bitting, party of eight | nappanee family photographer

this summer i did a very quick (30 minutes or less) photography session with my brother's family. my sister-in-law needed a few photos for a local magazine article she was writing, and here are some of the shots that we got.

we didn't have much time, but i love the idea of "poses" that bring out the personalities, and even with eight people in one photo, i think this one comes pretty close...

although she didn't get to use her headshot for the article, i have to post it because, as my youngest once said while he watched me editing her photos...

"she has such a cute face!"... and a beautiful smile and heart to go with it.

thanks guys - it's always a pleasure♥

love her | nappanee photographer

this girl rocks my world.
she is magical, i tell you - in the very best way possible!

it's like having one great big piece of eye dessert, getting to spend a little camera time with her.





this girl does not disappoint, not for one moment. i can barely keep up with her!

i love her new haircut - it so fits her. she's a no-nonsense, roll-with-the-flow girl & i love that about her.

she's a breath of fresh air, this one.
gonna breathe in as much as i can get☺

nothing like a good book | nappanee photographer

one thing that i am a strong believer in is kids & books.

we started reading to ours when they were babies & we have never looked back.
my boys both loved being read to & became big readers as soon as they could read for themselves.

so, we appreciate a book lover here at our house & could just eat this one up when she pulls out the books....

completely enthralled.... absolutely precious.

love her ♥

happy | nappanee photographer

random happiness captured.
circa 2006 with my trusty, now dusty, fuji finepix☺

love that guy ♥

i ♥ faces "from a distance" | nappanee photographer

this week's theme at i ♥ faces is "from a distance".

if you read my last post, you know i love the close-up, so distance shots are not exactly my forte. normally this type of shot doesn't stick out in my memory.

buuuut.... it just so happens that i'm still in the midst of the world's longest archiving event over here, so i actually had a few shots to choose from!

i decided on this one because it's from a beloved vacation.... awhile ago.

can't wait till we get to go again, but with temps like the 99 degrees here today, i'd rather imagine this vacation in the fall☺

can't get close enough | nappanee photographer

one of my favorite quotes regarding photography is:

if your pictures aren't good enough, you're not close enough.
-robert capa

so it makes it very convenient that i love a good close-up! i actually have to think outside my own little personal "box" to back up and take something other than a close-up.

i generally shoot with a prime lens, so there's no zooming for me.


at first it might seem weird getting so close, but soon it becomes second nature. i've always got about 3 feet to work with, so i'm not exactly on top of my subject.... but i am pretty snug...


(yes, there was a moment i thought this one might take a bite out of my camera...)


i nearly always frame my shots in camera. i rarely plan to "crop creatively" in post processing. so if this is what i want, i get in there....


i've just come to love getting really close. there's something about framing a face & gobbling up those eyes...


and that nose and those lips...


so if you want your photos to capture the heart & soul of your subject, get in there! get close, forget about those background distractions and fill up your frame with those wonderful faces!

musical men part 2 : the composer | nappanee photographer

my youngest child is a composer. in my head, i always think of him as "the maestro".

he just loves to make music.

and i think it's especially delightful that he goes at it, all decked out in his red, plushy, "like rich people wear" robe.

somehow, it just works for him. ☺

at any given time, he can be found at the piano, experimenting, putting new tunes together.

and when he gets really serious, out comes the staff paper

i'm glad that he enjoys this part of music. while i have never even considered writing music, it just streams out of some people naturally... what a blessing that must be!

musical men part 1 : the guitarist | nappanee photographer

my house is full of musical men... uh... boys.

both of the guys are in their 4th year of piano lessons & this winter we got the big boy a guitar for christmas.

now, he didn't particularly want a guitar for christmas, but sometimes mom has a vision and children need a little fire lit beneath them.

the guitar is totally new territory for me.

i can safely say i know nothing about guitar.

so i called up uncle brad (who's been playing "for forty years") and asked if he could help get the boy going.

i had no idea how different guitar would be from other musical instruments (my experience being with the piano & clarinet).

i had no idea that pain & calluses were involved!

but i think it's safe to say that the boy is enjoying his lessons & getting to know a lot about his uncle brad all at the same time ☺

so now we have a guitarist in the house & i can't wait to see where he goes with it!

i ♥ faces challenge "innocent wonder" | nappanee photographer

trying to pull myself out of a non-blogging, non-photographing slump, i opened my emails today and saw that
the i ♥ faces photography challenge this week is "innocent wonder". i immediately knew where the perfect photo was.

little miss girl was here several days ago & i snapped a few quick photos. she likes to go up to my table with the photo frames and check out the familiar faces, pointing out who's who, naming them all.

i love how she rests her little 2 year old chin over the top of the table.

and... i'm especially a sucker for a profile & the added bonus of a her sweet reflection☺

6 month old beauty | nappanee children's photographer

this little girl hardly knows me without the black box in front of my face.
she's the newest of my 14 nieces & nephews and the most regularly photographed by me, to date.
and that's ok because mommy & i both love photos.

and babies aren't babies for long, so there's no such thing as too many photos, right?!

i love baby hands and feet, and baby roundness....

what a precious face....

when i think of her, this is the face i see...

and lest anyone think she's a boy, we added a flowery headband...☺

thank you sweet baby, for tolerating your aunt with the camera, once again!

xoxo

aunt apryl

long hair, revisited | nappanee photographer

i take a lot of photos. (understatement)
right now i'm trying to get organized, sorting, deleting, editing. repeat.

it's time consuming and not my idea of a good time.

what i do appreciate, though, is what i find.
images i've totally overlooked or forgotten or been too busy to stop & savor.

recently i did some serious hair cutting around here.
this boy really had some long curly locks!

while sorting through photos, i found some gems.

like this one... i like the subject.
i like that his hair wasn't in his eyes at the time.
i really like the rim light... it's icing on the cake.

this i just love. then end.

mmmm.... i'm a catchlight junkie...


and i'm equal-opportunity as far as hair's concerned.
i like it short just as well as i like it long!

love a clear path to those wonderful eyes☺
-a

she makes me smile | nappanee children's photographer

seeing this little one just makes my day!
she has a wonderful disposition & she's a doll.
so luvvy & sweet right now.

i truly miss this age with my boys.

and...
i have always been in love with this angle of view.

i have a similar shot of my oldest when he was little.
i called it his "alfred hitchcock" pose. the mostly bald head & the huge, droopy cheeks.

oh, how i love that!

i love the eyelashes.
i love the exaggeration of the cheeks & the pouty lips.


but i love this one just as much!

love you pretty girl!

xoxo
aunt apryl

happy today | etna green children's photographer

these are making me happy today...

baby fingers & toes....


and adorable profiles with soft, kissable cheeks...

yummm...♥

too fast | nappanee children's photographer

my guys are growing up so quickly.
school has started & i have an 8th grader & 5th grader.

whoa.
i ask myself, "where has the time gone? they're growing up too fast!"

all you mama's with little ones out there, let me reassure you:
it will be gone... all too fast.

so i savor these moments today.

secretly, my oldest son blows my mind.

he chews gum. all. the. time.
he's into ac/dc. his father is so proud☺
he's officially taller than me - over 5' 11".
his new bike is the big deal in his life right now.
he plays "gaga ball". it's an actual physical game, not a video game. bonus.
he bought a $15 computer from his cousin. you'd think it was state of the art.
he is a quite the piano player, which makes me really proud!
he's a super speller & loves all things science.


my youngest keeps me sharp. he makes me work for every last bit.

he's imaginative & creative.
he likes all things egyptian.
he is the most thoughtful kid i know.
he loves history, which makes his father proud.
he's a self-professed author. he's always writing & that impresses me!
he loves to play gaga ball, even though his brother normally pounds him.
he wants a pet desperately. even if it's just a mouse, he needs one.
he got 5 milk duds for helping me work on my backlit shots. i love the results.

i love these boys so much.

god knows what he's doing when he grants you the desires of your heart; that he surely does. ♥

little f is growing up | etna green children's photographer

ever since i took her pictures in the beginning, i've been wanting to spend some time taking more.

mommy says that as soon as the camera comes out, she'll have nothing to do with me.

i started out in front of her and she dodged me left...


i went to her left & she dodged me right...


i popped right back in front & she looked over my shoulder like i wasn't even there!

she's one smooth little operator, this one!

just you wait little girl... i'll be back to getcha☺

xo
aunt apryl

a discussion with a 4 yr old | nappanee children's photographer

a couple of weeks ago we stopped by my nephew's on his 4th birthday. as per usual, i took my camera along in case the opportunity arose to snap a few shots of anyone cute.

this boy was doing his thing.
playing in the dirt because apparently dirt is more fun than the sandbox for some such reason or another.
and playing in the dirt is one of the things that boys do best, so we have to let them do that, especially on their birthday.

so i planted myself there next to him and started chatting & snapping in between.

mr. c was seriously working on setting up a barn with some cows & pigs.

i guess that dirt doubles for bedding, food, saw dust... whatever you happen to need at that moment.

at some point, mr. c looked up and said something like

mr. c: "why are you takin' pictures of me?"

to which i replied something like

me: "cause it's your birthday & i thought that might be kind of nice for your mom to have pictures of you on your birthday. is that ok???"


mr c.: "no."


i guess serious business should not be interrupted by the sound of the shutter clattering.
ropin' up your cows and all, that's very serious stuff.

so i'm thinking, "great. he's really gonna make me work for this!"

these 4 yr olds, what can we do with them?

we can bribe them, that's what we can do with them☺

me: "so, maybe if i can get some nice pictures of you, i just might have a birthday present for you..."

wow... magical... look at that face!

me: "seriously, is that the best you got?"
(i see no reason to beat around the bush with these people - 4 yr old people, that is)


me: "oh yeah... that's what i'm talkin' about!"

mr. c: "so about that birthday present... "

me: "just exactly how many birthday presents could you possibly need???"

me: "ahhh... that many. well i suppose 1 more won't hurt you!"

☺

so, thanks little buddy, for the pictures.

hope this 4 thing turns out to be just great!

love,

aunt apryl

xo

ps. mom, that's chocolate cake around his mouth there. if you want me to, i can get rid of it, course i thought it was sort of cute! boys with clean faces... do those exist?