Survivor Photo Shoot ~ "Making Strides Against Breast Cancer"

I want to write while this is all still fresh on my heart. This particular evening was a tremendous blessing to me, on several levels. Let me explain.

This was a photo shoot designed to capture the beauty of 5 lovely ladies who have battled, or are still battling breast cancer. Not too long ago, Kim, from Making Strides Against Breast Cancer, emailed me and asked if I could help out with this. I must admit, I did hesitate... I am busy these days. And the turn around for the photos is super fast - but I said yes. You see, I lost my Daddy to brain cancer almost 12 years ago in August, and although I have wanted to do something to get involved, I just haven't  - till now. And I know that taking pictures last night does not help brain cancer fighters, but it's CANCER... I don't care what part of the body it invades. It's bad, it must be fought, and it must be overcome. Sadly, my Dad didn't get to fight his cancer for very long. From diagnosis to his final going home was only about 4 weeks. I don't know why we didn't have to opportunity to really go to war against this invader, but according to a plan already laid out by God, our family had a short journey in our battle.
Getting involved to help others is about the only thing I can do now.  So, when I was approached to do this, I just had to say, "YES!"

We had very enjoyable time getting to know each other on this hot, July evening. We decided to do pretty, outdoor, summery photos for this fabulous group of 5 women.  When the ladies began to arrive, I had my kitchen filled with refreshments and snacks (thanks Mom!!)...   they each needed a little time to share a bit about who they are, and where they came from. Val, Debra, Gail, Melanie, and Tina. Each with an individual journey. Each with a story of survival to share. It even turned out that Val was a student of Gail's ~ way back when...
There were only a couple of tears, but lots of laughter in the works for this evening. There is a matter-of-fact spirit that I noticed, each just shared openly  - "this is how I dealt with it, this is where I am now.." all that good stuff. But the overwhelming thing about each lady was a positive spirit. Evidence, that a merry heart does make good like a medicine! (Proverbs 17:22)

I can't say enough, how wonderful and inspiring this photo project was for me to do. I am reminded that, cancer or no cancer, we have been given the gift of a certain number of days on this Earth. Are we using them wisely? Are we loving on our family? Are we enjoying what we do for a living? Are we making a difference in someone else's day? Are we laughing?? I'm all for that last one... There may be dark valleys along the way & I've been through some of those myself, in different ways. My precious Momma has fought a different health battle, but she is a survivor too. So, I guess I've been reminded of something here:  we don't just survive to get through it - we survive for a reason:  to inspire and bless others... kinda like these ladies just did for me.

Funny Christmas

All these years, I've been the one to set the tripod, hit the shutter delay and run get into position. Actually, I think Joe has secretly also wanted this task, but I have overcome. And as always, it takes a few tries to get it "right." This year, well, this shot is my absolute FAV...
(This is our annual "Birthday Party for Jesus" - I think HE was enjoying it, too!)

Viebrock!

Here's a little sneak preview of a family session with some old/new friends! That makes the second highschool friend reconnection for me this year... and they are my neighbors! I had to drive to Bartlesville for the first reconnection! And by the way, OLD FRIENDSHIPS made my gratefulness list this year. There's nothing like laughing about ridiculous stuff you did when you were 13.
Back to the photos - due to the really chili morning, we pushed back this session until about 10am. That's a little late for getting that nice glowy soft morning light, so we headed for the trees. It is so hard to find a spot where it's solid shade, but I think we did pretty well, regardless. They were such troopers and even hiked across the field to get to the other side of the pond. Let me just say, it was well worth the weeds in your shoes.:)
This is such a great family, and I can't wait to get to know them even better. Thanks for letting me take your family pics this year!!

Reynolds School Pics

My first photo shoot with my new little lens of wonder... the Canon EF 50mm 1.4. It was my Christmas present to me. And don't roll your eyes, you do it, too. Justify that one special thing because you've worked hard for it, you deserve it, plus, there's a little Christmas cash coming - you hope. So this is it for me. A new lens. It's an INVESTMENT, I say.
I bought that lens, and ran immediately over to take these pics. Technically, these are their school pics for the year, thus the simple background and no outdoorsy stuff. Hopefully we can grab some creative shots at a later date. I just love the expressions, though... Enjoy!

Demers!

I have too many favorites of this shoot, so I'm sharing several of them here...



Laura had asked that I not post until after Christmas gifts and all had been opened, so FINALLY, I get to share these with the world.





Obviously, we all look a bit cozy warm in these outdoor shots, probably because it was November and it was during that beautiful weather phase here in the Ozarks...






Last night I texted the Demers to see what they were up to, and lo and behold, they were watching the exact same movie our family was watching!! Only they were 13 min ahead of us, texting me improtant lines and such. Now that's friendship. It's OK, though, it was Fellowship of the Ring, and I kinda know how it goes ~ since we watch the Trilogy every winter break. I'm not an orc junkie, I hate 'em, but the themes interwoven throughout the Lord of the Rings are wonderful, and I preach to my kids the whole time. I know they love it.
Sorry, I digress.

I can't say enough good things about this family, other than I've enjoyed getting to know them on a deeper level this year, and I was thrilled to get to take their pictures. It was an easy and fast session, again in my back field which I think is perfect. Although, now there are 2 horses in that field and it's not so perfect anymore, if you know what I mean.

The Carroll's!

So Angie wanted to do this "artsy fartsy" look, and that is a DIRECT quote from her. The place: downtown Springfield, my favorite alley. The time: 11-12 NOON. That is not usually the best time of day for a session, but look how it glows! Turned out so cool, don't ya think?
They were gorgeous. I had fun. What more can I ask?

One word: JOY

 

 

 

 

I mean it, this sweet family is full of life, fun, spirit, energy, and JOY. Last week, we got to get outside and grab some shots here in Rogersville, in the deep pile of leaves and beautiful sunshine. Some people have asked if it's still a good time to take outdoor portraits, and with a November like this, I think it's obvious! It has been beautiful! Plus, there are no bugs, critters, or snakes... with the exception of one little field mouse which scampered away from us in the field. The kids totally ignored it, which I think is funny. The tree house was waayyy too interesting!

Ohhh, Brother!

Here are a couple of shots from the Ray family - there were times during this shoot, that I had to put my camera aside and just laugh at these little guys. Hopefully, I didn't miss a single shot, but I did have fun! It was a gorgeous day in Ozark, leaves still on the trees, and we went to a private, but open to the public property - where I kinda got in trouble with the owner for parking (Greg's monster truck) in the wrong place. Got some great family shots, though... oh well, live and learn!!

Beautiful family

Meet the Dort family... It was the first really cold morning this Fall, and of course, we had a session lined up. Luckily, it had somewhat dried out from the weeks 8+ inches of rain, so we started inside for some warmth, and then headed out for some sun. I love the results, love that girl, love that belly (she's due in November!)...

I so love this shot of Ashley... And aren't brothers and sisters great? They thought it was cheesy to cuddle up for this shot, but look how genuine it turned out to be! I had such a great week when they visited from NC, but now I have to work on that extra 5 lbs I put on while they were here. Our fun seems to revolve around where we get to eat, so now I need to hit it hard. Oh, how I wish there was a cookie dough diet!

Still offering a great deal to seniors to get the word out - I've had some response via email, so keep it coming...

A field, a swing, and dog poop.

...All the makings for a fine portrait session.

This morning, Angie(Little Theatre star)came over with some of her friends from out of town, the Warner family, and we had a portrait session in this beautiful area called my front yard. We all had a great time, with the exception of the Dad (Scott), who made it no secret that he did not like this kind of thing. Greg was my "ladder boy," and Nathan slid in dog poop. A great time was had by all!

 
 
 

We actually did have a great time, they are a beautiful family, and I'm so glad we got to meet up with them while they were here!

The Wolfe's

 

 

 

 

What a family. I can not think of any couple more "trained in the Faith" than this one. I feel privileged to have them as the leaders of our highschool class at High Street, I'm so glad Lauren is in there. For those of you who don't know, this has been an amazing year for them. In October 2007, Jen (the Mom shown here in the photos)lost her Dad to cancer. One month later, the little boy in these pics was diagnosed with cancer. 8 months ago, she had this beautiful little baby girl. 3 months ago, Jackson was declared cancer free! What a year. What a family. Getting the chance to shoot their Christmas pics was an honor and I hope they are thrilled and blessed with the result of our session.

Violet and her Daddy