One Year Ago Today...

Last year on this day, my brave cousin and her four beautiful children arrived on my doorstep, having just left their home and everything they own behind in Gulfport, Mississippi. Her husband was stationed at the Navy base there, and they had been happily settled there for over a year. Sunday morning, as the weathercasters grew increasingly nervous, they decided to come for a visit.

My cousin said at the time she really expected it to be nothing more than a few days' vacation before the school year... she didn't pack more than a day's worth of clothes, even left her wedding ring on the kitchen sink where she'd been washing dishes. Little did they know it would be almost a month before they could even return to their neighborhood, and very little of it was left behind to see. And yet despite how much they had lost, she talked only about how lucky they were, how grateful they were, how blessed they had been to all be together and safe.

As most of you know, I have three children of my own, so adding another family of six to our house was not a seamless effort, but it was so completely worth it. The kids were convinced it was one big party, and we did our best to make them as comfortable as possible. Even when her husband was called back to duty to help with the cleanup efforts, my cousin stayed strong and positive for her sweet little ones, and I cannot begin to explain how in awe I was of her bravery.

In our family she has been the sweet one, the pretty one, the fun one.. as long as I can remember. To me, from now on she will always be the STRONG one, the one who kept it all together and never wavered or let her kids down. They were confused, tired, and overwhelmed, but never scared. They knew it would all work out.. because their mommy said so.

It is that spirit that kept them going, and the same spirit that will rebuild the Gulf Coast. One of my favorite sessions I have ever done was this quickie on my back porch with my cousin's sweet kiddos while she was packing up their car to head back to look at the wreckage they used to call home. She didn't even know I took them at the time, so I was able to have them printed (big!) and sent to her to hang in their new home once they got settled up north near our extended family to wait out the reconstruction. This was one of the times I felt like my photography could actually have a purpose, a meaning, beyond cute pictures of cute babies that make you smile. There was so much I wanted to do for her that I could not... this was small, easy. This was enough.

Merry... August?

Yes, I realize it is still 100 degrees outside, but it's time for more holiday talk!!

I am thrilled to announce the new holiday card designs are ready, I have kept some of last year's favorites and added some new ones I really think everyone will love. I spent my whole summer brainstorming new ideas.. I've been in the mood for egg nog for quite some time! ;)

You can view the card designs by clicking here. For those new clients or returning clients who haven't had a session under the new system, this page is the main entry to view your proofs after a session. Every session gets an individual password, which is required to enter the gallery. You are welcome to share you password with friends and family, but it is protected from outside viewers. The exceptions are the two featured sessions, which are accessible to everyone via the main page. The current featured galleries are the holiday card design templates and the images from the princess party I showcased last week on the blog. Feel free to check it out and bask in the pink glory! :)

One final note.. holiday mini-sessions are almost completely booked, as are weekend sessions throughout the fall. At this point there are only a handful of weekends with any time remaining before the holiday deadline of November 14th. Please contact me asap if you are still interested in a session this fall... I want to be sure I can include everyone but there are only so many hours in the day!

Thanks again for reading.. and have a happy Monday!

A few more from the beautiful senior..

This girl was just amazing.. not a bad shot in the bunch! Even her kid sister got in on the act... and was just as much fun! Thanks for looking.. happy Friday everyone! :)

A year in the life

Just as the popular storybook sessions follow a day in your family's life (such as the one featured in my previous post linked here) they can also be modified to showcase an entire year. This way, the 8 hour session is broken up into four 2-hour sessions over the course of a 12-month period. Each session can be at a different location, and feature a different aspect of your family's life. They can be seasonally appropriate (hot cocoa and roasting marshmallows in the winter, swimsuits in the summer) or all generic slices of daily life (playing board games, hanging out at the park). This is also a great option for new parents, as the four sessions can be done at newborn, six months, nine months, and one year. Either way, it is a great way to document your family's life... It's amazing how much changes in just one year! And of course I love it because I get to spend so much time with one family, and really get to know each person (and their individual personality!). At the end of each session, you have the option to see the proofs and order pictures, just like a regular portrait session, or you can choose to wait until all sessions have been done and keep everything a surprise.

About 4-5 weeks after the last session takes place, I will bring your completed storybook, a 10x10-inch, 40-page deluxe version coffee-table style book that profiles all the sessions as one beautiful, heirloom book. The fee for year-in-the-life sessions is the same as the regular storybook session, $1800, which covers all 4 sessions and the completed book. A 50% deposit is due at the time of booking, and the remainder is paid when the book is completed. This is the only way to get the larger storybook and the only way to have more than one session in a single book... and what an amazing treasure the book will be!

To help illustrate the idea, I have included some pictures from a recently completed year-in-the-life session. This family started the process in the summer, where we met at their house for a pancake breakfast and swimming in the backyard.

In the fall, I followed each of the girls around their classrooms at school (with special permission of course!).

A few months later, we met at their swimming class. The locations can be anywhere you feel best captures your family's life at the moment... and the kids' activities are often priority #1! One mom said she wanted to be sure she got a picture of herself driving the van.. as that's where most of her day is spent!

And finally, we wrapped up the session with a relaxed portrait session in the park. Still very casual and candid, but also a great way to get some beautiful family pictures for the wall!

Please call or email (or post below!) if you have any questions about the Storybook Sessions or would like information on booking one for your family. Due to the increased time commitment over a regular portrait session, I only accept a limited number of Storybook clients each year.. so if you are at all interested please contact me soon!

Boys will be boys... sometimes!

I loved this family. Three boys.. I expected quite a contrast to my three girls, and I got it.. but not in the way I expected! Whereas I planned on doing quite a bit of corralling and negotiating and chasing, they were actually the most peaceful, obedient children I have ever shot! Those boys put my sweet (but spirited) girls to shame!

Sure, they had their boy moments...

But for the most part, they were complete angels, a joy to work with.. and just the most lovable kids you could imagine!

Forbidden Fruit

Is there anything more elusive and appealing, as the youngest child, than the forbidden treasures of your older siblings? My oldest collects these tiny animal toys, and they are the only things in her room that the baby is not allowed to play with. Clearly this makes them all the more attractive, and much of our day is spent corralling her out of the tiny animal village.

Yes, I know I should have moved her from the room instead of taking these pictures (as I was so clearly reminded by my oldest when she came home from school) but I couldn't help but admire the determination in the little one's efforts.. all the stools gathered up.. reaching on little tippy toes.. and I couldn't help but think how someday we will have these battles over sharing clothes, makeup, (even boyfriends! ack!) and how precious it is that these treasures mean nothing to the baby, except that her big sister thinks they are special... which makes them worth their weight in gold.

A Royal Birthday

I had the honor of photographing the birthday party of a little princess last weekend, with her brother the prince and all her ladies-in-waiting all at her side as she turned a majestic three years old.

Here are some of my favorites from the party, which was quite an event if I do say so myself. The Queen Mother puts Martha Stewart herself to shame with this one! :)

















Sorry for so many.. It was hard enough to narrow it down to 8!

Back to School

Sigh... the first day of school. Something about the freshly sharpened pencils, new backpacks, and shiny shoes that makes me long to be a kid again. The promise of a new year, with exciting things to learn and all sorts of friends you haven't met yet... I love the first day of school!

My girls feel the same (so far at least!) and so today was a momentous occasion in our house. After all the carpool lanes and hand holding, I am at home alone for the first time since the baby was born... can't decide if I am relieved or distraught! Either way, I am so proud of them and looking forward to a great year for everyone!



I hope everyone else had a wonderful send-off this morning! In honor of today, I'd like to announce my first-ever blog exclusive promotion: For any sessions booked in the month of August, I will donate the book of your choice (up to $25 value) to your favorite school or library in your name. The only catch is that you MUST mention this special when booking, it will not be advertised anywhere else on the website or in print.. so it's only for my loyal bloggers out there!

Thanks for reading.. happy first day!

Stunning

Just one quick peek at the high school senior I photographed this morning. I am in serious editing trouble here... I don't think she is capable of taking a bad shot! I knew I would love this one as soon as I clicked the shutter, so it was the first I pulled to edit and the first I will share.

Enjoy!

The view from here...

another from the cutie boy below.. one of my favorites from the session, just because I love the perspective, the idea of looking at the world through their eyes.. we must seem like such bizarre creatures to little babies... the funny voices we use, the crazy contraptions we put them in... I can only imagine!

Flower Girl

No, I don't do weddings. But I do attend them, and if it happens to be a family member I have been known to show up with a camera in tow.. habit I suppose. I can't decide what I love more about this picture.. the solid yet still dainty grip she has on her prized basket... the little toe peeking out from under the flows of her gown... or those tiny little fingernails, all decked out in pink for the special day, still fresh and untouched by playground dirt or playdough residue. Not quite sure.. but for whatever reason, I just love this shot.

Happy Monday!

Baby Boy...

A little sneak peek for mom & dad from my session this morning. This little guy is SUCH a doll.. I don't think I've ever had a baby so smiley! His parents have booked a Storybook Session on the "year in the life" plan, so we have done newborn and now 5 month pictures, and will come back again at 9 months and then one year. They will get a custom designed storybook album documenting each session, covering the whole first year of his life... and I am the lucky one who gets to come back and play two more times! A win-win for everyone! :)

Travel Sessions: Summer 2008

A new venture for Ann Beck Photography... we're hitting the road! Now available for sessions across the country, whether for your own family vacation or friends & family in other areas who have admired your portraits and want to help create some of their own!

Please coordinate at least four sessions in your area then contact us for schedule openings. Availability will be limited to May-September, with only a few opportunities each month. To cover travel expenses, session fees are slightly different than traditional sessions, please choose one of the two options. (all clients involved at a particular location must select the same option)

Getaway
$200 session fee per client
$500 travel fee to be split amongst the sessions

Sabbatical
$1200 session fee per client, with 100% applied towards your order
no additional travel fees incurred by clients

Below is a list of currently scheduled travel dates. Please let us know if you would like to participate in one of these sessions and we will hopefully be able to add you in as well. Also, if you have friends or family in the area who you think might be interested please let them know when we're going to be coming and we'd love to have a session for them too!

July 27th-August 6th
Houston/Galveston/Texas Gulf Coast

September 5th-7th
New York City

Please call or email for more details and to arrange scheduling. Please give as much advance notice as possible to guarantee availability and travel accommodations. Bon Voyage!