For A Moment Photography

Family Fun & Fotos

I love how D (in the middle) is all in!

After our agreement

 

 

So I've noticed a few things as a photographer.  Little girls are usually game to have their photos taken and have usually helped pick out their outfit.  Boys never want their photo taken and have no problem telling me they do not like the outfit Mom picked.  I also know that within minutes of the session starting the boys have quickly forgotten all the problems they showed up with!  

These boys were no different I really think it took one photo for them to start having fun.  The jumping one was about two photos in, after this they were offering ideas on photos.  Which I highly encourage and always enjoy.  However I did run into one problem today.  My no fail fart noise that always work on getting real smiles from boys wasn't working.  So I agreed to let P Man make the fart noises and he agreed to smile.

Little Jill was such a doll and with her Mommy's looks I couldn't help but get great photos of her too.  As usual my job is fun because of the great people I photograph!

 

New Traditions

I know this week is going to feel like a weekend all week long and I'm excited.  Presley is home from school, I only have one photo session this week and I have nothing else planned this week.  Having Presley home from school will make things a bit more tricky to say the least.  While I blogged today she wrapped her stuff in foil (not very green- I know).  I let her do it, a combination of being glad she was happily busy and just trying to finish what I was doing...

We planned to grab some hot chocolate and watch a Holiday movie on the patio with Presley tonight.  She was so excited, maybe more so for the hot chocolate.  So after dinner we (Mark, Presley, Myself and Moses) sat outside and watched,  "How The Grinch Stole Christmas" all bundled up.  Finally I figured out away to use blankets in AZ during Christmas (it's been usually warm- even for us)...  

I think next time we'll do popcorn instead of hot chocolate, Presley couldn't sit still.  I plan to do this every year, next time we'll invite some of Presley's cousins over too.  Out of love for traditions and necessity (keeping this lil' one busy) I hope we start a few more unique holiday traditions...

What are your family traditions?   

 

A Few of my Favorite Things...

Dad helped her make the frosting.

Presley and I did some baking together, she really had a great time.  I let her make the sugar cookies all by herself.  She rolled out the dough, placed them on the cookie sheet and decorated them all by herself.  I was making oatmeal chocolate chip cookies while she did the others.  We spend most of the afternoon in the kitchen baking and listening to Christmas music.  It's days like this that I'm very thankful for and look forward to...

The cookies I was making was the Neiman Marcus Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Recipe.  It's a great recipe and urban legend.  I attached the recipe below.  I went on Neiman Marcus's website  they list a recipe but it's a bit different.  I have not tried that one so for now I'm sticking to this one, that I love.  

I use whole wheat flour instead of white flour (no one knows the difference) and Ghirardelli dark chocolate instead of Hersey bars.  The recipe makes 112 cookies.  The process is pretty long so I really don't make them that often.  I do make the full recipe (112 cookies) but what Ido is only bake a dozen or two at a time.  I roll the rest of that batter into flat circles and either refrigerate or freeze (depends on how long I want to keep them).  Then I can give them away freshly baked.    

 

12 down 100 more cookies to go!

 

(Recipe may be halved): 
2 cups butter 
4 cups flour 
2 tsp. baking soda 
2 cups granulated sugar 
2 cups brown sugar 
5 cups blended oatmeal (measure oatmeal and blend in blender to a fine powder) 
24 oz. chocolate chips 
1 tsp. salt 
1 8 oz. Hershey bar (grated) 
4 eggs 
2 tsp. baking powder 
3 cups chopped nuts (your choice) 
2 tsp. vanilla 

Cream the butter and both sugars. Add eggs and vanilla; mix together with flour, oatmeal, salt, baking powder, and soda. Add chocolate chips, Hershey bar and nuts. Roll into balls and place two inches apart on a cookie sheet..Bake for 10 minutes at 375 degrees. Makes 112 cookies.. 

 

 

Second Time Around

Yippee!  This year Christmas shopping was such a good time.  I found Presley some vintage Strawberry Shortcake dolls (circa 1970's).  Opps, one doll is missing in the photo.  I had been bidding on ebay for them but ended up finding them locally for only $4.50 (yes, all 5 with clothes).  The ebay thing just drives me so crazy, then the sellers undress them and sell the clothes separately.  

I didn't know how I was going to wrap them, I decided to the Antique store and find a small piece of luggage or lunch box to put them in.  I'm soo lucky I found this cute little canvas blue mini suitcase.  It's in perfect condition and great for all those lil' toys she carries around.  We are going to a party this weekend where Santa will come by for a visit.  I'm thinking he may give this to her then.

I'm a little concerned that she won't like them.  I don't know where she heard about Strawberry Shortcake.  So I'm not sure she really knows what she's talking about...  I guess they are so cute she'll probably like them regardless.  

Disclaimer I have written that I don't buy plastic toys.  I have decided buy second hand plastic toys.  I feel like I'm not adding to the plastic pile in our land fills.  Instead I'm increasing the life of this toy.  Plus Presley is getting older and having more of an opinion about things...  It's a work in progress!   Looking for balance.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Holiday Bread

Almond Holiday Bread

This morning started out great, we had a grueling workout at Core Crossfit and Coach Erica brought me homemade Holiday bread.  I was so excited I had never heard of or had this type of bread before, isn't it beautiful?  After chatting with another friend at the gym I had considered freezing it and eating it on a weekend (you know the Paleo thing).  But on the drive home from the gym I really thought since it was my first time having this bread I should really eat it while it's fresh to get to enjoy it at it's best.

So I ate the bread, it's all gone.  I did share a little (your welcome Mark & P Bo) but I ate most of it.  Honestly the bread was the highlight of my day.  I even ate the toasted almonds that fell off. 

I'll try to get the recipe (I already looked for one online) from Erica.  I found one online, but I don't think it's the same.  I think she said she used almond paste and the directions I found didn't call for that.

A Toy Story

 

new "cool trick"

her new whip (whip= car)

I was pretty excited for today because I planned on doing some Christmas shopping for Presley Pres-er-tain.  After spending several hours on the computer this morning trying to find Strawberry Shortcake and all her friends on ebay (why do I even open that portal of terror?) I headed to Kidstop, it's a specialty toy shop in Scottsdale.

I would love a cute lil' mom and pop toy store on Mill Ave but for now the Kidstop will do.  It's much smaller then a Toys R' Us but the selection is a bit over whelming (for me).  I went in there today knowing already what I wanted for Presley, Magnatiles, horse accessories and an Etch-a-sketch.  Then I got there and went into a shopping shock of sorts.  Wow, so much to choose from!

Then I walked out with less then expected and nothing from the list...  I  decided to grab a huge box of wooden blocks instead of the horse corral.  Presley has such a better time creating corrals herself anyway.  She does it a lot with her wooden alphabet blocks.  Then I saw this really cool wooden car that she can take apart and mix with other cars (if she had more) and of course it's pink! 

This is her first year really receiving any gifts (she requested) and to where she is expecting them.  She's only asked for lil' pet shop animals (got those Thanksgiving weekend) and a Strawberry Shortcake doll (please come through ebay).  My parents gave her a mini Etch-a-sketch last weekend so I decided I didn't "need" to get the other.  

It's just so hard to not get carried away with the gifts at this time of year.  I'm still debating the Magnatiles and considering putting paint and paint brushes on the list again this year.  The good news is her birthday is only a few months after the new year! 

After my afternoon of shopping we went to the park where I played with my new camera and she showed me her new "cool trick".  She's just so cute it's hard to not give her everything!

 

 

New Family, New Camera & New Location

 

It's he the cutest?!

An absolutely beautiful young lady.

I had a chance to shoot a family in a cool new location.  I as usual I 100% enjoyed the family and loved that the kiddos were so comfortable with me.  That is the best part of photographing children, for the most part they are so trusting and very eager to invite you in as a friend.  James let me know that he had a cool trick that, "practically no one in his family could do".  He then crosses his eyes for a photo.  

This was the first family session with my new camera.  I know how to work it but, it's just a little bit different and I'm not totally comfortable with the "feel" of it yet.  It's an amazing camera and I'm so excited to push it's capabilities like I did with my other camera!  It's got tons of features I haven't even begun to understand yet.

 

Sports photos

This photo session was a lot of fun and a little scary.  I had to keep reminding myself to be aware of the fact that I had a 30 foot drop off one step behind me at times.  The other obstacle was not only did I need to get her in a place that would make for a good photo I needed to find a spot for me to be able to photographer her.  

I had found this spot a few weeks ago, I thought it would be a great spot for a fitness photo shoot.  I was concerned about how I was going to get my lighting equipment up the rock and if I could find the room for it.  But every time I doubt or question if I can do some thing I know that's more of a reason to charge ahead.  Because if I'm not willing to do it someone else will...  As it turned out today's lighting wasn't very difficult- bonus.

I really wanted to get the sun burst in these shots.  It's a fun feature I haven't seen too much of and I love it.  It's not a photoshop trick, it's lighting, time of day and in camera settings.  The clear blue sky was perfect and I was able to get the shot.  So many so that by the end of the shoot I was tying to angle it out of the photos fearing they would all look the same.   

 

The Sweetest Boys

My favorite.

It's good to run off some extra energy.

The surprise guest.

The best thing about photographing kids is I never know what to expect.  Today when my family (that I was photographing) arrived the little guy got out and flashed me a great big smile.  The warm up to me period was almost non existent.  He big brother took just a hair longer to start having fun but before you knew it he was my little helper.  

I think the photo of the boys in front of the wood pile is my favorite.  It was there that Dad and the boys noticed the rather large horse on the other side of the fence.  I wish the fence had been shorter and prettier, for the sake of the photo but I'll take what I can get.  

How to: Star Ornament

 

 

So my tree didn't look like it had enough color on it.  I decided to grab a book I bought last year but hadn't done anything with, to get some ideas from.  It was a book from the library that I bought for $.50, it was going to be discarded.  It was in this book that I found these star instructions.  I made several stars at that moment and they are perfect for the tree!

Once I decided I wanted to blog about the star I looked up the instructions on the Better Homes and Garden website and found it!  Click on this ornament link to get the instructions and download the star pattern.  I made a few changes (because as you know- I don't follow directions well).

I think it could be a fun decoration for the fourth of July too!