I ♥ Feet

The image below is my entry for the I ♥ Faces contest, which this week is focused on feet!



Yes, you've seen this one before, but its one of my favorites, and I thought it might do for the contest. I encourage everyone to check out I ♥ Faces , and start entering images. You don't have to be a pro, ya know!

Love this!

My friend April sent this to me tonight in an email. I almost forwarded it to my friends, but the list got too long so I'm sharing it here:

45 lessons life taught me (Written By Regina Brett, 90 years old, of The Plain Dealer, Cleveland , Ohio)

"To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most-requested column I've ever written." "My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:"

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.

16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.

35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood.

38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.

41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

42. The best is yet to come.

43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

44. Yield.

45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift."

Happy Independance Day!

We had an All-American kinda day yesterday, starting with a Red, White and Blue parade, then swimming and a backyard BBQ, and ending with watermellon and sparklers. Perfect in every way.






How was yours?

we found THE HOUSE

I'm in love...our new home in Phoenix has everything I was looking for-lots of open space, interesting architecture, wood floors, a huge swimming pool and spa, and IT SITS RIGHT ON A LAKE WHICH IS IN THE MIDDLE OF TOWN! Can you imagine? I've been humming the song "Ocean Front Property in Arizona" for days now.

The neighborhood is called The Islands, and it is a gorgeous little piece of paradise in Gilbert, a suburb (I think) of Phoenix.

We found out today that our offer was accepted, and so we are planning to move in two weeks. Can you hear the smile behind my words? I am looking forward to this more than I can say.

I got a few images from the internet of the neighborhood and our house. I hope this isn't the most boring blog post of all time, but I can't wait to show these to everyone:
This is the neighborhood entrance. Very beachy.



This image is of the lake, from a public road:


And here is our house:


The view from the front door:


This is the cozy family room. Well, it will be cozy by the time I'm finished with it!


This image was taken from the house across the water from ours. Our backyard is the one on the right:


A gorgeous image of the Arizona sunset:


As I said, I didn't take any of these pictures so I don't think I'll leave this post here for long-I just wanted to share. Hopefully I'll have some images of my own to post pretty soon!

Charts and Checks- an update on our move.

In case anyone is wondering, I am STILL in San Antonio. Nope, we haven't moved yet, and although I've been saying this for four months now, we expect to move in about a month-at this time it looks like it will be sometime around the 15th of July.

I've become completly obsessed with house hunting. As anyone who knows me for even an hour can tell you, I am ready to get out of this house that we outgrew 3 kids ago, and the reality of finally getting a new home is HUGE to me. So I spend hour after hour researching our new destination of Phoenix AZ. Phoenix is enormous, and when I first started my search I had no idea of where to look. Where are the desirable areas? Which schools should we avoid? What are the neighborhoods like? I have so many questions!

Luckily, I have a couple of friends to steer me in the right direction, as well as the fabulous internet. Suzi, one of my high school classmates, lives there and she has been key in helping me narrow down the search. She also hooked me up with a great realtor named Jeff Duncan. I haven't met him face to face yet, but so far he has been incredibly personable and helpful, and I can tell that he is committed to helping us find the house that will be our home.

I'll be going on a house hunting trip very soon, with the intention of securing a house in only two days. Oh my gosh I'm so excited! I'm the kind of person who house hunts for no reason-I drive neighborhoods, stop in at open-houses, and generally window shop even when we have no plans to move. The idea of actually looking to find one is like going to Disney World for me, and I am 100% prepared. I have charts and maps, color-coded and organized to perfection:







So far, there hasn't been a single house that is perfect in every way. If it has all the features we want, it is out of our price range. Of those we can afford, we will have to give something up, something important like the number of bedrooms or bathrooms (critical with a family of 6), or the distance Chip will have to drive to work, or grass in the backyard (can you believe many houses don't have ANY? It's the desert, ya know).

And now I'm terrified that one of my top picks will be taken before I can get there. Terrified is not too strong a word, either, as evidenced by my obsessive computer checks every hour to make sure they are all still activly listed. We just lost one yesterday. I mourned the loss of my possible home. There is, however, a silver lining-new houses get added every day as well.

In fact, I think I'll check in now...because you never know!

The Mud Monsters

Last night while digging around my newly built computer, and attempting to restore some order to my mixed-up file system, I came across some images I snapped my my kids on Memorial Day. We were at my in-laws house, preparing for a great day of fun and sun, when the sky opened up and POURED rain for about 20 minutes, leaving a lake of water standing on the lawn.

I was inside during the storm, trying to have a conversation over the thunder and rain. My in-laws live in an apartment that they have built in their airplane hangar, and the sound of the rain hitting the metal roof is louder than you can imagine.

When I ventured outside to check on the guys and kids, my husband informed me that he told the kids it would be OK if they got their feet wet.

As I soon discovered, this is his idea of "wet feet":


Oh, how I love this photo:

My son G is almost impossible to photograph without a surly expression, but he was so happy to be wallowing in the mud that he couldn't contain his joy. Gotcha!

The is T, and yes, he frequently looks like this:

M-sweet as usual:

Another fav, even though he is filthy. I don't think I'd recognize him all cleaned up anyway. G is all boy:


Believe it or not, I don't take as many pictures of my kids as I should. I am trying hard to change that situation!

Published in Design Aglow!

I am completly thrilled to have my marketing tip published in Design Aglow Magazine! It is a photography trade magazine that I happen to love, and on their blog a few weeks ago they requested that readers submit their "Dirty Little Secrets" about how they do something within their business, so I sent one in right away.

(Mindy, if you are reading this, M's picture is featured as well and it looks fantastic!)

For my submission, I recieved a free copy of the latest digital edition, a value of $30. I've already torn through the entire thing, and plan to go back over it again this evening. I highly recommend it for photographers!

Gone Fishin'

I have to apologize for the terrible neglect I've given to my blog in the past weeks. Its a crying shame, and completly ironic, that when life gets busy and I have a zillion topics I want to share, I can't find the time to share them. From the insane baseball schedule at the end of the season, to the last weeks of school with parties and slideshows to create, then my computer crash, and now fighting with the kids for computer time, it seems like I need a work vacation so that I can get some things done.

Just me and my computer for a week or two, now THAT would be heaven!

Several weeks ago, I headed out to Landa Park in New Braunfels to photograph a couple of boys that I've known since they were itty-bitty. This is was my third session with them, and they just get cuter and more adorable as they grow.

I mentioned some time back that I was planning a "Gone Fishin'" mini-session, and Andrea jumped at the chance to book one for her boys. Check them out:












Guys, you were absolutely wonderful and so much fun. Thanks for a great morning!

Computer Issues

Last week, during what was already one of the worst days I've ever had, my computer crashed. I think it caught the swine flu. It is now fixed, mostly, but I am in middle of a long and frustrating process of reloading all of my programs to my newly rebuilt computer.

It ain't going so well.

I am thus far unable to check my Ever After email address, edit photos or create slideshows. I think things will be at 100% in the next few days, but I'm asking those of you who are waiting on your images and slideshows to please wait just a bit longer. Also, please email me at my personal address-LeahGodfredson(at)AOL(dot)com.
(Sorry to type it so cryptically, but I'm not interested in getting more spam than I already do.)

The kids are home for summer vacation, and so are also vying for my attention. God knows why, but they expect me to feed them.

When things are back to normal, you'll be the first to know.

Peace!

Big Day

Early Saturday morning, before my eyes had opened, I felt an eager anticipation for the day which lay ahead. The next 10 hours were to be filled with activity: two baseball games, a pizza party, a hair appointment, a nail appointment, my mom's birthday, and PROM. Emphasis on the prom part, because that alone would normally have taken up every bit of my attention on an otherwise uneventful day.

I felt anxiety slowly beginning to take a hold of me, because most of the day's activities were overlapped and Chip would be working and unable to help shuttle everyone to where they needed to be. A quick call to my mom (during which I forgot to tell her Happy Birthday) settled matters; she was available to help out.

As the day quickly progressed plans changed due to the weather, but everyone got to where they needed to be on time and with the appropriate gear. I was finally able to focus my attention on the highlight of the day-D's first prom.

The first appointment was for her hair. She wanted an up-do, and I was just happy that she was open to my suggestions on the style. We disagreed about how much hair should hang down covering her eyes, but as I remembered all the disagreements that I had with my mom over my prom hair I quickly closed my mouth.

D, all smiles before the work began:


This is Janie, D has been going to her since her very first haircut:


Side view:


D thinks it's "too big!":


Putting on the finishing touches:


All done!


Love this one:


And here is D with her date, J. They looked fabulous!











I think they had a great time, I know I did!

Mark and Andrea: Mariott Riverwalk

Andrea was working as a waitress in a hotel bar when Mark, who was staying there as a guest, bumped into her in the lobby. Their lives were changed from then on, as they got to know each other, became best friends and then fell in love.

Mark stayed in Houston for a few short months before being transfered to Denver. Not long after, Andrea followed him, and it was there that he proposed.

The wedding took place last Saturday in San Antonio, Texas on the beautiful Riverwalk. I admit I was a bit nervous minutes before the ceremony because of the noise of the city; jackhammering could be heard from a construction site nearby, traffic from the streets above was blaring, pedestrians talking. But as Andrea decended the stairs to the courtyard and made her way toward Mark, somehow the sounds were silenced.



The jackhammers stopped, riverboat operators respectfully turned down their motors as they passed, and I don't think a car horn was heard even once. Even the sun slipped behind a cloud and stayed there the duration of the ceremony, giving everyone present a welcome break from the heat of the sun's rays.



Strangers stopped with their little girls and quietly watched from the bridges and walkways of the river. All eyes, in fact, were on the gorgeous bride.




One of my favorite aspects of the day was the spectacular color! Bright and bold, Andrea paired deep purple with saturated orange. It was an amazing and beautiful combination, much like Andrea and Mark.







From beginning to end it was a perfect wedding, for a most perfect couple. Here are a few highlights from their day:



A huge Thank You goes to my friend Paulette Clay of Visionz Event Planning for sending Mark and Andrea my way, and for recommending Dawn as my assistant for the evening. It was a fabulous night!

Moore Family: Lifestyle Session

It seems I'm on a roll lately of doing shoots for my former Judson High School classmates (Go Rockets!).

Krista and I haven't seen each other in years, in spite of being two of the few '86 grads still here in the SA area. It turns out that we have a lot in common, with her girls and mine in cheerleading, and I wish we could have hung out a bit more. As it happens, when we do finally make our move to Phoenix I'll be in the same town as Krista's best friend Suzi, and this time I'm going to make a point of keeping in touch with both of them, near and far!

Krista lives in Texas Hill Country, one of my favorite spots on earth, and she wanted her photographs to reflect who they are and where they come from. I think the location we settled on is absolutely perfect: Rock Wall Ranch just past Garden Ridge.

This is Krista's youngest. Isn't she an absolute doll?

And her older daughter is just beautiful:

Everyone in the family has a name that starts with "K" Here are Krista and KaCey:

I didn't have to do much to encourage them to play:

Love this gorgeous light:

The girls wanted to jump off this wall, all I could think of was "please don't break your legs!!"

Look out Taylor Swift, K Moore is hot on your heels!

Fierce!











I did mention that they are cheerleaders, right? Nothing shy about these girls.

Krista, your family is incredibly beautiful. Thank you so much for allowing me to photograph them and spend a little time with you.

Paulette Clay: Event Coordinator

Late yesterday afternoon I had the absolute best time photographing Paulette Clay, who is the visionary behind Visionz, a wedding and event planning company.

Paulette and I went to high school together, and after all these years the thing that stands out in my mind about her is her amazing smile. I'm talking Julia Roberts, here - big, genuine and infectious. She has the kind of smile that makes you feel warm, happy, and very interesting, even if you weren't already having that kind of a day.

But I think her heart is even bigger than her smile. She spent a little time filling me in on how she came to begin her own company during these rocky economic times, and how she just knows that this is what she is meant to do. She is taking a huge leap of faith, but everything in the universe is telling her that she isn't jumping blind, that she is doing the right thing. I think she is going to be wildly successful, and its killing me that I won't be here in SA to watch as it happens.

For her session, we headed out to The Vineyards Restaurant, one of my favorite spots on earth. It is located just a bit past the city of Garden Ridge, right at the edge of Texas Hill Country. I don't know which is best, the beautiful location or the food, but the combination is perfection, making it an amazing choice for a very special dinner or a wedding. A huge thanks goes to the manager, John, for allowing us to use the grounds of the restaurant for the session.

See what I mean about her smile?


She can look fierce, too:


And sweet:


It usually takes 30 minutes for people to warm up enough for a good hard laugh. Paulette was cracking up less than two minutes after she arrived:





One of my favs:






Sorry Paulette, I HAD to post these. Don't get mad.



Paulette is currently booking events and weddings for 2009 and 2010, and I completly recommend her for both her personality and her work. Her website will be live very soon, in the meantime you can call her at (210) 452-7874. She is sure to bring you a smile!

Photography Question, Answered.

You may remember Lindsay, one of my future brides and past engagement shoot clients. She has a blog of her own, which I am guilty of stalking on a regular basis, just to keep up with what is going on before the wedding goes down (in only SIX MONTHS!).

The photography bug has bitten Lindsay, long before we met, and I always love to see what she is doing with her camera. This past weekend she had the opportunity to photograph her absolutely adorable, pinchable-cheeked nephew, whom she calls Moose. She wasn't getting the results that she usually gets, and asked on her blog if anyone knew the problem. You can see the post, along with the images, here.

So here is her question:
"I tried the manual aperture setting on my camera for these pictures of Moose and for some reason they all turned out very grainy. You might not be able to tell here, but they don't have the crispness I usually get. Anyone out there know what I did wrong? Help!"

I know I'm not an expert on photography, but I have a fair idea of what is going on so I emailed her my take on it. It then occured to me that there are lots of people who have the same questions, after all I was in Lindsay's shoes not too long ago, trying to figure all this out.

So with the hope of helping out at least one other person, here is my reply:

"The problem, which really isn't a problem, is that you were shooting in RAW, and so there are absolutely no adjustments made to the image by your camera. That means that you have to do stuff to it in PS to get it to look the way a JPEG looks SOOC (Straight Out Of Camera).

I tend to shoot JPEGs as much as I can, unless I know that there is a reason that I need the extra latitude a RAW file gives to fix stuff. For example, I shoot RAW if there are very bright areas and very dark areas within the frame (subject is in the shade and background is bright sun) or if the white balance is questionable (any light source besides the sun or your flash). These situations are hard to fix once they have been shot in JPEG, but a RAW file is much easier to fix because it has so much more information, RAW files are huge for a reason. You don't, however, want to fix every image you take because it is extremely time consuming. If the conditions are such that it is easy for the camera to get it right, then take advantage of the amazing software in your expensive DSLR and let it do the work for you.

In my mind, I think of a RAW file as raw food, like carrots, potatoes and chuck roast sitting on the counter. There are a million ways to cook it, a million different things you can do to it to make a meal. But just keep in mind that you will have some work to do before its "done." RAW files are flat and lackluster by nature, but all of the information is there in the file for you to be able to make it mighty tasty.

A JPEG is like an already cooked meal. Someone else has done all the cooking, just as your camera has done all the post-processing. You can still do a few things to it in order to get it just how you like, but not much. You can cook it a little longer, add salt or seasoning, etc. Its the same with a JPEG. The contrast, saturation, white balance and sharpening are done for you. The camera actually starts with the same RAW file, applies all that stuff, and spits out a JPEG, to which you can add some salt."

All Lindsay really needs to do is add some extra contrast and then sharpen the image in Photoshop or any image processing software. Or next time, shoot JPEG to start with and let the camera do most of the work for you.

So there you have my take on the JPEG vs. RAW debate. I do both, just as sometimes I buy an Arby's Roast Beef Sandwich and sometimes I spend the whole afternoon making Pot Roast. I love them both, for different reasons.

Alicia and Corey

I've got some serious blog catching-up to do. It seems that our impending move to Arizona is sucking up every available moment of my computer time. I am searching for a new home, conducting online searches for organizational tips, researching Phoenix area high schools, emailing cheer coaches for tryout dates and information, and then doing more home searching. Love that home searching part.

So here is what I've found so far: Gilbert and Chandler. Since I've never been there I have to rely on the advice of others, and everyone tells us that those two areas are the place to be. The schools are great (although HUGE), the communities are clean and family friendly, and I've found several houses that look just right for our bigger-than-average family.

I have called a realtor and hopefully things will start to move along soon.

And so what have I been neglecting to blog? Well, I did an awesome brother/sister shoot a couple of weeks ago. Awesome because they are as relaxed and fun as they are gorgeous!


This is the only year that they will be in high school together, so the point of the shoot was to commemorate that.






It was a fun and quick shoot, thanks so much for letting me spend some time with you!

Mercado Family: Lifestyle Session

As you may know by now, casual and relaxed family sessions are one of my favorite kinds of shoots. I get to go into someones house, get to know them a bit, and capture everyone relaxing and interacting in the place where they feel most comfortable-home.

The Mercados welcomed a new baby boy into the family a few weeks ago, making them a family of six! It is definitely a happy home, with love and joy in every hug, kiss and smile.

We started the session with baby A, who was fast asleep when I arrived:

Baby toes!


Soon after, his big brothers and sister joined us, fighting over who got to hold the baby.


I adore freckles.



This little guy needed a bit longer to warm up to me.




We did a special shot of everyones favorite toys, with a little mischief going on in the background:



One of my favorites from the day:

I always love to include the family art gallery:

They fell for all my jokes:








Father and son, doesn't it pull at your heart just a bit?

Another fav:

And we are back where we started, with baby A asleep in his swing. Is that a smile I see? Beautiful.


I forgot to say goodbye to all the kids when I left that day. I hope you know how much I enjoyed spending time with all of you!

Big Announcement

I've started this blog post half a dozen times in the past couple of days, writing my feelings and giving details about what is going on in my life. But it is really simple-

WE'RE MOVING TO PHOENIX, ARIZONA!!!!!!

I am thrilled beyond belief. I've been in a rut for the last, oh...3 years at least. I need a change, new scenery, new house (yippeeeeeeee), new routine. I'll miss my friends, parents and in-laws dearly, but I can't hide the joy in my heart.

I've been booking sessions like crazy the last few days, now that there is a deadline it seems people are realizing it is now or never to get an Ever After session. So if this sounds like you, I urge you to call me now.

I am, however, continuing to book weddings and quinceanera's here in San Antonio, and of course I will be shooting the weddings that are already scheduled. I'll fly back and forth as needed, living the jet set life I've always dreamed about! Well, OK not really, I'm a little high and goofy with all the excitement-but I am really looking forward to coming home every now and then sans kids to shoot a wedding.

If it isn't too boring, I'll keep the blog updated with the details of our move. We have to sell or rent out this house, find another in Phoenix, get the kids settled in and oh my gosh there is so much to be done!!! Pinch me. This is the most excitement I've had since Morgan was born here at home.

Wish me luck in our new home!

Tutu Cute, part III

Today I'm finishing up these tutu sessions. Maria, I know you have been patiently waiting for your peek, so enjoy!



Here is another wood sprite dancing in the forest. They are so elusive, by the time I focused on her, she was gone!


I've known this girl for quite some time, but somehow I never noticed her dimples before, and I just adore dimples!


Love these!


Thanks so much for a great session. I hope you had as much fun as I did!

Tutu Sessions, part II

Still working on those Tutu Mini sessions, and I'm having so much fun with these! Mindy, here is a little peak at your little beauty:

Isn't she a doll?

I'm not usually a fan of selective color, but I really think I like it here:

This is much more moody than what I usually do, but I'm drawn to this image for some reason. She looks like a little wood sprite running because she's been spotted in the forest.


This is the one I would frame if I were her mom. So sweet!

I still have more images to post tomorrow. Isn't this fun?

Tutu Cute Sessions

Yesterday I did a whirlwind of Tutu Mini Sessions. I've been hard at work getting the files uploaded and organized today, but I did get the chance to peek at a few of them.

These two beauties are the daughters of the employee of my mom (did that make sense?).





There are more to come, I'll post a few each day until all of the sessions are represented. I am incredibly lucky to get the opportunity to work with such a great group of little ballerinas!