Windsong Portraits

End of Summer Senior

2010-09-11T12:49:00.000-07:00

Another photogenic Senior (and swimmer)!

2010-03-30T08:04:00.000-07:00

It is always fun to photograph swimmers. They are used to "deck changing" and strutting around in practically nothing, yet they manage to bring all this self confidence and comfort to their photo sessions- completely clothed! Catie and Karaline, my wonderful (and not so bad to look at) assistants were there to help lug all my stuff (they were completely clothed, as well).

We were lucky that this Senior brought along his family, too. In fact, Sam (the younger, and older, brother) even carried one of the reflectors. We did some family shots, siblings together, and even mom & dad shots before we focused (no pun intended) on just Tyler, THE Senior!!!

Here are a few of my favorites (yes, they are the same ones from FB).

Tyler, awesome job!!! The USMC will be getting one great marine!!!

More images, less words...

2009-11-30T05:39:00.000-08:00

Too busy, chapter IV

2009-11-30T05:36:00.001-08:00

Too busy to Blog, again!

2009-11-12T13:59:00.001-08:00

Too busy to Blog, Part II

2009-11-10T10:02:00.000-08:00

Too busy to Blog...

2009-11-10T06:33:00.000-08:00

In lieu of a verbose entry, I am posting images from the last couple weeks of crazy shooting. LOVE all the SENIORS! And praise God for the gorgeous weather and perfect backgrounds for these wonderful young adults!

Nicole's Visit

2009-08-13T12:24:00.000-07:00

Some friends remain close no matter the time, distance, circumstances, etc... My daughters are blessed with such friends (as am I). Nicole and Rachel visited from Utah (and we had the Hershbergers from Germany at the same time), and can I just say their visits were entirely too short. We put aside special time for photo sessions, of course. Here are a few of our favorite images from their 10 days (really 8, but who's counting) together.

Mountain View Senior Model Rep 2

2009-07-15T05:14:00.000-07:00

What fun to spend time with another rising senior! These young people amaze me. Molly was no exception. She was a blast to photograph! And a pretty good sport, too, when I told her I thought the grungy port-a-potty would be a good 'prop.' These were a couple of my favorite images!

Beautiful day, Beautiful wedding!

2009-07-12T15:14:00.000-07:00

What an honor to photograph the wedding of Sarah and Britton Dovel. The weather was perfect. Sarah was the calmest, seriously most laid-back bride ever, even when she discovered that her flower bouquets had died overnight. Her bridesmaid looked amazing in fushia with yellow trim (you could probably wear that again, sometime). The newlyweds are off to the Virgin Islands, but I had a chance to look at a few of the images.

Part 2 of RAYS 4th of July Race

2009-07-06T05:44:00.001-07:00

Well, I couldn't post all the images I wanted to, so, I am attempting a second post.

If you are interested in learning more about the RAYS Swim Team, just click on the title of either post (and if all the blog planets are aligned, it should link you to their website).

Early Morning July 4th Biathlon (swim/run/swim/run)

2009-07-06T05:18:00.000-07:00

The RAYS Swim Team has a July 4th tradition~ the swimmers (and parents lugging their swimmers) arrive early in the morning to 'compete' at Curtis Park in a Swim/Run biathlon. And I, being the quintessential traditionalist, lug my camera to record said-event. So, while the other parents (the normal ones) are setting up the 'freedom brunch,' I am zooming in on the somewhat reluctant athletes (the sun has barely peaked the horizon and these teenagers are out of bed and in the water; thus the reluctantcy). My children, while claiming to enter said-event without the desire to COMPETE, prove, once again, that "the apple doesn't fall far from the tree." I notice about 10 seconds into the swim they plan on giving it 100%, or more. Meanwhile, I am shooting away at the kids, wondering which images will end up on Facebook☺ Catie surprises me as she gets out the third leg of the race, still looking intense. She bypasses her running shoes! (the intensity doesn't surprise me) In cap, goggles, and patriotic Nike swimsuit, she begins the last leg of the race, running in her BAREFEET. She is determined to be the first girl across the finish line (thus, sacrificing the time it takes to put shoes on). Her strategy works.

Once the swimmers are done, they enjoy a wonderful brunch (the RAYS parents, kind of like Baptists, put on an amazing buffet). They have certainly earned that big meal. And I can't wait to go home and view the images from the morning, but not before I have one of the amazing coaches corale the kids for a group picture.

Here are a few of my favorites!

Crazy Days

2009-06-20T19:48:00.000-07:00

I keep thinking I'll have the chance to come up for air, but the crazy summer days are morphing into crazy school days. Perhaps it is just the life of a photographer with 5 kids??? The Sweet Sixteen Challenge for Catie and Lauren was a blast. I am continually amazed at how wonderful their friends are. We flew Nicole in from Utah for a birthday surprise. Check out a few of the memorable moments from the birthday extravaganza...

Ghost at the Mill?

2009-06-01T06:14:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we met our Mountain View Spokesmodel down at the Mill for a fabulous session. Victoria was a natural in front of the camera. At one point being positioned inside of the historic mill, she announced she heard a noise which was kind of "creeping her out." I boldly stuck my head in the window. Okay, there was totally a noise in there, and it was not the wind. Mill session, over (move on to creek☺). Later my brave friends and assistant went back to the Mill to check it out. A local ghost sounded like an intriguing story, and an interesting blog post, naturally. As best as we can figure, it is probably a mama vulture (deduced by the baby vulture in the dark corner, looking scared....and NO, we cannot bring it home for a pet!). So much for the "Windsong Portraits and the case of the Haunted Mill." Here are a couple of my favorite images from the photo session.

Open Water Swim

2009-05-31T06:46:00.000-07:00

We were going to camp the night before (but that is for another blog post). Driving to Lake Anna, Jeep Wrangler-style, was beautiful. Arriving several minutes after the crack of dawn was breathtaking. The water looked cold (and for those of you who don't know me, NO, it wasn't ME going into that water). Catie and Karaline, and 126 other swimmers from Virginia, were about to swim 5K or 3K (either one, WAY too far to do anything other than drive) in the Open Water. Did I mention that it was a beautiful day??? What fun that I got to photograph the event. Here are some of my favorite images. The rest will be posted on the proofing portion of the website.

2009-05-09T15:03:00.000-07:00

A friend called for a last minute Senior Portrait session. I agreed to do an early Saturday morning appt. Other than looking like I just rolled out of bed, the session with this handsome Senior went very well. He had both his guitar and violin, and a tux (all the Senior girls can swoon here). It was great chatting with his dad about cameras and photography. And best of all, his images turned out great (hey, if I don't love what I create....). Virtually no throw-aways, except when he blinked!

Can't believe it is May!

2009-05-01T21:34:00.000-07:00

It would appear that the only way to post to my lame blog is to forego sleep. Rest assured that I am not lazing around on the couch consuming truffles or cupcakes (although Karaline is always whipping up some fancy cakes and desserts). The schedule is busy with some last minute Seniors (hey, graduation isn't until June...there is PLENTY of time still!), Family sessions, and Spring Soccer. I actually attended Catie's HS Nat'l Honor Soc. induction straight from an outdoor session with dirty knees, which I, of course noticed on my way into the school (gasping for breath as I raced from one event to the next). I will be sure to post some Sneak Peeks, of the sessions, not my dirty knees (once I have a chance to see them). These images were done during a quick break at the Awana Father/Daughter Banquet. The dads all looked so handsome and their young dates all appeared to be future Prom Queens.

Spring Break

2009-04-19T18:36:00.000-07:00

What a wonderful week we had- Spring cleaning, Great Wolf Lodge (or Great Woof Lodge, as Chloe calls it), and a 3 day visit with the Kirby's of Newport. Of course, every party needs a pooper, and our 2009 Spring -Break-Pooper is officially, Catie's AP History teacher, who assigned hours of homework (who does that????). Getting back to the positive....here are a few images from a Spring Break mini-session.

Annapolis

2009-01-02T11:13:00.000-08:00

What a blessing to be invited up to Annapolis to do a "Family Reunion" right after Christmas. Despite the 95 being a parking lot, we made it up there in less than 2 hours. I love Annapolis (having lived there for 4 years) and the wonderful friends we still have there. It is amazing that years can pass and our kids can just pick up right where they left off. Here are a few of the images of the day...

Happy New Year

2009-01-02T11:06:00.000-08:00

My list of "resolves" is way too long to share, but to one of them is to be more diligent about posting on my blog. One of my last photoshoots in 2008 was of three lovely ladies on an absolutely frigid day. The girls photographed wonderfully despite shivering, and one even dared to go sleeveless in a formal (Karaline produced snow by shaking dried golden rod into the air...thankfully, no allergies).

Friend Celebrates 40 at Beautiful Wine Cellar

2008-10-26T15:15:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday, Kathy! What a great group of friends you have! (Kathy's friends came from far and wide to help celebrate). Any images that are tilted are done so on purpose for "artistic flair," not as a result of too much wine sipping :o) Thanks for letting me record some of those birthday moments! Amy's spectacular cake was over the top, and actually the BEST tasting cake I have EVER had!!! The whole evening was entirely memorable.

Sneak Peek of Fall Family Foto Fun!

2008-10-26T14:51:00.000-07:00

The weather and lighting were perfect for this fall family photo session. We hit the trail with twins, a beautiful young expectant couple, older brother, and mom. Jenny did a fabulous job with the outfits, completely complimenting the autumn landscape. The portrait will be a surprise for their dad for Christmas (what a fabulous idea :o) ). The practically-grownup kids were a BLAST to shoot, we even managed to (safely) get Cassie down to the creek (no preterm labor allowed on my photo shoots). What a beautiful family!

Sneak Peek of Monahan's Trek into the wild

2008-10-19T21:00:00.000-07:00

The Monahan family ventured out in the chilly weather (yes, of course, Terri had her parka). What a fun family.. I didn't hear any complaints, except for maybe, why I didn't actually BRING the Corolla (Corona) with me! I couldn't wait to view their images, since the kids had the most amazing blue eyes (which were also very 'sparkley').

Weddings are BEAUTIFUL

2008-10-17T07:16:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I had the honor of photographing Mike and Vanessa Hawkins as they exchanged vows. There is nothing more to say, except "Wow!" I also managed to squeak in a 'few' facebook images for the way fun groomsmen!

Sneak Peek of Latest Senior Session

2008-10-15T19:07:00.000-07:00

With the help of two energetic assistants, early Sunday morning we hit the creek with Trevor. He did a great job~ very patient with us as we dragged him to different locations. Since he is a swimmer, our ultimate destination was to shoot him IN the creek. But the water/air temperature combination exceeded "senior model union" regulations...he did endure standing in the water (numbness set in quickly and the feet didn't seem too cold after awhile..). Check out a few of his images...

2008-09-19T15:39:00.000-07:00

Can't wait for the next RALLY!!!

Chloe turns 5!

2008-09-16T18:40:00.000-07:00

My baby is 5 years old today. She announced this early this morning and remained "the birthday princess" for the entire day. Her kindergarten teacher gave her a crown to wear throughout the day, which she did proudly. We celebrated her birthday dinner at Chuck E. Cheese's (the big pizza rat) with the other 3 kids (minus Steven, who was at work). Chloe has simple tastes, as she proclaimed that "this was the BEST birthday ever!"

2008-09-16T06:59:00.000-07:00

2008-09-16T06:53:00.000-07:00

Well, let's see if this "BLOG THING" works, since I have, in the process of procrastinating (all the other things I REALY need to do, like the laundry, housework, and even getting out of my jammies), I have ventured into the world of blogging, and even attempting to create one- I may be the only viewer. The things we do to keep from doing the things we should do!