Author: alison@tinyblueorange.com

As I mentioned yesterday I had not one but two lovely photo sessions on Sunday. It’s made for a busy but worthwhile start to the week with all the processing I have been doing. I think The Calmer is getting worried that it may be months before I get up from my laptop! But once I get going, the process of turning photos from good to fabulous can be addicting and I just can’t pull myself away from the screen.

In any event, my photo session on Sunday afternoon with the George family almost didn’t happen! I got a call from them early on Saturday and it seems the flu has been making its rounds in their house. Dad was the newest victim this weekend and after chatting briefly we were planned for a re-schedule next week.  Amazingly, on Sunday morning I got news that dad felt better (or at least good enough to play model for photos on a Sunday afternoon). And I am so glad we were able to get out and get their photos done, the weather was just BEAUTIFUL!

We spent the late afternoon on a nature hike at the Red Rock Park in Leesburg, VA. Until last week I had never been there and I was so happy with the suggestion from the family. The place is amazing. The historic farm ruins and hiking trails that lead to a fantastic view Potomac river were the perfect setting for family photos.

I also must say that the 3 kids in the George family were all good sports! I know at their age spending the afternoon with a stranger and being forced in front of the camera for 90 minutes with mom and dad is the farthest thing from fun.  But they were all perfect subjects for their portraits and I just love love love their gorgeous blue eyes.

In my defense, I didn’t make them post the whole time. They also got a chance to run around, play ball, enjoy the weather, the sites, and even climb some of the massive trees around the park. I just love the picture of them below in the tree after hearing stories of a similar picture in their home taken when they were much younger.

Spending time with this family was a great way to wind down the weekend. I hope they had a great time too and enjoy this preview of their photos from the day.  To see a larger version of any of the collages above just click on the picture to enlarge it. Enjoy!

This week I’ve been buried in a pile of photos to edit. It’s a whole lot of  inspriation, learning, stress,  and excitement all rolled into one and I’m loving it. Your comments keep me going, keep me encouraged, and really make me think I can achieve my big dream one day.  Between the two sessions this past weekend, and the two I have coming up this weekend I haven’t had much time to reflect here and share my own thoughts.  But it’s been amazing and encouraging for me to share session photos here and get positive feedback.  I am humbled and awestruck by the fact people are choosing me to record their family memories.

Anyway, I  have lots of ideas for my next few installments of holiday gift inspiration. Today’s gift was not one of the originals. It actually struck me in a moment of sheer panic yesterday.

But it’s fabulous.

And it’s practical.

If you don’t have an external hard drive you should really get one!

Like now.

Don’t wait, or you could end up like me last night.

I was enjoying a relaxing evening. On the couch with the cats and The Calmer nearby. Editing pictures. Then I got this friendly reminder rude interruption:

CRITICAL ERROR. C:/DRIVE CRITICALLY LOW ON DISK SPACE.

Meh, no big deal I said, I’ll take care of it in a few days. Then I tried to continue editing. And I got this even friendlier reminder ruder interruption:

CANNOT PERFORM ACTION. LOW RAM. DISK SPACE CRITICAL.

(these were not the exact messages but you get the idea).

I needed more space on my computer.

ASAP.

I couldn’t do anything on the computer. programs wouldn’t run and they wouldn’t open. I was completely stuck. And worried if I waited any longer it was only a matter of time before the blue screen of death reared its ugly head on my screen. And then I’d lose all my precious photos. And I wasn’t having that!

So off to Costco we went. And I picked up this HP Terrabyte hard drive for $99. For that amount of storage the price is a steal! (it’s the equivalent of more than 30 ipods that hold 32 GB!!)

The backup went smoothly and seamlessly.  All 7,843 of my photos are safe and sound. And I am a happy camper.

Go make someone in your family and happy camper and get them a hard drive for the holidays!

You might just save someone’s precious photos too.

Yesterday, I headed to the Town of Leesburg to meet my coworker Beth, her husband Randy, and their adorable schnauzer Angel for a gorgeous day of picture taking.  Beth contacted me looking for some updated family photos and was totally open to suggestions of where to go. I have been wanting to shoot in Leesburg for awhile now and this was the perfect opportunity to suggest  it!   Leesburg is a quaint little town with LOTS of character. Between the multicolored brick buildings, tucked away gardens, and quirky shops, we had lots to work with for our morning together.

I had so much fun with these guys during our session too. We took about a 2 hour stroll up and down Market Street and the surrounding area, ending our day at nearby Georgetown Park.  Beth and Randy had a completely laid back approach to our session and they were open to any and all of my ideas.  I was so glad they asked if Angel could be there too. He is an amazingly well behaved and happy dog which made my job as photographer easy!

Here is a sneak peak from our session together. Remember you can click on any of the pictures to open a larger view.  I had a really tough time picking my favorites this time around, these are just a few! I hope you like the initial preview I and promise the rest will be on the way after Thanksgiving.

I was so thrilled last week to get an email from fellow neighbor Lisa Wagner with a special request. She was seeking an on location photographer to come take holiday photos of her family including her newborn twin girls.  Because these little ones were premature they are on strict orders to remain at home until the flu season passes.  Amazingly our schedules aligned so I was able to do the photos while grandma, grandpa, and great grandma are in town for Thanksgiving which made this session even more special.

We spent a lovely morning at the Wagner household and I was very impressed with how after moving into the house only a month ago Lisa had already managed to locate her holiday decorations and get many of them set up for today!  It made for a very festive backdrop for our picture taking.

I want to thank the entire Wagner family for being so patient with me as I worked with them and their girls on my first newborn portrait session.  I was hoping for some sleepy baby pictures, but these girls were wide awake and alert the entire time! In the end I am glad they were, baby Rachel and Elizabeth were beautiful models and I ended up with some really nice shots of these wee ones. 

(Just don’t ask me which one is which. I am certainly glad their mom and dad can tell them apart!)

Wagner family, I hope you enjoy your session preview as much as I do. These girls are just precious and I had so much fun working with you all today. Thanks for all the ideas, help with wardrobe changes, posing, and props! I’ll be in touch after the holidays with the rest of your photos from our morning together. Happy Thanksgiving!

Yesterday’s Thanksgiving left me with much to be grateful for. Family. Friends. Warm Weather!  On Tuesday, The Calmer and I hopped a plane to Florida  to spend the week with my family.  With 5 of us crammed into a 2 bedroom vacation home its been a time to truly get on each others nerves enjoy each others company.

In all seriousness, it’s been awesome catching up with my sister who I haven’t seen in almost 4 months, taking early morning walks in the AM sun with my mom, and helping my dad show his brother the ropes of the computer and email (he has never used one before!).

Another great thing about the trip?

Having lots of subjects to practice my photography!

My family insisted I attempt new family photos.

Notice how my dad never opens his eyes in his pictures (we really need to work on that dad!)

Also, notice how in candid picture #2 The Calmer is pretending to be my dad with his eyes closed (nice one dude!)

The big feast this year was hosted by the West Palm Beach Hurwitch family. Marianna has an uncanny ability to cook an amazing meal. The menu this year?  Turkey, spiral ham, rice stuffing, mashed potatoes, yams, green bean casserole, brussels sprouts, broccoli salad, stuffed mushrooms, manacotti, cranberry sauce, gravy. (and that’s just dinner!!)

Dessert was just as big of a spread.  Pumpkin pie, pumpkin cheesecake bars, a pumpkin roll (I am sensing a theme), cherry pie, chocolate brownies, apple squares, and coffee (edit: and muffins and black and white cake). The Calmer LOVES his desserts. Here he is being calm, and then enjoying his favorite part of Thanksgiving day.

The Hurwitch’s animals enjoyed the evening as well.

It’s a good thing Marianna likes to cook all this food because she had plenty of people to eat it!  It was an amazing spread and a truly lovely evening spent with immediate and extended family and with new friends. Thank you so much for hosting, Hurwitch family. It’s always great to spend time with you all and we really appreciate your delicious cooking, Marianna!

One of the highlights of my Florida vacation was the time to catch up not only with family, but friends too. In an amazing coincidence one of my best friends, Phyllis, moved to Florida the same year as my parents AND they moved to the same town.  Now every time we come to Florida we not only look forward to warm weather and time with family, but we also look forward to a visit with Phyllis and her fiance Steve.

Our visits are always too short but jam packed with fun. On the agenda this time around?

Bowling!

I am one of the world’s worst bowlers. So in order to keep my sanity I brought my camera along. It helped distract me from my lack of skill. My favorite part of bowling? The shoes! I seriously could collect bowling shoes and wear them everyday. (I’d rather them be new though…old moldy bowling shoes are really kinda gross).

Somehow I managed to get a strike during the evening too. It was a glorious cause for celebration.

Phyllis and Steve also kept us all laughing the entire evening. They always manage to keep the mood light, fun, and a little bit silly.  Just the right mix for a vacation outing with friends. Our time together was too short, but I know I’ll see them both again soon. Love you guys. ♥

As November comes to a close I realize I have so many things to to be grateful for both small and large. For one thing I am grateful I was actually able to finish this project!!! I took a break at photo 20 and didn’t think I would ever catch up. But tonight I buckled down, uploaded and edited, and completed my 30 days.  The pictures aren’t one each day, but they certainly are a real expression of my grateful thoughts this month. I truly appreciate the shutter sisters for making “gratitude” their word for November. Reflecting on this one word each day this month could not have come at a better time. It’s truly been a form of therapy and made me step back and realize how much love, joy, and happiness surrounds me during a time that can feel so dark. With the holidays right around the corner I am carrying grateful heart and hope for what’s to come.

Recently my friend and fellow blogger curiousillusion introduced me to the website NaBloPoMo. The acronym stands for National Blog Posting Month and the website encourages bloggers to participate in a month long daily blog fest.  Last month was my month for reflecting on gratitude and being thankful for the joys I have in life.  Heading in to December NaBloPoMo has announced their theme today and it’s all about giving back.  Doing Mitzvah. What is a Mitzvah? Here is the dictionary.com definition:

mitzvah. -[Seph. -vawt; Ashk. -vohs] Show IPA , English. -vahs. Hebrew.
1. any of the collection of 613 commandments or precepts in the Bible and additional ones of rabbinic origin that relate chiefly to the religious and moral conduct of Jews.
2. any good or praiseworthy deed.

This month my goal is to perform a daily mitzvah and share it here each day this month. It can be as large as giving back to the local community or as small as saying a kind word to a person in need of some compassion.

Today’s mitzvah? Committing myself to this month long daily blogging challenge and giving my loyal readers the gift of a post (and a picture) a day for the entire month of December. 

(not sure if that’s a mitvah or an annoyance but just go with me on this one! hopefully you won’t all be sick of me by the end of this month…)

Is anyone else out there getting into the spirit of giving? What is your mitzvah for the day? the week? the month?

I want to hear it!

NaBloPoMo Daily Mitzvah: Today I got home from work in an overall cranky mood. It was not pretty. It’s rainy, gross, and I got home later than expected.  Fortunately, The Calmer was waiting with open arms and hugs galore.  All I wanted to do was collapse on the couch and do nothing. I am sure you all know the feeling.  But, as I’m putting my things away I notice my cat Vincent sneaking over to the dish where his laser pointer toy resides. This kitty LOVES laser pointers. And when he wants to play he let’s you know.

*jingle jingle*

As his paw reaches into the dish.

I take one look and sigh.

*jingle jingle*

Most cranky tired days I would’ve just walked away. Sat on the couch and relaxed.  I would’ve waited for him to get bored. He usually won’t obsess over the laser toy too long and if we don’t  play he’ll move along to something else.

Today, instead of moving on I walked over and picked up the toy. And we played for a solid 15 minutes. Cat #2 Ebony even joined in on the fun. I am sure I made them both the happiest cats in the whole world today, just because I took 15 minutes out of my tired, cranky day and spent some quality time playing lasers .

And amazingly I am now no longer tired or cranky! That’s the power of mitzvah.

Now onto the important topic at hand….

I know it’s been awhile since I posted one of my holiday gift ideas. And time is quickly running out! How are you all doing with your holiday shopping? Are you done yet? I am happy to report that my shopping is almost complete.  But for those of you still looking for suggestions I’ve got a great one today!

One of my biggest accessory obsessions is handbags.  Just ask The Calmer. He’ll tell you, I have waaay to many. If I even utter the word handbag he goes from calm to concerned instantaneously. So it was no surprise that the moment I purchased my dslr back in June that I would go immediately out and find the perfect bag to carry it around in. It actually took a few weeks but I finally found exactly what I was looking for.

This is the Milly bag from Wicked Stitch Designs. Custom designed by me and made by the talented Alida, founder of Wicked Stitch Designs.  My Milly bag is one of the smallest of her soft camera bags. For now it suits my needs. The bag has a clickable clasp on the front and opens up to one large pocket to hold my camera and two smaller pockets for accessories. I am easily able to carrly my dslr, a backup lens, and accessories (back up memory card, remote, memolio sample books, etc…). There is also an open back pocket where I can throw my keys, cell phone or whatever else I need to carry on the go. Many days this bag serves as my camera case and purse. It’s so stylish and versatile, I love it!

The best thing about the bags at Wicked Stitch Designs are the number of options for customization. From large bags to small, rugged to soft, padded or zippered you can have it all! AND, you get to pick your fabric color from the Wicked Stitch site and fabric patter from Equilter.com. The options are endless!

On my wish list now is this more rugged and padded bag from her etsy shop.

Click here to see the coveted wish list bag.

I love the pattern and it’s even ready to ship (…so if anyone is looking for a gift idea *hint hint*)

Go now and check Wicked Stitch Designs out.  You won’t be disappointed.  But, If you’re hoping to get one of these fantastic bags for the holidays you better hurry! All custom orders must be placed on the website by this Friday December 4th in order to have your bag arrive in time for Christmas.

Happy shopping!

NaBloPoMo Daily Mitzvah: Today I sent an e-card from Hallmark.com to my sister just to say hi.  We live far apart and don’t get to talk that often so I just wanted to send her a little something to brighten her day and let her know I’m thinking about her.

Sara is my sister. 7 years younger than I am and a senior in college this year. I must admit I’m a bit jealous. I miss my college days more than anything!  Sara is totally loving life right now. And, she has plans for next year after the big graduation which is a sigh of relief for her (and the rest of my family I am sure!).  Planning out her life after graduation was a true cause for celebration. So while visiting my family for Thanksgiving I took her out for her own private senior session. And we had a blast!

Since we had time to shoot over multiple days and in multiple locations we were able to do a lot of experimentation. I don’t think she realizes how much I learned about my camera, shooting in manual, and thinking creatively just from this one opportunity.  And I must say I am personally quite pleased with the results. I hope she is too!

When my sister graduates in May she’ll be leaving college with a Bachelor’s of Science in Psychology (just like her big sis, awwwww). But her true love is golf. And man is she good. Real good. She’s been playing since she was basically old enough to hold a golf club. It’s been amazing to see her grow her craft throughout the years and take off with it. I hope she realizes how proud we all are of her for having such drive, determination and passion.

Watch out Tiger Woods, here comes Sara Hurwitch!