The First 20

While not the type of photos I typically take, this is a project I've been working on for a while. 20 months to be exact. Each month we take a photo of Alexandra sitting in the same chair to see how much she has grown. It's so crazy how much she has and hasn't changed. I think it's pretty safe to say my baby has become a kid. When the hell did that happen?

Slideshow

Gallery

Bella-roo

Almost a year ago I had the chance to practice shoot my niece Isabella as a newborn. I still can't believe how much she has, and hasn't, changed since way back then. She is growing into the little princess her mommy hoped for, but has enough spunk to keep it real with her big brother.

If I could go back in time I would have taken my flash photography class before this shoot. There were so many shots I missed because I didn't know how to harness the power of flash. I am happy though that I was able to hide her diaper rash and blood test heel pricks. I remembered my sister mentioning them but wanted to make sure to capture the cuteness of a baby's bottom and tiny little feet.

While I will always love the "princess and the pea" shot, I think my favorite is one of the last when she finally opens her eyes and gave me a look of "who are you and why are you so close to my face".

Full album

Introducing Mr. & Mrs. Robert Carrier

Hard to believe it's been three years already, but time flies when you're having fun. The next stop down memory lane is my brother Bubba's wedding to the fabulous Miss Cassie. We were lucky enough to have dinner with them recently and it was so nice to see that the love in their eyes from their wedding day is still there today.

On a photography related note, it was also interesting for me to see how much my skills have grown since then. I still love these pictures, but can see where today I would have done better. One of these days I may actually be brave enough to take pictures of people I don't know. Until then, I'll just have my fun harassing the family and trying not to make the kids go blind.

Bobby & Cassie Wedding (full album)

OBX 2012 - The Sand Break

Just in time to make our return to the OBX, I've finally made some time to make it through last year's photos of the trip. Part of me is glad it took so long because the trip down memory lane was really enjoyable. It was so crazy to see how much my little munchkin has already changed. Those cute chubby cheeks have thinned into the face of a toddler that makes me smile more every day.

The count down is 34 days until our return to my sweet serenity. While I'm not a person that likes to sweat, there's something about the sound and breeze of the ocean that feels like home to me. I love that my daughter is a water baby and really look forward to the years of family vacations to come.

As always, I picked a few of my favorites below, but you can see the full album here.

East meets West, our trip to LA

FINALLY, we were able to take the trip I've been talking about for years. Now ideally we wouldn't have done it with an 18 month old, but it was great to be able to introduce Alexandra to her west coast family. Even a month later she's still talking about the trip, especially the fur-enhanced members, Lily, Tucker, and Lola (go figure!).

It was so nice to get to spend time with everyone and finally get to put my feet in the Pacific Ocean. If you've never been to California, LA is a great place for a first trip. I just loved the fact that one minute you're downtown, next traveling up the Pacific Coast Highway (you'll know it from all the movies), then make a right and you're going through one of the gorgeous canyons on your way to the lake. There was something for everyone all within a reasonable drive.

We were sad to leave, but promise to come back much sooner than this first trip took. Below are a few of my favorite pictures from the trip. You can see the full album here.

Easter 2013, the year of the hunt

Crazy how much things change in a year. Last year Alexandra was 5 months old and I'm not even sure she was crawling yet. This year she was a lot more involved and had a TON of fun! I actually think she enjoyed the egg hunt more than the Easter baskets. I can't believe she's wearing the same dress as last year. Below are a few pictures from the day, you can view the full album here.

 

It's been two years...

...must be time to try and start this blog thing again. As I sit here reading my posts from years ago, I'm glad to have written them. Many made me smile, others reminded me that I'm still dealing with the same old sh!t. Either way, it was nice to be able to look back on, and funny to see it following this familiar two year cycle.

So in version 3.0 of this blog I'm going to try and focus more on my photography and actually sharing the pictures I take. For the thousands of pictures I have on my hard drive, very few make it outside of my computer, even less to a piece of photo paper. This needs to change. Some posts may be new work, others may be old favorites. Regardless, it will be one more step forward to building my confidence, and portfolio.

On that note, look at this face! Every day is better with that smile.