When you look at your life, the greatest happinesses are family happinesses. ~Joyce Brothers

The Jessup’s were a fun family to photograph. They are all so photogenic. Just look at mom and dad! Both lovely people who make amazingly gorgeous kids! Couple that with beautiful surroundings and a day that started out gray but ended in sunshine. Who could ask for anything more? Ahhh, magical! Of course, it was also packed full of energy, water fun, stick swords, sand, tundra flowers and oh, did I mention puppies? Yeah, it couldn’t have gotten any better. I got to meet Judith’s new puppy Trooper, who at 8 weeks old is a ball of fluff. What a cutie. Thanks Jessups for a great night. I hope you enjoy this sneak peak.

Remember this gorgeous mama from her maternity session back in May? I met up with her again yesterday to photograph her sweet baby Sadie. She is just 9 days old. But add on to that the two weeks she was overdue in her Mama’s tummy, and I guess you could say she was already 23 days old! She is quite the little chunker and oh sooo beautiful with all that dark hair. It was so nice to hold a baby again, and enjoy the newness. She wasn’t much up for the glam shots, and enjoyed being snuggly in her mama’s arms instead, but we did manage to capture her sweetness for a few beautiful memories for mom and dad. Enjoy Tara and Loren. You both make wonderful, loving parents!

We enjoyed our weekend to the fullest. It was wonderful and refreshing and just felt great to be outdoors, in the SUN! We headed to Solomon on Sunday, on a whim. I’m so glad we did. We saw musk-ox and reindeer, and I got to take pictures of everything. I’ve always wanted to take a picture of this old store at Solomon. We drive by it every weekend on our way to Council, and I’m glad I finally captured it yesterday. It really is a beautiful building with the most beautiful backdrop. The musk-ox were resting in the field just to the right out of camera view. I know we see them all the time in Nome, but every time I see them, it is really amazing.

We visited the beach today. I was trying to get some good water shots, but got this as my best from today instead. I love her. <3

This has got to be one of my favorite sessions ever. First off, I had a beautiful model! Kallie was up for whatever, and even had some ideas of her own. She rocked her outfits, and has a gorgeous smile! Plus she has an iPhone 4….I mean come on! That in itself is fabulous. I kept yelling out “Beautiful!!” “Oh my gosh!” “Amazing!” lol. I’m sure she thought I was crazy at some point for yelling random words out at her! But how could I help it. I love love love all the images we got Kallie! Thanks for all your patience and understanding with some of my ideas. You were great! Enjoy your sneak peak. xo.

This was the second shoot for the Conners in one week because I forgot to shoot the boys together (must have been distracted the first time!!) lol. I’m sorta glad I got to see them again though, because I ended up getting this shot, which I love! Although, I think the boys must think I am nuts now, and hope to never see me again after what I put them through….getting eaten alive by a million mosquitos and making them hike up a mountain! But all in all, I hope Mom is happy with this shot. I know I would love it on my wall. Happy 18th Birthday to Carson too! Enjoy the rest of your summer guys. I promise not to see you again for a long time!!

We had a fun weekend full of water, sun, and lots of yummy food. What else can I say, I love Alaska and the beauty around me, and I also love my family. Put the two together, and I am in heaven on earth! Have a great week everyone! It’s going to be a busy one for me.

I love this family. They are fun, energetic, talkative, friendly, and a blast to be around. I know Bobbi Jo just a little bit and had just met her two sons the day of the shoot. Yup, I already love them! Some people you just enjoy being around, and this family is just that kind of a family! You can probably tell which one was full of character. No hints here. lol. We got to play outside on a gorgeous Nome day. The sun was high and the wind was just enough to keep the mosquitos away. I hope you enjoy the sneak peak Conners. Thanks for all the energy you put into the shoot.

We hiked Dorothy Falls yesterday. It was my first time and it was amazing to say the least. I will definetely be going back….ahem….with my tripod! I was looking forward to bringing all my gear including my tripod when we left, and totally forgot it at home! Oh well, it was still a great trip and I got a few good photos even handheld. But man, I can’t wait to go back to see what I can really get as far as a quality image with the tripod! I had read about hdr images in one of my photography magazines a while back and thought it would be interesting to try. I exposed for the rock the first time, then exposed for the sky the second. I then merged them in photoshop and was blown away by the result. I’m hooked! Again, far from perfect, but at least I got the gist of what to do now! I had a heck of a time lining up the two images in PS, I must have moved a little too much or changed my focal length a bit. I guess that’s how you learn things, by making those kinds of mistakes. I still like the image. As we were eating our lunch at the base of the falls, we got to watch a mama and daddy bird feeding their babies. It was so fun! The nest is right in the rocks to the right of the falls. Talk about a million dollar view for them!

I wanted something nice to give to Larry as a Father’s Day gift, so we took the kids out the other week and had a little shoot. My goal was to get one nice shot to have made into a canvas for his office. I think I achieved my goal. I’m a happy mama, and I know Larry was happy as well to get his gift. Have a wonderful and safe 4th of July weekend everyone. See you next week!