One Big Happy Family...

We have been planning this session for months. I got contacted about doing it a few months ago and have been looking forward to it ever since. 

The Sossamon family is a family that I have known as long as I can remember. At the church I grew up in, they have been a constant. Their "kids" who are only a few years younger than me, I remember since they and I were so little. 

Doing this family's session was such fun, we laughed so much. SO much. It is good to do family photos together when your kids are younger, but this day made me realize how important doing them when they are older is as well. You get a whole new interaction, a whole new story to tell when the kids are older, and that story is worth documenting in photos. 

After we finished up the Sossamon family's session, Karla's sister and her husband, and their brother met up with us at the wonderful Martin Nature Park. The laughter continued as you can see above, as this beautiful couple got in front of the camera. I love it when people just get real and fun. It makes for the best moments in photo. One of the main 3 things I try to capture in my photography is the human connection, and I think that is documented well with this session. I am happy about that. :)

We almost needed a diagram to chart out all the groupings and pairings we wanted to accomplish during this shoot, but I think we managed pretty well without one. :) 

I leave you with one of my favorite shots above and on the left. A brief history is needed to explain: I used to work at my church as a secretary one summer back in high school. Keith, the Dad above, worked at the church as well. You would always know when Keith was coming because you could hear his keys chiming on on his hip as he walked (almost always at a pretty fast pace I might add). Well, it turns out that his two kids have caught the same habit of hanging their keys from their right side . I think this is so fun, and there is something about kids unapologetically being like their Daddy that makes my heart smile. 

Thank you Sossamon and Ercanbrack family for the privilege of doing your photos. It was SO fun, and such a joy. Enjoy the photos! 

... Heather

My First Family...

Oh the wonderful Gerding family! They were my first family shoot besides my own! They are so wonderful because even though I was barely starting out when I did their first shoot, they still return to me every year to do their family photos. :)

It is the funnest thing to see other people's kids grow and change after a year's time. Last year we took photos at a cupcakery for this blue eyed girl's first birthday, and now she is turning the big 2! Brother is turning into such a handsome young man as well, the glasses are a new addition this year, just when I thought he could not get any cuter! :)

Our session was at the wonderful Martin Nature Park. A great OKC park where you can have a little hike, or play on the new nature inspired playground! I love it there. I have a thing for trees, and nature, so this is one of my favorite spots to shoot for sure. 

I am so grateful to this family for their constant support of my small photography business. Nothing makes me feel better than getting that email from a RETURNING customer. :) Especially these returning customers. Thank you Gerding family, SO much. It was such a pleasure as always! Enjoy your photos!

... Heather

Mariah, Senior 2013

I first met Mariah when she was about 1/3 her current height. :) My hubs coached her and her sister in softball back in 2004. 9 years ago? Seriously? I had seen Mariah occasionally at the ball fields since then cheering on her sister, but Mariah's passion had turned to basketball. Rightly so, this girl seemed at least 2 feet taller than me with those heels on! ;) So, I decided I would have to use perspective and her sitting quite a bit in our shoot, since I had not brought my stool. :) 

We had our shoot scheduled at 6:30 on a Friday evening in the Paseo. The weather changed our plans, as weather is the ultimate dictator of an on site photographer, but it turned out to be absolutely for the better. I got to the Paseo early to scope out where the good light and color would be. It was a beautiful warm day, but the sun was quite harsh, so I was going to have to find some good shadow. I scoped out my spots, and figured out our little photog adventure through the Paseo, and had enough time to just sit and finish my iced Americano from the wonderful Cuppies and Joe. As I sat and waited for Mariah to arrive, the most amazing thing happened: COMPLETE CLOUD COVER! If you are a photographer reading this, I do not need to explain my joy. Cloud cover means that I can now shoot anywhere, because all harsh shadows are gone and only beautiful light is covering the whole Paseo. 

When Mariah got there, I made sure and told her that the Lord had blessed her shoot with amazing clouds. :) After giving her a hard time about wearing those heels, which I am glad she did, she looked stunning, I just felt mighty short in her presence. :)

As we worked our way through the artsy little community, we found this wall pictured above. It totally looks like tile, but it was a flat wall only painted to look like tile! SO cool! Love this smile/laugh that I got of her as well. 

I am not a superfan of the "serious look," maybe cause I am not too serious. And it pretty much just makes me laugh when my clients try the serious face, unless it comes natural to them. But, this one above I think is a clear success. :)

Found this lovely patch of mega green grass, it was great color. 

When I look though these photos, I can kinda tell that this is my first outdoor session of the season. I was enjoying every moment and soaking in all the great light and color and my beautiful client. And I think I am more obsessed with architecture than I had ever really given myself credit for. But, it is good know! :)

I was really wanting a "middle of the street" pose. I love the way this one turned out with the curve of the street lines, all the amazing color in the buildings, and the fact that all the vehicles in the shot match her outfit is pretty awesome as well. ;)

OK, these are a couple of my favorite shots. This location I just love. The white wall, and windows, and the tree branches, I love tree branches. It is an obsession. In the photo above on the left, the wind was blowing her hair just perfectly. It was a great moment. :) And the wall, with the reflection of the tree on the right is just perfection for me. And her outfit is just rocking with that glass and white wall. 

Thank You SO much Mariah for the chance to do your Senior photos. You are a stunning girl, and just have such an ease about you, and I love how you beam when you talk about your family. :) I know that the Lord has GREAT plans for you and look forward to hearing about all that comes to pass in your life. The future is bright Miss Mariah, very bright. :) 

... Heather