Addie's Six-Months Session, Collages

I finished editing Addie's 6-months session today and will be uploading her photos to her online gallery tomorrow. I shared a little sneak peek from the session in an earlier post, but wanted to share these collages that will also be uploaded to her gallery:

Christmas Outtakes

One was bribed with popcorn - the other with a sucker and "tattoos." There was no getting the two of them together. But I did love these outtakes. It really shows their personality! I did get some cute ones individually - see the post below :)

Enjoy Christmas!

It's hard to think Christmas the week before Halloween, but you know you must if you want personalized Christmas cards. The Christmas backdrop is ready and the openings are limited.

Cupid's Door Wins Another Award

I received notification today that "Waiting at Cupid's Door" had placed in another contest. As a photographer, I'm very proud of this photograph and am so pleased that it has earned recognition in the contests in which it has been entered.




Here's the press release statement:

10/24/2008 Photographer DiAnna F. Paulk of Montgomery, AL, has won Second Place for September in the prestigious photography contest sponsored by BetterPhoto.com, the site's founder, Jim Miotke, announced Friday.

More than 21700 entries were submitted to the online photography contest, which attracted contestants from around the world and featured 10 separate categories.

Paulk's stunning image, "Waiting at Cupid's Door", garnered top honors after being submitted in the People category.

All of the winning images can be viewed at BetterPhoto.com's contest page: http://www.betterphoto.com/contest/winners/0809.asp

The contest is conducted each month. Categories include Nature and Landscapes, Animals, People, Elements of Design, Digital Darkroom, Travel and Place, Flowers, Details and Macro, Catch-All, and Monthly Theme. Judging is performed by a panel of professional photographers.

Besides its free, popular photo contest, BetterPhoto.com also offers a variety of services: digital camera reviews, online photo courses, free newsletters, a discussion forum, Web sites for photographers, question-and-answer section, how-to articles, photo galleries, and more.

Photographers can enter this month's contest and learn more about photography at: www.BetterPhoto.com

Senior at Shakespeare

I love to photograph seniors! This beautiful young lady - who looks a lot like her equally beautiful mom - just proves my point! These are just a few of my favorites among many more that will be soon be available in an online gallery for friends and family:

Handsome Jack

Handsome Jack and his beautiful mom and grandmother came for a newborn session this afternoon. Here are just a few of my favorites as a preview for family and friends:






This will be Jack's first Christmas. I think he's ready :)

Fall Sunflowers

These flowers - a variety of sunflower - bloom every fall. I thought they made a beautiful background for the granddaughters!

Addie's Six-Months Session

Another sneak peek from Saturday, this time will little Addie. She is quite the little charmer with her big smile and sparking eyes!




We also ran by the park in front of First UMC Church in Cloverdale so the dogs could join us and so we could photograph Addie on the same bench we used for her 3-month portraits. It will be fun to see the seasons change and Addie grow over her first year.



Addie and Abbey:



Many more with mom, dad, and two dogs coming soon!

Edward's Six-Months Session

At six months old, Edward was too busy taking in the new sights, sounds, tastes and textures to give us much of a smile! I still love the ones of him on the park bench in Shakespeare's Garden. These are a few favorites I picked out this morning for a sneak peek for family and friends.

Dads and Daughters

I know from personal experience how much influence a dad has in the life of his daughter. That knowledge makes me so proud of the way my son loves his two girls. I was especially pleased to capture these two images today as he played with and comforted the older one.

I didn't get the sneak peeks up for Saturday sessions and the maternity session today with my daughter-in-law, but I'll devote myself to that first thing in the morning!

The Bug

I'm not sure how it came about, but we call my younger granddaughter "bug." So when she came for lunch today and had this adorable bug-covered ribbon around her pony tail I just had to capture it for posterity!

Flight School

Every portrait session I had today was for a 6-month old! What a fun age. I can't wait to post sneak peeks for the friends and family tomorrow.

This fantastic backdrop was painted by my daughter, Sunny. I had it set up for a maternity session with one of my daughters-in-law tomorrow when Elijah came by for a visit. His "flying" pose just seemed perfect for it.

Six Months Old

Elijah will be six months old this week. We had a little family portrait session today after Sunday lunch. However, these images will have to go in the queue behind my clients, so I uploaded this panel as a sneak peak for family and friends. Elijah has learned how to spray drool everywhere and he's quite proud of himself!

Sunday Morning

I slipped outside early to sit on the swing so that I might enjoy the cool morning weather, a warm cup of coffee, and the attention of my next-door neighbor's cat. I was captivated by this little bird house hidden among the wild sunflowers. I just couldn't let the moment pass.




And now the return to responsibilities.

Autumn is Here

Autumn is here and what a beautiful, cooperative baby she is! She is one of the calmest newborns I've ever worked with. I pulled out these three for a sneak peek for mom and dad: