A little sweetness...
Sweet little twin girls.
So snuggly and precious.
My own sweet baby.
I have no excuses, but I could use a couple more hours in a day!
Happy Friday! (FriYAY!)
Let's dive right in to images for the past few weeks, shall we?
Week 6 was "hearts".
(Can we all agree that February flew past?) GUH!
These gorgeous freckles...
- Billie Leatham
These gorgeous jewel tones...
- April Malo
This moment.
- Denise Sebastiano
This awesome shadow capture...
- Mary Weber Bunevich
my own little valenstinse!
- Karmen Van Derven
All of our hearts...
Week 7: MOMENTUM
Appropriate since we kind of lost momentum that week, lol.
It is so hard to keep a project like this going, but that is the challenge, right? Sometimes the themes are going to be hard to capture. It's okay. nobody gets a failing grade.
That you ever participate at all is HUGE.
Especially to me.
I went to college for 11+ years so I get this next one...
Lacie Sibley
I want to go to here. That is all.
Even if only in my mind for a moment.
This is good enough for the living room wall...
- Lisa Willey
This little climber with the cutest ponytail.
- Jessica McDonold
This exciting moment.
- Amy Bueshel
Twirly girl circles.
- Karmen Van Derven
I love the lines in this one.
I can feel the movement in her hair....
- Billie Leatham
Week 5!
The past 2 weeks have been all LOVE and HEARTS and sometimes DRAMA, but it was a quick 2 weeks and it's over now, haha.
Week 5 was LOVE and it was probably pretty easy to find something to capture that means love to us. Hopefully you have love around you at all times.
The very first entry was a little different from the rest, and it so perfectly captures something I do love SO MUCH.
Rain. I love the sound, the smell, the feel of it, but I have to say I really love the look of it in stopped motion.
LOVE the rain running off the gutters of this old place after a very long dry spell on the farm. Water in the tanks, water in the dams, followed by sunshine giving us feed in the paddock for the stock.
Summer is not over yet but the recent rain has been a welcome respite from the dry heat. Billie Leatham
This precious little sweetie is just a doll. She may be working on hearts to give out, but she's stealing them all over the group this week!
Love ~ sleeping on the Valentine's Day cards she just made. - Denise Sebastiano
This next one is exactly what I am talking about, people. Cute dad snapping a pic of a perfect little moment in time. When she's 20 and holding out fish like this, they will compare those pictures to all these precious moments they have saved up. I know this for a fact.
Pictures let you hold on to something longer. They make it last. Even the tiniest moment can be enjoyed for so much longer.
5/52 "Love"
Third one's a charm wink emoticon I can't express the love for our fishery enough. Not only does it supply us with nourishment, but it's also our happy place; we truly are in love with our surroundings. - Amy Bueschel{love}
This next one is so full of awesome. I love this kid, this snow and this gorgeous bath of heavenly light. There is nothing about this I don't want to be a part of. Great capture.
{love} My daughter is in love with playing in the snow, and we finally got a good storm! April Malo
Ahhh, the love moments. Children are little creatures, beasts, even, sometimes, and our mama hearts just love them so much. When they are this little, their love gestures mean so much. SO. MUCH. I'm convinced it is these little moments that earn them siblings, lol.
Love: I am in love with this photo of Anthony. He took his flower and love sign waved and said bye bye mommy and continued down the path. Then I asked for a hug. He dropped everything and ran back for a hug. Mary Weber Bunevich
I love all the images from Week 5. Here are the rest of them, in all their beautiful glory.
Thank you so much for going on this journey with me! I love this project and I love seeing everybody's submissions!
Oh guys, life is so crazy busy and I am barely keeping my head above water.
Last week's theme is such a powerful theme, because the words "like a girl" have probably hurt each one of us at some time, regardless of gender. But girls are amazing, not weak, not irrelevant. Girls are taking over the world. They are resilient, strong, full of heart, and most importantly, they are making their way in our world mastering strides never available to women before now.
Girls are amazing. I am proud to be one, to do things like one, to be raising two strong little people who change the connotation of "like a girl" every day.
This group is vulnerable, connected, growing, and cooperative. I love it.
Like a girl.
First up. Powerful image. Girls can kick your ass.
Thank you Amy. Watching you grow as a photographer is a joy for me.
Little girls need to know they can do anything. They can win anything, be anything, defeat anything. They can hit things HARD. Like a girl.
4/52 "Like a Girl"
Yes, another boxing one...this is my daughter and she does everything "like a girl", ha! Heidi is my "ride or die" adventure partner. No matter what challenge lies ahead of us she will never turn down an offer to explore and I hope that spirit lives on in her forever and ever!
And this one. Danielle, I can't even type without choking back tears. The feeling here - vulnerable/alone/torn shows the ravages of the war of "like a girl".
Girls can kick cancer's ass.
4/52 ~ This photo and the next are of one of the most beautiful, courageous, strong women I know and she is currently Fighting {Like a Girl}. In my job, I deal with the beginning aspects of breast cancer on a daily basis and the women starting their Fights. They all begin in the same place but, unfortunately, they do not all end the same. This woman underwent a double mastectomy in November and currently has expanders in, stretching the skin enough to place implants in the next month or so. The lump on the lower outside edge of her breast is the port where they inflate the implant more and more. The line underneath the scar is a tube that runs from the port to the expander. She wanted a photo to document this time in her life, and I am beyond honored to be able to share it with you all. ~Danielle Bolton
Nothing personal, but these 2 images were so moving, I thought they should stand alone for this week.
If you know a girl who is struggling, who is being too hard on herself, a girl who needs your help, tell her she's GOT THIS.
We've got this. together.
The other submissions were lovely. But these 2 made me cry. Thank you so much for your participation in this space. It means the world to me.
Last week was actually EXTRA busy but I do love the entries, and it is so nice to get to know you guys. I know EXTRA was all around me last week. Extra work, extra chores, extra excitement...and this week I am hoping for a little bit lower key days.
Let's get to everybody's EXTRA.
First up is Lacie Sibley, with some gorgeous extra wet extra long lashes...
Extra 3/52 Bathtime these days is so much fun for this little gal. The splashes and giggles and pure joy that she radiates makes {extra} minutes we spend in the tub so worth it.
I love this one by Billie Leatham. I love this room, I love this old guy and I love the nostalgia in this photo.
Our girls are so lucky to have such a great relationship with their Great Aunt & Uncle. They are our "extra" set of grandparents & for that I am so grateful.
This sweet, quiet moment by Cat Runyan. I love sleeping children, Even when they skank the bed.
Every night, one, or two, or three of the kids comes into our bed sometime in the night. Here's my oldest son. None of them sleep normally either, it's always legs in our face or an elbow to the kidney with them... but I don't really mind it too much because I know soon enough I'll miss those extra people coming into our bed at night. (sad face)
Guh. Who is snugglier? the baby or the dog?
This one is all warm and extra fluffy by Denise Sebastiano..
3/52 ~ My Extra adorable little man on an Extra fluffy dog.
Flowers are such a simple way to make any day extra. I love this one, because we all need to be reminded that lovely things spark lovely feelings. And you are lovely. Every day.
3/52 ~ This is a bit of a cheat considering when I took it, but it is always nice to get a little something {extra} for just being you.
I am so sorry I got the blog post out so late, but I do enjoy putting this together. Thank you guys so much for being a part of this group! I can't wait to see the submissions for "Like a girl!".
Welcome the the Highlight Real for WEEK 2: Empty.
I know this may have been an exercise is stretching to capture this concept. I love the entries, and can't wait to share them, so here goes...
The image that stood out the HARDEST in my mind was this one, by Amy Bueschel. Not only do I really FEEL the EMPTINESS here, it is a comforting emptiness. Serenity.
This echoes my favorite sand pattern imagery from Ansel Adams.
I would hang this on my wall.
Entry number two: this river empties out into the Atlantic Ocean twice a day revealing vast sandbars where boaters usually gather telling fish stories. On this particular day, not only was the river empty, but the sandbar was all ours as well, it was quite the treat!
^^ This is why I don't limit to 1 entry. Sometimes you just outdo your first attempt! My kids asked me yesterday, "WHAT IS THE THEME THIS WEEK, MOM?" When I told them it was "extra" they were like, "HOW DO YOU TAKE A PICTURE OF THAT?"
I swear they question EVERYTHING I DO.
Then they start telling me the ways we could set up a picture for extra. I assured them, there is so much EXTRA. If we just open our eyes we will see it right before us.
::awkward transition::
On to the next picture.
This cutie pie captured by Billie Leatham.
"empty" space ready for a big girl tooth!
guh. I'm a sucker for green eyes and freckles!
This next one is my own submission. I stumbled on a perfect studio space last week, and this window is in it. I am excited to have HQ and a place to breathe and create. I am sharing the space with a photographer friend of mine, and I am excited to be working along side her IRL.
This image also brings me back to my art roots, as I am a huge Andrew/N.C. Wyeth fangirl...
it looks empty now, but this is what i've been dreaming about for 8 years.
this is my future, ready to fill with all the wonderful things i wish for...
Danielle Bolton submitted this gorgeous space full of just the right kind of emptiness. This is like, a dream location for me to shoot in.
I want to go to there.
![My favorite thing in the world to photograph are places that have been abandoned and worn down. Places that were [strangely] just left to time. To get real, it is most likely because they aren't intimidating to me like living breathing subjects, but…](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/503f7ca384ae804c2a1ef496/1453144142095-V8CQAGVXBZ94JG3MLH66/image-asset.jpeg)
My favorite thing in the world to photograph are places that have been abandoned and worn down. Places that were [strangely] just left to time. To get real, it is most likely because they aren't intimidating to me like living breathing subjects, but I like to think it is because these places seem to tell their own stories.
Please note: I am also a sucker for redheaded dogs.
If these were mine I might get lost staring at this image for hours..
Gorgeous moment captured by Lisa Willey.
Our lives would feel empty without her sweet head resting on our lap when we have a quiet moment.
Her life would feel empty without her family to play with her, hunt with her, and love on her.
How blessed we are to know the fullness, though when she is gone the emptiness will be haunting.
All of this week's submissions were great. I know it is a little of a mind bend sometimes to wrap around an almost intangible concept, but keep swinging at it.
Creativity is in your garden. Cultivate it!
Welcome to Highlight Real!
I loved all of the submissions from this week, and I am so encouraged to see the heart in your images already. I tackled my first 52 project last year, and I want you to know, it was amazing - the friends I made and the images I took were such an inspiration I wanted to do it again, (even though I didn't exactly get all 52 weeks completed.)
This year is a project in itself, and I think having a group like this just makes 2016 more fun.
Of all the submissions from this week, this one stood out most, because when I first soaked it in and then read the caption, I burst out in tears, and I don't even know these people. This is moving subject matter. I haven't been able to shake it all week, and have found myself adding this stranger to my prayer list.
This capture by Mary at Babies and Fur Babies Photography.
The arrival of daddy coming home each day is a blessing.
Eye contact. It isn't always straight into the camera, but it is incredibly powerful. Connection is such an ethereal concept to cement, but when that magic is made real, oh, the FEELS.
I love this next one by Billie at Billie Leatham Photography. So much purity in this little natural child/beast moment that embodies the beauty of childhood. Also I love little frogs.
We arrived home from camping to find frogs had made themselves at home in the corn rows, much to my husbands delight... Now if we could just get the girls to leave them there so they can the pests at bay!
Again, another heart skipping arrival - this time by Victoria over at Victoria Majors Photography. Guh. Daddy's are never so handsome as they are when they are gushing over a baby girl. I absolutely LOVE hospital newborn shoots. The windows, the little clear baby viewer, the fresh new love. The arrival of butterfly kisses and a heart full of promises!
...here is the 'arrival' of a friends baby with daddy seeing her for the first time.
I LOVE love stories, and wedding kisses. The arrival of their new family, their future, their true partnership. This gorgeous in-the-moment image will certainly be a favorite for this beautiful lifetime they are building together. This priceless moment captured by Cat at Cat Runyan Portraits. Lucky THEM!
Arrival.
I photographed a wedding on New Year's day and here's their moment just before their first kiss as husband and wife. I guess you could say they're just arrived at an entirely new point in their lives.
Denise from Bella Light Photography sent in this gorgeous capture. I don't know if I am feeling sentimental about the belly, the diaper, or the quiet wondrous look of a tiny seeing something for the first time, but this is beautiful. The light washes over this little with such a perfect sweetness, I just want to snuggle up and kiss this one!
Arrival. First snowfall.
Please take a moment to enjoy all of the images from this week...
arrival images of people of loved ones...
So excited to see the group grow and get to know each other!
arrival images of nature...
On with the show!
Where were we, ah YES< the ceremony, bride was walking with her father and BOOM.
We are here.
The vows...
The rings...
I love his face.
And the kissing of the bride!
What a fun wedding party. A few of them cut up for me on the dismount!
Cuteness...
Lots of laughing living and loving going on here...
Her face says it all..."WHO'S THE MISSUS NOW?"
I love all the colors in this beautiful wedding filled with nautical inspiration. The red shoes and the lovely yellow bouquets and flower girls were stunning against a backdrop of navy and white...
Did I mention my love for the red shoes?
I LOVE ALL THE RED SHOES!
Of course some of the best pictures are the hours of preparation on your friends' BIG DAY. The Estate on the Halifax had so many great areas for priming the party making great memories.
Sea wolf socks.
Anchor bow ties.
Pin up hairdos.
Flower girl and bride.
These last moments before they take the plunge, OH. MY. HEART.
He's reading his vows to get ready to promise her forever.
::SWOON::
And off they go to await the ladies...
Of course they all showed up.
Relatively on time.
And no one can even tell it's 98 degrees....
UP next?
THE CEREMONY!
Your big day goes by so fast.
That's why I appreciate a good bridal session to do a nice trial run of the details in a BIG PICTURE kind of way.
I love these.
Sparkles and red shoes.
A girl's BFF!
Going to the chapel and we're...
...gonna get married.
And she will be his beacon of light. On his darkest days.
And she will wait for him. And she will run to him.
And they will be a safe harbor for each other.
Each pregnancy is different.
Maternity photos should show the essence of the woman you are, the journey you are taking, the beautiful creation you are nurturing with every fiber of your being.
This pretty mama was such a joy to work with.
I can't wait to meet her little one.
This beautiful little Orlando family has literally blown my mind.
The house, the light, the tender moments of this new life they have together.
And sweet pea little Scarlet was just amazing.
At 2.5 weeks she was awake and alert, but she still squeezed in a little shut eye for the camera...
I really hope these 2 just keep making babies. I could photograph them all. day. long.
Some little girls just captivate an audience.
I have had my eye on these 2 since I first saw them...and was so lucky that their mother felt sure I could capture them in their best light.
Also, it must be said that Mommy didn't let me down when it came to hair and wardrobe...
She's a GIVER! The bright gorgeous colors and this awesome sunrise made way for some beautiful shots.
Sisters...
It is never to late to get baby pictures.
I mean, as long as they are still a baby.
Remember them this way.
Even when they are 15.
Sigh.
(Warning: CUTEST BELLY EVER)
Who knew I would have 2 (2!) former classmates come visit me during the same week.
Seriously, I used to ride the bus with this one, too!
I called it my "Magic School Bus Reunion" week of shooting...
This particular family is PARTICULARLY adorable as they one a handful of couples from my high school (Go SILVERHAWKS!) that were a couple IN HIGH SCHOOL. How deep is that love?
And how crazy when daughter walked around the back of the car when we first pulled up and looked JUST LIKE I remember her mother.
It kind of took my breath away.
I love what I do.
Mostly because I love who I do it with.
Every. Time.
Taking a few moments from a crazy birthday shoot for fifteen 13 year olds to do some family shots. (When *I* was 13, I was friends and rode the bus with this 13 year old's mom.)
I can't tell you how much it means to me when friends from my past contact me for a session. Not only is it awesome to catch up, it is such an experience to see them now, as an adult, with their own children.
What is also amazing is seeing their former selves in their children.
Her girls are just at the age I remember her....
