The Kate Effect

Vacation Jar

It's been just over a month since our vacation to the Florida beaches and I finally sat down to put  our Vacation Jar together. I saw this idea on Pinterest and I could not wait to make one for Kate's first visit to the beach. I am glad I spotted the idea before leaving on vacation so that we could keep our eyes out for interesting items to bring back - otherwise it might have just been one shell. Not even two shells - just one.

Thankfully I had the idea floating in my brain and when we spotted the little crab and sea urchin all dried up we scooped them up and CAREFULLY go them home. This was not easy.

I love the simplicity of the whole thing. The jar is a vintage Ball jar that I picked up in Round Top (a bi-annual antique fair here in Texas - it's huge, like most things in Texas).  The photos are from her first day at the beach in Florida. There is one photo with the wave receded and on the other side is the same photo only the tide has come in over her feet. I hope to never forget her in that sweet striped swimsuit.

I purchased three more jars and I am already planning our next vacation. Wouldn't a shelf of vacation jars be awesome?!?

heres the crab the day we found it.

"On The Dock"

   While on our trips or adventures I try to give myself some little challenges - small photo essay assignments. This one is from Florida - I set out to interestingly photograph small parts of the dock and the fishing that went on.
 

and they grow-up so fast.

savoring the little girl she is today.

The Nephew

nephews are just awesome. thats all I have to say today.

because kate says she is a better photographer....

kate lately has refused to let me photograph her - instead she has taken off with my camera. 

she says there are too many pictures of her .... so here is a picture of me to level playing field so i can post more of her cute-ness - the little toot.

 

struck by love.

could he be more handsome - i think not.

this kiddo is amazing - probably because he can have an intelligent conversation about Wookies and Clone Armies.

he belongs to my husbands co-worker...well, she is my client... actually, she is more of a friend.  I know this because friends share awesome soup recipes and knitting books.

 

  

v is for violet.

i had the pleasure of cuddling a friend newborn for a brief moment this weekend. she was tiny + warm.

surprisingly, as cute as she was - i was happy to hand her off for the changing duties. it's nice to remember how little they are when they arrive - It's equally nice to go home and recognize  how grow up and independent they have become! 

Happy Birthday Violet - here's to years & years of yawning, sleeping, and screaming your head off!

brick & mortar

downtown with one of my favorite peeps, Jana, on a photo walk. i went home inspired. human emotion is awesome but sometimes you get so lost in the subjective and the commonality of the same work...it was refreshing to have straight lines, solid objects, bricks & mortar. 

*right click, they look better bigger.

moving on up.
  over the edge.

right angles.

 

wear your heart on your sleeve day.

for the literate cows.

take note, the sign says STEEL GATE so that you won't mistake it for wood or ... cheese.

(found on side of the road between Austin and Houston)
 

barbwire sunset

side of the road between Austin and Houston.
 

lights up, eyes on.

http://ransomtv.typepad.com/ransom/2009/12/dj-promote-lights-up-eyes-on-ep.html

last weekend i got a client on top of the roof of a very old motel. thankful he is married to my cousin and i am pretty sure he wouldn't have sued me if he fell...well at least i hope not.

it's all good though, because he didn't fall. despite the cold fog and rain!

He is DJ Promote and five of his tracks are up at RansomTV for free download. yep, i said free.

you gotta check'em out. awesome stuff and a nice new sound for the holidays.

Kate is loving them so much that she is now rapping everything and she wants headphones to wear like Mote. i am so glad she has a fantastic appreciation for music.

Better yet we have had some great conversation based around the words on the tracks...like "who's eyes and I keeping on?" and "where should i go when I die?" and "whats goodwill, mom?"

moments i live for.

take  a moment and stick this is your ear!

http://ransomtv.typepad.com/ransom/2009/12/dj-promote-lights-up-eyes-on-ep.html

a short playdate.

i did a bad job of keeping things straight on my schedule the other day and ended up overlapping a few things. when I realized it...well it was really too late to cancel and I just decided to push through. so we drove out to our playdate across town to meet up with friends for 45 minutes and then drove back to our side of town to drop kate off and then i when on to my other engagement. 

i am so glad i pushed through! I discovered a new park thanks to my friend, kate was able to connect withe girls whom she had not seen in a while and i was able to catch these wonderful sun-lit photos of the playdate while catching up with a close friend. wouldn't have missed it for the world.

better yet we scheduled a "do over" this week.

the park is called richard moya park.

 

 

 

 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 

hidden treasures

today's processing is going wickedly slow and I have been cleaning up files to occupy myself between downloads. it's a tedious task but somewhat rewarding. Sometimes I find little treasures and lost photos I had forgotten about. I also gain a better perspective of my growth and my work work as a whole - bringing into perspective the big picture rather than focusing on each individual image.

this is a little peek into a session from a few months ago.
 
 

skip school, go to the zoo

 

San Antonio ZOO 2009

we skipped the first day of preschool to go to the zoo.

we had an awesome time.

the highlight of th day was a hippo's exploding poop.

obviously super funny to our preschool kiddos

check out the flickr page (which i really must utilize more) to see all the photos.

you can also click on the flickr badge in the upper right hand side of this page.

somedays I just can't get enough of her!

fireworks

 

  

 

fireworks are great fun to photograph. dueto the common use of point and shoot camera's and their "fireworks" mode - photographing fireworks is thought of as easy. just because technology has made a task easier or more accessible doe snot make the task it's self easy.

I recently hosted a few photogirl meetups at the baseball feilds to capture their Friday night firework show. the meetup was awesome. their is nothing like shooting manuel in the dark and getting a great photo to make you feel more confident in your craft. Plus the experiemnting with light really gives you a hands on, beyond the book knowledge of what you and your camera can do.

these images were taken by my friend Keri who is not a photographer but came with me to the meetup. I suprised her by having a second camera and tripod for her to use. this would have been really cool if I had remember to charge the batteries so she could use it  - but I instead let her use mine and i showed her the very basics of what to do. She did fantastic... and she had some really great questions too! In the end I couldn't get the camera away from her as she ran around experiementing.

I loved being able to share this part of me with her even if she is not as passionate and I love see the great images she captured- they were awesome!

If you have an SLR camera or a camera with manuel settings check out this article on fireworks - get out there an play there is so much to see!

How to Photography Fireworks

 

  

sailing thru life

i recently did a fmaily shoot on a sail boat - it was a gift from one family to another.

what a great idea. i think i got the most out of this session. i was able to meet awesome people,

sail on an awesome boat, be challenged with photographing on a moving object - photographing moving kids - at sunset which means a moving light source.

the girls realized their wind was taking their hair in ALL directions.

captaining the boat and taking it very seriously.

dad suprises his son but yanking him up and over the side. kiddo was actually disappointed when dad would drop him in the water and let him swim.

photog meet-up, sunsets @ the oasis. part uno

this post in LONG and photo heavy - click continue to see more photos.

the upside to selling a house.

practice in the dark.

this is a great photo. not because it is well composed or interesting or even clear. but because it was taken at 10:12pm. that would be a very dark time of day. at night.

this neighborhood I am so eager to move out of never looked so beautiful.

there was lightening and kate was up late with us so we decided to hang out in the grass and watch the lightening storm. suddenly I thought i should try to capture a photo or two. I usually avoid photos at night. I am and outdoor natural light photographer, I thrive on sunlight and light-flares!

of course, by the time i run inside to grab my camera and scan over an article about photographing fireworks ( i thought it might be of help!) the lightening was gone. so i tried the article suggestions anyway. good practice for our upcoming firework workshop.

After these few shots i am so thrilled and excited about the workshop... actually about nighttime photographs period. So many ideas to chase after.

excuse me, I need to take a nap. I foresee many sleepless nights ahead.

baby a

 

check out these adorable expressions one such a little girl...

more sneak peeks on the photoblog.

sneak peek: it's all about the dress

check out the photoblog for sneak peek of  Mr&Mrs H's bridal session...it's all about the dress, baby!

 

cuteness is so overrated

 

this little guy had such a funny attitude for just six weeks old.

it was iff he was "so over" the cuteness factor and the photographing.

He looked at me and i swear he was saying "oh please lady, haven't you seen a baby before?!" 

 

Makes me laugh.

you little B are an old soul.

a father's day gift that spans the distance.

 this wonderful family invited me to their home and favorite park to create a gift for their dad who is stationed overseas at the moment. what a better father's day gift than seeing the smiling faces of your family who love and miss you!  genius.

 

 

   

 

 

 

a walburg, tx wedding.

 

i was honored to photograph audrey & andrew as they said their 'i do's' in walburg,tx.

the highlight of the day were having the bride and groom hold hands around a corner so not to see each other before the wedding. it was a sweet moment.you could see in their face that as soon as they held hands everything seemed to fall in place and feel right.

the next favorite moment was getting them alone after the ceremony and having them relax in chair i stole from the church bridal parlor and placed under a tree in a field. I am sure the church ladies were keeping a close eye on me and the stolen furniture.

 

    

thank you for being in love and asking me to document that commitment...

getting my macro on.

 

  

I am loving this photo. I thought I would get my macro on and found this little cluster of flowers to capture. I have been trying to challenge myself to do things that I don't do on a regular basis. Since most people don't want close-ups of their noses, I don't use my macro skills alot.

this cluster of flowers is tiny and really gets my attention. love the purple hue (which is not normally a favorite color for me.) and how it goes from a delicate lavender to a vibrant purple. then there are those petals that are shriveled mixed in with the living.the fact that the clusters are scattered throughout my depth of field makes the image feel so touchable.

love it.

mating season.

 

learned something new. February thru April is mating season for peacocks. it's a great time to head to Mayfield Parkor any other area where there are peacocks roaming around. they are constantly showing their feathers and running around. i ended up having a handful of sessions at Mayfield all within a few weeks of eachother, which provided a great opportunity to shoot the birds. (well, not literally.)

it was a nice challenge.  

 

 

pirates.

i have a hard time not giggling when i watch the news lately. everytime the subject of pirates come up i think about one of my most recent sessions...

 

i am quite attached to this pirate.

multiplying

right now I am laughing because I know a number of you are thinking that this is a "I am Preggo" announcement. Sorry to disappoint but It is my blog that is multiplying, not me.

If you have not checked out www.inthestillphotography.com recently then you should head on over!

there are new photos and a NEW BLOG to check out. I have added a photo blog to the site and disconnected the site considering it's personal nature.

I know it is strange but some clients don't care to read about my graffiti troubles or Kate's latest adventure in the bathroom, so i am putting a little professional distance between the two. This will allow me to be a little less censored here ( so i can go back to typing POOP and BOOBS) and a little more focused there.

so many people? maybe i should start with the family.

   One of my recent clients wrote me a wonderful email about how happy she was with her son's photo session. It was great to hear the encouragement. Honestly God brought it all together and is truly the one to thank.

One thing she said was "It must be so cool for you to be making a career in something that brings so many people so much joy!"

This little phrase has been ringing in my ears. I don't always know if clients liked their photos or not. I struggled with this at first. The lack of feedback. When you photograph people you know - you generally hear what they have to say, new clients you have never met before don't always feel the need to report back on their feelings.

Brad at one point compared it to my hairstylist. He said "Carrie, do call your stylist the next day and tell her how much you love the haircut? The only way she knows that you are happy is when you don't complain and when you call her to schedule another appointment." This helped me wrap my head around it. It is also the reason I called my hairdresser today and told her how much I REALLY love my new cut.

It is cool to know that I am documenting what a person is like right now. Most people will value this kind of documentation later when they are no longer at this point in their lives. Often parents or spouses of the subject recognize the personality in the photograph and love the quirky ones that capture those attributes they adore.

The other part of the comment that has been nudging me is "so many people"... the fact is I am becoming lazy about documenting my own little life. Sure I still photograph Kate and even use her as a subject when practicing but it's always about Kate. If you happen to be close enough to her you might get in the photo.

I realize I am doing an injustice to my own story. I am hoping to push through those barriers of laziness and really challenge myself to capture our life and relationships as I see them. To document my life and not just my child's growth spurts. I know that this will be special to Kate one day. Not only will she be able to remember her relationships with family but also see the world through her mom's eyes.

Here's a good start.

                

 

 

when the clouds touch the ground.

one of my favorite sites encouraged it's readers to make a greater effort to carry their camera everywhere. i realized I had slacked off on this now that I have clients and scheduled shoots. in an effort to make a distinction between work and family time i purposely left my camera at home so i did not feel the pressure to capture everything. i wanted to make sure I was really connecting with Kate eye to eye and not always through the lens. there is a funny detachment that happens when you look at life through the viewfinder.

the down side to this is lack of everyday photos. i find myself weighing whether something is really worth pulling out my camera. whether it will be an ideal shot. when I am aware of this thinking I get irritable, who is this person in my head analyzing the effort vs the product? 

so i took heed to the advice - emptied my purse and made room for my camera. i must admit I still hesitate and often leave it in the car when I run into a shop.  i am learning my lesson though. I missed a priceless moment in Starbucks with Kate yesterday - the regret of that lost shot is motivating me today.

the day i read the article and emptied my purse was a very foggy one. the thick kind of fog that was still dense at 2pm when I picked Kate up from pre-k. across the street from her school is a dirt Field. i never noticed how barren it was until then. Kate and I walked across the street to check it out.

she has a great time running full speed - nothing to stop her or slow her down. no destination or obstacles. at one point she ran up to me and said "mommy whats all the white stuff?"

I told her "that's called fog. fog is when the cloud touch the ground."she then proceeded to catch the fog. finally giving up on the elusive fog she played with the rocks and dirt.

what did i do? I took pictures.

Click on the photo below to set the set on flickr.

great grandma wachter + my kate

 

 

God has blessed me with beautiful friends.

Inside and Out.

     

 

Brad said "it's not very jolly, Carrie."

I thought it was funny. Didn't plan the photo - was trying to get somehting else and happened to be shooting when kate opened the fake present. I thought it would make a funny christmas card. Brad says we are supposed to spread christmas cheer - not christmas gloom. I guess I have a dark humor.

     

the fire across the street

 

     

     

 

 

 

About 1:30am I woke up with flashing lights that filled our bedroom and the whole house. I stepped into the living room to look out the window hoping that our neighbors were not hurt and saw flames billowing out from the back of our neighbors home. The flames were taller than the chimney. There were 3 or 4 firtrucks and 5 police cars and two ambulence. The strange thing was the see this visually and yet there were not sirens or loud noise. It was errie. I ran back to wake up Brad but by the time we reached the window again the firefighters had diminished the flames and smoke was pouring out of every corner. I dressed and grabbed my camera and went outside.  I am not a great night photographer but took the opportunity to practice.

Most of these are from the my backyard. the one with a reflection in a window is to show how close we are. That is my window and the brning house reflecting in it. The gentleman in the background leaning on a tree is the owner of the home. the house I presume is completely gutted. He was not able to stay in it and you can only see black when he opens the door. He comes by once a day. He never takes any thing in and never brings anything out. 

 

 

the little girl with the red hat

     

this adorable little girl and her family had a photo session recently and i am completely smitten with her hat. my mom told me it was not good buisness practice to steal things from my clients so I let her take it home. But oh, the temptation was there.

 

how should we pose?

I get this question alot at the beginning of a photo session. Usually they have just met me or maybe they are my family and I am having to switch roles to take photos. No matter what the circumstance, the first 15-30 minutes of session are awkward. I am getting to know them, they are figuring out I talk incessantly. Nobody knows where to begin and I am trying to casually look at light and location. And everyone is very aware of the CAMERA.

This maybe why engagement sessions feel the easiest to me. My instructions can be as simple as "go over there and ...be in love." This works so well. I mean think about it. Get to people who are crazy about each other and tell them to go hug and kiss and love on each other. It's great.The Groom feels confident and like the world is perfect because she said yes. The Bride is radiant and feeling beautiful because he asked her to be his wife. It's like there is magic in the air and I get to run around capturing it on film.

Here is my cousin and his fiance':

    

     

there here. my mini-moo. i am overjoyed.

 

 

My MOO Biz cards are in!!

 

My first client turns ONE!

 

Little Baby Crowell was my first client at the tender age of two weeks old.

Now she is a toddling one years old!

Time flies incrediably fast.

I am so blessed to have had the chance to photograph her first year.

 

Happy Birthday Baby L!

 

and the rain came down.

 

kate chose her coat & rainboots to wear. stylish.

new site launched

    over the past few weeks i have been furiously working to gather, edit and launch my web portfolio. the day has finally arrived that i can share it with you my friends! click on over and enjoy.

www.inthestillphotography.com

no time to say hello goodbye, I'm late, I'm late, I'm late!

it has been a busy week or two and I feel like i have a long list of ends to tie up. I have been prioritizing what needs to be done by what is time sensitive instead of important to me... a habit I slip into when I have alot going on. it's not a terrible habit but it is one where i seem to put things that others want from me first, thinking that if I can just meet  their expectations - I can move on to my other items. this is not the way it works. those around me often find ways to fill up those empty slots as soon as i empty them. If exceed expectations then i am doomed to live up to the new higher expectation....

sometimes i have to stop and remind my self to prioritize what is important to me first and let all the other items fall in the inbetween spots. Everything seems to work better that way.

I do feel the need to tie up loose ends. To complete projects before i move on to new adventurous projects. For instance i desperately need to finish painting the house!!! I have been using the 105 degree summer days to excuse my lack of progress.

I really need to sew the 5 or more patterns that I have sitting in large baggies...already cut and pinned.

I really need to finish my headboard so that I don't wake up to a batting covered piece of wood.

In the midst of all this busy work I had a birthday, co-hosted a shower in West TX, shot newborn pictures, had photo session with L and her tutu, designed some first bithday invitations and much more.

Everyone meet my cousin and his new baby girl. 

when i was in second grade i played the white rabbit in our music class program of Disney Music.

who knew my one and only line would become so prophetic!

stuffed cats have 9 million lives

today Chip & Pounce had surgery - or so Kate says.

She had her doctor kit and everything. Kate has no idea what surgery is but she knows the Grandpa had surgery and now has a gigantic bandaide on his back. She figures it has to do with doctors and hospitals. I am only guessing but I think she might have snuck out of her bed a few times and secretly watched an episode or two of Grey's Anatomy last season. Otherwise, I have no clue how she knew to use the lamp as a big light for surgery - plus she called one of her imaginary doctors: Mr. Dreamy.

Someday we will have a house where the TV is no where near her room. 

Spoons make horrible shovels!

We are sprucing up the house a bit and Brad asked me to go buy some flowers to plant in the entry-way.

Kate and I sweated through the difficult selection of plants, pots and soil. We brough our spoils home and began the task of planting  of searching for shovels or spades...or anything to dig with. I call brad to find our which imaginary shed he put them in and found out hat he took them back to his parents house. Obviously they were not our to begin with. Then he says you could use a spoon.

A SPOON?!? seriously?

I balked at the idea but as soon as I hung up the phone I went in search of the biggest spoon I could find.

Kate and I accomplished our task. I am Gardner, watch me use my spoon!

click on post to see all the spooning pictures.

proof that I am a descendant of jesse james

 

this is how Kate came to me for a cup of juice. she was quite annoyed by the time i took this photo with my iphone because she was really thirsty and I had already wasted precious time laughing. my maiden name is James and it is said that we are his descendants. Supposedly the story goes - my great great grandmother hired some one to research heritage and construct a family tree/history. This person was able to confirm our heritage all the way to the county that Jesse James is said to be from. At that point my great great grandmother stopped the research- being a good baptist - for fear of connection with an outlaw. Scandalous!

As my grandmother says "There are no in-laws in this family, only Outlaws!"  

leftovers

this is my nephew stuffing peaches in his mother's wallet during her birthday brunch. her credit cards smell great now but they don't slide very well.

(photos from iphone)