Sweet Slumber

I started this post earlier this morning. I wrote, thoughtfully, about Camden and the fact that he's been co-sleeping for nearly two years now. Two years--where has the time gone??

But I deleted what I had written. Because really? I felt as though my words were turning out to sound more like an argument for co-sleeping. And that wasn't the plan.

No--the plan was to share these phots from the other day. I took them with the intention of having several of them printed onto canvas. They'll hang above our bed when they arrive.

Inspired by another photographer, I set this 'scene' in our bedroom before putting Camden to sleep at nap time the other day. I love the simple white and cream combination, and I love that I was able to capture such a busy, active little boy in his most peaceful state.

I'll save the co-sleeping arguments for another day, and just cherish the little boy I wake up smiling at every morning.

Slowly, but Surely...

In case you don't follow along with me on Facebook, you probably aren't aware that I've been making progress in my photography endeavor. You know--because I never seem to make it over here to blog anymore.

See my new, all-photos, all-the-time site or find me on Facebook. It probably goes without saying, but I do adore fans and followers! In the future, I can see myself offering special discounts and things via Facebook.

I'll leave you with this today, but will try to return soon.

We're on the Move!

I'm here.

We moved. Did you know? No, no. You didn't. Because I didn't tell you. I know, I know, I've kept pretty quiet about our change of surroundings. Don't worry though, I'll give you some peeks around our new space as it begins to come together.

Boxes abound, as do missed bed times and precarious situations for the curious little toddler who now calls this (big!) apartment home.

The apartment? It's on the edge of town in a small non-complex. There are two (two!) bedrooms (bedrooms!) for us to spread ourselves out in... a space for our table... a separate kitchen. Ah, yes, this is going to be good.

We're still moving and settling, but that hasn't kept me from other, more interesting activities.

I photographed two birthday parties almost two weeks ago now, and promise to share some of my favorites here.

Ok--fine. One now, more later:

This little cutie has some of the most amazing eyes I think I've ever seen. She was exhausted when this picture was taken, but her eyes were still twinkling.

And look! My logo as a watermark! Do you love it? Because I do.

...and I've been satisfying Camden's new-found love for coloring with some homemade, chunky, hold-able crayons.

More on those in the days to come. They're so quick to make, and so much easier for Camden to hold in his hands.

I've missed this place. Seriously. And I want to come back and be more of a regular. Perhaps once we're a bit more settled? I've sure got a lot to talk about...

Soon to be Mr. & Mrs... {Olympia Engagement Photographer}

Meet Shara & Isaiah.

I've known Shara since the third grade. We started talking when we sat together on the school bus, and never quit.

Hearing the news of her engagement to Isaiah was pretty darned exciting. Weddings make me happy, especially when a friend is involved.

Oddly enough, Ryan has known Isaiah since elementary school as well. They attended school together for a year or so. What are the odds?!

Anyway.

I was fortunate enough to be able to take some engagement photos for them over the weekend. As promised, you're looking at a few of my favorites from our walk at Tumwater Falls.

The weather was absolutely delightful, and I was so excited to put my new lens to the test. I haven't felt an ounce of regret over that new lens. It's amazing!!

Thanks for putting up with me, Shara & Isaiah!!

Quite possibly...

...the most random post you'll ever see me write.

I'm still here. Just... busy. Let's call it busy.

More on that later. I promise to let you in on my secret eventually.

Every time I log in to my blog lately, there are 'anonymous' comments advertising dirty websites, preparation for the year 2012, or... other junk. What is UP with that? Please ignore them. I do my best to delete that stuff, but don't always find them right away.

This post has absolutely nothing to do with these two photos, but I like them. And if I didn't post the photos, it might be a little difficult to brag about my new lens. It was my birthday gift, along with a new external flash.

New camera goodies make me swoon.

I've got an engagement session coming up on Saturday... check back later next week for some photos!

Progress...

If this doesn't scream progress, I don't know what does! I absolutely love the logo Becca helped me put together. And by put together, I mean she did all the work while I spouted ideas. Lots and lots of ideas. That may not have always made sense.

...and yes, I went with my name. It just seemed like the best fit.

Anyway. If you're in the market for party or wedding invitations, logos, banners... you know, digitally designed pretties?? Visit her shop on Etsy! You'll be glad you did. Promise.

Baby J. {Olympia Newborn Photographer}

I could really, really get used to these newborn shoots. Seriously. I'm absolutely, totally smitten for 'em.

The little sweethearts hardly talk back. They stay right where you ask them to.

...and they're just so.darned.cute.

Aren't they?

Newborn Photography {Shelton, Washington}

I could be operating under an enormous bias here, but I think this photo is pretty darned awesome. I love the light. Love his sweet little lips, and that furrowed brow. Babies have the cutest little wrinkly foreheads, don't they?

This is one of the newborn photos I hinted about the other day, and then completely forgot to post about. Life has a way, lately, of really running away with me.

Here's the full photo, without the square crop. Do you like it better? Or do you prefer the square?

...and one more from that day. He wasn't very fond of me pulling his feet up under his belly, so I didn't come away with as many 'scrunchy' poses as I had hoped for. But that's ok!

What's in a Name?

I took another round of newborn photos yesterday. More on that later, though. But in the interest of full disclosure... I did it!

Moving along.

I'm a thinker.

...and a planner.

I cannot tell you how often I've found myself deep in though over this photography endeavor lately. Developing my fun hobby into a profession... finding a way to support our little family financially while still staying at home... but something has been bothering me.

A name.

When I think about what might come in the months (years?) ahead, I want to be able to put a title on it!

Originally, I wanted to go with a cute name... but have since decided that just doesn't feel right, for me. This leaves me with MY name.

Christina Weedon.

Hm. What do you think?

To me, it almost feels like a mouth full of words. Christina Weedon Photography.

So that lead me to wonder about using my middle name. Leanne.

Christina Leanne Photography.

or...

Photography by Christina Leanne? by Christina Weedon?

What sounds the best? Should I ditch my name and go with something else?

I'm really anxious to hear your opinions... what better 'test market' than here??

Learning to Trust Myself

Sometimes I surprise myself. I wish I were more... daring. Or adventurous, if you will. Or, no--scratch that.

I wish I knew how to have more confidence in myself.

I didn't write about today because I wanted to know that I wouldn't fail. I didn't trust myself enough to *know* I wouldn't fail.

...and if we're being honest? That makes me a little bit sad. Because I should have more faith in my ability to do something I've been practicing and practicing. and practicing.

It's all about putting one foot in front of the other, right? Take baby steps until you reach your goal.

I took another baby step today.

...and you know what? I succeeded! I took pictures of this darling brother and sister. I'm thrilled with how they turned out, and I didn't panic. Not even once.

So this is me telling you that I should have told you before I told you.

Are you with me?

What I meant to say is, I should trust myself a little more.

Bowled Over.

I spent yesterday afternoon taking pictures for my grandpa. He's a wood turner, and quite a talented one at that.

I love how the pieces stand out against the stark white background. What do you think??

Framed.

I know, I know. We already talked about the pumpkin patch. But I love this picture. In my highly biased opinion, it should be framed.

Perhaps I'll do just that.

I'm more in love with the story behind the picture... the people IN the picture... the activity, the memory. I'm not just full of myself. Promise.

Photography: a project.

I've come to a decision on the photography project. I think.

I tend to change my mind more than my shoes, but maybe this one will stick.

Ok, fine. Bad example. I've worn the same brown flip-flops all.summer.long. What did you want me to say? underwear??

This 100 Strangers thing really, really intimidates me. I'm a social person. I'm outgoing, and I talk. a lot. But walking up to someone and asking, point blank, if I might stick a camera in their face? That's a different level of self-confidence, and I'm just not sure I'm there yet. If I'm going to do it, I want to be successful, ya know?

So, to start, I'm going to try the alphabet idea. I honestly don't know yet if I'll search for particular letters in my surroundings, by finding interesting letters on signs and what-not, or if I'll do the "a is for apple" routine. Hopefully that will come to me.

I'd love to put everything together to make a book--and you guys are right. What a fun treasure for Camden!

When I've finished this project (or maybe before I'm finished, who knows??) I may try to re-visit the 100 Strangers idea. I really, really want to do it, but I need to work up the nerve.

My next question: do you guys want to see the alphabet as it progresses??

A Rolling Stone...

...gathers no moss. But fence posts do!

We went for a walk Monday morning. The sun was shining for the first time in a few days, drying away the last of the torrential rains we've had.

Ryan laughed at me when I stopped to take these pictures. In fact, I do belive he called me weird. I loved the lumpy, bumpy moss on top of the old fence post though.

When we got home and I loaded them to my computer, even Ryan was interested. He's decided he'd like to have one of those giggle-worthy moss photos as his computer background.

So, there!

One of these days, he'll stop passing judgement on the silly things I take pictures of.

Considering a new project...

I'm always looking for a new project. Something to capture my attention--and stuff that gets results! Something new has come across my radar, as is the usual, and I'm in search of an opinion. Or ten. So, please, be opinionated!

Here's what I want:

• A daily/weekly/etc. photo challenge.
  
• An, um, challenge. (duh!)
• Something that might take me outside of my comfort zone.
• To use my camera. A lot.
  

My original thought:

A '100 Strangers' challenge. My mission would be to meet, and photograph, 100 strangers. People on the street, at the mall, whatever. I would talk to them and ask their permission to take their picture, maybe find out a bit of background... and then, of course, write a blog post! I took a peek online this evening and came across an eerily similar suggestion over at DPS.

I'm terrible about talking to strangers, in a sense. Maybe this would help me break out of that shell? Or maybe I'd be horrified and never finish my project. Baby steps, right?

Other thoughts... a picture of my surroundings every day, a 'numbers' challenge... finding a certain number of objects in the world around me... or... something? (ok--this last one is a little half-baked.)

Where you come in:

Help! You people are creative. I just know you are. Do you have an idea?? My main objectives are to continue to learn about photography and to do something... just a little different.

I can't wait to read your ideas. Don't let me down!

Editing.

I'm always amazed at the difference a little editing can make in a photo. I'm really taking a liking to my newest editing software, called Lightroom.

Take this picture, for example:

This is the SOOC (straight-out-of-camera) shot.

This black & white version was achieved with a pre-set in Lightroom. Similar to a Photoshop Action, it's a series of tweaks that all happen with a single click.

Another pre-set, this one focuses on color.

...and another. This time, the pre-set was called 'fantasy island,' and make the photo look, well, a little "dreamy," dontcha think? I'm not partial to this option. Maybe that's because I haven't quite figured out how to tone it down yet.

This time, I chose a 'wedding styling' pre-set. I like this. It adds depth, no?

Branching out on my own... I warmed the photo up a bit, took out some of the 'harshness' in Camden's skin-tone, and added a vignette--the darkness around the edges of the photo.

Do you have a favorite?

Family Photography??

I've got the photography bug somethin' fierce this week. Can you tell??

When I was making Ryan's tiny little photo album for his trip to Reno, it became glaringly obvious that we really don't have any pictures of the three of us together.

I wish this photo could convey Camden's laughter as Ryan
flipped him over. He was purely delighted!

So, what's a girl to do? Rush off to the nearest photographer? Oh, no, no... I think not. Instead, I broke out the tripod and spent thirty minutes dashing between the camera and my 'mark.' I learned a few things while we were out:

1. I need a remote-thingy for my camera.
2. It's much more difficult to get baby to smile and look at the camera when you're not behind said camera.
3. Tripods rock.
4. It was h.o.t. out yesterday!

Because I wouldn't want to overwhelm, I limited myself to posting three pictures. What do you think? Should I scrap the tripod and fork over the cold, hard cash? or would practice make... well... would it do?

More...

Please excuse me for excessively posting photos of this little cutie. I just can't get enough, though! I think I've decided this is my absolute favorite from the day. What do you think?

Newborn Photography: Editing. and Enjoying.

I'm absolutely in love with this little guy. I can't stand it any longer... I need to post more photos of him! So, here's your newborn fix, everyone!

Baby J and his mama are going to be inseparable. I can already tell. There's just something about a little boy and his mommy, isn't there?

Newborn Photography

You'll have to excuse me for not putting up a post until the end of today. It's just that I've been a bit busy with this little guy. Isn't he absolutely adorable?

...he was a dream to photograph, too. I could definitely get used to a 'job' like this!