Erica Stephens Photography

paxton- the first 4 months {lancaster, ca family photographer}

2012-01-30T17:38:00.000-06:00

My husband had made me a large chalkboard that we had every intention of hanging in our house. Before we hung it up, I took Paxton's 1 month picture on it... then his 2 month... and then I told Dathan that now we can't hang the chalkboard up until after Pax's first birthday, because I LOVE how these are turning out! Here's my little sweet guy :)

morgan: class of 2011 {lancaster, ca senior photographer}

2012-01-15T05:00:00.000-06:00

I adore doing senior sessions. Seniors are just so much fun! They are young, hopeful, excited, & ready to be in front of the camera :) Morgan's session was no exception. I have known Morgan's family as long as I can remember, so I have known Morgan since she was born. Nothing to make you feel old quite like taking the senior pictures of someone you remember as a baby, but I just keep telling myself I'm not that old. Ha! Morgan is a beautiful girl, inside & out. She knows who she is in Christ, has a great head on her shoulders, & her eyes sparkle with a confidence that not many young people have. We had a blast gallivanting all around the Antelope Valley, & I was so thrilled with the outcome!

Morgan- I am so excited for your future! God has amazing plans for you. Keep your focus on Him & He will guide every step you take. Your smile & love for others is encouraging, keep being you!

Be blessed!
~Erica :)

welcome to this world, Joel! {lancaster, ca birth photographer}

2012-01-13T05:00:00.000-06:00

Last March I was given the honor of photographing my first live birth. This was such a special time for me. I was pregnant (still in my first trimester), and had never been present when a baby was born (besides having my own children, but that does not count). Jeremiah & Cheryl are a very special couple to me. I have known Jeremiah since we were small kids & Cheryl since high school. They allowed me to photograph their family in the fall of 2010 when Cheryl was still pregnant (you can see that session here). So when Cheryl asked me if I wanted to be there when Joel was born I jumped at the chance!

There is something so miraculous & beautiful about a baby being born. There's really no other way I could explain it. I told Cheryl at the end of the day that if I wasn't already pregnant then I sure would have wanted to be after experiencing that! Life is such a precious gift. To be able to capture one just beginning is a precious gift. And now I can share both of those gifts with you :)

I'm not sure what husbands & wives did during labor before phones...??? Ha! Of course we have to keep Facebook, Twitter, & all the family updated! Any woman who has had an epidural before knows what that button is... I call it the happy button! You know, the one you push when you start feeling pain to let a little more of the drugs into your body :) So thankful for those!! It's time to push! Cheryl is so strong, brave, & was in such good spirits! Daddy & Mommy's first glances at their precious baby boy. Jeremiah's smile makes me a little teary eyed, I'm not gonna lie! My favorite photo of the whole day... Cheryl's is about to touch her baby for the first time. The joy on her face says it all. Welcome to this world, Joel Scott!
I wasn't there when Alyssa & Alexis (Joel's big sisters) got to meet him for the first time, but I can assure you this family is just amazing, and so beautiful together. In fact you'll have to stay tuned for their family session that I did last November :)

Jeremiah & Cheryl- thank you, thank you, thank you for allowing me to be there for such an amazing & unforgettable time in your lives. It truly changed mine. What a precious gift Joel is, and what deserving parents you both are!

I'm back!!!

2012-01-12T18:54:00.000-06:00

I am so excited to finally have my blog back up and running, under a new URL:

www.ericastephensphoto.com

Yay! After 9 months of fighting with blogger & godaddy to get my domain name to work, they finally simplified the process & I was able to fix it. So be looking forward to lots of blog posts. You know, 9 months worth! :)
And of course lots of updating needs to be done to the look of the blog too!

And because I can't leave you without a photo, here is my family's most recent picture. Yep, that would be a new member of our family that joined us in September- little mister Paxton Ryder!

katie & emily turn 8! {antelope valley, ca photographer}

2011-04-11T07:44:00.023-05:00

After I did this family session, and Megyn's 2nd birthday pictures, I moved on to a special mini-session with Katie & Emily- adorable, giggly twins who were turning 8! I loved watching the two of these girls interact. This was my first experience photographing kids who were twins, and it was a joy! Katie & Emily have such a special relationship... one I will never understand being the middle child & only girl in my family growing up, and now having 2 sons of my own (although tomorrow we find out if baby Stephens #3 will be baby boy #3 or baby girl #1 for us!). I really can't even describe their relationship in words, that is not really where I am gifted anyways... but you will understand them completely after you see these!

Happy 8th birthday, Emily & Katie! You are a joy to be around and I pray you will continue to bring joy into the lives of all you come in contact with! I also pray your relationship stays strong & beautiful... it is a precious gift!!

megyn turns 2! {antelope valley, ca photogrpaher}

2011-04-09T07:36:00.021-05:00

When I was done with the family shots from this session, I took pretty little Megyn aside and got some pictures of her for her 2nd birthday. She is a sweet, caring, lovable young girl who is a little camera shy but it turned out to be a beautiful thing. I love pictures that are natural- not always posed and smiling in front of the camera. I love that with photography I get to capture people for who they are, in that moment. That 20 years down the road we can look at these pictures and remember who we were in this phase of life. And that is a beautiful thing!

Happy 2nd Birthday, sweet Megyn!!

Megyn- I know God's hand is on your life and He will guide you every step you take. I pray you meet & fall in love with Him at a young age, & never stray away from Him!

a dad, his daughters, & their families {lake hughes, ca photographer}

2011-04-07T12:58:00.002-05:00

I had the fun privilege of photographing this dad, his two beautiful daughters, their husbands, and his 4 grandkids (2 from each daughter). What a special, precious photo to have of their whole family together like that. The older kids & grandkids get, the harder it is to get everyone together for a picture. So ones like these are priceless!

The week before this shoot it rained & was cold. In fact, the day before this session I had to cancel a shoot because of the weather. But this day, it was beautiful! The skies were blue, the sun was out, & the weather was gorgeous!

After the large group shots I did mini-sessions of each family. I loved watching the different personalities of each couple, kid, & family.

I also did a mini-session of the sweet littlest girl, Megyn, for her 2nd birthday, as well as the adorable twins, Katie & Emily, for their 8th birthday, but I will do separate blog posts for those! Stay tuned :)

To all of you- thank you so much for allowing me to capture your sweet family! I had a blast & you were all such a joy to work with. What a special bond you all have together, thank you for sharing it with me!

ryan + sarah = h, c, & g {lancaster, ca photographer}

2011-03-24T22:40:00.001-05:00

Pastor Ryan & Sarah are huge blessings in my life. They came to our church here in California to be the youth pastors and intern directors not too long after we moved away to Alabama. Everyone told me how Sarah & I would have gotten along SO well. I met her a couple of the times I came to visit, so we became Facebook friends. On FB we soon realized that everyone was right- we had so much in common & one of her sons was just 10 days younger than Sean. So when we moved back last summer, Sarah & I were thrilled to be "real life" friends instead of just "FB friends." To make it better, Dathan & Ryan got along great and our kids LOVED playing together. Their boys, Hunter & Caden, are the first people Sean has ever called best friends.

So it was a total bittersweet situation when, a couple weeks ago, they moved to Oklahoma to work at a church there. God has definitely placed them there for this season of their lives but we miss them here! I wanted to bless them with a special gift before they left, and what better than to capture them in the desert one last time before they move to the middle of the country??

They are just a beautiful family that you can't help but love. Enjoy!

The sweet kiddos- Grace, Caden, & Hunter

Ryan & Sarah- We miss you guys so much here but know that you are where you're supposed to be. God is so faithful to you & uses you in such mighty ways. Those students in Oklahoma City have NO idea how blessed & enriched their lives became when you stepped foot there. Love you!

hillary. headshots. {lancaster, ca photographer}

2011-03-24T17:22:00.001-05:00

Hold on one second, let me just wipe these cobwebs off of my blog....

There, that's better! Sorry my blogging has been lacking lately. February and March are usually slow months for me, which is totally ok! God knows what He's doing and knew that we were going to be moving among other things & that I would need the time! Plus I need to rest up for my VERY busy April! So exciting!

Hillary just recently moved to Oklahoma and before she left I did a fun little mini-shoot with her for some headshots. She is working on becoming a speaker (mainly to young women about who they are in God) and needed some shots done of her for future speaking engagements. We had a blast & she is absolutely beautiful, inside & out!

Hill- Can't wait to see where God takes you & all the lives that He is going to use you to change! You have so much to give & a beautiful, willing heart to give it. God is going to bless you SO much!!!

brian + lauren {lancaster, ca wedding photographer}

2011-03-09T00:42:00.000-06:00

The last weekend in January I had the honor of photographing the wedding of a young lady who I have literally watched grow up. She is beautiful in every way- has a big heart, so sweet, fun, & simply gorgeous as well. It was such a beautiful, classy wedding. I absolutely adore photographing weddings. It is probably my favorite thing to do. There is something about that new & overwhelming love between a couple making their vows that makes me... well... love LOVE.

Stunning.

Such a good-looking, sweet & fun couple!

A spunky & entertaining wedding party. A charming and lovely reception (not to mention delicious food!).

And all the little details....

Brian & Lauren- I wish you years of happiness & love in your new journey together. Continue to put God first, and love each other more than anyone else on this planet. Great things are in store for you!

john + laura = m {palmdale, ca photographer}

2011-02-20T14:41:00.024-06:00

Baby Maddison was just about 3 months old when we did this session. What a sweet little baby, who was in the best mood almost the entire (60 minute!) photo shoot. It was like she was made to be in front of the camera! :)

I love this one with her daddy's tattoos!

Before the session ended we got some family pictures in, as well. Such a sweet, fun family!

John & Laura- I pray that God will abundantly bless your new little family, and you will cherish all the times of joy with your beautiful new addition!!

alex + laelle = engaged {lancaster, ca photographer}

2011-02-18T14:33:00.020-06:00

Engagement shoots are one of my favorite things to do, and it was seeming as I wasn't getting to do them very often. So when I re-did my price lists for 2011 I included engagement sessions in a couple of my wedding packages. This couple is the 2nd wedding I booked for this year and I was thrilled to do their engagement photos. We met out in the middle of nowhere at sunset, and were able to capture some beautiful shots!

Alex & Laelle- I am excited for this new chapter in your lives & the journey that God is taking you on! I cannot wait to capture your wedding in April!!! :)

baby joseph & his brothers {palmdale, ca photographer}

2011-02-15T12:07:00.000-06:00

Sorry it has been awhile since I have updated my blog! It's not that I haven't had work but just the opposite- I have been so busy I keep forgetting that I need to blog! Whoops!

My first photo shoot of 2011 (and my first with my new camera) was of a brand new baby, Joseph. I found it so fitting that to start off my new beginnings, I was photographing a new beginning. And he was sweet as can be, too!

Joseph is the youngest of 3 boys, so we had to snap a picture of the siblings together. Aren't they adorable?? And such proud big brothers!

And of course we didn't want the big brothers to feel left out, so I snapped a few shots of them by themselves. What hams!

Espi- thank you so much for allowing me to capture such a precious time in your lives. What wonderful blessings you have been given!!!

john + aimee = well, a whole lot of love to share! {lancaster, ca photographer}

2011-01-18T12:00:00.002-06:00

This was my last photoshoot of 2010, but somewhere in the middle of redesigning my logo, blog, price sheets, etc, I forgot to post their photos on here! Whoops! :)

John & Aimee have a one of the most beautiful blended families I have ever seen, and it's probably because they have two of the biggest hearts I've ever seen. Just a couple months before Dathan & I got married (in 2004), John & Aimee got married. And they each brought along two kids of their own.

Not too long after that, they took in two sisters who needed a home to live in

And have since taken in another girl (poor Daniel- the only son! Ha!) who didn't have a place to live. Most of these girls are graduated from high school now, but they are still a huge part of this family!

Michalae has also added in her boyfriend and their son, Amari to the mix. A family that just keeps growing :)

Amari is too cute for words!!

I love how their family has grown & changed, but the love that they share is still there, getting stronger through each year. John & Aimee are such a beautiful expression of God's love & heart! This was their first family shoot with the 3 newest family members. What a special thing I was asked to capture!

John & Aimee- I respect, honor, & look up to you guys so much! Thank you for having open hearts & being obedient for all that God has asked you to do. I know your blessings just keep rolling in, and they will continue to because you are so deserving of each and every one of them! :)

NEW!

2011-01-07T19:31:00.001-06:00

New year.

New blog.

New camera.

New lenses.

New packages.

New dreams.

Bring it on, 2011! I am excited for you!!

2010 year in review

2011-01-02T06:58:00.076-06:00

I had no idea the journey that God would take me on in 2010, both personally and professionally. So many changes & so many opportunities. My favorite part of my job is meeting new people, being able to see them in a different light, and then capture moments for them that they can cherish forever. And now, I want to share with you a little moment from almost every shoot I've done this year (some clients have asked to not have their photos showcased on the internet and I completely respect that!). There are a LOT of pictures, so please sit back & enjoy!!

I met 4 amazingly stunning brides, who had 4 distinctly different but equally beautiful weddings.

And of course those brides each had a new husband involved in their wedding days ;)

I met 3 itty bitty newborns, 3 birthday boys (turning 1!), and 3 other little people :)

5 groups of siblings, cousins, and/or both... of all ages!

And I met an incredible THIRTY families! 30!! That is so many! Each family had such a distinct way they interacted, as well as so much love for each other! The families were made up of married couples and single parents, no kids to several kids, adopted children, blended families, new siblings, teenagers, in-laws, and so much more! I love that there are so many different dynamics in families!

Words cannot even begin to describe how grateful & humbled I am at what God has allowed me to do for a living. This job makes it possible for me to stay at home with my kids, which is priceless to me & this time cannot be replaced. I absolutely LOVE what I do and feel like this is something that challenges me to learn & grow, to know who I am & become confident in that, as well as let my creative juices flow. Thank you to each and every person who has believed in me & given me the opportunity to capture your family. I am SO SO SO excited for 2011 and all the new things that will be coming to Erica Stephens Photography (including a new camera! EEK!!!). Keep checking back here for all the fun changes!!!

erin, shannon, and ryan + sarah = b & e {oak glen, ca photographer}

2010-12-31T06:39:00.055-06:00

I was so excited when my best friend, Erin, called & asked me if I would help her out on a surprise for her parents for Christmas. She wanted me to take some pictures of her & her siblings, her sis-in-law, & nieces while she was here visiting. Her mom, Teri, is a photographer so she usually takes the pictures, and Erin is also a photographer, but they needed me to help with the surprise.

The Saturday after Thanksgiving we packed up the kids and drove to Rancho Cucamonga where they live, for a visit. Then Dathan took the boys home on Sunday and I stayed an extra day to have some girl time with Erin, which was partially true, but also to take their pictures on Monday ;) We went up to a place called Oak Glen that Teri LOVES and got some beautiful pictures. It was freezing out, and there was even some snow on the ground, which you can tell by the outfits we weren't quite prepared for... but that's ok! They were troopers!

Shannon, Ryan & his wife Sarah, & Erin (with Bailey & Emily in front)

Teri has this "famous" picture that she has framed for all her kids where a tree was reflecting in a pond, and it was taken at this same place. So we made sure to look until we found the spot and then snap some photos there too!

Ryan & Sarah are just too cute!

And so are their daughters :)

Sisters!

And all of our sneakiness paid off- Teri not only loved her presents, but she was totally surprised and didn't even have a clue that we were doing any of this! So fun!!

And I just have to brag on my friends for a minute- this is a family that loves the Lord and loves to serve Him. Erin was a missionary in Ireland for almost 2 years. Ryan is a worship pastor & Sarah is a youth pastor (at the same church). Shannon is a youth & children's pastor (at a different church).

Another random fact- their family & my family have been friends for over 16 years (my parents are best friends with Erin's parents), and we are SO similar! They have 2 daughters & 1 son (who is the middle child), and my family has 2 sons & 1 daughter (me!) and I am the middle child. I was the first to get married, then Ryan got married. I had a son, then Ryan had a daughter. I had another son, then Ryan had another daughter. And when Nolan turns 2 in less than 2 months the kids will be 4, 3, 2, & 1! Ok I don't really know why I shared that, but we all think it's fun!!

jeremiah + cheryl = a, a, & bitty baby {lancaster, ca photographer}

2010-12-29T06:04:00.063-06:00

Ok, this post may have the most pictures from one single photo shoot that I have ever posted. I just can't help it. Often times, before a shoot, I will get a vision in my head of how I want the shoot to go & the type of photos I want to capture. Most of the time I may get 1 or 2 beautiful shots that somewhat coincide with the vision I had before (as well as many other fabulous shots). This shoot, though, was different. It was like there was something special in the air. The lighting was perfect, the colors of the location were stunning, and the family, well... you will see how beautiful they are!

And you know what? I couldn't think of a more deserving family that I shot in 2010 to have a shoot like this. Jeremiah & Cheryl got married just a few years ago. Earlier this year Cheryl's sister (who was very young, in her late 20's) died from cancer, leaving her children behind. They are now in the process of adopting their two beautiful nieces. I am honored to be the one to first capture this new family. Jeremiah & Cheryl have such big hearts for others and a strong love for the Lord. And now they are also expecting their first child, Joel, sometime in March. Such blessings for a family who is deserving of every single one of them!

These two sisters are SO stinkin cute!!

Such a beautiful couple, inside & out!

Cheryl wanted a couple "maternity" shots, even though she has just barely popped out.

Such a wonderful little family!

Jeremiah & Cheryl- I admire & respect you so much for doing exactly what God has asked you to do. Your strength & love as a couple and family shines from within you. I am so excited to see where God is taking you next year, with the addition to Joel & all of God's plan that you will be walking into. Love you guys!

Be blessed!

~ES :)

wille + monica = a & a {green valley, ca photographer}

2010-12-16T21:16:00.000-06:00

On thanksgiving weekend I was given the honor of photographing a beautiful family that I have known for years, whose children I have literally watched grow up! Now they are both in college (eek! That makes me sound & feel old!).

A friend of mine from high school, Shillawna, was in town visiting her family for Thanksgiving. She takes gorgeous photos & has her own photo business where she lives, and we had talked many times about how it would be fun to shoot together. So she sent me a text that she was in town & asked if I had any photo shoots she could tag along with. Of course I said yes, and knew this family would love it! It was so fun to have another person there (and to catch up with a friend that I haven't seen since high school)!

This was my first time at this location and I loved it. It was beautiful & green (which was surprising in the middle of autumn!). I think it is maybe an abandoned camp ground? At least that is what it seemed like to me :)

This family is so beautiful, inside & out. There is such a strong love for each other & bond that they have, and have had for as long as I have known them.

As we were leaving, when we said the photo shoot was "over," Shillawna and I both spotted at the same time the gorgeous light that was coming in from the trees. So we had them stop & snapped a few more shots. This pose was all Shillawna (talented, I tell ya!). I will say a disclaimer that this happens almost every shoot. I will say we are done and as we are leaving something will catch my eye and then I'll ask to take a few more ;) Don't say I didn't warn ya! Ha!

I snapped this shot in that gorgeous lighting as well.

And this one. I am so happy we stopped & said we weren't done!

Ashlee & Anthony are just a couple years apart. Such good looking siblings!

The photo on the right pretty much sums up how every guy feels about photo shoots, but I still LOVE how it turned out!

And miss Ashlee? Did I mention that she could be a super model? Yep, she is so gorgeous. And this photo on the right? Seriously the wind blew as I snapped this, and her hair looks perfect in it.

Willie & Monica- Thanks so much for allowing me to capture your family for you! I hope you cherish these photos almost as much as you cherish each other. Thank you for being such a beautiful example of love & family for me to look up to through the years. Love ya!

Be blessed!

ES :)

jeremy + amanda = a, a, & g {lake hughes, ca photographer}

2010-12-12T06:47:00.057-06:00

So I don't know if I can write this blog post without writing a lot :) I was given the honor of taking the family pictures for one of my really good friends- Amanda. Amanda and I have been friends for 5.5 years. The spring after Dathan & I got married I went to our church's ladies retreat with my friend Anna. Since there were 4 people to a room (and although I had many other friends there) Anna & I told the directors of the retreat that if there were any young married ladies going who didn't have a room to be put in that they could come in ours (which thinking back is kind of funny because most people sign up with friends or just don't go). Well it was totally God because Amanda & another girl Lynette each signed up separately to go to retreat. So we all met for the first time the first day of the retreat and ended up staying up until 4am talking & laughing & sharing as if we had been friends forever.

Here's the thing, the day before the retreat Amanda was told by her Dr that her & her husband wouldn't be able to have any children. It was totally God's timing for her to go to retreat & be in our room. Amanda & I just clicked (we share similar interests- she is even a photographer too!) and I have been with her while her & Jer prayed through adoption, got ripped off by a private adoption lawyer, made the decision to do foster care, have children taken away & their hearts ripped out (several times) and this year rejoice with the finalized adoptions of not one but THREE kids!! What a testimony to the glory of God!

Aaden & Abbie are biological brother & sister. And they look JUST like Jer & Amanda. They were in the foster system (and with Jer & Amanda as foster kids) for several years with lots of ups & downs before the adoption was finalized. They took Gavin home from the hospital after his mom left him there, and he had a fairly quick and smooth-sailing adoption. Such a huge blessing in their lives!!!

Their first professional family pictures as a for real (legally), forever family!!!

Aaden. He looks like the kid in Meet the Robinsons :)

Sweet & spunky Abbie

Gavin the ham!

Adorable siblings!!!

Amanda- you know how much I love you! I am so thankful for our friendship & that God crossed our paths so many years ago. I am so happy to see promises that God has given you unfold in your life & know that SO many more will be fulfilled! Love you!

Be blessed!
~ES :)

siblings & cousins {lancaster, ca photographer}

2010-12-10T07:09:00.029-06:00

You know how in the last post I mentioned how photographers love loyal customers? Well here is another family of loyal customers! I had not even finished Cymbre's shoot with her boys when she asked me if I could do another shoot with her sister's kids as well as their little brother. Of course I said yes! :)

They wanted fall-ish looking pictures so we headed to a local park that had lots of mature trees where the leaves had actually started to fall on the ground. The kids did so good and we had a blast! It was a bit chilly, and it did start to rain at the end, but that didn't stop us one bit!

This picture is so funny! The little guy kept crying so we decided to take a picture of all the other kids crying too... then Carter didn't cry in this one. Ha!

Cymbre's sister Jen's kids... so adorable!

Thanks again, Cymbre, for coming back for a second shoot with me. The kids all did great and the colors you picked looked fabulous together!

Be blessed!

~ES :)

merry christmas from alex, kathy, & ali {lancaster, ca photographer}

2010-12-08T00:56:00.028-06:00

One thing I believe almost every photographer will tell you is that they love and appreciate loyal clients. Alex & Kathy are very loyal clients of mine. Not only were they one of my first photo shoots in California, but they also hired me to photograph a few shots of their business group that they own. Then they came back to get some Christmas card pictures. I was thrilled. They wanted to do a fun shoot with their Christmas tree, so we stuck it in the middle of the desert! It was hilarious & kept blowing over, but we worked with it!!

It was stormy and freezing. We decided to play it by ear and went ahead to our 9:00am photo shoot. The sun shone from behind the clouds at just the perfect angle where we not only had beautiful lighting for the entire shoot, but we had some fantastic dark clouds in the sky AND an AMAZING rainbow as a backdrop at the beginning. Wow.

Thank you, Alex & Kathy, for being such loyal customers to me! I'm so appreciative & thankful to be able to capture your precious family on such a regular basis!!!

Be blessed!

~ES :)

bobby + jenny = b & l {mojave, ca photographer}

2010-12-06T06:16:00.051-06:00

This just may be one of my favorite shoots to date! When Jenny had emailed me to see if I could take their family's pictures and told me she wanted to take pictures by the windmills in Mojave, I was so excited! I love going new places! I told her "as long as it's legal and we aren't trespassing I'm ok with it!" Ha! So she & her husband Bobby drove out and found a road that was a public road, and we booked our shoot. On the public road we found a little dirt road that took us closer to the windmills, so we drove a little down that and got some fantastic shots! The funny thing is, when we were almost done with our shoot a man in a truck drove up to us and said the dirt road we were by was a private access road and we weren't allowed there. OOPS! But he was kind enough to let us finish up our shoot (all while staring us down) before he kicked us out. We got some amazing photos, so I am thankful. Next time we'll stick to the clearly labeled public roads though! ha!

If it looks like we were out in the middle of nowhere it's because... well... we were!

Jenny is so creative! She not only brought the couch but also her kids' toy boxes with their names on it. She wasn't sure how to use them but as soon as I saw them I knew what I wanted to do:

Sweet & pretty Leah. Found out she was born 2 days before my oldest son.

Cute & curious Bryce. He was a really good big brother!

The beautiful couple. I love these photos of them!

This was the shot we got after we got in trouble. And this is why I am so thankful the guard-man let us finish, because this is probably my absolute favorite shot of the whole shoot. SUCH a beautiful family!

Jenny- Thanks for being so creative and fun! I thoroughly enjoyed photographing your little family. You guys are so adorable and I loved watching all of you interact together- there is such a respect and love there!

Be Blessed!

~ES :)

jeremy + tashauna = j & l {palmdale, ca photographer}

2010-12-04T06:06:00.028-06:00

One thing I love about moving back home is I am running into so many people I went to school with. Tashauna is one example. We went to high school & graduated together and have not seen each other since, but we did when we met up to do a photo shoot of Tashauna and her beautiful family. This is so fun to me!

Tashauna and Jeremy are just newlyweds, married this last summer. They have two adorable boys and a baby on the way! And we had a blast taking their pictures!

Her boys were so well behaved! Any other photographer out there knows that makes for such a stress-free, easy shoot (and says a lot about the parents!)... wait, my boys hate getting their picture taken, what does that say about me (except maybe that I always have my camera on them? ha!)

Big brother Jordan

Baby brother Logan

Tashauna- it was so good to run into you & catch up! What a beautiful family you were blessed with, and I pray only more blessings on you guys as you await your new little one too!

Be blessed!

~ES :)

branning group {lancaster, ca photographer}

2010-12-02T06:42:00.022-06:00

This photo shoot was a little different than what I usually do, but a lot of fun! Alex, owner of Branning Group, contacted me to take some photos of him & his staff for their business Christmas cards they send to their clients. We had a lot of fun running around & fighting the sun. AND we got some great photos! :)

Yes, if you've followed my blog for long you might recognize Alex & his wife Kathy from this shoot :)

charles + april = n & e {palmdale, ca photographer}

2010-11-30T06:21:00.033-06:00

Charles & April were given a special blessing for their photo shoot: we were able to do the shoot at the very ranch that they got married at 6 years ago! The lady who owns the ranch doesn't do weddings there anymore, but April called her and got special permission for us to come and take some photos. And what a beautiful place it was! I am so thankful we were able to go there!

What sweet brothers! Almost the same exact age difference between my two boys.

Beautiful architecture and colors all over the ranch. Look at this tile staircase!

They were such fun parents, and an adorable little family!

This picture is taken on the very spot where they said their vows!

Sweet baby Emerson... so cute even the crying picture shows how adorable he is!

And big brother Nate. So grown up and like a handsome little man.

April- I had a blast photographing your family! You guys are just too cute and were an ease and blast to take pictures of. I'm so thankful we were able to do this shoot in a place so special to you, I loved it!

Be blessed!

~ES :)

jon + tina = nathan {palmdale, ca photographer}

2010-11-28T06:48:00.028-06:00

Jon & Tina are such a cute couple with an adorable, lovable little 2 year old named Nathan. Tina is actually the real sister of Crystal from my last post. It is so fun for me to have done both sister's family pictures!

Nathan is seriously as cute as a little cartoon character. His little voice, personality, glasses, & smile just make you want to hug him & laugh. He is great :)

What a character, seriously! Look at that "sad" face in the picture with his daddy!

They started dating in high school. I always think it is so neat to see couples who get together when they are so young and make it through the years. Such a blessing and a precious gift from God!

Jon & Tina- thanks for letting me capture your little family! I love to see how God has worked in & through you in so many ways. Little Nathan is such a miracle and blesses so many people. I love you guys!

Be blessed!

~ES :)

joe + crystal = k, t, & j {lancaster, ca photographer}

2010-11-26T02:48:00.000-06:00

This family was an honor & blessing for me to photograph. You see, they are like a second family to us. When we lived in Alabama they became the children's pastors at our church here, but we didn't know them (they started coming around the time we left). Somehow during that time they "adopted" my parents as their own parents, making them the kids "grandparents." So, through that I met them and became a far away friend. Now that we have moved back we have gotten so much closer with them and I just had the best time photographing my "neice, nephews, sister, & brother in law." HA!

Here they are, just cute as can be. Kym, Jacob, & Timothy.

They seriously are one of the most good-looking families I've ever seen.

Adorable. Can't help but love them!

Not to mention fun...

Kymberlee will be 13 in January and is absolutely beautiful. Such a natural in front of the camera & such a sweet spirit!

Timothy is 11 and a natural born musician. He is an amazing drummer (especially for his age) and this part of the photo shoot was his idea. He came to this park with his class from church and had the idea to bring his drumset out on the dock. So we did... & definitely had a lot of stares as we were carrying the drums across the park!

Jacob is 8 & full of life. He is a budding musician as well (I forgot to mention that Kym sings!). They could be the next partridge family ;) Or at least have their own show on Disney. Jacob is one of Sean's best friends, even though he is 4 years older!!

Here they are- the next big hit!

With two amazing parents who encourage them to follow their dreams.

My favorite family shot of the shoot. Is it just me, or can you feel just how special this family is just by looking at this picture?

Joe & Crystal- Thank you so much for being so selfless and giving to our church family. You are amazing parents, wonderful examples of what a married couple should be like, and great friends. It is my honor to be a part of your "family" now. Love you!

Be blessed!

~ES :)

cymbre & her boys {lancaster, ca photographer}

2010-11-18T06:49:00.031-06:00

Cymbre is a beautiful mom with two absolutely adorable boys... they reminded me a lot of my own two! Especially Max, her oldest, acted so much like Sean, my oldest. I suppose that makes it easier to chase a busy boy around when you are used it ;) I love that little boys are busy & energetic... that's who they are, it's in their blood. I love to embrace the silly faces, games of tag, & love for super heroes as opposed to forcing them to sit on a stool with their hands folded and smile perfectly. I want people to be, well.... themselves!

We are not above a little bribing with candy :)

Can't you feel the sweet love the boys have for their momma? I could :)

Right as we were walking away to head back to our cars, I decided to take a couple more pictures. Glad I did, because this ended up being my favorite from the whole shoot!

See the bag of ~~M&M's~~ bribes??

Cymbre- You are such a beautiful mom, full of love & patience towards your two little men. And they love you, they really do. I could see it in how they looked at you & interacted with you. It speaks a lot about you and what a great mom you are!

Be blessed!

~ES :)

kathy & julie turn 40! {lancaster, ca photographer}

2010-11-16T06:33:00.034-06:00

Kathy contacted me with a very fun & different request that I had not done before but really enjoyed doing. Her & her twin sister Julie were having their 40th birthday, and as a gift to Julie she wanted to do a nostalgic photo shoot. We went into the neighborhood they grew up in & took photos in front of their childhood home, elementary school they attended, and park they played in practically every day.

Here they are in front of their childhood home. The landscaping and paint job were different, but it was still their house. They sat on the retaining wall that their dad built. How special!

These last two photos were taken in the park they grew up playing in. The playground equipment had been updated, several picnic tables have been removed, and there was a fresh coat of graffiti on the wall of the rec center ;) But the park still held so many memories for these two sisters. And I was able to capture them together there.

Happy 40th birthday, Kathy & Julie! May your days be full of blessings & love, and here's to 40+ more years!!

Be blessed!

~ES :)

dana + cyndi = d (+r) & d {palmdale, ca photographer}

2010-11-14T00:33:00.000-06:00

It is such a small world we live in. I had received an email from Cyndi after she saw some photos I had done of some friends of theirs. She booked a session for her family- her husband, her two daughters, and her son in law. We met up one Saturday morning to do our shoot and come to find out I graduated high school with her son-in-law! So funny. They were such a fun & easy going family and I had a great time taking their photos.

The two married couples

The silly siblings :)

The fun family :)

Cyndi- Thank you for allowing me to capture some beautiful photos of your beautiful family. You are a blessed momma! Keep having fun & loving each other :)

Be blessed!

~ES :)

james + katie and all their boys! {palmdale, ca photographer}

2010-11-10T06:04:00.029-06:00

I love meeting new families. One of the best parts of my job. And this family was no exception. James & Katie are just newlyweds, bringing 2 boys a piece into their family. How fun! The boys were so fun & well behaved, and the new family is just adorable!

We did the photo shoot right in their super awesome backyard. A backyard photoshoot is not complete without the family jumping on the trampoline!

The boys were just too cute. I loved how they interacted together and helped each other out.

And of course the newlyweds :)

James & Katie- I pray many blessings over your new life together. It will be full of love, fun, & laughter for sure! Thanks for allowing me to capture all of you!

Be blessed!

~ES :)

preston + bonnie = cole {lombardi ranch- saugus, ca photographer}

2010-11-07T23:32:00.002-06:00

I know it has been way too long since I've blogged! Sorry! It's definitely not for a lack of business, but the opposite- I have been too busy editing photos and putting together photo packages to blog. I am trying to get caught up though, so here ya go! ;)

A couple months ago I was able to photograph Preston & Bonnie's little boy, Cole, for his first birthday. Shortly after that I held my first ever photo contest on FB, and Cole's picture won! So, with their prize, they chose to take one of the slots I had open at Lombardi Ranch. They are seriously one of the most photogenic families I have ever captured. It is very rare where I am going through photos after a shoot and love every single one of them... but this shoot, I did :)

See for yourselves (oh, and if you look closely you can see Bonnie rockin some purple highlights!):

And sweet Mr. Cole. One of the most expressive babies I have ever seen. He makes the funniest faces and fills so many people with joy. What a sweetie!

Preston & Bonnie- Thanks for letting me capture a little bit more of your life. You really do have a beautiful, blessed family. The love you share is a precious gift!

Be blessed!

~ES :)

john + veronica = e, i, & e {lombardi ranch- saugus, ca photographer}

2010-10-25T06:22:00.034-05:00

We all know a family like this one. Absolutely beautiful. The mom & dad, all 3 kids, beautiful. But you know what I love about this family? It's not just their looks... their hearts are beautiful too! They have a love for the Lord, a love for each other, and a love for those around them in a way that's uncommon these days. What a blessed family they are!

Are these 3 kids not the cutest??

Meet Ethan. The only son & oldest. He is 3.5

And Isabella. The beautiful middle child. She's almost 2.

And sweet little Emma, who was born in August. Look at that hair!

Such a sweet, sweet family.

Beautiful I tell ya, can't help but say it over & over :)

And of course I had to get some of the beautiful couple, John & Veronica. They just had their 5th wedding anniversary a couple weeks ago.

John & Veronica- thanks for letting me capture your sweet family! You guys are so blessed & such a vessel of God to those around you. Your love overflows from you into your children, and in all of those around you. Love you guys!

Be blessed!

~ES :)

douglas + elise {ripon, ca wedding photographer}

2010-10-23T06:35:00.052-05:00

Last month (almost exactly a month ago, actually!) I had the honor of shooting a beautiful wedding for an anointed, loving, wonderful couple. Elise & her family were like a second family to Dathan & I when we lived in Modesto, so Elise was more like a little sister. It's hard to believe she is grown up and married now!

She was literally one of the most stunning brides I have ever seen. Her hair & makeup were perfect, and her dress was not only stellar, but partially made by her mom! I have SO many pictures I love from the wedding and I had a hard time choosing, so you all will get a special treat this time :)

I loved the colors of the bridesmaids dresses & the flowers. Gorgeous.

The guys were all a LOT of fun. They had me cracking up all day!

The ceremony was so touching & sweet. Douglas & Elise love the Lord so much & decided that, starting at their wedding ceremony, they would honor Him together. Towards the end of the ceremony, after they were pronounced husband & wife but before they kissed, they washed each others feet. There was such a sweet Spirit of the Lord in there!

After the ceremony we took some group shots... they were all so much fun!

And then the ice cream truck started driving down the street. One of the groomsmen said we should get some ice cream so we chased the truck down & asked the ice cream man if he would let us take some pictures (of course we did buy some ice cream). He was such a good sport & the pictures turned out so cute!

I am IN.LOVE. with these next photos. They are such a beautiful couple & they took amazing photos together. I can't pick just one favorite!

Awesome shoes. Beautiful flowers. Amazing rings.

The reception was held near a vineyard in Manteca. Elise's cousin is a gourmet chef who catered and made the cake, and everything was delicious. The decorations were simple yet elegant, and everything flowed together so beautifully.

They had a photo booth there and it was so much fun! All the guests got to take pictures in it and two strips of the (4) pictures were printed out. One was to keep as a favor and the other was glued into a scrapbook where the guests were able to sign under their picture. Elise & Doug were presented with the scrapbook at the end of the night. I was able to sneak in and get a couple shots of the happy couple using the photo booth.

They are just such a happy, cute couple!

Elise & Doug- I am SO excited to see what God has planned for the two of you together. He is going to honor your hearts for putting Him first, & use both of you in such amazing ways. You will inspire & encourage other couples by the way you live your marriage & love each other. I am SO happy for you guys! Congrats!!

Be blessed!
~ES :)

dan + amanda = c {lombardi ranch- saugus, ca photographer}

2010-10-21T06:57:00.042-05:00

Dan, Amanda, & Caiden were the 2nd of my Lombardi Ranch photo shoot sets. What a sweet family they were! Little Caiden will be turning 1 soon, so the majority of our shoot was capturing this sweet little guy for his birthday pictures. He had such a calm & happy temperament, and just loved getting his picture taken (not to mention playing with the bright orange pumpkins!). What a doll!

While brainstorming before the session (through emails) we had come up with the idea to carve a #1 in a pumpkin since these photos were for Caiden's first birthday. Dan & Amanda were great sports and came to the pumpkin patch armed & ready with this #1 pumpkin. So cute!

We also had to get in some family shots. What a priceless moment between daddy & son!

They are an adorable family!!

Dan & Amanda- I know the Antelope Valley is nothing like your home in Minnesota, but I hope you are enjoying your time here (for however long that will be). You are a precious family that is going to continue to grow & I believe become closer & closer!

Be blessed!

~ES :)

jesse {lombardi ranch- saugus, ca photographer}

2010-10-19T02:55:00.001-05:00

The last two Saturdays I did several photo shoots at Lombardi Ranch in Saugus, CA. It was such a blast, I think I will make it a tradition every year. Fall photos are fun, and since Fall is such a short season here in Southern California, we have to capture as much of it as possible.

Little Jesse was the first of my pumpkin patch photo shoots. He was such a cutie, full of life, energy, & spunk! Like most 2 year old boys, he was pretty busy, but that didn't stop me from capturing some priceless photos of him.

Seriously, check out those eyelashes!

Sometimes you don't want your picture taken. Sometimes you would rather play with all of the fun pumpkins, or ride the train, or pet the animals, or do anything besides sitting still to get your photo taken. And you know what? That's ok. But, I will still snap a few shots, for memory's sake ;)

Nancy- Jesse is a precious boy who's life & energy is a gift God has given him. Keep loving him & giving him all that life has to offer.

Be blessed!

~ES :)

todd + keli = a, t, c {palmdale, ca photographer}

2010-10-13T12:39:00.001-05:00

I go way back with this family. I used to babysit these kids. Alyssa, the oldest daughter, was like a younger sister to me. They were all in my wedding. Since then a lot of growing up has been done. Alyssa lives in Florida now, Travis has graduated high school, and Courtney is a junior. They make me feel old :) Alyssa was in town visiting for a week so they called and asked if we could do a family session while they were all there. It was so much fun!

Aren't they a cute family???

Todd & Keli are such a cute couple!!

You guys are a beautiful family that God is going to do great things in and through. Hold on to your love and respect for each other, it's a wonderful thing!

Be blessed!

~ES

Olivia, Brooklyn, & Jaylyn {Lancaster, Ca photographer}

2010-09-30T14:34:00.001-05:00

So last week I got a call from Tiffani saying that her niece was in town & asking if I could take pictures of the cousins for her. Of course I said yes! You may remember Tiffani's little cuties from here. So my good friend Natalie who was visiting from Montana joined me, and we met up with Tiffani & her sister Ashley at the park. How beautiful are their daughters- Jaylyn, Brooklyn, & Olivia?

One thing about photographing children, especially young ones who don't quite know how to obey the "sit still & smile" request, is that you have to be willing to go with the flow (read: run all over the park). But what I love about these photos is that they are not all poses & smiles, they have captured these girls for who they are in this time of their lives, and it is soo cute!

We were able to get one with everyone looking (mainly) at the camera, but it required adding in the mommies. I was so excited to do this, because I love that we were able to get all 5 girls together, sisters & cousins!

I also got several beautiful photos of Ashley & Jaylyn before we were done. I'm so happy to have been able to give them something to bring back to Florida with them!

Thank you for letting me capture all of you beautiful ladies! I loved meeting the girls & watching them interact together... what a gift you were given!

Be blessed!

ES :)

i heart faces week 39- chalk!

2010-09-27T00:21:00.000-05:00

Drawing artwork on the driveway is very serious (& messy!) business.

Make sure to head over to I Heart Faces for creative & adorable chalk photos by some amazing photographers!

looking for a few good seniors!

2010-09-20T12:47:00.001-05:00

Please Note: All 2011 senior reps must have their photos taken before DECEMBER 1st, 2010

pete + vicki = one blessed family! {lancaster, ca photographer}

2010-09-13T02:47:00.001-05:00

It is my pleasure to introduce to you a rather adorable and totally blessed couple, Pete & Vicki.

They had 2 sons- Bryan & Brett, then decided to try one more time for a girl, and ended up having twin boys- Scott & Shane ;) They are all grown & out of the house now (2 are married & the other 2 live in Arizona). Brett & his wife Becca also have the only grandchild (for now!), Seth. What a beautiful family & legacy!

The boys were so funny to take pictures of. I'm assuming the whole 'hands on the waist' thing is an inside joke, but they had us all cracking up!

Such proud grandparents! Can't you just tell Seth is the light of their lives?? And Seth is SO cute!!

I think he is the light of a few other lives too... ;)

Seriously. A DOLL.

Love this little family!

Shane & his wife Jesi. They are just newlyweds, not even married a year yet!

All the guys, the blood-line, the namesakes. And then all the girls (plus Seth), who married into this family ;)

Pete, Vicki, & Gang- You guys have an absolutely blessed & beautiful family. You all share a love and genuine appreciation for each other that is not seen very often. Continue to make so many priceless memories with each other & allow this wonderful Christ-filled legacy to carry on!

Be blessed!

~ES :)

jeff + sherry = a, j, j, & j {lancaster, ca photographer}

2010-09-03T12:11:00.001-05:00

One of my favorite parts of my "job" (I always use the word "job" loosely because I love doing what I do so much!) is taking family portraits. I don't know how many times I have run into a family that has said "we haven't taken a family picture in at least 10 years" or even "I don't think we have ever taken a family picture." It is an honor for me to be the one to take this moment in their lives and make sure it is captured for them to look back on. Life goes by so fast and when it has already passed us all we have are memories and pictures! What a blessing that I can be the one to take these photos! I still have to sit back and wonder how I became so blessed to be able to do this!

Take this family for instance, I remember when their two youngest were just little babies... or even before they were born! And look at them now! What a beautiful family with wonderful, well-rounded, fun children!

Here is the beautiful couple who is responsible for the children pictured above ;)

Can't you just feel how much they love each other?

Another thing I love to do is capture the beauty of where you live. If you look in the right places, you can find it, even in the desert ;)

I just adore this photo. I feel like it really shows their personalities (even just by their smiles)!

Beautiful family, beautiful sunset

Jeff & Sherry- You truly have a beautiful, blessed family! I love reading Alley's fb statuses about how excited she is about serving God... and I love your story of Josh's old baseball bulletin board that he turned into a prayer request board. I think I have a lot to learn from you, as parents. You have raised 4 wonderful kids & it truly shows what a great job you are doing. Thanks for letting me capture your family for who they are, in this moment!

Be blessed!

~ES

olivia & brooklyn {lancaster, ca}

2010-09-01T06:24:00.003-05:00

Last Saturday I had the privilege of meeting up with a high school friend and photographing her two beautiful daughters. We haven't seen each other since her daughter Olivia & my son Sean (who are about 10 days apart) were newborns & we were passing through the mall... before that was high school! It was a beautiful day & Olivia was more than happy to pose for the camera... Brooklyn (who is only a couple months older than my son Nolan), not so much ;) That's ok, I am pretty used to toddlers who don't want their picture taken, and I believe that our silly antics, hard work, creative distractions, & bribery with candy (nope, I am not above bribery!) paid off, because I got several beautiful shots. Like this first one, for example:

and this one (I can't decide which one I love more!):

Sweet girls!

The bench worked for 1 whole shot ;)

A little reassurance from mommy...

This one is just too cute not to post!

Beautiful girls! They look so much alike!

Tiffani- you are blessed with such sweet, loving, & beautiful girls! You are doing something right in raising these two precious little ladies! I cannot wait to watch them grow & see all the great things they will accomplish.

Be blessed!
~ES

cole turns 1! {lancaster, ca}

2010-08-30T06:47:00.004-05:00

Just a few days ago this little cutie had his first birthday. Cole's mom & I grew up in church together, so we go way back. Their family just moved back to the Antelope Valley from South Carolina, which is funny since we just moved back here from the south too! So we got together and I shot a ton of adorable photos of this little man for his birthday... that's just what he is- a little man!

He was not too sure about the wind. I told him he would get used to it ;)

So cute!

Almost took his first steps for the camera. So close!

Look at those big, brown eyes

Sweet, sweet boy

He was pretty much over the shoot by this point and just wanted to cuddle with his mommy. What a doll!

Bonnie & Preston- God has blessed you with a very precious gift in Cole. What a sweet baby he is! I pray God will continue to give you strength & wisdom to raise Cole up to be the man of God that he is called to be!

Be blessed!
~ES

i heart faces week 34- beach!

2010-08-23T01:35:00.002-05:00

I have so many fond memories of spending time at the beach as a child, and I love that now I get to bring my children to the beach so they can make their own memories to carry with them. This particular day in Morro Bay was quite chilly, and the water was freezing. My oldest son, Sean, was not a fan of the cold water so he would run away from it laughing whenever a wave would crash on the shore. My younger son, Nolan, on the other hand, had to practically be dragged out of the water because he didn't care about the temperature, he just wanted to swim!

Don't forget to head over to I Heart Faces to see more fabulous beach entries!

kyle + theresa {quartz hill, ca}

2010-08-21T12:31:00.003-05:00

kyle & i have known each other for a looooong time. he and i grew up in church together (i think since about 1st grade sunday school). theresa and i went to high school together. so it was a lot of fun for me to capture the two of them... and their love... in photos. they are such a fun & sweet couple who laughed with me & endeared the crazy wind long enough to get some wonderful shots! enjoy!

i just adore these last two shots! ahhh!!!

kyle & theresa- you two have such a special, sweet love. i loved watching you interact and how you treated each other... how you went from goofing off & laughing to kyle gently brushing theresa's hair out of her eyes. keep that love strong, and your marriage will last a lifetime! what a blessing you two are!

be blessed!
~ES

lyssa & tannis {palmdale, ca}

2010-08-19T12:05:00.003-05:00

last week i had the pleasure of photographing lyssa and her sweet daughter, tannis (who just started kindergarten the day before our shoot!). we met up by the aqueduct in the evening and had a fun time. we just about blew away from the wind (and lyssa's sunglasses did! ha!) but still managed to get some great shots of these two beautiful ladies.

i love how you can see the whole antelope valley from up there!

aren't they beautiful? tannis is just a mini-version of her mom!

lyssa- you are doing a great job raising tannis. keep working hard & seeking God for all wisdom & He will guide you two girls to wonderful things. you two have a precious bond & i pray that it stays that way forever!

be blessed!
~ES

i heart faces wk 33- gotta wear shades!

2010-08-16T02:38:00.002-05:00

what a fun, summery theme this week over at i heart faces! this picture of my youngest son, nolan, really stuck out to me. i love the bright blue sky in the background, as well as the bright colors of his orange shirt & my husband's red sunglasses. i also love how he is looking off in the distance and you wonder where he's looking, but then see it in the actual sunglasses. plus, i just love this boy :)

don't forget to head over to the i heart faces site to see more fun photos of people wearing shades!

desert sunset {quartz hill, ca}

2010-08-15T02:58:00.003-05:00

a vineyard & cambria

2010-07-29T06:28:00.004-05:00

a couple weeks ago we attended a family reunion on the central coast of california. while having a great time and enjoying my family one of the days, i decided to go on a walk in the vineyard that we were in and document some of the beauty that was around me. enjoy!

the last day of the family reunion we headed to one of my favorite beaches (at least for looks, it's way too cold to swim!), Cambria, for a picnic. it was a beautiful day and i couldn't help but snap a few shots of the beauty!

be blessed!
~ES

candace & vannah {lancaster, ca}

2010-07-27T06:49:00.003-05:00

this is the 2nd of the photoshoots that i did about a week ago in my hometown. candace & i grew up in church together. our families were close & we even went camping on memorial day weekend every year in bishop (for mule days! ha!). we go way back ;)

so of course i was thrilled when she asked me if i could take some photos of her & her 4 year old daughter savannah. candace's husband pete had to miss out on the photo shoot for a small little prior engagement he had called: officer candidate school for the navy. you know, he's got his priorities all mixed up ;) but it was really fun to do a girls only photo shoot and snap some pictures of pete's two favorite girls for him!

vannah is an absolute doll! she sat herself down on this bench, struck a pose, & said "will you take my picture like this?" of course! :)

two absolutely beautiful girls. pete is a blessed man!

love.

like i said, a doll!

i love how candace described this picture- she said i captured the "we miss our hubby/daddy" look perfectly. so sweet!

candace- thank you for giving me the joy of photographing you & vannah! i know this time is rough but the blessings & outcome will be SO worth it. God has such special and sweet plans for your little family. love you guys!

be blessed!
~ES

alex + kathy = ali {lancaster, ca}

2010-07-25T19:42:00.004-05:00

well, i have been in california for about a month now and we have really been enjoying our "working vacation." in fact, dathan & i continue to get more work and so we keep extending our stay here (which is totally ok with me!). last weekend i had the honor of shooting not one, but two childhood friends of mine, who are now married & mommies like me :) so fun!

this is the first of the two shoots- my friend kathy, her husband alex, and their adorable daughter ali! i am so happy with these photographs- the shoot was so joyful, fun, & sweet... which is a direct representation of their family. i am so excited for what God is doing in & through this family- they are working on the adoption process through los angeles county! so exciting! anyways, here is sweet ali...

this is one of my favorite shots of the day (i am totally in love with this wall lol)

i don't remember what made ali so upset, but this is just a hilarious shot!

another favorite! whenever they hold her hands like this she immediately pulls her legs up and wants them to carry her- so sweet!

ok so i have a lot of favorites from this shoot.... ;)

such a sweet family!

aren't they an adorable couple? so perfect for each other!

alex & kathy- i know God is using you to do wonderful things & change lives. whoever God chooses to be your son or daughter through adoption is a blessed child indeed! i cannot wait to see how your family grows & changes through all of this :)

be blessed!
~ES

i heart faces wk 29- over my head

2010-07-19T00:27:00.002-05:00

i had so many ideas of what to use as my entry for this week's i heart faces theme. i have some fun pictures with balloons, bubbles, etc. even some photos taken from over someone's head. but then, as i was editing photos this morning from our family reunion, i came across this shot and had to use it!

you see, the husband of my cousin (actually it's my mom's cousin's daughter... would that be like a 5th cousin???) was teaching my son, sean, to play baseball. sean is almost 4 and has never hit a baseball without a tee before. he was doing SO good that everyone at the reunion stopped what they were doing and watched him bat. at one point he hit a "home run" on their little field they had made, and everyone went crazy cheering for him. sean got so excited that he threw the bat up in the air (which is the moment i caught here)... only it was straight up in the air directly over his head... meaning it went straight back down... onto his head :/ don't worry, he was fine. poor little guy was more embarrassed then anything, but now we have a cute/funny/sad story to tell! and a great picture... as you can see if you look right over sean's head, there's the end of the bat ;)

make sure you head over to i heart faces to see the other entries this week!

robert + erin {florence, al}

2010-07-13T13:25:00.004-05:00

i had the honor & privilege to photograph my beautiful, creative, fun, sweet friend erin's wedding about a month ago. this was such a great experience for me- robert & erin have such a unique style that i knew would come across in their wedding- and it did! everything about the wedding was HAPPY and FUN... the two words that i would use to describe the couple, so it was perfect.

i love erin's little bird tattoo. it went right along w/ the theme of the wedding!

erin loves balloons and wanted some vintage-looking UP'esque bridal portraits. these two are my favorites!

erin & her girls- i LOVED the kelly green bridesmaids dresses!

this pictures cracks me up. the guys were just as fun as the couple, they kept me laughing & entertained!

i just adore this shot progression... robert & erin saw each other before the wedding and we did it where it was just the two of them (and me!) when erin first walked in. i had to capture robert's face- is this not the sweetest? i LOVE how his smile just gets bigger & bigger as he watches his bride walk toward him. made me tear up!

we did some fun/artsy photos outside after the wedding. not too many because it was sweltering that day and it took about 2.4 seconds to be drenched in sweat!

their beautiful flowers & rings!

i could do a whole different blog post about their reception... maybe i will! it was adorable to say the least. a candy bar. cupcakes instead of a wedding cake. birdcages. photos everywhere. it was beautiful!

i am also in love with what they did when they left- instead of having everyone blow bubbles or throw birdseed at them they had paper airplanes... seriously, how cute is that? and to go with the theme erin had the awesome anthropologie airplane dress on. love.

robert & erin- you know how much i love you guys as a couple and your wonderful relationship. there are such great things in store for the both of you & i can't wait to see what God does in & through you. always always stay as in love, excited, & fun as you are now- that's what makes you guys so special! love you & congrats!

be blessed!
~ES

andrew + johanna = e & l {muscle shoals, al}

2010-06-30T05:00:00.004-05:00

like i said in my last post, i just love doing shoots of my friends! i met johanna and her family last october i believe. there is nothing like making friends with a family who A) you like B) your husband likes C) your kids like D) you get along with and always have fun ;) you can read a little more about our friendship here.

anyways, johanna has been trying to talk andrew into getting their family pictures done. but, like most husbands (at least like mine!) he was dragging his feet. well, now that they are going to be moving to laredo, tx (sniff sniff) and we were leaving to go to california for the summer, she finally convinced him it was time. i'm so happy, too, because (besides a small emotional breakdown from myself before the photo shoot even started lol) it was a perfect evening & flawless shoot. i love how all of these photos turned out!

sweet & silly evan. he is always so happy!

adorable lauren. don't you just want to kiss those cheeks???

angelic family? ;)

one of my favorite shots of the day!

i just adore how you can feel the love looking at this picture. i mean, that is such a grand squeeze evan is giving his daddy!

my other favorite photo of the day! such a wonderful family!

aren't they a good looking couple? they have the sweetest relationship and are wonderful parents. i'm so blessed to call them my friends!

andrew & johanna, i think it goes without saying that i will miss you when you move. but i am so excited for the new opportunity God is placing before you & am excited for the new chapter of life you get to start. i'm so thankful for your friendship!!

be blessed!
~ES

dustin + kristen = baby august {florence, al}

2010-06-26T06:25:00.001-05:00

one of my favorite things is when i am blessed to capture my friends & their families in pictures. it is such a joy for me to allow my friends to have beautiful photographs that capture this moment in their lives.

i was soooo blessed to meet kristen over a year ago at church. i believe i was very large & pregnant w/ nolan or i just had him. anyways, she is one of those friends where you hit it off immediately with them, and then the friendship grows. she is such a beautiful person, inside & out and i was thrilled when they announced they were pregnant. last november i sat in the hospital until 2AM waiting for sweet august to arrive, and what a blessing & joy she has been to not only her family, but everyone around. my son sean just loves her, he always says "baby august... i really love you." sooo sweet. baby august is 6 months old now, and absolutely beautiful. there are times when i take a picture and am immediately in love with it... well i think i was immediately in love with this entire photo shoot! i couldn't help myself! she even smiled on cue! :)

i told kristen they weren't allowed to do a 6-month photo shoot unless they let me do their family pictures too. are they not just the sweetest, cutest family? i love them!

kristen, i am so thankful that God blessed me with a friend like you! your family is beautiful & i love you so much! i pray God will continue to bless you & pour His love over all 3 of you! thanks for sharing your lives w/ our family & allowing me to be a part of yours!

be blessed!
~ES

baby noah {tuscumbia, al}

2010-06-24T06:08:00.001-05:00

this is sweet baby noah. he was actually about a month old here but he was born early so he is the size (and squishyness!) of a new baby! his grandma brought me out to her family's property because she had envisioned baby noah on her grandfather's tractor, with her grandmother's quilt. so sweet!

it was REALLY hot that day so we headed inside to do the last few shots.

you probably recognize this photo from my i heart faces entry here. it still makes me giggle every single time i see it! :)

baby noah, i pray you a lifetime of health a blessings. may you always follow Jesus & serve Him w/ your whole heart.

be blessed!
~ES

josh + nancy = l & k {birmingham, al}

2010-06-22T07:52:00.001-05:00

this is that last of my 3 fabulous photo shoots at the birmingham botanical gardens. this sweet family is the reason why i even wanted to do the photo shoots there in the first place ;) almost a year ago nancy and i ran across each other's blogs (i believe it was through kelly's korner). i ended up meeting up w/ nancy & her family last fall to take some of their family pictures for Christmas. we had such a great time together and got some beautiful pictures. so, we got together again for a summer shoot. it's amazing how fast the kids grow! :)

i think this picture is so sweet! i love how little kenlee is squishing her face against her brother's. you can just feel the love :)

we did a little mini session with pretty kenlee because she just had her 3rd birthday. with her sassy new haircut and no tears (unlike last time) we got a few adorable & sweet shots!

and handsome logan just turned 10, so we had to take a grown up picure of him!!

i'm so glad we've met each other nancy! you have a beautiful family & i can't wait to keep caturing you guys through the years ;)

be blessed!
~ES

drew + kayla = baby w {birmingham, al}

2010-06-20T06:56:00.002-05:00

this is the 2nd shoot i did at the birmingham botanical gardens. we used to go to church with this beautiful family a few years ago (they had just gotten married w/ no baby, our sean was just a few months old & there was no nolan). they have since moved & had a baby! and he is just a doll! seriously! have you ever seen a baby look SO much like his daddy? love it!

these 3 were so easy to photograph. this first shot i am sharing with you was the very
first frame of the whole photo shoot. i don't think i've ever done a shoot where i had the shot after only one click! and the whole session went just as smoothly :)

i am so excited for your new, sweet little family drew & kayla! can't wait to see the kind of boy little wes will turn out to be... he is just so sweet!

be blessed!
~ES

chad + cheryl = a & j {birmingham, al}

2010-06-17T07:37:00.002-05:00

a couple weeks ago some friends of ours got married at the birmingham botanical gardens. since we were already going to be down there, i lined up 3 photo shoots for after the wedding. the gardens are very lovely & it is actually something that is free to do in birmingham ;) it was a hot & muggy day but we all pushed through & got some beautiful shots!

this was the first time i had met cheryl & her family (besides many emails) and you just can't help but like them! they are a pleasant and gorgeous family that you can tell love & honor each other. the children were so well behaved and they all photographed beautifully. here are some of my favorite shots of the day.

cheryl, it was a pleasure meeting you & your family! thank you for allowing me the privilege to photograph you... you are blessed with a very special & beautiful family!

be blessed!
~ES

chris + abbey = marriage {huntsville, al}

2010-06-15T07:06:00.003-05:00

chris & abbey are a beautiful couple who had an absolutely beautiful wedding. their special day was at the huntsville botanical gardens. let me just say, it was my first time there and i am SOLD. what an absolutely gorgeous venue. my assistant hanna and i could have walked around there forever. it was a photographers dream, so many beautiful & artistic places to take pictures. i could go on and on. but i won't, because the day was not about the gardens, but about this beautiful couple and the love that they share.

words like stunning, breathtaking, beautiful, & gorgeous do not even do abbey justice. i had a very hard time choosing a favorite bridal portrait of her because she looked perfect in every single one. that is not an exaggeration either. see for yourself :)

i loved the dresses that abbey picked for her bridesmaids and the colors looked great against all the greenery. the fact that all the guys wore white tuxes just added to the brightness & beauty of the day.

this is where the wedding was. told you- amazing! earlier in the day when we were scoping out photo options we saw how the whole area for the ceremony reflected in the water & knew we had to get a photo of that during the wedding. so, as i was up close & personal w/ the vows, hanna was kind enough to jog to the other side of the water & take this great shot!

such a fun wedding party!

the couple photographed just as beautifully together as abbey did in her bridals. and i had the same problem of not being able to choose just one favorite.

all the little details were in the same category as everything else from that day- stunning. the cake was simple & elegant and sat inside a cinderella carriage. the flowers were bright. there were floating candles, twinkle lights, & lanterns all over the reception. it was romantic & ethereal. a perfect way to end a perfect day.

congratulations chris & abbey! i pray a lifetime of love & blessings over you!

be blessed!
~ES

i heart faces- BABIES!!!!!!!!!!!

2010-06-14T00:01:00.001-05:00

ok come on... who doesn't love babies??? especially itty bitty babies! or the joy of seeing a mommy who is expecting walk past you through the store? i always find myself wondering (as i did w/ my own children) who that baby will turn out to be, what their personality will be like, what they will look like, ect. of course, the first few months they change SO much and their personalities consist basically of eating, sleeping, & pooping. but, they can manage to get a giggle (or laugh!) out of us during those stages too....

hehehe :)

to see more amazing baby photos, head on over to i heart faces!

i heart faces- play!

2010-06-07T11:11:00.003-05:00

i was super excited about this week's theme for i heart faces- PLAY. being a mom, i immediately thought of my boys. they play well, and they play hard. they have so much fun together & i love watching them interact more & more now that nolan is getting older.

who doesn't have fond childhood memories of playing in a summer rain? a few weeks back there was a downpour outside, & all sean wanted to do was go out in play in it, so we let him. well of course nolan had to follow right along behind him. i love this photo of them playing in the rain- sean was being a new super hero "rain man," and nolan was splashing... both are things each boy LOVES to do when they play.

don't forget to head over to i heart faces to see more fun PLAY entries!

be blessed!
~ES

i heart faces week 21- yellow

2010-05-23T21:46:00.004-05:00

ok, i think that color themes are SO much fun! i love color, especially bright colors, so of course i was excited about the yellow theme this week at i heart faces :) yellow is such a happy color, so i wanted to pick a photo that made me happy & smile. this one is perfect for that! as part of michael & whitney's engagement shoo t, we went to the local splash pad and they ran around in the water. it was so much fun! then i snapped this shot of michael cheesin' it up for me. these two were SO excited to be in love with each other & for their upcoming (beach) wedding :) and i would have to say, they are a blessing and make me happy too (you can read more about their newlywed adventures here)!

remember to head over to i heart faces to see more happy yellow pictures :)

rich + amy = r, d, g, & v {florence, al}

2010-05-18T06:58:00.002-05:00

i love meeting families! it's so much fun to watch them interact with each other. every part of their interactions is so beautiful to me- the way the parents look at each other, how the kids play with or tease each other, the way the parents encourage & joke around w/ the kids- it's such a wonderful sight!

this family was no exception to that! rich has just returned home from a tour in afghanistan & it has been several years since the family had their photo taken together. perfect excuse for a photo shoot! and it was a wonderful one! not only that, but i had a hard time picking out favorites because they all turned out soooo good!

these 4 kids were such a crack up! seriously they were SO funny! i know they keep their parents on their toes!!!

such a cute couple!

thanks for allowing me to capture your amazing family, rich & amy! you are all so full of smiles, fun, & LIFE. keep enjoying it & enjoying each other!

be blessed!
~ES :)

jack turns ONE {florence, al}

2010-05-13T06:06:00.002-05:00

this is jack. he is sweet and adorable and you just want to eat him up! he recently had his 1st birthday and i was blessed to be able to take his pics. at first he was so shy and didn't even want his mommy to put him down. that was ok with me, because we got some adorable shots and i just adore this photo!!

eventually he let his mommy put him down but he was SO serious. it was hilarious!

look at him! even in seriousness he is adorable! ;)

this is a little car his great-grandpa got him for his birthday. i was told he LOVES it and never wants to get out of it. it's true (he was showing us a rock on the ground).

we then gave him a cupcake for some smash cake photos. silly little boy just kinda looked at it like "what do you want me to do with this?" he did make a little mess, though.

then he started getting messy... so he wanted his mommy to pick him back up again.

is it bad that i LOVE this pic? awww makes you want to just hold him! he was upset because his mom ran to the car to get some baby wipes... he loves his mommy a lot! :)

happy 1st birthday jack jack! you are an anointed son of the King who is going to do wonderful things for the Kingdom of God. can't wait to see what this life holds for you! and tasha, you are doing a wonderful job as jack's mommy! keep it up!

be blessed!
~ES

gracie mae {killen, al}

2010-05-11T14:40:00.005-05:00

introducing...

isn't she beautiful? and tiny! she was 5 weeks early due to some medical complications her mommy was having. what a blessing she was- she only had to be on oxygen for a couple of days and then she was fine. God is good!

gracie's parents are good friends of ours, so i consider her my new "niece." her daddy, james, plays the electric guitar & loves rock music. when leann (gracie's mommy) had a 4d ultrasound done right before christmas, in one of the pictures it looked as if gracie was doing the "rock & roll" hand symbol. leann framed that pic & gave it to james for christmas. well, little gracie is most definitely going to be a rocker chick... guess who pulled out the "rock & roll" hand symbol again... LOL

look at these beautiful blue eyes!

pictures don't usually do babies justice on how small they actually are, and i found that the case when i was taking gracie's pictures. so, i had james hold her in his arm. i wanted something to compare to later on down the road. look how tiny!

gracie's grandma and great grandma (as well as MANY other people in her family) are quilters. in fact, her great grandma owns a quilt shop. so you can imagine how many special hand-made quilts gracie was blessed with at her baby showers. i wanted to do a photo where we could incorporate all of those special blankets. look at the beautiful colors and fabrics, and how adorable gracie looks on top!

james & leann- i know your lives have changed forever in the best way possible and i am so happy for you guys! God has got great plans for gracie! you are wonderful parents and i can't wait to watch your family grow!

be blessed!
~ES

les + rhianna = e & c {killen, al}

2010-05-04T06:00:00.003-05:00

after i finished doing baby camilla's photo shoot, we got her dressed & did some family photos of the new family of FOUR. how exciting is that? about 6 months ago when i did their last family photos (found here and here) rhianna was just barely pregnant with camilla... she wasn't even showing. what a joy to see this beautiful family grow! they are so blessed!

we started out w/ the sisters. aren't they beautiful? i just adore these two shots!!!

then we took some of mommy w/ her girls. precious.

now it was daddy's turn! can't you just see his heart melting over his two beauties??

and lastly the new, beautiful family of four! i am just so excited for them and it blesses me to see families that are growing, happy, and truly in love.

have fun in your new chapter of life! God has got so much in store for the four of you!

be blessed!
~ES

camilla rose {killen, al}

2010-05-01T22:44:00.003-05:00

if you have been following my blog very long, you surely won't recognize this brand new sweet baby, but you may remember her parents and sister from here and here. her mommy, rhianna, was just barely pregnant in those fall photo shoots, and now camilla is here! she is beautiful, sweet, content, and peaceful already. how many 10 day old babies are as awake and alert as camilla? not many. you just can't help but get baby fever when you hold her!

we did half the photo shoot at camilla's grandparents home. they have this awesome old distressed pew (not to mention the woods!) so we took full advantage for some sweet shots.

the other half of the photo shoot we did at camilla's house. that is one thing i try to do with newborn shoots- meet the parents at their home or somewhere comfortable for them so they don't have to pack up & head out somewhere stressful with a brand new baby.

s. w. e. e. t. i tell ya!

gas bubble? probably. but we'll call that a smile!

beautiful bright eyes!

welcome to the world, baby camilla! God has so many great plans for your life, this is the beginning of a beautiful journey!

be blessed!
~ES

i heart faces week 17- SMILES :)

2010-04-25T22:17:00.002-05:00

i was very excited about this week's theme at i heart faces- SMILE. there are SO many different kinds of smiles... but my favorite? the natural, truly happy kind that makes your eyes squeeze shut and your nose crinkle... i'm such a sucker for the nose crinkle. so, when i saw the theme for this week i immediately thought of this picture. this engagement shoot was so wonderful- the couple was beautiful and so comfortable with each other. every time i would ask them to kiss for a picture they would kiss and then laugh, and i happened to catch them mid-snicker. turned out to be one of my favorite shots of the day ;)

don't forget to head over to i heart faces and see more happy SMILE shots :)

coming soon...

2010-04-24T21:43:00.003-05:00

i have a couple out of the area shoots coming up that i wanted to make sure everyone was aware of in case you lived near one of the areas and wanted to book a shoot!

the first one will be (**updated**) on saturday, june 5th ~~may 15th~~ (weather permitting) at the birmingham botanical gardens. if you have never seen them, they are beautiful! you can click here to see a virtual tour. i will be doing 30-45 minute slots so let me know ASAP before they all fill up!

the second one will be in july (no exact dates yet) in southern CALIFORNIA! we are going to visit my family for a whole month and i am booking shoots for those who live there. if you live around the antelope valley, are willing to drive to the AV, or live in so cal outside of the AV & are willing to pay a small travel fee, i will be available for shoots!

if you are interested in either of these options please email me
ericandathan @ yahoo . com
(remove spaces)

PHOTO SPECIALS

2010-04-22T18:47:00.003-05:00

I am running several different 2010 photo specials beginning today (April 22, 2010), and I want to make sure that everyone is aware of them!!!

#1) If you book both your engagement session AND your wedding with me, you will receive 25% off of your engagement package

#2) If you book your wedding with me 6 months or more in advance, you will receive 10% off of your wedding package

#3) If you book both a maternity session AND a newborn session with me you will receive 10% off of your maternity session

#4) If you book a family session AND individual childrens sessions, you will receive 10% off of each child's session (which is already at a discounted rate!)

#5) As a thank you, if you REFER someone to me for any package (newborn, family, seniors, engagement, wedding, etc) YOU will receive a percentage off of your next session with me (percentage depends on which package they book) so make sure that your friends know to tell me who sent them! ;)

I already have weddings booked in May, June, & August so make sure you get the word out!!!

*all sessions require a 10% non-refundable deposit

These specials are good April 22, 2010-December 31, 2010

the baby horse

2010-04-12T11:09:00.002-05:00

for those of you who don't know, we live out in the country. the other day my father in law's horse had a baby. we were so excited and sean (my oldest who is 3) couldn't wait to go outside and "take care of the baby." i went and got a few pictures and wanted to share them with you!

this next one is my favorite. the momma, 'lil bit' was so protective of me coming over to take pictures.

sorry the homefront has been so quiet lately. winter is a really slow season. i am excited for work to start picking back up again now that the weather is nice!!

i heart faces- week 13 {dramatic b&w}

2010-03-28T23:37:00.003-05:00

i am SOOO excited about these week's theme over at i heart faces! who doesn't love an amazing, dramatic, stunning black and white photo? it is unbelievable the change in mood that can happen when you convert certain photos from color to black & white (along with adjusting the contrast and other levels to add depth). this is a picture i took at one of the weddings i've done. we found this old door on the property and it allowed for some amazing, dramatic shots!

head on over to i heart faces to see more dramatic black & white photos!

be blessed!
~es

happy spring!

2010-03-26T21:53:00.002-05:00

"If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant."
~Anne Bradstreet

be blessed!
~ES

nolan is ONE! {waterloo, al}

2010-03-11T01:00:00.003-06:00

i cannot believe my sweet boy is ONE! he has grown and changed so much & words cannot describe how much we love him!

this next photo is my FAVORITE from the whole shoot. he is a DOLL, is he not? ;)

yes, he is eating the fence! haha!

to follow the chronicles of his wonderful birthday party, check out my personal blog :)

megan + josiah {killen, al}

2010-02-28T23:52:00.003-06:00

i know, i know... i am finally posting these wedding photos!
megan & josiah were my first wedding of 2010 and i had a great time shooting their special day. it was, hands down, one of the coldest days i have experienced in my 3 years of living in alabama. i mean COLD. not a nasty rainy or pretty snowy cold, but one of those bright blue sky w/ no clouds & sun shining brightly bitter cold days. despite the frigid temperatures, we did some of the photos outside and got some great results. the ceremony was beautiful (indoors, don't worry), the couple was beaming, & their entire wedding party was entertaining to say the least. it was a fantastic wedding!

we got all of the 'posed' pictures done before the ceremony, and it was a lot of fun (& relaxing!) t0 shoot in that order.

the bridal party danced while making their exit & it was so humorous. i just love this picture of the best man & maid of honor. makes me laugh every time i see it!

congrats megan & josiah! i wish you all of the best as you are about to embark on this new journey & adventure in brazil. i know God's hand is on your marriage & your ministry. the people of brazil are so blessed to have you there spreading the joy & love of Christ to them.

i heart faces week 8- "hands on" fun!

2010-02-22T22:55:00.002-06:00

i love when i heart faces veers off the normal route and focuses on something other then a face. don't get me wrong, faces are my favorite things to take pictures of (i mean, my photos are full of them lol) but it's so fun to see artistic views of feet, tooshies, and now hands!

these are the hands of robert & erin. they are getting married in june and i am more than honored to be photographing their special day. how fitting is erin's tattoo? i just love it (and them!)

don't forget to head over to i heart faces to see more photos of hands ;)

i heart faces week 7- i wanna dance!

2010-02-15T16:40:00.002-06:00

i am really excited about the theme this week over at i heart faces- "i wanna dance"! dancing is SO much fun and makes people happy! so you think you can dance is one of my favorite tv shows. we dance during worship at our church. i have fond memories of dancing with my husband and daddy at my wedding reception. i've lost track of how many times my boys and i have danced around while watching yo gabba gabba on tv. what a great theme!

this photo is of sarah, who is an amazing dancer! she is SO talented. i took this picture during an outreach our church did at the local university during their lunch hour. we had a stomp routine with different people's testimonies thrown in, as well as several dancers. sarah did a tap routine that was nothing less than perfect. i cannot believe how high she gets when she jumps (did i mention she's 6 feet tall?)! i just love the action of this photo!

don't forget to head over to i heart faces to check out some more dancing photos!

nolan!

2010-02-10T15:43:00.002-06:00

my sweet nolan is 11 months old (actually i am late in posting this, he will be a year in just 16 days! ahh!). i cannot believe it! he's so sweet and such a blessing!

michael & kids

2010-02-07T01:10:00.002-06:00

i had a great time meeting up with michael & catching some precious shots of him with his sweet kids! it was raining all day but stopped long enough for our photo shoot (Jesus loves us). i love taking photos on cloudy days because the coloring just looks fabulous!

i love this next shot! the way his daughter is hugging him & his son is running towards him- but more importantly the look on his face. can't you just see how much he delights in his children?

my favorite shot of the day :)

thanks michael for allowing me to snap these moments for you!!

be blessed!
~es

i heart texture!!

2010-01-24T23:29:00.002-06:00

i am still pretty new with using texture in my photo editing (and natural backgrounds) but it is SO much fun and makes a big difference in the outcome of certain pictures. since this week's theme over at i heart faces was texture, i played around with several pictures until i found one where i felt the texture improved not only the look of the photo but the mood as well. how fun is this red texture??? (i'm sorry i don't remember where i got it from!) make sure to be impressed with a lot of other textures at i heart faces!

to see more of this fun couple's engagement shoot, with this picture pre-texture (and what a difference it made!) click here.

erin elizabeth

2010-01-20T16:39:00.000-06:00

is one of my best friends, who came to visit me from california.
erin and i go way back. and i love her :)

we did a mini session while she was here, just for fun.
isn't she pretty???

yeah, i think so too! :)

i heart faces wk 3- families!

2010-01-18T00:22:00.003-06:00

this week over at i heart faces they are celebrating families! i am SO excited about this theme, and i love that they are wanting to showcase the many different 'faces' of how families are these days. whether it's a traditional family w/ a mom & a dad and their kids, single parent homes, blended families, adopted children... lets enjoy and honor the beauty of one of the most precious gifts God has given us- families!

this picture of tasha and her kids was the first to come to my mind for this week's theme. tasha is a beautiful, joyful, strong, fun, energetic single mom who loves & serves the Lord with all of her heart. her three young kids are so much fun and they are just an amazing family. you cannot help but love them! as for this picture, i feel it captures them in their element, yet has a subtle beauty to it.

don't forget to head over to i heart faces to see more wonderful families!

nolan- 9 & 10 months!

2010-01-16T16:31:00.004-06:00

now that nolan is 10 days from being 11 months old, i'm going to share his 9 & 10 month photos with you all ;) if you couldn't tell by my blog post overload the last 2 months, i have been so blessed with a lot of business! but because of that i am running behind in a few areas ;)

nolan turned 9 months on thanksgiving! so these pictures are him in his cute little thanksgiving pj's my parents sent him. i didn't get a shot where you could see it that great, but the bottom of one foot says "little" and the bottom of the other says "turkey"

he turned 10 months the day after Christmas. but because of a battle with rsv and a double ear infection (which he still has! ugh!) these were actually taken when he was about 10 months and 10 days. that's ok ;) i wanted to take him outside and my husband thought i was nuts. nolan also thought i was nuts for putting him in a coat that he was unable to move in. but he sure looked cute! ;)

time is flying by! before you know it i'll be showing you his 1 year bday pictures!

w + r = a wonderful (big) family!

2010-01-14T11:29:00.005-06:00

wendell and rhea are the parents of drew (from my last post). since i was out in the country @ their house anyways, and all of their family was there at the same time (which is a feat because there are so many of them!) we went ahead and did a photo shoot with all of them as well!

here are wendell and rhea, the leaders of the pack!

their oldest child, her husband, and their children

what a fun picture for this hunting family (and isn't the little man too cute??)

and here they are- all of this wonderful family! wendell & rhea, their 7 kids, 1 son in law, 1 daughter in law, and 6 grandkids!

and their dog wanted to be in all the pics, so i had to take one of him too! :)

drew + carol = e & g

2010-01-10T06:55:00.004-06:00

drew and carol are some very sweet friends of ours who we greatly enjoy hanging out with. we have a good time since both of our families have two little boys. drew & carol live out in the country and i drove out to their house (it's quite a drive!) to do a photo shoot with their adorable family (as well as drew's whole side of the family). we had such a great time and braved the cold temperature to get some fun shots!

carol's parents were also there so i, of course, had to get a fun shot with the grandparents! :)

jared + kelley engagement

2010-01-07T06:57:00.001-06:00

on a sunny and cold afternoon the week before Christmas i was given the opportunity to take jared & kelley's engagement photos. what a wonderful time we had! they are such a beautiful couple- i really think kelley looks like katherine heigl! they were so comfortable around each other and in front of the camera that almost every picture i took was a favorite!

we took all of these photos on jared's grandparent's property. it is every photographers dream location, and extra special to this couple since it's his family's property.

i designed them two different save the date post cards, a 'serious' one and a 'silly' one. of course, my favorite was the 'silly' one and so that is the one i'm sharing with you! :)

i cannot wait to do their wedding in august!! if it is anything like her sister's wedding i did last year, it will be absolutely gorgeous! i sure hope their parent's saved up... kelley will be getting married in 2010, whitney got married in 2009... and there is still one sister left! ;) good thing she's in high school still, so they may have a wedding break for awhile LOL

congrats jared & kelley! you two are wonderful!