wishing you a wonderful christmas holiday and a safe, happy, healthy and exciting new year!!
and how amazing is this christmas painting of my three kids. done by my dear friend -- the uber-talented erin darcy. i will treasure it forever!! you can see and purchase her paintings and prints HERE.
mwah!!
another crazy month. come and gone. i'm not really sure where it even went. but thank goodness i have some pictures to remind me. here’s a bit of what november in tampa, florida looks like [kind of crazy to still be catching butterflies, swimming, wearing shuts and running around barefoot]…
finding and holding a butterfly, in our front yard.
ALWAYS dirty, dirty feet. kids play outside barefoot every day.
one of skyler's gifts to me. they usually end up on my inspiration board. that's where she likes them.
yep, this is how i found them one day.
the barn nursery. sky loved holding the piglet until the barn dog became interested. then she got too nervous.
we so love seeing the new additions. these were the new ducks, who are now pretty big. last time we were there, they were in the geese pen and the geese were crazy protective over them [and loud]. we're waiting on baby bunnies to be born. any day now.
more new barn friends. with each visit, we always seem to find new friends.
the deer were so timid when the barn first got them and now they love to be pet.
this guy scares me. i finally was able to take a picture of him, but not without hissing at us.
sometimes i like to explore the other areas of the barn with the kids. sometimes they don't.
the only place ryder wanted to take flat stanley was...under water.
location scouting for my editorial shoots.
playing on a tire swing. sky was doing all kinds of tricks. she's pretty fearless.
sky also seems to sit on the couch every way except how she's supposed to.
ummm...homework and TV.
there’s a group of 12 of us participating in this what ____ looks like monthly project. i hope you’ll check them all out [clicking link to link]. next up... stephanie moore | tucson senior photographer.
as a former active duty air force nurse and now being married to a naval explosive ordnance disposal officer, i couldn't be more proud to celebrate veterans day and honor those who have served our nation in war...and peace.
do you know how and when veterans day was first declared?
On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, was declared between the Allied nations and Germany in the First World War, then known as "the Great War." Commemorated as Armistice Day beginning the following year, November 11th became a legal federal holiday in the United States in 1938. In the aftermath of World War II and the Korean War, Armistice Day became Veterans Day, a holiday dedicated to American veterans of all wars. [history.com]
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the other day, i drove around the corner, to look at the monster house they're building right behind my house. a couple doors down, i noticed a large sign with an american flag and a marine corp flag on each corner of the sign. i said to my mother-in-law,
that's interesting. i've never seen flags of support like that on a home depot work sign before.
and then we got closer and i read the sign...
Tampa Bay Community Supporting
Cpl Michael Nicholson USMC
Giving our best for the best our Nation has to give!
Send Donations to: Michael Nicholson Road to Recovery c/o Alley, Clark and Greivwe, PA PO Box 3127 Tampa, FL 33601
as soon as i got back home, i began to investigate and learned that on july 6th, cpl nicholson [22-years-old] was on foot patrol in afghanistan and was attacked by a hidden improvised explosive device [IED], tragically losing both his legs and one of his arms. i continued to his michael nicholson fund facebook page and found this article about the endless search for IEDs in afghanistan. i also learned that the young man in the 11th photo down, cpl justin crabbe, who is from the same unit, also lost both of his legs due to an IED explosion in afghanistan.
on october 13th, corporal nicholson walked for the first time since july...
corporal nicholson is an american hero. a wounded warrior. a brave, young man, who has sacrificed beyond words. i can't imagine his pain. his suffering. i honor him -- his determination, strength, dedication...his courage. corporal nicholson is a true inspiration for us all.
if you would like to donate to corporal nicholson's road to recovery fund, here is the info:
The “Michael Nicholson Road to Recovery Fund” is set up and administered by Alley, Clark and Greiwe, PA in Tampa. 100% of the donations will go toward Nicholson's care, specifically on items not covered by the Veterans Administration. The fund is set up at the Bank of Tampa. Donations can be sent c/o Alley, Clark and Greiwe, PA P.O. Box 3127 Tampa FL 33601. Please only donate directly to them or Bank of Tampa and please make sure checks are made out to "Michael Nicholson Road to Recovery Fund"
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being a military spouse, i loved reading this article -- 10 things you may not know about military wives, recently shared on facebook by one of my best friends, gwenn, who i was a nurse with at davis-monthan AFB.
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lastly, i share photos of some of the veterans [and their families] that i have photographed over the past few years...
i thank you. i celebrate you. i honor you. today... and every day. so grateful to be part of the military family. HAPPY VETERANS DAY!
the heart of marriage is memories.- bill cosby
during family shoots, i always ask encourage the parents to allow me to photograph just the two of them [without their kids] for a bit. many times, i take one...or two photos [if i'm lucky] of the parents...and then they say, that's enough. i respect their wishes and never get too pushy, but i personally think it's an important aspect of a family session -- photos of the family together, siblings together, kids by themselves and parents by themselves.
last week, the joseph family was game for anything and they just happen to make photographing the two of them way too easy for me. so i kept shooting -- just the two of them. ryan is an awesome photographer here in town and shared with me that they never had family photos done together. sigh...i'm so incredibly happy i could capture these memories for them.
when meredith contacted me about photographing her family, she mentioned how important it was to get some photos of her with her children and husband. my guess is that every photographer knows this feeling, whether a professional photographer or you're just the one in the family who always seems to be behind the camera. i know for myself, i take so many photographs every year and yet i'm almost never in my own family's photographs. and with that said, i so cherish each and every photo i have of me with my kids and husband -- so, so cherish! i did take photos of the wilcke family and the kids by themselves, but today i want to celebrate mom | photographer getting in FRONT of the camera.
and if you haven't had your family's photos done in a while and you're waiting for the perfect time, you might just want to read THIS!
no, i didn't see her cape but i secretly think that kristin is superwoman. five kids, ages one to 12. all so well behaved, kind and polite. her husband often away for work. she home schools. and who looks this amazing after five kids, with the youngest just turning one? yep, superwoman, i say. i was supposed to photograph the young family a month ago, but it was rained out. they were driving from gainesville and we just couldn't take a chance with the weather we were having at the time. well...it just so happened that her ten-year-old had a football game in clearwater this past friday, so we did a session with kristin and the kids on saturday. and i'm super excited to be photographing the whole family in the spring, when kristin's husband is done traveling for a bit.
kristin is an awesome photographer, who recently moved from california to gainesville. and while i'm so honored each and every time i'm commissioned by my peers, it also adds some added stress and pressure [self-imposed, of course].
what if i don't live up to her expectations? what if she's disappointed? what if... what if... what if...
but i'm happy to say that this is what kristin shared after seeing some of her photos...
at loss of words...really (and i can talk.) loveeverysingleoneofthem. (as in, have the huge urge to take down every single photo in my house and just put these up instead.)
love them, love, them. LOVE LOVE LOVE them.
cannot thank you enough, deb. from the very bottom of my heart....k
and with that said, my heart is SO, SO happy!! again kristin, i can't thank you enough for entrusting me with your family's photographs!!
here's a few of my favorites...
the everyday magic of the madden family at home [minus dad because he was at work], doing a bit of what they simply love to do.
so grateful for the magical gifts i received last week from one of my clients. francesca emailed me this so kind, heartfelt note, after seeing her photos...
deb, we all can learn to take pictures by reading manuals, going to workshops, using photoshop. but what you do... you CAN'T learn. it's in you. it's the power to understand the little glimpses of bliss that can show up on a daily basis. it's SEEING what, as mothers and fathers, we feel in our hearts. as I told you before, you gave me the pictures that I carry in my soul but now I can print them :) hope you get back two-fold what you give to people like me. and its not just the pictures.
and then i got this hand drawn beautiful portrait in the mail of...ME. :-) notice the awesome beads at the bottom of my dreads. and i so love the heart on my dress and my colorful camera...along with being surrounded by hearts and flowers. who could wish for anything more?!
here's a few photos from our session together, in chicago.
their middle child is their wonderfully spirited one [with the best dimples ever] and i so love the face she gave me in the photo on the right.
and you can read some of francesca's thoughts about our time together here.
francesca, thank you for entrusting me with your family's photographs. thank you for your hospitality. thank you for your kindness. can't wait until the next time!! ;-) xo.
so happy to offer a few fall mini-sessions... MINI-SESSION INFORMATION
four 20-minute fall mini-sessions saturday, november 12th at redington long pier starting at 3:50 PM
to reserve a session time, please email deb@debsphotographs.com or call 858-431-6214.
retainer fee | $300 • includes $200 print credit, applied at time of order • 20-minute photo session for one person [5 months & older] • additional siblings or parents $25 each [up to four additional people] • 10-plus edited images presented in online proofing gallery for five days • refer to special mini-session pricing below • tax not included • non-refundable retainer due to hold session reservation
PORTRAIT COLLECTIONS ONE | $500 one 11x14 giclée print one digital file three desk prints
TWO | $750 two 11x14 giclée prints one digital file four desk prints
THREE | $1000 one 16x20 giclée print one 11x14 giclée print two digital files five desk prints
* with purchase of any collection, add all digital files [presented in your gallery] for an additional $500.
A LA CARTE ITEMS desk prints [8x10 & smaller] | $80 11×14 fine art giclée print | $175 16x20 fine art giclée print | $260 individual digital file | $350
and some photos from a few of my most recent family sessions...
most of the time when i photograph other photographers and their families, i try to focus on family shots and photos of the photographer with his or her kids (because we're just not in the family's photos very much). needless to say, my heart was so very happy when karen requested some lensbaby photos of her kids. here are a few of my favorites, from our time together in chicago (which reminded me so much of growing up and made me miss the midwest).
having a 14-year-old, who most of the time doesn't want to have anything to do with me, this photo melts my heart...
the first time i photographed max and his siblings (april 2008), i saw this angel in the clouds, immediately after our session together.
yesterday, max's dad emailed me about how their family saw this angel in the clouds, while on a vacation in mammoth a couple weeks ago. andy wrote about it all here.
chills. serious chills.
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i also wanted to share this post written yesterday by my friend, amy boring -- if i could turn back time.
i hope you'll take a few minutes to not only read a bit about max and all that his parents are currently doing to raise money for neuroblastoma research, but also amy's blog post. i promise...it will be time well spent.
visits with old friends.meeting new friends.
lunch and shopping at the super cool town of paia.
gin and tonics with cucumber and mint.
photo session on fleming beach.
steve...
kite boarding lessons.
times two.
early morning snorkeling at molokini crater.
clear water.
lots of fish, an eel and seven sea turtles.
an incredible last-night's dinner at nick's fish house.
and through it all, i feel so blessed to have experienced the most amazing reconnection with my husband.
i never want to forget our time spent together in maui.
steve, thank you for loving me!!
and now... on to vail, for the awesome NAPCP retreat. so excited to be speaking on the 27th.
i think i met terri when i reached out to her about her dreads. but i actually might have met her (pre-dreads) because of her wonderful film photography. can't really remember (because i have a terrible memory). but i do know that we became friends on facebook. i always knew she was special. and then terri and julie came to visit me last year, in kansas. and our friendship has just continued to grow. yes, she really is that special...and more. a few weeks ago, terri shared the news that tom was diagnosed with a slow-growing follicular lymphoma. while slow-growing might sound better, it's actually not. it means it's been around longer. and often tougher to combat. six rounds of chemo are in tom's immediate future. he begins round two tomorrow.
as soon as i heard of tom's diagnosis, i knew i had to get out there, to photograph the fischer family. to capture all the magic that they are. i tried to get out there immediately after i heard but lots of factors prevented me from doing so. but last weekend, everything fell into place (much thanks to the women of the witches brew) and i was able to travel to wisconsin to photograph the fischer family.
i'm not really sure how to do justice to the amazing family that they are. but i'm hoping that photos will show what i am not able to put into words...
I LOVE YOU FISCHER FAMILY!!
also, please check out terri's t-shirts, for sale on etsy. she's saving the money to send tom on a dream-come-true fly fishing trip in alaska...once he's in remission and has beaten this beast (like seriously kicked it's ass kind of beaten). we HAVE to believe that that is the way this will all end up, right?!!!
i'm a proud owner of both an "i heart mr. fischer" t-shirt and a goddess t-shirt. it's obvious how cool the t-shirts are but they're also seriously great quality. i love my t-shirts.
a special thanks to julie, who opened up her house to me, while in WI...and drove me everywhere. you are such a magical soul. thank you for your friendship. thank you for everything.
p.s. cancer fucking sucks!!
i'm super excited to share that i'll be holding an online mini-workshop on the bloom forum -- june 3rd through june 17th. this workshop is for bloom forum members only, so if you're interested in participating in this workshop, be sure to become a bloom forum member prior to workshop registration day (this tuesday, may 24th). to register for the bloom forum or for additional information, please click the bloom logo below...
i'm super excited about this opportunity to teach and share. hope to see you there!!
people come into your life for a reason, season or a lifetime.when you know which one it is, you will know what to do for that person. - author unknown
the J family definitely came into my life for a reason, season AND a lifetime!!
after kiele was born, i had to go back to work (as an air force nurse) when kiele was six weeks old. i started her at a facility day care and after many days of tears, frustration and heartache, a friend had recommended me to the J family, an in-home daycare -- more specifically momma carmen (as kiele came to call her).
kiele was a difficult sleeper and eater. but that was no challenge to momma carmen, who made a Philippine-style hammock in one of her bedrooms, rocked her to sleep and chased kiele around with food.
momma carmen was such a gift in my life!! i'm not sure i can ever fully explain or thank her enough.
that was 14 years ago. and now momma carmen's daughter (who i met when she was 12) is married with two kids and just happens to live in san diego. so when i was on my trip last month, i was able to photograph momma carmen's daughter and her family.
i can't even begin to share how much i love the J family. they are such a gift in my life and i feel so blessed to call them my family!! love and miss you so!!
i almost forgot, i just happened upon this photo of M and kiele the other day (from 11 years ago)...
today, the kindergarten classes had a mother's day celebration -- muffins for moms. when we arrived in the classroom, the moms walked around the room to find their place, based on locating the drawing their child made of them. then we were all served muffins and juice and we received hand made stationary cards as our mother's day gift. so, so thoughtful and special!! couldn't help but laugh, when i saw ryder's drawing of me. i think he got everything just perfect. :-) and sigh...i love him more than the sun and the moon and the stars.
i'll be away for mother's day but wanted to wish all you mommas out there a fabulous mother's day!! i'll be in salt lake city, utah for the weekend. i will miss my family but i'm super excited to do tons of shooting, along with lots of laughter and sharing with friends.
also, here's a couple photos of my family taken by my beautiful friend and amazing photographer, leah, last week. i am so blessed to call leah one of my best friends and cherish her so!!
if you are unsure about having family photos taken (for whatever reason), please read the perfect time post. i hope it will give you the push to get them done SOON!
just got back from travel sessions in VA, NC and san diego and am super excited about lots more traveling around the corner... salt lake city, UT -- may 7 - 8 denver, CO -- july 23 - 24 maui, HI -- july 13 - 20 san diego -- sep 3 - 7 NY, NY -- sep 9 - 11 chicago -- sep 13 - 14
session dates still available in each location (regular pricing | no additional travel fees). please email me for more information or to reserve your session date and time.
closing with a few photos from one of my san diego sessions...
yep, i'm off to virginia beach, VA. actually by the time this launches, i will already be on my flight. while there, i'll be photographing this family. baby scout is now six months old, with a full head of fabulous hair, and my friend, steph, is now rockin' an awesome, new pixie cut.
and this family. not sure if peanut will be included again this time, but i do know that she is lou's precious baby. it was 30 degrees when we did the photo below. looking forward to the predicted 60s. hoping to dodge saturday's rain/thunder/wind forecast.
along with photographing a few families, who i am super excited to meet, one of them being in OBX!!
i'm home tuesday evening and then headed to san diego on thursday, for family fun and more client shoots.
i had already blogged about lifetime's new show, coming home, which features military homecoming stories, here. but last night's episode (episode 2 | daddy's little girl) featured the beaty family's homecoming. if you missed it, no worries, you can watch the full episode here. the beaty family is on episode 2 (daddy's little girl) and starts about a third of the way in.
love them so!!
some of my favorite photos from the beaty family's homecoming...
yes, mother's day is quickly approaching -- may 8th, as a matter of fact. and what more magical gift to give a woman for mother's day than a family or children's photo session. who wouldn't love and cherish that gift?!! and if they grumble for any reason, simply direct them here -- to my the perfect time post. i promise they won't grumble any more. i know it's a dream of mrs. B's (below). at the most recent wallflower friends retreat, where we had the awesome opportunity to photograph mr and mrs B and their youngest two, we talked about how one of these days, she is going have all eight of her kids photographed together...and what a special mother's day gift that would be!!
if interested in reserving a photo session or purchasing a gift certificate, simply email me here.
also, don't forget about all my upcoming 2011 travel locations.
