Alison B

practice run

Tomorrow I have a diaper shoot for diaper packages with 18 month old babies.  I thought I would do a little practice session to see how well Slater would behave and check a few technical things to make sure I am ready.  Eighteen month olds kind of have a mind of their own so this shoot may be a bit challenging.  Especially since there are three shots that are needed that are very specific...no following a toddler around and clicking away at whatever they are doing.  This will be interesting to say the least.

However, Slater was actually pretty good the first five minutes and even followed direction to sit and stand... the crawling one might be hard.  Here are a few pictures that I just love from this mornings shoot. Slater was very funny and I haven't done a shoot of just him since he was one.  I haven't used my backdrops in a long time as well and that was kind of fun. It's such a different type of shoot. 

The last one is my friend Colleen's daughter that I just think is the cutest.  She was wearing the craziest, perfect for a photographer outfit today and the whole thing just works for me. I think I need to share the color one of her too.  Totally love it.

 

dangers for toddlers

When Tucker was 18 months or so, he loved to carry sharpened pencils.  LOVED it.  And being the good mom I am, I let him:P  Well, not all the time but a lot of the time.  Funny thing is that now as he is getting older, he is a really good writer.  His 6th grade teacher said he wrote better than many college kids he has seen.  And he really likes writing.

Then there was Dallon... at 18 months he loved to carry around quarters.  And being the good mom I am, I let him:)  Dallon has a slight obsession with money now and really, he always has.  He isn't into having a lot of money just how money works.  He often will ask someone how much they make, how much their house cost, how much was the present they bought him.  He really wanted a mini atm machine for christmas, which he got.

And now Slater... What does Slater like?  He knows where every plant with berries on them is located in our neighborhood.  He is a poisonous berry lover (I don't know if they are actually poisonous)!  And he seriously loves them, loves to carry them.   If I were a good mother, I would look up if they are poisonous... but I haven't.  So what does this mean for his future likes and interests?  Should I be worried?

the miller family

I photographed these two boys last summer when they were one.  Now they are 18 months and walking and running all over the place.  We sat down to play first and Jack was being very friendly and gave me a hug and Charlie who was not so sure about what was going on, surprised me with a hug too.  It was the sweetest thing.  We just played around in the backyard for the most part.  These two were totally into checking out my camera.  It was such a fun shoot and I loved seeing these guys again.

Here is the sneak peek:)

it's about time

My friend Kristina and I have been planning on doing a photoshoot with each other for like 2 years or something.  We never manage it even though we see each other at least once a week and talk often.  We just don't seem to find the time.  Well, we finally did.  I need a shot for my website and she needed some for herself.  We went to the beach during this last storm and amazingly, it only rained at the end. 

We really wanted to try to be cool and think of cool things.  The 'coolest' thing we did was at the very end when we were freezing, wet and the rain started to come down.  On the way down the stairs at the beginning, I saw this overturned garbage cans and thought they might look neat.  And they did!  They are my favorite of Kristina.  I am a weirdo and am smiling in all my shots.  It's so not a smiley place. 

So all the shots below are our masterpieces from our shoot.  My favorite of me is with the white chiffon.  And my favorite of Kristina is the trash can duo.  I will say that I think for both Kristina and I, we don't see many photos of us since we are always behind the camera.  I think we were both surprised at how our age is starting to show... maybe it has been showing and we are just recognizing it now...  Anyway, I fixed that right up!

engagement anniversary

I rarely remember our wedding anniversary... and Joe doesn't either.  Although he is usually the one to tell me we missed it.  But I do remember our engagement anniversary.  Every year we go to the spot in Crown Point where he asked me and take photos.  The ony year we don't have photos is '92 when he asked me.  The date is Decemeber 31st.  I really want to do a collage of every years family picture.  one day...

I was looking back in my blog for the actual story and I don't think I have ever posted it.  I didn't even post last years photos.  I feel like I need to get this story down in writing because I still love it even after 15 years. 

Joe and I had been dating for a year and a half.  I had been waiting for months and months for Joe and I to get engaged.  MONTHS!  We had looked at rings in October and then nothing was mentioned and I started thinking he was just not ready or something.  The night before we had gone to see Forever Young where the guy was just about to ask his girlfriend to marry him but she had stepped outside and got hit by a car. 

That day we had taken our bikes to the bay and we were riding all around Mission Bay.  Everytime we went over a bridge, I would imagine a car veering out of control and hitting me and me flying into the bay over the bridge and Joe never asked me to marry him.  It was really a fun day except for these flashes of death:P

At one point we stopped at Crown Point and we were having a little contest of who could find the smallest curly Q shell.  When we met up and started comparing shells, Joe started digging around in the sand and uncovered a red box.  I totally thought someone had lost a jewelery box.  Then he shook it and something was inside.  I was so excited we had discovered some lost treasure (so gullable).  He opens it and there is a ring inside and I freaked thinking we had just found someone's lost ring and then as I looked closer, it was the ring I wanted and then I knew. 

Joe was worried I was going to say "finally!".  And here I was thinking of getting engaged all day long and still didn't expect it.  It was very thrilling and emotional. Such an exciting day. I think I anticipated getting engaged for so long that the wedding ended up coming in second place.  But I love my engagement story and I love celebrating it every year. 

Every year we bring the camera and the tripod and take timed family pictures.  Last year's was hilarious.  This year, Slater totally looked at the camera.  The boys love to race to the camera and see each picture after it is taken... scaring me with their mad dash because they are so close to knocking the camera and tripod over.

seeing clearer

My eye sight is getting better.  I think...  The Lasek procedure is just on the surface of the eye, no flap cut.  But it takes longer, like three weeks, for your eyesight to come full circle.  After a week and a half, I was really starting to freak out.  I couldn't read far away things or closeup.  I still can't.  But I think it is slowly getting better.  What was really upsetting was that I couldn't see if a photo was in focus or not.  I still can't but it is better than even a few days ago.  And reading is a little difficult.  But overall my vision is really good.  I don't know why just reading is hard because I can see detail in the weirdest things.  Time will tell.

I was getting quite depressed actually. Plus I came down with another cold kind of thing and I have pretty much had a cold since the beginning of Dec.  No fun.  And with being sick, eyesight wacky, I haven't gone on my run in a month and I kind of mentally gave up on watching what I ate and so I have a few extra pounds this month.  It just gets me down.  I am hoping by next week my close up vision is ok.  This was all to get my distance vision good so I don't have to wear glasses.  But I certainly don't want to wear bi-focals:P 

My website is getting a littel overhaul and I am adding a bunch of new images to the galleries.  The kids go back to school on Monday and I am really dreading it.  I love no school, no schedule.  But it's time to get back on track with a lot of things: house, excercise, eating, work stuff, baby schedule... the whole deal.  The two week break has been nice:)