where the wild things are...

Fischer is all boy--he spent the afternoon either down in the dirt himself or talking about his favorite thing: dirt bikes. Who knew that a 4-year-old could have a favorite dirt biker (or that such professionals even existed)? One look at these pictures and you will be able to see the sweet sweet love between Fischer and his mama. It was really fun for me to see the way that they make each other laugh. One thing about them that I especially loved is that they can quote Where the Wild Things Are back and forth, just one line after another. That is extra special to me because that has long been one of my mom's favorite books to quote to my brother and me. Just hearing Fischer and his mom tell the story of Max and his mischief brought back sweet memories. If it's been awhile since you've read it, it is worth going back.

saturday engagement shoot part II

Stephanie and Wes wanted their pictures done in downtown Helena which was awesome for me since it's like 2 seconds from our house. I really do love the little town where we live. Even though the trains can be frustrating at times (like when I'm late to get somewhere every single day), the tracks have provided endless photo ops. Stephanie and Wes were great to work with and I really hope that these pictures communicate the sweetness of their relationship. I can't wait to photograph their wedding in a couple of months!

some random thoughts...

Corey and I have been talking a lot lately about photography and how it makes us feel. As he has gotten more and more into photography himself, it has been fun to process these things together. We were having one of these conversations the other day and I couldn't come up with the words to describe my experience.
I was reminded of one of my all-time favorite books, A Ring of Endless Light, by Madeline L'Engle. The book is so rich and so real for a million reasons but one of my favorite parts has always been a poem that she quotes by T.E. Brown called "Indwelling." The first line of the poem says, "if thou could'st empty all thyself of self, like to a shell dishabitated..." It goes on to say, "but thou art all replete with very thou..." I spend almost all of my time being replete with me, thinking about myself, consumed my own thoughts and feelings and desires. But the biggest gift that photography has given me is a break from myself. I really don't know how else to describe it. When I am taking pictures, I feel like I am totally in that moment and nowhere else. Somehow, it is like being emptied of self and yet feeling more like myself all at the same time. A mystery, I guess.

All that being said, I really loved spending Saturday taking pictures of two really fun, really in love couples. I've only finished one slideshow so far but couldn't wait to get it up on the blog. Tiffany and Noeun met and got engaged at Montevallo so I thought it was a great idea when they wanted to do their engagement pictures there. (The pictures where they're in the white gazebo-ish thing is the spot where they got engaged!) I LOVED doing pictures somewhere new and felt like I could have explored new places all day long. I am so excited to be shooting their wedding in May!

Also, it should be said that the Patty Griffin song on their slideshow is my new super favorite song that I listen to on repeat all the time. I have been waiting to use it on a slideshow since the first time I heard it and today was the big day! I hope everyone else likes it as much as me because I am going to be using it a lot. I wanted to save it for a wedding slideshow but I couldn't resist using it today. Anyway, this is officially my longest post ever.

Clearly, I am trying out some new colors and stuff on the blog. I haven't made up my mind yet about the latest edition so if anyone has any suggestions, bring them on! We have been super busy the last few weeks doing some fun and new stuff. I have several things to post that I will try to get to this weekend. For now, here is one of my favorites from a session I had last weekend with Libby, one of the most endearing children ever. She made me laugh the whole time with her sweet words--she is the most verbal 18-month-old ever!

It is not hard to see Ella's energy and passion for life! I loved getting the chance to chase her around the gardens last weekend and watch her explore all the new things to see. I am so glad she let me capture this shot of the upside-down sunglasses even though I'm completely certain that she had no idea they were on the wrong way. I think that makes her expression even cuter! I am also loving her lowercase "e" shirt and wishing that I had one for my very own. Rumor has it her shirt came from ebay... More pictures to come soon...

the davidson girls

the zanoni boys

Lots of new things to post! I'll just do these two for tonight. Meeting both of these families was really fun for me. I love it when people I don't know call me to set up pictures and then when I finally meet them, we get to figure out who I know that they know. And then it's like all of a sudden I'm connected to the person I already knew even more because now I know someone else who's a part of their world. I love connecting with people! Is this really random?

Spring is on the way and things are getting busy! I am so excited to be outside taking pictures again. It has been so much fun to be out at the gardens this week and watch the way things are changing even by the day. I have a lot of stuff to post but I'm going to start with just this one for now. Getting to meet baby Sophie and take her pictures the other day was a huge gift to me. We have loved getting to know her parents better over the last year and have been so grateful to watch them transition into their sweet little family.