Hospital Newborn Session :)

Can I just say I have the most rewarding job ever! Last week I was lucky enough to capture a few images of brand new baby M., at only one day old. He couldn't have been more adorable with his chubby little cheeks, weighing in at an amazing 9 pounds 6 ounces! Even so, he seemed so tiny and precious when I held the little guy :)

Here are a few of my favs... and it was so hard to choose! By the way, doesn't mom look gorgeous!? Yes, she really did give birth one day prior to these photos :) After my two kids were born, I swear I looked like I'd been through war for a few days!

Weekly Photo Challenge - "Out of Focus"

Here's my out of focus pic for this week's challenge. I had a hard time with this one! The idea of taking a picture purposely out of focus was so weird... but fun too :)


And here's Monica's pic. She found this flower while she was in California :)


And our challenge for this week is:

"At Your Feet"

Weekly Photo Challenge - "Water"

I took my water picture in Havasupai, how could I resist?! This is one of the thousands of little waterfalls along the trail.



And here is Monica's water pic. I think it turned out awesome :) I love how the drop and ripples are razor sharp!



And our challenge for this week is:

"Out of Focus"

Trip to Paradise

My husband and I just returned from the most epic adventure of our lives! Even though the many miles of constant hiking made us so sore we're STILL limping, our trip to Havasupai was more amazing than we could have ever imagined possible. I only wish we would have stayed longer!

Of course I took millions of pictures... all while climbing over, under and through the most amazing waterfalls I've ever seen. And surprisingly, my equipment survived the journey too!

Here are some pictures I had to share. There are four main waterfalls, and I was lucky enough to photograph them all :) I'll probably post more pics in the future, because I haven't even finished editing yet. This place is a photographer's dream!

My first picture is of Beaver Falls. They're located the furthest from the hilltop trail head, but are definitely worth the 14 mile trek! We swam an entire afternoon here, and even jumped off one of the cliffs :)

This picture is of Mooney Falls, but could never do it justice. These falls are more than 200 feet high, and more majestic than words or photography could ever convey.

Here is Havasu Falls, which plunges about 100 feet into beautiful blue green water. Havasu is probably the most popular because of it's spectacular beauty and it's ease of accessibility.

And last but not least is Navajo Falls which are over 75 feet high. The pools around these falls make some of the greatest swimming holes!

Here I am playing on a rope swing in one of the thousands of pools. This place is breathtaking, and will totally bring out your inner child!

Here we are at the base of Mooney Falls. How romantic, lol!

This trip was fantastic, and I would recommend it to anyone. Even if you're not into backpacking, you can still get there by horse or even helicopter. Everyone should see this place! Needless to say, we plan to return regularly :)

Weekly Photo Challenge - "Texture"

I spotted this flower a few days ago while my toddler was riding her bike, and I immediately wanted to photograph it for our texture challenge. Luckily I had my camera around my neck :)

I love the texture of flower petals!


Here's Monica's pic, can you figure out what it is? Very cool :)


And our challenge for this week is:

"Water"

By the way... anyone is still welcome to join in on the fun! It's a great way to challenge yourself to keep taking pictures, and learn more about photography :)

Havasupai Waterfalls... here we come!

Tomorrow my husband and I leave for our Grand Canyon backpacking trip! I am SO excited, I can't even contain myself!! We start hiking first thing Tuesday morning into what looks like one of the most beautiful places on earth. I can't wait to see it for myself. And yes I am bringing a camera... my little Rebel XTi :) So hopefully I'll get some amazing shots like the one I found on the National Park Society website. Take a peek... it's amazing!

And just to make you all jealous, here's something I recently read at www.pygmyguides.com:

"Havasu Falls is without question one of the most amazing places on earth. “Havasupai” means “people of the blue green water”, and this natural wonder is the sacred home of many of the Havasupai people. This hike begins at Hualapai Hilltop, making a 10 mile descent through Hualapai Canyon and Havasu Canyon, pass Supai Village to the campground. From here, we access world renown Mooney and Havasu Falls. These spectacular turquoise waterfalls drop into cool travertine pools making some of the world’s best swimming holes."

Weekly Photo Challenge - "Reflection"

So I HAD a plan...

You see, I've heard there are some really neat waterfalls and ponds up in Red Rock Canyon. My "plan" was to get some reflection pictures off the water, and do some exploring while I was at it :) Well... I procrastinated so today was my last chance!

After nap time was over, I packed up my girls and we headed for the hills. Daddy was at work so unfortunately he couldn't join us on this adventure :( With a baby in my front pack, water and goodies in my back pack, my enormous camera around my neck and my toddler at my side... I must have been quite the sight! People probably figured I must be crazy, and about halfway up I knew they were right.

Taking into consideration my precious cargo, I realized the hike was too treacherous for today and therefore not worth the pictures, "BUST!" (as my friend Kate would say, lol). Eventually my brain turned on and we headed back to safety :) Thank goodness for moments of sanity, right!

Luckily I got back to my car before the sun disappeared and scrambled to get a handful of pictures of the mountains reflecting through my driver's side mirror, lol! Here's my fav:



And here's Monica's pic! The colors from the bubbles are pretty sweet! It really is a fun picture to look at :)



So I'm totally loving this photo challenge thing! Without it I wouldn't have any motivation to attempt these ridiculous ideas in my head :)

On that note I'd like to announce our new challenge for this week:

"Texture"

More Families!

It's been so great to photograph more families lately! Yesterday this beautiful family let me capture their little moments of joy while they played together at the park. It was truly adorable :) What a fun job I have!