Danielson Family | Super fun Helena, Montana Family Photographer

You know those people who just seem to be doing everything *right*?  They're fun, they're good looking, they have a great sense of humor, and wonderfully behaved kids?  They get along great and don't think it's corny to hold hands with their little brother (ok, maybe a little corny, but they do it anyway) and there's just something about them that makes you want to get to know them better and spend more time together?  

That would just be the tip of the Danielson family iceberg.  I kinda didn't want the night to end - it was that great.  

For fear of getting any more corny myself, I'll just show you what I mean -- more to come after they see the rest at their ordering session at the end of the month (and by the way, that day can't come soon enough - I can't wait to dig into all of their proofs with them.  I could only narrow it down to 52 shots.  For the record, that's a record.  I usually provide 20-30 proofs for a family session.  This one takes the cake.)

Kristen & Cory: Married | Helena, Montana wedding photographer

Kristen and Cory had a beautifully traditional wedding this summer at Tizer Gardens followed by a reception in Helena at the Gateway Center.  It was a beautiful day, and every detail was executed perfectly.  Family and friends helped contribute to the flowers, the decorations, even the music and announcements at the reception. 

Many thanks to my friend, Deea Paul, who came up for the day to assist me.  

Congratulations, Kristen and Cory.  You had a beautiful start to your lives together, and I'm honored to have been a part of it. 

 

Are you a Clickin Mom? | Helena Montana Photographer

Are you a Clickin Mom? 


Do you love your camera? 


If you don't, do you want to? 


If you're a mom with a passion for photography -- whether as a hobbyist, aspiring pro or just want to get better at taking pictures for the fun of it, you should check it out.  I did quite some time ago and never looked back...  

Clickin' Moms is an active photography forum with information on everything you could possibly imagine.  Full of tips, information and inspiration, it'll quickly become your go-to resource for all things photo related.

Check them out, then go ahead and join.  Use the coupon code "FRIEND" to save 10% on your membership through the end of April.

My username is ZoMakPhotography.  See you around!

 

Me. A self portrait. | Helena Montana Portrait Photographer

Have you ever tried taking a self portrait?  With serious face?  Better yet, with a laughing face?  I just did.  It was hard!  Seriously harder than I had expected!


Besides the obvious how-to-focus/set-the-timer/run-back-and-forth-trying-to-determine-just-how-to-hold-my-head-and-body-to-look-best (for the record I *really* need to get a remote trigger if I plan on attempting this again...), just playing with the *idea* of taking my own picture took a little time to get used to.  'Cause I'm really bad at having my picture taken (ask my husband and he'll use a few words worse than "bad" like "annoying", "ridiculous", "difficult", etc....  and he's totally right).  I tend to avoid it like the plague.


It recently dawned on me when my daughter was assigned a preschool project that involved finding a family picture how BAD I am at actually being in and taking candid photos of our family.  The most recent I could find for her that had all the members of our family was either Christmas 2010, Easter 2009, or a trip to Big Game Alaska from two years ago when a random tourist asked me to take her picture then offered to do the same for me.


So.  Here I am with a eleventy-billion pictures of my adorable kids, a couple million of my hubby and three of me.  Three.  I need to do something about that.


In addition to the family picture thing, I *really* needed to do something about the horrid head shot of myself on my website.  (By the way, have you noticed my new website?!  Totally new.  Totally awesome.  Go check it out then come back and finish reading.  Or finish reading then go check it out.  Either way, check it out.  Please.  I put in a ton of hours and am really proud of it.  AND it has fun photos of me in the "about me" section that I took myself).


I'm getting off track.


I had a ridiculous picture of myself that I'd been using as a head shot for a while.  I'd begged my hubby to come press the shutter a few times (a job he's not that fond of) so I could have something half way decent a while ago.  It was OK(ish).  Actually, I'm lying.  It embarrassed me.


Want proof?

This is what happens when I get my picture taken: (this is *not* the one that I had been using for my head shot, but it was almost as bad;) )

Seriously NOT GOOD at being on that side of the camera.


Blah.  Point of all of this?  It's more than just a picture.  It's putting myself out there in a way I never have.  It's looking at myself in a way I never have.  It's defining me and accepting me in a way that I never have before.  I'm not perfect, I'm not gorgeous, I'm not a lot of things.  But I am me.  And I'm OK with that.  In fact, I like me (don't my girls have a book with that title?!)


I finally went for it.  I took my own picture.  And I was determined to get some images that I wouldn't be embarrassed of.  I hadn't really planned on it - in fact the only reason I did it this particular day is because I happened to think of it while I was doing my hair (something I haven't done often in recent memory) in the morning and I *really* didn't want that crazy embarrassing picture on my new website.


The kids were occupied with their daddy, so I snuck (sneaked?) downstairs and I did it.  I took about 20 minutes, and I felt like a complete fool (do you know how hard it is to get yourself to laugh?!)  but I did it!  And it worked!  I actually like them!  and I posted them on my website in the "about me" section.  (Did you check it out yet?)


OK, without further ado.  The results of my crazy self-portrait session (I should clarify -- the KEEPERS of my crazy self-portrait session)  Ta daaaaaaaa!!! 

ME!

Done.  I'm not even embarrassed at the fake laughing one (didn't know I was faking it, did you?!)


Oh, and since this blog post is all about me, me, me.... some Suzie facts. 


~ I pretty much never have a completely clean house
~ I have a cake problem (as in, if there's cake in the house, it's not going to last long)
~ My favorite pet ever was a mini weiner dog with no teeth named Star. 
~ I let my kids watch too much TV 
~ I lived in Alaska for 8 years and honestly miss it from time to time (sometimes it's just the brag factor that I miss -- that I survived at 50 below...yada yada...) 
~ I spent 31 days of my life (college life) in the backcountry of Alaska without showering
~ I'd rather stay in and watch a movie with my hubby than leave the house
~ I secretly want another kid, but I don't think I can deal with having a newborn again. I wasn't the best at it.




I do have a point with all this blabbering, if you were wondering.  My point is that we all need to get ourselves in front of the camera more.  Chances are, if you're reading this blog, you're a mom who is interested in photography, or you at least enjoy looking at pretty pictures.  And chances are that you're always the one carrying the camera around capturing moments of your family at special times.  But how often do you hand that camera off to a person standing next to you at the carousel to snap a pic of you and your kids?  How often do you turn on that fancy little timer, prop the camera up on a shelf and snap a few silly shots of everyone wrestling in the living room after dinner?  How often do you put yourself in front of the camera so that years from now your kids will have a full sense of what life was like back then?  


The answer is probably "not that often".  That's my answer.  So I vow to do it more.  And I think you should, too.


Say it with me: "I am me.  And I'm OK with that.  In fact, I like me."


(I'll be doing a challenge throughout 2012 -- at least once a month, I'll turn the camera on myself.  It may be artistic, it may not.  IDK.  You can keep track if you'd like -- I'll post them all here on my Flickr page.  Feel free to join me!)

Katie & Kalli | Helena, Montana Photographer

What a breath of fresh air!  Chris of Christopher Rebo Photography invited me to go out on a shoot a few days ago with a couple of beautiful and willing models and his friend Tony from PictureFilm (rumor has it that a video of our afternoon will be available for viewing at some point in the near future).  


Can't say as the weather was the greatest, but we found some fun opportunities for unique portraits.  Not only was it refreshing to get into downtown Helena and do something different, but I took the opportunity to step outside my comfort zone and really reach for a more gritty, urban feel.  I think it worked.  I was channeling my inner senior photographer ;)  Need to get my lens on more people in this genre.  Tons of fun!


(Hint, hint!  Know any seniors who still need their portraits done for the class of 2012?  Those of you in the class of 2013 -- thinking ahead yet??  Drop a note and let me know what you're thinking!)

Since this wasn't a client session, I took the opportunity to really play around with my post processing as well. Lots of different stuff here.

I think these ones deserve to be shown off a little larger than what I usually put on the blog. Enjoy!

  

This one just makes me laugh for some reason... ;)

Thanks for stopping by!

Zoe is 3! | Helena Montana Child Photographer

You know every mom says it on a regular basis:  We don't know where the time goes.  Days drag by, bedtime never comes soon enough, and if you wipe another butt you're going to LOSE YOUR CRAP.  (No pun intended there.  Ooops).  But then you wake up one morning and realize that months, if not years, have passed before your eyes.  You blinked and all of a sudden your wiggly chubby baby has turned into a longer, skinnier talking version of the tiny being you could swear you just gave birth to the other day.  Between the dishes, the laundry, the poop, the messes, the toys and the routine, our babies grow up.  Right before our eyes.

I'll always refer to Zoe as my baby -- she *is* my baby.  But she's turning three in a couple weeks.  My baby is turning three.  She tells me all the time that since she's turning three, she gets to take piano lessons (like her big sister) and go to school (like her big sister) and make her own toast in the morning (like her big sister).  But she's my baby.  I just want to hold her in my lap for a while longer -- to brush her teeth for her, to make her breakfast for her, rather than her doing it by herself.  It's flown.  The days, the months, the years.  They've all flown by and I *HAVE* to remind myself to slow down and watch it happen.  With my eyes.  Not always with my camera lens.  Note to self..........

Since I can't stop time, I'll graciously celebrate her birthday.  I'll make her minnie mouse cake just as she requested, and we'll invite her friends and play and have fun and look forward to another year.  Because that's what we do.  We're glad they grow up and become their own little people and carve out a path in life. We're happy for them.  We nurture them, we love them, we guide them, then we let them go.  Right?  That part scares me.  But there's no sense getting ahead of myself, right?  I have a good 15 years to prepare for that part.  A long, slow 15 years, please.

Happy birthday, baby Zoe.  Mama loves you to the moon.  And back.  And then some.



Zoe's proudest accomplishments on the cusp of her third birthday:

~ giving up the paci with no complaints (the paci fairy had to come to our house and *trade* the paci for a rainbow dash toy... details)
~ going potty all by herself
~ making her own toast in the morning
~ opening the door for the dog to go in and out
~ clearing her own dishes from the table after meals