Dallas Family and Children Photographer Devine Memories Photography, Devine Inspirations

Cadence

2009-11-11T12:30:00.003-06:00

Had so much fun with this little doll in my current favorite location. Her parents are pretty awesome too! (Mom has a GREAT name) ;)

Taylor and Alex

2009-11-06T14:33:00.002-06:00

Love these girls, see them lots...I try to make each session different from the last, and went for a little more casual style this time. It's my favorite way to shoot families:

John, Charlie, and William

2009-11-03T21:48:00.002-06:00

Haven't seen these guys since, well, there were only two of them! They were among the very first of my clients back when I first left my "real job".

And I have to say, this session with them from this Saturday ranks among my favorite. EVER. Love it when it all just clicks like this:

One of my fave images of all time:

Jake, Tyler, and Ella

2009-11-03T20:19:00.002-06:00

Maybe only my own three kids have seen me with a camera in front of my face as much as these three have....LOVE this family to pieces.

*side note: it has been a very rough week for my family regarding my father. I am still working but it may take a little more time than usual to return calls and emails, although I'm working like crazy to catch up. You can read about what happened at my Dad's caring bridge page

Portrait of a Mommy:

Portrait of a Daddy :)

Jack, Caroline, and Sophia

2009-11-02T00:10:00.002-06:00

More friends that visit me each year, since they were itty bitty

Couldn't resist throwing this one in....

Wyatt, Ellie, and Lucy

2009-11-01T23:27:00.003-06:00

One of the greatest joys of a being family photographer is updating family photos when a new member arrives. This was my first time meeting sweet Lucy, although her brother and sister and I are old buds. I think we hit it off :)

Nathan

2009-10-26T19:10:00.002-05:00

This little out-of-town sweetie took a little bit to warm up to having his picture taken, but once he did it was magical. Look at this sweet face!

Ava, Brody and Brooks

2009-10-21T17:26:00.001-05:00

Little Miss Ava was just a newborn baby the last time I saw her...and now she is a big sister to two adorable brothers!

Kesler

2009-10-21T13:42:00.003-05:00

Love lil' Miss Blue Eyes, we spent most of our session playing hide and seek. She found me. A lot.

Beck and Ella

2009-10-21T12:25:00.004-05:00

More of my favorite people:

Yummmy....

aaaaaaand we're done.What's up, baby??

Jett and Jalen

2009-10-20T00:24:00.002-05:00

Love these cuties and couldn't wait to see them again:

Meredith and Haley

2009-10-20T00:20:00.004-05:00

Getting way behind on sneak peeks here! Some of my favorite peeps in the world:

Opening-Last Chance

2009-10-15T20:59:00.003-05:00

Hi everyone,

All mini-session spots are full except for the very first one at 9am--please call or email ASAP if you are interested or would like more details. Opening will be booked on a first come, first serve basis!

Details again are here: Mini Sessions Round 2

Receive 25 complimentary holiday cards either from an upcoming/current session OR a previous session if you refer the person who books that spot!!

D

One More Round!

2009-10-12T20:56:00.003-05:00

These have been so popular, we're going to go for ONE MORE ROUND!

Mini Sessions THIS SATURDAY, October 17th 9am-12n
Dallas Arboretum
$150 Sitting Fee
30 minute sessions, 10-15 images to choose from

Refer a friend and as our thank you, receive 25 complimentary 5x7 holiday cards!

Call 972-596-5500 for bookings and questions, or email deanna@devine-memories.com

Repost-Bittersweet October

2009-10-10T09:13:00.003-05:00

Wrote this post two years ago and thought it would be an appropriate way to commemorate today again, on the 12th anniversary of my daughter's birth and death.

October 9th, 2007.

I am definetly not a writer, so please bear with me on this one :)

October is such a fun month for me because of all the birthdays, Halloween, the State Fair, and just seems to kick off the beginning of the holidays. But many of you know that we lost a baby named Emily (whom the Emily Project is named for and inspired by) many years ago. You might not know thought that tomorrow will be the 10 year anniversary of the day she was born.

I have blocked this day out of my schedule since January and was hoping that by now I would know what to do with myself on this day. I still don't. I thought I might do an Emily Project session but just can't muster it up.

So I thought that I would do the best I could and try to bring a little bit of awareness to my readers in hopes that it will help someone out there who might be going through what we went through. Emily was stillborn. I was almost 6 months pregnant and had just become aware of her kicking a few weeks prior, and didn't know that you should feel babies kick at least once an hour. We went to the OB after some time and discovered that she had died. It was truly the worst moment of my life that I have tucked somewhere in the back of my mind so that I cannot relive that pain over again.

After we lost her, our nurses gave us some literature about various organizations that help parents and loved ones cope with the aftermath of such a loss. I sought counseling but it was only after I joined one of these support groups that I began to turn a corner. I also was able to meet and keep in touch with other moms who had gone through my exact situation and having the same feelings I was having. When you lose a child, it almost becomes necessary to take a step back from the rest of society while you heal, as the rest of the world goes on with life and you have just had an atom bomb go off in your own life. Reaching out to others who have been through the same "bomb" is an amazing way to start the healing.

Here are the organizations that helped me through:
http://www.nationalshareoffice.com/
http://home.mend.org/

What can you do if someone you know has experienced miscarriage, stillbirth, or the death of an infant?

There are things that you definetly should not say to someone who has just lost a child. The first being "There will be more children" or "You can try again". Being as young as we were we heard these a lot. Nothing or no one can ever replace the child you lost, even if it is an early miscarriage. The best thing to do is just to sit and listen, let them cry on your shoulder and let them know it's ok to cry and be sad. Remember important dates with a card or a phone call (I personally don't talk to anyone on Oct. 10th) and if the pregnancy was late enough, always call the baby by it's name. Everyone is different, but these are things that have helped me or people I have known. If you know someone who has lost a baby or child and you want to help them, visit the above websites for suggestions on what to say, how to honor the baby who died, or just to read about what your loved one is going through. This will help more than you will ever know.

If you are pregnant or know someone who is, there are ways to help prevent stillbirth. Blair Blanks is a photographer who recently lost her son James to stillbirth the morning she was set to be induced. In his honor she has done tireless research on the subject and is devoted to educating pregnant mommies about counting their kicks. Please visit her website for more information: http://www.blairblanks.com/kickcount/

Finally if you or someone you know does experience such a loss, there is a wonderful organization called Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep that connects local photographers with families who have lost babies. Photographers volunteer their services to these families to conduct sensitive and private photo sessions, and the photos are then retouched and given to the parents on CD or DVD. When we lost Emily, the nurses were thoughtful enough to take pictures of us for her, and I am so grateful to now have those, but I would have given anything to have professional, retouched photos of her or pictures of me holding her.

Thank you for any prayers you might say for us, for those out there experiencing this loss right now, and go home and hug your babies a little tighter tonight.

Deanna

Recognize them? Look up.

2009-10-09T00:08:00.003-05:00

If you want to see how much these two gorgeous kiddos have grown since we first met, just take a peek at the top of this blog. Such a beautiful family and I LOVE our sessions!!

Holiday Cards!!

2009-10-07T22:16:00.002-05:00

Finally completed the online gallery for 2009 Holiday Cards! Enjoy and please call or email for pricing! deanna@devine-memories.com

www.devine-memories.com/CardGallery

Just a reminder, we have an upgrade option this year for personalized mailing service--give us your list and we'll do all the work!

Photography in the Home

2009-10-05T12:14:00.002-05:00

My clients just emailed me this picture of the 30x40 canvas they ordered hanging over their fireplace, and I just had to share. It looks absolutely fantastic! Here is the original image they ordered:

And the 30x40 canvas.

I tell all my clients to go canvas when they go big...you spend more money on custom framing anyways, and if you're going to spend the money, why not spend it on more of what you love, the picture?? Canvases come with hardware on the back and are ready to go right up on the wall, so stinkin' easy.

Thanks Kim for sending this to me!

D

Holiday Mini Sessions, Round 1

2009-09-22T23:53:00.005-05:00

Holiday Mini Sessions were this past Saturday...SO much fun. We've added a second date to accomodate the high demand for these quick and painless sessions: MONDAY, OCTOBER 5TH. Please email us at deanna@devine-memories.com or call 972-596-5500 to hold your spot!

Elisabeth + Adrienne + Daniel

2009-09-18T15:44:00.002-05:00

This is the second session I've done with this family, but the first since baby Daniel arrived...what a fantastic family and amazing kids. Loved every minute of this session!!

Email FAIL

2009-09-15T21:52:00.001-05:00

Missed any emails that came to be between 10pm Monday night and noon today. Technology, gotta love it.

If you emailed me and have not yet heard back, PLEASE re-send.

Deanna

Miscellaneous

2009-09-14T11:58:00.003-05:00

1-We have a few spots open for Holiday Mini Sessions, including one for this Saturday morning at the Dallas Arboretum. Let us know ASAP if you are interested!

2-Are you a fan? Devine Photography has our very own "fan" page on Facebook! Click below to join!

Devine Photography on Facebook

Sneak Peek- 2009 Holiday Cards

2009-08-31T16:52:00.005-05:00

Don't forget--we will be offering address and mailing service this year. You have the choice of printed mailing labels or handwritten! Let us take care of the cards, and you worry about the rest of your holiday list!

Caroline+Lily+Isabel

2009-08-27T15:01:00.003-05:00

I have hit the jackpot lately with scoring fun girly sessions with little sweethearts like these:

Donate to Heroes For Children, Receive Sitting Fee Discount

2009-08-25T15:37:00.003-05:00

One of my closest friends is Jenny Scott, who many may know as one of the co-founders of Heroes For Children. Jenny lost her beautiful daughter Allie to cancer nearly 5 years ago, and has dedicated her life to helping families through the same situation through her work with HFC.

Allie, who would have started Kindergarten yesterday

HFC provides financial assistance to families whose lives are affected by cancer. They help pay bills, provide things like laptops to teens who are stuck at the hospital and out of touch, help throw celebration of life parties, and sadly even help with funeral expenses.

It is a beautiful cause.

This year my family and I will be participating in the Heroes for Children 5K event, which is held each year at the Shops of Legacy. I have set a goal for my family to raise $1000 for HFC.

To encourage donations, Devine Photography will offer a 10% discount off any future sitting fee for any donation $25 or more.

Even if you aren't local and would like to donate, EVERY DONATION IS APPRECIATED!!!

Help me get to our goal of $1000 by clicking here and making a donation:

http://www.active.com/donate/heroesforchildren5k/deannads