Im gonna meet "Rain Man" Kim Peek!!!

My friend Maureen Dow has created a foundation in her parents name "Mary and Willard Dow Foundation". The foundation is designed to help families with autism and other disabilities. More information on Maureen and her foundation here: http://www.seacoastonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080110/NEWS/801100384&emailAFriend=1

She has arranged to have Kim Peek the original "Rain Man" (more information in this You Tube link): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2T45r5G3kA and his father Fran come and speak several times this week. I was asked to photograph a few of the events and am so honored to help! Kim is AMAZING!!!! You have to watch this link and just see for yourself. I am completely amazed at his dad and Im just as excited to meet him - he's 80 years old and is his son's personal caretaker.

My friend and fellow photographer Joanne Lee (my studio roommate) is going to help me with the shooting and I wanted to send a big thanks to her for generously giving us her time and talents to help out with this. She didn't bat an eye, never hesitated a second when I asked for her assistance. I know Joanne has a special connection with children with autism and works closely with a school that works with children with disabilities. Im sure this event will be special to her too. (So happy to share it with you, Jo).

I'll post pics!!!

Have a super day!!!!!!!! :)

Did you know I take pet portraits?

CAN YOU STAND IT? Is this the cutest? How about a pet portrait for Valentines day!! I still have a few spots available for the special on Sunday and your pets are welcome at my studio!!!

Have a great day!!

Its the little things.....

I want to encourage you to take more pics. Just do it! Most of my friends know that the loss of my dad (he was only 42) impacted my life very much. I try hard to see everything in a positive light. People say to me "I don't know how you do it" (four kids and two businesses is what I think they mean) and I honestly dont know how you can't! I love doing it all. If I dont enjoy it, I try hard NOT to do it. I haven't seen the movie "The Bucket List" but it sure sounds like how I feel about life. Its too short to wait. You need to find what makes you happy and just do it! I LOVE being with my kids and even just hanging out in our jammies on a chilly winter day is our idea of a good time. I love to see them run outside to enjoy the little chunk of ice we have in the yard to play hockey on. (Branden combined the jammies and hockey today - and Makenna is sporting the latest in girl's hockey attire - that's my idea of childhood). Then they come in and have hot cocoa. Ahhh the memories they are creating! They are only little for a very short time and we forget the little everyday things. So I want to encourage you to get out your camera, get on your knees (taking photos at a kids level will give an excellent perspective) and take photos of who they are - today!! This is what Marleigh does when she's watching TV. She smells her favorite blanket. I snuck up on the girls playing Ring Around the Rosie.

If you're not a big scrapbooker, then I recommend making a folder on your desktop and save your favorite photos to it. (copy them from the original upload folder). Log on to Snapfish or Shutterfly and spend an evening just putting them into one of their photo books. You wont regret it!!!! Even your guests will enjoy looking through your coffee table style books. You dont need to put them in order, its almost more fun to look at an array of photos with winter and summer mixed throughout the book. Try to choose just your favorite one or two from each little session.

So I challenge you all to follow your family for a day and just take the pics of the things you would not typically photograph. The ones where they arent even looking at you are going to be the ones that you love the most.

Have a great day!!! Stay warm!

This one will make you smile.

Im trying to get organized and I came across these summer pics. I love this one of the boys. If Cameron's face doesnt make you smile I dont know what will! Its freezing here today so I figured we needed a little taste of summer and what better way to do it than two cute boys that just came out of the sprinkler!! LOL

Just in case you havent seen enough of this.....

Happy Winter!!!!!!

Valentines Sneak-A-Peek

I had to use my favorite guinea pigs to get some samples together. These are the options for the special!! I only have a few spots left!! $39 gets you a sitting, one 8x10 collage and one 5x7 print OR 25 Valentines to share with classmates and one 5x7 print!!

First love.......

I feel like these photos dont even need a caption. To witness this kind of love is a gift to me.

I didn't realize until I got to editing these photos that I dont have any photos of the parents looking at ME! I dont blame them, that baby is MUCH cuter! :)

Let me show you one more. It speaks total EMOTION to me. She knows she's a lucky lady! (xo Janey)