Bear hug

Loved this one... a beautiful family I met last weekend for a Mother's Story session. Such a wonderfully close family, it seemed like someone was always hugging someone else at one point or another!

Lots more to come from them as I get it all edited.. just had to share this one.

My bump, my bump. My lovely baby bump.

Okay not MY bump.. should clarify THAT one really quickly.. but the previously blogged baby bump of my beautiful BFF and her boy-to-be. We've finally hit the 36-week pictures.. yes, she is a tremendous sport for putting up with this.. and I can't wait to post some progression images when I get them all edited.. we laughed at the difference as soon as she got dressed!

For now, a few sneak peeks of my favorites.. this first one I just loved.. I don't know why..


And one of the three women that will be doting on, dressing, adoring, and driving this little boy crazy for the next twenty years.. or longer...


And finally.. the shirt I bought the night before at the mall.. I passed it in a teen boutique and could NOT help myself. I'm shocked (and a little jealous!) that it fit (a juniors size medium!!) but thrilled nonetheless.. it was exactly what I was hoping for!


Again, she's been so wonderful to humor me and my crazy suggestions... just wait until she finds out what I've got planned for these newborn pictures!

It's not how you finish, it's how you start?

At least I'm hoping so. Two sneak peeks from my session on Sunday, four cousins with a surprise session for grandma's birthday. We started off so well, with this chubby-cheeked doll baby and the very first click of the shutter...


But an hour and a half and three more cousins later, we were all tapped! The very last frame pretty much sums it up...


Lucky for everyone, we've got plenty more great ones in between, so the rocky ending was more an afterthought than an omen! :)

Blessings & Prayers

To the friends and family of Alison Webb, as they gather today to mourn, remember, and celebrate her life.

I was lucky enough to meet Alison through my Mother's Story program last spring and found such joy simply by being in her presence. She was so positive, so strong, and just had an overwhelming sense of peace about her. Above all, her faith was incredibly strong in the face of the battle ahead and her love for her sweet daughter unmatched.

I feel blessed to have known her, as do the countless friends and family members I know she was surrounded by throughout her long illness. They were all lucky to have had her in their lives for a moment, and we are ALL lucky to have her watching over us now for eternity.

Tell Your Story... the Abridged Version!

I'm thrilled to announce our Spring 2008 Limited Edition Sessions: Storybook Playdates. It's a great way to get the look and feel of a storybook session with one little slice of life moment. Choose one of the five options and call or email today to schedule your moment! I'll bring the supplies, you supply the sweet smiles and happy family, the rest will be captured for a lifetime of memories!



Tea Party Playdate
Do you have a little girl whose life revolves around clunky dress up shoes and shiny tiaras? Capture that sweet innocence now, before she's wearing heels and diamonds for the senior prom! I'll bring luxurious tutus and a princess-sized tea set, just have your little diva dressed to her liking and ready for fun! This is a great option for a "mom & me" session, or alone time with just little miss and her favorite stuffed tea party guests. This is also the only session that works on location and not just at home.. just say the word and we'll take the party to the park, with a perfect little picnic blanket in the middle of the garden!



Bellies & Bubbles Playdate
Perfect for the 2 & under set, this playdate combines two of your little one's favorite things.. eating and bathing! I'll bring baby safe bubble bath and some ducky friends, you supply your kiddo's favorite messy mealtime treats and a place to wash up! From the first chubby finger reaching for a beloved Cheerio to the bubbles and splashes as we erase the damage, we'll capture all the little everyday moments that make babyhood so fun! Wash up in the sink or tub, or if weather permits we can take an old basin to the backyard and hose down there.. the possibilities are endless!



Me & My Shadow Playdate
The once place sacred to any kid is the one place that's completely their own.. their bedroom! Let me spend a playdate session one-on-one with your child in their room, as we build lego castles or tend to armfuls of baby dolls, whatever pleasures truly make them tick. They can play with toys or pets, show off treasures, they are in charge!



Cookies & Crafts Playdate
Do you have helping hands at home? Remember those little moments together with a Cookies & Crafts playdate session! I'll bring your choice of either cookie mix and decorations or construction paper and crafty accessories... you supply the kitchen table and busy little bees! We'll get down to work and love every minute of it, creating both lasting memories and precious photographs along the way!



Out & About Playdate
This session is fun because it's the most flexible. Instead of coming to your house, I'll meet you at the location of your choice.. your favorite family field trip! Maybe you treasure weekly trips to the library, or have standing date for ice cream at the local park.. even if it's just your favorite hole-in-the-wall restaurant.. the key to the location is to find someplace special to you and your family. It doesn't matter if no one else gets it, you will! And the memories will last as long as the fun portraits we'll create.


Each limited edition session includes a 30 minute "playdate" session and 4x10 mini storyboard for $100. These sessions are only available now through April 30,2008 and are a great savings off regular portrait or storybook session rates. Please call or email for further details.

Congratulations...

to miss Alexis, the winner of our Best of 2007 Contest!



Her darling photo won the contest by a long shot, and she wins a framed 11x14 of this picture as well as a complimentary portrait session, where we will hopefully take some more award-winning images!

Thanks to everyone for playing along, and don't forget, all winners will receive a framed 5x7 of their nominated image.

Congrats also to Melissa in Ft Worth for her correct (and prompt!) guess of the new offering at Ann Beck Photography, framing! We are thrilled to feature some beautiful, high quality mats and frames to our clients.. now you can receive your images fully framed and ready to hang.. no more excuses to show off those beautiful faces! More information will be available at your ordering session, or just give us a call or email if you have questions!

Thanks again for all the votes.. have a great Monday!

Best of 2007!

What better way to start off the new year than with a look back at the last one.. of course with a contest! I've narrowed down 10 finalists for best image of 2007... though I must say, my original list had 36 pictures and at that point I had to call in reinforcements to get it down to 10! I had so many favorites but the poll will only hold 10 so it had to be done!

Take a moment and check them out, then vote for your top pick! Only one vote is allowed per computer, so if you're rooting for your favorite be sure and tell everyone you know to log on and do the same so that they have a better chance of winning! We'll keep the voting open until the end of the week, January 13th, at midnight, so get your votes in soon!

The winner will receive a framed 11x14 print of this image and a gift certificate for a complimentary portrait session. All the candidates will win a framed 5x7 of this image just for being nominated. And as an added contest, anyone who emails with the correct guess as to our new offering at Ann Beck Photography this year will win a $100 gift certificate towards their next portrait session. (Somewhere in the text above is a hint!) **UPDATE.. this part of the contest is over, as we've already had a correct guess! I'll explain more on Monday when we announce the Best of 2007 Winner! Thanks for playing!**

One last note.. the vote button for each image is listed ABOVE the picture with its title, please vote carefully so you don't mistakenly cast the ballot for the wrong one!

Let the fun begin!

[this contest is closed.. thanks for voting! See above for the winner.]

Double Trouble

How fun to have a matching set of babies with completely different personalities! A ying and a yang in the tiniest version... they kept me on my toes (and in stitches!) the whole time!

This one was so generous with the gummy grins...


And this one was the fastest little crawler I've ever seen.. half the pictures I shot were one little pink blur!


Together... adorable.. but still constantly mobile!


And finally.. one rare moment of tranquility for a beautiful shot with mom and dad.. my heros! It's no wonder mom is already in such great shape after having twins.. she gets plenty of cardio just keeping up with her little firecrackers!

Happy New Year!

Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season and is (like us) recovering as quickly as possible! We couldn't have imagined a better Christmas & beyond and are so thankful for our blessings this year. (And yes, for those of you who heard the story and were wondering, Baby got her ipod...and big sister got a digital video camera, which has proved to be an interesting combination... see below)



We've got lots of new and exciting things in the works for our clients for 2008, stay tuned to see the fun as it is all unveiled! In the meantime, the blog will be busy catching up on some of my favorites from the holiday season that we didn't have time to showcase at the time, as well as an upcoming Best of 2007 contest! Too much fun to miss out!

Two quick notes.. first, I realize the website is having some technical issues and may not load right (or at all) for everyone but I promise we are working to resolve the glitch as quickly as possible. Second, I'm extending the contest below to nominate someone for a session for another month. I've loved receiving your emails and just simply have not had time to go through them all! Please continue sending nominations in, we'll extend the deadline another two weeks to January 18th and will begin posting candidates after that. Thanks to everyone for participating.. keep the great stories coming!

That should wrap up this first post of the new year.. here's wishing you all a wonderful 2008!