Free falling

{october = lady bugs}

Halloween: myth v. reality

Ah, Halloween. Five years ago, if I had gazed into a crystal ball and seen two little girls in my future, I would have believed the following myths about their Halloween costumes:

(1) They will certainly match. Perhaps Little Bo Peep and her lost sheep? Mary and her little lamb? The little girls will be sooooo happy to be presenting a cohesive theme!

(2) I will make the costumes by hand. I will by no means ever purchase them at Target! The horror.

(3) They will never be a Disney Princess, a Sesame Street character or anything remotely resembling same. They won't even know what those things are!!

And now, of course, the reality:

(1) You try telling Lucy that Phoebe is going to have a costume remotely like hers. I dare you.

(2) Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. Throw it in the cart...let's move...I haven't got all day!

(3) It's a little-known fact, but Walt Disney bought the rights to ultrasound waves back in 1950. So while we are hearing the pleasing "thump thump thump" of the baby's heartbeat, baby girl is hearing "When You Wish Upon a Star." And from there on out, you just can't fight the power. As for Elmo, he is quite literally thrown onto their backsides within 10 minutes of birth. I went from cloth diapering Phoebe to having a child who now refers to her diapers as "Elmos." How the mighty have fallen.

So, what are they going to be for Halloween this year? For Lucy, Ariel (the Little Mermaid, a la Disney). But just the dress and the shoes. For some reason, she has no interest in the red clip-on ponytail offered to her (by me)...at Target.

And Phoebe, well, I bought her a little black tutu that I just couldn't resist. I had thoughts of making her a witch. But she won't wear a hat, or carry a broom, I know that. So I really had no way to make her look witchy, especially since she looks like an angel. Off we went, for inspiration, to...Target. Where she proceeded to fall in love with an Elmo costume. We purchased red Converse sneakers to match and called it a night. Then I made the mistake the next morning of making her try it on before she had her coffee. And whoo boy, that did not go over well. And now all she says about it is "NOOOOO ELMOOOOOOOO!" Instead, I decided that we'd go back to the black tutu and simply accessorize it into a costume. A $3 t-shirt from Children's Place ($3 because who the heck else would want it) plus some fuzzy silver mock-crocs do the trick nicely. So here she is, my one-year-old "rock star." It ain't a little sheep, or Mary's little lamb, but it sure is something.

And here they are together, umatched and happy, just the way I like them:

Just photos...I'm tired :)

Kinda spooky...

Forget Halloween. What is truly spooky is how this child managed to get none of my genes (ok, except my absolute worst gene in the form a mild blood disorder).

{mr. strong genetics}

Bye-bye wide-angle lens...

...I shall miss you dearly.

High heels and rock star

I did it...

...and now I am going to bed :)

Go big or go home

I'm going big today...shooting my first wedding solo. I'll be ok, I know it. But still, I have had anxiety-ridden dreams the past two nights. They are mostly about taking tests that I am unprepared for...urgh, my least favorite type of dream, especially because I did take so many tests through my many long years of education (not as long as some, but more than many). But for this "test" today, I think I am prepared. And if not, well, there is always my good buddy Photoshop. It's like the Cliff Notes of the photography world.

I rented two awesome lenses...a wide angle and a telephoto. Funny, I thought I would be in love with the telephoto, but it's the wide angle that I am actually the most jazzed about. It is just awesome...photojournalistic. I snapped the above photos this morning just goofing around with the lens and though I am not wild about my exposure, I love the story they tell of Phoebe asking me to put on her "shoooz"! That's what a wide angle lets you do...tell a story through the lens, which is what I love to do the most.

Ok, wish me luck! I'll try to post some wedding photos tomorrow!

Sharp shooter

I got a new camera this week...a really nice new camera. I think I am in love :) I am shooting a wedding this weekend (wish me luck!) and really want two cameras with me in case of disaster. Also, this way I can keep different lenses on my two cameras I( am renting some pretty swell lenses). It is much easier to switch cameras than to switch lenses.

Here are a few shots I took last night/today. I am fairly impressed with them, aren't you? ;)

{phoebe, apres nap}

{she's officially a little girl now}

{lucy making a "halloween" face...she asks me every day if it is halloween yet}

{in the basement, at night, no flash, high ISO...and still a clear shot}

{same setting here...and isn't my model cute??}