happiness is…

Posted on April 7, 2011

Personal Project: It’s the small things

.. the front porch on a Spring day…. add a cup of tea or a glass of wine and I’m a happy lady.

Enjoy the beautiful weather,

Samantha





laughing with…

Posted on March 25, 2011

Personal Project:It’s the small things
I have been meaning to post Spring photos of things blooming and changing around here. I have recently found this amazing song called “Laughing With” by Regina Spektor (lyrics below). I highly recommend going to iTunes and downloading this song asap. Below I will post the lyrics, along with my photos of growth and of course photos of Dean because he is growing like a weed too!
Yesterday and today we had a day to think about life, the circle of life, to be exact. Sad to say we lost Mike’s Aunt died yesterday afternoon and she will be SO missed by everyone. She had a long fight with cancer and we were so fortunate to have visited with her on 5 different trips (we live across the country). That same evening, my best friend from Colorado gave birth to her baby girl at 12:30 a.m. Welcome to the world baby girl!! Bittersweet is a word that comes to mind. As with seasons, there is a similar process, blooming, living, dying and repeat. Seasons and life are always changing & transitioning. Love you Aunt Susan! Congrats & love to the G family!

Laughing with… By: Regina Spektor

No one laughs at God in a hospital
No one laughs at God in a war
No one’s laughing at God when they’re starving or freezing or so very poor

No one laughs at God when the doctor calls after some routine tests
No one’s laughing at God when it’s gotten real late and their kid’s not back from that party yet

No one laughs at God when their airplane starts to uncontrollably shake
No one’s laughing at God when they see the one they love hand in hand with someone else and they hope that they’re mistaken
No one laughs at God when the cops knock on their door and they say, “We’ve got some bad new, sir”
No one’s laughing at God when there’s a famine, fire or flood

But God can be funny
At a cocktail party while listening to a good God-themed joke or
Or when the crazies say he hates us and they get so red in the head you think that they’re about to choke

God can be funny
When told he’ll give you money if you just pray the right way
And when presented like a genie
Who does magic like Houdini
Or grants wishes like Jiminy Cricket and Santa Claus

God can be so hilarious

No one’s laughing at God
No one’s laughing at God
No one’s laughing at God
We’re all laughing with God…

I noticed my basil plant was sprouting (above) and another tree in the backyard. We welcome Spring here in NC!

Enjoy your Friday, Samantha





teething.

Posted on March 23, 2011

Personal Project: It’s the small things

This is my favorite of them. Sylvia has her dog chew bone and Dean has his wheat teething biscuit. This was a happy occasion until Dean dropped his biscuit by her paw in which Sylvia decided to gobble his treat up as she casually went back to finishing up her chewy. Dean yelled at Sylvia once he realized it disappeared, they made up, and continued enjoying their day together.

Enjoy this Wednesday,

Sam, Dean & Sylvia





27 years…

Posted on March 3, 2011

Personal Project: It’s the small things

Dean and I were waiting in the dark with birthday candles lit as Mike walked in the door from work. Happy 27th Birthday Mike!





baby food!

Posted on February 27, 2011

Personal Project: It’s the small things

I made Dean some green apples, sweet potatoes & peas. Here is the before and after photos. He seemed to love the new homemade grub!

Enjoy your Sunday afternoon,

Samantha & Dean





happy heart day!

Posted on February 14, 2011

Personal Project: It’s the small things

Good morning!

Happy heart day to you all. I think the importance of the day is all out of whack and has been for awhile. You celebrate the hallmark holiday all you like but this day to me is about loving and appreciating those in your life. Whether it be a husband/wife or just your awesome family and friends. I think taking a day to appreciate the small yet significant parts of your life that are truly blessed is more productive than making a huge production out of Valentine’s day.

Below are photos of the Orchid my husband bought me upon returning from my trip last week. Maybe it will become tradition as I received a Orchid last Vday as well. Those that know me, know that my Mom has always said give flowers on other days besides Valentine’s day because its more unexpected not to mention less expensive! Mike has truly embraced that concept and surprises me with flowers throughout the year! I love the Orchid because it will last much longer than a bouquet of flowers anyhow! And they are just so great to photograph! We are going to have our 2nd annual fondue extravaganza at our house and with our baby boy (his first heart day!) Very excited!

So enjoy the beauty in your life on this lovely heart day!

XOXO, Samantha & family

Sidenote: my father’s name is Valentine. Happy Valentine’s, Valentine :) LOVE YOU!





buddies.

Posted on February 11, 2011

Personal Project: It’s the small things

they read stories together every night.

they played with toys together.

they took baths together every night.

Dean made a new friend this last week while visiting my old friend from Fort Rucker and her baby boy (9 months old) in Tennessee. By the end of the 5 day trip we were as predicted into a routine of naps, feedings, play times, bath times and story times. Sometimes (most times) they played independently while the other sat close by however they seemed to appreciate the company. Except of course at the end of the night when patience was running thin and it was time for bed!

We really miss you two and we wish there wasn’t 600 miles between us (maybe someday). We also hope it’s not 2 + years before we see you again. Hopefully we can see you this Summer so the boys can continue getting to know each other. Thanks again A&T for the awesome visit. We really appreciated the time we spent and the sweet new friends we met. Enjoy the coming weeks as J comes home! Thinking of you and the family!

We also did a photo session while in TN and I will be posting a preview soon. They are just beautiful photos. I love them!

Enjoy your Friday & weekend, Samantha





tell your story.

Posted on January 31, 2011

Personal Project: It’s the small things

The final official post had to be something great so here you go…

(like I said before I still will post under my Personal Project: It’s the small things throughout the month it just won’t be everyday anymore)

This idea started when I realized I often ask my clients to look at each other not the camera. While looking at each other I would ask them to tell a story. A story they would both laugh at or have a reaction to in some way. I would then be able to catch a “real” smile or just something surprising. I love looking through photos and finding this rare gem that I didn’t expect to be there. A photo that wasn’t meant to be perfect but ends up being amazing. I have a few (alright maybe more than a few) of those photos in my life and they are just some of them shown in the pile below. These are photos I adore and look at all the time. I especially love the photos of our son when he was only a few weeks old.

These are the elements of photography that I just love and it just keeps me coming back time and time again. I love knowing that I have preserved a piece of history for a sweet family or being able to recreate a wedding day for a happy couple. I enjoy candid photos of people interacting as if the camera was nowhere to be found. However, since I am a photographer we know the camera is always in my hand especially at a photo session. I do believe posed photos are necessary with that being said I get the shots I need and we move on to action photos.

Throughout this month long personal project I have learned a lot of different things. Obviously the basics, I have learned more about editing, composition, lighting and of course subject matter. I loved being creative and having the freedom to explore it. Initially I was going to make this a yearlong project but with baby Dean and traveling for photography & whatnot I thought I should be more realistic and post on a less scheduled basis. So please still check back because there will be more personal project photos to come.

For the last few months I have been trying to define my photography into words. I know you can see my photos and that gives you a certain feeling. But I want to be very clear with my intentions and so that people know and love what they receive from me. This is what I have come up with so far and it’s a work in progress:

3 words: Tell your story.

Life is unexpectedly beautiful and the surprises that come along are the greatest blessings. The connections to the love & life we make are so important and often times found by chance. These relationships are what make the world go round and everyone/everywhere has a unique story with details all their own. They have quirks, anecdotes, and relationships that only belong to them. I love preserving these one of a kind expressions of love, laughter and all that comes in between.  I want to create photos that are true to the personality of the couple/family and even the fur children. I want my photographs to move you in one way or another because there are honest & heartfelt images. I want to define the simple & authentic details of your life through my photography allowing your family to tell your story for years to come.

Well  like I said above this is still a work in progress but I feel like I’m getting closer. Sorry for all the writing, enjoy pieces of my story below. Thanks for checking in with me for the month of January. Think Spring!

Happy Monday!

As always enjoy the day, Samantha





the new normal.

Posted on January 30, 2011

Personal Project: It’s the small things

We had our friends over for a BBQ yesterday afternoon since it was a gorgeous 60 degree day here in North Carolina. We had a good time hanging out with our children (& dog children), drinking some beers, eating some burgers and of course some baby food. I just loved this action shot and how Dean is looking right at me while everyone else is engaged in conversation. I love everyone’s different faces in this photo. Further proving why I love candid photos and how much more they provide than posed photos.

Baby food and beers=the new normal. I just love our new life with Dean.

Enjoy your Sunday & your life,

Samantha

Only one more day of the daily personal project and then I will post weekly/monthly kind of thing. The final post is going to be the grand finale so stay tuned for tomorrow…





i feel like painting.

Posted on January 29, 2011

Personal Project: It’s the small things

Good morning to you!

I found my old paint plate after having this sudden urge to paint something. Not sure what quite yet. I am working on that. For me, the creativity comes and goes with painting. I wanted to show you the painting we made for our son, Dean, this Spring before he was born. We have it up in his bedroom and I just love/appreciate the time we put into making it. Mike (my husband) did the drawing of the countries and I painted it all in. We will have this painting for years to come and can’t wait to make another painting for the next child. Maybe it will be a little girl…oh how many fun things you could paint… I love having my boy, Dean, but a little gal would be awesome too!

Enjoy your Saturday, Samantha





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