Last week I shared that I am going to do a photography challenge called “Just Us Twelve Times” with my babes. I managed to get 6-8 good shots in my session with Gracie! I’ve come to the conclusion that I need to purchase a remote for my camera, because taking pictures with a 2 year old on a 10 second timer proved to be a much harder feat. Besides a sun streak across my head that I have not yet learned how to edit out, I think it turned out pretty decent!
~Dana
I am rarely the one in front of the camera as I am always the one behind the camera. I have been thinking about it more and more and was saddened by the fact that there are literally thousands of pictures of my babes, whether it’s by themselves, with their daddy, or with anyone else…but not very many of them with me. I read about a photographer’s challenge that a photographer here in San Diego was doing with her son called “Just Us Twelve Times”. You make sure to take a picture with your child, husband, dog, or whoever you want to be in the picture with you, once a month every month for a year. I missed out on January, but I am going to continue this challenge for the rest of the year with both of my babes because I think I deserve those memories. They deserve those memories. So here are my pictures from my first “Just Us” photo shoot with Gracie. We had so much fun!
~Dana
I am desperately trying to play catch up with my blog. With a daycare to run, a household to run, a part-time job, school, and two Littles that keep me on the go, I am finding it hard to catch up as quickly as I would like:-)
Back in November, I had the pleasure of shooting some maternity pictures for my friend, Amber. Amber and I used to work together at a children’s clothing store called Naartjie Kids (where I still currently work part-time). She hadn’t worked at the store in a while and had emailed me to inquire about daycare for her baby that was due soon. What??? I didn’t even realize she was expecting!!! I guess it had been longer than I thought since the last time I had seen her! We got to emailing back and forth and I had explained that I was working on my photography, and that I would hopefully not have the daycare much more than a year. She asked if I would take some maternity and newborn shots for her, and of course, I was ecstatic! We went to Balboa Park for her maternity shots. The weather wasn’t so cooperative that day for lighting, but we still managed to get some good ones in:-)
~Dana
I love the neighborhood we live in. We have lived in the same neighborhood for 7 1/2 years now, & have some really great neighbors surrounding us. Right across the street, we have some good friends that just celebrated their daughter’s 2nd birthday in the beginning of December. I was lucky enough to be asked by them to shoot some pictures at her birthday party. Liberty, a.k.a. Libby, is such a sweet & happy go-lucky little girl & I had a ton of fun catching these memories for them!
~Dana
Since I was lucky enough to have such a good friend let me practice my first maternity session and birth session on her, I was elated when she asked me to do my first newborn session with her and baby Seamus as well! I had photographed my newborn daughter & son after they were born, but had never had the opportunity to photograph anyone else’s babes. For my first attempt at a “professional” newborn shoot, it didn’t go too bad. We really only got one great pose, but a ton of cute shots! I have done a lot of research since then & have had another chance to practice (baby JJ’s blog to come soon!), and I am definitely much more prepared for the next one! This little guy is so sweet & loved so much by our family!
~Dana
Ok, so those of you that know me, know that I have a huge passion for birth & everything that goes along with it. The pregnancy, the miracle of the birth process, the strength that mama’s have & that amazing tiny newborn person! At some point in my photography career, when my kids are a little older, I think it would be ah.maz.ing. to be able to photograph births full time. I am so in love with the idea of giving parents the moments of their child’s birth that they may not remember even happening. I have two babes myself, and I completely regret not having any pictures of the process. I have pictures of both of them immediately after the birth, but nothing that lead up to that momentous event.
In August, I was so blessed and honored to be a part of my friend, Cristin’s, birth story. She was a first-time mama & had so graciously let me practice my photography skills on her pregnant belly in the weeks before the birth. Finally, the big day came! I am a work at home mama with an in-home daycare, so I couldn’t just drop everything and leave when I got the message she was at the hospital. I was so worried that I was going to miss it! Luckily, time and baby Seamus were on my side:-) I got to the hospital around 4 p.m. and Cristin was resting. A few hours later, a handsome baby Seamus made his appearance! It was such an amazing experience to be a part of & I’ll never forget it!
~Dana
A few months ago, I was blessed to be able to work with a good friend on her maternity pictures. It was my first maternity shoot (we actually did 3), & it was very relaxing to be able to have my friend as the subject so I could take my time to practice. She was very gracious in letting me do so as well. Thanks for the fun, lady!
~Dana
I am constantly looking at other photographer’s websites, Facebook pages, blogs, whatever I can to check out their work. I have subscribed to Rock the Shot’s emails & a few others as well. I love when they send out emails (which is quite often) with some sort of a giveaway. This one recently came through, & I would be so thrilled to win all they are offering! Check it out!
http://cravemyphotography.com/blog/business-jump-start-giveaway/
~Dana
Since I talked about my babes in my very first post, I thought I should share some recent pictures of them!
There they are. Aren’t they gorgeous!? My opinion may be a little biased, but you know what? They’re all mine! Gracie is 5. Just recently 5, but she won’t let you forget that being 5 is a big deal & she can do so many more things now that she is 5. Like cooking. She made muffins completely on her own last week (I oversaw the project, of course, but that is for another blog)! She is the most AMAZING big sister to that little guy sitting next to her. Samuel is 20 months old. He is a little ball of energy & love. He adores his big sister & wants to be anywhere that she is. I have never felt so blessed as I do when I’m holding these two babes in my arms. I leave you with some more shots from this fun session with them.
~Dana
I have been taking pictures as long as I can remember. Anything from people, to flowers, to abstract art (well, what I think looks like art). I am completely in love with the idea that you can take these pictures, & if you store them the right way, you can have a memory forever. Some people don’t have a good memory capacity, but if you have a photograph of it, it will stay with you. This form of storing memories is especially important to me now that I have 2 babes to think of. I want to remember EVERYTHING about their childhood. Of course, EVERYTHING isn’t being realistic, but I can sure take as many pictures as I can to remember the really important things. I also want to share these memories with them & be able to tell them about the particular experience they are looking at in the picture.
I am on a journey. To fuel my passion. I have recently applied for a 6 month photography course meant to take you from an amateur photographer to a professional in those 6 months. Not only would this help me financially, but it would give me a second purpose in this life (first purpose is being the best mama & wifey I can be). Whether I get in or not, I am still going to pursue my photography passion to the fullest extent that I can. I want it. I need it.
So, I would love for you to come along on this journey with me as I grow & learn in my skills.
~Dana
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