new frames too. We would also be happy to cut the glass and mat for you (yes, even if you are using your own picture).

Here are some close up shots of my finished frames. You can see the different colors of the crackle showing through.

Don't forget, if you decide to try this out, make sure and post a picture in the comments section! Have fun!

oh, and on a side note, check out an interview with your truly on a cool new blog called Moms with Cameras.

The past 2 weeks have brought me a lot of newborn babies. It seems to be what I am shooting most this month and I love it. Newborns sessions are one of my absolute favorites. It just never ceases to amaze me that we start out so small and so helpless. I also love watching my clients navigate their way through those first few weeks of a first baby. In watching them move through the big changes, it helps me remember it too, and I do, pretty vividly. I remember being too scared to cut their fingernails and taking forever trying to dress them without making them mad. I remember the bleary eyed feeling of not enough sleep and too many questions. How hard it was trying to figure out how much to let them cry, when to step in and how much they should be sleeping, eating or pooping. I read every book I could find searching for the feeling of competency that only comes with time and doing. Then just as soon as you think you have it figured out they go and change it up and start doing something new. It definitely keeps you on your toes.

One of the best pieces of advice that I ever got was not to get too wound up about any one thing because as soon as you get that one figured out, it will change on you again. That advice helped me through some tough times because it proved true, time and time again. Now my babies are no longer little babies and starting to become big boys. In fact, Finnian will be 5 in a few weeks. You might think that, once they get a little older, you stop worrying about sleeping, eating and even pooping but it doesn't work that way. In fact, I woke up at 4:45 this morning to Finnian crawling into my bed.

The worries never go away but instead they ramp up and become about things like worrying about learning, school, testing, friends and fitting in. It's so much harder when their little hearts on the line. Sayer came to me just yesterday and told me about someone at school who had hurt his feelings. That's hard stuff because you can't just fix it with a diaper change, a call to the pediatrician or a fresh bottle. I guess it's not quite accurate to call one harder than another because it's all relative and "hard" never stops but, like the advice I received back then, just changes from one thing to another.

All I can offer from my vantage point (almost 7 years into it and a long way to go) is to breathe it all in and really try to be in the moment. 5 (6,7,8...) pounds only lasts for so long. You'll turn around and the next thing you know they're walking, and then running and then...

Happy Love Thursday friends, go grab your babies and hold them close!

Last weekend I had one of my digital photography classes at the studio and it was a big hit! I love teaching the class and seeing little light bulbs go off for people. It's like, "AHA! I can do this!". I have 3 more classes scheduled for this year.  The next one is in March and will also be a beginner's class. You can sign up here through EventBrite. 

For those of you who have taken the first class and want to go even further and learn more, I have an intermediate class on May 22, 2010. We'll be sending an EventBrite invite out through our email list. However, if you would like to go ahead and sign up now, please feel free to call the studio at (713) 255-2882.

Here's a little info about our beginner's class: