I haven’t been able to pull my Genesis thoughts together in a coherent way since returning from Las Vegas… so until that happens, here’s a happy little shot of Jeff and me from the Instructor Shoot-Out on day one! Much thanks to Genestudent Susan Judge for grabbing this for us! It’s the only shot of us together from the whole week! But it captures our personalities perfectly.

When Suzanne called to see if we could book an Adventure session for the Spring (which we did!), she also wanted to check on doing a Quick Shoot while her dad and his wife were visiting from Tennessee this month. Of course, there’s rarely anything picturesque about Eastern Carolina in the winter, so we had to have a little fun with our clothing options in order to give this session the personality that the Ballards deserve… cause they are FULL of personality. Since a 20 minute portrait session isn’t enough time to highlight all of their collective fun (that’s what the Adventure shoot is for!), we let some coats and hats and scarves do most of the talking.

As a side note, we almost had to let a big ol’ black eye do some talking, too! But thanks to Tricia Overton at the Mac counter in Greenville’s Belk store, Mama’s beautiful face was saved! Ahhh, the life of a house full of silly girls tossing things through the air… it’s all fun and games until someone gets hurt, right? Just didn’t expect it to be mom! Thanks, Tricia! I knew sending her your way was the right decision!

Thanks, Ballard Family!! I had fun with y’all today! Can’t wait to meet up and plan the big ADVENTURE coming up in April!!

So, winter is a photographer’s slow time. And even though we don’t have tons of images to post, it doesn’t mean we’re not accomplishing amazing things! Today, I’m gonna highlight my own personal accomplishment! I started the Dukan Diet back on July 18th. And as of January, have lost a total of 62 pounds! Isn’t that insane?! I have never, in my adult life, been a size 8… so this is HUGE. So huge. I am incredibly excited to see how this affects my shooting. I was already willing to get on the ground and climb into a window to get the shot, but maybe now I can do it more easily and look less silly trying.

While many photographers are posting their year-in-review images, we’ve been sitting over here excited for what 2012 is going to look like for us. It’s no secret that I struggled this past year and a half with a severe postpartum diagnosis that limited what we were able to do, photographically. There were days I thought I’d never pick up a camera again. And there were days when the camera was my only link to sanity. Funny how that worked. With this new year, though, comes a renewing of who we are and what we offer. The year 2012 is poised to be the best year yet… and not because we’re booked to high heaven (which used to be our criteria for success). It’s going to be the best simply because we’ve narrowed down our focus… narrowed down what we intend to offer… what we intend to shoot… and will be putting a “fresh”, more creative foot forward.

In 2011, we introduced our Adventure sessions as the replacement for the traditional family shoots we’d done in years past. Not only were they wildly enjoyed by the families who took part, but Jeff and I felt fully alive again! We were now shooting in a way that was out-of-the-box and highly catered to the client who wants something unique and special… not just another session that can be gotten anywhere else. We have a clear vision of how these will progress in the next few months, and the new packaging has been pulled together in a way that showcases who we are as photographers… storytellers. We can’t wait to tell yours.

Jeff and I have been married for almost 17 years. I’ve been a photographer for 11 of those. In that time, can you guess how many professional family portraits we’ve had made? Let’s not count the Schmolan Schmills picture for the church directory, okay? That would bring the count to a whopping… ZERO. It’s a classic case of the cobbler’s child having no shoes. And while I have lots of just my kids because of being able to handle that myself, I can assure you that they aren’t nearly as great as the ones I take for other people. It’s just almost impossible to truly relax while shooting your own family. And the pictures show that.

Earlier this year, when Genesis 2 was announced and the city of Memphis was chosen, I knew that we’d be taking our kids along with us. Not because they’d get to see family (but they would) and not because I thought we would all enjoy the 50 hour van ride together (no comment), but ONLY because I was bound and determined that our favorite photographer from California would end the week with a photo shoot just for us. Tack on the fact that Jeff and I would be losing weight and I was willing to move heaven and earth to make it happen. Of course, I didn’t have to do that, because Sam is amazing and was on board from the first “I was wondering…” email that he got from me. I was on cloud nine.

Fast forward several months (and reduce mine and Jeff’s sizes by over 50 pounds) and you get to Memphis. We spent the week teaching some of the most gifted and caring photographers from across three countries. Even my kids grew attached to them. So when Sam said he didn’t mind if a few came along for our shoot, I jumped at the chance to invite some of the ones who were still hanging around after the workshop ended. I can’t tell you how loved-on we felt that day… so many creative minds working feverishly just to make us feel special. And it worked. Once the images started trickling in, I cried (happy cries!) on more than one occasion. All those little facial expressions and family togetherness that I was never able to get on my own, were now sitting on my computer screen giving me goose bumps.  And even poor Fin, who wasn’t able to get his nap in and did NOT want to be there, came away with some sweet shots that show his more serious side. It made the 50 hour van ride sooooo worth it.

Sam Hassas, I have no words. You know how much you mean to our family… and nothing I type here could ever do justice to the emotions and thoughts in my head. From the bottom of our hearts, we are grateful… and I’m weepy just typing this. It’s a blessing to know that this friendship will last an eternity. Philippians 1:3 says it best: “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you”.

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We want to take a moment out of our ridiculous holiday schedule to say a HUGE thank you to Kenneth and Kym! They were the recipients of our Fresh for Free wedding this past October. The Genesis Workshop came soon after and we’ve been running ragged ever since. But I wanted to stop RIGHT NOW and post an image that really shows their hearts for each other. I can’t tell you what doing this has meant to us. Getting to know them, becoming TRULY a part of their extended family. I wouldn’t have had it any other way. Jeff and I pray all the blessings in the world on their home… it was a JOY to serve you.

All I can say is, I’m glad the Browns are good friends. After misplacing the football in between school and the parking lot, a head injury on the field, a toddler NOT in love with Miss Mel, little one with a really bad tummy ache and an airplane on a time-frame, it’s a WONDER we were able to get this shoot pulled off! “I just want a Christmas card!”, Kellie said… well, I think we were able to get that covered. And with all that happened, we STILL had fun! Can’t wait for part TWO!

In 1978, when technology was much less amazing, Ms. Jo gave birth to Erin many, many weeks too early. At under 2 pounds, it was truly a miracle that her tiny baby survived. Years down the road, Jeff and I were blessed to cover Erin’s wedding… and a few days ago, blessed again to see God’s miracle baby holding her own. Welcome to the world, baby Aubrey. You are loved and cherished.