www.angelporchphotography.com

our adoption journey has been a life changing one without a doubt! we have already learned and loved so much. and, our heart about burst with the first photo of our little man sent our way. he is perfection. those little cheeks and so much hair. we are in love. auburn is over the moon and talks about “baby brother” every day. we can’t share any photos or information until everything clears court and it is looking like spring / fall before we travel to bring him home. each day is a step closer to the little man we so dearly love already. we did some “big sister” shots with auburn as we soak up every second of her as our only baby at home. she is going to make the BEST big sister ever

CELEBRATE ADOPTION!!!!

as the holiday break is here it is so nice to catch my breath and rest my feet from the BUSY BUSY BUSY fall shooting season….it was busier and better than ever this season. saw so many new clients and as always my loyal and loving returning clients. feeling more blessed than i can even put into words….a few BIG things i am thankful for…

-family support. my family truly understands and supports my career and knows the insaneness of the holiday shooting season.

-the health of my family. after so many shoots this fall that involved stories of heartache it made me more than ever appreciate and never take for granted the health of my loves.

-being a FULL TIME photographer…it was years ago now, but seems not that long ago that i was balancing being an art teacher and a photographer. it is so wonderful to devote my time fully to the job i love – and am obsessed with to be honest

-my studio manager, kimm….oh, what a life saver she is. holding down the fort – letting me be in two places at once – she is AMAZING!

-my always wonderful business manager – aka- husband. he is and always will be my everything. and, let me just say that keeping track of all my business stuff is not an easy task. but, he does it with ease and never judging me when i lose those all important receipts, or keys, or weddings rings. love you to the moon babes! makes my heart so full that we share in running this business we so dearly love.

-the new studio! it is cute and pink and full of kiddos and babies all the time. what is not to love?!?! plus, it takes me about 15 second to get to allowing me time in the day to pick up / drop off the baby girl or meet for lunch. all in all it has freed up so much travel time and made me feel so much more connected to my little piece of heaven – my family.

- my little auburn. she tops each and every list and is my entire heart. my constant sunshine. my little lover of life. nothing in my life has ever or ever will bring me the joy she does. she thinks the studio is her playground. she loves the camera. she loves to snuggle. she is soooo excited to be a big sister. she is everything and more.

-our future baby boy. oh, how our hearts ache for you. how we dream of your face and the day you will be in our arms. the day you will be at the table for breakfast. the day is coming. coming so soon. we love you more than you will ever know. i can feel your heart beating inside mine although i have never seen your face. i close my eyes and feel you asleep on my chest. i am so excited to meet you. hug you. watch you walk hand in hand with your big sister. watch you getting a ride on your daddy’ shoulders. soon, sweet boy, soon. we are coming for you soon.

-my clients. you have made all my dreams come true! you share your precious little ones with me. trust me to photograph the most important little loves of your life. important days, moments, memories. I cannot thank you all enough. i treasure each of you and personally thank you for choosing art and soul to capture your memories.

here is hoping everyone has the merriest of holidays! we will see you soon for a new year filled with lots of newborn’s in the studio! we are back in the office on january 3rd and have fun ideas planned for upcoming mini sessions and more. stay tuned

peace and love,

angel

she wanted to be a unicorn…two days later a horse…next day jesse from toy story….you name it, she wanted to be it! but, she made her final decision on the puppy dog. it was too precious! she was SOOOOOO into halloween and could not sit still waiting to head out.  it was our first halloween in our new home and we just LOVE our neighborhood. sooooo many kids on the street and such a beautiful night. i felt like a kid again, gotta love halloween!

tears for momma, happiness for auburn! she lovedddddd it! she had a great day and is ready to go back tomorrow the always loyal little one did properly miss her pre-school teacher saying “i sure missed miss kim…..” she is such a little love…

sure knows how to put a smile on my face….each and every day….

summer 2011

had a BLAST in NYC! This tiny little sunflower loved the big city and I am pretty sure she could run the place

just a couple weeks after my mushy blog post for my hubby’s birthday and here we are at my baby girl and her own mushy post….sweet sunshine is four and it makes me happy and sad all at once. she asked me last night, “when i wake up to be four will i be a big girl?” i told her yes…she is a big girl….she then said. “but, will i still be your baby girl too?” oh, sweet baby girl…..you will always be my baby. the baby i carried for nine months but dreamed about all my life.  not sure how it can be that you are four, but i know it will be a jammed packed year of fun, just like they all have been. i think about your big year ahead…starting school this year, become a big sister, your first red socks game, learning and soaking up the world, being our everything and more. baby girl you are:

the poem i dreamed of writing,

the masterpiece i longed to paint.

you are the shining star i reach for in my ever hopeful quest for life fulfilled.

you are my child.

now with all things i am blessed.

thank you for making me a momma. thank you for being  you. thank you for filling each second of our day with sunshine.

happy fourth birthday little love.

happy birthday to my very best friend and love, dusty porch. i just cannot imagine my life without your sweet smile, quiet humor, undying loyalty and lifetime of love.  you are the best man, best father, best friend a crazy girl like me could ask for. you keep me grounded while helping me reach for the stars…..you love with your entire heart and are fearless in every way. you never judge. you are always up for fun and always along for my silly ideas.  you were always meant to be a father and are the best daddy a little girl could ask for. she adores you and calls you her prince.  you play on the floor, spend hours building a backyard fort, even more hours filling out adoption paperwork for the journey to our baby boy….and, you do it all with a heart wide open and a courage i could only dream of. the best decision i ever made was saying “yes” to a 14 year old boy who asked me to “be his girlfriend…” there is no man i would rather walk hand in hand with all my days. happy birthday, babes…. thanks for being my everything and more. i am so very glad you were born 30 years ago today.

peace, love and BIRTHday!

out and about doing little miss auburn’s four year photos and it hit me…..she will be FOUR! How the heck is it possible….where did my baby go? even when the invites came in for her party and the had a big stinking number 4 on them it still didn’t seem like it could be real. four is her favorite number so i guess it fits her. four is my favorite number, another of the many things we share. but, still, her being four just seems insane. crazy. too fast. too much. just when i thought NOTHING on earth could be sweeter than a two year old girl, three came in and blew me out of the water. never could have expected she would be even more fun, more sweet, more lovable, but somehow she was. and, i know that four will be just as great, but man, i just need to freeze time a bit longer. a few things i learned this session that could come in very handy for parents having a photo session with a 3, 4, 5 year old…….try this with me for your next session and i can promise you will be even more in love with your images. i tried it out with my little muse, and it worked like a charm. forgive me as i tend to use ideas on my little one to test them out to see if they work, but a photograph has to try things out somewhere, right

-one outfit. simple and sweet, one outfit. changing clothes throws off the flow of a session for kids, they think “oh, we must be all finished, where is my prize i would say find an outfit you simply adore and we will shoot it like crazy. (uptown kids, you can NEVER go wrong with their colorful outfits and many choices – classen curve, just right north of the studio) now, for little kiddos (babies up to the age of two) they are totally used to changing clothes a jillion times a day from messes and what not, so it is usually not a big deal at all for the little ones, but think about your older kids – usually one outfit per day so three changes in an hour throws them off a bit….

-start telling  your child / children days in advance that you will be going on a treasure hunt (and let me know you have prepared them for this and i will be all sorts of prepared for the fun) forget the old, “we are going to take photos and you need to smile and be happy” approach. during the session below we got all these photos in a matter of 25 mins, and it was all based around the “treasure hunt” finding small pennies and dimes all over the ground, looking for lost treasure. it worked and then some! kids love to play, they don’t understand why the heck mom’s want photos or why they have to smile and giggle, but they do understand PLAYING! So, prepare them for play!

-another idea, a cheap prop to add color! i always bring lots of props to a session, but always feel free to spice it up in the coming summer months. bright balloons (10 bucks and you have just popped the colors in your photos plus kids adore them) a bunch of wildflowers for your little girl to hold – a superman cape for your little boy….the list can go on and on…..you can never go wrong bringing fun things with bold color and textures! and, never be afraid of bringing these things to your family session as well.

these are jut a few ideas to make your photo session a bit more fun and relaxed and keep mom and dad off  smile patrol for the session. my job is to capture your kids just as they are. and, you make my job so easy with your ADORABLE kiddos! thanks thanks and thanks for sharing them with art and soul! looking forward to some fun in the sun sessions this spring / summer!