Josh & Athena: engagement

From the first introduction I could tell that he was smitten by her.  Josh is southern gentleman who asked me if I would be the photographer for he and Athena's wedding.  I first was stoked that he popped the question.  I remember when he first brought her to church...I secretly hope that something wonderful would blossom.  They are such a great couple and I am so excited about this new chapter in their lives.  We had so much fun...we even saw a black squirrel...yes!  THEY DO EXIST!  (The M&M commercial is running through my head right now)  So here ya go love birds...enjoy your sneak peek :)

I really need to upgrade to pro...

I deleted two duplicate images on Flickr to get Josh and Athena's pic up, but now I'm back at 199 again...Dag Nabit.  So these are gonna be small again.  Sorry Ann.  I thought you looked too awesome in the model-esque image to not share...even though we were doing our funny Zoolander stuff.  Anyhoo, hope you enjoy the rest of your sneak peeks! 

PS.  I lost a toothpick in my hair last night...good news...I found it :)

I'm such a tease...

My eventful day included a call from my sis-in-law telling me she is coming to visit tomorrow, an assortment of drawings from my children - of me - in which I literally look like a pig, and a fabulous engagement session with this awesome couple :)

They are getting married next February and I'm thrilled to have been asked to document their special day.  We did the engagement shoot today and I have decided that I just want to scoop this girl's eyeballs out and put them on my wall.  They are SO beautiful with the most piercing blue I think I have ever seen!  

I will post more sneak peeks later this week...until then, here's one to hold ya over :)

We love our pastors!

Today was Pastor appreciation day and I sat towards the front because I've been so stinkin' excited for this day to get here.  I have had to keep this surprise on the down low because it was the gift for each of the pastors.  Now I can finally post them!  

Sue is such a sweet friends and she had asked me to consider honoring our pastors through my photography.  I feel so blessed to be able to call myself a photographer so I thought why not bless the pastors.  She wanted to capture the pastors operating in their gifting.  She also liked the idea of the photojournalistic approach.  

I was kind of nervous because our church building is the WORST place I have taken pictures in...but God is good and it all worked out.  She also used a bunch of the shots that didn't make the cut for the big 20x20 Fine Art Canvas Gallery Wrap images.  They were perfectly placed through the video as sweet hymns played in the background.  Everyone was balling especially when it came to the part where folks from the church had submitted their photos of the pastor's marrying them and baptizing them.  And this thought went through my mind...even though the submitted photos may all not have been perfectly exposed or composed and a bit noisy...the emotion evoked from each shot - with people coming up out of the water with huge smiles and in some cases tears mixed with chlorinated water, was what got us all thinking about how blessed we are to call these men our pastors.  This emotion is what made each of these submitted photos so much better than the still shot of the communion cups I had given them to use.  Real people with real emotions is what makes an image alive.  

I started thinking about this in relation to the weddings I have coming up.  I truly want to capture every REAL moment.  Not a posed or perfect look.  The real images are what will make the couple, in years to come...stir up those feelings again and TRULY remember their day.  Their amazing day of becoming one.

So here is what each pastor received in a fabulous Canvas Gallery Wrap:

*Edited to add:  The whole theme of Pastor's Appreciation was 50's nostalgic...so that's why the editing looks "old school."*

Pastor Nate - A heart for the next generation

Pastor Kern - An annointed teacher

Pastor Lee - The counselor who will tell you "Nothing is too difficult for God."

Pastor Bob - Desiring us to open our hearts and minds

Rumple Pony...

I think in my last post instead of saying, "In memory of Summer..."  I should have stated, "In memory of Ali's perky mood."  It seems when the seasons change here in Montana I'm still not used to it...I just get kinda down, ya know?  It gets cold, gray and dreary overnight and my senses just don't know how to handle it...I mean...it's already snowed here.  And to add to this it's been a little slow to say the least for sessions.  Just a tad discouraging with all the financial drama going on.  So last weekend I decided in a last minute effort to get myself out of a royal rut, to volunteer for the Vision Conference at my church.  Yes, I decided to attempt to make coffees for the young'uns at the conference.  And you know what I discovered?  Not only am I a perty darn good Barista, but once I stopped focusing on my dirty self, and helped fill a need, I felt so much better!  

Today I did blow the dust off my camera (not really) and had a session with a family who is very dear to my heart.  It was a wild ride but so much fun!  So I am going to torture ya'll with just a few images and then I will post more soon....I PROMISE.  

(sorry these are small...haven't upgraded my flickr account yet)

Isn't this hat just awesome?!?!?

I bet you're wondering what they are lookin' at...

It was this pony...now only with an Ali Brown session will a pony get delivered to your kids ;)

One of my ultimate faves...

And the B&W version for giggles 'cause I thought it was perty.

It's too early...

in my mind, for snow.  I'm a little bitter about it mostly because this weather was the cause of Saturday's cancellation.  It's supposedly going to get warmer today.  We'll see.  

So because I woke to the white blanket yesterday, I decided that it was time to use up some of my apple concentrate and make some cider.  It was a good cider day wasn't it?  

The most amazing thing I discovered from a friend for cider was Raven's Original Mulled Spices.  The cute little country store that closed down was the only place I knew to get it...so I'm glad I'm able to purchase it online.  I don't use as much as the package calls for and it's still SO delicious.  You get lots for your bucks...3 bucks that is.  Plus shipping and handling.

In loving memory of summer, here is a cute series of shots I took at this amazing summer party my friend Sue put on:   

(shouldn't she enter her party details in some Family Magazine or something???)

The kids had a sack race...

My son found an umbrella amusing.

The tough lifeguards on duty...

A few details...isn't everything SO cute and summer-y???

What was he thinking?

OK.  So I'm going over some family images and as I was looking through them this one image made me about pee my pants I was laughing so hard.  I had forgotten this day.  The kids were SO dirty from summer playing and they were hanging upside down on my neighbors stair rail in her yard.  We have a few steps going up the hill to each house hence the rails.  Anyhoo, I guess I got my little one at just the right moment.  I just wish I knew what he was thinking to make a face like this...

What do you think he is thinking?  Write it in the comments.  Here's mine:  

"I think I have to poop."

When you have to sign in...

You know it's been WAY to long to blog.  Yea, Google forgot about me because I haven't posted anything in awhile.  Whoops.  Guess I could blame it on my not being up to par yet, but I won't.  Frankly, I've been just downright lazy.

SNAP OUT OF IT ALI!

OK.  I'm better now.  I have to talk about this man though.  He was there when I first came into this world...he calls me his "blue-eyed girl."  And he always harasses me when say...I forget it is his birthday first thing in the morning.  Go ahead...I know you want to.  Say I'm a horrible daughter.  Today is my dad's birthday and I KNEW that.  I have been running it over in my mind all week.  "Don't forget Dad's birthday is this week."  So what do I do when I roll out of bed this morning?  

Dial the number.  Daddy - "Hello." Me - "Hey Dad is mom there with her cell phone?" Dad- "She's here and you can talk to her on this line...you don't want to talk to me?"  Me - "Well, I haven't talked to her all week.  I have been trying to get ahold of her."  Dad - (Here's the gut wrencher) "Well, I thought you would want to talk to me seeing as it's my birthday but ok...here she is" 

Uh huh...I did it alright.  Then I was like, "NO NO NO I KNEW it was your birthday today and I just rolled out of bed and and and..."  Nothing could dig me out of this one.  So, after he harassed me about it...I think this is something he enjoys...I bust out into tears.  I can't believe I forgot his birthday.

Of course he was just teasing me and he says he wasn't hurt.  I believe him.  He knows that I'm in a busy state of life right now with two really busy boys, a growing business and a husband who's working up the ladder...He knows me.  And this is why I love him.  He has always known.  He taught me to fish, to hunt, he took care of me when I was sick with his home-made cold remedies.  I love my dad and today is his birthday...

Happy Birthday Daddy!  You are a wonderful father and I hope your day was a blast.  I love you.

Love, Your Blue-Eyed Girl