I have been reading THIS blog for a while. She is another photographer but her blog is all about her kids. It is my desire to make this blog a little more personal in 2010 and I thought the “Not Me Monday” is a fun way to poke a little fun at myself.

I did not pick my kids clothing for the day out of the clothes dryer and then STUFF the rest of the clothes back in the dryer instead of folding them. I am a much better housekeeper than that. I did not finish cleaning my house 20 mins before a bride (who is also a friend) came by to pick up a wedding print. No, I am much better organized than that and my house is always in perfect order for guests to come by. I am not looking at my dead tulips from Valentine’s day and wondering who will throw them the away, me or Cory. I did not go out and buy a cute dress for my daughter so she can look as cute as she can when spending the weekend at my friend’s house. And I certainly DID NOT go out and buy another one when I learned the original dress was a little big. I know that clothes do not make the child and there is no need to keep up with other families. I did not talk Cory into buying Sarah a Cinderella dress and crown at the Disney store telling him they were on sale (but they were) and I can use it as a portrait prop for the spring. I would never use the business as an excuse to buy sweet things for my daughter. Nope… never. And I did not let my son become a human excavator and dig in the dirt yesterday with his bare hands because we couldn’t find a shovel. No, I would never do that… (I still can’t get the dirt from under his fingernails!).

So, what do you think? Do you like this kinda stuff on the blog? Would you like to see more?

Cory said we needed some pictures on the post, so here you go. I asked Elijah the other day to give me some faces for the camera.

Here is his mad face:

Here is his scary face… watch out…

His Happy Face:

His sad face:

And at HIS request… His fire chief face…

You asked me for them! Do you need a few pictures of your children in thier spring outfits? Have you wanted to schedule a session for a long time and want to try a mini session first? Do you want to do something totally different and try an urban setting for your family? This is for you! These sessions will book up fast and we have already booked two of the urban setting sessions before I released it on the blog. I will be bringing my tutus and some funky hats to both locations. I can’t wait to see who I meet or who comes back in a full day of families!! So much fun!

 Here are the details for mini sessions for the Spring Quarter. Here are the details:

March 6, 2010

Urban Setting: I have a few spots that I love to use that have GREAT color, cool textures, and are totally unique. Once you book the session, I will give you all the details about directions and where to meet.

March 7, 2010

Traditional Garden Setting:The beautiful Birmingham Botanical Gardens! You can’t go wrong with the first signs of spring, beautiful setting, and lots of diversity in a short walking distance.

Time:Afternoon sessions only. Each session lasts 20 mins and will include 10 – 15 proofs to pick from in an online gallery.

Price: $50 and includes two 8×10s of your choice.

Session is booked with paid fee. Email me at sam@hishandsphotographs.com or give me a call at 205-862-3374.

And because I need a picture with every post… check a few from the engagement session from back in the fall. They are getting married this Saturday and I am so excited. I love my job… I mean come on… we get to hang out with awesome people like THIS…

This couple is getting married in March. We met just after Christmas so we didn’t have much time for an engagement session. Our first session date had a crazy cold weather forecast and we decided to reschedule (Think high of 32 degrees!!). One our second session date the temps were SUPPOSED to be 52 but the weatherman lied! It was COLD!!!!!! They were troopers though.  The groom is a local sheriff and worked the whole night before our session. He is such a nice guy and you can see how much he loves her. And she is drop dead gorgeous. It seems to come naturally too. They are so perfect for each other.

My favorite picture of the day is the first one below. We took a few in the greenhouse at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens and I was so excited when I saw the beautiful flowers in bloom. It is hard to beleive it is winter when you find some flowers in bloom. Isn’t it romantic??? (happy sigh…)

This is my favorite picture from a newborn session from yesterday. I am working through the session now but this picture made me stop and smile. I love how big brother is peeking at me while little sister is sleeping. More later…

My most requested shot that I take for families and couples is what I call the “eyelash” shot. It is also one of my favorite pictures to take of my clients. And I want to share with you how it all started. The picture above is my first ever eyelash shot and it was by accident. This little guy was having a hard time warming up to me and was being shy. I was snapping away, trying different angles, and even taking pictures of him not looking to show him on the back of my camera. We did eventually get some shots of him looking at me but when I went home to process the session I absolutely fell in love with this shot. The mom did too and then the “eyelash” shot was born! I have learned some tricks at getting the right angle even with fast moving children and babies. I photographed another photographer’s family a little while ago and when she saw me take the shot of her child she exclaimed “THAT’S how you do it.” I love the challenge! But, not only moms love this shot. Couples and seniors love it too! So, it is now part of my routine in most sessions.

Why do I love it so much? As mom, I have held my children as they slept and gazed at thier eyelashes. It is view that I never want to forget. I know other moms feel the same way. And for couples, I love the eyelash shot because the couple must be sitting close together to capture the right angle and it looks so intimate without being too close. It makes women look so feminine and I love it!