SOME MODELS FOR THIS

WEEKEND’S WORKSHOP

CHANGE THEIR PLANS AND

NOW WE NEED TO FILL IN THE

GAPS! LOOKING FOR A FEW KIDS

AGE 4-9, AND ONE BABY AGE 6-12

MONTHS.  MODELS MUST BE

AVAILABLE THIS FRIDAY

FROM 3-5 AND ACCOMPANIED

BY AT LEAST ONE PARENT.

PLEASE SEND A RECENT PHOTO

TO photography.yan@gmail.com.

THANK YOU!

i’m telling you, this field of yellow flowers was the stuff dreams are made of. and so when i went back with another wonderful client the day following this shoot, only to find the  each and every yellow flower plowed and churned into dirt by a ginormous tractor, i was angry, sure, but i also thought “you were too good for this world yellow field.” hahahhahahaha.

and i know. you’re not just, “whoa, get a load of that field.” you’re also kinda thinking, “whoa get a load of adorable sebastian,” and of course, “get a load of sebastian’s drop dead gorgeous mama.” how could you not?  =) they are even nicer on the inside than they look on the outside. i feel so blessed to have such wonderful clients.

looky here heartshop attendees, this session is shot at the very location where you’ll be hanging out for a few days! not only did we want to show you the studio, we wanted to show you images that make our heart sing. these images are like more heart healthy for me than cheerios! why? because 1. they have MY girls in them. =)  (though wrennie, the little squat bucket, only survived the first half of the shoot) 2. they have my girls in them being their silly selves 3. when i look at them i’m reminded of more than one reason as to why life is so, so, so good.

thanks for looking!

p.s. if this shoot had audio, you’d have to cover your ears. otherwise they might explode from a giggling overload.

i really feel bad for going and getting you all worked up and concerned, because truly, it appears as though things will be just fine with our baby boy.  you see, his umbilical cord (or is it mine? not sure how that all works out…) should have three  vessels, but his only has two (way to stand out junior! you know i enforce being different!!!). also, apparently this cord is truly delinquent because it decided to implant on the side of my placenta rather than the center….both of those things increase the risk of additional birth defects (none detected thus far), and a baby that may or may not be a little on the small side.  so the dr.’s have to keep a close eye to make sure he grows the way that he should. all things considered —- namely one of my best friend’s who just lost her brand new precious little one, and another friend who sadly miscarried at 9 weeks, we are extremely, extremely lucky.

and i think that’s good to remember.

dear yan,

yesterday i did some reading on these cluster headaches i’ve been having.  the weirdest thing about them is how scheduled they are and that’s how i know they’re not migraines.  right now i’m having them at noon and 3 am.  remember in hawaii how i had them for over a month?  well, apparently that’s normal.  and it’s apparently normal to think suicidal thoughts because the pain is so intense (i must be either really tough or have a ‘mild’ case of cluster headaches although i did wish i could die once in hawaii).  i read one statement from a physician who said he believes cluster headaches cause the worst pain known to man (he mentioned childbirth specifically, but i still reverence childbirth as the pinnacle of pain).

i just want to thank you for being so sweet.  it warmed my heart that you got the medication for me this morning.  and i was so grateful that you took an initiative since a headache came on just as you came through the door.

sticking to the bright side, i’m grateful for the pain i’ve experienced because it’s taught me to work and serve even though i’m uncomfortable.  it helped my self-esteem the other day when i helped my dad lay the floor through my noon headache.  and i feel better about myself when i can still be a nice person to everyone (especially our girls) even when i’m in extreme pain.  so i’m grateful for what it’s taught me and made me believe about myself.  and i love you all the more for what it teaches me about you.  yesterday, when you said you were too self-absorbed, i couldn’t remember ever disagreeing with you so strongly.  you are the most unselfish person i know.

i love you.

marty

michele’s brother keeping the tradition alive of “putting (or tying)” pennies in his sister’s shoe.”

Michele and her Dad were so sweet.

Michele’s mom giving her some advice (aparently, it was funny advice)

Michele works as a Nanny to the following beautiful children…

group hug.

i love how happy they are.

and they lived happily ever after.

well you see, carl and ashmae, the one’s gussied up in this post, contrary to what the pictures portray, are not married…..yet. the magic happens this weekend. but you know what else is happening this weekend? the annual moore family reunion! (here we are putting two and two together again) So this couple, who happen to also equal the definition of loveliness

by

the

way,

and I wanted to do a session together anyway.  that way carl and ashmae can use some of the pictures from our session at the very wedding reception i sadly will have to miss. you follow? if not, who cares?! just look at the pictures….

i hope their children have eyes…

oh, hello, we are just being cute on the steps…

a lot of cheek kissing happened, which i think brings us up to the rating of G -

no, she’s not going to san franscisco.

no jokes, just look at the pretty girl.

me: “hey guys be serious!” them: “pshhhh… (laughter ensues)………………….but then………………….they humor me.

but one word comes to mind, and that word is adorable (why are you laughing?)

there has to be heart forming somewhere in this picture…

did you see those stairs? much too steep to risk an untied shoe.

sun-streaked is the new black.

even their shadows are in love…

more sun, more shadows, more love.

dandelion. i can’t think of anything else to write but dandelion.

i call this one, “cake toppers.”

okay, drop that minus, we’re headed in the rated G direction.

never mind, but still so pretty.

harsh light can be fun sometimes. and these guys can be fun too.

what?! new location! didn’t see that one coming did you?

looking back…

i. just. love. this. shot.

and you thought you’d seen the last of the dandelions.

skittles, i’m watching for your phone call. taste the rainbow, anyone?

it started to get dark…

so we had to strike the poses while the sun was their for the striking.

more.

best for last, in my not so humble opinion.

feel

the

love.

thanks carl and ashmae! good luck this weekend!

i sorta wish this family could be reincarnated and come back to all my sessions as other families.

so this is briana and david’s “just them.” we met downtown at hotel 43, and kept to about a 2 block radius. and we had a lot of fun. and we had a lot of lemmons. and we had a lot of love. thanks for looking. i welcome all fun and fresh bride and grooms to give me a call for the same experience. and even if you’re not particulary fun, and a little less than fresh, still, give me a call. =)

Regardless the clients, location or purpose for a session, this inspired and diverse set of 50 phenomenal poses showcases families in all manner of locations and types of shoots, from urban funky fun to serene and spunky by the seaside. Professional and thought provoking, inspiring and just plain fun, bring out these great ideas. You’ll find yourself having such a great time, you won’t want to put down the camera.

Simply print out the high quality cards and bind with a clip for an easy, take-along guide in your camera bag.

Featuring stunning imagery from Design Aglow contributors:
Audrey Woulard
Lena Hyde
Laura Novak
Whitebox Photography
Paul Johnson
Jessica Johnston
Anna Mayer
Galina Sullivan
Adele Reiding
Yan Photography
Tara Whitney

maybe the end.

as we were wrapping up our FANTASTIC session together, i started talking to this family’s mom about their “story.” specifically, the story about how they came to adopt their beautiful one year old twin babies. i watched kim’s face light up as she told me how the twins came earlier than expected, and they were only given a short weekend’s notice that they needed to make the drive to norther idaho to pick up their new little babies. there we were at the depot. while kim’s husband’s luke likely fought the urge to honk from the car, kim elaborated on the details. i tried to hide my tears.

oh what, you think i’m always a big baby? well, i’ll have you know, that i’m actually impressingly cold hearted. but there is something magic and compelling about adoption stories that acts like a hot blowdryer on my ice cube heart.

furthermore, when i asked kim if i could share a little bit of the twins’ story on the blog, she responded by sending me the story of their oldest daughter, sara. both stories are inspiring, but i’m opting to share sara’s in depth, as her mom has told it so well… look for it in itallics after the pictures. =)

thanks kim and luke for making this session such a pleasure. you put me right at ease, which really is supposed to be my job. hope you love these pictures as much as i do.

you know when people say, “you’ve got soul.” ? well, this is what they mean.

when diana says to squish our heads together, it makes us laugh.

we may be twins, and we may both have amazing eyes. yet, they are not IDENTICAL blue eyes.

silly in the sun.

more of it.

hahahahahaha…..

but then he got me back by looking so “james bond.”

of course, then kim gave him some serious competition.

then they decided they both wanted to be in focus.

the sugar has kicked in.

stick around for this beautiful girl’s story below (as told by her mother)…

In February 2006, we adopted our daughter, Sarah Alene. Sarah is 5 years old now and the joy of our life. Sarah came to be ours forever in the most unique of ways. I met Sarah when she was approximately 7 weeks old in a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit in California. I was assigned to her as a nurse on the day that changed our lives.

After conversations with her case manager and social worker, I offered to bring home Sarah from the hospital. News that my husband was very surprised to hear when I called him on my first break. “Honey that’s not funny that you are bringing home a baby,” I think was his first reaction to the news. News that he was able to comprehend after I told him about Sarah’s little life and the reason that I wanted to bring her home. Her social history was grim at best and her medical prognosis even worse. When her adoptive parents heard that she was diagnosed with DiGeorge Syndrome, they opted to halt all adoption proceedings, which left Sarah with no one to care for her except for the medical professionals in the hospital.

The original intent of discharge was hospice care and we applied for our foster license with this knowledge. The weekend before she was to be discharged, Sarah became gravely ill with cardiogenic shock. The next few days were grimmer than before. She was in need of an emergent heart surgery. One that would undoubtedly in all clinicians minds be the last step for Sarah. Her cardiac surgeon warned us time and time again that her chances were slim and that we should be prepared for the worst. Our little girl, as we thought of her by then, would never be able to enjoy the wonders of life outside of the hospital.

She wouldn’t know the luxury of sink baths, puppy kisses, ride in a swing or most importantly, love that would be hers for as long as she was “ours.” She would only know pain and tears. She would only know of days and nights on her back. She would only know the short hours that we spent with her in the hospital.

Sarah proved to all that she was stronger than ever expected. She seemed to have a glow about her when she came back from surgery that fateful day. She advanced through the postoperative course faster than anyone thought possible. Some say that she did so because her heart was stronger and functioned better. We are convinced though that she knew she was loved and would be for years to come.

Everyday we see that spirit. She is full of love and joy. She experiences the world in the smallest amounts but lives larger than life with all of her experiences. She finds joy in watching her puppy run through the house, belly laughs at the Count on Sesame Street and never tires taking papers out of Grandpa’s shirt pockets.