Carpe Diem

I tried to seize the moment when I saw the sun shining through my bedroom window, both girls dressed, hair done and baby was fed. I have been wanting a photo of my kiddos on my bed for a long time. My husband made this bed for me as a wedding gift with only a draw knife and his pocket knife, beautiful eh? Well, my moment was short lived, and I was asking too much to have all 3 happy for the photo! When the stars all realign, I will attempt this photo again.
But, I am happy to say I am back from my husband's mandated "maternity leave," and starting photo sessions again! I am already booked for the rest of July, but am completely open for August and September. NOW, is the time to start thinking about those Christmas card photos to beat the rush and seize the day with the good weather!

Thank You Green Family!

This may be the absolute most patient family in the world! Not only were they rained on for half of their shoot (and kept smiling), but I went into labor 4 days after the shoot, when I thought I still had three weeks to go! Long story short, they are seeing their sneak peek after 3 weeks rather than 3 days!
Thank you Green family! Your patience and understanding are greatly appreciated. You have been awesome to work with and as everyone can see, wicked cute too ;)

BFF's: What else do you title a shoot of 15 yr old girls? :)

While on our Christmas vacation, my niece asked if I would do photos with her and her friends. I was happy to do it. They were a blast to work with and as you can see very photogenic. All I can say is, I hope all their fathers own shotguns and keep them by the front door! Thanks girls for a fun day!

Thank You Gregson Family!

Thanks to a long Christmas vacation in Utah, I was able to do photos for my brother and his family. They haven't had their family photos done in YEARS! I like to flatter myself and think that it is because I haven't lived near them in years ;)
This may have been my fastest photo shoot to date. It was FREEZING! Despite the cold, I was really excited about what I was able to capture in such a short amount of time. The kids were great and really stuck it in there with me. Poor 20 month old Shaw was losing feeling in his hands and that is when we knew it was time to call it quits. Thanks guys for a fun afternoon and for bringing such cute kids into the world to call me Auntie!

Happy New Year!

From our family to yours! This is how our little family brought in the New Year. I captured it with my new Christmas present (the Fuji Instax mini).

How Does the Saying Go?...

"The cobbler's kids never have shoes." In this case, I managed to get Christmas photos for my clients this year but NONE for my own Christmas card! Don't get me wrong, I like to be busy, but somehow ran out of time and nice days to get photos of my own kids. I had some borrowed lighting equipment and thought I would take advantage of them and do a shoot in my home. As you can see, the results were anything but stellar. The end result was me fuming through the ears with frustration at the lack of cooperation from my kids and photos that look like they were done by a first day employee at JCPenney. Of course I can laugh about it now, but please understand why you did not get a Christmas card from me this year. I love you anyway and Merry Christmas!

Thanks 'B' Family!

I did this photo shoot nearly two weeks ago! That will give you an idea of how swamped I have been lately. Regardless, I am having fun doing all that I am doing and especially had a great time working with the 'B' family. You really will never meet nicer people in your life. The morning we shot was really cold and I didn't hear one complaint out of any of them, they just did what I asked and smiled! What more can you ask for?
This was also my first shoot with my new assistant. He did a great job at holding lighting gear in place for me, making the family smile (more like laugh) and keeping things comfortable and fun. Did I mention he is really good looking too?!
Yes, my husband has joined the Rahne Drop team and will be accompanying me on my shoots to keep things fun and have a second pair of hands and eyes to catch things I may miss while behind the camera. I really wish I got a picture of him holding my reflector while doing the splits over a river to get this shot. There are always good laughs when Sherman is around and I love him for it!

Short Notice: Good Cause

I have been so swamped lately and have totally neglected my blog. But this is a great cause and I didn't want to miss the opportunity to get the word out (even if it is such short notice).
Tonight (Monday 7th) at the Maple Valley Food Bank I am doing FREE photos with Santa from 6-9pm. With so many families in need this year, the Food Bank is in greater need of food and money donations. We are partnering up with Michael Dixon at American Family Insurance, The Realty Company Skyline Properties, Mortgage Master of Maple Valley, and 5 Stones Financial Group to help fulfill the needs of the Food Bank. But most importantly, we need YOU! Any little bit would make a great difference. It is a fun night and the best Santa around. Bring as many people as can fit in your mini van! I hope to see you there!

'Tis the Season...

'Tis the season for Christmas card photo shoots and rainy weather. As you can tell, neither one go together so well. So, this season I am thankful for breaks in the weather, spontaneous clients and beautiful children to photograph. Seriously, have you ever seen such photogenic kids?! I think it is time for Dad to start polishing the gun! :) Thank you so much Nelson family for great laughs while shooting and beautiful kids that make my job so fun and easy!

Thank You Hatch Family!

Have you ever had in your mind the exact way you wanted a certain situation to go? Has it EVER actually worked that way? Well, for the first time I can say, "working with the Hatch family is just THAT way!" They were the easiest and most comfortable clients I have worked with. I would start to tell them how I wanted them and mid sentence I would look up and they were in perfect formation with perfect smiles! When does that ever happen? I was so happy that the Heavens opened up and we found the most gorgeous couple of hours this weekend to shoot. Thank you Hatch family for a great morning and enjoy your preview!

Pregnancy, Website & Road Trip to Canada...

What do these three things have in common? Well, NOTHING, other than the three best excuses I can come up with for not blogging in ages! I am happy to say that all is well with my pregnancy and the baby is developing well. I wish I could say, I feel awesome, but that would be lying. Though, I am blessed to feel as well as I do and still love having projects to keep me occupied.
I am also excited to say that my official website is almost complete and I will make the big announcement when we make the launch (I wish there were some way we could all gather and break a bottle of champagne over my computer and watch my site drift into cyberspace!)
I recently returned from a road trip to my motherland of Canada, with my sister, for a good friend's wedding. We had so much fun traveling down memory lane and catching up with old friends. We even got to celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving while there (and for those of you who are wondering, YES, it is just like Thanksgiving in the States, turkey and all).
I snapped a few photos while at the wedding and here is my favorite.

More of the 'D' Family

Just Some Family...

Okay, so they are not JUST some family. This is my sister and her adorable family! Though, I have to admit I am not sure who I get more nervous shooting for, my family or "just some family." I obsess equally over the photo shoots and the end result. I think the only difference between shooting for family and for others, is that when shooting my family I can use phrases like, "Stop making that ridiculous face," "I have no idea if this is going to work" and make all the inappropriate noises I want :)

Guess What?!

A Little Piece of Home.

I returned this weekend from the most beautiful place on Earth, "My Happy Place," Echo Lake, MT. The place that holds more memories and emotions for me than any other place in the world. When I was a kid, in the summer we would retreat from the Canadian weather and live at the cabin on the lake. To this day, talking weather temperature is still a little confusing for me. I only comprehend Centigrade when describing cold winter temperatures and Fahrenheit for hot summer weather. Odd, I know.
As a child, I would sleep in my swimsuit, wake to the smell of hot cakes and bacon, eat only because I HAD to and was out the door and into the water. I would swim and float until my mom would drag me out, blue lipped and chattering.
In my teens, the lake was still a place of solace and adventure. Instead of spending my days swimming, it was cruising in the boat looking for cute boys and floating on the water lathered in baby oil for the perfect tan. It was also a haven during the difficult summer before starting high school. An American school with the same number of students as my home town's whole population!
Now, that I am an adult, I get just as much satisfaction watching my daughters take on my "fish-like" attributes. I still strive for the best tan possible and instead of searching for the cutest boy, I bring him with me. This last trip I found myself not being able to take in deep enough breaths to take in all that the air there holds for me. The beauty, the tranquility, the memories and the love. When I am forced back into the "real world" and things get difficult, I close my eyes, I smell the hot cakes, feel the cool of the lake and go to my "Happy Place," I go HOME.