Planning ahead for family portraits when all family members will be together is a great idea. This smart Mom and Dad knew both boys would be visiting at the same time and seized the opportunity to schedule some family photos. The results of a lovely late October afternoon session are as beautiful as they are and should provide them with memories of their time together forever!
There's plenty more for them to choose from where these came from and there's not a bad photo in the bunch! Have you scheduled your family session? What are you waiting for?
Dear Sisters~ I wanted to compile our photos together and do a series of blogs about our sisters weekend to Bisbee in November. Our photography blog seemed like the perfect vehicle to share our collective photos and stories. For our offspring, spouses and friends at home wondering or (more likely) imagining just what do we do on sister’s weekends? ...read on!
TombstoneArizona
Getting all 5 of us headed toward the same destination is nothing short of a miracle, even at this stage of our lives. This year, surgeries, sprained ankles, and the loss of a loved one threatened to derail our plans, but I think we all had a strong sense of the importance of spending the weekend together during the one year mark following our mom’s passing.
We piled in the car and headed toward Bisbee with a (roundabout) stop for Starbucks in Tucson and a little planned time in Tombstone, Arizona. It amazes me that despite the fact we were all born and raised in Arizona, there are so many places we have never been. Tombstone was one of those places, for me anyway. If Tombstone were on my bucket list I guess I could check it off the list because once you’ve seen Tombstone….well let’s just say there’s really no need to go back unless you’re taking relatives from back East (ahem…) who want a taste of the Wild Wild West!
And this one's for you!
Tombstone has stagecoaches, and gun fights, and turquoise stores, and yes lots and lots of tourists….we were 5 of them!
I think I heard a certain sister comment on more than one occasion that this gentleman was
"very nice looking"...
Tourists ...yes that's (3 of) us!
We decided to have lunch at Big Nose Kate’s Saloon and when we travel by 5’s we get lots of questions. The local cowboy was no exception and found us to be the perfect subjects to volunteer to take pictures with OUR cameras for us.
Caution: Content not intended for young children
Before we knew it we were being herded to the poker table, dressed in Western attire and handed shotguns and moonshine bottles.
You should have seen the "serious faced" version!
I’m not sure how or why but I was the lucky one he chose to put in the coffin, hang a noose around my neck and take my picture. I must look lile a "2 bit tramp". We promptly paid our tab and left Big Nose Kate’s. My reputation was tarnished.
About 20 stores later-2 times each (did I say Angie likes to shop?), 3 propositions to take a stagecoach tour, an equine chat between Kim, the stagecoach driver and 2 Clydesdales, multiple photo ops, and 2 3 trips to the “public” bathroom, we blew that popsicle stand and headed for Bisbee!
As we decompressed from the hurried pace we keep in our every day lives we had to laugh at each other. We took turns demonstrating how the aging process and stress have taken their toll on our brains! First it was my turn. As we were nearing a Picacho Peak road sign I saw a grove of trees and commented that I thought they were Pecan Trees, but the sign infiltrated my thought process and suddenly I was proclaiming that they must be Picacho trees…(thinking Pistachio but saying Picacho!) I followed with “do Picacho’s grow on trees?” A moment of silence followed while everyone processed what I had just said and then we busted out in laughter.
Cindy took a turn with a new twist on an old phrase about Hell but as further proof of that comment I made about aging brains…I’ve forgotten exactly what she said, but it was very funny at the time!
As we approached Bisbee, Angie saw a bowling alley in the middle of nowhere and commented “look we could stop and bowl a square, a …square? What is it called?” A frame Angie, we could bowl a frame.
We knew it was only a matter of time before the others slipped up at the rate we were going.
Unlike the days of our youth, there were no fights about who got to sit by the window, who got to ride in front, who ate all the snacks or who got the bathtub first when we got there. Our bickering days of childhood... a thing of the past, have been replaced with chuckles and grins! And not unlike the times we spent in the Buick "Vista Cruiser" stationwagon, we cruised on through the Arizona desert towards the town of Bisbee, Arizona!
To be continued…
As Thanksgiving and the Holidays approach I am reminded of all that I have to be thankful for. I count my sister's amongst my richest Blessings and I love you all!
The downtown area seemed like the most logical place to meet one of our favorite families who live on the opposite side of the Valley. Not to mention we've been itching to do an urban session like this. We love the colors and textures of the older parts of town and couldn't wait to use it as our canvas. With baseball season over and basketball not yet started, no concerts, no trains....it was a perfect evening for our own private session with the city to ourselves. I love these images of this beautiful family in the golden light of the final daylight hours. We’re hoping they love them as much as we do!
Oh, and that absolutely adorable blue-eyed son of theirs...I’m thinking he’s going to be a real heart-breaker someday. You be the judge but after seeing these, I’m certain you’ll agree!
What a true blessing it was to be able to take photos of this lively and happy family. They haven’t had the best year but you would never have known it by all the fun we had with them!!! We met at a special location and we had them traveling all over the place there, without ever a complaint.
It was extra special for me because I’ve known J since my now 29-year old son was in kindergarten. She spent a lot of time babysitting him and he loved her then and still does to this day. I hadn’t met her kids and it was a complete joy to see the kind of mom she is and what special and adorable kids they are!
We did have a few laughs trying to get both kids to smile and keep their eyes open at the same time, but we pulled it off enough times to make us happy! All the while, Mom was ready and waiting and beautiful when the shutter clicked!
I truly hope we’ll be able to take photos of this family as they grow and change. Plus, I have a special wish to photograph J and her horse one of these days soon.
This might be my very favorite!
I love, love, love this one because I think it captures the kids' personalities so perfectly...at least from what I observed!
I'll let you figure out what those are...
Blessings to you and yours, Karen
"You are worried about seeing him spend his early years in doing nothing. What! Is it nothing to be happy? Nothing to skip, play, and run around all day long? Never in his life will he be so busy again."
All we can say is…WOW!!!Recently little Owen got to make his first trip to Arizona to meet his extended family and celebrate his first birthday all at the same time!It was a whirlwind trip and we were blessed not only to be able to take photos of Owen and his whole family but also to be able to celebrate athis First Birthday Party and take photos of that milestone event!
We know boys are not supposed to be pretty or cute, but we think boys under a certain age are almost always cute!But Owen…he is CUTE beyond words!!!This is not to mention the fact that he was also jetlagged from a three-hour time difference and he was so good while we kept him out in the heat and took picture after picture, all with him in them.
We’re so happy for all of Owen’s family that he got to make the trip west.We think he has a pretty darned special family out here so we hope he gets to come again sometime soon and stay a little longer.Meanwhile, take a look and enjoy every moment of his “cuteness”!
Oh…I almost forgot…
By far, our favorite shots of the whole day had to be when he was eating his cake!!He was all boy during that smashup. He started a bit tentatively but after that first lick of sugar, he was all in!!!! Check it out…
Blessings to you and yours,
Karen
“Every child comes with the message that God is not yet discouraged of man.”
I always heard Sunday was supposed to be a day of rest. Well Sunday is here, and there will be no rest in sight for me. I've got a desk full of "things" that I have no option but to complete today.
But in keeping my priorities straight I found I must first:
a) brew my morning cup 'o Joe and b) try out the lens we rented for our session yesterday. We both have a lens like this on our "wish list" and with the hefty price tag it carries we decided we should first rent one and see if it was all it was cracked up to be...this "L" glass with a low "f-stop". For those of you non-techies this means we can shoot with the lens wide open to create the "shallow depth of field" (blurriness in the background) that we like to see in some of our portraits.
Karen tried the lens out at our session yesterday and this morning my beautiful electric percolator and Irish coffee cup and saucer were the most beautiful subjects I could find to test out that "depth of field". Never you mind that reflection of me! I love my first cup of morning coffee in a quiet house almost as much as I love our clients. So..."top 'o the mornin' to you all!
We both LOVE cards…all kinds of cards – beautiful ones, cute ones, unique ones and so it goes!!! As you know, we also love photos!!
And I love receiving cards during the holidays. I look forward to my mail and I am one of those who is thrilled when someone sends me photos, whether they are part of the card or just tucked in the envelope. I can’t get rid of a card with photos and I have a couple little albums that carry all the photos we’ve received over the years. Each year it’s fun for me to get it out and see how the families have changed.
I must admit, I’ve been hit or miss throughout the years with sending photos. Sometimes I just haven’t had my act together enough to pull it off. Actually though, those years weren’t that much easier because I am so picky when I go to find cards that it takes a long time to find the perfect card to send. For a few years, I followed the lead of a dear friend and sort of scrapbooked my card and printed it on cardstock. That was a lot of work!
But the past few years, I have LOVED my cards! With the advent of digital photos and the ability to make beautiful custom-designed cards, I have had a ball. Last year we designed a full catalog of custom cards and they are just waiting to be used. We’ve also got the creative juices flowing to make just the perfect card to fit your family and your photo. It's fun to make the card be reflective of the photo or photos. Let's face it...the cold, hard truth! Even though I have the best of intentions every year, sometimes my holiday card is the only time of year some people hear from me/us!!! That means I really want it to be special.
These are just a few samples of what we can do. Our cards are press printed on high quality paper and we have options for matte, gloss, linen, pebble and pearl. They are printed front and back so a personalized message can be added to make it even more special. We offer 5 x7 or 5x5 square. They come with envelopes in packages of 25 and will truly be a piece of artwork you can send to those on your list.
Whether you want to use photos you had taken by us earlier in the year or you want to schedule a new photo session to update your galleries, you should consider doing it soon as we are already getting busy with the holidays in mind. We are offering special mini-sessions to make the process even easier for you. Check out our special below and get in touch with us at your earliest convenience. You won’t be sorry you did and neither will your friends and family when they open your card!
Blessings to you and yours,
Karen and Tina
"Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love."
~ Hamilton Wright Mabie
