Santa!! I KNOW HIM!!!!!

Line from our favorite Christmas movie-Elf. Gianormous is now a part of our every day vocabulary. I expect it to show up in Websters soon. Some one asked this morning if Max was happy now since he looked so depressed in last nights photo-yes -he is happy-got a new comfy bed and his stocking was full of his favorite rawhides and doggie treats. Thing is-he wanted to check EVERYONE'S stockings! He has now collapsed again -if he does not sleep now, he may not get in his 22 hours of beauty rest today.
Just what I wanted! Corey asked Santa for a scooter...So he was thrilled that the old Jolly dude left him one. Let's hope he does not break anything on it-Cass is banned from scooters-after she broke her arm in two places falling off one....Luckily-Corey did not seem to get the accident gene like Cass did. Thank goodness..We have an orthopedist on retainer for her.
This is the cutest little digi camera -it is so teeny....looking for a good camera for a preteen or teen? Canon A410-lots of cool features and won't break the bank. This one was highly recommended by my incredibly techy, has to be king of the Geek Squad-friend Jon (and I mean that in the most loving way, as Beth would say) Cass is gonna have a ton of fun with her friends with this. And I have feeling we will come back from the AKC Eukanuba Dog show with a gazillion doggie pics to print out. Someone-send me another Epson Picturemate print pack! Did I tell you? Cass & I are hitting the road for a girl's weekend to Tampa-her and I and my big sis Karen are going to the dog show--2 days may be a bit much for me of the canines-but it is right up my dog crazy daughter's alley. Hopefully we can sneak in a quick trip to the beach if we leave on Thursday! Bill & Corey will hang out and probably take in the Ice Bears Hockey games that weekend.

Santa's on his way!

Sending warm thoughts

Okay-it is so cold here...I dug up this palm tree from August at Clearwater beach....I would like to be there now, decorating a palm tree rather than here-freezing....I can deal with cold if there is a point to it, but cold + no snow= no point...give me some snow for goodness sakes, please!

On a business note-big changes are coming -changes I think you are going to like-I am excited about it. Look for some news soon-hopefully by the new year!

Well, again, I stayed up entirely too late...night night

4.0 -Dean's list baby!

I just got in from out of town and checked my grades-4.0! Dean's list...just one more class til my degree and if I can get another A-I will graduate May 5th with a perfect GPA...okay-so I am patting me on the back--raising two kids, running a business and in college full time, I think I deserve a bit of back patting-eh? AND Cassidy got all A's this term in 6th grade-she and I are SO good LOL...

It is okay to brag on oneself sometimes-right?

The little lights aren't twinkling....

Happy Holidays to you all! Above is my goofy son...we strongly suspect he will grow up to be like Clark Griswold...his room is fully decorated in a way only a 5 yr old Clark could do it.....he's got the spirit-that is for sure-no matter how many lights we have, it is never enough for him!

We wish everyone a safe and fun filled holiday season and a prosperous new year!

ooooo ooooo it's a new chimper!

A new chimp is born. For those who do not know-the term chimping means to snap a shot then immediately look at the LCD screen and go "Oooooo OOOO oooooo" much like a chimpanzee. Cute video explaining chimping-must watch: http://www.sportsshooter.com/special_feature/chimping/index.html I handed Cass my 10D backup with a 50mm fixed lens and set it on auto and let her shoot away. Some would say I am crazy for hanging over a 1000.00 in gear around an 11 yr old's neck-but heck, she has to learn sometime!! I cannot keep the child in film at the rate she goes through it. Anyway-she began chimping right off and the first question she asked was: what do I push to see all the pictures I took? She looked so darn cute doing it-I had to share. I am so proud *sniff*...I am feeling a bit verclempt -talk amongst yourselves.

I think I am going backwards-I'll get back to my original reason to post. Reason she was playing photographer was: We went to Rainbow Acres today for the annual Christmas party. We had a great time & I will post more pictures when I go through them tomorrow. Rainbow is a Tennessee Baptist Adult home for the mentally challenged. Bill has been doing mission work there for about 4 yrs now with our favorite Uncle Joe. They have gone 1 or 2 weeks a year and have been remodeling the whole place. It was really in bad shape. All the people who have been volunteering their time & skills over the past few years have done wonders. It looks great. Cassidy & Corey helped hand out gifts to all the residents-I guess you could say they played elf today. We always enjoy when we get to go visit and help spread a little Christmas cheer. It is a much needed lift during the busy and often stressful holiday season. Tomorrow I will try to post a slideshow.

Kristi & Kenny

While I wait for Pictage to get Kristi & Kenny's engagement photos up, I made a slideshow of some of my favorites.

Check it out here:
http://www.shutterbugsphotography.net/kennyandkristi/

I am hoping for sunny skies and pleasant weather for Amanda & Steve's wedding day tomorrow. It was warmer today, so let's hope it is even better tomorrow. I look forward to all the neat things we can do tomorrow with their Fall farm wedding!

Chattanooga

I love Chattanooga...Downtown is a photographer's dream...So many cool places to shoot. Bill & I went down there Sunday to photograph Kenny & Kristi's engagement photos. They were so much fun and so up to a lot of different locations and ideas. Look for a slideshow soon-I am still editing-I never shoot 350 frames for an engagement but I did Sunday! They all look beautiful...Sunset on the walking bridge...beautiful skies, beautiful couple.

Saturday is Amanda and Steve's wedding day and we are experiencing a cold snap-I am praying for a warm day for their outdoor wedding! We'll have fun though and it is going to be such a cool wedding, fall themed....horse & buggy, antique tractors...

Look for our new wedding pages to debut sometime in the next few weeks-each couple will now have their own page on the site to direct friends and family to, there they can see the couple's engagement session slideshow, register to be notified of the release of wedding images, view a slideshow of the wedding images after the wedding. I'd like to incorporate "love stories" for those who want to share how they met and got engaged-complete with engagement photos.

It is late and I have a day of computer work ahead of me...night night...

Boy-I am BEHIND!!

Sorry for my long absence....We left on vacation for 10 days Oct. 7th and are just now back in the swing of things.....

Oct 1st-we shot Danica & Joe's wedding here in Maryville...What a sweet couple with such nice family & friends! The wedding was such a breath of fresh air...With the concentration being so much on the love of these two wonderful people and their love for their family & friends. Small, touching ceremony followed by a lovely meal(best meatballs I have EVER had-ask me about the caterer-I highly recommend them-professional, wonderful presentation & yummy, yummy food!!) and socializing/dancing.(the DJ was a sweetheart too-see Merlin's Music to hire Brian) You could just feel how much everyone loved this couple....They were so relaxed & comfortable in front of the camera and I am so happy to be releasing their photos later today for them.....Each one of them shows how much they love eachother and are oh-so-romantic......I love to show the love!! I had such fun creating dreamy romantic images from this wedding....I think have have just as much fun editing & enhancing as I have shooting the actual affair.

Sunday we have an engagement session in Chattanooga (oh, how I love that town-I wish we still lived there....But visiting is second best, eh?) with Kenny & Kristi who are getting married next July. Another super nice young couple. Another great part of my job is getting to work with so many great people, it is truly a joy meeting them and having the priviledge to preserve the memories of the most special day of their lives. Fall is a great time for portraits and we will have a lot of fun shooting all over downtown, and sunset shots on the wonderful walking bridge over the Tennessee River!! I am so excited about this...Something other than Cade's Cove (don't get me wrong-I love it there, but change is good)

Our vacation was WONDERFUL.....We did little more than hang at the beach and pool.....I could sit on the beach this time of year all day & just watch the waves roll in....Nice breeze, warm sun...Fresh sea air....I hated to leave! I'll post some vacation photos soon....The kids had a blast, Cass was ready to come home (middle schoolers-friends, friends) but Corey could have stayed....He loves the beach and the pool. He loved sea world and came home with a whole menagerie of sea creatures (stuffed, that is) and , oh, about 30 lbs of seashells....

Off to edit-have a great week and continue to pray for this facing yet another hurricane....Let's pray it stays out to sea...

New slideshows

Be sure to check out the new slideshows in the gallery....and look for a wedding show on Sunday for Danica & Joe! They are going to have a great party after the ceremony so I bet there will be lots of fun shots!

Slideshows

Amanda & Steve's engagement photos will be up in the next few hours-I am so excited about their wedding-it is going to be something really different:)

Well, off to portrait class-next week is pet day-what an experience that is gonna be! I will be sure to post Max's photo session asap(Max-our mini schnauzer-our youngest "child")

Everyone have a great day!

late nights...

I get started on something and cannot go to bed til it is finished...well, tonight's project is not completely done, but just needs some finishing touches.....my website has been completely revamped....keep watching for more changes....be sure and check out the new slideshows in the gallery-Amanda & Steve and Kierra are the featured shows for September....

I bought one of those templates but I really like doing my own site......something quirky & different...now to do an about me page!!

Well, time for bed....and I just realized I am out of coffee...things do not look good for tomorrow morning....

fun people

Yesterday was a busy day! Thankfully the rest of the week I get to work at home:) I shot the cover shots for Corky's CD(so excited for her!), then met with a sweet couple about their wedding, then went to shoot Amanda & Steve's engagement photos. We did the session at the farm & had lots of fun. Look for a slideshow soon. We climbed up in the barn, Steve got his cool totally restored & shiney green John Deere antique tractor out and we did some on the tractor. I tried to convince him how cool some pics of them in their wedding finery would be on that tractor! Their farm & fall themed wedding is going to be just beautiful. I can't wait!

National Heart Gallery

I got an email today telling me that one of my heart gallery http://www.adoptuskids.org/

photos has been chosen for the National Heart Gallery in Washington DC. Mine will hang in Union Station! WOW is all I can say & I'm not worthy....(Wayne's World)
WOW to be able to give back to others with a gift you yourself have been given is incredible. What an honor to be part of something that will help these children find loving homes. It is heartbreaking when you think about how many children out there lack a loving home, something so many of us take for granted. I pray my photo of this young man will capture a family's heart and they will make him part of their family.

I am still working on details for the animal fundraiser...but I have found that we now have a no kill shelter in Blount county (YEAH) so I may opt to try to do a fundraiser for them since it will go to local needs. I will keep you posted-start looking for a Christmas outfit for Fido!

In need of sleep-know where I can buy some?

YAWN...I was up until 3 am figuring out the logistics to embed a flash file in my website for a slideshow presentation of weddings but I finally did it! (Lynn-thanks for making sure it worked for other folks) You can check it out at http://www.shutterbugsphotography.net/slideshow1/index.html

I am still tweeking it...so check back. I want to have a slideshow up the day after each wedding so family & friends can get a sneak peek!

Tomorrow Amanda & Steve will have their engagement session at the family farm....and in just few weeks-they'll be walking down the aisle! I am so excited to shoot their fall farm wedding...it will be beautiful & so unique.

Sat. we'll shoot Danica & Joe's special day! Sounds like it will be a fun and laid back affair. I am looking forward to the relaxed atmosphere-I bet Jessica & I will get tons of fun candids of them all having a great time.

Corky's CD cover is coming along-tomorrow we will shoot her cover shots. I got to go & shoot the guys in the band Thursday & wow they all sounded awesome!! It is going to be an incredible cd....they laid down the tracks (is that how you say it?) today. I told her to remember me when she was all famous:)

Well, since I was up til 3 am...I am about to fall over...and tomorrow is a very long day with 3 different places to be!! Florida-less than two weeks and I look forward to some relaxation!!! Sand & sun-here we come!!

It's a go...Almost!

I got a response from Kara at Project Starfish & she thinks it is a great idea. Next step is to find a spot to host us. We basically need a place to set up and electricity. Going by to see the people at Petland here in Maryville....I may see if some Vet offices will sponsor this as far as helping pay for supplies for the prints...If not, I will foot the bill myself. Going to try to shoot for Oct 22nd-Sat. I cannot see having it all a go in a week or two with the work I have right now and a wedding Oct. 1... That would give us approx a month to get the word out and secure a spot...I'll keep you posted & if you are in the area and have a pet-you better come by & support this-it is a GREAT cause....Check out the site to see all the work they are doing & the animals they are helping. I am afraid their role is going to expand with this new hurricane brewing and about to hit again on the gulf in a new spot....Lots more people & animals needing help.....Very scary-espy since a lot of these folks are evacuees from NO and now are being moved yet again.

Welcome to my daily ponderings...

Okay, I live most of my working life with either a camera in hand, or a computer on my lap...Probably many of my ramblings will concern that.....yes, I am a photographer...

Today I was booked to photograph & design a CD cover-cool! Really cool lady from my church with an INCREDIBLE voice and I do not exaggerate(when it goes on sale-I'll let you know where to get a copy) Going to photograph the boys in the band Thursday night for the back cover art-some guys from our church who are alot of fun....I am looking forward to it. I love new experiences...you learn & grow from all you come in contact with....and that is never a bad thing.....

A really great charity for animal lovers concerned about Hurricane Katrina's animal victims is Project Starfish-http://www.projectstarfish.org/ I just contacted them about hosting a fundraiser here locally to help the animals affected by this devastating storm. My idea: Set up at the local pet store & photograph pets & owners-have the laptop, 4 x 6 printer all set up so they can get a print in a folio before they leave the store. If not, I may contact the humane society (we no longer have one in our county-don't even get me started on that!!!!) for Knox co. and raise $$ for food, etc for their shelters.

Well, I am off to Adv. Digital Imaging -fun fun...