Brooke and Caroline

This is the second time that I've had the opportunity to photograph this little girl. And I am still astounded at how photogenic she is, how well she follows directions, and how patient she is throughout the whole process! Which makes my job easy, and definitely fun.

They had matching outfits made and got their pictures done as a surprise to sweet husband/daddy. And let me be the first to say that he is going to LOVE these!


My favorite image:





There will be more from this session, I am sure. There were so many pictures that I wanted to post! I've just got to edit them all. But as for right now, I am going to bed. COMPLETELY EXHAUSTED! (And yes, it's only 9:00pm.)

Aaah!

After too many LONG days of WAITING. The day finally came. I opened my e-mail this morning, little Zack in my arms. Saw the e-mail from Lawrence Chan, and held my breath while clicking on the message. It was too long of a let down, I thought. He talked about how everyone had great entries, it was hard to choose, he wished he had enough tickets for everyone, etc, etc, etc. "I get it." I thought, "That's okay." I must have been included in the list of people that didn't win a ticket to the WPPI convention. And then at the bottom of the link, it said to click to see the winners.

"Huh, I wonder who won." I also desperately hoped that maybe, just maybe, my name would be listed. I read the first name, the second name... I continued to scroll down. I was set up for disappointment. And then I read, "Kalli Barker". I read it again, "Kalli Barker". I scrolled to the top to make sure I was looking at the winners. Yes, I was. And then I scrolled back down again, "Kalli Barker" was listed among the winners! He quoted part of my post, "You’ve got to HAVE money to MAKE money…lacking in the worldly aspect of moo-la." And then he replied, "I’ve been there, done that. The part that sucks is that it’s true. I like your inexorable determination. See you around in March!" Not until I read the, "See you around in March!" did I fully grasp that I REALLY won and I am REALLY going to WPPI. (And I am just about to look up "inexorable".)

The weirdest, high pitched, "Da-da-da-da-da!" came out of my mouth. (I've been around my babies too much.) And then I ran to grab my phone and call my sweet husband. Who all week was trying to make sure I didn't get too let down if I didn't win. That NOT winning was an option. But it wasn't an option to me. I then called my mom, who sweetly requested that I get Zack sleeping through the night before I drop them by her place.

And now, here I am. Still sitting in my pajamas, a neat seven pages of 10 pt font, 0 margins printed off of all the classes that I have the opportunity to attend. How I will choose, I have no idea.

So here is another wonderful thank you, to Lawrence Chan of Tofurious. Who could have found 10 deserving friends to give his tickets to, but instead opened it up to the world, to complete strangers. It was probably a genious marketing move, and I'm sure his site traffic has gone through the roof. But I am still grateful to his creativity and generosity. SEE YOU IN VEGAS, BABY!

Kyle and Stacy

Before you say, "Oh, look! What a cute couple!" Let me tell you, they're not even dating. Sorry to burst your bubble. But they are great models. And I wouldn't mind if my brother, Kyle, started to date Stacy. She is absolutely gorgeous. Her eyes are breathtaking. She isn't annoying or stuck up. She has perfectly curly hair, and I would love to pick her brain about how she does it. And they could possibly make the cutest of cute babies--which I, of course, could photograph.

So, for all these selfish reasons and more: Kyle, Stacy, think about it.

Oh, Please, Please, Please!

And as my daughter would say, "I willy willy want to..."

This is interesting. Our society, or country, our world.... You've got to already HAVE success to BECOME successful. You've got to BE really good at what you do to BECOME really good at what you do. You've got to HAVE money to MAKE money.

HUH? Am I missing something? And the answer is a big, resounding, YES!

WPPI. The Wedding and Portrait Photographers International. They've got the brains, the talent, the industry's leading edge. And they are sharing it. In March. In Las Vegas. Over "12,000 attendees and 365 exhibitors." Oh how I want to go! I can afford the hotel. Excalibur, right across the street from the MGM Grand (where this is being held.), only $46 a night. No car or taxi needed. I know where the McDonald's is in the Luxor so I can eat cheap to save money. My husband works for an airline (I know, lucky me), so I've got the flight that will get me there. My husband is going to be away on business the entire week, and I was already planning on staying with my mom so she can help out with the children. Voila. Instant babysitter. I've already read through every platform class. Business, Photoshop, Portrait, Lighting, Posing.... (Yes, I'm salivating.) I almost pulled out a piece of paper to map out which classes I would go to and when. (And I still might, just for the rush.)

And then when in my state of bliss, my world cam crashing down. It was like I was running full speed in a race, the wind in my hair, the biggest smile on my face. I was in first place. And then I turned my head for just a minute. Maybe to look at the camera and smile, I'm not really sure why. And SMACK! I ran straight into a brick wall. What is that brick wall? $399 registration fee. Dang.

And who helped me up off the ground, where I laid in a heaping mess? Lawrence Chan of Tofurious. He's got a photography blog where he shares his thoughts and ideas on the wonderful industry of photography. He's even got a blog template that I swear every photographer has. I downloaded it, too. Oops. But I haven't had time to get it up and running yet. He is one of the vendors that is going to be at the Trade Show during the WPPI conference. And he has 10 tickets that he's giving away.

You may be saying, "Oh wow, that's perfect!" And it could be perfect. I would say he is my "knight in shining armor", but I don't think my husband would like that very much. But I'm just one of many vying for one of his coveted tickets. I'll be sending him my post link for consideration. And then I'll be holding my breath until Saturday, when he makes his final decision.

So I'm hoping that Lawrence can be my "Simon Cowell" of American Idol. You know, the show that gives people a chance at fame? For those people that don't have "money to make money." They've just got the talent and the drive. Well, I think I've got the talent and the drive, I'm just lacking in the worldly aspect of moo-la. So please, hand me that ticket so I can run around, jumping up and down like an idiot. Because I will.

Gifts

He spits when he's happy. And next Thursday my little Zack will be 6 months old. What a blessing it is to have him in our lives. Five weeks before he was due, I contracted a serious (intensive care-type serious) pneumonia. After about 24 hours of fighting the breathing and contractions, I went to the doctor, who rushed me over to the hospital. After some tests and x-rays, my OB-GYN said I had the highest white blood cell count she had ever seen, and the radiologist had never seen pneumonia so bad. After they got my vitals stabilized, they couldn't stop the contractions, and we were to welcome our little baby into the world early. All we could do was hope that the pneumonia hadn't reached his little premature lungs. After he was born, the silent infant was handed directly over to the waiting nurses and neonatologist. I held him for about a minute before he was whisked away into the NICU. Whew! All this to say that we had a happy, healthy, 6 lb. 1 oz. baby boy. The hardest part was picking out a name, since we thought we had 5 more weeks to decide. And after 7 days at the hospital, we were able to welcome him into our home. (Only to move two weeks later!) And although our nights are often still sleepless, and both my husband and I are suffering from dizzy-spells brought on my exhaustion, there isn't anywhere I'd rather be or anyone I'd rather be with. What an angel!