Life Stories: The story of tradition.

Welcome to December Life Stories! Life stories is a blog circle, so make sure you click on the link to the next photographer at the end of this post!

THE STORY OF TRADITION.

I have fond memories of going to the Christmas Tree farm every year with my parents. Being an only child, I almost always got to choose which tree we got. It is a little harder, of course, to get three kids to agree on a tree. We go every year (minus the two years we lived in New Mexico), rain or shine, and cut down our own tree. Afterwards we have hot chocolate 

and candy canes and eventually decorate the tree. 

It's one of my favorite days of the year. 

Off to start the search...

Maybe THAT is the one!

Okay, those trees are definitely too tall. 

Once we all agreed on the tree, our middle son (age 10) cut it down. This is the first year one of the kids has done it. It was bittersweet.

What did the other kids do, while waiting? 

Playing hide-and-seek, of course!

Victory!!

In an effort to get in more photos, I took this. 

I know, I know...you're amazed at my skills as a portrait photographer. 

Yeah, I get that a lot. 

CLICK HERE to visit the next story, by Danielle Frank 

Photography of Connecticut!

Salem Family Photographer | Beautiful Mom Surrounded By Boys.

I loved photographing this blended family. 

One might expect all these boys to be difficult. 

Nope! Not at all. 

They were all very cooperative (and handsome)! 

Salem Family Photographer | Little Dude and Family

Had a fun holiday mini session with this family.

It was raining, but the session was still a success. 

We simply found cover under trees and a bridge. 

 

{If you recognize this mama, it's because she's one of my make up 

artists, as well as a part time assistant for portrait sessions.}

Retro Rewind: Yashica Mat-124g | Salem Film Photographer

Welcome to Retro Rewind!

What is Retro Rewind, you ask?

Retro Rewind is a blog series, put on by a select group 

of photographers. Each month we will post about our experiments with 

antique, vintage, and retro cameras and/or old film. The interpretation 

of the project is very liberal and each member of the group will 

likely have very different results. 

Each member will include a link to another member's blog at the end of their post. By clicking on each link, you will eventually make a complete circle!

I, personally, have a relatively large collection of old cameras (25-30). Some are only a couple of decades old, while 

others are closer to a century old. 

I'm starting the project out with a camera that is currently in my camera bag and used on sessions. I'm still learning how to use it and have a ways to go, but I have to say that so far I love this camera! 

Brand: Yashica

Model: Mat-124 G

Film type: 120 (medium format)

Years of Production: (produced from 1970-1986)

Film Used for this blog post: Kodak t-max 400

Here is a photo of the camera, taken with my DSLR.

   I added a some filters to the b&w film image on this one (in photoshop).

This one has some texture added to it. 

Here is what the camera looks like when it is in use. 

It is a twin-lens reflect and the view finder is on top of the camera, so you look down into it. These were all taken with my iPhone. 

To view the Retro Rewind images of Tiara McFalls, an Ohio based photographer, CLICK HERE!

Quiet.

Life Stories: 30 moments in 30 days

Life Stories is a project, involving a group of photographers. 

Once a month, we each post a story about our own lives. 

At the end of each blog post is a link to another photographer. 

By clicking on each link, you'll eventually make a complete circle. 

This month, I decided to capture 30 moments in 30 days. 

Thirty moments at our own house.

I promise you we do leave our house for plenty of activities, but I don't usually have my camera with me. So, for this project, I took these 

photos in our house or in our yard. 

When it came time to post this, I realized I had already forgotten about moments that I'd photographed earlier in the month. That makes me 

kind of sad because it means I'm forgetting millions of 

moments with my children over the years. 

I think that from here on out, I need to make a conscious effort to capture more of the everyday moments. Things that seem mundane now will be wonderful memories later on. 

I encourage you to do the same. It doesn't matter if it's your cell phone or a professional camera, just capture those moments. Laughing at dinner. Wrestling in the living room. Falling asleep, surrounded by 

stuffed animals...capture those moments. 

NOW CLICK HERE TO GO CHECK OUT THE WORK OF CONNECTICUT LIFESTYLE PHOTOGRAPHER, DANIELLE FRANK, AT DANIELLE FRANK PHOTOGRAPHY! 

Salem Lifestyle Photographer | They grow so quickly.

I miss having feet this little in my house. 

Happy Thanksgiving | My own.

Thank you to Azure Marie Photography for 

capturing my family so beautifully! 

Today I am thankful for my family. 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO YOU AND YOURS!

Salem Family Photographer | One Awesome Family.

Yes, this family really is this gorgeous.

You know what else? They are also awesome!

They're funny, fun, and full of love. 

The kids were probably the most cooperative I've ever worked with and I 

really felt like I could have taken photos of them all day. 

Seriously, how cute is this child? 

I wanted to steal her! 

She's also a total ham, which just made her that much more adorable.

 

Can I just say that I loved how the mom styled her family for this session? I'm a big fan of yellow, blue, and gray and she did such a great job coordinating them, without being too matchy-matchy. 

They were oozing with personality.

I started cracking up, when I turned around to see that the younger two had climbed inside of the chest we'd just used. They were so cute!

We can't forget about the salamander that they found! It was with us for most of the session, either in someone's hand, or near us on the ground. They'd carry it around and then set it down while we took photos.