Monica's Maternity

We had the blessing of being there when these two said their vows, and now we have the blessing of seeing the next chapter in Monica and Ryan's marriage.
Kari always says it, and some people think it sounds corny, but when we get to photograph a wedding we're witnessing the birth of a family. It doesn't get any more real than when you then get to see one of those brides, years later, as an expecting mom. Glowing, beautiful, excited, and filled with anticipation.
Monica was stunning to photograph, one of my favorite maternity sessions, and her husband was her confidence. He held her, he held the child inside, and he's going to be there for them both.
In Philippians it reads that we are to be like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. When I look at these two, I see them traveling life's road, and their journey is together.

Mya

Here's a few favorites from Sheena's family session.
Mya is just at that age where everything is an absolute joy to explore, everything except sand. She did not like the sand between her toes. :)
She is very big into lip gloss right now, and anything that has to do with Mommy.
She had to try every single swing out, just like Little Red Riding Hood, to find that perfect fit, and then it was off to the merry-go-round to get dizzy.

Psalm 30 ~For a Night

I met a remarkable young woman yesterday, a bride looking for a photographer.
She has amazing red hair, and a spirit just as fiery.
She's a photographer, a painter, and a singer.
We got to talking about how she sings at weddings...and also at funerals. That was intriguing to me, because I remember very vividly shooting for a family not too long ago. It was a young mother that was passing away. I clearly remember watching her through the lens as she stared so intently at her children who were too young to understand, and that heartache is something I'll never forget. It's been one of the hardest things I've ever had to see.
Then this young bride said something that struck me. She said that she's always thought that the coffins for children are far too small and light, that they should be big and very heavy, to match how much love their parents hold, to match the weight of their loss.
I told her then that she should write about that experience, because it could help people who've lost a loved one, but she told me that while she was a singer, a songwriter she was not.
I think that the burden and the despair she's talking about is something we all relate to when we have to bury anyone that we love, young or old. See, no box could ever hold the love, or the hurt, and no amount of earth could ever cover up the hope of seeing them again.

Then today in a very old, familiar way, the words came spilling out of me.
Maybe this will help someone, maybe they'll stumble on these words and the promises of Psalm 30. Maybe they'll find hope restored, strength and perseverance, and so here is my rendition of this young woman's words:

For A Night

Today I stood on God's green earth
as they lowered you into the ground.
I didn't hear the songs they sang.
I didn't hear a sound.

And yet my ears were strained,
through the hot tears my tired eyes fought,
watching, listening, aching,
for someone to tell me this was not.

That box they laid you into,
it's too small to hold your dreams.
It's too tiny to carry such amazing love,
and it's far too light it seems.

It should be made of iron,
heavy, almost too hard to bear.
It should match the measure of my burden
to see them put you down in there.

As they covered up the earth
and scripture floated on the air,
I felt kind and loving words,
embraced by those who care.

There is a distance now between us,
but a place I know you'll wait.
My mission now, to finish this race,
to meet you at that Gate.

His promises will I cling to.
His words will keep me true
until the day comes at last to me
that He brings me home to you.

Take a breath, hold on my Love.
This time will pass away.
Rest and know I'm coming,
In Jesus name I pray.

--Dan Elliott. 8.16.08

Nicole

I just finished up with Nicole's images a few minutes ago. These are easily some of my favorites.
We get to see Nicole every now and then working the wedding receptions for the Holiday Inn in Brandon. She's always doing a wonderful job making the evening glide by without a hiccup for the brides and grooms. She is a breeze to spot from across the room, and you simply can't miss her because she has these amazing eyes. The color is almost an emerald. I think we successfully captured them in these images.

The Knutsons

We got to shoot the Knutson kids arching across the sky in swings and spinning out of control on the merry-go-round. It's our third shoot with this family. Keeping up with Trevor was a little more of a task this time, but it was great seeing just how much like his dad he's become. It was the same with Kinley. Her hair isn't as long and flowing as it used to be, but she was ready for a change. She has that same intensity as her mother. Kinley is always thinking, always studying, and yet her eyes are always dancing.

The Jensens

I wanted to post a few from the Jensens' day at the park.
The kids are starting to remember being around us, and I think of the several shoots we've had, these smiles and giggles are my favorite. We had some great action shots this time around. Mom wouldn't let us take hardly any pictures of her on this session since she's expecting again. As much as I tried to convince her to let me snap a few, moments to remember and all that, I still had to respect her wishes and trust she'll be in the next go round with a new little bundle in her arms. :)

Sarah

These last two weeks have been a blur.
Weddings, family shoots, kid shoots, seniors, a little business session, and today even a maternity session with one of our former brides which is very exciting for us. I think that just about covers everything we do??
Praise God. Business is good, and all of the diversity between clients has made for some amazing and breathtaking images. I think our assistant Melissa is on overload with the number of pictures coming through the doors right now, but she's learning and growing in leaps and bounds as a result.

I'll post some quick favorites from each of the different sessions as time permits.
For now, here's a few of Sarah, a senior that we had the opportunity to shoot. She was so casual and laid back, and the day was unbelievably warm. So warm she jumped in the water at the end of the session and made us all jealous. There we were overheating and she was nice and cool.

Buds

Yesterday Indi was gnawing away on her bone, really going at it. I sat next to her and sang her name, and it was like watching a baby with a pacifier, listening to a lullaby. Almost as soon as I started singing to her, she stopped chewing and just listened. A few seconds later her eyes closed, and within a minute she was sleeping, stretched out alongside me. The funny thing, as soon as I stopped singing, she just as quickly sat up and began gnawing and attacking her bone.
Later on, her and Jill had a purposed misunderstanding about who was the owner of the bone, and while Jill kept taking it, Indi would pounce on her from behind and try to run away with it. There's such a trust between them that the puppy would actually stick her face completely inside the older dogs open mouth, teeth bared and all. She knew that one good clamp down and that would be it, but she had no worries.
Eventually they gave up fighting over it, and decided to simply share.
"You chew that end. I'll chew mine."