I sat there and realized how thankful I am for people. Seems so simplistic but really, how often do we say thanks for the people we interact with on a daily basis. Even those we don’t know.

I loved this week’s challenge. (I’m hoping it wasn’t too much of a challenge for you!)

I had a session this week with a little one:

and then there’s my people:

(first haircut!)

and playful people, sitting in their little brother’s desk.

and (reluctant) homework people.

and I have even more people but Clara is asking me, in not such a polite way, to feed her. So, I better listen.

Now, it’s your turn to share!

PLEASE READ THIS GUIDELINES, especially, yes, especially if you have never linked up!
1. Anyone can join in on the challenge at anytime.
2. Please make sure the photos you use were taken for the challenge, meaning do not search your archives for an appropriate photo. The goal of You Capture is to get you out taking photos each week!
3. Use YOUR photos.
4. When linking up, only link to your You Capture blog post, not your main blog URL. (incorrect links will be deleted.)
5. You MUST link back to You Capture in your post.
6. I encourage you to visit other participants and leave comments. This is a great way to meet new friends!
{more You Capture info can be found here.}

Chilly

Happy Capturing!

I know many of you have been looking for updates and I’m sorry for being unable to update you. But I thank you for praying for her and her health, her strength.

Yesterday, Samantha passed away.

I type those words and I reread them and I can not believe it’s true. I feel like I’m lying to you. I wish I were lying to you.

But I’m not.

My heart. My heart feels missing. Lost. Broken. This is so completely unfair. It’s unfair. I can’t comprehend it and I know that it doesn’t matter whether I comprehend it or not but if I could just get an explanation from God as to why this happened, I wonder if that would make me feel better.

The world lost some color yesterday. As soon as I heard the news over the phone, everything seemed to turn black and white. I imagine it will take time to turn back to color again but the world will never, ever be the same.

I am so grateful to have met her. To have wrapped my arms around her, to have shared our dreams together, to have been able to look into her eyes and feel them nearly start me on fire. I will never, ever forget the gift of just knowing her.

But for right now, my heart just wants her back.

Please pray for her family.

Apparently, I really can’t do everything. Who knew?

So, before we head back home, how ’bout some photos from this weekend?

Here are the four older cousins!

Anna and I – my belly at 22 weeks.

And all of the kids. Can you believe they belong to us?!

And then we had a fun little naked bootie session. Can you believe how gigantic Eli and Trey are?

More to come.

Stop looking at Eli’s bootie.

It’s a very dark and stormy day outside today. I’m not a fan especially when I had a newborn session that I had to reschedule because of it.

BUT, I’m here with some flowers for you! I can’t wait to tell you the story about my session last Friday night and how it came to fruition because it’s was dreamy and perfect and it helps that Mom is a florist who does amazing work. (and I will be talking about her in greater detail soon because I need to share her talent and beauty with you.)

So, I’m just going to give you a glimpse of some of the flowers from that session for this week’s You Capture, K? K.

Now it’s your turn to share!

PLEASE READ THIS GUIDELINES, especially, yes, especially if you have never linked up!
1. Anyone can join in on the challenge at anytime.
2. Please make sure the photos you use were taken for the challenge, meaning do not search your archives for an appropriate photo. The goal of You Capture is to get you out taking photos each week!
3. Use YOUR photos.
4. When linking up, only link to your You Capture blog post, not your main blog URL. (incorrect links will be deleted.)
5. You MUST link back to You Capture in your post.
6. I encourage you to visit other participants and leave comments. This is a great way to meet new friends!
{more You Capture info can be found here.}

Bathrooms

Happy Capturing! (be creative!)

So, what do I know? I know what I know. Which is to say that my answers are what works for me. If the answers do not work for you, that doesn’t make them wrong, it just makes us different. Which is what this field needs…photographers who are different.

I’m going to answer your photography and Clickin’ Moms questions from this post, here:

Which editing program do you use:

I use Lightroom and Photoshop. I shoot in RAW and make my own adjustments on each photo. I either use my own editing techniques or I use actions that I have purchased and then adjust as I see fit. I would prefer not to share which exact actions I use because well, they suit me and my style and it’s my business and I have to protect that. But if you do a google search you’ll find many and you’ll also find free ones.

I know you recently upgraded cameras, but what were you using when you joined Clickin’ Moms? What about lenses? I’ve got a NikonD40 and just added my first prime lens (Nikon 35mm f/1.8 G AF-S DX) . I want to shoot in natural light as much as possible and would love to hear what direction you went when you first started adding gear to your collection (and maybe add something similar to my bday list!!!). THANKS BETH!!! When I first joined Clickin’ Moms, I had the Nikon D80 and the 50mm 1.8. I definitely recommend a prime lens for natural light. I currently use the 50mm 1.8mm but have the 50mm 1.4 on my very short list of things to buy soon. I also have the 35mm and I like it and it’s perfect for the Nikon D40. The difference is that the 50 is for full frame (pro-sumer cameras) but can be used with the D40, it’s also slimmer than the 35mm and maybe even faster, but I’m not sure. I love it, though. I honestly thing you have a great starting combination right now!

Also, what 3 workshops did you take (RYC 101, and RYC 201, what else?) I took RYC 101, RYC 201 and Finding the Light. All mind blowing. (I will be taking more in the future…)

Would you recommend CM solely on the community aspect? (IE minus the workshops) Absolutely, 100% YES.

Are there things other than really pricey workshops that are beneficial to all? And are the forums clique-y? I don’t do clique-y … and forums get that way SO easily. I’m not a huge participant in the forums at this point in my life. I’m more of a reader, less a participant, which I’m trying to fix but I can say I’ve never noticed any cliques. (doesn’t mean they don’t exist, I’ve just never noticed them!)

I have not joined yet but I am going to seriously talk it over with my husband. My photography has really grown in the last few months and I’d like to do even more, but I’m just not sure if I’m ready to devote more time to it. On the other hand, if I’m using my camera anyway, I might as well be doing it right. Right? EXACTLY.

What photography books do you recommend? I love all your work. I can not believe that people tell me they love my work. It BLOWS MY MIND. Thank you so much! I enjoy reading books by Scott Kelby. He writes like he’s talking to you, I definitely recommend this series.

My camera is a Canon G10, not a dslr. Will the classes also help me?

I have a question: Can I HAVE that little baby with the pink hat? Please? I would like to say yes, but her parents are absolutely smitten AND she’s a good sleeper. so…probably no.

These next questions I specifically asked my friends at CM to answer, not surprisingly, they said yes! Here you go:

Let’s say I sign up for one month @ $8, then after the fact I decide “hey this is cool, let’s go ahead and sign up for a year.”  How do I go about canceling the $8/month charge so I can pay the one year fee? I guess what I’m getting at is if you “cancel” the month only to turn around and pay for a year, do you have reset your username and everything, or am I overthinking this? Yes – if you sign up for one month you can cancel within Paypal prior to renewal and resub with the same username/password for a different subscription.  Nothing is “lost.”)

Is this only for fancy-camera owners?
The overwhelming majority of our members have DSLRs but many of them are just learning them.  There are members just starting out learning their cameras and seasoned pros who are at the top of their game – it runs the whole gamut.  We don’t seem to have a lot of point and shoot camera users but they may just not post – it’s hard to say.:)  There are a lot of basic DSLRs that I wouldn’t call “fancy” though so it depends on the definition of “fancy”.

How much time do you have to put into Clickin’ Moms to get great things out of it? It depends what you want to get out of it.  There are people who probably just come and read all the information and take it away with them to practice and we never hear from them.  We also have other very prolific posters lol.  It’s a very close community and warm and welcoming so people like to share.  You definitely get more out of CM the more you put into it – it’s a give and take.  There is loads of information if you’re just looking to learn.  But, if you’re looking to get a lot of questions answered by posting, it’s appropriate to also “give back” by answering questions, posting critique etc. so it’s not just “taking” – does that make sense?  There are thousands of threads with tutorials, information, resources and freebies – there are lots of great things to “get out” of CM.  However, the true value comes in actively participating, making lifelong friendships, working together to learn and sharing the mutual passion of photography with others.

The idea of taking ANY class scares the bejeezus out of me. Opens a whole new can of “What if”s.” I’ve looked around but I cannot find a price list for anything, besides membership. Are the prices of the workshops only revealed to members?

Nope.:)  They’re just not on our subscription page until signup occurs as we obviously don’t want people signing up beforehand.  They’re $300 for full participation and $150 for study along, when offered as an option.

Here’s one of our regular workshop announcements from today’s blog to give you an idea:

http://www.clickinmoms.com/blog/?p=2427

One year ago, I could only DREAM of taking a photo like this. Yesterday, I did it. It was not easy…but that’s okay.

If you have further questions, ask away in the comments section and I’ll answer there!

Remember, you receive 20% off until January 31st, using coupon code: FRIEND.

A few years ago, I joined Clickin’ Moms. I found the link on someone’s blog, clicked through and was slightly chagrined to see that it was something I had to pay for, I like free, I like free, a lot. The front page of the site held beautiful photos that I wanted to take someday and I just wanted to get in and scour and see so I could be a great photographer right that very second.

I trusted my instinct and joined. I entered my username and password and literally stepped into this world of photographic information, more information than I could handle. I was nearly overwhelmed. I searched around a bit, my heart raced…I thought “I’m going to come back when I have time, this is incredible.”

I rarely did. (so dumb)

Finally, last Spring, I received an email from Clickin’ Moms about a workshop they were offering called “Rock Your Camera 101.” I called Brian and told him that it costs $300 and he nearly had a heart attack. He couldn’t see why I should pay for a workshop online when I have countless books on photography sitting on my bookshelf collecting dust.

I knew this was the thing I had to do, he knew this was my dream, so finally, we made it work (no, we do not have $300, just lying around anywhere, believe me, I’ve looked.) I started RYC 101 and it was amazing. Within four weeks, I was shooting in manual, a little shaky but with each photo and each lighting situation I became more confident.

(this was one of my first assignments from that class – SOOC.)

Long story short. I have taken 3 workshops and not only can I believe how far I’ve come, my husband can’t believe it. This journey of learning the technical side of photography was not only totally imperative for me to fulfill my dreams of being a professional photographer but made my husband believe in me, which was worth it’s weight in gold. Now? He’s my biggest supporter, my IT director, my business manager, my bookkeeper and my most trusted advisor.

(an assignment from RYC 201, SOOC.)

If you want to learn the fundamentals of photography, join Clickin’ Moms and yes, take the workshops, MYGOD, you’ll never, ever, ever regret it in a million years. (I can not say enough about the instructors and the lesson plans, simply the best.)

If you want to find about props, tips on posing, advice on starting a business, glimpses into the world of editing, getting critiqued, yep, Clickin’ Moms is the way to go.

I wish I had a sure-fire, free, overnight-sensation way for you to become a photographer, but I don’t. I have countless books, I’ve taken multiple classes at a local university (and never learned a dang thing) and I tried doing it by just using “luck” and well, that didn’t work.

But Clickin’ Moms did.

So, there you have it. There’s my secret, I’m sharing it with the world today. I have a 20% coupon code for you, just use “FRIEND” when checking out. (coupon code for new members until January 31st) Also, if you click my links, it’s an affiliate link, so I get credit which I appreciate so much. (the money I make will go towards important things like diapers, laundry detergent and uh…a new laptop in like ten years.) (Regarding affiliate links, if you become a member, you’ll have affiliate links, too.)

Questions? Ask and I’ll answer in the comments!

The winner is Amy! Congrats, Amy.

And special thanks to Tracey!

This morning, as we pulled out of our driveway to head to school, the kids counted down to Christmas, wondered what we should do for Daddy’s Birthday (today!), talked about snow and commented on the Christmas music playing on the radio.

Noah, my six year old, leaned his head back on the seat and said “man, life is so awesome.”

I love that he realizes this because as adults, it’s so hard to take the time to honor life and all of the gifts it has to offer us, which is why I’m so excited about this giveaway.

You’ve probably heard of Tracey Clark, if not, here’s your formal introduction.

Friends, this is Tracey Clark, photographer extradordinaire.

Tracey Clark, meet my friends. (the friendliest faces on the internet, I do believe.)

Tracey has created a photography workshop titled “Picture the Holidays – 30 days of festive photography.”

In her words:

I am beyond excited to be starting this e-class on December 1st but I’m doubly excited to be able to give one of you the opportunity to join in on this amazing opportunity to try to soak in the holiday goodness while honing in on your photography skills.

The class runs from December 1 – 31st. For more information about Tracey and her e-class, click here. Tracey has offered numerous e-classes in the past and has received rave reviews from her alumni. I honestly can not wait to begin. Who will be joining me?

(and if this all wasn’t awesome enough, One lucky student will be randomly selected to win a coveted Epiphanie Camera Bag! I’m pretty sure I’ll be the winner, so don’t get too excited.)

What does one need to do in order to enter?

First, you need a camera, any camera will work!

Second, I need you to tell me what you do to treat yourself during the holidays. Is it a night out with friends sharing cookies & laughter? Dinner with your husband after shopping? Sitting by the tree sipping tea after the kids are in bed…spill it. I want to know!

Third, do not say “pick me.”

Fourth, share the exciting details about this giveaway on your Facebook page, blog or your twitter account and leave the link in the comments!

This giveaways ends tomorrow night (November 30th) at 10:00pm CST. So, get busy!

And good luck!

(some comments are under moderation, if you do not see your comment pop up right away, it will, I promise!)

Earlier today I linked to the Clickin’ Moms forum, I just found out that they are offering a discount through tomorrow, July 2nd!  Clickin’ Moms is an incredible resource for individuals who want to learn more about photography and it’s an AWESOME resource for photographers, in general.  I can’t stress to you how much I have learned and I want to share with you!

Use coupon code FRIEND at checkout and you will get 10% off any subscription, or coupon code LOVECM for 20% off a lifetime subscription.

That’s all.  Back to sitting in bed and staring at Eli.

On Monday, I was able to photograph Crooked Eyebrow’s baby, it was TOO MUCH FUN.  Now, please excuse me as I bombard you with photos!

Can you even take it?!