That’s it. I can’t take it anymore. As if it weren’t bad enough to be stuck inside for days while Seattle waits out this crazy snow storm, I’m forced to see everyone’s snow pictuers all over the internet too. No color! So cold! Stir crazy! But I’ve got your back, Internet. It is with great pleasure that I warmly present to you…summer. Yes boys and girls, long, long ago on an 80 degree day at our friends house out in the sticks, we played hard in our bare feet and soaked up the setting sun. The Commons children are some of the most polite, kind hearted, free spirited children I know. Expoloring their backyard with them and lying in the grass telling stories was an absolute delight. And not just for the grown ups. I think I remember Tristan saying it was the best. day. ever. So this afternoon, while the snow continues to trickle down outside and I’m napping the day away, I’ll be dreaming of summer and these precious beauties who helped us have the best. day. ever. Can’t wait to do it again soon!
Holy Golightly: “Listen. You know those days when you get the mean reds?”
Paul “Fred” Varjak: “The mean reds. You mean like the blues?”
Holly: “No, the blues are because you’re getting fat and maybe it’s been raining too long. You’re just sad that’s all. The mean reds are horrible. Suddenly you’re afraid and you don’t know what you’re afraid of. Do you ever get that feeling?”
Fred: “Sure.”
Holly: “When I get it, the only thing that does any good is to jump into a cab and go to Tiffany’s. Calms me down right away.”
Just like last year, I visited sweet little Maya for some birthday pictures. This year she turned two. Terrible two’s jokes aside, Maya was not in the mood to be smiley and playful for her birthday shoot. We tried everything. Her bright pink jacket and perky pigtails didn’t do the trick. Bouncing and kicking a cheerful pink ball didn’t crack a smile. We even brought out the big guns with a shiny pink bicycle but she was barely amused. I don’t think she was sad at all. Just a case of the mean reds. Perhaps what Maya needed instead of pink was a little blue box! I kid. I kid.
In the end, what seemed to suit her best was relaxing in her living room and playing with the record player. Maya and I are the same like that. A needle on the record and a snuggle on the couch on a chilly autumn morning is exactly what I’d want too.
“She softened gradually, melting in the light of the sun, all the while thinking, O, this is what it’s like to be a planet & suddenly it was over & the universe expanded by one.” — Story People
I just got the news this morning via Facebook that Brooke and Josh welcomed their baby boy into the world last night. I am so excited for them! Brooke and I go waaaay back to our pre-teen days and seeing her now, in the life after our twenties as a mommy, sheesh, it gives me goosebumps. The power of the Social Network never ceases to amaze me. A baby gets announced on Facebook and a whole village rallies through the internet to give blessings, well wishes and cheer. An entire community at your finger tips. Isn’t that incredible? And through this tool Brooke and I have been able to remain in touch after all these years. We watch each others lives from a distance and then when we finally get together, we hardly skip a beat.
Brooke, I wish you all the tender, love filled, bittersweet moments that occur when a persons heart expands. I can’t wait to read your status updates about how everyday is a new discovery of deeper joy. May you have entire days spent just watching your tiny baby, soaking it all up and letting yourself be present for every precious moment of this new journey you’re on. Congratulations, Mama!
Today I feel like dancing. It’s my birthday month and in four days I’ll be in NYC with some of the best friends a girl could ask for.
Today I feel like a ladybug: bright and colorful with a voracious appetite.
Today I feel nostalgic. I want to feel holiday cheer the way a child does. Could Santa be real? Will it snow and shut down the city? Can we walk and sled in the streets?
Today I feel like stargazing. With a hot cup of spiced cider in my hands I’ll make up names for made up constellations and reflect on how tiny we are in this big old universe.
Today I feel like a leaf. I’m clinging to my base for dear life but nearly ready to succumb to being blown around wherever fate will take me.
Today I feel surreal. It’s as though all the bustling of holiday shoppers, downtown commuters, and noisy traffic jams are being whisked around, not of their own accord, but by the crispy cold wind that cuts sharply through our layers.
Today I want to feel passion and time stand still.
Today I feel blessed. It has been a very successful year and I’m ready to wrap a nice little bow around 2011 and send it on its way.
Today, I imagine the Wales family is feeling some of the very same things but for very different reasons. With a little one due to arrive this spring and news of the sex of their baby just days away, they’re surely feeling all this and more.
Julia, whatever you’re feeling today, I hope these images are received with joy and excitement. May your holidays as a family of three be filled with much celebration and jubilation as you transform into a family of four. I look forward to seeing you all again in a few months once the little one arrives!
Glen Bright -The best pictures EVER! We need to find out the dogs name. Winston and Kona are in love:) Yes, even Kona!! The next time Daphne is over I am going to read her your comments. She will love that Aunt Jamie feels like a ladybug. She will draw one for you I’m sure:) Have a great time in New York. Be safe.
Love,
Your number one fan in all of the great San Joaquin Valley
Do you know I have tattoos? I say that to shock and distract you from the fact that the photos you’re about to see look a lot like early Fall and include children in costumes for Halloween….which was obviously awhile ago. I may be running a tad behind schedule here on the blog. With the way the weather looks outside right now, it doesn’t seem fair to be posting pictures from the summer weddings I shot this year. You know, when the sun was up past 4:30pm and you didn’t need to wear socks? Even though most of the leafs from the trees in this session are now on the ground, it’s these trees that made me think of tattoos.
My first one is on my inner, right ankle. I got it while in the Ozarks of Missouri with my little sister for her graduation from basic training. It’s a kanji symbol that stands for femininity…in the way that the sun is masculine and the moon is feminine…or so that’s what we’re told. An ironic choice considering that, my little sister, after having her inner ankle freshly inked with a sharp needle, rolled her tall socks up over her wound, laced up her tall, shiny, black boots and marched back to base in an anything but feminine cadence. I took a print of the tattoo back home with me so our youngest sister could have the same one done here in Seattle. I love that wherever we go, we each have that reminder of each other.
The second tattoo was a birthday gift to myself…my sign. The Archer or Sagittarius. A bent arrow on my back. It’s on my spine between the shoulder blades. I remember just before the artist got started he asked, “straight arrow or bent?” And without hesitation, I confirmed, bent. I guess you could say, I’m the kind of person who likes detours.
The third tattoo is on my right side from my hip to…a little lower than my armpit. It hurt. A lot. Every.Single.Rib. I could feel the vibration of the needle in the pit of my stomach for all three hours I sat on that work bench. But, the pain is temporary, tattoos are forever, and the end result are some fairly impressive gray branches and pink blossoms on a blooming cherry tree inked into my side. I absolutely love that time of year here, when all of a sudden there are pink trees blooming everywhere. And just as Spring gets really rolling, it begins snowing pink and white blossoms. You have to take it all in quickly because before you know it, they’re gone.
And…drum roll please…that’s how we get to these gorgeous red, yellow and orange trees of Autumn. My left side is begging for them. I want to take the canvas of the Bellevue Botanical Gardens on a Fall morning, like this one with the Mitchell Family, and condense them into one fiery tree inked into my skin. Wow, right? I know. I had an appointment set at my favorite shop in October…but October turned into a really busy month for me. What with running off to Portland on a train with a few friends to marry my soul mate…for starters. It too, was a beautiful Fall day with the leaves changing and a fantastic blue sky. The next weekend we flew to California to meet my in-laws for the very first time. That adventure was a pretty big deal too. Somehow, life got so full I didn’t have room for that tattoo appointment. So full of love, adventures, and a general wave of life changing experiences. This has pretty much been a remarkably wild year. And I couldn’t be happier.
Speaking of wild and happy, I had a wildly good time with the Mitchell Family last month. I loved having the opportunity to photograph them again this year and see how much the boys have grown. Liting, after last years rain out, I’m so glad you finally got the outdoor shoot you always wanted…blue skies and all.
In case you missed the memo, it’s family portrait season! I absolutely love this time of year. Every weekend when I come home from a session my husband asks me how it went. A trailer quickly fires off in my mind replaying the chaos of the previous couple of hours and I reply, “okay, I think.” In the moments of screaming-crying-please-sit-still-smile-stay-don’t-run-play-nice-sighs-of-defeat, it’s hard to tell if it was a success or not. But Allison has been through this before. This is the third time I’ve photographed her family and she knows just how to survive a family photo shoot. And having survived over ten years of family photo shoots myself, I thought you might find my “How to Survive a Family Photo Shoot” guide helpful, if not entertaining. As a bonus, this is a great survival guide for life in general, as well. Enjoy!
How to Survive a Family Photo Shoot
Take a shower and wash your hair. Wear something that makes you feel beautiful. Appreciate your soft, round middle and tired yet smiling eyes. Do not be shy about the fact that you have cleavage and really great shoes.
Ask for help when you need it and remember patience is a virtue.
Breathe. You’ll need to be comforted and reassured over and over again–how could you not? You were meant to be loved, so let it in. Inhale. Exhale. Breathe.
Play whatever game your kids are playing. Stop apologizing. Stop explaining. I’ve seen it all before.
Don’t hold back. Allow yourself to be ridiculous and feel joy. Put all your energy into the place where your heart is leading.
Play your favorite song on your iPhone, set it for repeat, and dance to it like no one is watching…or everyone is watching.
Submit to the chaos. This can be terrifying and uncomfortable but there’s nothing to do but ride it out. It is critical for you to understand that there is no wrong move here and the powerful energy around you is going to happen with or without your blessing.
Let go of all your assumptions. You don’t know how this adventure will play out and you are not in control. Face the moment with eyes wide open, unafraid, knowing that love is all that matters and everyone is working towards a happy ending.
Allison-Jamie – these photos are amazing! I love them! I especially love “how to survive a family photo shoot” guide. Hopefully helpful and funny for other families going through the same thing.
Alex is a free spirit for sure – not going to win the prize for doing the “best” (most posed and listening to photographer’s direction) family photo shoot! But, he is so fun and sure makes things interesting. I really like “submit to the choas” since that is exactly what I tried to do!
The photos are wonderful! I love the one of the kids and their stuffed animals, the one of Lance and I, the looking up at the plane and the kids by themselves.
Once again – we love the pictures! Thank you!
Allison-OMG – Love the “how to survive a family photo shoot” – so true, so true! I especially love the “surrender to chaos” – as that is exactly what I did!
We love the photos – so many great photos that capture who we are, chaos and all!
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!
Clare-It totally is family photo season! For my family too. We haven’t had our pictures done professionally for over a decade, and recently my mother buckled down and had some major weight loss, so my husband and I figured it was about time!
The frustrating part is that it seems that every photographer we contact about taking the pictures, we get blown off. And we are of the opinion that if they don’t even want to be in contact from the get go, its not worth tracking them down further.
So fingers crossed! Feel free to pass along if you know of any great family photographers in Iowa!
Glen Bright -Hey Jamie. Or Hyme as your weird husband would say:). Great pictures but an even better guide for life in general. If we all followed that guide it would be such a better world. I have one question concerning the guide. Can we eat meat? Love, Dad
Can I tell you a secret? Running around town with families like this one makes me jealous – in a good way. I long for the day when I have my own family of three with wind blown hair to lay in the tall grass with and soak up the setting sun. I want to sit with my dream family around a table with mismatched chairs and feed them food I nurtured from my garden. I want to crank music while I cook for them and hear their laughter fill the air. I want homemade quilts on our beds and old wooden toys scattered on the floor. I want to play until my legs are too tired and then sink into a claw foot tub filled with piping hot water and a glass of wine in hand. And when the day is finally done, I want to walk through my small, simple home and see pictures of my amazing life and favorite people all over my walls.
Hopefully, this dream will find me soon. In the meantime, I get to live vicariously through awesome families like this one.
I met the Couch Family for their session at the Olympic Sculpture Park just blocks from Sean’s pre-baby bachelor pad. We rocked the park, the waterfront, and some very artistic alley’s in the Belltown neighborhood. And by rock, I’m in rock-n-roll!! We called ahead to Mother Nature and requested she turn on the wind machine and pump up the setting sun. She did not disappoint.
I think like-minded free spirits are attracted to me. They find me like a magnet and we have the most interesting time getting to know each other by being foolishly in love, letting our hair down and saying “yes, please.” You know, the people who don’t think twice about hopping the fence for an adventure on the other side. Maybe you’re someone who takes the long way home and are totally okay with being lost for awhile? We would be friends. When you meander, magic happens. And by magic, I mean unbridled laughter, unruly curls, and uninhibited love…for starters.
Sara, thank you for choosing me to be your family photographer. Editing your session was an eye candy treat that filled me with such happiness as I replayed our date in Belltown again and again. I hope that when these memories finally make it to your walls you feel the same kind of love…only deeper. Because it’s your love story and you are loved.
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