Somebody taking pictures of me taking pictures of not me ... follow?

I am always fascinated by photographers who show "how" they took their pictures with what we like to call a "pullback" shot. Last Sunday I had a (chilly) mother/daughter shoot planned AND a sweet, adorable 12 year old girl with a passion for photography who was willing to tag along as my assistant to see what it was like .... she did a great job and was able to get a few shots of me taking pictures. So I thought I would share them with you!

I like to call this one "killing 2 birds with one stone" .... notice my lunge/squat so not only am I creating memories, I am also exercising! Go me!

This angle and set up produced a picture like this:

Cute, huh? I know!

This pullback I will now refer to as "the day I decided never to wear that jacket again." What am I? 6 months pregnant? And are my jeans too tight? I guess you need to actually BE skinny to wear skinny jeans?

But this location (although littered with broken glass and needles - seriously) produced a cute shot like this:

This pullback shows me saying "why can't I get this right" and I might be thinking something I can't put in writing ....

But did produce a kinda cute shot .....

This pullback will from here on out be referred to as "the day I realized I must wear tennis shoes" ... see, I am a lover of all things that flip and flop and hate any shoe that covers my foot/heel. Unless they are really cute boots. But even though it was only 55º out and I was in a fleece coat and it technically IS still March, I find wearing cute boots when spring has sprung a little like wearing white after Labor Day. I might be wrong. (I am actually changing my lens here) ....

But how about the ADORABLE shot this location produced. Also, a shout out to a fellow photographer Dawn Gordon (Louisville, look her up!) who makes these amazing actions and this is my favorite - it is called "Cream & Sugar." (If I knew how to add a link, I would)

Cute colors, right? I know. LOVE.

And this pullback? "The reason I need botox." Do I really squint and squish up my face like that? I guess so .....

This shot is actually the same location as the one above and I used another one of Dawn's actions called wheatfield. Love her stuff.

Thanks to Erin Farmer for taking the pictures and being an A-MA-ZING assistant. She took some shots herself with a point and shoot and I am already impressed with her composition, etc. I think I might have some competition .....

Make today an awesome day! Until next time ..... xoxo

Terrible Twos?

Two's? Twos? I googled it and it is printed both ways....

My least favorite age to photograph (with the exception of newborns) is age 2. I have a love hate relationship with it. Two year olds don't really care whether you want them to sit or stand or run of jump ... they don't care if you offer them candy or balloons. Because there is no reasoning with a toddler.

Hallie is no different. In fact it's worse. Because she is mine. I have yet to meet a photographer who said they LOVED shooting their own kids. So in my effort to capture more memories of her life, I have decided to capture those moments that reflect her every day life. She's super cute and all but I don't want her to look back and say "Was I always dressed in Matilda Jane wearing a cute knit hat with a big whopping flower on the side?" (sidenote: My dad is thanking the Lord above right now, I just know it. He hates flowers in hair or any kind of "head dress." Like she is an Indian. But I digress.)

So the other day I thought oh look! Look how cute Hallie is all dressed up in her Tinkerbell costume! (If you ask her, it is "Princess Tinkerbell," not just Tinkerbell. And there is no arguing with her about it. Because, again, there is no reasoning with a toddler.)

So I said, "Hallie! Can mommy take a picture of you in your super cute princess costume?" "NO!" "Please? We can send it to Daddy?!" "No. I no yike pisters." "But mommy thinks you look sooooo pretty!!! Puhleaseeeee .... I will give you an M & M....." "No pister. I want M & M." [insert big huge temper tantrum over an M & M. A yellow one to be exact.]

This was the resulting shot:

So then, of course, I gave her the M & M. Because I am a pushover. And got this snarky shot:

And I wouldn't have it any other way.

Hug your babies. Love them, play with them, dance with them, cuddle, snuggle and smooch all over them. Because one day they will be "all growed up." :o( Capture those memories no matter how good or bad they might seem at the time.

~Tami

In honor of Abby .... FREE MINI SESSIONS! SUNDAY, APRIL 10th

Sometimes we think life is black and white ..... and then gray comes along and messes everything up. I had the privilege of photographing sweet Abby last fall before her leukemia diagnosis. In honor of Abby, I am going to be doing a day of black & white, casual & fun, mini sessions on Sunday, April 10th at Sims Lake park. The mini sessions will be free and include a 5x7. All I ask in return is that you make a donation (of any size) for Abby on that day. Mini sessions will be presented via your own online proofing gallery with about 5-10 proofs. Capture your family in their black, white OR gray and give Abby a little present at the same time.

Mini-sessions will be every 15 minutes starting at 4:00. To reserve your slot, just shoot me an e-mail at tami@little-imaginations.com, through a message on FB or give me a call at (678) 910-1220.

Please remember to keep Abby and her family in your prayers. xoxo

Nonsense... and a spring special!

(I am in the process of updating my blog layout so please excuse its ugliness, LOL)

Updating a blog is very time consuming. (Right, Cassie?) Let's be honest here. I have no clue how to do it myself so I have to solicit the help of a friend. Who I will pay to make it pretty. I'm sick of it looking like someone (who has no clue) went to blogger, set up a blog, and chose a fancy layout from the advanced button. Or maybe it wasn't advanced. Anyhow .... I can't wait to make it look pretty. (And professional)

I had promised myself I would blog more - even if not about photography - and I failed at it. I think I got lost in the notion that eating your weight in cakes and cookies was a better option than blogging. Well, here we are 3 weeks before spring break, fatter than ever, and I have decided that if I work out NOW and blog NOW, the weight from the snow week will miraculously fall off. Wish me luck. I need to change my eating/exercise habits OR change the people I vacation with. Hmmmmm ............ I wonder what the cast of "Heavy" is doing this April.....

On similar (or not at all similar) note, I pulled Hallie out of preschool 2 days a week so I could spend more time with her (read: shape the little girl she was becoming) and we have been having so much fun. (SERIOUSLY!) I thought I was a total boy mom until she begged me to play tea party with her. Having two older brothers and not a lot of girly stuff, our tea party materials are few and far between and pretty much consist of rummaging through the paper goods cabinet (leftover birthday and holiday plates and napkins, etc). Here are a couple pics from our tea party this morning. (I had to turn them b/w and crop them for a couple reasons - 1. They looked cuter that way, 2. She is covered in boogies and amoxicillan, 3. She is totally mismatched AND 4. My house is a pit and I thought you would be less likely to notice.)

Here is our fancy setup. Please note our tea parties are actually picnics because we don't have a little table. My friend Abbie had promised me her daughter's little tea party table and has since taken back the offer because she can't bear the thought of parting with it. Her daughter is like 28. (OK, she is 7 but whatever.)

You MUST - and I mean MUST! - wear fancy necklaces to the tea party no matter how you got them. *blush*

This is the sweet face I get to look at while I sip my tea and eat my mac 'n cheese. Yes, she cooked some mac 'n cheese today. What of it?

I'm teaching her young. Even though our tea cup is a green (I swear it's green) solo cup the size of her face, she MUST have her pinky up or we might as well just be at the park for a real picnic and not sharing a spot of tea. Am I right?

And this? is what I really get to look at every day.....

OK .... now I promise I will release my spring special. Please feel free to hit share and spread the word for me. I would REALLY appreciate it!

SPRING SPECIAL A

Bring 2 friends/families and share a session! This is how it works. Get 2 friends to come to a session with you. You each get a mini session (15-20 minutes of my time) and your own online proofing gallery. You get this for the cost of 2 mini sessions ($150 total) ... you can decide to make your friends pay for their own mini sessions (and yours is free) or split the $150 3 ways. That is for you to decide. All shots will be done at the same time in downtown Buford. Urban. In addition, I will give you each a free 5x7 OR a free photo block. (More details on these cute little gems coming soon) AND 10% off your order - even the digital images.

SPRING SPECIAL B

Don't have any friends? (Who want to do pictures with you, I mean!)

$75 session fee (regular session, not a mini) at location of your choice (remember, I am not shooting white strasburg anymore, though) and a free 8x10 OR a free digital image. Your choice! Also, 10% off of your order - even the digital images.

All regular pricing can be found on my website at www.little-imagintions.com.....

Hope you all are getting ready for spring! I can't wait!! Enjoy your kids ..... love on them like crazy!! Capture the memories!

~Tami