I’m dreaming of….

Wouldn’t it be nice to be on vacation? Just browsing pictures and remembering my last vacation. I was sick as a dog and went straight to the hospital after the ship docked but the pictures remind me of how relaxing vacations always are (at least they're supposed to be that way) Just reminiscing….nothing more.

side bar: the feet, are mine. Yes I know they're imperfect but they were perched on top of a chair, doing N-O-T-H-I-N-G. Oh, and the biker, please know that this was a family trip, yes the baby traveled that way....definitely NOT in America...lol.

Hi Drake, You and Your Sister are SOOOOOO Adorable

Dear God, Thanks …..

Absolute Love

Look what the Lord has made....

From 2009-05-02

Give This Life to You

There's nothing so meaningful in a parent's life as when they bring their newborn child to the Lord. It's a symbol of commitment and more for the parents than the child. They have commited that they will commit their parenting wholeheartedly to God. Now, that I'm a parent, I find the symbolism even more profound. Here are a few pictures that marked the moment.




The next two pictures I just love because they show intensity that only a first time parent can have...

Here's Daddy....


...and here's Mommy....


....and here's a short slideshow with the rest of the pictures

Pondering?

I've been thinking a lot lately about my life and my life as a photographer. Really, I love photography, at least I love looking at good photographs. But, just yesterday, I was listening to Dave Ramsey speak on Careers and Extra Jobs as part of his Financial Peace University Series (sidebar: great series by the way) and he mentioned that there are some of us who are passionate about things that we should really leave as a hobby. Hmmm?? Then this morning as I got started on my morning reading, I ran across two articles about photographers who are copycats.

So, I've been pondering about photography and about life?????

How do I distinguish myself as a photographer?
Is it ok to "draw inspiration from other photographers"?
How do I do that without stepping on toes?

I had a friend recently who spent a lot of time working on his logo and released it only to get an email within 24 hours that he had mimicked another photographer who was invoking copyright laws. Bummer!!! How do I avoid that? How do I make sure that my "brand" (should I chose to pursue it) is unique?

Pondering? and Wondering? Is this thing really for me?

Sidebar: I haven't been active lately with the camera. Truthfully, I was hospitalized for much of the first quarter. The good news is that I am finally getting better and I am really excited that the spring is here.

What a wonderful world!

I have been sick, really sick. But finally the clouds are clearing and I can see the sunshine. I am excited to heal and get well. I miss milling about and feeling alive. It's just in time for spring and I'm excited to see this wonderful world. I found this beautiful rendition of a song that reminds me of why I am so excited to be well again. What a beautiful voice and a timeless message!

Little cutie pie

Ordinary Miracle

What happens when love and family combine....well, you get an ordinary miracle. I spent the day with the most beautiful and loving family. They are so gentle with each other, it's extraordinary. I love that word ExtraOrdinary. It's just ordinary with a little extra. Well, that describes this family perfectly. They live everyday, ordinary miracles.

Most Wanted....

Some people are wanted for all kinds of not-so-good stuff, but Mr. J is wanted for all the right reasons. He is definitely America's Most Wanted. I'd take him home, except that his lovely parents would have ninja'd me for even trying. He was such a good baby. I want a baby as easy going as this little guy. I mean, look at him, he's so incredibly cute.

Twas the night before...

...this was a last minute session. Lil' baby was to be born literally hours later but we had to capture some pictures before his grand entrance. I have a few favorites and can't wait to share them all with Mom and Dad.

Address Update!

That time has come when you can simply type photosbypru.com and get here.

It's as easy as that.

www.photosbypru.com

Top 5 for 2008

It's a new year! Happy New Year everybody. I am excited about 2009 and all the wonderful things that are in store.

New Years Eve/Day is a natural opportunity for reflection. I love photography because it is a snapshot of a moment in time. Of course, when you look at a photo you can see what was happening or how someone looked, or an expression of emotion but there are often so many unseens, like, smells, tastes, feelings, etc. Well, I've been looking over this year's photos, some were taken with my 35mm film Canon Rebel 2000, some with my Canon Powershot, and some with my Canon dslr. I've picked 5 that I love the most. They stand out b/c they capture a gorgeous moment in time. I plan on doing this every year and so, ladies and gentlemen, I present the TOP 5 PHOTOS BY PRU FOR 2008.

I love these pictures and I hope you do too. Can you tell I've been surrounded by babies? I love their littleness. What's your favorite?

Happy New Year ...

We wish you a merry Christmas

Dear Friend,

Thanks for inviting us to lunch. We enjoy catching up with you whenever you're in town. Good luck with school, marriage and life (not necessarily in that order). Keep in touch. I promised pictures from lunch. Some are more moving than others. I loved this little angel and the comfort that she has with her Grandpa and the love the he naturally shows in his interaction with her. I had to post this picture.

I know that I have a weakness for families and her family stood out. They were so connected to each other, it was wonderful to watch them mingle with the rest of us and with each other. I immediately wanted to use them for this postcard experiment. (side note: will be doing post cards next year) The picture needs a little work but I chose to post it anyway cause I think they perfectly symbolize that this season is about being together as a family.

(click picture to enlarge)

Thanks again for lunch and we should all keep in touch.

Love ya lady,

Pru

Isn't she lovely...

Some families are just blessed. This family is definitely one of them. They have a beautiful baby girl who is the joy of the family. Isn't she lovely? She was heaven sent...

A Little Ballerina Angel

Food and Fun

Those two words summarize the last few weeks. I love this time of the year. Everyone is so happy and unstressed. We've been doing a series of recitals and parties and get together's. It's been quite busy and quite fun. Truthfully, I've been so busy having fun that I haven't taken many pictures. But, here's a few that so vividly capture every single one of the parties that we've been to. It was all about GOOD food and lots and lots of fun.

Oh, that's my delicious pumpkin cake. It was a hit everytime. Hmmm, tasty.

What's a party without some dominoes?

or spades?

A good ol' fashioned spades game. Who could resist, especially when Sharee and Phyllis are playing on the same team. It's bound to be a hand's-down spanking for someone and they have no shame in pointing out the obvious -- you've got no skills.

Even the little ones joined in the fun

Only they know what was going on under there????

Dancing, dancing and more dancing....

I absolutely had to put this one in. He was soooooo cute and chillin' hard. This was pure cuteness.

Family....

....I spent some quality time with this most wonderful family. They are so loving and careful with each other. You can feel the love in the air. Mommy, I promised that I would work hard for you to have some photos before the holidays. Here's your sneak peek. Hope you like....

On Display....

It's a wonderful thing to go to your friends house and see your pictures artfully displayed. It just warms my heart. I took those pictures for their engagement shoot many years ago. A wedding, a few years, two or three houses and two children later, they still love the pictures and they are still displayed in the house.

Oh and those pictures were taken with my 35mm camera, before the days of editing when photographers actually used real black and white film and filters. I think I used a red or yellow filter with my lens to get these shots. My how things have changed. I'm just really proud and most of all happy that they still love it, even today.

Daddy's Love

I'm just getting the chance to look at photos from a newborn shoot this morning. A few edits and this picture captures the day perfectly. They know why. I'm working on the rest but will have them to you soon. Until then, she'll be basking in the warmth of her daddy's love.

It all started with this ...

I have so much to be thankful for. Life, liberty and not just the pursuit of happiness....I am actually happy, very happy. Since this is my photo blog, I need to take time out to thank Nika, Landi (and Heidi for that matter) for all the photography encouragement and accolades and advertisement. I am more grateful than I can adequately express.

It all started when Nika was pregnant, she wanted me to do photos of her and I relunctantly obliged. I did the pictures but I was not at all happy with them but made the best of the situation. It's not like you can re-create those moments. A woman is only full and pregnant for a short time. I think Nika liked the pictures anyway but I wasn't in love with them. That was about 1.5 years ago.

Fast forward to Spring 2008, Landi had a mishap and her scheduled photographer had to cancel at the last minute. She was full and pregnant and needed to have her pictures taken ASAP. Well, I hadn't taken photos in a looooooong while. Honestly, I had a point and shoot that we bought when our son was born but hadn't even bothered to think about getting a DSLR. Real photography was for people who had more time and I was too busy to invest in photography equipment that would hardly ever get used. But Landi insisted that I needed to take her pictures and so I literally dusted off my 35mm Canon Rebel 2000, bought some 400 speed film. I wasn't even sure that film was still sold and we went to the park to take pictures. I was N-E-R-V-O-U-S. I remember in the middle of the shoot stopping and saying a prayer and begging God to "Please make these pictures turn out ok." Remember this is a 35mm, so you don't see the results until after you go to the store and pick up the printed pictures. Who knows, by that time the baby could be here and the preggo moment gone, forever. If the pictures were to be any good, God would have to ensure that. I took pictures of the entire family for a couple hours, waited anxiously until they were transferred to CD, edited, did a slide show and these are the results.

That day, was transformative for me. My fire for photography was lit again. I've had some setbacks along the way but nothing has been able to quench my thirst to "capture the moment."

This was Landi's video. I love it and the song by Martina McBride is one of my favorites. It is especially meaningful to me on this Thanksgiving 2008 because, truly, I AM BLESSED.

Drum Roll Please!

The day has finally arrived! Yes, it has....my fab cam has arrived in the mailbox. I've opened it and already spent countless hours tinkering with the little features, read the manual twice and taken more than 700 pictures of, well, nothing in particular. Clicking, just because. I'm working on expanding my collection of lenses but in just a few days my 50mm will be here and I'll be good to go, for now. Like most photographers, I suffer from GAS (gadget acquisition syndrome) which is usually limited only by my pocket and my cheapness.

I already have 2, maybe 3 shoots scheduled for the month of December and I will gladly post the pictures. It's nice to be blogging again.

Well, I feel inspiried to do something to celebrate. Fellow photogs, please don't kill me for this...but I must do this for the people who have encouraged me through this crisis. Call me...let's make a deal. I'm open for business....original, edited pictures on a disc, yours for the keeping, engagement, maternity, newborn, family, birthday party...it doesn't matter.

So call/email/contact me and let's get your sessions scheduled.

I'm really, ready to start clicking again.

All on a Saturday night....

On Saturday night...the honey and I were invited to a scholarship banquet. The banquet was quite fun and the scholarships recipients were quite remarkable but honestly, we were just happy to be out and childless. We were having fun so I didn't take too many pictures but took a few of some close friends.

I love families, so I couldn't resist snapping a photo of the Simpson family. Mom and Dad have been sweethearts since high school and their love is as strong as ever.

I took a million photos of the table centerpiece, that is, until hubby said, "Ok that's enough."

...and Sandy, hubby's godmother, did a dance rendition to a Stand by Donnie McClurkin. I wanted to get up and shout, "That's ma' song" but instead I sat quietly behind the camera and mellowed in the moment. From the pictures, she was really feeling it too....

...ooh and for the record....there's me and the HOTTEST man on the planet. I'm still trying to figure out his expression...lol

bless.ing -- the invoking of God's favor upon a person

That was exactly the reason for getting together last weekend -- a special blessing for baby girl #3. I've been capturing this family's journey into parenthood for the 3rd time and it's been more of a bless.ing to me than they could ever believe. I had no intention of taking pictures. In fact, I hate the little point and shoot that I'm relageted to but I brought it along anyway and without even thinking, I started snapping away.

Bess.ing -- a favor or gift bestowed by God, thereby bringing happiness.

The pleasure and blessing was all mine. Thanks guys for indulging me. I'm listening, He's calling me to blessings.



I still need to tweek a few things..