a perfect day.
Posted on December 30, 2011
Hello!
We visited our family in Reno for Christmas this year. We thought we should visit family on this side of the country since we are living in Arizona. Mike, Dean & I took a day trip to Lake Tahoe (saw a little bit of California) and then back to Nevada we went. We had an overall awesome visit but this day was a perfect day. The weather was beautiful, no snow for this time of year here is rare so we took advantage of it and explored. Here are a few of my favorites from the day.
Happy almost New Year!
Enjoy the last days of ‘11,
Samantha
18 month old boy!
Posted on December 21, 2011
Click the 9 month old boy! photos & 12 month old boy! photos to see over the last year. In some ways time does fly by faster when you have kids and in some ways having children makes you slow down to appreciate the small details. Life becomes more full and colorful with children. I was one happy mama/photographer when he looked right at the camera and gave me a cheesy smile.
We still can’t believe he is 1.5 years old. My husband and I were talking about how it feels like just yesterday he was born. And now he is a little man. Appreciate your children & family this holiday season.
Happy 18 months, Dean!
Enjoy, Samantha
Happy Holidays 2011!
Posted on December 18, 2011
Our 2011 Christmas card:



Please check out last year’s version of these Santa photos by clicking here. Wishing you the very best through the holiday season and throughout 2012! Enjoy, Samantha
FYI: Tiny Prints for Christmas cards is amazing! They have excellent customer service and good quality cards.
Visit www.tinyprints.com for example cards (baby announcements, Christmas cards, etc.)
Samantha H. 2011 favorite movie
Posted on December 9, 2011
Hi everyone!
These are my favorite photos of 2011! Please click the movie above to view in a larger screen. For best photo quality please view in medium zoom not full screen. 2011 has been another great year for Samantha H. and we are excited for all that 2012 will bring. Samantha H’s 3rd year…here we come! I am not always available when people need me since I live across the country but I am so happy for the photos I was able to take this year! I am excited for our Minnesota Summer 2012 trip after we have baby #2! Please email for more information if you are interested in a session. I look forward to seeing all of you and for the eventful year ahead.
Enjoy your weekend! Samantha
Sidenote: Happy 18 months (1.5 years old!) to our sweet son, Dean!
Dean is going to be a big brother!
Posted on December 8, 2011
We have already announced this on good ol’ Facebook and to our friends & family. I just wanted to make it photo blog official by sharing the good news that our family is again growing. We will welcome another baby boy, Evan James, in early May 2012! Dean will have a brother/best friend to wrestle with!
Hope you are all staying warm and getting all of your holiday shopping done!
Enjoy this wonderful holiday time, Samantha

I love how these photos turned out! I took them back in NC when we found out in September. Sidenote: I made that snazzy shirt...now to make one for Evan.
happy turkey day!
Posted on November 24, 2011
Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Appreciate your blessings not just today but everyday!
Dean is thankful for his Tonka trucks…
Enjoy your turkey & pie, Samantha
Dean goes to the Grand Canyon!
Posted on November 17, 2011

I love this photo of Dean & Mike. Dean is curious about this snow...he doesn't get to play with snow too often!

this gives you a good perspective on the size of the canyon. In all directions the canyon goes on forever....truly a sight to see in your lifetime!
Dean goes to the Grand Canyon before this we had Dean goes to the zoo, Dean goes to the atlantic ocean & one of my favorites Dean goes to Washington D.C.!
He is a traveling boy and we are very fortunate to be able to see all these places!
I am excited for our future adventures, Samantha
our family.
Posted on November 7, 2011
I love these two photos above! Dean wasn’t into them but they still turned out well! These are some of the photos for our Christmas cards. I still have to take some creative photos of the two dog children. I’m sure one day when Dean’s older we will look back at these photos and laugh. Every stage is worth remembering.
Enjoy this pre-holiday time,
Samantha
inspiring.
Posted on November 2, 2011
Good morning to you!
I have been meaning to compose a blog post along these lines for awhile now. Most of you are aware of the crazy amount of photographers out there and it’s overwhelming. I think you really begin to realize how many are out there when you are in need of one for portraits or wedding photography. I truly began to realize how many there were when I started my photo business in 2009. Facebook is very helpful in locating photographers all over the world! I love seeing others work however it has it’s downfalls. Naturally you begin to compare yourself to others and what they are currently doing. I have to remind myself that everyone is at different places in their lives. I have an Army husband. Some don’t. We aren’t going to live in one solid location for awhile. Maybe once we get out of the Army. Our family and friends in Minnesota aren’t just a drive away. They are a 3 hour plane ride away. This makes things difficult to establish a business when you are always on the move. We are going to be in Arizona until May and then who knows after that?
I’m having a hard time with deciding to pursue photo opportunities in Arizona. Or just relax and enjoy my little boy & husband. I have some other photo-related projects in the works and that is keeping me busy for now. I am looking into volunteering for some local cancer organizations. I will keep you posted on how that goes. Needless to say, there are a handful of other photographers that I have always looked up to and that never fail to inspire me. Some are photographers I’ve been following for years and some more recently I have started following. On days when I don’t have the motivation or inspiration I can go to their facebook pages or their blog pages to recharge. Below you find the list of my top 5 most inspiring list:
(click the names below and you will be redirected to their websites!)
1. Tara Whitney–Just Be Blogged
2. Sarah Beth Photography–an amazing pet photographer (you must check out her joy sessions!)
3. Lynsey Stone Photography–DFW Birth Photographer
I also come to my own blog and view the slideshows/check out old blog posts. I love listening to Roma Di Luna playing in the background of my website. I feel inspired and peaceful after perusing my own photo page. Sounds funny. But this works for me. I also want to say, “thank you” to every client/friend/family member who has believed in my photography and pushed me along. I am not able to photograph every session or wedding day I would like to because I live 1,500 miles from home. I LOVE you more than you know for those that have waited to print their child’s 1 year old birthday invite until you confirmed the day with me. And for the couple who moved around the wedding day so that I could be there. Those are the clients I want who absolutely trust and value my work. You know who you are and I appreciate every bit. I know I am not the photographer for everyone as everybody has their own style and needs. I just wanted to say, “thank you” to those photographers that inspire me (there are more than I can list here). Keep up the good work! Thanks to my clients who I have stuck with me through my crazy military life. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for Samantha H. Until then, I am still enjoying my break down in Arizona and I am currently working on a 2011 photo slideshow with all my favorite photos I’ve taken this year. Stay tuned for that! Enjoy your day and thanks for reading my rant, Samantha
The main person that inspires me to keep going with photography is my sweet little boy, Dean:

This is just a preview of this years Christmas card photos. More to come on the blog. Isn't he a character?!?
Happy Halloween!
Posted on October 31, 2011

Dean and his cousin, Charlie, are going to be Buzz Lightyear and Sheriff Woody from Toy Story this year. We were lucky enough to have my sister and Charlie visit right around Halloween time! They wouldn't sit still so it was difficult to get photos together in costume. See below for our attempt at getting them to sit together. What characters they are!























