Hissyfits Photography Blog

Just one of this little cutie pie this morning to hold her grandma over until I can get a few more edited and ready to go!! Despite the big, beautiful smile here, this little miss was one tough cookie! It was all we could do to get ANY sort of a smile out of her!!

Sunday afternoon I had the pleasure of meeting up with a sweet family at a fabulously fun new location. Okay, well, let me clarify a bit. When I say “new” I don’t really mean new…I have been there before with my littles, but it has been a good ten months or so! And the area certainly isn’t new, it is actually historic! Oh how I love the timeless buildings that have stories to tell! The ones that have seen countless people come and go, heard the conversations and weathered the storms. There is just something so charming and inviting about places with such character.

But you want to know who really stole the show with all her charm and character? That would be adorable little Gracie here. She’d had a rough morning and no nap, but I can honestly tell you that I never would have known! The moment I walked up she was all smiles and pure baby happiness and it lasted through the entire session!

This was little Gracie girl’s first time to ever have professional pictures taken. I feel so honored and blessed to have been entrusted with the opportunity to give her parents priceless images of their beautiful baby. Quite obviously I love photography. That is why I do what I do after all! But you see, my real love comes in giving others something they can not give themselves. Fleeting expressions, family snuggles, gappy toothed grins and squeezable baby chub captured and forever frozen in time. I take the same approach when photographing my own kids…capturing real life and preserving the moments. I can’t even fathom it at this point, but I know that one day when my sweet babes are grown and gone and the memories have long since faded with time, I will always have countless images to sift through and remind me of days gone by. But let’s not go there…I am making myself tear up thinking about my loves getting any bigger than they already are!

We started off our time together by getting some of the more traditional family shots. Here are just a couple from beginning of our session…

And a little vintage flare…an obvious love of mine! I wish that this building wasn’t empty…these huge store front windows would be amazing with neat little goodies tucked away behind the glass and peeping through the background!

And those pigtails? OH MY GOSH! Don’t even get me started! Aren’t they darling?!

I have an obsession with brick for some reason! I just love it! However, the area where we live is all new construction. There is no brick. What we do have a lot of is stucco in a large variety of earthy tones, but that just doesn’t fit my personality too well! Needless to say, I took full advantage of the brick!

And you have probably noticed I do this pose a lot with littles! It is one I think is just too sweet! Brick background and a fab pose equal one adorable image if you ask me!

And now for the belle of the ball and an outfit change. I spent a lot of time editing this image and gave it a feel that I love! Vintage, timeless, retro… I would love to have an image of Gentry just like this one on canvas! And those pink boots? I need some in a toddler girl size 10 or 11 if anyone has some in good condition they are wanting to part with!

Don’t you LOVE LOVE LOVE the chub? Oh my gosh! I wish people thought that my chubby thighs were even half this cute!

Something about this next one really gets me!

And one last family shot…obviously not posed yet my personal fave! Just one of those real life moments, you know?

David, Karina and Gracie…I am so glad that ladybug party post I blogged led you to me! You have a beautiful family and a future full of so much promise! Gracie is a doll and such a happy, sweet baby! I wish you all a lifetime of wonderful memories that will dance through your minds for years to come!

I met up with this beautiful baby girl and her parents tonight for a fab session in a fun new shooting spot!! We had a wonderful time and I have many, many more images to sort through and of course a whole blog entry to create once I have done some editing, but for tonight, I only have it in me to edit just this one!

Karina, I hope this will hold you over until I can get more up for you! Thanks so much for meeting me this afternoon! I had a wonderful time!

As a parent, I know how fast the time flies. It seems as though our own childhood barely scoots by yet once we  become an adult and add a child of our own to our lives, the hands of time kick into overdrive and we feel as though no matter how hard we try, we just can’t slow things down!

Saturday evening I had the opportunity to meet up with cutie pie Carson and his mom and dad for some family shots as well as a few of just the little guy! The second I saw his huge, bright eyes and that darling smile, I knew I was in for a treat! Carson will be one in a couple of weeks and there is no doubt in my mind that his parents are wrapped around his little finger and can’t even begin to remember what life was like before him! I am sure they are wondering how an entire year has nearly come and gone already…

I must say though, Carson is pretty fond of them too! You could see the love and pure adoration beaming from this little family. So grateful for each other and the moments they have been given.

A little time hanging out on Daddy’s shoulders…

Love this shot and wonder just what it is he’s thinking about!

This is one of my favorite captures from the session! It seems as though mom is often the one behind the camera and rarely in the pictures. I love that you can see so much real emotion and love pouring out of both Carson and his mama!

Andy, Leneigha and Carson…thanks for meeting up with me and spending some of your Saturday evening rolling around in the grass and obliging my weird requests! You are all troopers! I hope that as you celebrate Carson’s first year you are filled with many wonderful memories of the year gone by. And I also hope as his second year begins you create countless more wonderful memories…

Happy First Birthday Little Guy!

Oh my word!! I met up with the cutest little fam tonight with an absolutely adorable little man!! Meet Carson. Is he not a doll face?! I have many, many more to sift through but promised mom and dad a quick little peek tonight before I spend some quality time with my own sweet little family!

Hope you enjoy this mom and dad…it was a pleasure meeting all three of you this evening!

Saturday evening I met up with Rob, Tracy and their beautiful baby girl, Riley. The evening was a recipe for perfection…much cooler temps than we have been seeing, dark and dramatic skies as storms were building to our north and a smiling, happy, adorable nearly one year old!

Meet Riley. This little lovebug will be one on Friday! Can’t you just feel her personality? Such bright eyes and sweet spirit…eager to explore and learn and grow.

Riley’s mama first found me when she was searching for ladybug party ideas online. She came across the post I shared on Gentry’s ladybug party and figured out we were in the same big city! And the rest my friends, is history! Tracy is every bit as into party planning as I am and this little girl is going to have one FAB bash!! I hope years from now when she looks back at the pictures from her first birthday, she will recognize how much time and effort, but most of all love, her mama put into making everything absolutely perfect.

The little miss LOVED these wooden ladybugs her mom brought along!! And her clothing? Don’t even get my started! Darling, darling and more darling! Exactly my style without a doubt! Be sure to take note of her shoes in some of these shots! Mom made them!! Yes, the little lady is a lucky one…she has a crafty mama! And now I am feeling super inspired to try my hand at adding some bling to some cute Converse tennies for my little diva! Tracy, I need to know all your secrets!!

Most of these images screamed color in some way, shape or form but I am loving the classic, “warm” black and white feel of this one. So timeless, so soft.

When Tracy mentioned that Riley’s party was the ladybug theme and what she was going to be bringing for her to wear, my mind immediately went to a few of the decorations I had left from Gentry’s party. What fun, unique props!

Thanks for entertaining my idea on this Tracy…I love the way we were able to use the fence!! Riley not only walks but walks REALLY well so the fence actually came in handy for distracting her and keeping her in one spot!

The picture above and the next two down are quite possibly my favorites from the entire shoot! Something about the setting, the coloring and the magical feel just makes me happy inside. Oh to be one…the innocence, the wonder, the sheer joy found in the simplest of things.

And whoever said that your eyes “have” to be open for a picture to be cute is crazy! I happen to love her closed eyes in this one! Miss Riley was fine with her headbands but the second the hat went on, she started trying to take it off! And speaking of the hat, isn’t it fab? I am telling ya, Tracy knows how to accessorize!!

This is the same image I posted in the sneak peek, I just love it so…

Once I found out Riley was walking so well, I wasn’t sure if we would be able to get her to sit in my little vintage chair! But sit she did!! I think she even kind of liked it! Notice the ladybug again…I am thinking she has the PERFECT theme for her birthday this year!!

Looking at mom or dad and laughing!

I was playing with the light on the next two! Love the artsy feel and the burst of light peeping in through the side!

Happy first birthday Riley!! May you always know the love your parents have for you! In just the hour and a half we spent together it was more than obvious to me that they are over the moon with you!

Rob and Tracy, thanks for making the trek to see me! It was so nice to meet you! I can’t wait to hear all about the party so be sure to email me pictures afterwards! Have a wonderful week!!

Oh my goodness! I had a SUPER fab session tonight with the adorable Miss Riley! I promised her mama a sneak peek before I went to bed, so here you go! Tracy, I hope you love them!

Can you get over the dramatic feel of this one? LOVE it! Love the way I feel like I am in The Wizard of Oz or somewhere majestic when I look at it! The sky tonight was nothing short of ahhh-maz-ing!! And that is just the technical side…look at that beautiful girl and those darling goodies mom brought along! So much more to come!! So much more to come!

Thanks again Rob and Tracy! I really appreciate you guys making the drive out to me! I had a wonderful time tonight! Your family is adorable!

It is no secret that I have a slight severe case of baby fever at this point in my life. I want another tiny little person to snuggle and coo and keep childhood alive in our home for years to come! In fact, I obsess about this so much that the kids even have names picked out. Is that unhealthy? Hmmm. Anyway, Huntler would love a boy baby and his name would be Stanley. In true Gentry fashion, she wants a girl. And her name? Why none other than Tutu of course! If you want either of those names, feel free to steal them!! Neither happens to be my top secret name choices!! However, since I still have yet to convince my dear husband that we could totally handle another one {after all, Huntler will be in kindergarten next year and Gentry in preschool}, I have to settle for loving on my friends’ new babies! For now…I am not going down without a fight!

Meet Lucy. She belongs to my sweet friend Lindsey. It is hard to believe that I have known Lindsey for almost two and a half years now. I remember the day I met her like it was yesterday. It was at a Valentine’s Day playdate I was hosting – her first event with our playgroup. I remember thinking, “She is SO beautiful” when she got here. Young, hip, super friendly and adorable. And then I got to know her. And she is every bit as sweet and caring and beautiful on the inside as she is on the out.

We’ve watched our kiddos grow up together the last two years…everything from potty training to preschool we have shared. And now she has a new little one to love. Sweet, tiny, darling little Lucy. The youngest of three. The only girl. Do you think she might be slightly spoiled?!

Lucy was my first ever newborn to shoot. Thank goodness she belongs to a good friend and I felt no pressure whatsoever during her session! We visited, we watched in awe, we changed her clothes…we enjoyed the morning. And little Lucy was a trooper!! Since my baby is now three, I can honestly say that you just plain forget how darn tiny they really are!! It’s amazing!

Her mama loves her lips…

So the first three were all shot inside. If you have been following along for awhile, you know my “style” and inside shots are really challenging for me. I just love the feel of images taken outside. And although I am far from a nature girl, I can sweat it out with the best of  ’em in the name of photography!

For example, it was well over 100 the day we took these next few. Any hint of a breeze that might have been was blocked by the row of trees we were shooting in front of. Lindsey was hot, I was hot, my sidekick Gentry girl was hot and I am sure the little miss was hot as well! Lucky for her she was barely wearing anything in most of the shots!

I am so glad we made plans to meet up outside as well! Thanks for enduring the miserable heat for me Linds! I think these next few are  more than worth it!

Well HELLO bright eyes!

And my personal fave out of all of them…Isn’t she absolutely scrumptious?

Lindsey, thanks for being such a wonderful friend when I really needed one! You know my heart will always be in Kansas and I can’t wait to get back to my roots, but the friendship I have found in you and the other mamas in our group somehow makes it all okay. And when the time comes that we do get to pack up and move out, my heart will break again for the friendships and the memories I am leaving behind.

Also, thank you so much for spending some time with me and feeding my baby hunger for a bit! Lucy is an absolute doll! As expensive as you are already finding out girls are, the joy she’ll bring to your hearts is priceless!

Congrats to you all!

I have made it abundantly clear from day one of our move out here that this is not home…nor will it ever be. In my mind it will simply never compare, never come close to living up to the life I envision we would have in Kansas. Yet for now, this is home. Instead of green grass, charming brick buildings which ooze character and trees as old as time, we are greeted each day with cacti, a variety of earthy toned stucco houses and sand. Instead of four distinct seasons, changes in the intensity of heat mark the end of one and the beginning of another. I could write a novel and then some about how desperately I yearn for the story book life we left behind nearly three years ago. Yet, tonight as I sit here in the quiet, I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that had we never opened this chapter in the “story of us”, I would truly be missing something I never knew I needed.

I hate change. I am a simple girl. I order the same two things from every restaurant we eat at. I could live in jeans and sassy cute sweaters…with fab Target or Kohl’s jewelry of course! I could go my entire life without living in the desert or setting foot in the hot sand. Or could I? It is crystal clear to me as I sit here tapping the keys at 2:00 AM that my life is far richer than I could have ever imagined three years ago.

Three years ago at this time I was a basket case. I was sick to my stomach more often than not with nerves and anxiety over leaving home and heading west. I had just given birth. It was a really, really hard time in my life. I cried at the drop of a pin. I wallowed in self pity. I dreaded what was to come with every fiber of my being. Yet here I am, just shy of three years of living in the hottest state there is, and I am okay. I have survived another year. I have overcome my fears. I have found my niche. I am making the best out of the situation. Don’t get me wrong…I would be out of here in a heartbeat if someone said the word, but I am really okay.

I have found a strength in myself that I never would have known otherwise. I have been forced to take risks, to reach out. And along the way I have met some pretty amazing girls. Girls that have listened to me whine. Girls that have made me laugh. Girls that have watched my kids grow up and whose kids I have watched grow. We have shared stories. We have attended parties. We have compared doctors and hair stylists. We have made memories. And we have formed lifelong friendships. I am truly blessed to have found the circle of friends I have…thanks girls…your friendships mean more to me than you will ever know.

I truly believe that people come into our lives and quietly exit at certain times. Mary came into my life about two years ago and while we were friends, it has only been quite recently that our love of everything photography has brought us back on the same page. And even though Mary is a Nikon girl and I am Canon, she is still pretty great!

Sunday afternoon I loaded up my sweet girl and headed off to check out this amazing new location Mary found! We met up and walked around, chatting and snapping pics the entire time. The location is PERFECT and I am so glad she was kind enough to share!

Here are just a couple of the images I captured.

Meet big sis Lauren. She is two and is as independent as she is cute! You can tell she is used to having her mama take oodles of pics of her because she wanted to be anywhere but in front of the camera!! One time she even rolled her eyes at me…I kid you not!! Because she was on the fly, I had to wait to capture her just being a kid to get some shots of her! But that was fine by me…those are the best kind in my mind! Lauren was ALL about this fountain! She and Gentry were both soaking wet by the end of the evening!! But how fun it was! Plus, when you live in Arizona, cool water on a hot day feels better than you can imagine! And believe me, it was HOT!

And meet her lil’ brother James. Now this guy on the other hand was a piece of cake to take pictures of!! He has the biggest, gummiest little grin and was as happy as could be!! Total cutie! I LOVE this next shot!! The baby rolls, the tilted head, the open mouth, the pretty evening light….what a doll baby!!

Mary, thanks again for getting me out of the house and sharing your great find with me!! It was a lot of fun and we’ll have to do it again soon!!

*And on a totally random note, it is 2:30 AM and I haven’t been to sleep yet. I used to NEVER have these issues but it seems like once a week or so now I have a night like this! What in the world is that all about?! I seem to get all philosophical and wordy on these kind of nights!! My alarm is set to go off at 5:00 so I can attempt to work out before anyone wakes us! HA HA HA! Yeah right!

Meet adorable Abby. And of course her fabulous parents too, Bob and Lacy. They are from Kansas…Back Where I Come From. You can bet that they are “good people”…the kind I could sit and chat with for hours about nothing and everything all at the same time. The kind of people who adore their beautiful baby girl and want nothing but the best for her. The kind of people who miss the green grass and connectedness we find back home in Kansas. The kind of people who look forward to the day when they too are able to pack up their small family and head east, to where we will always consider home.

Saturday I was lucky enough to have my first “official” shoot with this family. Because I share just about everything, I’ll go ahead and fess up to the fact that I was a little on the nervous side when Lacy first contacted me! Not in my ability to forever freeze moments in their lives, but simply because this was the first time I had a “scheduled appointment” with someone I wasn’t already friends with! We all know I take thousands and thousands of pictures of my own family, but there is just a different feeling when you are shooting for someone else. I can’t really explain it…

As Lacy and I exchanged emails back and forth, we shared cell numbers. When she saw the area code for mine, she wrote back wondering if we were from the Kansas City area {we are keeping our Kansas numbers!!}. Crazy enough, she and her husband are also from Kansas and grew up just an hour away from Kansas City! What a small, small world it is! Bob even had a teacher who lived in my home town and commuted back and forth to work where he attended high school! In the days leading up to the shoot, I felt myself begin to relax a little…

I had an absolutely wonderful time! Abby was the cutest little thing and smiled away for me! She was about the easiest little person I have ever taken pictures of! In fact, I was having so much fun and taking so many that I filled up my entire memory card! OOPS! I’m going to have to invest in another one of those before too long!!

I love the connections I captured in these next few! A doting daddy and his little princess and a beautiful mama and her darling girl! As my kids are getting older, I guess I had forgotten how much pure love babies this age have. They are so happy and cheery and full of absolute adoration for those they love the most, their mama and daddy!

And then it was time for an outfit change!! What is better than a cute babe in a tutu and fun little headband?! {For some reason several of these images are losing some of their quality when uploaded to the web…the coloring is off a bit and they don’t appear quite like they do on the computer.}

I love her bright eyes and little crossed feet in this one!! You can just feel her happiness!

This next one is the first one of the batch that I edited. I can’t put my finger on it, but something about it just drew me in and caught my eye. And even after editing all of these and looking through the folder several times, it is still my personal fave!! Love the bright eyes and the pursed lips. Such a sweet, real, expression!

Thank you Bob and Lacy for meeting up with me! It was wonderful to meet some fellow Kansans and I truly had a great time hanging out and capturing some images of darling Abby and your family! You two are such a sweet couple and the love you have for Abby is evident! She is such one lucky little girl! I hope your first Mother’s Day was a great one!!