When is the best time to plant a tree?

Is it in the spring?  Is it in the fall?  By the light of a blue moon? :)  Ask that question of any landscape professional and you'll get an answer you'll probably never expect: "Thirty years ago."  You might think it's funny, but it's true.  When you buy your first home and you plant that first tree in your new front yard chances are you'll never truly enjoy it's full beauty.  The fact is, most of us don't live 30 years in the first house we ever buy.  Don't get me wrong, where I live we may be the exception to that rule but, in general, people move around several times in 30 years.  They have starter homes, get transferred by their jobs, move closer to better schools for their kids, or move out of the city they enjoyed as newlyweds into the suburbs to raise their families.  So, when most people plant a tree they are giving a gift to the next generation, but chances are it will be a perfect stranger.

I know, I know.  I'm NOT a landscape professional and I know you're wondering what planting a tree has to do with a photography blog.  So, I'm going to tell you.

Ask yourself the same question, but let's talk about portraits.  When is the best time to invest in a portrait session?  Lately I've had several people tell me they want portraits, but they want to wait just a bit longer.  Some want to wait until their child is a senior in high school.  Some want to wait until their kids get their braces off.  Some say they're too busy in the fall and want to wait until next spring, but then they're busy in the spring so they need to wait until fall.  And of course nearly all of them are waiting until they lose some weight.  So now I am begging all of you readers.  PLEASE, don't wait! Find a photographer and record your memories for those who are around 30 years from now to enjoy them.

We purchased our first house a few years ago.  It was built by my husband's grandparents.  They didn't gift us with 30 year old shade trees to enjoy.  And unfortunately, they didn't gift us with many photographs either.  But we have a few.  My daughters look at them often and remember their great grandparents.  Paige sees the dimples that her great grandma passed down to her.  And for Lexi the ringlet curls.  But you know what?  Neither of them ever have said to me, "I wish great grandma would have lost some weight before she had these pictures taken."

Just last year my Uncle was visiting and before he could sneak out of town I snapped a quick photo of him and his love in the studio.  He was home just a few weeks before he was diagnosed with stomach cancer.  And just a few weeks later he had surgery from which he never recovered.  So if you ask me, "When is the best time to have portraits taken?" I will answer you with a resounding TODAY!  Thank you Uncle Boyd for the beautiful shade tree you gave me. <3

Surprise!

Wow!  It's been a LONG time since I've blogged!  I guess that's proof that I've been busy getting fun things ready for a new portrait season!  March is always one of my busiest months.  This year:  My daughter turned 10! We survived Easter Quick Takes! I finished up "Class of 2012" marketing materials!  And I added some new props and backgrounds to the studio!

I was surprised when April showed up on my calender and then even more surprised when we had a snow day in the middle of it!  Surprised when it was time to get prom donations ready and surprised again when I see that school is almost out!  Surprised to realize that it was time to color Easter eggs, and pleasantly surprised when the Easter Bunny chose my favorite candy for this year's Easter Bunny poo! ;)

This month has been full of surprises, some more wonderful than others!  This little man surprised his mom and dad when he decided to make an appearance 3 weeks before he was due!  He was the perfect angel for portraits the other day, as was his big sister Miss G!  The only surprises I got that day were the cuddly hugs from Miss G and the stinky surprise on my shirt from Mr. C.  See.....I told you some surprises were more wonderful than others. :)

My Baby Fix

Well we're back and getting ready to head back to school tomorrow.  This holiday season has been a crazy one and it seems like I just got swept along in all the craziness.  We did have a chance to spend a few days with family last weekend and I was able to get my baby fix.  We went to see our little man Crew who is cutting his first teeth.  We had a visit from our newest little great nephew, Wesley, who at 3.5 months looks like he could be a little linebacker.  We got to peek in on little Carter, who was busy with his supper but of course still had time to give us tons of smiles!  And of course we got to meet the sweet little Miss Whitney.  She was the perfect present for her parents this year arriving just a little early on Christmas Eve.  Thanks to the fabulous Megan Marie Photography I was able to help with this shoot.  Man, what a workout, constantly switching roles so we could both get some shots.  Miss Whitney was so cooperative sleeping the day away while mom and dad hung out nearby.


Anyone who knows me knows that I love, Love, LOVE babies so this weekend was a fabulous vacation for me.  Of course I kept my distance from the water, I wasn't taking ANY chances! :)

Here's a peek at the beautiful Little Miss Whitney ♥