The unexpected

You know why I love to photograph kids and weddings....the unexpected. I can have an idea...a really sure and confident belief in the photo I would like to make and then poof a kid pretty much grabs my arm and does one of those comedic yanks where I fly up into the air, twist around and land on my back with tweetie birds circling my head. Okay, maybe that's a bit dramatic but it almost like when I was a kid and got to drive sitting on my dad's lap (seems shocking in this day and age but it was rural South Dakota). My dad was driving but I definitely had my hands on the wheel. It's like that when I'm shooting...I'm driving but the kids can call the shots just a bit...

You can imagine where I thought he should stand...


And I definitely wouldn't spend a lot of energy trying to get a 7 year old to lay her head lovingly on her 9 year old brothers shoulder (even if right after this she went for the pressure point in his neck...)

Back in business!

Yeah! The weddings are up and running... You have no idea what a huge psychic relief this is for me to have such a monumental project off the to-do list. Plus, if I do say so myself, it looks freakin awesome! I feel so happy to have a website that I'm totally proud of, that reflects my style and my joy of photography so well! Oh happy day!

New Website!

Oh happy day! My new website is finally launched. I got really tired of wishing it was done so I just finished it (amazing how that happens....). Maybe next time I won't do it on a weekend when there's no tech support because alas my wedding link doesn't seem to be working...so sad! Never fear...it will be up and running and just as beautiful as the portrait site very soon! I'm not exactly sure I got all my I's dotted and T's crossed so if you see something especially glitchy or misspelled feel free to let me know...oh, and I might have missed a few emails in the transition so if you haven't heard back from me try again...

Christmas card fun!

What, didn't you know...it's time for Christmas cards! It would be cliche to mention the fact that it's not yet Halloween...and since this is my favorite time of year I can't really complain. Seeing my images all slicked up in fancy dancy holiday cards, professionally printed just like cards from a store...makes me feel all grown up!

Here's a couple of my faves but the rest can be found online: http://www.libbylewis.com/extra/cards/index.htm

I know I know...there's some more info I need like pricing and quantities and all that good stuff but rest assured it's on it's way....and the special mock ups and email I do for each customer...that's coming too...I promise...

Pumpkin Patch part 2

When I reread that last post I think I sound like a bit of a whiner. I don't need no stinkin quiet, no people around pumpkin patch! We can make magic even with thousands of people (and just a teensie bit of photoshop magic). Poof people be gone!

Merrick is like jack be nimble...

Pumpkin patch

Driving out to the pumpkin patch to meet Freya and Ari I had one of those...oh my god, I am so happy to be alive...kind of moments. Bits of fall foliage, small country roads, tractors harvesting corn, bucolic scenes unfolding left and right. I had a sitting this weekend at the farm in Snohomish and I'm not kidding when I say there might have been 3000 people there. My family was totally cute but the place was totally overwhelming.

Jubilee might be like that on the weekends (but I doubt it) but on this Tuesday afternoon it was small, sleepy and sweet. You could take a tractor ride to the patch but we chose to walk...picking seeds, looking for slugs and pondering what size pumpkin might be just right...

Chet...

A prime example of the explosion of cuteness I mentioned earlier....

Chet and I have had a rocky past..after a good baby beginning where we shared some happy tummy time and goofy grins on his parents cool quilt I encountered the big stare down last year. You know what I mean? Why are you here? You aren't funny? You're ruining my quality time with my folks and frankly you are a little scary.

So I was a little nervous for our 2 year old update. He's a shy guy and it started off slow...Uh oh...But he's an active guy and once he realized that I thought it was great to have his parents twirl him, toss him, spin him...we hit it off. (sorry about teaching him that throwing berry bits at people is funny...my bad....)

Whoa....sometimes you get a little dizzy and need to regroup...

Fall might finally be here

It's a weather roller coaster around here...this was just last week and we were getting warm running around and doing circus tricks. Today I had to finally break down and turn on the heat (I try to wait until October 1st every year...)

We had a picnic with Freya who has started making her super cool shirts again! She pieces them and hand prints them with her own designs. Don't you think she should sell these?



It's funny but if I were editing this for a client it might not make the cut but I really love this photo because it's a little quirk of his that I share...he's smelling a stick. He likes to smell things...something that I get made fun of for quite regularly around my house.

mmmm....this tape smells good.
mmmm.....my pencil smells good.
oooo...this mystery object I found on the couch doesn't smell so good.

Exie...6 months!

I think there is going to be a lot of blogging coming up because there has been an explosion of cuteness lately...but let's start it off with an old stand by...yep, time keeps on marching and baby Exie is now 6 months.

I think Exie woke up on the wrong side of her musical swing...Or it could be that she didn't appreciate my insistence that she be in some semblance of a sitting position...


But then she got real happy when she got to do some tummy time...


I like this one...it's like we forgot the baby in the grass...now where did we put that baby....

Nigel and Owen

Whew...what a week. I started the week with my annual Lakewood Co-op photo shoot where I did an amazing 21 families in 5 hours (I swear the photos are coming for all you co-op blog readers) only to follow it up with a whole week of entertaining kids for my friend Sheila. Sheila has a couple of schools that she does amazing, surprisingly un-cheesy school portraits for. And while she is pretty decent at getting the kiddos to smile--what with trying to do it for 400 kids in 7 hours--she lets me help her get some happy faces. She tells me she couldn't do it without me. I, of course, ask her questions like, "could you do this without me?" She's good like that...

It is an amazing high to have 75 preschoolers laugh with me, giggle at my jokes, smile shyly back at me. Plus, I got to see my friends Nigel and Owen who happen to go to one of the schools Sheila shoots. Last year when we did their holiday photos I chased them around as they stared fascinated at my equipment (not the same as smiling fascinated at my jokes, I assure you). This year it was all laughing, sharing, tackling and good times! Their parents are the best though...either way, interested stares or happy smiles....they acknowledge that it is purely their boys!



There's a lot of energy in them kids...

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