Four Seasons Photography

BFF {in Black & White}

2008-08-19T07:25:00.000-07:00

I'm in a black & white sort of mood today, probably because it's been grey and rainy for three days!

Today I want to introduce you to someone special: my BFF--or best friend--Heather.

You've probably seen her pop up on my blog before because we've officially been best friends for five years though we've known each other for ten (oh my gosh, that makes me feel old!). So how do you transition from being casual friends to being best friends? I had talked Heather into attending our church's summer youth camp as a sponsor with me. On the drive down, she told me that her best friend had just moved away, "..so I was thinking that maybe we could be best friends now." We were just being silly of course, but from that moment on, we were officially "BFF's."

When we get together, we often transform into silly teenage girls again (much to our husbands' dismay).

Heather is the stylish, fashionable one in this friendship. She enjoys buying expensive girly things (like hundred dollar + purses!) that I would never even consider. She loves to take me shopping (something I hate) and gets joy out of the moments when she actually convinces me to buy something that I would never ordinarily purchase. But like any good partnership, I am her "voice of reason," reminding her to buy clothing that is machine-washable (why complicate life?) and that people with vein problems shouldn't be wearing three inch heels everyday.

Even though Heather is a naturally beautiful girly-girl and I'm just a simple plain-Jane, we still go together like PB&J. She doesn't criticize me when I'm having an obviously bad hair day (see above) and I just laugh about her sometimes crazy obsessions.

Heather loves my own kids as much as she loves her own.

And, when we're together, we can consume this many donuts without condemnation.

In two days.

All of them.

(They were yummy.)

We also share an affinity for cookies and devil bites, just in case you were wondering.

One of the best parts is that both of our families get along so well! We've been going on beach vacations together for four years now and we always end up counting the days until the next trip as soon as we get back home. People warned us that vacationing together could possibly ruin our friendship, but they were oh-so-wrong.

There was a time in my life when I thought I was okay on my own and that I didn't need a good girlfriend. I was wrong. Heather is my encourager, cheerleader, sunshine on a cloudy day and all the other cliches. The only bad part about our friendship: she's in Texas & I'm in Oklahoma. Thank goodness for cell phones and the internet!!!

Know Anyone Who Needs to Visit This Town?

2008-08-18T14:38:00.000-07:00

I'm sure you do! After all, it's Monday...surely you've run into a person or two who needs a quick trip to NICEVILLE! :o)

P.S. Niceville is in Florida, just in case you were wondering.

When A Photograph Becomes A Treasure

2008-08-16T15:55:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, I received a terribly sad phone call. This beautiful family, whom I photographed back in June, is now without a father and a husband due to a tragic accident. My heart is so heavy for their family and they have been in my thoughts and prayers throughout the past 24 hours.

In times of sorrow, photographs somehow transform from a print on paper to something so much more important. I know that when my father-in-law passed away, the portrait that we forced him to take a month before his death became a treasure. And as we browsed through photo albums and boxes of pictures, we were able to share fond memories, laugh and cry together. It was a wonderful part of the healing process.

I'm so glad that the Ford family was able to get together for a family portrait this summer. I'm sure the men were less than happy, the kids whined a bit and the women stressed over matching wardrobes, but I'm almost positive that it was worth the efforts. I'm sure their photographs have suddenly become invaluable to them.

Please remember the Ford family in your prayers.

Back To School....ALREADY!

2008-08-13T18:35:00.001-07:00

I know...I know....we just got back from vacation and now we're starting school already?? I find it a little hard to believe myself. Even harder to believe: I'm the Mama of a fourth grader and a kindergarten student! Oh my! My house was strangely quiet today. I wasn't sure how I'd manage, but I made it. My friends suggested I watch something on television that wasn't a cartoon (we laughed, but I suddenly realized how much time my t.v. is set to Disney Channel). Instead, I opted to read a book and listen to the radio--things that I don't get to do very often in a typical day. According to the after-school reports, a good time was had by all. Yay!

The Beach Bums Are Back!

2008-08-12T18:31:00.001-07:00

That's right...we're back from vacation!! Man, waiting until August for vacation to arrive can be brutal, but it's always SO much fun! This year, our annual trip to South Padre Island got interrupted by an annoying little hurricane named Dolly, so we scrambled around at the last minute and ended up detouring to Destin, Florida. The beaches are beautiful there (as you can see). I'll have much more to share later, but first, I have to unpack!

Summer Is...

2008-08-02T20:01:00.000-07:00

...happy & carefree like an afternoon on a trampoline.

When you finish jumping, you realize how much work you've done and how TIRED you are...just like the end of summer. You know what that means?

It's time for a vacation!

I'll be out Aug 4-11 and back just in time for school to start (can you believe it's time already??). I will return all calls & e-mails when I return. Thanks!

Summer Is....

2008-07-28T21:42:00.000-07:00

Softball. At least in Leedey it is. I'm not kidding you when I say they live & breathe softball/baseball in this town!

My DD (that's "internet talk" for "dear daughter") up to bat. I promise that neither of my children get their softball skills from their mother. Or any athletic skills whatsoever, for that matter! I was more likely to be in Student Council than on any kind of team that involved sweating! lol!

Aw...this kiddo's not mine, but I love this picture.

This kiddo, however, IS mine. Now that's a bonafide ballplayer, complete with visor, glove and bubble gum in the side of the mouth!

Her coach could tell a good story...thank goodness! He kept the masses entertained when we were waiting for games to begin. Do you know how hard it is to capture and keep the attention of a bunch of kids ages 3-6? Near impossible! I'm telling you--he's got talent!

I told you they l-o-v-e ball in Leedey. They start 'em young here! (No, I did not alter the color in this photo: baby girl was simply that HOT!).

One last shot of my big girl either taunting the other team from the bench or cheering on her teammates.

Summer is for softball and so much more!

The Torch Has Been Passed

2008-07-21T06:30:00.000-07:00

Not too long ago, I was on my friend Bethany's case about needing to update her blog. She self-titled herself "the lame blogger" (or "LB" for short). Well, I guess the torch has been passed because it's been a while since I have updated my own blogspot!

In my defense, it's been kind of a wild summer. June was packed with sessions and softball games. I've spent two different weeks on trips with our church's youth group (a mission trip and youth camp) and was co-director for our Vacation Bible School. Oh yeah, did I mention that I am also in summer school?? Crazy, I tell ya.

So, all this to say "sorry" that I've become an LB, but I'm planning a series of photo posts entitled "Summer Is..." Stay tuned!

Back in a Sec

2008-07-06T20:20:00.000-07:00

FYI--I may be out of phone and internet access for a bit, so please be patient if you call or e-mail and don't get an immediate response. Also, if you are expecting an order delivery, it will arrive next week. Thanks!

Harrison & The Attack of the Chiggars

2008-07-05T17:47:00.000-07:00

Say "hello" to Harrison!

I'll just get right to it...this was my favorite shot of the day. Three cheers for beautiful bokeh! Hip-hip-hooray! For those who don't speak "photography," bokeh is related to the "blurred out" background and the shapes that appear therein. In this shot, there is an abundance of circular bokeh in the background, but other shapes can be created like polygons. The purpose of bokeh (not to be confused with boekh which, apparently is some kind of Mongolian wrestling that comes up when you misspell words in the search engine--lol!) is to put focus on the subject of the photo rather than the surroundings.

And, while this shot is not much different, I couldn't keep coming back to it because I kept thinking of a Calvin Klein ad or something. I have no idea why (except that Harrison is a mighty handsome little model)!

And, let's talk about the location for a sec. This was taken in the pasture behind his house. In fact, the old house in the background was the house Harrison's great grandpa grew up in. Cool, huh? The light was beautiful and the grass was green and tall, but there was a hidden danger lurking in that beautiful location.

Chiggers. Loads and loads of chiggers.

I didn't find out until the next day when I awoke to tons of little itchy spots all over my body. I've been in plenty of pastures and overgrown lots this summer, but I have always remembered my boots, jeans and bug spray. Obviously, I forgot the latter this time!

Harrison's prized possession: the antique airplane! So shiny! So fun!

I know some people won't like this shot because it is not centered, but I happen to love it. And it doesn't violate the rule of thirds...another boring photography discussion that you probably don't want to have after all the talk of bokeh. : )

This was my last shot of the day. Harrison took quite a while to warm up to me, but I finally convinced him to try the red chair. He sat in it, gave me a smile and an unsolicited "Cheese!" and said, "Thank you!" a.k.a. "Thank you--you can leave now!" lol!

Kids....they always keep me on my toes!

Little Miss Sunshine?

2008-07-02T14:50:00.000-07:00

The thing with kids--especially babies--is that you just never know what kind of mood they are going to be in. They get hungry/sick/tired at the most inconveinient times for their parents....like when you've scheduled a portrait session. lol! How well do I know! My kids are the exact same way.

Lily was having an off day for some reason. She's usually pretty smiley according to Mom, but on the day of our session, it was more like...

Not even the bright colored walls could chase the blues away!

Meanwhile, big bro Toby showed us how it's done.

She looks like she's considering a smile....

Toby kept the smiles comin' (it might have been with a little bribery--mom was taking him to White Water Bay the next day) ; )

Maybe she was checking him out for some tips...

Yay! One toothy grin!

Meet Brin's Family

2008-06-27T05:54:00.000-07:00

You remember Brin from the session I posted earlier this week....now meet her family!

We went on an "adventure" in the country...

actually it was around Camargo where Brin's dad grew up.

Awww...a mommy/daughter moment in the sunflowers.

Now meet the incredible smiling dog, Rocky! I love Corgi dogs.

They are so cute! And seriously, he really does look like he's smiling!

On a side note, how do you like our famous Oklahoma red dirt?

When foreigners visit our state, they sometimes bottle it up to take home

(just like we like to steal the white sand off of your beaches, Florida--lol!).

These guys were a photographer's dream--so photogenic!

Welcome to our neck of the woods!

When I said we went on an adventure in the country, I meant it.

This is the car from the photo I posted last night.

It had a bit of a "tree problem." It's a wonder we made it out without getting snake bitten, getting tangled in barbed wire fence or contracting tetanus (there were plenty of boards with old, rusty nails) but we managed!

Because I Promised to Have Some Posted on Thursday...

2008-06-26T21:42:00.000-07:00

It's 11:53 p.m. so I did it! Check back for more tomorrow, but for now....

Family Togetherness

2008-06-23T21:14:00.001-07:00

Hold on to your seats because the next two images have now become two of my all-time favorites!

*Gasp!* See??? Isn't it beautiful?? Kenlee LOVES her animals...I mean she really L-O-V-E-S them, so I think this shot speaks volumes to that end. At least it does to me.

Then again...maybe this one does! A beautiful horse (that totally looked like Bandy Bo Jay--the horse I had at Kenlee's age) and a beautiful girl with killer dimples and blue eyes... I don't know if I could choose between the two if I had to!

But let's not forget little bro. I caught Tate hanging out by the pond near the end of the session. Barefoot boys sitting by a pond...if there's not a country song with those lyrics, someone needs to write one! :)

What a beautiful family and a beautiful evening! It was an overcast day, but it was cool and the wind was still (the pond was absolutely reflective). That is a rare thing in June in western Oklahoma, my friends!

The blue shirts were absolutely the perfect color choice! For those of you who struggle to break out of the "white shirts + blue jeans" box when preparing for family photos, remember: the key is not to match exact colors, but rather have everyone wear something in the same color family.

Have I ever told you how much I adore old red barns. What's not to love???

Toye & Cody were celebrated their 15th wedding anniversary this year.

Her gift request? Family portraits!

Now, that's my kind of gift!

When the Toye contacted me about family photos, she asked, "Do you have much experience photographing animals?" I admitted that I have done several photo sessions that incorporated animals though I couldn't exactly claim it as my specialty. "Good, "she said, "because we're hoping to get a picture with my family, our three horses and several dogs." We were able to contain the horses long enough for a family photo, but the dogs were running circles around us--lol!

One last sweet image--four generations of men. Gotta love that!

Thanks so much for the wonderful privilege of photographing your beautiful family!

Sneak Peek: Brin

2008-06-22T12:49:00.000-07:00

Here's a quick sneak peek for Brin's family; the rest should be posted later this week in the family gallery.

I wish my kids were younger; I'd make them go back to this location and recreate this image so I could hang it in my living room! Heck, I might just make them do it anyway! :)

Aren't those pink ruffles the cutest??

Oh, to be two again. So carefree!

I love this one! It totally says "childhood" to me!

I was surprised that I actually was able to get the focus to fall on the dandelion because she was moving so quickly!

Anyone with a two-year-old totally understands that...

Doesn't she have the prettiest blue eyes? Thanks for playing, Brin!

New Orleans: Wrap-Up

2008-06-21T19:37:00.000-07:00

Okay, so this is my final post on our New Orleans experience (promise!). Thought I'd share our mission team video--a complilation of some of everyone's photographs from the week. Enjoy!

New Orleans: Church Restoration

2008-06-18T18:51:00.000-07:00

I've mentioned in the past that one of my dreams is to restore an old church building(preferably one with fantastic windows) into a studio. Of course, I've also mentioned that I am a bit of a "realist" and understand that such a project would take a lot of blood, sweat and tears...not to mention a ton of cash and more patience and energy than I could find.

The next best thing? Restoring an old church...that is still a church!

Days 2-4 of our week in New Orleans found us at this beautiful church.

It is 122 years old and truly breathtaking.

It did, however, sustain damage during Katrina. The sanctuary didn't actually flood (to my knowledge) because it is high above ground. However, these large front doors blew open allowing the wind and rain to ruin the wall-to-wall carpeting. Also, a large portion of the steeple fell in and had to be reconstructed.

I'm sorry that it ruined their carpeting, but the original pine floors beneath were stunning!

Our main job was to scrape the paint off of the stained glass windows, tape the glass and put a coat of primer on the wood.

{Proof #1 that I was actually working & not taking pictures all day!}

Um....did I mention that there are over 200 panes in each lower half of the windows? And there were 16 windows in the sanctuary alone??

We also did some painting. Okay, quite a bit of painting.

{Proof #2 that I'm not a slacker}

Standing on your feet all day long in 90-degree weather with 90% humidity while staring at thousands of tiny colored windows and meticulously stripping off century-old paint can be exhausting work. A lot of the time, this fan was our only source of air--that and popping open a window (though we were fortunate to get a little bit of air con during the week).

I'll be honest: it was a little discouraging at times. We really hoped to be out and about, meeting new people.

Once, I took a photojournalism break, walking around the church with my camera, when I came across this Bible lying on the pulpit and opened to this page. You'll notice one of the headers on the left-hand side reads: "Do good to brothers." It was the gentle reminder that I needed. I had to lay aside my own expectations for the trip and focus on the fact that even scraping window panes was helping someone in need.

I had met with the pastor of the church earlier and he was trying his best to get the church ready by July. They had used all of the funds mending the steeple and were now relying on volunteer labor to finish the interior, meaning much of the responsibility fell into his lap. He was a bivocational pastor who was juggling a job, a ministry and (I assume) a family while trying to renovate the church building. That's a lot for one man to take on! This opened Bible reminded me that I may not be a world-changer, but if I can lighten the load of one person (in this case, the pastor), it could definitely change that person's world! I feel like that sums up a lot of what we did in NOLA--lightening people's burdens.

We persevered! And by the time we left the old church, we could actually see progress...and we were able to finish all those windows. Yippee!!!

Yeah, I think we made a pretty good team!

New Orleans: Meeting Homeowners

2008-06-17T11:37:00.001-07:00

I'd like you to meet a sweet lady named Miss Cynthia. In the background you'll see part of the crew who was assigned to help Miss Cynthia work on her home that was damaged by Katrina flood waters.

The thing I find most interesting about New Orleans is that everyone has a Katrina story and they are all so different.

Miss Cynthia was born and raised in NOLA. She had never evacuated through during any other hurricane in her lifetime; it was just a routine part of living near the coast (I equate it to Oklahoma and tornadoes; we just live with them and take it for granted that one day our homes could be totally destroyed). However, one day, Miss Cynthia noticed the guys at work huddling around a computer as they watched the hurricane coverage. She told them that she was leaving and she went home to grab a few things before heading to Houston to stay with her children.

Little did she know that she wouldn't return to her home for two years.

In this photo, Miss Cynthia is holding a picture of her mother. Her mother had suffered a stroke and was unable to communicate. The family was unable to meet her medical needs on their own, so she was placed in a nearby nursing home which they visited almost every day. There was no way that she could take her mother along for what ended up being a long 16-hour drive to Houston. The family was reassured by the nursing home that they had an evacuation plan but were staying put because they were on high ground (in fact, after the storm, the nursing home was made into a National Guard outpost because it was dry and was one of the only areas with power). Cynthia's brother-in-law was able to keep in touch with the nursing home via text messaging until the storm made landfall and broke all lines of communication.

For the next two months, they had no idea where their mother was.

In the end, it was learned that they left the nursing home after the mayor declared mandatory evacuations. Their mother ended up in the Super Dome where a nurse stayed by her side. She was moved around at least ten times that they know of after the storm. Once, she was taken to a hospital for "sorting" (identifying medical needs and moving them to the appropriate locations) and the family thinks that she may have been stationed in the morgue for some time because it was the only cool place in an building with no air conditioning in the August heat. Miss Cynthia thinks that this had a profound impact on her mother. Though she could not communicate, she would have been aware of her circumstances. When the family was later reunited, one of her first and only words was, "I don't want to die alone."

Who knows how long it would have taken Miss Cynthia's family to reunite had it not been for CNN coverage. Miss Cynthia's brother-in-law appeared on CNN several times and once was asked what was most important to him, personally, at that time. He mentioned that they were trying to locate his mother-in-law and CNN posted a photo (albeit an old one). A social worker saw the photo and somehow recognized their mother. She had been wearing the wrong ID bracelet the whole time.

Our crew helped Miss Cynthia paint baseboards that were water damaged. A small task considering that her beautiful pine wood floors were once covered with silt from flooding. Surprisingly, after cleaning up the mess and mopping with bleach water, her floors look like a million bucks! And if we ever thought that our task was insignificant, we just listened to Miss Cynthia who raved about our help and about "how depressing" it was to look at the water damage day-in and day-out.

The "strapping young man" of our crew helped Miss Cynthia dig new flower beds and garden spots, all of which washed away during the floods. "I used to have a beautiful garden," said Miss Cynthia. She was so grateful for our little bit of help that she fixed us a genuine New Orleans lunch of butter peas and rice with andouelle sausage and salad "all doctored up." She even served it at "the family table, because we're family" using her best "everyday china." And, before we left, we were given hugs and kisses, as if we truly were family.

I'm sure many people wonder why, after three years, New Orleans is not completely recovered. One reason is that many people have just recently returned. Miss Cynthia came back a year ago. She had planned to sell her home and move away, but her employers begged her to stay. But, from what I've seen, the biggest reason everything is not back to normal is because the task was monumental.

"Everyone says, 'It's been three years. Pull yourself up by your bootstraps already!' But it's not that easy," said Miss Cynthia.

An Awesome Father's Day Gift

2008-06-16T07:21:00.000-07:00

Did you know that my husband is a minister? He is, and yesterday, he got the most awesome Father's Day gift ever: he had the privilege of baptising our oldest daughter who became a believer during our church's children's camp. It was a pretty special day! {And, even though it looks otherwise, she is holding her own nose in the second picture--lol!}

I hope you celebrated all the fathers and father-figures in your life this weekend! As you know, I have been in New Orleans &, this week, I plan to share many posts about our experiences there so don't forget to keep checking in!

Greetings from New Orleans

2008-06-10T17:07:00.000-07:00

Hi, everyone! Hope your week is going well. I had a short time of internet access so I just wanted to stop by & tell you that things are going well on our mission trip. I am especially enjoying meeting new people and hearing their stories about Katrina. The human side of the news is always more interesting than what you sometimes see on television. There is still a lot of recovery going on in this city both physically, spiritually & psychologically, so pray for 'em. And pray for us, too! I've been working hard from 8-4 each day and I'm not used to the 90% humidity! :) Hopefully, I'll be able to share some stories and photos from our trip soon. Until then, have a great week!

(P.S. Photo is from Jackson Square; I took the kids to Cafe Du Monde for beignets last night. They were awesome!)

Au Revoir!

2008-06-07T18:32:00.000-07:00

Au revoir, y'all....I'm off to Louisiana for a week, New Orleans to be exact. I'm going with some of the youth from our church to work on some mission projects--mostly reconstruction, clean up and painting--for folks in New Orleans. And I hope to find time to get a nice beignet or two while I'm in the neighborhood (but I'll pass on the gumbo). :)

The last time I was in NOLA was the summer that Katrina hit, so I'll be very interested to see how the city has changed since that time.

I'm also going to try to work on a photojournalism project while I'm there so keep an eye out...hopefully, I'll be able to share.

I'm supposed to have internet access, so if you need to reach me, it's best to e-mail. Phone calls are welcome, but I may not be available to answer very often.

Keep checking the blog this week--maybe I can share photos along the way!

Kayla

2008-06-04T10:06:00.000-07:00

Kayla's photoshoot was scheduled for a beautiful day...and by beautiful I mean dark, cloudy and wind-whipping. It was so stormy that I was keeping an eye on the clouds and an ear on the weather reports (I'm sure we were in a tornado watch; we always are this time of the year). Luckily, we were able to meet two hours earlier than expected or it would have been total darkness! All this to say, don't worry about having "perfect" weather conditions for sessions. You'd be surprised to find that cloudy days are actually better in some instances for photos (you can shoot in a greater variety of places), wind can give that glam "wind-blown" look that the NY models aim for (it also adds a little Oklahoma authenticity to an image--have you ever been in western Oklahoma when the wind is not blowing?), and post-rainstorms give a very beautiful color to the ground and sky.

But enough about that...on with the photo show!

My favorite!

Kayla's mom wanted some photos of Kayla in her 4-H jacket with her show animals because she is moving on up to high school and will no longer be showing in 4-H. As a former 4-Her myself, I thought this was a cool idea. I didn't have any show animals (I did show horses for a short time) but I loved 4-H. It taught me a lot about citizenship and community service. "Head, heart, hands, health..." (That's what the four H's stand for, BTW.)

Nothing like a snuggle with a piggy. Check out piggy's eyelashes...I'm so jealous!

Her sheep was a ham (oh wait...that was the piggy--lol!). He was all about posing for the camera!

We did some non-4-H photos, too. I saw this little flowery spot in between the school bus barn and a transmission shop. I'm telling you, there are little hidden spots of photo opportunity everywhere you look!

I love the lines on this image. Know where it was taken? The softball concession stand!

And one more favorite from the day. Isn't Kayla lovely? I'm so jealous of those ringlets of curls! Don't ya love the colors? Guess what that purple is? A slide on the elementary school playground!

The Price of Motherhood (Literally)

2008-06-01T11:38:00.000-07:00

I was reading an article on MSN that estimated what a salary would be for a full-time stay-at-home mom: $138,095. Not too shabby, huh? If you are a mom that is employed outside of the home, you'd add another $85,939 on top of your regular salary. To arrive at this number, they took into account ten jobs that mothers juggle daily including housekeeper, day care center teacher, cook, computer operator, laundry machine operator, janitor, facilities manager, van driver, CEO and psychologist.

So moms, when you are feeling overworked and under appreciated, remember that you are worth this...and so much more!!

(Maybe we should all get together and ask for a raise!) :)

Source: MSN Money

Adorable Avery

2008-05-27T14:44:00.000-07:00

I have a sweet spot in my heart for girls named "Avery" because it's the middle name of one of my daughters. But even if this little one had been named Alfalfa or Timbucktoo or some other ridiculous name I still would have adored her. A squishy two-week-old babe with fuzzy red hair...what's not to love?

Oh yea....we even managed to work Big Bro into the shoot. Don't ya love his vintage bike?

Little Munchin

2008-05-25T15:35:00.000-07:00

You may remember Callie from her newborn session, but you probably wouldn't recognize her. She's grown so much! She's a cute little munchin. See for yourself:

Look how well she fills up Nana's antique bowl!

This little outfit was to die for. I was especially fond of the itty bitty hat!

"Heeeeey. What's happenin' " :)

Here's one with a vintage look. She looks like a little porcelin doll to me.

And her sweet ride: the antique buggy.