Friday Photo Journal - Week 45

I hope everyone had a safe and fun Halloween! I am utterly exhausted, but we successfully navigated the neighborhood and collect our share of loot....and then some. Here's a peek at our week:

What have you been up to?

Thanks so much for stopping in! Have a super weekend :)

Also linking up with Lisa at The Long Road to China.

Little Things and Princesses

I took the girls out today for a quick shoot. It has been a while since I have done it.  I had grand ideas, but they were dashed when I saw the "No Trespassing" signs at my intended location.  It was so perfect! There is a corner of an old church in the valley of these two hills, surrounded by trees. It is made of gray stone and has two arched windows. I have passed by many times thinking I would shoot there. I had the girls in their dresses, a candlestick, my off camera flash and umbrella and I was going for a La Sonnambla-esque theme. I was terribly disappointed. But, we took it in stride and ended up behind a shopping center in a small patch of weeds, lol. It was fun, but not what I had envisioned. Still,  I loved a few of the shots I got. I have only had time to process two - the kids are itching to go out and collect all that candy! So, the rest will have to wait for another day. But these, I thought, are fitting for a Halloween post.

Linking up with Kim for:

Word.Less.Wednesday

Up to my eyeballs in editing today. Wishing I had a few moments to sit and sip a pumpkin spice latte with a friend, or snuggle up on the couch with a movie and my favorite little peeps. 

But there's work. That's all there is today.

Thanks so much for stopping by. Have a great Wednesday :)

P52 - Week 43

Happy Monday all! Here we are heading into November already. Time sure flies when you get old...and busy, lol.  I know I always say that, but I feel like I'm racing against the nano-seconds lately. Trying to cram everything in - work, homeschooling, work, kids activities, doctor visits, work, laundry, more laundry and work. Since one of my session cancelled Saturday, we did manage to purchase and carve pumpkins this weekend. I feel like that was a major accomplishment. I even make pumpkin cookie bars for a Fall treat. I very rarely bake any more - and they were delicious! Thanks Betty Crocker (shhh, don't tell my mother, grandmother, sister or step-mother who make everything perfectly and from scratch!).

I am trying to get into the spirit of fall festivities though, even though I am dreading the cold winter. Oh, I know I shouldn't complain. Thankfully winters here are mild and short, but I hate being cold. And I'm cold when it gets below 75 degrees!

Today I'm sharing a couple of pics I took while waiting for clients Sunday morning. I was back out in Smithfield for another rustic session among the barns. It was a chilly morning, but lovely too. And I never tire of old barns or scraggly, rambling trees.

What did you do last week?

Linking up with these lovelies: Gina and Tamar.

Friday Photo Journal - Week 45

Happy Friday my friends! Welcome to this week's edition of Friday Photo Journal. I hope you have had a great week! Our temps have dipped down and it's feel very much like late Fall here. I hope it warms up again a bit, at least for a while, I have many sessions planned and I don't want to freeze my Francis off,  ha ha.

Here is a peek at our week -1. Sassy pants trying on her holiday outfit, 2. school project, 3. Girl Scout rededication, 4. trip to Tarjay

What have you been up to?

Thanks so much for stopping in! Have a super weekend :)

Also linking up with Lisa at The Long Road to China.

Little Things Thursday - Almost Overlooked

As I was culling through client photos to edit, I happened to scroll by this image in LR. It was taken weeks ago and buried beneath a sea of other families. It was nearly overlooked. Forgotten. It most probably would have been swallowed up by the black hole of my external hard drive, never to be edited and perhaps never even viewed again. I am so glad I took a second look.  One more little thing to be thankful for.

Linking up with Kim for:

WW- Wedding Portraits - Virginia Beach Wedding Photographer

Well, I worked into the wee hours of the night, but I managed to successfully delivery the entire wedding gallery, from the event I photographed on October 5th, within 2 weeks. I was so grateful to have the talent and support of Sarah Halstead Photography working with me on wedding day!

Here are a few of my favorite portrait images from the big day. I will be posting more wedding details on my photography site soon!

Thanks so much for stopping by! Have a great Wednesday!!

P52 - Week 42

Last week was busy, as usual, but to add to the stress we had an ear infection and a trip to the ER. Thankfully, they were minor issues and everyone is fine. But, today I woke up to a 6 year old with a case of pink eye. Back to the doctor we went and that threw our whole Monday out of whack! Still, I'm thankful we are only dealing with inconveniences and not serious illnesses.

I shot three sessions last week. Windsor Castle Park in Smithfield, VA is a popular spot for fall sessions. It has several rustic barns, a vineyard, and some wide open spaces surrounded by wooded areas and meandering rivers. It is kind of a slice of heaven, and lucky for me it's only about a 35 minute drive.  Here is a shot I took with my iPhone as I was waiting for my clients last week.

What did you do last week?

Linking up with these lovelies: Gina and Tamar.

Little Things - Little Piggies

These two had a rough week. An ear infection and a fall on a wrist. Fortunately, both are just fine now. Love my littles!

Linking up with Kim for:

Friday Photo Journal - Photo Link Up

Hi friends! Happy Friday. I have been MIA for a couple of days. It has been a crazy week! Ear infections, a trip to the ER and a bazillion wedding edits. I did manage to edit the entire wedding from Oct 5th and deliver the gallery in less than two weeks, though. Whew! Just sent it off and then remembered Friday Photo Journal. I am sorry, I am terribly unprepared this week. But, I wanted to get the linky up anyway for those of you on the ball. Please forgive my tardiness!!

This shot depicts how I feel after this week. :)  No rest for the weary, I have 3 shoot this weekend. Hoping the rain goes away so I don't have to reschedule again.

What have you been up to?

Thanks so much for stopping in! Have a super weekend :)

Also linking up with Lisa at The Long Road to China.

Project 13 Blog Circle - Simple Things

Welcome to this month's installment of a collaborative photo project I am thrilled to be participating in with several talented photographers. This project concentrates on focusing on our everyday moments. Together we will share our images at the end of each month focusing on various sub-themes related to the over-arching theme of Everyday Moments. It has been a while since I was able to participate, but I am happy to be joining in this month!

 As we all know, life slips by very quickly and the images shared will be small glimpses into our everyday lives. It also provides us a place to share images that may or may not be technically perfect, these are the ones that pull at our heartstrings. I invite you to follow along with me on this project.

Our theme this month is "simple things." This is an image I took of my youngest daughter. I love watching children in their quiet moments...which can be rare around here. She was playing a game on the iPad and unaware of my lens focused on her. She is growing up so quickly and it is hard for me to watch the "baby" slipping away. 

D800 ISO 3200 17-35 mm 2.8 lens at 19 mm f/2.8 1/50 SS handheld

Thank you for visiting today! I hope you will take a moment to continue around the blog circle by visiting my talented friend,  Laura.

P52- Week 41

Hello friends! Here's to a new week, and hopefully a little sunshine. We have had rain every day for the past several days and I was beginning to wonder when we might see the sun again! Fortunately, things seem to be drying out a little today and I can almost see the sun peeking through the cloud cover.

With all the rain, I had to reschedule most of my sessions last week, so I spent many hours editing. Bad news for my back, but the good news is that I'm already about half way done with the wedding! I am really hoping to finish it by next week because I have many more sessions this month and another wedding next month. Fingers crossed that I can pull it off AND manage to get some sleep!

On a related note,  I rented a 17-35 mm 2.8 Nikkor lens for the wedding, because I wanted to get some big sweeping views of the plantation, and the bride specifically asked for a shot of the whole wedding from the balcony. It is a lens that I have had my eye on and I was excited to try it out. It is a great wide angle lens, sharp with very little distortion, and it was fun to play with. I took the kids down to the river in Norfolk last week and got some super silly shots of them using this lens. I really enjoyed having it for two weeks, but it has to go back today. While I do love it, I think a 24-70 2.8 would be a more practical addition to my bag. Not this month...but one day ;)

What have you been up to?

Little Things - and Big Opportunities

So, last weekend was the culmination of many months of planning. Last winter I was hired as the wedding photographer for a former colleague of mine. Last spring I shot her engagement photos. In September I shot her bridal portraits. And Saturday, I shot her wedding! It was such an honor to play a small part in such a momentous occasion. I was fortunate to have Sarah Halstead second for me. She was awesome, and I am thrilled that we work so well together!  The wedding was on a southern plantation, and despite the heat in the high 80s, it was a perfectly gorgeous day! Here a few images from the big day!

 You can see highlights from the bridal session here.

Thanks for stopping by!

Friday Photo Journal - Week 43

Hi friends! It has been another crazy busy week. Fall is in full swing, though the past few days we've had nothing but rain, so it is hard to enjoy. Hoping things brighten up for the weekend! Here's a peek at my week:

What have you been up to?

Thanks so much for stopping in! Have a super weekend :)

Also linking up with Lisa at The Long Road to China.