Wednesday, October 29, 2008

IN the hospital?

Not supposed to work that way for a nurse, I don't think, thank you very much! I'm SO ready to get out of here. Not that the people haven't been super nice, not that my doctor hasn't been helpful... it's just I'm stir crazy & READY TO GO HOME. I dunno if I've ever mentioned that I'm needle-phobic (oh, go ahead, laugh, I know you want to...) - but I am, & I'm REEEEEEAAAAALLLLLY tired of being stuck.

I guess if I'm griping, I'm feeling better, right? ;) Please say a prayer that I can go home today, because if I can't, I might just sneak out anyway...

Friday, October 24, 2008

Little Ham!

One of my faves of the little ham from the 'ham. (Birmingham, that is!)



My job is pure torture, I tell you...

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Yee Haw!

We're drug-free Y'all! [Red Ribbon Week - Day 3]

Hillbilly Nate


Had to get a butt shot to show you guys the back :D Nate's gonna kill me for this...

Hillbilly Tucker (who isn't in the best of moods in the mornings, might I add....)



(PSSSSSSSSSST..... see that poll... over there in the sidebar? <---------- GO VOTE!)

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Red Ribbon Week ~ Day 2

It's Red Ribbon Week at White Plains Elementary!

If you know me, you know I HATE drugs... so we try to be supportive of anything anti-drug in my home. I forgot to take a picture yesterday (Don't let drugs turn your life inside out!) ... but I couldn't let them get away this morning without breaking out the ole 5D.

Today's theme - "Tell me a story of a drug free world!" Mission: dress up as your favorite storybook character. Without further ado, I give you Harry Potter & Jengo Fett -



3 reasons you SHOULDN'T be laughing right now:
1. It's just NOT NICE. =)
2. They decided what they were going to dress as, not me.
2. Costumes are slim pickins' - we had to improvise Harry Potter with a vampire cape (we snatched off some gargoyle thingy), a wand (stick) out of the back yard & some coke bottle glasses that should come in handy tomorrow (HINT HINT). Yes, those bad boys are going to work double-duty.

STAY TUNED...

Monday, October 20, 2008

A promise is a promise!

I'm literally about to fall fast asleep at the computer, but I told Ayda's mom I'd blog a pic, and a promise is a promise. Can't disappoint! =)

So here's one of the very first shots I took of Miss Ayda (my new friend)... are those dimples TO DIE FOR or what???


I'm dying to proof this session... but my brain is fried! Off to bed - nite nite!

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Fall Break? Part Two

So. My husband gets the bright idea to head to Six Flags even though we already had SOOOO much fun (note my sarcasm) at the zoo on Thursday. "They're only open all day on Friday, Saturday, & Sunday" I remember him saying. Since I'm booked with shoots, & he was working Saturday, Friday was pretty much the only option. We couldn't pass it up, really - we were getting free admission, free parking, and free meal tickets... almost too good to be true.

It was.

So we invite Tucker's best friend Joshua & his dad (Greg). Forecast calls for rain, but we're optimistic people, so we headed toward Atlanta, even though it was drizzling a bit...

and it kept raining.

and raining.

and... you guessed it.... raining.

About 30 minutes into the trip, I *mentioned* something along the lines of "Hey, it's still raining - pretty hard..." Hubby & Greg are laughing away, talking politics, football, random stuff. Just not the weather.

So. We arrive at Six Flags. And it's STILL raining.... and they... well, they look closed? (weird, huh? Seeing as they are OPEN ALL DAY on Friday, Saturday, & Sunday, right?) So we decide we'll just take a trip to the Georgia Aquarium (which, by the way, is the largest aquarium in the WORLD). We hop back on the interstate, and I look back at the Six Flags sign that says, in bright, flashing lights "OPEN TODAY 6-11"...

Boy, was hubby glad it was raining. I heard Greg mention something about the Griswald's....

Anyhoo, we made the best of it - it was a really beautiful aquarium. It was SO incredibly packed (guess everyone else had the same idea on a rainy day!) that it was hard to take pics, but here's a few...





I P.R.O.M.I.S.E. that I try to get this kid NOT to point with his bird finger. I've gotta break this habit before he starts kindergarten & gets expelled... *sigh*


HAPPY FALL Y'ALL! =) Back to work for me tomorrow. BOOOOOO!

Saturday, October 18, 2008

Fall BREAK? Not exactly...

Ahhh, fall break. Nate's spending the week with his Mawmaw & cousins, the boys are going camping with Dad... so I took the entire week off with the intention of relaxing, getting some of my photog "stuff" done - and absolutely NOTHING else - no cleaning (okay I can never escape this...), no cooking (I got bored & whipped up a feast fit for Thanksgiving by Tuesday), and definitely NO public outings with the kids. Camping lasted all of one day, because Eric simply couldn't take it any more. We actually got date night on Wednesday - dinner & a movie! By Thursday, we decided to go to the zoo. Naturally. Because boredom makes the brain mushy.

BUUUUUUT, I'm thinking - perfect photo opp, right? Wrong. I didn't charge my battery & my camera died about 30 minutes into our little trip. My husband thought it was quite funny. (I did not. Hmph.)

I decided to snap some shots of Cassidy on the way there while I had her all strapped down...
this is what you call a severe case of P.C.S. (Photographer's Child Syndrome)

Heh. Revenge is sweet....

Ohhhh, I'm kidding, totally kidding. I don't torture my kids with 20 foot snakes. Pinky swear. I did giggle. Quietly, though. PROMISE!

I thought these stinkers would quit fighting long enough for me to get a PERFECT PARROT shot, but noone really felt like cooperating. *sigh* Nice bokeh, though. =)

This little guy was cute (and STILL)... hey, it's not easy being green. (snicker)

The Lorakeet exhibit - the kids LOOOOOVED this!


Tucker was really mad because this one little guy just stayed with him even when his nectar cup was empty. Then - Jackson to the rescue - he yelled & ran him off. Tucker kept insisting that it was his new "pet bird" and he would have stayed with him forever if Jackson wouldn't have run him off. What are little brothers for?

Just showing you that I actually *do* attempt to photograph my children. They just don't cooperate. Grrrrrrr.

And the last shot of my 3 rugrats before the camera battery died (boo!):

By the time we got home, I was so exhausted that I fell into my bed & straight into a coma.... *sigh*

So we planned a 6Flags trip for the next day.... ugh. We never learn.

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Playing catch-up!

With all the web & blog changes, I've been SO BEHIND on posting client images... time to play catch up!

Another beautiful girl in my line of beautiful seniors =) And get this! She brought along a few people to her shoot - a couple shots in, I look over - and WHAT? I see this man I used to work with at Winn Dixie (way back in my high school & college days) ... I'm like, SHOCKED of course, because I haven't seen Randy in years! So I ask her, "How do you know Randy?" ... and she's like, "He's my dad."

WHAT?!?!? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO..... I can't be this OLD!

But notice I said I was only in HS. He must have already been old or something. HAHA!!! So it TOTALLY doesn't count.

TOTALLY doesn't.

Anyway - I had SO MUCH FUN with Mallori!! She was up for pretty much anything - and had some suggestions herself. I was SO excited that she was bringing along a restored car (camaro I think, but I'm so not a car expert...) - originally we discussed her wearing a poofy prom dress for these shots, but I think the jean jumpsuit really suited her. At least her boyfriend (& all the passerby, & most of the guys - ok ok, ALL OF THE GUYS - on her facebook) thought so. HA! (Daddy watch out!)



Can I brag one sec? OF COURSE I CAN!!! It's my blog!

This one made explore on FLICKR:

A few more of my faves:


Are these two CUUUUUUTE or what?

Awwwww.....



Hope you enjoyed your shoot, Mallori! =)

Saturday, October 11, 2008

Notice anything???

Some of you know, some don't - I lost everything in a hard drive/external drive CATASTROPHE quite a while back. I've sent it to multiple experts in hopes of recovering some data, but so far I've not recovered one. single. solitairy. thing. It was very upsetting... I even put down my camera for a LOOOONG time.

I finally decided, after my brother died, that life is way too short to dwell on the past... we must live each day, each minute, to the fullest. I picked up my camera again, and rediscovered my love for the art of photography.

I'm still rebuilding my portfolio, but went ahead & launched my new website ANYWAY! It's still a work in progress, but I hope you enjoy it.

To kick off my new site, I'm offering 50% off the session fee for anyone who books by October 31, 2008.

Take a peek - www.stephaniearnoldphotography.com - let me know what you think!!!