January on Sanibel

It was so warm! (well, duh!) Actually, I was surprised it wasn't warmer. We wore our sweatshirts more than I thought we would, and the ocean was a bit too chilly for much swimming. And did I mention there were sharks?!? EVERYWHERE! We saw sharks almost every morning, within about 20 feet of the shore. We even saw dolphins one day!


There is a really neat wildlife refuge called the J.N. "Ding" Darling that we were supposed to kayak through, but it was too windy so we rode the tram instead. Lots of cool birds and we saw a gator! Of course I didn't take the super-long lens so I didn't get many closeups of the animals, but here's a few shots of the boy, just doing his thing on the beach.

Don't let her size fool you!

Meet L. 2 going on 20! This girl had me begging, bribing, down on my knees, trying to get a shot of those eyes! She thought it was hilarious that I would snap a photo while she was looking away, because as soon as I did she'd look right at me and crack up. Her little sister C was much more cooperative, but getting an image of the two of them together was by far the most challenging session I've ever done. Thank goodness I have a little bit of patience!

FINALLY, I got the looks I was looking for (In exchange for a lollipop!)

New Site Gallery

I finally updated my gallery on the site with some new images (and some old favorites!). I am trying to figure out how to have seperate galleries, which should be fairly simple, but it's been so long since I worked on the website that I can't remember what I'm doing! May be time to call in the big dogs on this one... But for now, there are at least some new images up that are more representative of what I'm currently shooting. I'm falling in love with color!!


And of course, no blog is complete without a couple images. This is X, he was part of the Portrait Party I did in October.

This little man is going to break hearts some day!

So Far Behind!

Well it has been nearly a month since my last post, so I'd better make up for lost time with some images from a couple of my wonderful clients! This is M and L, M was taken (obviously!) this past summer when there was some green on the ground and in the trees. L was an October shoot.

L could be a poster boy for Ralph Lauren Baby!

Old Photos in a New Light

I've been sorting through old photos on my hard drive. Well, I guess they aren't that old, but I've never even looked at some of them. That's one of the problems with digital photography. I have always been a "take first, ask later" kind of photographer. I took nearly 1000 images at a wedding this summer! So, to actually go through and pull out some for printing is a daunting but rewarding task. I've also improved in my photo editing editing skills, hence the "new light" part. Here's where I'm at...

K received this Lego truck from Great Aunt Gail, and the first thing she said to him was "Don't ride it!" You can see how well that worked out...

The "Dandelion Series" was a fun one, but we sure went through a lot of dandelions trying to get the right "poof"!

K and Pawpaw discussing nuclear physics (or something like that!) at Pawpaw's house renovation project.

I have no idea why he was so upset. It was just one of those mornings.

Alum Creek fun!

A birthday party at the park.

One of my favorites, K and Joe.

Uhoh he turned the camera around.
Looks like I have a budding photographer on my hands!

The Buckeye Central Scenic Railroad

The railroad is in trouble. Please visit their site to see how you can help save this piece of history.

Memphis - A Photo Fiesta!

Memphis is so real. That's the only word I can think of to describe it. It is full of life, emotion, hospitality and people, my favorite things to photograph!



Beale street is 180 degrees from most touristy places, and I loved it. I took so many photos I had to buy a new memory card while I was there. Luckily I was at a PHOTOGRAPHY conference and trade show, so memory cards were readily available!



These two little men did backflips down Beale and I just had to get their portrait.




The food was phenomenal! Denise and I found a little place called Bigfoot Lodge across from the hotel that served fried dill pickles and bbq egg rolls. THE BEST! I'm considering another trip to Tennessee just so I can visit that place.



Southern hospitality isn't a myth either. Even housekeeping in the hotel had a cheerful "Good Morning" at 6am!



A few more of my favorites...