Erlenmeyer Photography

Baby Emily

2011-09-13T17:58:00.000-07:00

Maria had seen Celine Dion's portrait like this and wanted to try it. I have two versions but this one is my favorite. I like how it turned out and that Emily is not completely visible, and her foot pressing out is too cute. Hope you like it!

Newborn Session-Baby Emily

2011-09-13T17:25:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks after Emily's birth she came to our home studio for her official newborn session. I can't believe how much she has grown just since the day she was born. She was a a perfect little bundle to photograph. Enjoy these sweet portraits!

Baby Emily's Birth

2011-09-13T15:08:00.000-07:00

On May 31st I had the opportunity to attend the birth of sweet little Emily.

It had been just an ordinary day hanging out with friends on Memorial Day and we had just settled in to bed. I awoke to Caleb's buzzing phone around 11pm. He had received a text from Jay saying they would need us to come get their daughter Jocelynne. I quickly called Jay and told him I'd be on my way. When I got to their home Jocelynne was still asleep and Maria said I didn't have to go right away and then in the middle of a contraction she begged me to stay. As Jay nervously gathered items to take to the hospital I began rubbing Maria's back and trying to get a good read on about where she was in labor. It did not take long for me to figure out the baby was coming quickly. Water from the shower seemed to calm Maria down and alot and become a little too soothing and I decidd she was too close to holding this little baby for her to still be at home. I advised her that it was time to go. We got Maria into their car and then Jocelynne into mine. I followed them out of the neighborhood and continued on back home.

Joceylnne woke up with the biggest smile when I got her out of the car. It was as if she knew that if she was being tucked inat our house her little baby brother or sister would be here soon. I said prayers with her and kissed her goodnight. I texted Jay to make sure they had made it safely. He quickly texted me back-Maria was at 8cm already. I knew that Maria was disappointed that her sister had would not be able to be there as the baby was coming a few days sooner than expected and I offered to come to the hospital. Yes! Maria wants you to be here, Jay texted back. It was 3:00am and everyone was asleep, the baby was coming fast, I woke Caleb to let him know I would be back before he left for work. I left the house at 3:06. I was in Maria's room after checking in at 3:18. Baby Emily was born at 3:29.

She was perfect, in a hurry, but perfect-her mother so strong for her and her father filled with joy!

Jay and Maria had chosen to be surprised and did not know that they would be having a girl. Jay said he was so proud though, Jocelynne had wanted a sister and he said that as her dad, he had wanted nothing more than to be able to give her a sister. I love this photo of Jay.

Finally here, little miss Emily!

Ten fingers and ten perfect little toes!

Kelli Pt II - Class of 2011

2011-09-06T16:54:00.000-07:00

Good afternoon everyone! It's 'bout time for another post and I must apologize for I am just not doing a great job getting caught up. This momma has been tired and busy with her new position as chaufer taking our oldest to and from school.

Here is the second set of blog pics for Kelli, class of 2011. These were taken this past April on her Grandparents farm on what couldn't have been a more beautiful day. We had a good time trompin' around looking for neat little spots to pose Kelli...

Maternity Session - It's a Baby Surprise!

2011-08-30T14:37:00.000-07:00

I photographed a maternity session in March for my wonderful friend Maria. She is pictured here, pregnant with her second child, and they had decided to wait until Maria delivered to find out if they would be adding another little girl or welcoming a little boy into their family.

Maria and I had a lot of fun playing around with lights and backdrops all afternoon til we'd had our fill.

The image above turned out just like Maria had hoped and was one of her favorites. The one below was to match one similar she'd had taken when she was pregnant with her first little girl, Jocelynne.

Of course Jocelynne got to join in the fun as well and she is so excited to have a new little one around!

You can see it in her smile and her eyes and she talks about it all the time saying, "It's a baby surprise"

Congratulations to the Bong family-we can't wait to meet your little "surprise"!

Our Sweet Jacob

2011-08-26T17:17:00.000-07:00

Well I've decided that since family should always come first I'll kick off my catching up with our youngest son Jacob. Since the last time I posted any images he has grown so much! He follows his brothers around the house in a blur of motion and is starting to use simple words. He's a lot to keep up with but such a joy!

He celebrated his first Christmas in 2010...

He turned one this past March...

We love our little Jakers so much more than we could've imagined!

Who wouldn't love a face like this?! He is no stranger to the his mother being a photographer either. He poses perfectly each time-for two seconds. I've learned to click fast because once those two seconds are over he's gonna be right there by your side wanting to see his image on the back of the camera.

Our Year - What We've Been Up To

2011-08-26T15:30:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! I know it has been a long time since I have posted anything-thank you to those who have stuck around and have been patiently waiting for new stuff. I promise it's coming. If you are too curious and are wondering why the long hiatus I invite you to come on over to my new blog http://www.just-a-branch.com/ and see what's been going on in our personal lives. It is my hope that our story is an encouragement to anyone who has gone through or is going through anything similar.

I am diligently trying to switch my blog address over to a simple .com and I will let you all know when that is complete. For now any info you need can be found here and with the exception of the informational pages I have added at the top the site will remain thesame and I will no longer have the flash based site at the .com address.

I've also recently optimized our blog for viewing on mobile devices. It is a lot more easy to read and I hope you like it as well if you prefer the classic view on your device simply scroll to the bottom of the page on your mobile device and click on that option.

I hope everyone's summer has gone well!

-Sharon

Townsend Family

2011-01-08T10:38:00.000-08:00

Good Morning! The first post of the year happens to be of our last session of 2010.

Just when we were done and ready to travel over the river and throught the woods to grandmas house, I got a call from another sweet grandma. She was looking for someone to photograph all her grandchildren during the two hours they would be all be in the same place at the same time on Christmas Eve. I just couldn't say no, so I sent Caleb while I finished packing the boys bags for grandma's.

Since I was not at the shoot myself I don't have as much to tell you however Caleb said it went well and was one of the most gorgeous homes he had ever seen.

Alice, the grandma, has a wall that she has all of the grandkids handprints from when they were little so during the shoot she had them all add their "big kid" handprints to the wall and Caleb got some photos of that as well.

That's all I have for today, we seem to have a marathon of birthdays the first couple of weeks in January that keeps us busy but I can't wait to share some more recent winter photos, Christmas pics-it was Jacob's first you know, and updated pics of the boys-until next time, I hope your year is off to a great start!

Isaac Pt. II-Class of 2011

2010-11-08T21:09:00.000-08:00

Good evening everyone. We have had a long weekend but I've got one more to post before we turn in early.

We met up with Isaac last Sunday for a few quick shots at McCosh Park. As you may remember Isaac is one of our senior reps this year.

We had an idea for some themed shots of Isaac with his guitar but We didn't have much time before the sun set so we only got a few-but i think they turned out well without using additional lighting in the time frame we had.

Our main concern was taking advantage of the fall leaves before they are gone.

I really like this one, can you say GQ? One thing that's been fun is watching Caleb and Isaac interact. Isaac takes direction extremely well and Caleb has really developed a confident style of photographic direction complete with a million descriptive words to help direct his subjects. No joke-serious, stoic, mad, confident, cocky, big grin, happy, slight smirk...each one delivering a different and unique expression.

I used a some different color toning in my post processing of these next two that I really love. It's a combination of Sable and warm coffee tones that really make me think of an iced coffee at live accoustic music at an urban cafe.

The best part was having live music during the session-what a little treat!

We'll leave you with this one in anticipation of some more soccer themed shots.

Thanks again Isaac for being such a great subject,

Till next time,

Caleb & Sharon

Matt & Breanne

2010-11-08T20:29:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone! Last Sunday we shot a session for Matt & Breanne. Breanne is the daughter of Mike Kernan whose wedding we photographed last July .

Matt & Breanne asked if we would do a couples session with them to celebrate 2 years of dating. These two were fun to work with. Neither of them had ever had professional photos done and being a young couple they were full of smiles and nervous giggles.

It was so neat to see Matt and Breanne so happy and in love. We have known Breanne since she was in highschool-since I moved to Moses Lake. She has become such a beautiful young woman of impressive character and has found a companion in Matt to match.

Matt and Breanne are both finishing their college careers this year as seniors at Whitworth University and we enjoyed talking about their careers goals with them during their session.

We photographed their session at Blue Heron Park in Moses Lake and the weather could not have been better. The leaves were perfect with all the golden hues of fall and the sun gave the perfect light as we enjoyed one of the nicest days we had had in a week.

Ah, young love, such a refreshing sight these affectionate little lovebirds were. Six years and three kids in ourselves the newness has worn off for Caleb and I, but I have to say it would probably do us well to have more reminders of simply being in love.

We have a favorite little grove of trees at the stae park that always gives us great inspiration and unique ideas so at the end of the session we headed over to it and found a little perch for our subjects. Breanne giggled the whole time repeating "we're in a tree!" They were so fun to photograph and we got some fun shots.

This is my favorite shot, taken early in the session.

Matt & Breanne, thank you for the opportunity to photograph you both. We had such a fun time with you and we are excited to see where your relationship takes you. No matter where you go in life, remember the love you had at the beginning for it will hold you up together through all the challenges life brings,

Caleb & Sharon

Bloomquist Family 2010

2010-10-02T00:32:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday we had the pleasure of photographing the Bloomquist family at the Japanes Gardens in

Moses Lake.

This will be the third time we have photographed the Bloomquist family and it has been great to get to know Tom and Angela over the years and to see how grown up their children are becoming.

You may have missed last years Bloomquist family post, and let me tell you so did we. They had moved out of town, but are back in Moses Lake once again and we are so happy to have them back in our lives. They are an amazing couple and also some of the most encouraging people we know.

Angela is also an amazing stylist, that was dearly missed for her talents as well-in fact I let my hair get quite long in her absence for fear of having to find someone new, but in the end it looks like my patience was rewarded.

I just can't describe how fun it is working with the Bloomquist family. Tom and Angela have great ideas of their own and love being our guinea pigs for our creativity as well.

Even their children are amazing, coming up with new ideas and poses all the time-they didn't want to be done taking pictures.

They've already got some fresh ideas for next year, and a few more they want to add to this years collection as well, and we can't wait to do more with them.

See what I mean? Even the kids are creative!

Growing up so fast!

Tom and Angela, we are looking forward to working with you more and are really enjoying getting to know you better. you have greatly encouraged us as as a couple, as business owners and continue to inspire us as photographers.

-Caleb and Sharon

Kelli Pt I - Class of 2011

2010-09-14T02:04:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday Kelli visited my humble little studio to have the first set of her senior portraits taken. After we finished stacking all the books we could find we got to work and let the creative juices flow.

This is my favorite shot from the session...and I am so glad I'm not the one having to study!

It has been such a pleasure to get to know Kelli the past few weeks and here about her future plans. If you haven't noticed any similarities I'll let you know that Kelli is the sister of Brenna who is marrying my brother Jon-you know, the two seen recently jumping in the pool in the last post...

Kelli is also one of our senior reps this year, among many other things. She is also very involved in her church as well as a member of the ASB at Moses Lake High School.

...working hard...

or maybe just dreaming about graduation!

I am excited to see what this year has for you Kelli-it's sure to be awesome!

-Sharon

Jon & Brenna Engagement Part I

2010-09-14T01:41:00.000-07:00

Well here I am up late again workin' away...

This next session was a blast to do, watching Jon and Brenna gear up to "take the plunge" was quite entertaining. I thought "taking the plunge" would make a good theme for their save the date cards so off to the aquatic center we headed before it was open to the public on the last day of the season on Labor Day.

I still can't believe how much air Jonny got! I'm working on putting together a composite image with each stage of the jump that I'll share with you in a later post-their expressions as they fall into the pool as each second progresses are priceless!

This is my favorite image from the session, although the next few are all tied for second place...

It is quite obvious that these two know how to have fun, and have found a perfect match in each other...

They took a little run on the lazy river before we finished up the session,

Snuck in a few more kisses,

toweled off and called it good.

Jon & Brenna, thanks for making my job so much fun! We love you guys!

Caleb & Sharon

Celebrating Love...

2010-09-08T14:19:00.000-07:00

Last Friday we had a little party to celebrate the engagement of Caleb's brother Jon and our future sister-in-law Brenna.

It was the perfect evening...complete with all the trimmings an end of summer al fresco dinner party should have-Perfect food,

A new sister,

a perfectly matched couple,

and a perfectly beautiful sunset lit evening,

Congratulations Jon and Brenna,

love,

Caleb & Sharon

Isaac Part I - Class of 2011

2010-09-08T13:41:00.000-07:00

Well school is back in session bringing with it the class of 2011. Caleb took a few shots to get Isaac's portfolio started while it was still warm. Isaac was a lifeguard at the aquatic center and Caleb met him after hours one evening to get a few shots in during the last days of summer.

Isaac is attending Moses Lake Christian Academy and will also be one of our senior reps this year.

We're proud to have Isaac representing us this year-he's got a great smile and a great heart.

I can't wait to see what else he and Caleb come up with-it should be good!

Our Summer Sparrow Family

2010-09-08T13:06:00.000-07:00

This summer a pair of twitterpated sparrows decided that our patio was the perfect spot to build their little nest. I stopped Caleb before he knocked it down and before you know it were hearing the little chirps of newly hatched chicks. They got louder and bigger, and hungrier-I've never seen parents work so hard to feed anything! We left for a week long visit with my parents and when we returned, they had already left the nest. I thought, wow! It sure didn't take them long to grow up-or perhaps a cat got to them while we were gone-so I googled "sparrow life cycle".

I did not know any of this about sparrows but apparently after the chicks leave the nest and while they are still needing to be fed by the parents the father takes over caring for the chicks while the mother begins to prepare the nest for the next brood! I thought, no way, they won't have another set of chicks-that's crazy!

Sure, enough, a couple weeks later I noticed our little sparrow couple all twitterpated again and then I didn't see the female for awhile. She was in the nest-and about two weeks later I heard the faint chirpings of the second set of chicks.

The chicks grew louder and louder and the only word I can think of to describe the parents is tireless-tirelessly, day after day all day long they would fly back and forth taking turns feeding these hungry little babies.

They got bigger and bigger, louder and louder, pushing eachother almost out of the nesttrying to get food.

By this time I was excited that I would be around when they came out of the nest and one day I noticed them right on the edge waiting for the perfect moment to try their little wings.

They waited a long time-and I'm really surprised they didn't end up pushing eachother out.

I never saw anyof them actually leave the nest but one afternoon I came home and one was on the ground down below, and after two more days the rest of the chicks had left the nest as well.

Things That Grow Around My House...

2010-09-08T12:40:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned in the rodeo post, I recently got a new lens. It is one we have used a lot in the past via renting it and finally we were able to add permanently to our equipment-Yay for new toys!

These are a few shots of the hibiscus that Caleb got me for mothers day. It has been blooming nonstop all summer.

The next few photos are all of the things that are currently growing in my garden.

Tomatoes, but not very many ripe ones-I got a late start this year...

Sunflowers, which I did not plant, but rather sprouted up on their own from dropped seeds off of last years blooms...

and of course, weeds.

Moses Lake Round Up Rodeo 2010

2010-09-08T12:15:00.000-07:00

It was a long day, the kids didn't get a nap but we packed the Rodeo into the remains of the day. We did miss the opening ceremony which was a little disappointing as it is my favorite part-when they race out holding the American flag it just gets me right there...if you're a proud American you get it too.

The sun set was absolutely amazing!

Alright now here's my little disclaimer about the following photos-they are all action shots, shot handheld at night so if you're looking for a super crisp photo of a rodeo you'll have to keep looking, these have a standard amount of "noise" (my preference is a zero amount ;-), however we had great seats right above the chute ( a big thank you to Joe Carpentier!) so I was able to get some great shots close up with my new 24-70mm 2.8 and for being a spectator the shots exceeded my expectations and past handheld night shooting experiences. So without further ado I give you the Moses Lake Round Up Rodeo Finals!

Steer roping and team roping are my favorite events.

We all dressed up in our best plaid cotton shirts.

This is how much Jacob loved the rodeo-he stayed awake the entire time bouncing away!

One last shot of the team roping, again, my favorite! Somehow I didn't get any shots of the bull riding, I must have been holding baby Jacob during one of the many potty breaks Caleb accompanied Joseph and Jesse on. Anyway I hope you guys enjoy the photos as much as we enjoyed the rodeo-a big thank you to Joe Carpentier for the great seats-enjoy!

2010 Grant County Fair!

2010-09-08T11:22:00.000-07:00

August 17th through the 21st was fair week here in Moses Lake. If that doesn't mean anything to you then you don't know much about where I'm from-but that's okay, I'll fill you in. Life pretty much stops for the Grant County Fair-for one week it is all that is going on.

There were baby goats!

This next bird just had too much character

Peter Cotton Tail

Caleb always has to see the pigs-him and his brothers raised pigs for 4-H back in the day.

Boys and their toys...

Blue ribbon...

Kiddie tractor pulls...

They even had a birds of prey exhibit, which the boys loved!

Jacob had a good time too, and in other news, we think his eyes are going to be green...

We finished our visit to the fair with $1 icecream cones from Block 40

Rockin' the 'Hawks

2010-09-08T03:03:00.000-07:00

The boys were long overdue for a haircut and since I cut their hair myself (boys are too easy in this respect) I decided to have a little fun.

Jesse's hair and head shape is perfectly suited for a mohawk and Joseph, well he just looks the part.

I told them they looked like rockstars and they thought that was just the coolest thing ever...of course then being a good sensible mother I told them they were not going to church like that.

Caleb was not a fan of their new do's, however we had a strong vote from both grandfathers to let them keep them for awhile-who knew!

So Friday evening I tucked my little rockers in bed and told them in the morning they had to be normal kids again-but they still talk about how mommy made them rockstars for a day.

Football Fun in the Studio

2010-09-08T01:54:00.000-07:00

So mid-August I asked my brother Jeff to come over so I could test out some lighting setups with him as the subject. It was also a good excuse to get some photos of Jeff that mom would love and be all emotional over what with Jeff entering his Senior year at Whitworth and his last year playing college football. So here goes nothing...overall I was pretty pleased with the results, I hope you all enjoy!

This next one is my favorite.Of course the boys had to join in...So funny story-Joseph starts making these funny faces and I quickly realized he was trying to imitate the facial expressions Jeff would make while imitating the Heisman Trophy stance. Thanks again Jeff for being my guinea pig!

Wallacres 2010

2010-09-08T01:15:00.000-07:00

Well here it is, early September and I am finally blogging about Wallacres-hey now no complaining! At least I've got a proper post for this years trip. So here we go...

We really needed this trip-a chance to get away-and though it was still a bit stressful (3 kids under 5 always is no matter who you are) we had a great time. We got there a day early and had been given the use of a friends trailer for the week as well so arriving to camp was 90% stress free and we actually had time to just sit and watch the kids play and chase bubbles. The boys have been so excited to go camping at Wallacres-I kid you not-since the day we brought Jacob home from the hospital. It was the first thing they asked-if baby Jacob could come camping to Wallacres with us.I have no photos for the second day because that is the day Caleb went fishing. If you don't know this about Wallacres, consider yourself caught up-Wallacres is primarily a fishing trip cleverly disguised as a camping trip-which is usually great fun for all because everyone gets fresh Salmon and the excitement of waiting til' the guys return to camp to find out who caught what and how many. We have a tradition that as the fishermen pull into camp they honk once for each fish caught. Sadly, there were not many honks this year-though out of the few Caleb caught one. The next day Caleb decided to go on a drive, exploring some forest service roads. It sounded like fun and a chance to get in some photography so the boys and I rode along too, followed by Uncle Nate and my Dad.This is a Columbian lily and below is the view from little Quilcene trailhead-it was a beautiful day.We got back to camp and Auntie Kayla and Uncle Nate helped the kids crank up some ice cream-yummm!Nate & Jon busted out the guitars-an intro that would lead to a legendary night around the campfire singing with Uncle Jay-now that was a good time! The next afternoon us ladies took a little trip to peruse the sights of downtown Port Townsend. After some icecream and window shopping we headed up the hill to settle a bet on what kind of church this building might be only to find that it was the county courthouse, but I still had to take a picture.

Sunday before we left we took the kids to the beach-I love watching the kids explore.

They want to be just like Poppa Jones...

A parting shot and my new favorite fine art print (of course I haven't printed it yet-but I will)

Wallacres, you treated us well, til we meet again next summer...the Erlenmeyer Family

The Kalmbach Family

2010-08-24T00:00:00.001-07:00

Before I turn in for the night I'd like to introduce you all to the Kalmbach familyThis was actually one of the last shots but I liked it for my introductory photo, I couldn't quite get this shot with the sun flare in our favor but it turned out with black and white processing-sometimes what isn't great in color just works in black and white...but enough shop talk.

Hillary's original goal for their photo session was to get some recent shots of her and Chris as they have recently celebrated their anniversary. It's always a lot of fun for me seeing how different couples react when they're the focus of our attention and I learned that Chris can still get Hillary to giggle with the shy excitement of a schoolgirl with a secret crush.

The secret's out now! this is probably my favorite shot of the two of them-nestled in a quiet little spot stealing a kiss-how sweet it is to be loved.

While we put a little emphasis on mom and dad, the kids were around for the fun too-hiding and climbing and imagining up adventures in the tall grass and the grove of trees at the old State Park in Moses Lake.I love the coloring in the above shot, so warm and earthy, and the one below with the beautiful light filtering through the trees.
We were able to gather them all up for some family shots-I love the interaction of this one.

Look at those big eyes-what an expression!
Sisters-a blessing indeed.

Clearly, these children are enjoying life!

Dad and his boy-I'm a sucker for these shots...

I have to give credit to Caleb for composition on these they turned out great.I love the tree branches as the background.

I can't wait for you guys to see the rest, thank you, Chris & Hillary, for the chance to photograph your family and capture some great moments for you, and what fun conversation during the session. We will see you soon, love,

Caleb and Sharon

The Yamane Family

2010-08-21T09:35:00.000-07:00

Good afternoon everyone! This next set of photos is from our session with the Yamane family. Caleb and I have really enjoyed getting to know this wonderful couple and their children over the past year or so. They are such a joyful welcoming bunch.

Julianne told me the next day that while Caleb and I had been taking their photos the neighbors across the street had noticed and brought out lawn chairs to sit and watch, telling Julianne that it just looked like they were having so much fun. Their neighbors are just as excited to see the resulting photographs as they are and told julianne to be sure and let them see them when they were ready.

Ryan and Julianne have truly been blessed with four beautiful and well behaved children. Three girls that our sure to have some young boys hearts a-flutter some day... and a handsome young man!

I always love seeing parents interacting with the little ones-such fun memories to capture and treasure forever! Isn't he just too cute for words!

The above photo's is one of my favorite of the more candid shots-some shots just capture personality so well.
Doesn't this look like a family you would want to be a part of?! They have so much fun together, and it is eveident on their faces.
Ryan and Julianne, we always have such a wonderful time with your family and go away encouraged by the time spent with you. Knowing you has enriched our lives and we look forward to our next visit. We hope you see the joy on your faces that we've captured and enjoy these photos as much as we did taking them.

We love you guys!

Caleb and Sharon

Calling all seniors in the upcoming Class of 2011

2010-08-10T03:41:00.000-07:00

(Click to enlarge) Email sharon@erlenmeyerphotography.com for an application

Baby Adelah

2010-08-03T17:54:00.000-07:00

Last Wednesday I had the pleasure of meeting a sweet little girl, so fresh and newly placed into the loving hands of our dear friends Ben & Heidi. First kisses...She looks just like her brothers-she's definitely a Harris! I couldn't believe how alert she was at just an hour or two old!
Proud parents!
Daddy's little girl.

You know I can never resist tiny feet...
and just look at that sweet, soft little hair-simply darling!

I didn't stay long, she needs a little nap.

When I met little miss Harris, Ben & Heidi had yet to decide on a name, remarking that while they had one picked out they wanted to "wait until the drugs wore off to make a decision." They are now home with their precious daughter who has joined two excited older brothers. I am pleased to introduce you to little Adelah Grace (pronounced "ah-day-la"). Congratulations Ben & Heidi-we rejoice with you in celebration of this new little life God has blessed you with. Thank you for the opportunity to capture these first moments for you,

Love Caleb & Sharon Erlenmeyer

Mike & Christi Kernan

2010-07-26T13:26:00.000-07:00

With the birth of our son Jacob, wedding photography seeemed to be a thing of the past. We had to turn down a few weddings because they were all around Jacob's due date. However we were able to capture the first moments of Mike & Christi Kernan's journey into wedded bliss on a hot summer day a little over a week ago and what a beautiful event that was!

Mike and Christi came to us quite at the beginning of the year looking for a photographer and it was so great to see their excitement and confusion at planning a wedding all at once! They had so many questions about photography and wedding planning in general and it looks like in the end all the little details fell right into place and they were able to enjoy their day.

We have known Mike since we began attending our church in 2006-what a great guy! No matter who you are he makes you feel welcome, and as echoed by so many at our church he has been indispensible in the planning and building of our new church building.

We met Christi a little over a year ago, but I seem to remember (and this probably goes for anyone who knows Mike) all of a sudden there was this pretty lady sitting next to Mike at church. Apparently she sat alone only a handful of times until Mike quickly set his sights on her.Christi and Mike even joined us on our annual camping trip to Wallacres, which was almost exactly a year ago this week. It was pretty eveident to Caleb and I at that point that these two were a perfect match and it was only a matter of time till the wedding bells would be ringing.

As far as family involvement goes, this had to be one of the funnest and most meaningful weddings I have seen. All of her attendants with the exception of her matron of honor were her daughters-two of her own and two new ones!

Christi made a beautiful, classy bride right down to the last detail.

I had asked Christi a few times if she was excited and ready for everything and at first she kept telling me it hadn't really set in and she seemed like any bride-stressed about all the wedding details. However, when we got to the church and she saw her bouquet it finally set in and she seemed to relax and begin to enjoy each moment with such excitement from then on.The expressions of Mike and the best man Larry are absolutely priceless in the following shot!

Sealed with a kiss!Man & Wife-finally Mr. and Mrs. Kernan. I love the aproving look on Pastor John's face.Now I mentioned earlier about Christi's attendants including 4 daughters. Mike and Christi each have a son of their own as well-3 children each. So the obvious choice of music that the waked back down the aisle to was of course "The Brady Bunch" Theme song.

Making it legally official.

She's got her man!This was such a fun wedding party to capture...Larry Bickel as the best man
Nicole, Christi's Matron of Honor

All of their beautiful children.
The first of many moments enjoying being Mr. & Mrs.!
The party was just beginning! We followed Mike and Christi to the reception site where the festivities were planned to the last detail.

It was so touching to see Mike with his daughters-how proud he is of them and how happy they were for their father.

Here is the best man Larry with his wife Wende. To know the Bickel's is to know how much love they have for their daughters, how every thought is so closely related to how they can raise their daughters with a passion for Christ and give them the best examples of love possible. For all that this photo captures I had to include it as well.At last...

Congratulations, to you Mike & Christi! We wish you the best in everything that life brings your way and hope that you enjoy the moments we have captured for you!

-Caleb & Sharon

Baby Jacob 4 Months Pt. II

2010-07-19T01:06:00.000-07:00

Well it seem that I can't get enough of this little guy, and as fast as he is growing I guess I'd better catch as much of it as I can on camera.

So for your viewing enjoyment, here is baby Jacob, once again.

The next two were taken shortly after the bucket shots, Grandma Marla had laid him down and I walked in the room and there he was, perfectly centered on grandma's bed-which she has had for years and slept in as a child herself.

Not only is the bed itself an antique but the quilt adorning it was made by Great Grandma Mary (whom our boys call "grandma great"). I always tell our boys, who have plenty of blankets from all of their grandmas, that handmade quilts are a grandmas way of wrapping themselves around you to comfort you and keep you warm when they aren't there.

July 4th 2010

2010-07-15T22:17:00.000-07:00

Just thought I'd share a few photos I captured at Grandpa & Grandma Bott's home on the lake on the 4th! I only get one chance per year to try out long shutter speed techniques so these are my 3 favorite from this year. Check out last year's shots here.

Joseph with a sparkler. He was so brave this year and kept saying he wasn't gonna cover his ears and he did great! Shutter speed was 23 seconds. This one (above)shows the lake really well. Shutter speed was 98 seconds.This one is my favorite and the best so far in my opinion. Shutter speed was 36 seconds.

The Louvier Family-2010

2010-07-15T15:55:00.000-07:00

You may remember the Louvier family from a few posts almost a year ago now.

It was last September that Nate and Jenny welcomed little Allie to their family.

Well, just look how that little bundle of joy has grown!

Baylee is getting big too and is such a good big sister.

I can't believe how fast they grow! It seems only yesterday Nate told us they were expecting and now they have two beautiful daughters.We always have a good time catching up with Nate and Jenny and where life after Western Baptist has taken us.
The girls seemed to thoroughly enjoy exploring down on the water at Saltwater State Park in Des MoinesAt the time we took these photos little Allie was just starting to stand on her own and even took a few steps for us on the beach.

You guys know I can't resist little feet!

As of "press time" I'm happy to report that Allie is walking all over the place!

What a cheerful and beautiful family!

It was so good to see you guys again-one of these days we'll get more time to catch up. You both have been blessed been blessed with two adorable little gems! Thank you both for yet another opportunity to capture your family-'til next time!

Caleb & Sharon Erlenmeyer

Baby Jacob - 4 Months

2010-07-14T11:57:00.001-07:00

Well this little man is growing like a weed-weighed in at 13 pounds yesterday at his 4 month check-up. Just thought I'd give you a little update on baby Jacob and share some recent photos with everyone.

The Roberson Family

2010-07-14T11:29:00.001-07:00

June 25th found us traveling over to the Westside for a couple of photo sessions and a bit of an extended vacation with my parents. Friday evening we met up with a family who I have not seen for quite sometime. Meet the Roberson family...

I guess we ought to start at the beginning. I knew Jeff and Meghan before they were Jeff & Meghan. Sure back in in high school we knew eachother but I knew Meghan Schwab and Jeff Roberson who over the course of time became highschool sweethearts. Meghan and I got to know eachother as co-editors of the school newspaper (now you know why I love this editorial style photo blogging) and in the pool as members of the swim team while Jeff kept busy on the football field If I remember correctly they were also voted one of the few class couples, and why not look at them...
still in love after all this time!

My favorite part about this session was not only seeing the two of them-which was definitely a treat-but seeing their two little ones, Haley and Kale. It is amazing to see how much they resemble Jeff and Meghan and so adorable!

I had to include this one so you might get some small idea of how much fun we had photographing Jeff and Meghan's kiddos. Haley was the perfect subject-so excited about getting her picture taken and just excited about life and all the things to see at Alki Beach.

Kale doesn't look mischievious at all, haha, but really I have seen that look before on my boys. Loosely interpreted it means "I'm pretty much the coolest little man you ever met I can get away with anything if I smile at you like this and I bet you can't keep up with me" My lens was able to keep up enough to capture this shot, but to be fair Kale had a disadvantage with me being the mother of three boys myself.

I just can't say enough how fun it is for us to interact with families as we photograph them but to see schoolmates and the little families they've become is just icing on the cake!

I'm always a sucker for a shot of little boys with their dads when they don't think I'm looking... and little boys that think their dad's are the greatest guys on earth are equally as charming.

The weather was perfect for an Alki beach session with the classic Seattle skyline as a backdrop.

Kale's love for his father could only be rivaled by that of his sister Haley who had lot's of love to share as well.

Oh to be a kid again-to be excited by every little thing we come across from seagulls and waves to sand and bright yellow flowers

She picked one for everyone and made sure we all smelled them as well!

Jeff and Meghan's nephew Alex also joined us so we could get some shots of the kids with their cousin as well.

The kids had so much fun just running around playing, hanging out with their cousin Alex, seeing new sights and discovering new things, they probably had no idea that they were there for a photo session.

I thought this was the perfect photo to end on-a perfect end to a perfect day!

Jeff and Meghan, thank you for the opportunity to capture your family. It was such a treat to see you guys again and meet your little ones. We hope you enjoyed your visit back home!

Caleb & Sharon Erlenmeyer

The Honsowetz Family

2010-07-14T11:22:00.001-07:00

On Saturday, June 19 Caleb and I met up with the Honsowetz family for quite the photo session...9 adults and 7 kids in all are what make up Rick and Patty Honsowetz's beautifully entertaining family. Put that many people in front of the camera and you are sure to have a few memorable moments-which has just given me a great idea for an "outtakes" post-now wouldn't that be fun! Perhaps when I am caught up with the current sessions...any way, on with he show!

So a long time ago on what I'm sure was a beautiful day, Rick (above) married Patti (below)

They had three, beautiful daughters, and then a son

Nathan, Pamela, Rebecca, & Melissa (L to R)

But of course, it's really about the grandkids!

Oliver and Pamela are the proud parents of three of those grandchildren-all under the age of 2! Yep that's right and look they're still smiling! Charlie and Rebecca are the twin siblings of their older brother Thomas all born on the same day exactly one year apart.

Pamela literally has her hands full! Thomas

Sweet little Rebecca

What a perfect little bunch!

Scott & Rebecca are responsible for the next two granddaughters

Elayna's photo above reminds me of the book "The Secret Garden"

and her sister Ava was adorable all day-at first she refused to smile but then after awhile she started really hamming it up and before long she forgot we were even there and had some great smiles for us.

Now Pamela and Oliver have recently moved back to the states from a few years serving as missionaries in Hungary and Scott and Rebecca live in the Chicago area while Dave and Melissa live here in Moses Lake where they attend church with us at MLCC-and wouldn't you know the ones who knew us better was the shyest couple. Caleb and I usually try and get not only photos of the whole family but of mom & dad together as well. However I believe Melissa's exact words were "what would we do with that!" alluding to how unlikely, as parents, it would be to catch mom & dad without the kids. Knowingly I quickly replied "look at it and say to each other 'remember when'? "

This photo of Dave & Melissa's oldest daughter, Samantha, taken by Caleb has to be one of my most favorite shots of the day and most definitely in my top favorites of all time.

And then there's her sweet little sister Norah whose posing did not go unnoticed. There were so many great photos that I believe this may be the most photos I've posted for a non-wedding post.

It is no secret how much Rick & Patti love their children & grandchildren-what a joy to blessed by these precious little faces!

In fact the whole familywas such a joy to be around and to have the chance to photograph.

Their love for eachother is very evident and unsurpassed

Caleb and I had such a great time photographing your family, Rick & Patti, I pray we have blessed you as much as you have blessed us! Enjoy all the photos of your beautiful family!

Caleb & Sharon

The Robison Family

2010-07-14T11:18:00.001-07:00

Hey everyone! Today I want to introduce you to the Robison family.

Caleb and I met Chip and Holli about a year ago when they first began attending our church in Moses Lake. Chip had been hired by REC and they all had relocated to Moses Lake from Kentucky.

Meet Camden (L) and Clay (R) two boys who are the spitting image of their father and will no doubt take after both their parents in height.
Shortly after we met Holli she was diagnosed with breast cancer (about a year ago) It has been a whirlwind year for their family but all of the cancer was removed and Holli has completed all her chemotherapy treatments.She is definitely a survivor!

Being diagnosed with cancer has not made life easy but they have all survived together as a family.

Thank you for sharing your joys, sorrows and successes with us and allowing us to capture your family!

I pray that we continue to be an encouraging force in your lives!

Caleb & Sharon Erlenmeyer

Walla Walla Hot Air Balloon Festival

2010-06-11T23:12:00.000-07:00

Now I know this was awhile ago but I am slowly but surely getting caught up with this blog and I am grateful to have so much to share with you!

So here we go-on with the show...Caleb happened to be watching the travel channel one day about this huge hot air balloon festival held annually in New Mexico. He mentioned having gone to something similar in Walla Walla as a kid and as quick as you can Google "Hot air balloon festival Walla Walla" we had it on the schedule.
So May 8th we took a little drive with our best friends the Bong family to the Walla Walla Balloon Stampede. It was a beautiful drive on a beautiful day. When we arrived there were horse races going on at the fairgrounds as well which may be why the call it a stampede-who knows but the kids thought it was pretty cool.

There were somewhere in the neighborhood of 30 hot air balloons present but unfortunately none were able to launch that day due to the weather which must be specifically calm since an errant breeze could make it very difficult to direct an object that has little to no steering capabilities. However seeing the balloons blown up was still a sight to behold.

The children had such a great time, even little Jacob at just under 2 months old!

The Coca Cola balloon was quite the sight! It is the largest hot air balloon by volume and also the tallest with it's signature Coke bottle shape.

Each little "sweat" drop on the bottle is hand painted and looks quite realistic.

Pretty impressive!

This next balloon was quite a bit smaller and almost got a chance to launch but in the end remained anchored as well.

These are the burners that create the heat fueled by three large propane tanks to raise the balloon.

These are the three little ones that had so much fun, and I must say this photo is one of my favorites of these three little amigos!

At night they bring selected balloons into the arena, blow them up and anchor them. They glow so beautifully, like giant colored light bulbs-it really is impressive.

This next one the talked about quite a bit. It was called "The Spirit of Discovery" and was beautifully handpainted.

Hannah Dufault-Class of 2010

2010-06-11T16:06:00.000-07:00

Now I know this is a bit late but I have one last senior for the year I would like you to meet.

Hannah Dufault-Class of 2010-Moses Lake High School. When I moved to Moses Lake Hannah was just starting her high school days and babysitting Joseph for me back when I worked at Starbucks. My how the time flies-Joseph is 4 and Hannah has graduated!

I had a great time photographing Hannah, she has such a natural genuine smile. So during our session we walked around downtown Moses Lake a bit. Lo and behold we found the famous Furniture West, red rocking chair sitting on a trailer in the alley behind the store. I couldn't resist-who wouldn't want their photo taken in a giant red rocking chair and I love how the photos turned out.

We started our session out at Montlake park and it was such a beautiful afternoon-I love when there are big fluffy clouds-I call them picture clouds-they add so much to the sky when photographed.

I love this next photo for it's simplicity and the pattern of the straight lines. Believe it or not it's the exterior restroom wall at the park-who would've known!

Reeds are not just for diffusing Glade scented oil-lol! They worked to diffuse the sunlight so well and I love the effect! More textures to try out...

I love the greenery in this one and it brings out her eyes naturally

Some more tree shots of various types

and finally...

Nothing quite like the sybolism of train tracks for a senior photo.

Hannah we wish you the best in your future and we know you will do well. I thoroughly enjoyed photographing you and I hope you have a wonderful summer before your new adventures begin at Eastern Washington University-

Sharon

Baby Ella - Part II

2010-06-11T15:38:00.001-07:00

Back in April you may remember the maternity session of Jina & Darren that I posted. Then after a few short weeks I met the anticipated bundle of joy for some surprise hospital photos.

I know it has taken awhile for me to post things lately but let me asure you-this little sweetie was well worth the wait and so for her "official" photographic debut here is little Ella Sheldon at just under 2 weeks old.

What a precious gift!

Who doesn't love tiny little baby feet?!Perhaps a little symbolic of daddy being wrapped around her finger?Precious in pink Almost done...
Settling in for a little nap.

Darren & Jina I know this post is late and I have seen photos since-she is growing into such a beautiful baby girl-and so quickly! You have been blessed immeasurebly with little Ella! We wish the best for you as you transition into a new life with your daughter in California.

-Caleb & Sharon

Eddie Junior-1st Birthday and then some!

2010-06-11T14:25:00.000-07:00

Well I was going to start this post with a "remember this little guy..." but you would have no clue what I was talking about. Last fall, Caleb shot a sesion of his good friend Eddie Avila, his wife Nicole and their son Eddie Jr. However due to the amount of brain cells lost during pregnancy I never posted the session here on the ol' blog which would explain why I couldn't find it to reference to-anyway...

Meet the Avila family. Eddie and Caleb grew up together here in Moses Lake and Eddie was Caleb's best man at our wedding. A few years later Eddie met Nicole, the two of them married, and had little Eddie Jr.

How adorable is he!

Well...fast forward and that little boy is now 1!

"Yes, I live on a farm"

Eddie asked us out to take some candid photos of Eddie Jr.'s birthday out in Quincy where they now live on, yes a farm-a 3,000 head and growing dairy farm.

Here it is the moment we've all been waiting for...

"...and it's good, finally the wait is over and I get my own cake"
Also there for the party was an even smaller baby than our own little Jacob(who was just a couple of weeks) little Eddie's newest cousin only a few days old. I think this is Eddie's "I'm not impressed with being replaced as the baby" face.

Happy Birthday Eddie Jr.! Know you are blessed to be surrounded by such a loving family. Thank you, Eddie & Nicole, once again for allowing us to be a part of your lives-we love you guys!

Caleb and Sharon

The Erlenmeyer Family

2010-06-11T13:48:00.000-07:00

So you know, it's not always about everyone else...I thought I'd share some updated photos of our newly increased family, lest you forget what we who are always behind the camera look like ;-)

These family photos were taken at Easter courtesy of our brother Jon Erlenmeyer. Jon has recently completed his masters in environmental engineering from WSU and we are (especially the boys) enjoying having him around again. Thanks for snapping a few photos for us Jon-we love you!

So first came the two of us...

followed by this little fellow, Joseph, 4 years, who I can not believe is so big now...

Then came Jesse who just turned 3 last week and is obviously a bundle of fun and growing just as fast as Joseph...

and then after we were content with two children and just enjoying finally having two boys out of diapers-when does life ever go like you planned it?

SURPRISE-Baby Jacob!

What a blessing he has been to all of us and how fun it has been to see Joseph and Jesse adore their little brother. This year we are learning to embrace the unexpected and thank God for his providence and abundant blessing in our lives which we are excited to share with you all!

-Caleb and Sharon Erlenmeyer

Justin Walker Class of 2010

2010-05-06T23:46:00.000-07:00

It's about that time of year again when school is coming to a close and seniors are enjoying their last days in school...graduation season is upon us once again.

Caleb and I met up with Justin Walker, this past Sunday to snap a few photos to commemorate his upcoming graduation.

We took photos at his family's lovely home on the edge of Crab Creek here in Moses Lake.

This photo below is my favorite! I let Caleb take the reins for this session with Justin to keep things coming from a manly perspective and to make Justin more comfortable - he's one of those shy, "please no more photos, mom" kind of guys. Caleb did great, Justins mom was pleased, and most of all we got some great shots of a very nice young man.

Caleb and Justin got along just fine talking about hunting while I adored his 7 week old German Short Hair puppy, Annie.

This is one of my favorite filters to use when editing manly, outdoorsy shots-you might remember it from this post...

You'll have to click on this one to enlarge it but I had to include this series of shots.

Congratulations, Justin, on your graduation we look forward to hearing where your future leads you!

-Caleb and Sharon

Baby Ella

2010-04-28T09:04:00.001-07:00

Recently I introduced you to the Sheldon's and the little bun they had in the oven. Well I am happy to announce that there was yet another stork delivery and little Ella has arrived!

Ella was born Monday evening April 26th-on her due date-really how often does that happen?! So of course after hearing the news and as we live only a stones throw away from the hospital I rushed over to meet this sweet little girl.

She slept most of the time I was there but I was able to capture some of those first moments to share with you all and I have to say, I am glad my little Jacob is only a few weeks old because this little sweetie would make it so tempting to have a baby.

As I mentioned about Jina's maternity session, it is so fun for Caleb and I as photographers to capture "first's" and this was no exception. Watching Jina fall hopelessly in love with Ella right in front of me was so wonderful.
Jina kept saying over and over how amazing she was, how perfect and beautiful that she didn't want to even sleep, that she just wanted to look at her forever.

I saved the best for last. Ella looks so peaceful in this one, just like a perfect little angel.
Congratulations, Darren and Jina, God has truly blessed you both with such a precious little girl. - Sharon

Baby Jocelynne

2010-04-28T08:41:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! Remember the Weis family? Well they have added a little girl to their blossoming family!

Meet Jocelynne Weis!

We visited them at their new home in Ellensberg a week ago and I was able to take a few photos of this 2 week old little sweetheart.

I just love this one. She was so alert and attentive while we were there.

Daddy's little girl!

Who can resist little baby feet?! I am always amazed at how perfect even the smallest little thing can be-so fearfully and wonderfully made!

Congratulations, Justin and Alisa, your family has truly been blessed and it was such a pleasure to meet your precious little girl - Sharon

Newborn Session-Baby Jacob

2010-04-12T19:29:00.001-07:00

To celebrate baby Jacob being one month old today I thought I'd finish up today's little blogging marathon with a few shots from Jacob's semi-official newborn shoot. He was fussier than I'd hoped while photographing him so I didn't get as many shots as I'd hoped but with photographers for parents I doubt there will be a lack of photos of Jacob.

This one is Caleb's favorite so far...

This one is my favorite...so far...

and there will be plenty more to come!

Happy one month, Jacob!

Candid baby Jacob

2010-04-12T19:17:00.001-07:00

Who can resist a sleeping baby?

So funny story to go with this next one-

As I was putting this little suit on Jacob, getting ready to leave the house, the boys asked me what I was doing. I told them that babies are too little to wear jackets like us so Jacob was going to wear this to keep him warm to which Jesse matter-of-factly replied "yeah, babies don't wear jackets, they wear bears"
My honey with my little sweetie...
About 5 seconds (literally) after Jacob was delivered Caleb said he looked like Joseph and since he has been born we have been marveling at how much he looks like his brothers did as babies. So of course I had to dig up some photos for a side by side comparison and sure enough they are definitely related-not that there was ever any doubt.

Baby Jacob arrives!

2010-04-12T18:48:00.000-07:00

Welcome to our family Jacob Richard Erlenmeyer!

For those of you who may not have already known, our son, baby Jacob was born one month ago today, on Friday, March 12, weighing in at 7 lbs 6 oz and 20 inches long.

Having had, uncomplicated, 12 hour, natural births with my first two boys, Jacobs delivery should have been pretty quick and routine, however, after 36 hours of labor and 6 minutes short of being delivered by c-section Jacob managed to perplex everyone in the delivery room-the look on our midwife's face in this photograph says it all.
Together at last, asleep in my arms, glad to be done and proud of our little accomplishment...
We finally introduce you to our newest little boy, Jacob.
Thank you for waiting with us for his arrival-
Caleb & Sharon

Maternity Session-The Sheldon Family

2010-04-12T14:01:00.001-07:00

Good afternoon everyone! It has been awhile since my last post but as you know we've been busy adding to our brood of boys...So with all the boys I am surrounded by one might wonder why it is that I'm not so anxious to have a little girl. I am quite content with all of my boys (though I'd like them more without tromping all the dirt into the house...) and coincidently enough all of my maternity sessions have been for families expecting little girls so I get my ribbons and bows fix through them-not to worry. Caleb and I know better than to try for a girl of our own-we'd end up with 8 boys before we had a girl-and as much as I love my boys I think 3 is enough for me.

So today I would like to introduce you to Darren and Jina who are expecting little Ella at the end of this month. After months of rescheduling trying to work around my own baby Jacobs schedule(seriously what is the point of a due date anyway, babies don't come til they're good and ready) we finally worked Jina in for a session.

It was a pleasure meeting the Sheldons and chatting with them during their session. Ella will be the first child for Darren and Jina. It is always fun for Caleb and I to photograph "firsts"- there is a fresh excitement of the unknown that makes each shot unique and so much more genuine.

Caleb has told me before that as a guy he doesn't really get the whole "maternity photo thing" but as a parent and a husband having met our third little boy so recently, I'm sure he would agree that there is something so amazing about life, even as seen through the expression of an expectant mother.

See, I told you-this is how I get my ribbons and bows fix-as long as my clients keep having girls I'm good.

...and, yes, when little Ella arrives, you will get to meet her as well so stay tuned!

Jina and Darren, it was a pleasure getting to meet you both (finally) and we are excited for the arrival of little Ella-she shouldn't keep you waiting too much longer-til then best wishes!

Waiting for baby Jacob...

2010-02-19T18:10:00.000-08:00

So for those of you wondering what the dry spell has been all about you finally have your answer. Caleb and I have been taking a little time off mostly so I can get some rest and finish some personal projects before our newest little model arrives.

Caleb and I finally had a little free time to take some photos of myself before our new little one arrives.

The boys are so excited about baby Jacob and talk about him all of the time. Caleb loves hearing them call him baby Jacob and it's so fun to have them so aware and involved about their new little brother.

Here's Caleb's attempt at a handshot while pressing the shutter with the other hand.

Yes, I'm huge, and I'm smiling because he's almost here.

Here are a few with the quilt I made for baby Jacob-not that you can see it very well.

I love the black and white in these next two.

and here's my attempt to rock the croc skin

leather jacket pregnant fashion model style-lol-sassy...

and sweet.

Well, I hope you enjoyed these everybody. The next post just might be of baby Jacob himself!

Until then I invite you to visit our redesigned website-it is temporary for the time being but it is an improvement none the less that I'm sure you will enjoy.

Erlenmeyer Photography-redesign

2009-11-09T16:32:00.000-08:00

Good afternoon to you all! This may be the fastest I've posted a session in quite awhile, but I think any photographer out there would be anxious to process photos of such a beautiful little girl. You may be familiar with this sweet little face. We did their family session last fall and Jocelynne and her parents Jay and Maria are our closest friends so I'm sure you've seen her in a few other posts as well (here)

It is plain to see that Jocelynne is growing into a beautiful young lady.
We took these photos at McCosh park here in Moses Lake, where there is an abundance of fallen leaves-as you can see. Jocelynne was not as excited in most of the photos as she is in this one and this will be part 1 of her photo session. Maria and I decide to do some idoor shots later this week as Jocelynne was a bit tired and cold for too many photos.

I think we got just enough photos to show her off for now and when all was said and done it was plain to see who her heart really belongs to. Daddy of course! I love her little hand on his shoulder.

I'll share more from her second shoot soon! Thanks Jay & Maria for sharing your sweet little girl with us!

Family Session-The Lybbert Family

2009-11-02T17:10:00.000-08:00

Meet the Lybbert family! This particular session Caleb photographed and left me home with the kids for a little break. Shane is Caleb's framing partner during his day job. Any home or building they frame is done in record time and the two of them make one of the best crews in Moses Lake.

Shane's wife Jill chose to have theire session done at Blue Heron Park here in Moses Lake. It's a great place for photographs here in the fall and gives families lots of space to run around and be themselves.
This is definitely one of Caleb's favorites.
What a couple of beauties Shane has been blessed with!

And of course a couple of rambunctious boys that look very much like their father though from what I hear they have a lot more energy and are quite a bit more mischievious than their quiet father.

Looks like Jill won't have any problems keeping up with the boys though...

Nice work Caleb! Thank you, Shane and Jill, for the chance to photograph your family!

Friehe Farms Potato Harvest

2009-11-02T15:44:00.000-08:00

I ventured out to Friehe Farms for a second time recently, to photograph potato harvest. Grant county is our nations top potato producing county. That's alot of spuds!

We know many farmers that produce potatoes around Grant County and Friehe Farms seems to produce the most per single farm. They run 8 potato diggers during full scale harvest which is the most of any farmer in our area. In fact Caleb ahs heard that potatoes from Friehe Farms account for up to 6% of the potatoes used by Mcdonalds. I have no documentation to back that up but I did ask one of the farm hands while I was out taking photos and he did not seem surprised at that number at all though he did tell me that the majority of the potatoes sold to McDonalds go to the Japanese market.Wheat harvest was dirty to be sure-a lot of chaff blowing everywhere-but potato harvest surely takes the prize for dirtiest (as in actual dirt) job. This is very clean dirt mind you no rocks, not much weeds, but very fine dusty soil.In order to prepare for potato harvest the farmers stop irrigating the fields a few weeks in advance, allowing the potato plant above groundto dry up and separate form the potatoes below the soil so that only the potato itself is harvested and the foliage is discarded easily.

Unfortunately an untimely windstorm can really make travel bad during potato harvest. This year parts of I-90 between Moses Lake and Ritzville had to be closed due to poor visibility caused by all the dust. Visibility was as low as 5 feet in front of you and having driven in it (very slowly with a county pilot car to lead the way) I think that was rather generous. Before the Columbia Basin was irrigated there were dust storms all the time throughout the year-I can't imagine! Another reason to be thankful for water!

Potato harvest doesn't last too long though and it's well worth it-soon we'll all be celebrating what another year has brought us around a nicely roasted turkey and, of course, mashed potatoes!
Thanks again, to Friehe Farms for having us out to photograph another part of harvest!

A Quick Announcement...

2009-10-09T17:31:00.000-07:00

Remember the good ol' days when you had your whole life ahead of you...

Krista and I on graduation day in 1999

When you had tons of energy for things like prom and grad night...

Krista and I on prom night

and we celebrated marriages and new babies together...

Krista's bachelorette party, me 4 months pregnant with Joseph

Well time keeps marching on...

I thought I'd let Krista tell you all that Erlenmeyer Photography is expecting it's newest model in March!

I am currently 5 months pregnant with our third little boy.
Caleb and I are thrilled to share the news with you! I'm sure we'll have some official maternity photos coming soon so stay tuned!

Family Session-The Almaas Family

2009-10-05T17:56:00.000-07:00

Good afternoon to everyone! With this post I believe I will have introduced you to every member of Krista and Todd Parsons extended family. You met Todd's side of the family back in June and of course that wasn't too long after we introduced you to the youngest member of the family with little Kylise.

This September morning found us photographing Krista's side of the family complete with both sets of grandparents.

This session turned out to be a very memorable time for the Almaas family and very meaningful for us as photographers, for it would be the last time that the family would be photographed with Grandpa Almaas.As photographers we are aware that every moment captured is truly a special memory that will be remembered forever-it's not just a clever slogan we came up with to sell photos but it is what we truly believe. Krista had even mentioned at the beginning of the session that it was great that both set of grandparents were able to be there because naturally you never know when it may be the last time. Krista called me the following Tuesday morning to inform me that granpa Almaas had passed away the day before. He had had a heart condition for over 30 years, she explained and was never expected to even see his own son marry let alone live to see him go on to have 3 children and even meet a great grand daughter. He had a life that was blessed and it was our pleasure to capture him with his family one last time. Our thoughts are with the Almaas family and I am grateful to, as a photographer, have been given a chance to capture a few more memories for you all to treasure.

Grandpa Don and Grandma Mary enjoying a moment-
it was such a beautiful day.
Everybody got their turn with baby Kylise!

Krista had originally asked me to come photograph her family before her brother Evan left for the military. I remember her turning to me with tears in her eyes wanting to have photos of her brother with the family not knowing to what extent his military travels might take him. Sometimes we take for granted that though safe here in America we continue to be safe and enjoy freedom because someone else put themself in harms way and gave up their freedom to fight for ours.

We all wish Evan the best during his service and send our prayers of safety and encouragement wherever his military years may take him, along with our gratitude for his service.

The recently married baby sis, Kendra, now known as Mrs. Schadel with her Mr.!

Proud grandparents Larry and Sandee Almaas!

And not to be forgotten Todd and Krista(Almaas) Parsons. We had a great time with you and your family at your new home and beautiful backyard. Our thoughts and prayers are with you always. We love you guys!

-Caleb and Sharon Erlenmeyer

Wedding Sneak Peek-Josh & Danielle

2009-10-01T16:36:00.000-07:00

Alright, I'm getting a bit ahead of myself with this one but hey I was excited-mostly because Caleb and Ihad such a good time at this wedding and with my family this past weekend.

So the last of my own bridesmaids, Danielle, was married to her best friend Josh on Saturday in a beautiful ceremony in Chehalis at Red Barn Studios. As you might've guessed it's a farm setting complete with a big Red Barn. I was in the wedding as a bridesmaid, and Caleb helped photograph with Stepheni and Savannah of Mason Jar Photography . However I got my photo fix with my iPhone and it was rather fun. Somehow we managed to get ahold of the rings before the ceremony and Amber one of the other bridesmaids, and myself were running around the farm in four inch heels photographing the rings in all sorts of odd places. There are websites dedicated solely to ring shots-so for a photographer it's not that crazy but to two bridesmaids in heels on a farm well...hey we had a blast and no one had a clue what we were up to thanks to the pockets in our dresses to conceal the evidence. I give you Erlenmeyer Photography undercover iPhone style...

Amber has quite a few more shots than I do-which I can't wait to see, and I will have some actual wedding posts as soon as Caleb is done editing. Thanks for the good time Amber and of course, congrats to Josh & Danielle!

Maternity Session-Michele Jansen

2009-10-01T16:24:00.000-07:00

I went out to my friend Michele's home this past week to do a few maternity shots for her. Michele Jansen is also a photographer and friend of mine expecting a little girl in October. As a photographer it's always hard to get photos of yourself since you're usually the one behind the lens so I offered to take a few shots of Michele. It was a pretty informal mini session and we didn't have a lot of time but here are a couple of my favorite ones.

This one was an idea I've had for awhile and we were able to pull it off in the short time I had. After a little editing and some text added via photoshop I love the way it turned out just as I'd envisioned.

Thank you, Michele, for letting me come to home and take a few photos. For more about Michele and her family as well as her photography visit her blog at http://moseslakejansen4.blogspot.com/

Whitworth Football-Pirates at Hardin Simmons

2009-09-30T16:27:00.000-07:00

In the beginning of September Caleb had the opportunity to fly to Abilene, TX to watch his brother Jeff's team, the Whitworth Pirates take on Hardin Simmons University.

Caleb and his other brother Jon were able to get field passes and Caleb has secured a position for the season taking photos at the Whitworth games that we are able to attend.

Since we are not hired by a newspaper we have a little bit more editing freedom so I added a little Norman Rockwell-esque feel to this one.

This is a great close up of the official Pirates game footballs.
...and one of Caleb's favorite offensive shots of the game.

While Caleb had a good time photographing the game it unfortunately was a disappointing loss that I think Caleb captured quite nicely with this shot of one of the coaches.

Newborn Session-Baby Allie

2009-09-30T15:51:00.000-07:00

I introduced you to the Louvier family a few months ago when we did their maternity session. We were lucky ebough to be in town a week after their beautiful little Allie Rae was born to do her newborn session as well. As you know babies tend to come on their own schedules so it always wonderful when it coincides with ours and what blessing it was to meet this sweet little girl.

We did the photo shoot at my parents home in Auburn and had wonderful morning light coming in the breakfeast nook-the nice thing about babies is that you can photograph them almost any where since they are so small and portable.

Before the Louvier's arrived I raided the garage for any props I could find and hit the jackpot with a tote filled with my nieces old princess costumes. We nestled little Allie right in the middle of a soft pile of sparkly pink tulle princess skirts the perfect nest for a sweet little bundle of sugar and spice.

It is always a pleasure to photograph friends with their new little family members and to be a part of their joy.

...and speaking of nests we made our own with grapevine wreaths from my mothers garden and nestled her in the middle on one of my boys brown blankets. This was actually the first pose we did and she was nestled (literally) so peacefully in the warm morning sun as Caleb and I snapped away.

Who can resist sweet little baby feet!
Below is the announcement design I came up with for Nate & Jenny

I liked the nest theme and Jenny loved how it turned out.

Thank you for sharing your sweet Allie Rae with Caleb and I, Nate & Jenny. She was a pleasure to meet and photograph and we hope that the days ahead are filled with joy as she grows into a little girl.

Carlson Family

2009-09-28T15:50:00.000-07:00

Meet the Carlson Family! A few weeks after photographing Debbie we had the pleasure of capturing her parents, John & Marie and her and her brother Garett's families at the the Carlson Residence.

I of course already knew Mark & Debbie and their children but had never met her parents who Caleb had the pleasure of working with while building their new home.

John and Marie seem to really enjoy their new home and have expressed a lot of appreciation to Caleb for everything involved in building it. The shot below was Caleb's idea-he said he wanted to capture them enjoying their new home just the way he saw them each evening while he was still building in the area.

This shot was my idea- I thought since Caleb had been so involved in the building of their new home a shot of Caleb handing them the keys would be essential and meaningful. we tried quite a few trying to get the key in mid air but I like the way this one turned out the best as it just lands in John's hand and you can still see Caleb having released it from his fingers. I love these kinds of shots.

John and Marie you have a beautiful family and a beautiful home and we are glad to have been able to capture both for you.

Individual Session-Debbie Roeber

2009-09-28T15:12:00.000-07:00

The day after Wheat harvest-after cleaning all the chaff from our equipment-Caleb and I had the opportunity to photograph the lovely and talented Debbie Roeber. It gave us the chance to try some studio photography which we don't do too often. We rented lights and had a lot of fun with Debbie.

I love the black and white shots especially!

Debbie was a great sport while we tried out all sorts of backgrounds and fiddled with the lighting.

I'd say all in all that when you have a great subject it doesn't take hardly any work to get a great shot.

Thanks for being our guinea pig for the evening Debbie. I have really enjoyed getting to know you!

Friehe Farms and Erlenmeyer Photography present wheat harvest 2009

2009-09-28T14:31:00.000-07:00

I know it has been so long since my last post and I apologize for the dry spell but I am at my desk once again ready to share with you a plethora of photos that have been waiting for their spot on the blog.

I give you Friehe Farms...

I have to tell you that one of my favorite things to photograph is rural America. There is something about wide open spaces and dusty roads and vast fields that is simply intriguing to me. Perhaps it's the basic need to breathe fresh air and the ability to work the soil to provide for a family that makes me appreciate a tractor in a field, or the simple honesty of a hard days work but I love living in a rural community.

Don Bodeman of Friehe farms...him and his wife were actually guests at our wedding-who knew 5 years later I'd be riding in a combine with him documenting wheat harvest!

I love this one, Berend Friehe was very specific about making sure I captured all the dust and dirt flying-and let me tell you wheat harvest had plenty for me to capture.

2009-08-13T17:06:00.000-07:00

Here's a little collage of what we've been up to this month. Our family takes an annual trip to Sequim, WA where our grandparents own property-a family campground called Wallacres.

Family Session with the Weis'

2009-07-15T00:40:00.000-07:00

Remember the Weis family? Trenton was just a little bundle of joy when I first introduced you to the Weis family for his newborn session back in October. Look at how much he has grown! It was time for some updated family photos so we took Justin, Alisa and Trenton to the Japanese Peace Garden here in Moses Lake for their latest family portraits.

What a beautiful family they're turning out to be.

It's plain to see who can put a smile on Alisa's face.

This one is my favorite shot of the day.

Daddy's boy.

Justin thought he'd find out what Trenton's first reaction to sand was...

Caleb took this shot and it turned out great !

I think we'll call it "Zen Baby"

as in, zen the baby was playing in the sand and he loved it.

We took a few more of just Trenton back at our home in front of our fully laden apricot tree.

Justin and Alisa, thank you again for the opportunity to photograph your little family. It is always a pleasure to see our clients grow and capture new moments with them.

Maternity session with the Louviers

2009-07-07T17:47:00.000-07:00

You may be surprised that with all the newborn's I photograph that this is my first maternity session. We could not pass up the opportunity to visit with our old friends affectionately known by us as the "Dizzles." So you're asking, "the who? I thought it was the Louvier's."

The quick explanation is that Caleb and Nate played soccer together at Corban College (formerly known as Western Baptist). Nate was known as Nate Dizzle and so it was decided by the majority of their soccer buddies that when he married Jenny she ought to be known as Mrs. Dizzle or Jenny Dizzle. We even called Nate's parents Poppa dizzle and Momma Dizzle, and now as you can see they have a little Dizzle, Bailey and baby Dizzle, Allie on the way!

Nate and Jenny were high school sweethearts-well actually they were a veteran couple by then. Seriously, for them it is probably true that they have alwys been eachothers first and only love. I remember their wedding in the church her father still pastors-there was standing room only. Caleb and I were married a few months after them and we all moved into the Saddle Club Apartments just in time for Nate and Caleb's final year at Corban College. There's nothing quite like being broke, newlywed, and supporting a husband working hard to finish college. However it was wonderful having neighbors like the Dizzles close by to relate to and build a friendship with, and encourage. By the time school was done and it was time to move to back to Washington we even split a U-Haul (it was cheaper to rent the biggest one and split the cost) and we moved back together. Nate and Jenny's moms even came down and helped us clean the apartments really well to ensure getting our security deposits back. Those were busy times and fun memories.

So this was actually the first time we'd been able to visit with the Dizzles since the day we moved-believe it or not.

Both our families have doubled!

I love how relaxed Jenny looked in this photo. The sun was kind of bright and she kept apologizing for closing her eyes, but I think it turned out great-unposed and relaxed, which is always better.

We had a great time visiting with the Dizzles. Nate and Jenny you haven't changed a bit-alwys good to see you-and we miss being just a few doors away. God has blessed you with a beautiful family both inside and out and we are excited to meet the newest little Dizzle when she arrives. May your time til' then be restful and encouraging and filled with precious memories of one on one time with Bailey. We love you guys!

4th at the Lake

2009-07-07T15:07:00.000-07:00

Every year I take pictures at the annual 4th of July family get together but this year I decide not to take as many and try and enjoy the festivities without being behind the lens. Caleb got a few though that we wanted to share.

A little experimenting with glow sticks-you know the kind you crack to activate and can get for super cheap at the dollar store-the kids love them.

This is a great shot of my brother Jeff lighting off a couple of Roman candles-good work Caleb!

A day at the zoo...

2009-07-07T14:50:00.001-07:00

So after much laughing at their mother's impression of Bruce the shark (which ironically Joseph is scared to watch on TV) The boys were very excited to see some live sharks at the Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium.

If you are going to the zoo in the Seattle Tacoma area I would not recommend the Point Defiance Zoo, as I felt we did a lot of walking and didn't really see much of anything. I would recommend the Woodland Park Zoo as you will do not only a lot of walking but be able to see a lot more by a long shot. However we did not want to be at the zoo all day and the Point Defiance Zoo was a better fit to that end being smaller. We also decided that it was worth it for the kids because the thing they wanted to see was sharks and they were able too so they were very excited.

The boys found "Nemo"

..."Dory"

and the tiniest little seahorse-smaller than a dime!

Parsons Family

2009-06-26T00:15:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we had the privilege of a session with the Parsons family. It was a tight fit into our schedule but I think we all would agree it was well worth it and quite enjoyable.

Grandma and Grandpa have been keeping busy swapping turns at holding sweet little Kylise. These are probably two of my favorite shots of the day. I love grandma's eye peeking out from behind little Kylise.

Just look how much she's grown since we first met her!

Mom and Dad seem to be doing pretty well too enjoying their little one!

These guys were a ton of fun. There was such a fun energy coming from all the brothers-well okay mostly Tyler. It reminded me so much of my own adventures having brother-in-laws-like I said we all had a very enjoyable and entertaining time.

There was a little "wine-ing" from the ladies...

and in the end Tyler gave us two thumbs up!

Parsons Family Sneak Peek...

2009-06-23T15:46:00.000-07:00

At the moment I am processing photos from this past weekend, currently going through the photos from the Parsons family shoot. I was going to finish going through all of them but these were just too good not to share right away. So here are some straight from the camera, unedited.

The shot was to be of each couple kissing, which of course left Tyler with no one so we decided that he would hold the baby which resulted in some "guy holding a baby" awkwardness with mom and grandma assuring him he'd do fine (as long as he supported her head sort of thing) and the photo shoot resumes with Tyler holding baby...

Skate Comp. to Start the Weekend...

2009-06-23T11:50:00.000-07:00

We had a busy Fathers Day weekend over in Seattle during which we shot everything from skateboarding to bird nests. Like I mentioned in an earlier post I've got quite a few recent projects to post and more coming up.

We were in the South Seattle area for the weekend, celebrating not only fathers day but our cousin Chris' graduation (see the post on his Senior session here). My parents thought it would be fun to take our boys to the 2009 Battle of the Bowl skateboarding competition at Brannen Park in Auburn while Caleb and I were shooting a family session in Puyallup. We met my parents after the family session and snapped some shots there as well.

The two little guys pictured above were really good. I have no idea of they're ages but they seemed quite young to be doing all those tricks. I'm sure their parents are pretty proud because I thought they were excellent.

If any parents of these children are interested I can offer prints of these pictures so feel free to contact me at sharon@erlenmeyerphotography.com It was a pleasure seeing these talented guys and being able to take some fun photos of them. My own two boys (ages 2 and 3) thought it was pretty cool. Good luck in future competitions!

Nine little puppies and how they grew...

2009-06-18T14:56:00.000-07:00

Remember how small these little guys were? Well they are 4 weeks today! and growing quickly. Two weeks and they will be able to join their new families - you know you want one ;-)

All cuddled up eyes shut tight...

and now look at them!

They have been wrestling and barking and wagging they're tiny little tails,

exploring their new world.

So for all you that know they're too cute too resist and have been waiting in anticipation the puppies will officialy be ready to meet new families by the 4th of July.

We will be selling them $400 for males (there are 6) and $450 for the females.

Our family has owned English Springer Spaniel for three generations-so please feel free to ask if you have any questions pertaining to the breed. Simply put the Springer is a great family dog, efficient hunter, and eager to please it's owner-they love to play and are excellent with children.

You can contact us at calebandsharon@hotmail.com for more info.

This one's for the boys...

2009-06-15T15:22:00.000-07:00

In between clients I try to get as much work done on my un-ending folders of family and personal photography. I now am running well over a terabyte of photography files! So with two small boys you can imagine how much concentrated time I'm able to spend on it. I was able to attend a seminar put on by Kelby Training this past Friday entitled CS4 for Photographers, instructed by Ben Wilmore. I came away with alot of great new tools to use in my processing, however by the fourth session I was so anxious to get home and try them all out I could hardly sit still. I'm really excited to share my results with you all and I have some sessions coming up here soon to share as well. I'll also be posting new puppy pics too(they're getting so big)-so stay tuned and in the mean time here's some stuff I've been working on.

School's out for the summer and my brother Jeff is working for the county again (yeah, road crew-give 'em a brake ;-) But it won't be long til' he's back in uniform-practice resumes at the end of August and Caleb is really excited to get some more sports photography under our belt.

Speaking of Caleb here is is to display one of his other hobbies. this has got to be one of my favorites of him. I know I'm biased but hey that's why our mariage works-because I love him and everything he does and I think he looks pretty darn hot doin' it ;-) Anyway the thing I love about this series of them hunting is the filter I created for them which I entitled affectionately Camo Blaze Orange. These are from our trip to South Dakota last October with the Bong family our brother Jon (middle photo) and Uncle Ryan.

Puppies!

2009-05-22T02:00:00.001-07:00

Some of you may know we were expecting a litter of puppies this weekend. Bela surprised us with an earlier delivery (just by a few days-no worries) of 9 adorable little puppies late Thursday evening. For those of you interested they are AKC English Springer Spaniels and will be ready in 6 weeks. They are all liver and white-6 males and 3 females. We own both the mom and dad-Dozer is an excellent hunter with a lots of energy, while Bela is content to stay by your side and is a very calm companion around the house. English Springer Spaniels are by nature high energy fun loving dogs that love to please their masters. They are excellent with children and families. Please contact us with any questions you might have if you are interested.

(206)351-9117

Aren't they adorable!

Baby Lily and Family

2009-05-21T12:40:00.000-07:00

Tuesday morning I had the pleasure of photographing Lily, her brother Kailer and her mom Heather. The photos were to be of Lily who turned one yesterday but we decided to include Kailer and heather as well-the more the merrier. We had a lot of fun watching Lily play with the flowers smiling in disbelief at how big she is getting. It seems just yesterday her dad, Andy, called with the news of her arrival and here we are already celebrating her first birthday.

Andy and Heather you have a beautiful family inside and out. Caleb and I consider ourselves blessed to count you as friends.

Kailer was so fun to photograph and is so handsome with new glasses. I told Heather I could photoshop the bruises on his knees but she thought it was fine and added to the protraits of her active little boy-I probably would've done the same for photos of my boys-aren't all the cuts and scrapes what make them boys anyway?!

Lily loved rocking in the rocking chair- thanks for letting us borrow it Maria!

Oregon 2009!

2009-05-20T00:21:00.001-07:00

We took what is now an annual trip to Depoe Bay Oregon with our good friends Jay and Maria Bong the last weekend of April. It was a much welcome vacation after my sisters wedding and this year it was a bit more relaxing not having the kiddos.

We visited a few wineries on our way through the Willamette Valley stopping to rest at a few antique shops in between, most of which I used to pass everyday in my days as a barista at the McMinnville Starbucks. My coworkers and I used to joke about going to Van Duzer on the way in to work. Now on vacation and no longer a little barista (except for my frequent coffee visits with friends) we were able to wine away. It was such a beautiful day.

Best friends.

Our hotel rooms overlooked the bluff and out into the deep blue.

Despite being on vacation we were excited to be up at low tide every morning to see what the waves had left us to discover.

I dared Jay to touch a sea urchin 'cause none of us were sure if they sting like anemones or not. I guess my reasoning was him being an electrician and all he could handle a little zap. They don't sting though-not to worry :-)

Gooseneck barnacles

I wish I had muscles like that!

The guys didn't know what this was -it's a Black Katy Chiton-The little circles are what's visible of its floating vertabrae that protect it's soft body.

This is a brittle starfish. It moves around rather quickly not slow like a normal starfish, but almost snake-like.

...and these guys were watching us the whole time.

We also toured Yaquina Lighthouse at Yaquina Head

It is the tallest Lighthouse on the Oregon coast.

This is what happens when your wide angle lens is in the shop being cleaned-but hey, it's still a pretty cool photo.

View from inside the lighthouse.

Like a sentinel, tall and proud guarding the bay and guiding the ships.

Parting Shot.

Commercial Break

2009-05-19T15:51:00.001-07:00

I thought I'd take some time out to let you in on a little secret-

Erlenmeyer Photography is also available for commercial photography.

Meet Lindy, Tim and Brooks of Desert Insurance.

Lindy (Right) has been in the insurance business since 1979 serving the Columbia Basin, joined also by Tim McKenzie and more recently his son Brooks. Don't they look sharp in their suits?!

These guys were fun to work with. Good luck guys - I'm excited to see how the new brochures turn out!

Isn't this a beautiful home? I've been photographing some houses built by Bruce Preston who my husband Caleb works for (when he's not shooting weddings with me ;-). They are one of a kind custom built masterpieces that are without question some of the best built homes in Grant County. The first and last photos are portraits I took for display in Bruce's office and soon to be on his website as well.

Yet another fine home by Bruce Preston.

The home pictured above is the home of my in-laws before it was completed. The one below is Caleb and his best friend Jay working hard (or is it hardly working ;-) Caleb was very excited with the opportunity he had to build his parents home and we have been excited to take the boys to visit Grandma and Grandpa at their home and have many memories yet to make.

This is our favorite one (till we build our own of course ;-). You can't beat the location either. Good work Bruce! You too, Caleb-you're a valuable asset to both our businesses!

Kris Carey-Senior Session

2009-04-29T13:25:00.001-07:00

Meet Kris Carey of the class of 2009. I first met Kris when he was barely entering highschool, back before Caleb and I were dating. He is the youngest son of Caleb's Uncle Ed and Aunt Carrie-yes that means Caleb's aunts name is Carrie Carey!

Caleb and I both can not believe how much Kris has grown up-I remember being in disbelief that he was driving and now his graduation is just around the corner!

We started the session with Kris's Jeep as the prop at Uncle Ryans place in Auburn. Uncle Ryan is the typical bachelor with a great house and a nice little spread of land with all sorts of toys-shed's, old trucks, his old jeep and a Jeep trail Caleb helped build when he was a boy, the new Grady White, his faithful hunting dogs the list goes on. We found a sweet spot to park the Jeep and the wood pile made a nice backdrop as well for some nice guy themed shots.

Kris has made some pretty cool modifications to his Jeep and loves working on it so I encouraged him to pop the hood so we could get some unique shots of him doing what he loves-Caleb grabbed a ladder from the shed and voila!

After Uncle Ryan's we headed over to the train tracks that run across Green River off Lake at Lake Holmes Road. We got some great shots with the 5omm lens with a side of symbolism with the train track and Kris looking at what's ahead for him in the future.

...and looking at how far he's come already.

Kris, Caleb and I are excited for you as you graduate form high school and look forward to seeing where life will take you. Hope you can make it out for Memorial Day. Good luck in your final months in High School and enjoy the rest of your senior year!

Newborn Session-Baby Kylise

2009-04-27T16:18:00.001-07:00

Baby Kylise was born earlier this month, as you may remember, to Todd and Krista. I was blessed to be in Auburn the day she was born (see those photos a few posts down)and then visited nine days later for her official newborn session.

I hardly remember when my boys were this small!

Good foundations.

To be loved is to be blessed beyond measure.

Mommy's little angel.

Time for a nap.

This was a tough shot to get. Todd coaches volleyball and he and Krista had an idea for a shot with Kylise curled around this little volleyball. Needless to say Kylise was just not interested, but we did our best. Looks like daddy's little champ may not be so sure about volleyball.

However she'll always be daddy's girl none the less.

Perhaps she'll have a change of heart in the near future.