Elyjah Pinkerton Newborn Portraits

I've been waiting for this sweet little guy! And you can tell from these sweet pictures, that mom and dad have been waiting pretty eagerly too!

Those curls were so soft and sweet!

I love the light on his face in this one!

I usually don't get around to messing with black and whites and color treatments on sneak peeks, but I just had to see how this one looked-and I think it's beautiful!

Ya just gotta have the naked-sleeping-baby shot! I waited and waited for this little guy to get to sleep, but he decided to wait until 5 minutes after I left! No worries: I didn't mind coming back to visit him again!!

Peace and Hogs

But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,
and by his wounds we are healed. (Isaiah 53:5 NIV84)

Jake recently bought a motorcycle. It's pretty much all he talks about now. I don't really know anything about motorcycles, and I guess I end up making some sort of disapproving face when he starts jabbering (and I mean that in a loving way ;) ) on and on, even though I'm only aware of me smiling and nodding. He usually gives me a little half smile, kneads one of my shoulders and jokes, "You wanna hear more about the bike, baby? We can talk about all day if you want!" But really, if he wasn't excited about his new bike, I would be even more annoyed. And mad.

You see, I've been "squirreling" away money here and there and putting it in an envelope marked "Jake's Motorcycle Fund." For every birthday or special occasion or generous mother in law visit or photo session cash, I sacrificed just a little at a time and instead of buying whatever I had a wild hair about, I'd put the extra money away for him. Now, Jake already gives me just about everything I could ever need or want, so skipping a new pair of shoes when I already have over 40 wasn't really that big of a sacrifice. And of course, I didn't always put his motorcycle fund first. I still splurged on myself pretty often, which is obvious because I didn't have nearly enough saved up and Jake didn't even use his motorcycle fund to buy his motorcycle! That sweet thing told me to turn it into "Sabrina's Camera Fund." Which I promptly did.

The point is that I want him to appreciate my little sacrifice, but more than that, I want it to be worth something. The point of it all was to give him something he would enjoy. So if he didn't ride his bike at every opportunity, or spend time thinking and looking and talking about every kind of attachment that could possibly go on his bike, or not let our two year old get fingerprints on his freshly waxed fender, or even be so ridiculous as to record the rumbling sound of his bike and make me listen to it at least a dozen times; if he just let it sit in the garage and gather dust and be nonchalant about it, I'd be disappointed that I did all that work of "squirreling" for nothing. I really just want him to enjoy it. And it gives me joy to see it bring a little "boys and their toys" excitement to him. 

And if I care so much about a fleeting, earthly pleasure for my silly, sweet husband, how much more does God care about our eternal joy? Jesus paid dearly for us to have peace: a monumental sacrifice compared to my measly twenty bucks here and there. How does He feel when I don't enjoy His gift? How does it make Him smile when I'm giddy about it? What joy does it bring Him when I can truly rest in what He did for me? What is His sacrifice worth to me?

And because every post is better with pictures, here's a peaceful little scene. I hope you're cherishing a quiet rest today!

I would have taken a picture of Jake's motorcycle, but it's not in the garage.

 And that makes me so happy.

Mom and me: The Eringman Girls

This is my best girlfriend who I had the pleasure of visiting when my daughter and I went to visit my hometown recently. I hate living so far away from her, but it does always make for a real good time when we do get together! We had a special girl’s breakfast and then a mini photo shoot. What a fun day! Is it just us, but does it seem like mom is the one always holding the camera, while dad ends up consistently being captured in all the lasting memories? Being part of the “mamarazzi” has it’s price. We decided we need a few “mommy and me” portraits- and now that I think about it, what a great Mother’s Day present that would be! Email me for information about gift cards or scheduling a session.

Anyway, this location is always beautiful, but I think there’s something even prettier than the flowers in this one!

Can you say "personality!?"

            Little bit was hiding out! Haha!!

 Why do kids love confined spaces so much?

 It seems like I'm always finding mine nestled under one thing or another.

Nothing like a good laugh with your mama! I'm not going to tell you what they were laughing about... ;)

She was nice enough to snap a few of me too! Thank goodness I don’t always have to hold the camera!

The Woodlief Family Portraits

This is the Woodleif Family. We had to reschedule because of rain for their first appointment, and this weekend, the weather was threatening again! We had a few sprinkles, but the clouds mostly held out for us, and I just love the way the light is on overcast days! It’s absolutely the best for taking pictures!

They were all great in front of the camera and just did their thing while I snapped away. Perfect scenario, if you ask me.

The boys were all “boy!” and I don’t think they stopped running for most of the session! Those are the kinds of sessions I like! I got a good one every now and then in between their sprints! Look how handsome this one is!!

When a parent just wants to pose and do “cheese” smiles when all the kids want to do is play, it’s not nearly as much fun for anyone, including me! Luckily, these guys were pretty easy going and even agreed to let me give them a treat. Try to look at this picture without smiling. I dare ya.

Cheap Talk

Eph 5:7 "Talk is cheap, like daydreaming or other useless activities. Fear God instead."
Wow, I really talk too much (just ask my husband!) Often when I talk to God, I can just babble on and on, and "useless" is the perfect word for it. When I'm chatting it up, I often forget to praise Him. Anything that doesn't glorify Him is essentially futile, ending in boring routine or dying out with other trends. When I chatter, I don't leave my quiet time with His peace or joy like I do when I just "be still" and stand in awe of His presence. The creator of the universe. The savior of my sins. How wonderful You are! Thank You for giving me grace for all the complaining and false promises I give to You and for loving me enough to tell me to shut it.

What do you talk too much about?

Daniel & Megan: Lawrence Wedding Photography

I decided I’d put up just a couple of “teaser” images of this wedding before I do a little bigger sneak peek. I remember being a new bride… what a wonderful giddy feeling! These two were so excited about each other, I could just feel it in the air! Congratulations, Megan and Daniel! Hang on to that excitement! It’s the stuff life is made of and it makes for some really great pictures! Thank you for letting me photograph your wedding! 

more pictures coming soon!

Amy and Jeff: Engagement Pictures

I met Amy a few months ago, and I can’t think of a time when I haven’t seen her smiling or making someone else smile. She has one of those contagious laughs. Aren’t those the best??  Makes me want to tuck her into my pocket and pull her out on rainy days. And even not so rainy days. She’s just fun to be around, so when I heard she was engaged, I couldn’t be more excited.

Until she said I could do her engagement pictures! We had a lot of fun doing these, as you can tell from this one.  She "hooked him!"

A hailstorm was threatening our skies just as the time for our session came around, so we had to last-minute reschedule to this little nifty place downtown. I love the atmosphere at Warehouse Row, but the lighting was WAY different than what I’m used to, which is mostly full-on, blind your eyeballs kind of sunlight. This was directly overhead, spotty, dim, sometimes green and sometimes reddish light. Not at all the natural light I've grown accostumed to. It was fun experimenting with different lighting, even though it was more than a little outside my comfort zone. It was nice to lighten up (pun!), take the lighting for what it was, and challenge myself to appreciate it for how it gave these photos a totally different feel and mood from my others. With or without weird lights, I think the couple made the pictures in this case. Aren’t they just the sweetest??