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Sunday, March 29, 2009

Rock Star Senior | Middle Tennessee Senior Photographer {frogs and faeries}

This afternoon, I hung out with one of the coolest teenagers I have met in a while. Cierra is definitely a rock star! Cierra is super polite, was up for anything, and has an awesome future in front of her. She will be going to mortuary school in the fall which I think is extremely cool, has an eclectic sense of style, the most beautiful blue eyes, and listens to all kinds of music from Taylor Swift to a band that I have never even heard of and can't remember the name!

We walked all around the greenway and The Avenue laughing the whole way. I have to tell ya - I experienced a "first" at this session. While at The Avenue, I had Cierra lying on her back for a shot. I was hovering over her fixing her hair (yes, the mama monkey was at her best!) when a car stopped to ask if I needed them to call an ambulance for Cierra!!! They thought she was hurt instead of getting her pictures taken by some crazy photographer! What good citizens they were, but Cierra and I couldn't help but get a good chuckle out of it!

Thank you, Cierra (and you, Mom!) for such a great session! I am so excited to show your sneak peak. Let me know what you think!

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Mini Session | Middle Tennessee Children's Photographer {frogs and faeries}

Miss McKenzie had to reschedule her mini session last Saturday when she took a big tumble over her bike and onto the concrete! So, we gave her a week to heal, and what a pretty girl! She has the prettiest lashes!

Mom, McKenzie, and Dani - It was a pleasure to meet you and so much fun talking about our favorite movies!

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Mason2

Saturday, March 28, 2009

Houston - 3 Months | Middle Tennesse Baby Photographer {frogs and faeries}

Houston came to see me today for his 3 month session. I can't believe that he is already this old! It seems like just yesterday that I was at his house doing his newborn session. Need a refresher? Check it out here.

Houston is the cutest little chunk-a-monk ever! I had so much fun with him today. Mom - thank you again for a great session!

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And the theme of most 3 month sessions - hands in the mouth!
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Mom is so gorgeous, I just had to try out something new on her!
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I'll be back on later to post some from a mini session that I had this afternoon, but now it's off to dinner . . . without the kiddos! Yippee!

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Yes, it can be done! | Middle Tennessee Children's Photographer {frogs and faeries}

A session with my own child, that is! My hubby took B on a little trip to his grandparents for the afternoon leaving Jakey and me to find something to do on our own. Now, of course, what's the first thing that comes to my mind? Pictures!

I haven't done Jake's official one year session yet since his birthday is smack dab in the middle of winter. I wanted to wait until the weather began to warm up so that we could get outside for some sweet greenery. Also, wide open spaces (dixie chicks, anyone?) are much more conducive to an on-the-go toddler than my little studio. Who are we kidding - he'd just walk off the backdrop and into his room to play! :o)

The first 10 minutes or so were filled with me chasing him around and saying everything I could think of to get him to look at me. He was much more interested in pushing his own stroller than paying attention to me. I was almost ready to put the camera up and just enjoy the day with him until I got this sweet shot. You all know I'm not a posey-cheesey kind of photographer, so I lurve this one!

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Then I spotted this pile of logs/firewood,and I have an "A-HA" moment. He can't get off without my help. Yes - trapped! This is probably my favorite, and I'm thinking of adding a texture to it next to see what that would look like. I'm definitely ordering this puppy in a big old fine art canvas!

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After the logs, we moved on to the wrought iron fence. Something for him to hold onto long enough for me to get into position.

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Next, an outfit change. Into the brand new outfit I had bought at Children's Place about 30 mins. prior to this spur-of-the-moment session. I'm tellin' ya - I was on a mission today! When I saw the color of this shirt, I knew I had to get it for my little red head.

His first experience with a dandylion . . . seconds later instead of blowing it, he ate it. Typical.

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I wanna do something a little bit differently with this next image. I'm gonna show you the image that came directly out of my camera (gasp!) and the finished product. Lots of people think that once you get a big fancy, expensive camera, BAM! you've automatically have great images. But I'm hear to tell ya, it's a lot more involved than that. On top of learning creative composition, natural and studio lighting, correct positioning, etc, photographers spend hours upon hours learning the ins and outs of their camera. Most professional photographers shoot in Manual Mode - that is we tell the camera exactly what to do. So those of you that have seen me fiddling around with the buttons on my camera and wondered just what in the heck I was doing, I was setting up the shot - telling my camera exactly what I want it to produce.

The goal is to produce correctly exposed images everytime, but sometimes that doesn't happen, and images get either slightly under or over exposed. Especially with quick toddlers who run into changing light all the time. This is where knowing your way around Photoshop comes in handy. Professional photographers can spend anywhere from 5-10 minutes on each image in what we like to call our "digital darkroom." Photoshop allows us to turn an image into a work of art, to put our own original flare into the image. Different images are processed differently depending on the feelings the artist gets from first looking at the image.

So, enough with my rambling and a tiny glimpse into my world!

Here is the image SOOC (straight out of camera):
Jake4 SOOC
One of my favorites, but obviously underexposed with a bright or "blown" spot on his right cheek. Normally, I would just discard this one, but like I said, I LOVE it!

I spent about 10 minutes in Photoshop doing a quick edit on it to see if it was salvageable.
Jake4
I probably need to spend another 10-15 minutes to perfect the image, but right now, I'm pretty stoked at the save!

So, why am I rambling on and on about this, you ask? First, I think it's important that you know that your session doesn't end after we say goodbye. It's actually just the beginning. I take time with each image determining the ones that best represent your child and your session. To the images that make the cut, I hand touch each one adding my own personal flavor to it until I feel it is ready for the big reveal.

And secondly, I'm thinking of offering short classes on how to take great snapshots of your children. I haven't worked the details out in my mind yet, but I'd love to hear your opinions on it and if anyone is interested!

And if you've made it this far, thanks for reading and looking at my beautiful baby boy!

Heather

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Client Database | Middle Tennessee Photographer {frogs and faeries}

Alrighty, everyone! I've given myself yet another thing to do (when will I stop???). I'm in need of a client database with phone numbers, addresses, emails and such. And I need your help to do this! Don't worry - I won't be selling your info to random people. Really, let's be honest - I wouldn't even know how to do that even if I wanted to! Just be aware that clients in the database will randomly receive special offers and discounts from me! Like maybe the first five clients to turn in their information. I don't know, I'm just sayin' . . .

If you'd like to be included in Frogs and Faeries Client Database, please fill out the following information and email it to heather@frogsandfaeriesphotography.com (that's right - a new professional email! Whoop whoop! I'm movin' up in the world!).

Name
Address
Phone Number
Email Address
Child(ren) Name(s)
Child(ren) Birthdate(s)

Thanks,

Heather :o)

More! | Murfreesboro Baby Photographer {frogs and faeries}

Everyone's asleep right now - my kiddos, my hubby, and the dog! Ahh, talk about peace and quite! I've been returning phone calls and emails with no interuptions - talk about nice!

I've also been working on Mason's session from Monday, and I just couldn't help but post these gems!

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Ok - I am so doing a pic like this of my kiddos!
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Mom and Dad - enjoy your extra sneak peak (I know - I'm awesome, right?)

Heather :)

Monday, March 23, 2009

Feels so good to get outside again! | Middle Tennessee Children's Photographer {frogs and faeries}

This afternoon, I had a session with one of my VIP clients. We threw together a family session with her youngest son's 1 year session. It was such a nice day for pictures! And it was so nice to finally be able to get back outdoors for a session! I have so many awesome images from this session that it was hard to narrow down the sneak peak. As I was quickly going through the images, I decided to preview the ones that really said "One Year Old" to me. Now Mason and my Baby Jake are only 11 days apart, so I kinda feel like an expert on this age right now! :) So, let's see - one year olds are:

Funny . . .
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Inquisitive . . .
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Thoughtful . . .
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Precious . . .
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and definitely . . .

Expressive!
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A brother shares childhood memories and grown-up dreams.
~ Author Unknown

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Hazlett7

Saturday, March 21, 2009

Mini Sessions Today | Middle Tennesse Photographer {frogs and faeries}

I had such a great time at mini sessions today! I had a couple of sick kiddos and one with a huge bump from a fall on the concrete that left a few spots open, but I couldn't have asked for a better day! I met great families and even snuck in some photos of my own kiddos!

Baby Shelby (don't you just love her name?)
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Johnson1

Baby Shelby has her nine month session schedule in a couple of months, and I absolutely CANNOT wait! She is such a happy baby, and her family is soooo nice!

Jake who was not in the best of moods - but I still love it!
Jake1

We went straight to nap after this!
Jake2

I LOVE this one of B! Something about it just grabs me!
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My mom found this umbrella at a yard sale this morning, and B just had to use it. I love how she decided to hold it on her own!
Brooklyn2

Mason is quite possibly the cutest almost 4 year old ever! I fell in love with him instantly!
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Mason and his favorite book - Peter Rabbit
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Mom was so pretty and dressed so cute that I just had to have her jump in on the action. Sweet!
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Keep your eyes on the blog and on Facebook. I'll be announcing next month's special soon!

Heather

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Disaster - Part 2

So, like I said, I've just about got the mechanics of my new website worked out. I still need to install the shopping cart options and finish uploading lost galleries (Stemmer, Geary, Sloan, Bohannon - your's are up!). I'm just waiting on the designer to finish my splash page, and hopefully I'll figure out how to customize the blog here to coordinate with the site.

I know you all know the old saying, "when it rains, it pours" right?

Well, I'm living proof of it this week.

Just a few minutes ago, I was giving Brooklyn and Jake a bath (when all else fails, and I'm about to pull my hair out piece by piece, I resort to the bath. Let's them splash and gives me time to relax by playing BrickBreaker on my Blackberry. OK, I'll be honest, sometimes my kids get 2 or 3 baths a day!). I usually get Jake out first and dry him off while Brooklyn swims around until the water drains out. Tonight was no different . . .

except . . .

I gave Jake my phone to keep him occupied while I got B out. I know you all with children will appreciate this, and those of you without will probably get a little grossed out, but Jake has a facination with toilets right now. (can you see where this is heading?) He especially likes to play in the bowl. As I'm about to grab Brooklyn, I turn around to see Jake playing, once again, in the toilet. "Noooo!" I shout as I run over to dry his hands off. And what do I see? My Blackberry resting at the bottom of the toilet bowl (granted it was clean water!). Screen is completely black - no juice at all.

I immediately took it apart and dried it off, but as of right now it is DOA. I'm so sad! This phone is my connection to everything! As a lot of you have seen, I reply to emails throughout the day using my phone. I have insurance, but does it cover a 13 month old dropping it in the toilet? I don't know.

So let's keep our fingers crossed that it will just dry out and miracuously fix itself. If you need to get in touch with me, please use the home phone (867-0189) or email (heather@frogsandfaeriesphotography.com).

And, as many of you know, my father-in-law has been in and out of ICU for the past 4 months due to a brain tumor that was found around Thanksgiving. He has been in a coma like state for the past 3 weeks, and tomorrow my husband and his brother have a meeting with his doctors and may have to make the difficult decision that no one should ever have to make. Please pray with us for God's hand in a medical miracle, or for God's strength and peace as our family says goodbye.

Heather

UPDATE:

My phone is working! My hubby took the blow dryer to it, and after about 10 minutes, it was like new! Thank goodness!

Thank you to everyone that has called/emailed asking about my father-in-law. I appreciate all of the thoughts and prayers.

My husband and brother-in-law made the decision to remove the respirator from my father-in-law yesterday. It was a very scary moment because we didn't know if he could breathe on his own without it. Almost immediately, his O2 stats were at 100%! And he was trying to talk us! We are by no means out of the woods yet, though. At this point, it is crucial that he continues to swallow and cough on his own so that he doesn't develop pneumonia. At the end of the night last night, his nurse asked him to hold up two fingers, and you know what - he did! That was a great relief to know that he could do that. So, please continue to pray for him!

Heather

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Aghhhhhhhhh! Talk about a disaster!

A website disaster that is!

I stayed up late, late, late last night editing the newest version of my website complete with a new shopping cart! I got galleries updated with new images. It was looking great!

Fast forward to this morning - I email my website designer to let them know I'm ready to go live with the updated site. Great!

As most of you may have already seen - I don't have a website! Ok, well, I do, but it's not mine! It's the generic template that I updated to! Somehow all of my hard work and changes did not get saved, so now I'm starting all over from scratch! Ugh!

So, please be patient with me. I promise to have the site back up by tonight! *keeping fingers crossed here*

Heather

UPDATE:
I've been working on this crazy site for a couple of hours now, and I think either my head is going to explode, or my eyes are going to pop out! But I have learned quite a few new things in the process - most importantly how to fully customize my site! So, (like I didn't need another thing on my plate!) I've decided to fully redesign the website to incorportate my style a little more. Be on the look out for a totally new face of Frogs and Faeries! I hope to have the majority of things completed by the weekend!

LATEST UPDATE:
Thanks to everyone who has either called or emailed to tell me about wacky things going on with my website. I really appreciate the your feedback.

I believe I've gotten the mechanics of everything fixed. I need to reupload some galleries (Guimbellot, Geary, Dwyer, Stemmer, Bohannon) that weren't set to be archived yet. If there is anyone that would like to purchase additional images, but your gallery has expired, please let me know ASAP, and I'll rehost your gallery free of charge while I'm in there!

I definitely have some "artsy" work left to do. Get a nice background, a new splash page image, get the colors nailed down, etc. Please don't hold it against me for the next few day!

Thanks again for all of your understanding!

Heather

Monday, March 16, 2009

Blast from the Past | frogs and faeries photography

I'm in a nostalgic mood tonight, so I thought I'd go back through sessions from the past year. In no specific order, here are some of my favorite images of you guys! Can you tell that this warm weather is having an effect on me? I can't wait to get back outside for sessions!

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Can't wait to pull out the big green chair again!
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I'm really diggin' this post, so I think I'll be back on more often with a Blast from the Past. Let me know if you enjoyed it!

Heather

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Frogs and Faeries is now on FaceBook!

I've gone all techy and created a FB page just for Frogs and Faeries!

If you have an account, come be my fan!

I'll use the FB page to post FB only specials, sneak peaks, and who knows what else! So if you're not on FB now, what are you waiting for?

Facebook Page

Heather

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Reminder | Easter Sessions {frogs and faeries photography}

If your interested in scheduling a session for the Easter minis on Saturday, March 21, don't wait too long! Time slots are filling up fast. Easter Minis

And because I hate to post without leaving you something to look at, here is a slideshow I created of the AWESOME maternity session I had on Saturday. Tonya and Al - you all are the best! I can't wait for this newborn session!





And since you probably won't be able to read the final image, here you go:


Poem available mounted in 5x7 and up