Aside from sharing pictures of my kids and a few little glimpses of my life here and there, I very rarely (if ever), share truly, truly personal things on my blog. I really don’t feel that political or religious discussions serve any purpose on my blog, because I photograph people from all different backgrounds and walks of life. And I also can honestly say that the most exciting things going on in my life involve my children and the people I am so fortunate to photograph. DH (my dear husband) and I are kind of boring! LOL! Life was so much more interesting when “Arrested Development” was on air — at least then we were in an endless state of laughing . . . but it seems now even primetime has become a bit mundane. Ahhhh, if only it were June and then at least there’d be Ari and Lloyd. Oh well.

But the point of my post is to share something with you “blog readers who never comment” (and I see you checking out my blog on my little webstat counter . . . I know you’re there) . . . I wanted to share something very personal with you. It may sound funny, but in all honesty, it’s slowly killing me: my (former) Diet Coke ADDICTION. Seriously, I know this sounds funny, but like a laboratory rat pumped full of Aspartame, this Diet Coke is rotting my body from the inside out. I would have Diet Coke with breakfast - - heck, I even had it FOR breakfast, and I would drink it ALL day . . . only to have one final Diet Coke before hitting the hay. And McDonald’s Drive-Thru’s haven’t made it any easier. At 99 cents for 42 ounces, my Diet Coke addiction was actually dirt cheap.

But, it had to end. There are 2 sides to every debate of course: those who say that a beverage with no calories and no carbs is perfectly harmless and those who say that caffeine and aspartame are truly, truly bad for you. I always thought, “you know, I don’t drink, I don’t smoke, I don’t do drugs, so who cares if my Diet Coke vice is a little bit bad for me?” But for now, for me, I have decided to give up Diet Coke completely and cold turkey. However, I am not giving up caffeine entirely (no work would ever get done around here), but I am getting off the Diet Coke.

So, I can happily say that I have been Diet Coke free for over 72 hours. It feels good. The first day felt GREAT and the second day was okay . . . but I was REALLY cranky today and I would have gotten one in a minute just to help my headache. But I know in the long-run, this isn’t going to be good for me. So, I’m sorry if you have stock in the CocaCola Company, because I’m sure revenues are going to experience a severe plummet this week (haha), but I’m not going back.

And, in all seriousness, I’m not making light of anyone’s addictions: frivolous like mine or more serious. I just noticed in my life that Diet Coke was taking over and it was time for me to make a positive change. Thanks for reading!

shawna K

I hope everyone had a fantastic Easter! I know we did! But before I share those images, I wanted to share a few of Nate and Abby.

I just had so much fun with these 2 little cuties. Of course, Nate’s been cutting some serious teeth. He had one when I took the photographs 2 weeks ago, but I saw him yesterday and he already had three more! Crazy! And it’s so cute because Aly (Mom) tells me that Abby has been talking more and more about Devyn since I took her pictures, so we’re fairly certain she put two and two together. Aly has just done a fantastic job decorating their home, too. The kids’ rooms were just adorable and Abby had fun playing with her “babies” during the session. Such good times!

Enjoy!
-shawna K

If you’ve worked with me or met me, then you probably already know I’m a little bit nuts for babies. I’m one of “those” women who always talks in terms of eating babies up . . . and if you’re one of “those” women or have been aroound one of “those” women, haha, then you know what I’m talking about: babies are just sooooooo cute to us that we want to eat up their little toes and their chubby little feet. It’s a terrible affliction, but I love to kiss baby feet! But . . . it’s more socially acceptable if I photograph little baby toes rather than smooch them up all the time.

So . . . this post is to remind you that your children’s feet and hands are not going to get any smaller. Those little dimples at every knuckle are eventually going to fade to slim hands and slim feet. They might even see their fair share of calluses and bruises one day. Or pretty soon her chubby hands will have long fingernails and nail polish. Kids grow up so fast. If you have the opportunity, take some photographs of your child’s feet and hands while they are tiny. You’ll be so happy you did!

You know it’s going to be a good session when you walk up to say hi to the kids and they’re already doling out hugs and kisses! Alyssa quickly became my best friend for the day, and she beamed with delight every time I called her “Princess.” Draeven took some time to warm up to me, but he was all smiles on the slide. I can’t believe how well he gets around for only 13 months old! He’s amazing!

Enjoy!

-shawna K

It’s been a busy week at the studio . . . tons and tons of sessions from kids to families to an engagement session. After all of that and then a bridal shower today, I literally have NO voice! So if you call me and I email you back, that’s why! Laryngitis isn’t fun for someone who likes to talk as much as I do!

I’m working on getting caught up from the weekend, but I just had to share this one with you because I just love this baby! The only person in the world that can beat her in the eye department is her big sister. Seriously, this family is full of gorgeous eyes.

Here’s a sneak peek of Kelsie. More to come!

If you’re anything like me, you pick up frames for good deals when you see them on sale or you find cute frames that you adore even if you don’t know what photograph you are going to put inside of it yet (sort of like buying that perfect pair of shoes, even though you have no outfit to go with them!). Some of you may have even received frames as wedding gifts, but you haven’t put your wedding photograph in it yet.

One of my goals this month is to fill the empty frames I have around my house. Just like the cobbler’s kids have no shoes . . . the photographer’s kids are kind of lacking in the framed photograph department. Isn’t that terrible? While I take Devyn’s newborn collage all over town with me to appointments, along with the 36×20 image of the twins done in a gorgeous gallery wrap canvas, I still have those little frames on shelves with nothing in them. I adore and enjoy all of the wall portraits hanging in my home, but the little ones need some work.

So . . . if you have an empty frame lying around, order a photograph for it this week. Put it on your desk so it will brighten your work day. Set it on your kitchen countertop so it will brighten up your home. Perhaps you’ve been meaning to order some smaller prints from a recent wedding or session (shameless plug - haha!) . . . just pick a couple and get them ordered this week. You’ll be so happy to see those little frames all filled up.

-shawna K

I had the pleasure of photographing Chase and Sean last week and let me tell you, they are two of the most adorable and bright-eyed little boys I have ever encountered. What dolls! Of course, I always have this little tug in my heart when I think that I’m never going to have a little boy and then when I meet little boys like this, it just makes me want a boy all that much more!

Chase’s cheeks are just perfectly squishable . . . and I love his red hair!

Doesn’t this one look like a little Gap Kids ad???

I LOVE a good tire swing!

When I laid Sean on his blankie for these pictures, he woke up. For a second there I thought he was going to be upset, but no! He wimpered for a second and turned to ALL SMILES! Isn’t he adorable??!!??

-shawna K

I am going to be starting a new segment on my blog entitled “Preserving Your Memories.” Isn’t that the most un-creative and boring title I could *ever* come up with? haha! I just wanted something plain and simple and to the point. Part of my job is to be an historian for your family. Let’s face it, the point of even hiring a wedding photographer in the first place is to preserve your memories from your day so that you and your children (and their children) can enjoy the photographs for years to come. You entrust me to tell your story of your day (the who, when, where, why, what, and how of your wedding) through creative and beautiful imagery that ultimately becomes a timeless heirloom to be passed down for generations to come. The same holds true for your family photographs.

That being said, I can’t be with you all the time photographing every aspect of your life (well, I could . . . but that could get pretty expensive!). So I feel it is my job as an expert in preserving your family’s history, to pass my knowledge and ideas for preserving your memories on to you!

I want to start with your children, because today I had the joy and pleasure of photographing Tyler with her favorite toy, and it reminded me to tell you to be sure to get a picture of your child with his or her favorite toy today! The reason I say “today” is because you never know what tomorrow is going to bring. Your child may outgrow the toy or just not show interest in it anymore. There was a time when Devyn, my oldest daughter, just loved her Kermit puppet. She couldn’t say Kermit, so she called him “Mertz!” It was hysterical. Devyn rarely plays with Kermit anymore and I don’t know if I have a picture of her with him or not (she has other favorite toys now), but Kermit did recently join her for sharing at school because the letter of the week was “K.” It brought back a flood of memories of Devyn playing with that puppet.

So, whatever it is, a favorite stuffed toy, a favorite bike, a favorite binky (pacifier), a favorite blankie, a favorite pair of shoes . . . whatever that something special is today, I challenge you to take a picture of your child with it. It doesn’t really matter if you take a picture with a cheapie little camera or the biggest Hasselblad you can find: just take the picture! Trust me, you’ll cherish it forever.

If you know that you have a portrait session arranged (regardless of who the photographer is), ask the photographer to take a picture of your child with the toy. When parents call me and ask for ideas about what they want to do or have photographed at their portrait session, I’ll often recommend bringing a favorite toy. Sometimes I use it as a part of the picture or sometimes I use it just to comfort the child or to give me something to talk to the child about. Whatever the case may be, take the picture.

(Oh, and if you want to send me the photos you take of your child with their favorite toy, that would be GREAT! I’d love to see them!).

Here, you can see that Carter is big-time into Star Wars and his orange light sabre is his favorite toy. I had so much fun talking “Darth Vader” with him during his session.

Caiden’s favorite toy is a stuffed bear that they call “B.” It is so cute and not only is “B” just adorable, but he has a neat history. Caiden’s mom and dad actually bought “B” at the hospital gift shop when they went on their hospital tour before Caiden was born. He’s just a special, special bear!

Of course, THEN there’s *my* child who has the opportunity to be photographed professionally EVERY day of the week with just about ANY toy in the whole world and what’s her favorite toy? A Neiman Marcus Christmas Bear? Noooooo. A “Barefoot Dreams” blankie direct from Nordstrom? Nooooooo. Nope. None of that! She doesn’t really want anything beautiful or charming. She wants a straw. Any straw. Clear Jack-in-the-Box, green Starbucks, red and yellow McDonald’s . . . it really doesn’t matter. She only wants to play with straws. Ugh. It’s horrible. It’s one of those phases that you just can’t wait to pass . . . but at the same time it’s really convenient because it’s cheap and it entertains her for a looooooong time. I just shrug my shoulders.

Some tips for photographing children with their favorite toys:
- Be sure to get a shot that includes your child interacting with the toy (not just a posed shot of the toy propped next to the child).
- If you can, get some close-ups of the child’s hands on the toy. Or, if it’s a bike or ride-on toy, get some pictures of your child’s feet on the pedals.
- Get some close-ups of the toy. If it has wheels, photograph the wheels. If it is a bear, photograph its face.

Good luck! And I can’t wait to see YOUR pictures!

-shawna K

(P.S. I’d love to hear your comments about this new segment. If you like it, don’t like it, what you’d like to see, etc. Thanks!).

I think Erick and Audrey’s mom is going to fall over with shock when she sees that I have *finally* posted a sneak peek of her session! I’ve been photographing Erick and Audrey’s family for several years now, and it seems they just get cuter and cuter. I know they have been anxiously awaiting these . . .

Sometimes it takes some time to get the little ones to warm up to me and my camera. With Audrey, mom just seemed like a safer place to be (though Erick could have cared less . . . he’s a little ham!)

It would seem that Audrey was having a tough day, but I thought this one was really tender:

A little bit of play time with my camera at a distance usually does the trick.

As you can see, she warmed up to me quite nicely!

I love capturing ALL their little expressions, which make adorable panels or even series prints on canvas.

I think this one is my favorite from this session because it shows just how much Leslie has her hands full with these two!!!! Too cute!

Traditional portrait? Eh. We’ll do it OUR way!

To see more of my children’s photography, please visit www.PattycakePhoto.com!

Thanks!
shawna K