Yesterday. Part One.
Early (like, as in 6:30 early) yesterday morning, my sweet niece woke up and snuggled with me… and any momma out there knows how wonderful it is to have a baby willingly snuggle with you. She buried her precious little head into my chest and sighed a big sigh. And then, just when my heart was almost completely full, she looked up at me & said, “Unca?” Talk about a letdown. Fortunately, her “Unca” was asleep on the sofa, so I got to keep the snuggler all to myself for awhile. 
After we got dressed, we headed out for a few photos…
Afterward, we met up with Emily & Miss Quinn, who promptly took control of one of my cameras & worked it like a true professional…
Look at those two. Gives me the giggles.
A few of the adorableness that is Quinn…
Don’t you love the way the sun hits those adorable curls? My mom tagged along with us, too, and I think Quinn’s curls brought back memories for her of when I was a little girl… when she saw Quinn get out of the car, she gasped a little and said, “Melissa curls!” My mom is the bee’s knees, I want to dunk her in coffee. Kinda like I want to do to Quinn.
I call that last one her “give me the camera, Lady” face. She really is a girl after my own heart - happiest behind the lens.
Good heavens, she’s sweet.
There was lots of camera-swapping yesterday morning. In fact, when I proofed these, it was difficult to tell which shots were mine and which were Emily’s… but I was pretty certain that Emily took this shot. I know, because I’m actually IN it (I’m really good with that whole process of elimination thing).
Please forgive me for the stupid look on my face. And for my horse-mouth. Something’s not right there, but I am so glad that Emily caught this! I have so few photos of myself with the kids in our family because I am generally the one shooting them… I love this one. Horse-mouth & all.
I couldn’t end this post without showing off some of Quinn’s shots… I wonder if she has a future in photographing fabrics and textiles?
I knew this one was hers, too. Those little toes gave her away.
Thanks for coming to play with us, girls! I hope we can do it again sometime.
Be on the lookout for part 2 of yesterday… which requires a post all of its own.
Sometimes…
Sometimes, you just need to look at a baby. So, here. This is for those times (like right now, for me).
You’re welcome.
2010…
So I considered not blogging these photos, but then I saw how fantacularly amazing Beth looked in them and I decided that not blogging them would be an injustice in the world. Or at least in the world of my blog.
Everyone, meet Beth. Beth, meet everyone.
There. Now that the introductions are settled I am going to take a minute to tell you about why I am taking what appear to be senior photos of someone who isn’t (technically) a senior yet.
Beth is the first of my 2010 Senior Representatives! These are her promo shots… not her *real* senior photos (those will most definitely be blogged as she gets closer to her graduation date, believe that). Beth & I hit the town (and the field) last weekend to get a few shots for her marketing/promo materials for her friends. If you’re a friend of Beth’s, go hound her & let her know that you want some of those aforementioned promo materials… we’re talkin’ freebies & goodies, people.
I’ve been amazed at the turn out for this year’s Senior Rep program - there are still just a few openings available for area high school students (Bentonville, Springdale, & Fayetteville High Schools only) so if you are interested in repping for me, get in touch with me ASAP!
Onto the photos!
That last one might have been my favorite of the day…
There, wasn’t that fun?
Oh, you thought I was done? Nah. This is just intermission. Go get a soda or something.
Ready? Good.
Did you know that in addition to being very well-spoken (har har), I am also apparently funny under circumstances where amazingly green walls are present? It’s true.
And because I can… even though she might kill me for this, I am posting the sequence below to showcase Beth’s impressive dance skills. Amazing, right?
Heh. Haha. Love her.
Ok class, what lessons have we learned here today? I will recap for you:
Lesson 1 - Beth will graduate in 2010.
Lesson 2 - She thinks I am funny (but only when presented with situations where green walls are present).
Lesson 3 - Senior Reps… Oh, how I love thee.
Lesson 4 - Somebody stop me now…
And the most important lesson?
Beth is awesome.
A Few More
From my Sunday session with Aimee’s kids (all 3 of them!)…
Miss T & Mister R… gorgeous kids, for sure. I can’t even tell you how fun these kids are to be around. I wonder if they get that from their mom who is positively GLOWING right now… waiting on Baby O to get here this summer. (side note - I am dying to see what this baby looks like - she is going to be so gorgeous!)
Thanks (to all 4 of you!) for coming out to play with me on Sunday… can’t wait to do it again soon!
(my future assistant - haha)
Sneak Peek… for you, Aimee!
Because I am totally impatient & I assume that other people are, too… here’s a quick peek from tonight’s session. Aimee, I hope you love these! I haven’t even had a chance to proof the rest, but couldn’t wait to share.
And this one… I loooove. I hope you do, too.
Thank you SO much for bringing the kids out tonight… you look amazing, by the way, and I know I told you that about 50 times but 51 is better.
Megan - Senior 2009
The photos in this blog post make me happy. Not just because Megan is an absolutely gorgeous girl with a level head.
And not just because she has the most beautiful smile and adorable nose-crinkle… even though all those things are great.
These photos make me happy because Megan reminds me a lot of myself as a teenager (you know - a cuter, more fashion-forward verison of myself).
See? Told you she was cuter… and more fashion-forward.
Even more importantly, she is smart and sweet and do you want the icing on the cake? The best part for me about her entire session was watching the interaction between Megan and her mom. The two of them made me miss my own mom, who is away in Boston this week (Hi, Mom!!) - they definitely have a special friendship and it makes me happy to see it.
Megan & Angela - thank you so much for choosing me. I had a blast and hope you love this sneak peek… yes, it’s just a tiny peek of all the great shots we caught.
Megan - enjoy this time in your life. As cheesy & cliche as it sounds, it is going to be one of the greatest you will ever have. And share it with your mom. She loves you. (As if you didn’t already know that).
Happy Mother’s Day
Happy Mother’s Day
My boys have been asking me for weeks what I want for Mother’s Day. I keep telling them that I don’t need anything, but they don’t listen to me.
I took these of the kid. Generally, he’s overcome by what I like to refer to as PCS (Photographer’s Child Syndrome) and very rarely gives me a natural facial expression, despite all my attempts at coaxing one out of him or tricking him into it.
There are times where I edit photos of clients’ children and I am genuinely jealous of how much I love the shots and I think to myself, “Self? Why can’t you get a shot like THIS one of your OWN kid?”
Then there are other times where I’ll be talking to him about school or video games or yelling at him to pick up his dirty clothes… and he’ll walk into a room totally unguarded and give me THE best serious face. In those times, I secretly wish that my eyeballs were cameras (no lie) so that I could capture how innocent & laid-back he looks.
I can’t tell you why. He just freaks out when the camera is pointed in his direction. So generally, he’s silly and goofy the ENTIRE time we are shooting and it’s pretty rare that I get a totally natural shot of him.
So this year, for Mother’s Day (Roy - if you’re reading this, I MEAN IT!!), I got some great photos of my baby. And because it’s almost Mother’s Day, I am overlooking the fact that he is completely NOT a baby anymore… and I’m gonna love him up and print these HUGE.
‘Cause I love him. And I love his new sweater that he isn’t allowed to wear to school.
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Side note: You may remember a few weeks ago, I blogged about this shot:
This photo was for a story that I wrote for a local magazine publication, Peekaboo NWA. I didn’t mention anything about it at the time because, quite honestly, I was convinced that my story would get scrapped in the final pass of their Mother’s Day edition. I’m happy to report that it did make the final cut & thought I would blog about it in case anyone wanted to take a peek… you can read the article online here, if you want.
Happy early Mother’s Day to anyone who parents a child… in any way. I hope you all have a great one and as an added bonus, I am giving away 2 sessions for 1/2 price! All you need to do is email me (melissa@preservedphoto.com) - first come, first serve.
Happy To Announce…
Bentonville Public School employees… this one’s for you!
I’m happy to announce the addition of a 25% session fee discount (that’s $25 off for anyone else, like me, who’s math-challenged… I like to keep things simple around here) for all employees of Bentonville Public Schools!
Thanks for everything you do to encourage and grow our kids… you may not hear it enough, but it’s appreciated!