my first client.

Since starting Pickles to Giggles in August of last year, I have had some of the BEST clients AND they come back, which couldn't make me happier and help me realize this IS what I am to be doing. I have seen this little guy 3 times since August, and I can't thank his mommy enough for believing in me and helping me get started! I am lucky to have such incredible friends in my life and his mommy is definitely one of them!

I know she has probably been checking all day for the password, so I won't waste any more time :)

www.picklestogiggles.com 

sneak peek password: cthomas

This little guy turns 1 next month and has the most BEAUTIFUL blue eyes and SWEETEST little grin that will steal MANY hearts!

and I am just loving this profile shot.

 

just adorable.

That is the best word to describe this ENTIRE family. I had so much fun photographing and getting to know them. I loved spending such a gorgeous Saturday morning at their beautiful home - I could have stayed and played all day :)

Sneak Peek password: bryant

click on the images for a better view

the way I see it #282.

"Childhood is a strange country. It’s a place you come from or go to - at least in your mind. For me it has an endless, spellbound something in it that feels remote. It’s like a little sealed-vault country of cake breath and grass stains where what you do instead of work is spin until you’re dizzzy."

beautiful writing eh? And just what I want to see every day in my daughter and want to bottle up for her forever.

these bold words were written by Lyall Bush and are copied off my Grande Starbucks cup that I have gotten 3 times this week and each time, it has stuck with me and been on my mind for a better part of my day.

Memory is so fluid. If only those true childhood memories could be sealed and preserved as they really happened. If only childhood really were a country you could visit. I'd leave the grown-up world and go there every single day. To me, photographs are that "country."

I hope you can find time to spin until you're dizzy.

I know you already do, but give your kids an extra big hug tonight.

I just recently joined an amazingly WONDERFUL organization called Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep. It is a group of photographers who volunteer and donate their time to helping families preserve the memory of babies who die too early. Some are born prematurely while others face problems early on and lose their battles. I stumbled upon this organization's website very shortly after one of my best friends lost her 2 nieces, and her sister-in-law had to deliver them, stillborn, WAY too early. The hospital she was at, had a photographer come in and take pictures of their beautiful little girls. The nurse told her that the parents ALWAYS come back for those pictures within the first year. It is amazing to be able to offer this beautiful gift to these grieving families.

I was extremely nervous about joining and actually taking pictures of babies who have passed on, or aren't expected to live very long, but as I read through the site and learned more from both photographers and the parents, I realized the importance of documenting their lives (no matter how long) and keep their memory. Even if a baby doesn't survive very long outside of the womb or never takes their first breath, they WERE here, they ARE real and most importantly, they are someone's baby and that somebody wants to remember them as painful as that may be.

Last Saturday I got my first call. I was very anxious and nervous. I went down to Hermann Hospital to meet a grieving family that just lost their 1 year old little boy, brother and cousin. He was born prematurely in January 2006 and fought every day to overcome his developmental complications, but a few days after his first birthday, he lost his battle. It was an almost out of body experience. I had to constantly remind myself of the good I was doing to help keep me from growing too anxious. I feel so honored that I got to meet this family and help them preserve memories. Memories they may not want to see now, or next week, but knowing they have  a beautiful way to remember him is priceless.

I am so happy that I am doing something I love and am passionate about and this is just a small way of my giving back.

2 sweet angels.

Sneak Peek password: moffett

I met these beautiful girls before Christmas, and this time I got the honor of playing dress up with them in their house.

Older sister is a natural in front of the camera and a true beauty :)

 

And sweet little sister has the most perfect features I have EVER seen - the cutest little nose, perfect lips.......

Thank you for inviting me into your home to capture another day with your sweet little angels.

A lot of hidden passion goes a long way.

My husband was given a professional DSLR camera, and I was instantly hooked trying to figure out exactly how to get the perfect image - exposure, focus, etc.  I am a Virgo so anal is a nice way of describing my need for perfection. The quality of my images was/is the most important part of my pictures and as I learned how to get that down, the rest just fell into place

I have always loved pictures and documenting even the smallest events so I took that passion and completely immersed myself into the world of photography. I read countless books, joined several online photography groups, bought new lenses and equipment and read a gazillion websites while disecting every part of my pictures. I was in love.

And now that I feel like I have read and taught myself all I can, I get to go to Chicago in May (with one of my best college friends :) to a workshop put on by one of the most AMAZING photographers I have seen. Check her out at  www.alwphotography.com - her blog shows even more of her beautiful images.

I'm so excited I can't contain myself. This is the perfect way to better my business and most importantly my images I offer you. The images this lady does has such "pop" and they are so beautiful.

I am loving how Pickles to Giggles Photography is taking off and more than that, I love how much I LOVE doing what I do. I'm really excited to be starting out, but along the way I have asked myself and God many times if this is what I am supposed to be doing, and He shows me many signs, such as an e-mail like this...

Jennifer - I LOVE LOVE LOVE the sneak peek and can't wait to see the rest.  Wow.  Absolutely great.

And then I get my answer.

Preparing for sessions.

As I prepare for my sessions, I always like to have an idea in my head of what some poses may look like or be like, but I LOVE IT when I get a family like this....and the perfect poses aren't necessary - they make every picture look great with their personality alone!

Sneek Peak password: pruitt

Thanking you for letting me into your home. I enjoyed photographing you all the other day, you truly make a BEAUTIFUL family!