Tammy’s Blog

It has been about two weeks since I got back from my national convention and it has been crazy busy (as always) around here, so I’m just now getting around to posting a few of my favorite photos.  The convention was in Phoenix.  It was beautiful and sunny everyday.  My sister and niece went with me and we had a great time.  One of the things we did while there was to go to the Desert Botanical Gardens.  Lucky for us, the Chihuly exhibit was on display.  Dale Chihuly is a renowned artist who is known for his glass sculptures.  Anyway, awesome stuff…I has so much fun just walking around and doing photography of a different kind.  Although, I haven’t had time to “photoshop” any of this images…I still love them and plan to make some art pieces out of them.  My convention was also amazing because I got to hear several great seminars.  Sandy Puc, an amazing children and baby photographer from Colorado, was truley inspirational.  As well as Hanson Fong, top of the line wedding dude from San Fransciso.  But probably the most incredible thing was I got to see Anne Geddes.  She was so humble and sweet for someone of her success and fame.  She showed images but mostly talked about being true to yourself and shooting from the heart…soooooo inspiring.  All professional photographers work really hard.  I think it is something that most people don’t realize.  Last year I was averaging anywhere from 55 to 72 hours per week.  When you work that hard, it is easy to get burnt out even though you LOVE what you do.  But just hearing her speak really reinforced why I chose this professsion.  It isn’t so much about making wonderful photos (although that is a part of it) but more about sharing peoples lives and being there during their special times.  I love being at weddings and seeing a Dad’s face when he sees his little girl in that beautiful gown.  I love being there when first time parents bring in their newborn for their first photos.  I love seeing all the kids who play T-ball and how cute they are in those little uniforms.  I have been truly blessed with a career that allows me to share special times with people in my community….so thanks to all my customers who let me into your lives.

I know it’s a little late but I hope everyone had a great Christmas and a Happy New Year. Business has been great this year. Even with the economy we have been crazy busy. I do not even know where the last few months of this year have gone. I’m like the carpenter who doesn’t fix things at their own house. Unfortunately, I was so busy at the studio, I did not get my own Christmas cards out in the mail this year. I even took the photos, downloaded some of Spencer’s artwork, and came up with a great idea. Whatever, then it sat on my desk. So, hang in there, I may just send cards in February. I leave in the am for Phoenix to see Anne Geddes….I’m so excited. Anyway, still need to pack, edit 3 sessions, email a bride, blah, blah, blah…so I better get going. Again, I hope everyone had a great holiday season!!!

You know what they say….but this weekend I was all play. Ok…not totally, I did edit 9 sessions, but for me that’s pretty much taking it easy. It was a great weekend, ate lots of turkey, went to union station, looked at some lights, put up my tree, and actually spent some time with my family. Back to work tomorrow, but feeling revived and ready to go!!!

I have photographed a lot of newborn babies this year. I totally love seeing all their little faces and how sweet they are. Recently, one of my brother’s best friends brought his new baby in. Dad wasn’t really planning on being in the photos except for his hands, but I couldn’t help snapping the picture of him looking down at her. I’ve never seen him look so happy or proud. This is why I love my job so much…..I get to be there and witness special little moments in time like that….congrats again on your new baby….she is sooooooo sweet!!!

Thanks to everyone who came to our Halloween special!!! The portraits are not quite ready yet (it will probably be another week) but we just wanted to show off a few of our favorites. There are also a few others on the web site!! We absolutely love this holiday, all the kids are so cute.
The special went great, we ended up photographing about 40 more kids than last year, but for some reason, the wait was never longer than 15 minutes. Don’t forget, the Christmas special is this Saturday, November 15 from 9:00 to 5:00 p.m. Hope to see you there!!!

Several years ago I rescued a mother dog and her 13 babies from the animal shelter. We managed to find great homes for all but two of the puppies. So, I kept the mother and her two puppies. A couple of years ago, one of the puppies, now probably 8 years old, died. Then earlier this year, we had to make the sad decision to have the mother euthanized because she was in a lot of pain due to old age. That left one dog by herself. She was so sad that she sat in the yard and howled and cried all day. I was going to go to the shelter and get another dog to see if that helped when a stray cat showed up and our house. So why am I telling you this sad story?? Because Sausha, our dog, has never liked cats AT ALL but LOVES this new cat. The cat also had a surprise for us and about 4 weeks ago, blessed us with nine new baby kittens. I just think that God knew Sausha our dog was sad and lonely and sent her 10 new friends!!!

Sometimes the really beautiful people in life are not always the nicest on the inside…..but this bride is not only totally gorgeous but one of the sweetest people you will ever meet….I had so much fun at your wedding. As a side note, I have to say, that I have heard millions of best man speeches over the years and yours takes the cake….it was soooooo funny. I laughed so hard, I almost couldn’t see to focus. Anyway, thanks for letting me be a part of your day…can’t wait for you guys to see your images.

Ok…so I changed my web design a month ago and added a blog but that’s about as far as I’ve gotten given my crazy life. Anyway, I’m finally blogging (whoo) which is just another way for me to talk about the 300 things that go through my head in one day. I also write like I talk so I don’t guarantee that I’ll be able to stick to one topic without skipping around. For those of you who really know me you may be laughing because you probably have a mental image of me telling some story complete with hand motions….anyway…here I am blogging away…hope you enjoy!!