My Alaskan Inspiration...

Ok, so first of all, I have a wall in my dining room that needs a big piece of artwork. I decided to look around and come up with something to go there. I also happened to notice that on one of my friends' profile on Facebook that someone had posted up a link to this really neat piece of Alaskan art. So i went and looked at it as well and actually liked it! I love the map of Alaska and I also liked that this person used watercolor...my favorite medium..along with lots of other mediums all jumbled together! ha. So, i decided to try it for myself and mimik her picture and add all of my little twists to it as well...

So, I borrowed some watercolor paper from my lovely neighbor and stayed up super late..or early..depending on how you look at it...and then created my artwork for my dining room. I pulled out my old watercolors as well as some acrylics and also some other crazy things...such as, sharpie markers, some salt, some charcoal and some spraypaint! yep...i said all that...ha.

I plan to mount my paper onto some matte board when i get the chance...i had to let the picture dry before i can do that...but i am posting my picture for all to see and with some luck...maybe i can make a skill out of my artwork or just make my dining room wall look better!

...We have moved!!!!

I added some shots of me and my best winter garb and a little of the town. My family and I went out for a drive to catch a glimpse of our surroundings. Very nice I must admit...

We have moved from our cozy little town of Wasilla, Alaska to a remote village farther North...We have moved to Kotzebue, Alaska! Yea, it is a much different way of life up here and I hope to have many opportunities for taking photos and bettering my skills! It is winter right now up here in the Arctic Circle and that pretty much means...snow and cold! The daylight has been limited too..I don't see nearly as much of that pretty sunshine we used to see...But it hasn't gotten to me yet...many of my family members are worried! ha, but I have bigger concerns to think about instead of fretting over the lack of sun. We just had our little baby boy number 2, so I have my hands full with unpacking boxes and chasing my two year old and then doing it all while holding baby boy number 2~ but it is fun! We manage to get out every once in a while and do what all good villagers do...check the mail! That's all there is to do in town for the most part! ha...We spend 30 minutes or more to start the truck and scrap the ice and then another 20 minutes getting all the children and myself ready...We then hop in our nice warm truck to drive, 2 minutes away, to check the mail! We then drive back home! ha. All in a days drive!

Since moving...I have had to stock up on some warm weather neccessities. I had to buy myself and nice warm parka..my husband insisted..and I am glad he did. Then for christmas, he buys me a super nice warm "Fox" fur trimmed hat! With real fox fur! So I am all geared up for winter...Now if only spring would come!

Newborn Photo Shoot...Baby Aaylee

...So, My maternity shoot turned into a newborn shoot after a few short weeks! I was able to visit with Stefi and her new baby girl and get some practice shots in! We dressed her up and got just a few pictures with her princess dress...but this little princess keeps a cozy 99 degree temp! She is a heater...so she was fussy with her frilly dress on and cozy with just a diaper. I got to play with her in different settings and positions and she didn't seem to mind. I loved taking her pictures and have a good feeling I will be sneaking over there with my camera in hand more often!

Maternity Shoot...Stefi

...I fell in love with these maternity shots! I loved everything about my pregnant mommy to be as well as that adorable little baby belly! She was a perfect subject to shoot! The weather was super great to work in and all things were fun with this shoot. We were outside on a friends back porch for a while and then we decided to take advantage of her humongous backyard! I hope all of my shoots go as wonderfully as this one did!

Rabbit Hunting!

As you may notice from my range of photos; my family and I love to be outdoors! We are always doing something adventurous in my book...including my husband taking me and my son Rabbit Hunting! Yep, we went and we loved it! The day was absolutely perfect....Colten hiked up the hillside and the sun was beaming down as well as the rabbits were out hopping around! I was able to shoot my first two rabbits ever and chris shot a couple and then we hiked back down the hillside and topped off our perfect day with a scenic drive back home! Hope you like my pics!

Easter time....!!!

I just loved Easter time this year. It was great b/c my little man knew what it was all about and he was adorable at the egg hunt! So, my husband and I took Colten to the Sportsmans Warehouse for the annual egg hunt. He had a little basket and he was ready. There were sooo many people there for the hunt that I wasn't sure he was going to get in on the action. They said "Go" and off the children and parents went! It was wild! I got some cute shots of him and I hope that you enjoy!

Jennifer and Steve Engagement Shoot...

Yay,

My first engagement shoot went wonderful! I had some camera errors that I thought were devistating and once i put my pics on the computer....I found that they were actually helpful! ha...I guess we really do learn from our mistakes. So, my bride and groom were super cooperative and I was thankful that they were...I made them do lots of funny things! We went to a park here in Alaska...in the snow...and got some great angles for shots! Even got a few skiiers passing by. I have added some of my favorite shots. Overall, I loved adding color to the snow and the pictures to give them something to stand out. With snow...any sort of color is great to detract from the monochromatics of the picture....I hope you like them!