Couples Shoot with Parker and Lisa - Portrait Photography in Lincoln, Nebraska

When my brother-in-law Parker brought his girlfriend Lisa to Lincoln for a few days to Meet The Family, I jumped at the chance to take them out for a photo session with my new camera and lenses. They were kind enough to subject themselves to my whims for a couple of hours.  I was so very happy with the way these turned out. (I am loving my new glass and camera too!)

Oh...can you guess which photos were taken in a PUBLIC BATHROOM?? (Bonus points if you know where the bathroom is!)

The Johnson's Christmas Card Design - Family Photography in Lincoln, Nebraska

A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of photographing the (very photogenic) Johnson family! Diane is a coworker of mine and a great friend as well. I'm planning to get some of their family photos up in a post of their own, but for now I wanted to show you the card I designed for them.

Diane had the idea to incorporate some barbed wire. We took this photo in front of a feed yard full of cows cattle heifers so it the rustic/ranch feel was very appropriate! She wanted a one-sided design, in the 4x8 size, so people could cut off the greeting if they wanted, and have a regular print of the family! I designed the card from scratch, and she will be ordering/printing it at a site of her choosing.

So...it's not too late for Christmas cards! ;)  If you've already had a family shoot this year, I can whip something up for you too, in just a couple of days!  You can also check out a few designs, and some super fancy cards, here at my blog about Christmas Cards.  And if you're a little behind...people like to get New Years' cards too. :)

I promise soon I'll share the rest of the Johnson family shoot! For now, though...Justin and I are off this weekend to cheer for the Huskers in the Big XII Championship game! (Go Big Red!)

You know that time called the golden hour?

I think I found it.

The beautiful Koehler sisters asked me to take these photos for a gift to their parents...a gift the parents don't know about yet!  This shoot yielded some of the most beautiful photos I think I've taken. It's all about the light. Really.

(This is also what happens when you trust your photographer that even though Nebraska is playing, the best photos still happen right before sunset!) ;)

More photos from this shoot to come...oh yes, they will come...can't wait to show you! Thanks for looking!

sneakity peakity -- some more lovely family photography!

I learned a valuable lesson this Sunday. At least, I added something else to consider when planning shoots. I don't know where I'd go to find this out, probably the paper and the news and the radio, but this past Sunday was the Breast Cancer Awareness Walk at Holmes Lake. I don't know how many thousands of people had to have been at the park, but I was late to the shoot partly because of the crazy traffic. Thankfully the south shore of the lake was less full of pink-shirted power walkers than the north. But by the time we left, it was filling up too!  I'm thankful our timing, while less than perfect, didn't totally wreck the day.  This wasn't a shoot we could reschedule, so I'm glad it worked out!

 Pretty good lookin' family, wouldn't you say? :)

These kids were quite the charmers. In case you couldn't tell. 

The McMasters! Family Photography in Lincoln, Nebraska

Meet the beautiful McMasters family! Steve, Andrea and their two gorgeous daughters had their family photos taken a couple of weeks ago.  Do you recognize the place?  I took some engagement photos here this spring.  It's my secret, beautiful, perfect place. It makes my soul sing just a little louder.  I think maybe Justin and I should have a picnic here sometime soon.

 This little gal, Erin, really loved the camera and never missed a chance to be in front of it! I could tell within about five seconds of meeting her that she was a performer at heart!  

 

Justin, Laura and Olivia! Family Photography in Lincoln, Nebraska

Today's blog is brought to you by Justin, Laura and their gorgeous daughter Olivia!  I really enjoyed taking these photos! Justin and Laura are friends of ours (my husband Justin works with Justin :) so it was really a privilege to spend some close time with their family.  We took all the photos at their home, in the living room, Olivia's room, and in the backyard.  

 

Renewal of Wedding Vows - my awesome parents!

I am so proud of my parents.  A couple of weeks ago they celebrated their 27th wedding anniversary! In honor of their "27 on 27," they renewed their marriage promises to each other in a small, intimate ceremony.  A pastor from their church said a few words, and then everyone ate cake and fruit. It was simple and meaningful.  My parents are an amazing example of what marriage -- commitment, sacrifice, loyalty, love -- should, and can, be.  So here's to you, Mom and Dad - I've said it before, but I am SO thankful for the lessons you've taught us, just by living your lives.

They didn't exactly set aside a lot of time for photos, so I got them to 'pose' just a few minutes before the guests showed up. Don't I have great-looking parents?? My mom is just gorgeous...

Sisters! Family Portraits in downtown Lincoln, Nebraska

This was my first shoot of this sort! A classmate asked me to take some fun photos of her and her two sisters, as kind of a gift to their parents for Christmas. Fun! We went to the Haymarket and train station in Lincoln and wandered around the area a bit before exploring the Creamery building.  The weather was very warm (yay!) and the snow was melting, so I wore my rubber rain boots so I could sludge around in the muddy slop without worrying about my feet.

Back from a deep hole of school and wedding planning!

I've decided I'd like to keep this blog somewhat active - especially since I've decided to start promoting my Etsy site more. I made my second sale on that site today - very encouraging! I've also had a few family members and friends buy some prints, which is a huge blessing and encouragement to me.

My brother is getting married in June. He and his fiancee asked me to take their engagement photos. Not that I'm super experienced or anything, but it promises to be fun once the weather starts cooperating. I had one print done at Walgreens (I know, the true mark of a professional) just so we could see the coloring and stuff in print (computer screens are deceiving). We had some trouble picking it up because the Walgreens employees thought we were trying to illegally reproduce photos taken by a professional. I showed the apathetic employee my drivers' license, he was like "whatever" and made me sign a copyright release. So weird. But he said, in a bland, 18-year-old-making-$6-an-hour tone, "your pictures are kinda good, maybe you should be a photographer." You never know when a trip to the drugstore will enlighten you to your true purpose in life. A call to excellence from a bored Walgreens employee should never be taken lightly.

rachel

the sunshine falling on rachel and the piano as she practices.

it's here!

my new camera arrived yesterday, a Canon Digital Rebel XTi, with a 17-50mm f/2.8 lens. i am very excited to get it!! i've taken plenty of pictures, but for technical reasons i can only share some of them (the rest are sitting uselessly on my home computer). so here is the first wave.

the zoo trip

ever since justin and i were sorely disappointed by the "national aquarium" in washington d.c. a few weeks ago, we've wanted to visit the aquarium/zoo in omaha. and just like when we wanted to go play laser tag, we brought my two littlest sisters as a kind of cover for doing kid-like stuff. so the four of us visited henry doorly yesterday. here are a few of the pictures from the trip.

here are all four of us in the reflection on the granite sphere outside the desert dome.

three sisters! but i have to say the pink d.c. hat thing was totally unplanned.

here are some of the animals we saw:
and here we are trying to find out where we are...

you have to look closely here...see the giant gorilla handprint? rachel is in the picture for scale.
and here it is again. but then again, rachel's pretty small.

rachel playing in the waterfallit was a long day, but we had fun!