Jill and I FINALLY decided on a logo that we BOTH like! YEAH!!!! Now we are working on a blog and site to show off our work together!!!

“Take time to think, it is the source of power. Take time to play, it is the source of perpetual youth. Take time to read, it is the fountain of wisdom. Take time to pray it is the greatest power on earth. Take time to love and be loved, it is a god-given privelege. Take time to be friendly, it is the road to happiness. Take time to laugh, it is the music of the soul. Take time to give, it is too short a day to be selfish. Take time to work it is the price of success.”

This was in a book that Jill was reading on the plane back from Imaging USA. I just love it. We had an awesome time in Pheonix. 70 and sunny beats 10 inches of snow and freezing ANYDAY. If anything, the convention was inspiring, amazing and made me feel all of the passion I had for life again.

Lately, I hadn’t been feeling myself and it helped open my eyes to the important things in life. I never again will take things for granted.

My best friend, Sarita, and her husband live in Pheonix. So we had a REALLLLLLY nice hotel to stay in. He’s a doc, so their digs aren’t too shabby! LOL!!! One day, during the expo part of the convention, I came back to her house to relax. I slept by the pool for a while in my bathing suit and then we went for a hike up a small mountain by her house. Being up there was amazing. I wanted to stay forever. To look at the world from a different viewpoint. To see how small we actually are. That made me want to not be small anymore. I want to leave my imprint on this world. I can do that in the way of being a mom but I really want to show my kids what is out there. The world and its glory. So, I am taking some steps to better myself, my family and my business. And hopefully it all pays out in the end.

Thank you God for my family, my life, my world and me.

Please excuse the crappy photos-they are all taken from my point and shoot and my phone–I am NOT taking my good camera somewhere I can’t walk well on 2 feet. I can barely do THAT sometimes! LOL!!

This is me climbing up to the top!

I love this picture sarita took. I was taking in the warm sun, and I wish it was zoomed out a little, I was standing on a part of the rock that stuck out really far.

Another side of the ‘rock’ (as Jill called it)….Still, i think it’s amazing.

And thank goodness for self-timer, so we can get a shot of the two of us. No matter how far apart we may be, she is forever my best friend. LOVE YA!!!! (can you see the hot airballoon behind us??)

Hey Everybody!

I just wanted to remind you that I am in Pheonix, AZ until the 15th and do not have access to photos or any kind of editing programs. I also have VERY limited access to internet, so if you email with questions, it may take me a little to get back to you.

I am here for the Imaging Expo. And it is VERY informative. It is so cool to be around SOOO many people that share the same passion as me. And the best part, tomorrow night I will see live in person ANNE GEDDES, world famous baby photographer!!! I cannot wait!!

So, please be patient with me while I am away. I still try very hard to answer questions or help in any way I can.

THANKS!!!!  And btw….NO SNOW HERE!!!!! HA HA HA!!!  70 degrees and SUNNY!!!!

Some of this beautiful family was done using my lights and others using natural light infront of a big door. I will admit that I am not a fan of using my lights, but with this horrible Pennsylvania weather (and the camera I want costing more than I have right now) using them is a necessity. SO i have been practicing and learning and trying so hard to like my lights. Well, I am getting there. I do love the soft look of natural light way better than my lights, but I love being able to manipulate my lights to where I want them, not where they just are and can’t be moved.

But OMG, isn’t she such a cutie!!!  She just started finding her toes. I absolutely LOVE it when kids just find their toes. I love how they stare at them in amazement and just lay there hanging on. LOL!!! And love the moment I caught with dad. She started getting a little cranky so dad picked her up and started playing with her. She was happy again!! So glad I captured these moments for her family for some great holiday photos.

I can’t believe how big this little one has gotten! I have been photographing her since she was born.  And I want to hire her parents to come decorate my house! They have such an awesome house! Every room is so unique and so ‘artsy’. I wish I had their vision with my own home that they have with theirs.

I have been photographing this family for about a year. Even before the little girl was born. This guy is such a character. He is always so much fun everytime we get together. And watching little baby girl grow up has been so wonderful. She has the most beautiful eyes I have ever seen.

SO, mom wanted something ‘different’ for her christmas cards this year. So, I said, how about we just walk through town and see what we find. Boy, did we find some great locations. We just walked through some allies, stopping occasionally. I had photographed this guy earlier in the year and dad wasn”t able to be there, so this time, mom said I really want some of the two of them. The interaction between dad and son was so great. They were so funny. I laughed the whole session.

This family was so wonderful to work with. I love leaving a session with a smile and getting hugs from everyone. And then next time seeing the little guy, getting a hug again!  Just tugs at my heart. I’m such a people person. Meeting new people and making some friends is the best part of my job.

And don’t you just LOVE this old ford truck type thing?? Just sitting behind a garage rusting away! Once the studio is a definate, I am going to the garage and asking if i can buy it. it would look SOOO great in the field by the studio.

These two brothers were so cute together, it makes me wish my son had a brother( but NO…..no more babies for me!! 3 is enough) Big bro just loves his little bro so much. And when you are around this family, you can FEEL the love they have for eachother.  They are such a nice and caring family and it really shows.

Oh my goodness! This family was so awesome to work with! Sessions usually start out with parents looking for direction on “what do we do” for photos. I tell them, just interact with the children. Of course, we usually get nice nice portrait ones, but my FAVORITE are the interaction ones. To see the excitement on a childs face when dad is acting silly. Or hugging mom because, well, she’s the greatest, or trying to get big bro to give little sis a big kiss on the head. And a family LAUGHING at eachother is the best!!! These photos just me make smile from ear to ear.

Next year, lil sis will be big enough to share in the family jokes. Hope I get to capture that, too!

Hey Everyone! As I continue to update my blog with pictures of all of the wonderful families I have been so grateful to work with, I wanted to make a note that I will be updating my pricing structure as soon as I return from Pheonix on January 15th, Any person who contacts me and books before then will be locked into my 2008 pricing.

2009 will hopefully be bringing some awesome changes to Nikkala Anne Photography and Polka Dot Frosting and I am very excited!!  I don’t want to count my chickens before they hatch, but my husband and his business partner and I are ironing out the details on a building with a country setting that will be used as my studio on one floor and their business on another floor. So, cross your ingers for me! I need my own space. I have officially outgrown my basement office.