one month down

Whew. So I have one full month of trainging for the Breast Cancer 3Day behind me. In this month, I walked a total of 77 miles. All of you have supported me in the amount of $505. A new round of thanks goes out to

Sherril & Danny
Dan & Family

I am truly humbled by your generosity and your support of me in this event. I walked the 10 mile route from Rochester Hills to Lake Orion again on Saturday and the second time was easier. Here's a snap of 3/5 of my team when we finished.



On the left is Kristin. Some of you may recognize her as she works with me during the busy season. I'm in the middle and my sister Sarah is on the right. She's just a young thing (15 years younger than me!) so she pumped out her 10 like it was nothing.

Tonight I got the whole family involved. My husband and I walked while the kids rode their bikes. We went 3 miles to a playground, let the kids play, and then headed home and had ice cream. My new recruits were grumbling on the way there but my the time we were heading back, everyone was all giggles. It was a fun night. I hope to have them join me in my short training walks on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I might need to buy more ice cream!

I was busy this last week proofing all the June Gallery R Sessions but look for some recent images to be posted this week. The June sessions were great and I got to see some terrific clients again and met some new ones. It was a good week.

on track

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Claudia
Eliana & Family
Missy
John
Kristen
Joyce
Barry & Sarah
Amy & Family
Jen & Kiersten
Fred
Christian, Michelle & Leo

Thanks to everyone who has supported me so far! You've given $380 and I'm on my way. I just finished my 10 mile training walk so I'm up to a grand total of 53 training miles. I know. That might not sound like much to some of you, but this is coming from a girl who honestly can't remember a time she would have walked 10 miles ON PURPOSE and had been a couch potato until just a few weeks ago. The weather was perfect, 70 degrees and most of the trail we walked is covered so it was just amazing. We started in Lake Orion and ended up in Rochester Hills. Wow. I felt a real sense of accomplishment and I am starting to realize the impact this whole event just might have on me.

Keep the donations coming and I'll keep up the updates. Next time I'll take my camera with me and grab a few snaps to share.

celebrate

Hey, just heard about this from my friend, Ruth. If you are free, head on over to your closest Cold Stone this afternoon.

got to play with my own kids

As part of the workshop on Wednesday, I brought my two in to be models and actually got to photograph them myself, too. I put a whole bunch together in a fun Animoto clip. And check out how that fish-eye lens makes me look thinner. I definitely need to get me one of those.



Okay, the clip has music so if you're at work, turn the volume down. If you're at home, pump it up and be prepared for some visual overload! I'll post some individual pics later. But keep this in mind as the next Gallery R Session will be Urban.

day one at the workshop

Okay, so I am getting ready to fly out the door, I've got a complete disaster of a house, my kids are still in their pjs, I haven't eaten breakfast and yet here I am editing just a few quick pics from yesterday because it was just so much fun. A group of about 30 local photographers are meeting to shoot, discuss business, and just get to know each other. The organizers, Amy and Chris & Michelle, rented us a great studio space in Detroit in the Russel Industrial Center.







And we had a slew of models to work with. You could tell that these were photographer's kids because when you asked them not to smile, they had a super no-smile face. My kids have it, too. They don't look angry or sad, they just look like they're not smiling. I can't explain it but these kids have it down to a tee. I pretty much stuck to location work and found all the kids eight and older. I had fun playing with some rented lenses (check out the wide angle-fish eye lens) and did some fun quick editing with the processing. Thanks for peeking.

happy father's day

Happy Father's Day to all you dads! Here's a snap of me and my dad. I can blame, I mean, THANK him for my photography addiction. I know I would not be a professional photographer today if it weren't for the influence of my dad. I always joke that if we were at the Grand Canyon, my dad's the guy saying, "Hey, go stand over there and get in the picture." No wonder I'm a portrait photographer. Thanks, Dad. I love you bunches.



And one of my guy. I love you always and I'm so proud of how you work so hard to care of our family.

heading to the D

I am out of here for a few days as I attend a photography workshop being held in downtown Detroit. I love the name of the workshop. Hey, I'm from Detroit. I can love it.



I am really looking forward to meeting a bunch of amazing photographers and improving my skills. I'll try and post a few images each day, but no guarantees on how tired I'll be when I get home. Please feel free to leave voice and email messages but just know that I will return them on Thursday. Thank you.

i'm doing the 3Day

Okay. I'm doing it. I'm walking 60 miles over three days the last weekend in September in order to raise funds for breast cancer research. I'm on a team with my friend Kristin, my sisters Sarah and Debbie and Deb's friend Kate. We are the KD Bugs. So, why am I doing it? I don't have breast cancer. None of my four sisters, mom, stepmom, mil, or five aunts have breast cancer. I can't think of one woman in my family who does. But I know of so many friends who have family members trying to beat breast cancer. I've realized that it can affect a whole family. So, I'm walking for every woman, for every man, for every child that is affected by breast cancer. I'm walking to start a healthy change in my own life. I'm walking because I can.



I'm going to be keeping a mileage log on my blog and am hoping that you will be able to contribute money to our team. In order to participate in the 3Day walk our team needs to raise $11,000. Now, in this economy I know that seems crazy. It is crazy. So, I'm hoping you all get a little crazy with me. Every donation will help. $1, $10, $25, $50, $100 or even more. I will appreciate every penny that is donated towards breast cancer research.

So, keep me accountable. Make sure I'm training. Tell everyone you know. With a quick click on the little white envelope below the post you can email this post to friends and family. I can't be shy in asking for donations. We've got to raise $11,000 so I'll take it where we can get it. I've included a donation button in the menu to your right. Just click it and it will take you to my fundraising page. I'll be sure to keep you up to date on the progress. And I truly appreciate your donations. THANK YOU!

living with photographs

I know. I know. I've been behind. As many of you parents know, the last few weeks of school are crazy and I've been super busy. I'll try and post some of what I've been up to later next week. But for now, a few more ideas for working photographs into your home design.

back on the grid

So it was only a few days without power but it felt much longer. At one point, my husband had to take my cell phone in to work to charge it up and I was completely out of the loop. I couldn't call anyone. No one could call me. It was strange.

I think at this point I have returned all phone calls and emails. If you have not heard from me, then I probably never got your message so talk to me.

off the grid

okay. I'm attempting to post from my phone. we have no power and I do not have access to my computer so all orders are on hold. I'll update when there's a change. I heard we might be down until wednesday. thanks!

the new site is live

Okay, my new website is live. Well, mostly live. I'm adding to it in stages and I'm starting with my senior site. But, more will be added all the time. Check it out!

THE NEW SITE

I'd love to hear your thoughts on the site. Feel free to comment below! And if you know any high school juniors or seniors, send them on over there.

introducing

this cute, little guy. E is just three months old but already has developed quite a personality. His mom just glows in her role as mommy and I have a feeling E is going to get quite a bit of love lavished on him. And this is a good thing. We could all use a little love lavished on us now and then. Thanks, A, for trusting me to photograph this time in E's life. I look forward to watching him grow.

I think the way E is holding his toes is just too precious!



If friends and family have made it to this post, be sure to leave a comment for the proud parents to read!

fun family

Well, this mom has her hands full. A beautiful daughter and two busy boys. It was a wild and crazy session but that's the stage of life this family is in right now and that's what I strive to capture. Not society's idea of 'perfect' but reality. Because you know what? It's never going to be the same again. This mom has such love and patience for her children and it shows. She is a calm presence.

So, a real portrait. Well, actually I'm going to show you four. And don't forget, you can click on an image to view it larger and I would suggest that for the art print so you can read the words.









Okay, let's hear it from the fan club. Post your comments for the family to read.