Ella & Saleah!

Ella's Touch
Ella of Ella's Touch is still doing wonderfully.  She is now much more alert with all kinds of jabbering and laughing.  She is so much more receptive to being held now too.  I took another crack at capturing her for her family so there will be lots of great images to visually celebrate her life.  We had a beautiful evening with nice soft light for her session.  

Check out these amazing eyes.  Her eyes are so pretty.  She loves to put her fingers in her mouth, suck on a passy & will play with her hands by clasping her fingers together.

This shot is perfection.  You can feel all the love and affection Tiffany has for her special baby girl.  Having lost her third child at 6 months old she knows, like most people could not possible fathom, how to love this baby girl, her two older kids & husband with everything she has in her.  She handles the struggles of life with so much grace and beauty.  

Ella's big brother announced to me proudly, "My sister has lived longer then my brother!"  Despite all the inevitable sorrow her loss will bring they make sure to cherish each moment they can cherish.  Shouldn't we all spend much more time cherishing our family including all the 'insignificant' moments?  We really don't know what will happen tomorrow or next year.  For some of us, we too, will feel the pain of losing a loved one in our immediate family.   Please take time to cherish those you love.  And for all those mama's out there who don't want to get in pictures, please just do it!  Your loved ones do not care for perfection.  They care for YOU!

Tiffany was getting Ella to laugh here.  She smiled several times for us.  This one is one of my favorites with her looking back at mom as she smiles.

Sweet Seleah

Three of the last four newborns in front of my camera have smiled for me!  Seriously?!?!  It has never happened in the past, and now they all are doing it.  Maybe I'm learning some magic skills {with those beautiful mama's help!} with the newborns.  Saleah is adorable.  That hair.  She also has the loads of fine baby hair over most of her just like Blake did.  It brought back great memories.

We were even able to clip this flower in her hair without a headband.  Love it.  No distractions.  Just beauty.  Those pouty little lips are also perfection.

{So all my phrases on here remind me of Nike commercials I've seen in the past!  Just do it}

My Kiddos

In case you don't follow my personal blog, here are some images of a project I did this week.  The Inner Hooker is a pattern maker who's Fan page I found on Facebook.  She picked me out of about 25-30 people to do a test crochet pattern.  Yay, me!  Here is the second hat I made with this pattern test being modeled by Madison.  It was a great experience that I hope I can do again.  Maybe I'll start selling hats, scarfs and other things during the slow seasons.   Always gotta be busy...

Love this photo of Madison showing off one of the hair props I've gotten recently.  There's a whole small case full of them.  Those with little girls are welcome to use any of them during your session.  I have a few cool flowers that would look great on Mom too {I wore one to our church breakfast this morning}!

And what's a post showing my Maddy when my Blakie isn't included?  No way!  Here is my adorable boy with his summer bleached hair and happy smile.  

What would you like to do to cherish your family more this week?
Please share in the comments to inspire us all!

Joyous curls

Have you ever noticed that most people really want what they don't have?  This almost always applies to hair.  People with strait hair LOVE those with curly hair and vise versa.  Today I got to photograph the most adorable curly headed five year old with more expressions then a seasoned actress.  She was also very patient throughout her entire session with posing and tons of clothing changes.  Most almost five year olds would been done with the whole process about half way through.  She definitely made me work hard to get her natural relaxed smile in with all her other serious, fun and zany expressions.

{The flowers in her hair are from Bella Mia!}

Note to self:  Don't stick something {tiny flower} up your nose to make a 4 year old laugh.  They will want to stick many little somethings up their nose to get you to laugh too!

I hope you have a wonderful week!

Summer is here!

We just got back from a trip home to Phoenix.  It was great to see all of our family & some of our friends.  It's amazing how, in our family, we spend so much time really connecting with each other after the loss of a family member.  We lost my grandmother to ALS {Lou Gehrig's disease}.  Yes, she was 90, but we thought she was going to outlive us all with her health and vitality.   Then, last year she was diagnosed with this debilitating disease and given a hopeful life sentence of up to 5 years.   It affected her throat the most which is what caused her the complications leading to her passing.

I've shared this image on my personal Facebook page when we were in Phoenix last week, but I also wanted to share it here.  I loved this image from the moment I first saw it.  It is so my grandmother.  She never did like to have her picture taken, but her smile is engaging when she does consent to look at the camera.  In face, in most images she is looking at someone she loves with her rather then at the camera.  She has always cared more for others then herself which is definitely represented here by the hand on Maddie & Blake.   As my cousins and I looked through all the family pictures at my moms house we almost always found a child in her arms no matter what her age was.


We sang Have I Done Any Good? as the opening song for her funeral.  With her quest to help others including housing many family and friends she touched so many lives with her good works.  I'll miss her and our conversations.  We'd talk on the phone for a while at least once every few weeks for many of her last years.

While in Phoenix we were able to do two sessions.  They were able to get everything together with amazing short notice.

Erin & Dave were one of my bride & groom's 9 years ago.  They had one of those rare amazingly perfect wedding days in Arizona with just the right amount of sun & moody clouds along with a gorgeous sunset gracing their outdoor golf course wedding!  Dave serves in our armed forces!!!  When the first shot of a session looks like the one below, I know it's going to be a fabulous session.



Catherine needed shots of her four kids for their modeling agency.  We took a few at the end of all five of them together.  Her youngest proceeded to through himself into the water feature just prior to the group shots drenching himself from head to toe!  Even though she had plenty of other outfits for him she {I probably would have done the same!} decided it was very representative of his personality keeping him in his drenched clothes for the shots.  I love it!

Last week was very busy with sessions & a wedding

I was going to include the wedding sneak peek too, but I think it will be better as it's own special post!

This shot is such a good visual of kids.  They are interesting, colorful, cute, funny, curious & everything else.  I can't wait to show off Gracie's enchanting smile.  She was so much fun to shoot.


This series is for all the parents out there!  One of my favorite things to say is, "Kids are an exercise in patience."  When parents leave a photo session they often only remember if their children are doing what cute Cora is here in the first three shots.  What I get is the last three shots of perfection!  These shots all took place in a short 3-5 minutes.


The funny part her is the hat wasn't what was bothering her.  It was just a way she could express herself at that moment.  As soon as the hat was off she wanted it back on....




She has the cutest dimples.


Love this.  My new hat really isn't in very many images, but it sure made the sneak peeks.


Love this interactive shot of toddlerness.


I think this is my favorite spot this year.  The light was gorgeous!  This shot is gorgeous!  I love their expressions and interaction here.  I would make this a HUGE wall portrait in my living room or bedroom.


Atlantic Beach was great!  There was so much there with the great sand, dunes, pier and Fort Macon!  Future beach sessions will definitely be over there.  Let me know if you are interested in a beach session.  Right now I am booking for August 6th and 7th with several spots still available.


Isn't this adorable?  Wanna know something?....


The night before Ava spent most of it at urgent care & very grumpy sleepless night with a huge canker like sore under her tongue.  She was a wonderful trooper giving us glimpses of her normal self with great smiles.  When she was feeling clingy and bad I grabbed this beautiful shot.  Her eyes speak so much of the pain she is feeling and the comfort she is receiving from mommy.  As a mom it is so special to have my children want me specifically for comforting cuddles.  I know Emily will treasure this image of her holding Ava.

Back in town from Miami!

Much of my updating of late has been on Facebook.  I love Facebook.  It is such a great way to stay connected with family, friends and clients!  It is amazing how many business details I take care of on Facebook.  If you are not yet on Facebook I highly recommend it.  If you are I'd love to have you 'Like' {formerly follow} the Lifelong Impressions fan page.

We had such a wonderful trip.  It started by a visit to my family in Marietta, GA.  Then we headed down to Tampa, FL to visit one of Guy's many sisters.  Miami was out main stop with a stay in a gorgeous condo overlooking the Port of Miami and South Beach.  The whole place and experience was fantastic.  I had three great sessions while we were there, and met some great new friends.  Lukily we thought ahead to bring our bikes along and were able to enjoy three bike rides all around the area we stayed.  An old friend of mine happened to be staying in Miami not two miles away so they came over our last night to hang out for a while.  The kids were on their most charming behavior with Madison singing her good night song, I Am a Child of God, the best she ever has.  We also decided to break up our drive home from Miami to Raleigh with a stop at Universal Studios.  We all had a great time at Universal.  The kids are luckily quite tall for their age {about 36 inches} and got to ride on all the little kid rides.   No matter how great a trip is, we are all very happy to be home.

Here is the adorable Jelly!  She turned two yesterday so her session was on her birthday!  Lucky.


And here is the adorable smile girl!  Ah, newborns are so awesome!!!

The lovely weather continues

The weather has been nice to us lately.  There have been so many days we've been able to have the windows open all day.  Sometimes I wish it was 70 all year round, but then I would miss the hot & cold. Hmmm, maybe not that much.  :-)  

Check out these adorable twin girls!  They are three month old cuties who smiled just enough for us.  I can't wait to share all the great images including a few of big brother.  

We moved the shoot from the late afternoon to this morning, because the weather reports looked horrible for today.  Then we had no rain.  Guy is still sitting here all upset about the lack of rain.  He loves a good rain as much as I do!  

Extended families are a blast to shoot.  This group is one of the smaller extended families I've had in front of the camera.  We got some interesting urban shots then headed to Historic Oak View Park for some green shots.  I love this shot with the pinky warm light of the setting sun on their faces.  Cute little Cole is out for the count in his mama's arms.  

Here he is wide awake during the urban part of our shoot.  Everyone was a blast to work with.  There is just something wonderful about a red door.  It went so well with the blues.

When we moved to Raleigh from Phoenix I met our neighbor Michelle. We ended up doing a photo shoot with her two boys the next day as a surprise for her husband who loves UNC!  They have had an image of the boys at the UNC well hanging above their fireplace ever since.  About 5 photo shoots later it was time to head to UNC again for an updated image including all three boys.  I have loved getting to know them and Tim is a fantastic dentist.  Definitely consider him if you are needing a dentist in the Garner {40/42} area.  

I am super in love with this image and think they will be too.  These boys are ALL boys.  They have tons of energy and love each other so much.  In fact, when we met at their house before the shoot, I found out they often have sleepovers with each other by making a pallet on the floor in the living room.  How cute is that?!!

Azaleas in bloom

I have never actually done a session at the WRAL gardens when the azaleas are in full bloom.  It was gorgeous and we were blessed with a full overcast day to make all the colors pop softly.  We did have to hang out under a big tree for a while when the 20% chance of rain actually hit us.  We had a lot of fun.  

One of the things I love most about my job is getting to know people.  I went to church with these guys for a couple of years before the kids were born.  As with most church relationships you say hi, but we usually don't get very much further then that.  Little Riley here was also captured by me when she was a newborn.  We started to get to know each other then, but this time we all talked a lot more.  I always thought Kory was pretty, and she gets even prettier the more I get to know her.     

Babies in a tub, lolling under a tree & pure joyful love!

Well, you'll have to wait to see the babies in a tub!  lol  Gotcha.  But here are the cutest little toes from Ryan's 3 month shoot.

So, the kids & I were out shopping at Lowe's this morning with Guy's parents when we all realized we were super hungry.  Luckily there was a Wendy's right across the street.  Towards the end of our meal I saw an adorable couple walk in.  They would be fantastic in front of my camera, yeah, totally!   They were being so lovey dovey, and she noticed me looking at them.  You could see the whisper happen as she told him I was watching them.  He looks over trying to be covert.  Obviously, I was busted!  What did I do?  Oh, just dug out a card from my wallet, and proceeded to make a total goob of myself giving it to them...  I said they were adorable & I'd love to photograph them.  Hey, at least they took it.  But if they call I'll have some seriously amazing photos to share with you all!!!

Here is the image I removed from the last set of sneak peaks.  I had almost forgotten they wanted to approve the images before the sneak was posted.  These two families are part of a large extended family shoot I did down at the beach.  We used the beach buildings the last glorious moments of direct sunlight and the super soft light just after the sun 'sets'.  We had a great time.   And who doesn't love more twins!!!   Yes, I am sooooo partial to multiples.  As a kid up to a young adult I often would dream fondly of having a twin brother.

I have known of this next family for a long time.  We have never gotten to know each other.  Now I know why!  They are the shy family.  Everyone is a bit {lot} shy.  Mom is a big competitor when it comes to sports & games.  The kids just couldn't resist my way out there personality for long.  We also got to have fun with balloons in some of the family shots.  In this shot everyone was settling in for the next pose, but I think the getting ready itself is a bit magical.

Pure Joyful Love!  I'm sure there will be a time they are driving mom and dad absolutely crazy, but they will be able to remember and see this image.  There is actually a series of three that are all this adorable.  They would look great up on the wall in a storyboard.

Sneak Peaks from 4 recent sessions

I am almost caught up to a normal pace after doing six sessions in one week a month ago.  Since every week after that week had a full or a little over full schedule of new sessions it has been tough.  I have managed to stick to my policy of getting the proofs ready within three weeks on all sessions.    This is mostly due to my fabulous husband & wonderful friends.  My husband because he is all about watching our kids.  My friends because they haven't gotten mad at me for completely mostly ignoring them.

Creating these wonderful images for my family, friends & clients is a privilege.  I am grateful every day for the abilities Heavenly Father has given me along with my determination to learn and grow.  There really is nothing better then walking into a house to find images I have taken displayed so lovingly in their home.  What has happened in the last few years with Facebook is just as cool.  It is like a trip down memory lane for me to relive and enjoy the time I've spent with people when I see the images from our session used as their profile picture.

Blogging takes a long time to prepare and publish...  For example, this post has taken me a couple of hours tonight since the images had to be edited, prepared for web, uploaded & the text prepared.  I contemplated going to a Facebook only posting since most people are now on Facebook, but I do think this blog is important.  So, I will most likely be blogging once a week from now on with some comments and a sneak peak.  I will also be posting a feature on a business I love and recommend about once every two weeks.  Definitely become a fan of Lifelong Impressions on Facebook.  I am updating so much there as well as showing off loads of images from my recent shoots.

Speaking of my Feature Businesses, I am so excited to be sharing my favorite realtors of all time with you very soon.  Having worked in the real estate industry and done my fair share of real estate transactions I know a great realtor when I see one.  You will not be disappointed.  If you cannot wait for my feature, because you need a realtor right away, in the Raleigh metro area, please comment or email me so I can give you the information.

Now onto the sneak peaks!

{This text and sneak peak removed}

A maternity session with one of the coolest green settings I've been to in a while. We went to a nursery nearby. It was lush green all around with many interesting textures and ponds everywhere. Little Kayla has amazing coloring with both an amazing smile and an amazing serious look.

You'll never guess what's in the next belly!  Hmmmm, yeah, you probably got it.  TWINS!!  Boy/girl twins no less.  I think having twins as your first children is way cool.  You don't know what it is like to have only one, and you also aren't usually in a hurry to have the next one.  For those like me who have an unhealthy fear of being an only child, it takes all the stress away.  Anyway, I got off track.  We went to Lake Benson park on a chilly evening when the trees were all full of flowery blooms.  After the session we got to gabbing for at least 30 minutes.  I think Melissa went home completely exhausted from standing so long.

And now, for a really cool bridal shot.  We found some great locations out driving around for a nice varied look to her shoot.  I even have a shot I'll share later.  Brittany was cringing, yelping & shielding herself from one of the enormous pesky bugs out that evening at twilight.  Luckily they were only at a couple of the 10 spots we used at the three locations.    This is one of my favorite shots from the day.  I love the rustic location, her sitting on tires, the pose & especially the little hint of a smile as she contemplates her upcoming big event.  We are going to have a great time on May 22nd.  

More sneak peaks

Sneak peaks are so much fun.  I love giving just a little taste of a session.  Most sessions have such different looks throughout there is no way one picture tells the whole story.  I have a lot more to share as the sessions I'm working on get done.  It may be a big blast at once or a session at a time.  

The last time we scheduled a session the weather was yucky.  I loved the session we ended up doing in their home.  This time we went for a very urban and hip vibe.  I love how this shot is 'peaking' into their world.  The kids were adorable!  My kids also love playing with Levi at church in their nursery class.  

This session was mainly for Cade who is the older of the two boys pictured below.  We did a few cousin shots.  We had perfect weather & spring all around us at the coolest old corner shop with a small feed warehouse across from it.  It is also right near some railroad tracks.  It was 30 feet of pure photographic heaven.  It's too bad they are in the process of painting everything to make it all nice!  

The last time I photographed this whole family, little miss Jordan wasn't born yet.  Dad & his two sons all dressed up in their respective police & fire uniforms for a few shots, they brought out all the huge dogs for a few & then we headed to a neighboring pond.  

I'm off to do a maternity shoot.  Soooo fun!  That means more babies are coming soon!  I'm so excited for the newborns being born soon.  LOVE me some newborns.

Ella's Touch - Sneak peak

Sooo cute!  I'm in love with this little cutie sporting the wild waves & awesome long dark eyelashes!  

Ella's Touch is a fabulous blog about a special baby girl.  I am so happy I was able to spend a couple hours with her and her family yesterday.  Tiffany {mom} was so sweet she even sent me home with some fabulous chicken taco soup.  My twins loved it!

Ella will not be with us much longer as her life is being cut short by medical complications to her very rare syndrome, Cornelia de Lange Syndrome (CDLS).  I've been reading the blog her father, Chris, started just after her birth called Ella's Touch.    

She is so sweet.  It is amazing that she has been able to come home to spend quality time with her family.  Otherwise big brother & sister would have little chance to get to know her.  

Ella prefers to be laying on her own most of the time.  She did not want us to do any holding poses.  The couple times we tried she definitely let us know her preferences.    

This picture speaks volumes to me.  All of the beautiful family connections showing & being created.  The serene faces of Tiffany & Chris as they look at the kids shows their tender love for the kiddos.  There is Ethan's hesitant hand out to touch Ella's bow.  Since he was a little sick yesterday, he was very firm about not getting too close to avoid possibly getting her sick too.  Maya glanced away for a second from her contemplation of Ella from her spot on the floor by daddy's feet while holding mama's hand.  

Back from Vacation & ready to go!

Can the breeze have picked her hair up any more perfectly.  Love this image.

I'll start off with an update on the session availability for the next few months.

There are spots available for newborns not listed since we don't always know when they will be born.  Please set up your tentative date ASAP, though as I do have a limited number of sessions I do per month.  

March: 

Booked

April:

5-10th one spot

20-24th two spots

26th-May 1st  one spot

 May:

May 1st one spot

May 3-8th two spots

May 10-15th two spots

May 31st two spots

June:

May 31-June 5th two spots

7-13th one spot

14-19th three spots

21-26th three spots

28-July 3rd two spots

Please schedule your appointment soon if you would like pictures in the next few months.  I will be holding a Senior Session special for all upcoming 2011 seniors in June which may book up rather quickly.

Three years ago I found out I was pregnant with twins.  Around the country there were other women finding out they were due with twins at the same time.  A nice little group of us found each other online.  We started out in a public forum, then created our own private group, and now we are all Facebook friends with our own group on there.  Even though most of us haven't met in person I feel like we are old friends.  Mary is one of my fellow twin moms.

She won the consolation contest prize I decided to give instead of the big one when we didn't reach our new Facebook Fan page goal.  As of today, most of the old S & G Photography fans have still not switched over to the new fan page.  Just like the old fan page I'm sure the membership with increase steadily over time.  In only 7 months we reached over 300 fans on the old fan page!  OK, so I just went and checked how many fans are on the new fan page & we got over 100 new fans in the last two weeks!!!  Amazing!  I love you guys.

So, I digressed.  I assumed Mary would be getting a fine art print sent to her with her winner credit since she doesn't live by me (no one in our group does).  She happened to mention on Wednesday before the Saturday we left on our cruise that she really wished we could do a family session.  Out of curiosity I looked on her Facebook profile to see where she lived.  Talk about timing, they live in Miami!  Our cruise was out of Miami & we had extra time between arriving & our flight home.  

Meeting Mary & her family in person was like seeing your favorite childhood friend again after being apart for years.  Though we don't really know each other super well, we were instantly comfortable & gabbing away {OK, I was gabbing away}.   The two shots in this post are a sneak peak from their session.  Enjoy.

Howell sneak peak

I love my families that follow the recommended first year picture schedule.  Birth, 3 months, 6 months, 9 months and one year.    An alternate schedule is to do birth 6 months and one year.

Watching her grow & change over the last nine months has been a pleasure.  She changes so much between sessions.  Amanda remembered a session I did of my Madison when she was naked with some hats and scarves at a friends house.  Now I have my very own wooden floor to use!

I love her wispy curls & the bling flower/bow as way cute.

New friends - Awesome family

mI met this family through a friend who works with him.  She showed off their family photos & put some cards up in the employee lounge.  His wife and I hit it off from the very first conversation.  

The weather this time of year is so tricky.  Despite having to move the date we managed to find a perfect afternoon.

The only problem...  The street sign at the intersection we were to meet at is missing!  Since we planned to meet just south of the intersection & I arrived from the south I didn't know it was missing.  It's a good thing I have an emergency cell phone.  Guy gave them the number.  After about a 25 minute delay we met up to begin the shoot.

This has to be my favorite all time jumping picture.  I love everything about it.  I love the spot we found for the family shot.  It had a typical colonial Mexico feel to it.  

The main focus of the shoot was to capture one year photos.  He is soooooo adorable.

I mean, really, this kiddo is adorable.