A little magic…

This beautiful little soul and her mama radiated with such a calm sunny love, that even from now my computer I can still feel the warmth.  It reminded me of the relationship I share with my own little girl. I am always drawn to the emotion between a parent and child because it is powerful and raw and so uniquely different for each family. By the time your children are grown you will have knit together each sigh and gesture; every touch and glance and every laugh and tear into a tightly woven fabric that will become your life together. I can’t help but fall in love with that magic because it IS magic and I feel a little lucky when I catch it sometimes…

We shot this session at the lovely Yew Dell Gardens which I know will be one of my most favorite places to wander this spring. If you love botanical gardens you MUST go and visit this little slice of heaven.

Mother and Daughter hugging Yew Dell Garden Louisville KY
2 Year old session Louisville KY Yew Dell Garden
Mother and Child Photo Louisville Ky
Mother and two year old girl Yew Dell Garden Louisville KY

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Carly’s Senior Session

Contagiously happy….. like how you used to feel when you got a balloon as a child. This is how Carly makes you feel when you meet her. She has the most dazzling smile and she radiates joy and compassion. I met Carly through my work with St. Francis School and I truly enjoyed getting to know her better during her senior session. I found that she and I share a mutual love of all things T-Rex which gives her instant awesome points with me. She even coerced her mother into making her a dinosaur cake for her 18th birthday which just so happend to be the same day as her session. Sadly, I did’t get to see the finished cake but I bet it was just as awesome as it sounds.

 

Carly Senior Session Smiling Louisville KY

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Carly Senior Session Sitting Louisville KY
Carly Senior Session half smlle Louisville KY

 

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April 17, 2013 - 1:33 pm

Julie Borders - Great pictures!

The gift of a day

An angel came down from heaven yesterday; she stayed long enough just to rescue me.
Angel~ Wood Brothers

As I sat in my car before my session on Saturday, I felt nervous…really nervous. My brain was a jumbled mess of questions. What if I mess this up? What if I start to cry and I can’t see to shoot. What if she hates me and wants me to leave? I text my friend and she reassures me that I am the perfect person for this. I got this…okay…okay…

I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, walked inside and all at once the ball of fear I had been carrying dissolves like a snowflake. Her home envelops me with love like a huge invisible hug. It is light and sunny…warm. I am greeted with smiles and laughter and a big wet kiss from Zena the wonder dog.  As I scan the room I see her…oh my, she is beautiful. Her big brown eyes look directly at me with the curiosity that every three-year old possesses. I offer her a small gift of a toy horse. Then she smiles at me and I am completely lost…smitten.

She is Angel, miracle baby, fighter and stealer of my heart. Angel was diagnosed at 5 months old with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA). According to the Gwendolyn Strong Foundation, SMA is the #1 genetic killer of infants and young children. There is no treatment and there is no cure. SMA is degenerative, eventually hindering the ability to walk, stand, eat speak, breath and swallow however the mind is never impacted. Children diagnosed with SMA are not expected to live past the age of two but Angel has defied the odds and just celebrated her third birthday. She is bright, sassy and has a smile that will melt your heart. She loves the things that all little girls love; fairies and princesses, and she has a fantastic collection of tiny figurines.

I was first introduced to Angel and her parents Mary and Terry Young by way of another local photographer and friend of mine, Sarah Hester of SSH Photography. Sarah had asked me to join her and several other local photographers in a movement called the Olivia Act. This cause asks photographers to donate a session at no cost to family whose circumstances wouldn’t ordinarily allow them to do so. A family friend nominated the Young family and I was selected to photograph them. You can follow Angel’s progress on the facebook page her mother set up Prayers for Angel and her fight with SMA.

The session went smoothly and we were even blessed with an unusually warm day in March so we could step outside for a few shots. It was perfect…just perfect. I am forever changed.

 

 

Photo: Angel Young Family Louisville KY SMA Olivia Act
Photo: Angel Young Swinging with Daddy Louisville KY SMA Olivia Act
Photo: Angel Young Tiny Horse Louisville KY SMA Olivia Act
Photo: Angel Young Snuggling with Mommy Louisville KY SMA Olivia Act

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March 15, 2013 - 7:41 pm

Density - Stunning. Beautiful baby

March 18, 2013 - 11:01 am

The Olivia Act {Photographers Charitable Cause} | 4 The Love of Focus | Marketing for Women Photographers and Forum - [...] What is the process like from your perspective? My session was for a three-year old little girl named Angel. She was diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) at 5 months old. According to the Gwendolyn Strong Foundation, SMA is the #1 genetic killer of infants and young children. There is no treatment and there is no cure. SMA is degenerative, eventually hindering the ability to walk, stand, eat, speak, breath and swallow; however, the mind is never impacted. You can read more about my experience on my blog post The Gift of A Day. [...]

Why I LOVE Instagram!

 

Stephanie Child Photo

 

When I was a kid and my mother wanted to take a picture of me or my brother she had to get out her camera, load film, take the picture usually begging us to smile, take it to the local photo lab….wait….wait…wait some more….then go back to the lab, pick up said photos, immediately go through them (usually in the parking lot of Walmart) and then put them safely in a box.  Or, if she was feeling froggy, one of these awesome albums with the sticky backs.

That is a lot of work to show off your kid, especially compared to today where you can capture your life in almost real-time with the inception of the camera phone.  Now if I want to capture a moment of my child’s life and share it with someone, all I have to do is pull out my iPhone and click away. The toughest choice is which way I’m going to share it with the world. And we do have a plethora of choices; text message, email, Facebook, Flickr, Twitter and my personal favorite Instagram.  I love that I can communicate a moment with a simple square image and its not being hidden on my computer or in a box. Plus, the filters they provide feed my creative soul.

I know as a professional photographer it would seem odd for me to love to use such a simple way of documenting my life when I have such advanced cameras and imaging software at my disposal but I say its the simplicity  that I love the most. I do my fair share of shooting with my “big camera” but quite honestly I don’t go everywhere with my professional equipment, especially when I have my daughter in tow. It’s just a bit too cumbersome and I want to focus on her and not the settings on my camera. Plus, by the time I have the camera ready the moment is inevitably gone.

Even though it was a lot of work, to my mother it was something she had to do.  ”I wanted to capture it all because I knew how fast you two were growing up” she told me. My mother is an amazing artist and it is because her creative spirit and her ability to find the beauty in everyday life, that I owe much of my love of photography. Just as the images of my childhood allow me to return to that moment, the images I capture will speak volumes to my daughter who will one day go back and see these moments and smile (or cringe). She will see her beautiful everyday world through her mother’s eyes and I hope that inspires her to pick up a camera of her own.

 

Brynn Sick Day Photo- Louisville
Photo of Louisville KY

Flower Photo Instagram- Louisville KY

Girl in the pink wig-Louisville KY

Child Photo Louisvile KY

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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