Jordyn's High School Senior Pictures

I'm finally getting around to getting these posted for you all to see, and I'm so thrilled to share them with you. Almost a month ago I had the privilege to take Jordyn's senion pictures.  You see, Jordyn's family have been friends with my family for many years. They're a fun bunch of people.

It pretty much all started when Jordyn's brother dated my sister.  That didn't last long, but bonds were built.  Or the times when she used to help us cater.  Or the times when both she and her mom used to help us cater.  Then she became this hot shot FFAer that always did super well at the May Day Fair.

Jordyn is beautiful.  And smart.  And sassy.  And ohmygosh her eyes are sososoSO blue!  It was fun goofing off with her and snapping a few pictures along the way.

Jordyn has excellent taste in clothes and accessories...aka jewelry!  (Although you don't get a peek at that since she opted to not change outfits).  Just about every time I see this gal she has some sort of bold necklace on, and she pulls it off every single time.  Me, well, I pull off jewelry awkwardly.

Jordyn, I look forward to many more years of friendship.  And I wish you all the best as you move on in life.  Good luck at MJC and where ever you choose to go from there.

Teaser: Jordyn's Senior Pictures

More to come soon...  Maybe over the weekend... 

Portraits: Vincent the Eagle Scout

I had the honor of photographing a co-worker's son.  He had recently completed the the steps, earned the badges and merits, and finished his project to become an Eagle Scout.  Vincent is such a good guy, with a giving personality, and a great sense of humor...just like his mom! 

We wanted a location with an outdoorsy feel, and well, in the middle of the valley it's hard to get that.  So we stuck to the waterfall area of CSUStan.  Too bad it was spring break, so the campus didn't have the waterfalls actually running.  Oh well, we made the most of it and took some great pictures.

Vincent, I wish you luck in all of your future endeavors.  You're an outstanding young man that will go far in life with the values you've learned during your boy scout/eagle scout days.

Katy's Senior Pictures

A couple weeks ago I took a lovely drive to Monterey with a soon to be high school grad.  Katy also happens to be the sister of my soon to be sister in law!  We all had a great time trekking around Monterey (under the wharf, on the beach, at the park, secret buildings, in a tree) and out at the beach in Carmel.

Thank you, Katy, for being my senior picture guinea pig, "serious" faces and all! 

Teaser: Katy's Senior Pictures

What do you think of the new logo?

Newborns: Carson and Harper

Drum roll please...

After much waiting (I know, 2 teasers later), I'm now able to introduce you to little misses Carson and Harper. And these girls bring me such joy.  I've known their mom for about 3/4s of my life.  Her parents lived across the street from my grandparents.  And after they both passed away and my family moved, I then lived across the street from Rylen and her family.  Now we're a happy neighborhood, my parents, Rylen's parents and me.  Rylen announced late last summer that she and her husband Jim were expecting.  And not just one, but two bundles of joy.  It was such a blessing to watch them (and Rylen) grow, and then to finally meet them and hold them.  It's been so much fun to see how they've grown and developed in the past 8 weeks.  And I look forward to being part of their lives as they continue to grow into beautiful girls.

At the point of taking their pictures, they were already a couple weeks old.  Not optimum for newborn pictures, but we made it work.  Look how happy they are!

 Rylen is such a wonderful mom!

 That white background.  Ladies and gentlemen that is an IKEA deal!  Be resourceful!

 

You can see the weight difference between the 2.  Carson's little legs are starting to fill out while Harper still has bird legs.

 

You'd think it was nap time or something.

 The happy new family...

Jim is one of the biggest clowns you'll ever know.

But look at how absolutely sweet this moment is between Jim and Harper...

Cute little family picture!

Carson and Harper, you're Aunt Courtney loves you very much.  I'll always be there for you...

WPPI: The Review

Wow oh WOW!  That's how I would summarize my time at WPPI last week.  Well, that and overwhelming.  I've been trying to summarize everything in my brain before putting it in words, but I don't know how I can easily do that.  So, maybe a list will suffice for now.  Then later if I need to expand on anything I will.  How does that sound?

So...who's ready for next year?  See you again in 2011 WPPI!

• The speakers were...phenomenal!  At least the ones that I saw... Audrey Woulard, Jasmine Star, Justin and Mary Marantz, Judy Herrmann, Jackie Palmer and Andrew Jenkins, Blake Discher, and even Jessica Claire.  I walked out of each room totally blown away.
• The MGM Grand is a very large hotel.  A very large hotel with sucky cell phone service!  Everyone walked around inside trying to find service, but once you were away from a window it was gone.  And everyone complained about the lack of service.  It really stunk when vendors were trying to demo a product that required them to go online...and they couldn't.
• I was totally star struck.  In my mind, I saw a lot of celebrities (of the photography world) while at WPPI.  I so wanted to walk up to them and introduce myself, and they would have been totally cool and down to earth, but I was just too big of a dork to do it.  But I did get a picture with Jasmine Star.  Her work is gorgeous.  So is she, see...

And yes, she is that funny, pretty, and down to earth in real life.  I think we'll be great bff's.
• 
  
  I'm still not sure who to use as a website host and a photo proofing gallery for clients.
• 2 huge tradeshow rooms = lots of brochures/price lists/show specials = one very sore shoulder.
• I learned about taking pictures in natural lighting (which I do), I learned about children photography (which I'd like to do more of), I learned lots about marketing, branding, and connecting with the client/target client, tips to break into the business, and SEO (search engine optimization).  There were so many options of seminars to go it that it was hard to decide.

• You know what you do while you wait?  You meet people.  That's how I met someone that recently moved to San Luis Obispo.  And I also met someone to walk with to the [b] school party (hosted by becker).
• Besides meals, and a whole whopping $6 on the slots, I didn't buy anything.  And this is for 2 reasons:  1) all of my spending money went here, and 2) my bag would have been way over weight for the return flight.
• Sunday after the platform classes before the welcome reception, I walked from the front of MGM to Caesar's Forum Shops and then back again.  The back part was the worst, mainly because it was lightly raining.  But I saw some fun stuff along the way.

• Dining by yourself...not so fun.  Unless you have a King's game to watch while eating.
• Speaking of eating, when all the food court lines are way too long, you're hungry, and you need to get to your next class, it's ok to have a Haagen Dazs Whey Protein Smoothie for lunch.  It doesn't matter that it was a peanut butter banana smoothie either.
• Being overwhelmed is a good thing.  It means you're being challenged.  Let's just say I was very overwhelmed.
• Surprisingly, for going to a photography convention, I didn't take that many pictures.  But by golly I carried that camera everywhere 'just in case'!
• I way over packed.  Like way too much stuff.  Oops.
• I put $6 dollars into the nickel slot.  I cashed out when I was at $16.  Go me!
• I had a king bed.  All to myself.  Not like that's any different than any other time when I have my bed all to myself.  But it was swanky.
   
• And because a couple self photos always make things better...

  

  

  So...who's ready for next year?  See you again in 2011 WPPI!

Another Teaser and an I Heart Faces entry...

I know, I know.  I gave you hope of seeing some pictures I took of my nieces (now 4 weeks old!).  But under strict request of my bff, I can't share them until she sends out their birth announcement.  So you must stay on the edge of your seat for now.

But the theme of this week at I Heart Faces is "Hands-On Fun", and I couldn't not post this picture.  It completely encompasses Rylen's life now - hands full with 2 beautiful daughters.

Teaser: Newborn Twins

I cannot stand their cuteness!  Stay tuned for more of Carson and Harper.

Portrait: Craig and his Camaro

A couple weeks ago, a new friend of mine, Craig, asked if I could take some pictures of him.  Of course I said yes.  Then I hesitated and wondered how in the world I would take pictures of both Craig and his car, together, without it being all about one or the other.

Here's the assignment:  The school he works for is gathering pictures of all the teachers reading their favorite book. 
Here's the catch:  Craig owns a brand new Camaro.  A Camaro that he had painted to look like Bumblebee from the movie Transformers.  And his principal insisted that Craig's picture be taken with the car.

We found a more "industrial" area of Turlock.  It works.  Bright, shiny new car vs. old, weathered corrugated building.

Fitting that he chose a book on camaros...

Then we took a little drive to Knights Ferry.  Unfortunately, this was about as close we could get to the old covered bridge and the old brick buildings.  And yes, I got to ride in that beast of a car.  Car sounds too wimpy for it though. 

The sky wasn't the prettiest that day.  But at least it wasn't raining like predicted...

How about some more "fine art" edits...

I like this one, but then I don't.  What do you think?

Similar to the one above, but different.  Thoughts?

So after a few hours and a nice little drive, Craig ended up with some pictures to choose from to give to the principal for the school project.  I wonder which one he chose...

*post note:  this was supposed to post last week! and apparently my draft/schedule system is a bit confused.