Kristen {lovely}

Introducing Kristen:









Kristen and I had fun exploring her Chicago neighborhood, and after the shoot, she treated me to a giant cheeseburger. {a.k.a. I will be visiting Kristen again very soon... *wink*} She's an aspiring actress {um, is that PC? Actor? eh?}--passionate, talented, beautiful, fun, hilarious! Plus, I am jealous of her city-girl life and her awesome boots. The end.

:)

Sunday evening musings

A few things I've learned, lately (in no particular order):

1) An old computer system and a brand spanking new monitor may or may not get along well (the latter is true for me at the moment. argh.).
2) Fact: when pregnant, most people stare at your belly instead of your face when you walk by them. This can be awkward.
3) I like being around newly-engaged couples. Fresh love is contagious.
4) The $2 latte sale at Caribou is killing my wallet (and my caffeine levels).
5) Don't ever doubt a client's suggested shooting location. I did a senior session yesterday at the most unlikely place... and the pictures are gorgeous.
6) Ten o'clock is my new self-enforced bedtime.
7) It is 10:05. Thus, I am not very good at anything that's self-enforced.

:)

Before I head to sleep, here's a sneak peek at a recent shoot we did downtown:

{See Kristen? I promise I'm working on them!}

Sugar and spice, and everything nice...

These little beauties make me giggle :)

Beautiful.

Introducing my cousin's super-cute kids:




The newest member of their family: eleven days old!



Cutest babies ever, wouldn't you agree? :)

Gateway diaries, part 1

Happy Memorial Day! I hope you're celebrating with a giant watermelon, parade-watching, hotdogs, and sparklers!

Now, on to some very important business: Does anyone own a Gateway computer anymore? Remember the "Gateway country" stores with the cow-spotted boxes? My very first computer was a middle-of-the-line Gateway laptop, given to me in 2003 as a graduation gift. Apple wasn't too big back then, I didn't really like Dell (for purely superficial marketing reasons), and hey, I liked the cow-spotted box that Gateway computers were shipped in ;) Unfortunately, shortly after buying my pretty little laptop, Gateway started going out of business... which is why, six years later, replacement batteries for their laptops now cost a fortune, and which is also why I'm now tethered to the wall with an electric cord. Hindsight is, for sure, 20/20.

These pictures (and the ones to follow this week) are straight from the hard drive of my clunky Gateway. They were taken with a 4.1 megapixel point and shoot. Classic!

My baby sister and brother, from six years ago:

Too precious! :)

second shooter

For those of you who haven't met him, allow me to introduce Marty, my second shooter:

He's good with a camera, and he's got killer eyes. So I keep him around...

: )

I'll show you some of his work whenever I get around to poasting the last wedding we shot together. Oh, and besides our near-death collision right smack in the middle of the bridal party shoot--more on that good stuff later--the entire day went really well! I didn't realize how fun it would be to have my better half shooting across the room from me ;)

U.S. Cellular field

I'm not really a Sox fan, but hey, it's a pretty stadium :)

Magnolias!

If you're a follower of photography blogs, you've probably noticed that 'tis the season for blossoming photos galore. Everyone has spring fever, myself included! Here's my own single contribution to the magnolia craze, along with some sweet shots of two beautiful young ladies:

Aren't they lovely?



Happy spring!

p.s. Check back tomorrow for a few snapshots of the mouthwatering gear I've "temporarily obtained" (read=rented) for this weekend's wedding. In other words, a nerdilicious photography post is on the way!

self portrait

Hello :) I've been tagged by the lovely Georgia to do a self portrait. Here are the rules:

1. Sit down.
2. Take a picture of yourself right now. don't primp, just snap one!
3. Upload it.
4. Tag 3 people to do the same.

Here is the picture (Remind me next time that you can't take a picture of yourself with a 50mm lens. My arm is only so long. Which is why you can practically see up my nose to my brain. I sincerely apologize):


I want to tag all my friends. But I'll limit it to four, randomly selected...

1. Rochelle
2. Katie
3. Christina
4. Erin
5. You, if you're reading this. C'mon. I know you can do better than me ;)

sweet surprise

I have a huge family, with tons of amazing cousins. I hope to share some of their amazing-ness with you, in the days to come.

Case in point: Alyssa.

Liss is one of my very bestest friends. She lives in Missouri, but once in a while, she makes her way up to Chicago. Today, she paid me an unexpected visit.

We made dinner, drank coffee, reminisced about European escapades, and conspired about upcoming weddings. We prayed together. We ate an entire loaf of french bread together.

And we took pictures. So I chose the very best, for your viewing pleasure:


I call this one "Alyssa is photogenic, and I want her sweater."




And this one: "Svelt Alyssa. Cheeseball Sherah."


**I'm not kidding about the french bread. It was 3 feet long, fresh out of the oven. Totally delicious ;)

Reverence (or indifference?)

**Location: the Art Institute, Chicago

Cute, regardless :)

Outtakes

We took a Christmas picture a few nights ago... Don't we look sweet?

Yep. Um, it took us awhile to get that finished product...

May your Christmas be filled with laughter :)