It makes me so happy when I get asked to take photos for a special occassion or when a photo is needed for something in particular like a card or website or headshots, etc.  So, I’m even more estatic when it’s for a special occassion and for a card!

Meet baby Kaia as she celebrates her very first birthday!!  These were requested not only to commemorate this milestone but also to use for birthday announcements since part of her family lives far away in New Zealand.  Kaia did such a great job.  Even though she was fighting a little cold, she was still quite the professional giving me lots of poses and big smiles!  She wasn’t sure what to make of the birthday cake and all that pink frosting, but it didn’t take her long to have some fun with it!

I regret not taking more pictures of my daughter when she was a baby (I was a cheapskate and didn’t have my own studio yet!) and wish I had the foresight to document her infancy more.  They are only babies for such a short time, so I was really honored to help Kaia’s parents preserve these precious images of their beautiful baby and be part of their memories.

Most of my work consists of portrait photography, but I love it when I get asked to do something different.  I was asked to take live photos of the band Grinder.  It was such a fun opportunity and they had such a great stage set up that I couldn’t help but get some great shots!  The bandmates were so nice and fun and I loved the music they were playing.  I had a bit a of hard time staying focused on taking pictures instead of just watching them play and rocking out to their music!  They played one of my favorite rock songs – “Still of the Night” by Whitesnake (yes, I was an 80′s child!).  I have always wanted to sing and perform to that song, so when they started playing it, I couldn’t help but sing along and imagine I was on that stage with them.  But fortunately for everyone, I was behind the camera instead because I am not nearly as good of a singer or musician as these guys!  They had a really entertaining setlist and I was so impressed with their talent.  This was probably one of the coolest shoots I’ve been on because it combined two of my favorite things – photography and music!

I had a great time and hope to see one of their shows when I don’t have to work!  Check out their website and become a fan of their band and their facebook page.  You might even see some of my photos on there too!

I am still trying to catch up from the hustle and bustle of the holidays.  Here it is, mid-January, and I am about to write a post about shoots from December!  But it actually works out because I am going to write about two shoots I did instead of writing about just one.  Both shoots were family shoots before Christmas, both families were absolutely beautiful, and both families were of friends I had made during my stint as an NFL cheerleader for the Seattle Seahawks.

First, there was Karin.  She is pretty special to me because she was my squad leader during my first year on the team.  She helped me find my confidence and taught me the ropes of being a Sea Gal.  She was a great leader and I couldn’t have asked for a better role model.  10 years later, she looks exactly the same!  How is that possible?!  I don’t think she has aged a bit except having that gorgeous motherly glow beaming from her!  Her husband, son, daughter, and new baby were so nice as we walked around Pioneer Square of Seattle.  It was one of the smoothest photo shoots I have ever had and we were blessed with some great lighting from the overcast sky.

Then there is Jacquetta.  I always remember her as not only a beautiful teammate, but also a really great dancer.  You see, my interest in being a Sea Gal was not about football (please don’t hate me sports fans!), it was about my passion for dance.  So I felt more of a kinship towards my fellow Sea Gals that excelled at dancing and shared that passion with me, like she did.  Plus, we both won really amazing awards on our last year together.  I was “Sea Gal of the Year” and she was nominated to be our Pro Bowl representative!  When I met up with her and her family for this shoot, she was even more beautiful than I remember (if that’s possible)!  She, her husband and 5 kids (yes, 5!) were really fun to hang out with.  Each one had a different personality and brought something unique to the family and the photos.  It was pouring at first and I didn’t think we would be able to do the shoot, but the rain stopped long enough for us to get some great shots in.

I had a great time visiting with my Sea Gal alumni again after so many years and it was really nice to see that they were both happy and successful with a really loving family behind them.  I wish I could say “Go Hawks!” but I’ll just have to wait until next season.