Not So Sure
Alec was a bit hesitant during his three month session. He was not sure if he was completely comfortable with having his photo taken!
After trying him on his stomach, both flat on the ground and propped up, and assisted sitting up, we laid him flat on his back and discovered this was our secret weapon! He loved laying on his back. He could kick his feet and punch the air with his arms. With just the right belly tickles and rubs he just turned on the charm! A variety of adorable expressions graced his cute round face!
First Communion Time
Bella’s First Communion is quickly approaching and mommy wanted to get some great portraits to remember this very special moment! Not only did Bella come out to the studio, but she brought her handsome older brother with her. Bella and Alessandro love each other very much. The images of them together are adorable. They were sweet, goofy, silly and loving with each other.
BUT…the best moments were when Bella had the spotlight all to herself! She’s was loving it! Showing off her pretty dress and the beautiful rosary that Alessandro gave her. Bella was definitely the star!
Walt Disney World
When you have a family whose jobs and lives keep them extremely busy around the holiday season, it becomes much easier to “celebrate” the holidays after the New Year. My family decided this year to take a short, but fun, trip to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida as our 2008 “holiday” celebration.
We had an awesome, though extremely jammed packed, trip! In three days, we visited four parks – Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom and Epcot. We walked and walked and walked many, many miles through each park. We rode almost every ride, some of them twice! We saw some awesome shows, from Beauty and the Beast to Finding Nemo the Musical, even a couple of 3-D shows.
Add on the almost perfect weather, high 70s and low 80s at the height of the day, followed by cool, comfortable evenings, and we couldn’t have asked for a better trip.
Now, I’m home and it’s back to work! Who knows what next year’s “holiday” celebration will entail!
Brandi 1.0 Answers Part 3
There’s just one last question, from my Brandi 1.0 blog, that needed answering, “If you could work side by side with ANY photographer, who would it be?”
My answer to that is my great-grandfather. Yep, that’s right, my great-grandfather was a photographer! He passed away many years ago, before I was really old enough to remember, but I’ve heard lots of stories and have seen many of his photographs.
My great-grandfather owned and operated (with the help of my great-grandmother) his own portrait studio in a small town in Oklahoma. He was a jack of all trades, always trying his hand at different odd jobs. He ran the photography studio for only about four or five years, during the late 40s/early 50s. He mostly did portrait work, with kids and families, but he also did a little wedding work and even some crime scene photography – mainly traffic accidents.
This was back in the days of black and white film photography and dark rooms. They did all their own developing, printing, drying and even hand-tinting. My great-grandmother and my grandma both knew how to hand-tint the portraits. Many of the images I have seen of my mother and her siblings were hand-tinted by my grandma.
These are just a few of his images. They include: my grandma and grandpa, my mother and her sister and brother.
An example of the before and after of hand-tinting.
I love these sequences of my mom and my aunt, because they remind me so much of what I do today. Capturing all the different expressions of the kiddos, and truly showing their personalities.
Brandi 1.0 Answers Part 2
Here are a few more questions and answers from my Brandi 1.0 Ask Anything blog post a last month. Enjoy!
What are your goals and dreams? I’m doing exactly what I want to do with my life. If someone asked me what I want out of life, my answer would be pretty simple. I want to continue what I’m doing…making memories and capturing moments in time with my photography. I don’t need to be rich or have a big house. I just want to make enough money to be able to pay my bills, buy some new clothes every once in a while, travel a couple of times a year and drink Starbucks on a daily basis. I want to remember to enjoy each day, never taking anything or anyone for granted.
What is one word that you would use to describe yourself? I’m too complex for just one word. Three words come to mind when I think about how to describe myself – Perfectionist, Strong (not in the physical sense, but in the mental and emotional sense) and Driven.
What do you admire the most about Pete? His amazing, unlimited and unquestionable support of me.
What is the first thing you notice about someone? I don’t really notice the physical things about a person. I would actually be horrible as an eye-witness to a crime, because I can never tell you what someone is wearing or what they look like. I notice their actions. Were they kind? Did they hold the door? Did they smile? Did they make eye contact?
What is your greatest accomplishment? Starting my business. I left the security of a bi-weekly paycheck, and a “career”, with the hope that I could make this work! Of course, I’ve never looked back!
What is something that remains undone that you have wanted to get done for years? The basement. I hate going down to our basement. It is a mess. Stacks of stuff everywhere, stuff that needs to be thrown away, stuff that needs to be organized. UGH!
If you were to rename yourself, what name would you choose? I wouldn’t. I love my name and I think it fits me perfectly. I would like it to just be one name – “Brandi” like Madonna, since I have never had a last name that is easy to pronounce or spell!
What does your perfect day look like? I’m pretty simple and I guess pretty lucky, because I have a lot of perfect days. Sleep in, workout, coffee, photography work, coffee, dinner and a tv show or two with my hubby and dogs.
Ava’s Arrival
I had mommy’s due date on the calendar for months. Almost a week before her due date, mommy called to tell me that they had put her on the calendar to be induced the following week. So, based on that, we firmed up our newborn session plans. Wouldn’t you know it, at 4 PM that afternoon, baby Ava decided she was ready to come out…and the contractions began! There went our planning!
At just five days old, Ava was a star at her newborn session! With just a little work, and some patience, Ava was willing and able to do everything we asked of her. From laying cuddled in daddy’s arms to snuggling up in a warm, fluffy rug, she was up for anything!
