Colten {Senior 2011}

It was an amazingly warm and sunny day for Autumn when I met with this 2011 highschool senior, Colten! His mom and brother came along for the fun as we wandered the grounds of High Hill Ranch in Apple Hill, and later drove to an old road up in the mountains! Colten is a very steady, calm guy who was great to work with! His passion in life involves mountains and snow... and a very cool snowboard! :) Jodi, Colten's mom asked me to grab a few shots of Colten and his little brother, so we had some fun taking pictures of both boys here and there throughout Colten's senior shoot. It was a beautiful day for taking pictures!

Kevin + Kathie + Family

The sun was lighting up the landscape of autumn of colors as I pulled up to the park at Larson's Apple Barn in Apple Hill on Monday afternoon to get together with some of the sweetest people I've ever had the pleasure of meeting. I've known this family for a few years now, and ever since the first day when I laid eyes upon their two gorgeous girls I've hoped to be able to photograph their beauty one day!

Kevin and Kathie were college sweethearts, and the way they still look at one another you can tell their love is like a deep pool in a stream - never drying up, always constant. I love the way Kathie tilts her head to look at Kevin with a special smile reserved only for him, and how when they walk beside each other they instinctively reach out to clasp their hands together. Their daughters Shannon and Brittany are two very sweet girls who are out to change the worldview on teens... they get along with their parents famously, are quick to smile, serve others, and both bake the most scrumptious concoctions in their kitchen!

When Kathie and I discussed doing a family session she told me that she was hoping to get some good photos of the family, since in most of her photos she blinks... even her wedding photographer years ago managed to somehow take 80% of their photos with her blinking. Well, after our session on Monday, I'd say it was the photographer, not Kathie's blinking... because as you can see, these people are not only beautiful on the inside, but not so shabby on the outside either!! :)















ln~

Mary

As the little guy gets bigger and bigger (37 weeks now, 3 to go!), little things like washing the floors, doing the dishes (or standing anytime for any length of time), putting away the laundry, etc. have gotten more and more challenging to keep under control. I have to admit that more than once or twice for the past few weeks we've drafted tupperware for cereal and ate with plastic spoons for breakfast.

I would be a much greater emotional drain on Scott if it weren't for a fantastic arrangement that my younger teenage sister Mary and I came up with. She wanted portraits and I wanted a clean house... so every other week for the next couple of months (it's going to be crazy that month after D day too!) Mary comes over for a couple of hours and is my "Mary Maid". It has worked wondrously so far, and has helped alleviate stress on Scott as well ("Can you climb up in the attic and put this away, or pull this tub down, or help me put away all these off season clothes"... not fun to any man!).

This past weekend we planned on a fun hour or two long session at dusk, but it just happened to be the day that a summer storm blew through with enough dry lightening to keep the firefighters busy all this week. The smoke still hasn't let up. Since we started before the fires, there wasn't smoke to contend with, just the clouds and a darker dusk than I'd anticipated... so we will be doing another mini session to add a few more portraits to Mary's collection another time. For now though, here are a few of my favorites. Enjoy!










~len