happy holidays from me to you

all grown up : sneak peek : oklahoma city area photographer

sunday, i headed down to the paseo to photograph the family of a good friend. i'm not afraid to admit that these types of sessions are just a bit out of my comfort zone. i had to look back to see if i had actually shot a group of adult siblings, and i had - once before. my average client usually still has a curfew, was born after i graduated from high school and quite possibly may still need help tying his or her shoes. so this session was different. but different is okay. i loved shooting these folks. i know i say it all the time but it is true every single time i say it! they were so fun, had me cracking up the whole session. it was really interesting for me to see how they interact with each other now that they are all grown up. i feel blessed to have been able to capture just a few aspects of that relationships. i feel even more blessed to have met them. and that one chick - the one with the white hair - she just may have left an impression on my heart. dang. i love my job!

 (the girl below is the daughter of the lady above - just to explain the connection for others viewing)

 (aunties with their nephew)

 i guess now that you've read all ive had to say and have scrolled through so many images that i could apologize for how picture heavy this post is. i wont tho. lol. c'mon what do you expect to see on a photo blog - photos! and often, lots of them! ok, carry on.

withunmind : do u be u : new bracelets : oklahoma city photographer

this idea has been tossed around since earlier this year. i'm so excited to finally see it take form. we have some new gear here in the shop. well, my office. they are very cute bracelets (if i may say so myself) that i am on the verge of being in love with. the message is one thats very personal to me as well as a total reflection of what i see withunmind photography being all about. these thick creme colored bracelets read : withunmind : on one side and : do u be u : on the other. for me it doesnt get much realer or simpler than that. DO YOU. BE YOU. dont fake it. dont pretend. dont try to be who or what you're not. you shouldnt even want to be something youre not. be who you are. follow UR heart.  express URSELF. UR style. and dont do it halfheartedly either. if youre gonna do it, be real about it. commit to it. go after it. in the grand scheme of things life is so short. time is very very precious. dont waste it. dont take it for granted. dont let it slip by being unhappy not chasing the things U want. i guarantee you that no one can be a better you than you! we dont need 20 of her and 12 of him - we need you! okay i may have started rambling a bit there, but you get my point right??? it is after 1 am and i have had two failed nap attempts today. i am a little sleep deprived and very hungry. lol. what that has to do with anything i'm not altogether sure. but hey. it is what it is. i am who i am. i could apologize for it but youve probably already fallen asleep by now! okay i'm done talkin - here's the bracelets. 

these have already started going out with orders. if you're interested in one and youre a client - get at me and i'll get one to you. not a client or havent had a session and still want one?? give me a call or send me a text/email, they are available for purchase for $5.

tree huggers : oklahoma city area family photographer

sharing just one from a recent family session shot at their beautiful tree farm!

family time : oklahoma city area family photographer

this was a VERY fun family. very playful. very affectionate. very funny. easy peasy lemon squeasy. how can i NOT love what i do??!

caleb : senior 2012 : sneak peek : oklahoma area senior photographer

i like caleb!! i really do! i like his mama too! when i met her yesterday i felt like we were just getting together again, not just meeting for the first time! i immediately knew that i liked kaleb when he answered my first question (so, are you ready for this shoot) with - "not really". gotta love that honesty. he did good tho (as you will see). i think he may have warmed my heart just a tad when he didnt want to change in to his "church clothes". i feel you kaleb. hey, i wear jeans to church. lol. ok enough of my rambling.

this image above may just possibly be my favorite one from the session. its pulls MY heartstrings. i think it tells a story all on its own. mama bird watching her son about to leave the nest to find his own little spot in the world, using the skills she's helped him learn thus far.

on a lighter note, this also says to me, dont come with your senior child to a session and not expect for me to drag you in to at least one picture! its a moment i usually cant pass up on capturing so make sure you come ready!!

a few more of hailey : class of 2012 : oklahoma city area senior photographer

i could probably post this girl's entire session. i so loved shooting her!! here's two more from our session.

christmas card time : jones family : oklahoma city area family photographer

i photographed the jones family back this summer. bristal, now 2, was a little slow to warm to me but she was holding my hand by the end of the session. i think she may have even let me hold her. i could be making that up but i'd like to think so. anyways, fast forward 6 months and we're doing a little session for christmas cards. some things just dont go well together when trying to photograph children. cold weather (though it wasnt as cold as it had been). wet weather. sleepiness. strange woman with afro that the kids dont know/dont remember. to fix the last thing on my list i think i'm going to start shooting at least one picture of me AND the child if they are under say, 5 or 6. that way, when it comes time for the next session, i can whip out the photo and say - heeey you remember me! here we are having fun! we'll see if it works or not. bristal was giving my high 5's by the end of the shoot but i think she couldve cared less about me when we started out. thats ok, cause i dont hold it against her. i still think you're really cool bristal and really really cute!!

horrible blogger : what can i say

my first confession. i am really not much good at anything that requires regular maintenance, like say, a blog for instance. i try to keep up but it just never happens. i am somewhat proud of myself in that i have done much much better this year than in years in the past. i actually have a personal blog that gets NO updates (poor blog). ive been thinking about combining the two in to one. we'll see. anyways. looking back through my folder of recent sessions and back to what ive posted here, i have a few sessions to catch up on. between working and family and more family and a little bit of sleep then a bit more work - its been a tad busy around here. ok i'm about to get to posting. i cant hardly make a post without an image, sooooooo.....this is from a trip to dallas in october where i photographed a maternity session for a very blessed friend!

thompsom family : sneak peek : oklahoma city area family photographer

these are what my mama would call good people! some people you meet and can instantly get a feel for them - i liked this family right off the bat. little dude was a bit rowdy but i think that is normal for boys which we know i have no experience with. i actually came across one image from the session where brother and sister are holding hands - i may have said awwww out loud!!

the blankenships : oklahoma city family photographer

i'm sure ive said this before. i always feel like i repeat myself on this blog. i guess i could lie just to say something different. the truth is so much better tho and so much easier to remember. lol. i LOVE being able to shoot my friends. i love that they trust ME to capture their families. i think when i first met them, will who is now 7 wasnt quite two yet. we actually met through our daughters who are friends - we hit it off and i'm so glad to be able to call amy a friend now!! i started to apologize for the post being so picture heavy, but then again, that would be a like. i'm really not sorry. i always have a harder time narrowing down images when it comes to folks i actually know.