Take A Picture, It'll Last Longer

I Heart Faces - Wind!

2011-04-17T14:32:00.000-07:00

Since I live in Oklahoma, where the wind certainly does come sweepin down the plain, I had a lot of pics to choose from! This bridal session was really fun, but very windy, and with a cathedral length train, it wasn't easy! We just went with it though and got some really fun shots like this one!

To enter your own windy photo, go to http://www.iheartfaces.com/.

Flower winner!

2011-04-04T11:15:00.001-07:00

The winner of the macro flower giveaway is Shannon! Shannon, just email me at mandystansberry@yahoo.com and let me know which flower photo you want to receive and give me your address. Thanks everyone!

I Heart Faces - Slice of Life

2011-03-28T07:05:00.000-07:00

I tried to get a good picture of my girls the other day but of course they never look at the camera at the same time, well sometimes they do but usually one of them is crying. Anyway, I happened to get this one and when I got it home I almost deleted it because it wasn't completely in focus. I had my mouse on the red X and then thought, man I really like their faces in this, maybe I can do something to it. So I played around and ended up loving it. I'm so glad I didn't delete it! And I think it's so much better that they're doing their own thing, rather than looking at the camera, so much more natural this way! I just had a big 11x17 framed for their room and it looks so cute!

To see more "slices of life" go to http://www.iheartfaces.com/.

Macro Flowers Giveaway!

2011-03-24T15:29:00.000-07:00

Spring is here and what can I say? I'm excited! Beautiful weather, the kids playing outside and of course flowers! I'm excited to get to use my macro lens this spring and summer on some beautiful flowers! These are actually some flowers that the hubs brought home as a surprise the other day.

I'll announce a winner on Monday, April 4th!

Let me know if you would like a print of one of these photos! If you share this link on Facebook or your blog, leave a comment here and let me know and your name will be entered to win an 8x10 of your choice!

Book now for my spring special!

2011-03-16T10:09:00.001-07:00

I Heart Faces - Sun Flare

2011-03-13T20:46:00.000-07:00

The theme this week is "Sun Flare". Now if you guys know me, you know I love a good sun flare and I had a lot of fun catching them during my fall photoshoots last year. That being said, I had a ton of sun flare photos to choose from. I sometimes add in a sun flare to a picture if it looks appropriate or natural but this was not added in. I love the naturalness of this photo and the expression on his face.

This is my talented brother-in-law Joe by the way. I did these photos for his website: http://www.joestansberry.com/. Head over there and check out his music and more of the photos I did for his shoot.

Also head over to http://www.iheartfaces.com/ and check out all the other sun flare photos. You're sure to be inspired by what you see! Thanks for stopping by!

Babies, Babies & More Babies

2011-03-09T12:22:00.000-08:00

Last week I had three photoshoots, which is not unusual. The weird thing about all of them was that they were all newborn shoots. It was so much fun! I love doing newborn shoots. The first was with this beautiful baby Avery.

Next up were Owen and Maddeleine, the little peas in a pod! Isn't that peapod the best? Shannon Meredith made it and she does such a good job! Check out her Etsy shop here: www.etsy.com/shop/shannontheknitster.

And my last shoot was with Victor. Check out those baby blues! His hat was also made by Shannon Meredith. I tell ya what, she's talented!

I Heart Faces - Best Face of February 2010

2011-03-08T06:10:00.000-08:00

I took this picture of my daughter Vivian while we were snowed in during "Snoklahoma 2010". The snow outside made the most beautiful light for photos in my dining room and Viv has finally started to let me take her picture again. She even let me dress her up and fix her hair and everything! So much fun! She's wearing my coat and headband, so maybe that helped a little. Anyway, I had to choose this photo because I think she looks stunning!

Go to http://www.iheartfaces.com/ to see more entries! It's people's choice week, so stop back back in a couple of days and vote for me please!

I Heart Faces - Anything But a Face!

2011-02-28T10:21:00.000-08:00

This is a shot I took the other day during a book/website photoshoot and just loved the look of her hands and the reflection in the table. To see more photos without a face, go to http://www.iheartfaces.com/. Ironic isn't it?

I Heart Faces - Red

2011-02-14T05:59:00.000-08:00

I just did these photos over the weekend at my parents' farm with my beautiful niece Addi. Thank goodness we did some by this red wall! I knew just which picture to enter this week! Have a great Valentine's Day!

To see more red photos, go to http://www.iheartfaces.com/.

I Heart Faces - Hearts!

2011-02-07T06:22:00.000-08:00

It's Hearts week over on I Heart Faces, they're a little partial to the word Heart I think! Anyway, I knew immediately which photo I was going to use. This photo was taken this past fall during an engagement shoot. We were taking pictures in this beautiful flower garden and I saw a bunch of flowers in the shape of a heart so we used that for several of our shots. Here's one of my favorites!

To see more Hearts, go to http://www.iheartfaces.com/. Have a great week!

Sneak peek of baby Gabe

2011-02-06T10:02:00.000-08:00

More to come as soon as I can get them all edited!

Crochet hat and diaper covers by Shannon Meredith.
Here's her website: http://www.shannonsknits.wordpress.com/
Here's her Etsy shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/shannontheknitster

Fixit Friday

2011-02-04T08:16:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since I've participated in Fixit Friday, (everytime I type that, I write Fixity Friday) but since we've been snowed in for days, I had time! Here's the before picture:

And here's my edit: I took the yellow out of the picture using my color balance, did a seventies action and added a fun texture. I also rotated it and cropped it so it was a little more interesting!

Photoshoot with Presley

2011-02-02T18:25:00.000-08:00

This is the third shoot I've had with this adorable little girl and she is always so happy and fun to work with! Here are some of my favorites:

I Heart Faces - Best January Pic

2011-01-30T19:40:00.000-08:00

The theme for this week's I Heart Faces contest is the best face photo you've taken in January 2011. I looked back at my calendar to remind myself of what shoots I'd done and had several to choose from. Then I remembered baby Gabe! I had the privilege of going into the operating room with a good friend of mine and capturing the first few moments of her son's life! I had been back behind the curtain the whole time and figured that is where I would stay. I had no idea that the doctor would call me over when they were pulling him out. I didn't even have time to adjust my settings on my camera, I just ran around and saw him make his entrance into the world! Tear immediately came to my eyes and it was such a wonderful moment! I had to choose this photo as my I Heart Faces entry for this week!

To see more entries, go to http://www.iheartfaces.com/.

I Heart Faces - Innocent Wonder

2011-01-23T17:39:00.000-08:00

I chose this photo of my daughter Vivian on a trip to the historic round barn at Arcadia. I caught her in a moment and have loved this photo ever since. To see what she's looking at, click here for the original blog post about our trip. It's a pretty amazing barn!

To see more innocent wonder, go to http://www.iheartfaces.com/.

Winners!

2011-01-10T19:38:00.000-08:00

Thanks to everyone who entered, I loved all of your photos and my decision was a tough one! But first let's get to the winner of the Peach Orchard print. I did an online random number generator and it said that the winner was number 9 Christy! What's cool about this is that out of all of the people who entered, she is the only one who is from my hometown, where this picture was taken! She was also my highschool yearbook teacher! Congrats Christy, email me at mandystansberry@yahoo.com and send me your mailing address! Now for the winner of this week's contest:

I chose this photo from Angie because I kept going back to look at it! It's so beautiful and it reminds me of so many things in my own life! Great job Riz, you have won $15 off your next photoshoot with me. Thanks everyone for participating!

I Heart Faces - Smile!

2011-01-10T06:00:00.000-08:00

This fall I did a lot of family photoshoots. I mean a lot! It was a lot of fun, there were some easy ones, some more challenging ones and each one was a different experience. This shoot was a long awaited one for sure. This picture is the daughter of a good friend of mine. My friend moved away about five years ago and is now back with her husband and two daughters. I am so lucky to get to spend time with her and her babies now and to take their pictures! Especially in moments like the one below. Pure joy!

To see more smile shots, go to http://www.iheartfaces.com/. And smile at a stranger today, even if they don't smile back, it'll make them wonder!

Photo Friday - Your Fave!

2011-01-07T06:17:00.000-08:00

Okay guys, this week's contest is your absolute favorite photo that you took last year! I had to choose between this one and the Glendalough Cemetary Picture, but I think this one wins. It's from my hometown and that means something to me! To mix it up a little bit this week, there will be a prize! Everyone who enters will be in a drawing for an 8x10 matted print of this peach orchard photo. The winner will get $15 off their next photoshoot with me! So let me see your favorite photos from 2010! You have until Monday at noon and the winner will be announced Monday night!

Please Vote!

2011-01-04T20:17:00.000-08:00

Thanks for all the nice comments on my photo of Vivian that I entered into the I Heart Faces best face contest for 2010. Now, please head to their website and vote for my photo, #34! Thank you!
http://www.iheartfaces.com/2011/01/photo-contest-best-face-photo-of-2010-3/#more-3569

I Heart Faces - Best Face 2010

2011-01-03T07:14:00.000-08:00

Here's my entry, and deciding on which photo to use was very hard! I polled some of my Facebook friends and the overwhelming response was to use this photo! I love the excitement on her face and I love this girl. I hope you like it! To see more best face photos, head over to http://www.iheartfaces.com/.

Photo Friday - Bokeh

2010-12-31T06:22:00.000-08:00

Okay guys, I want to see some major bokeh submissions! If you need to learn more about bokeh, take a look at my last post, it explains it there!

You have until Sunday night to post your own bokeh photo. Winners will be announced on Monday!

Bokeh Love

2010-12-27T07:03:00.000-08:00

So this year for Christmas the hubs got me a new macro lens! I've always wanted one, but lenses are expensive and I figured that it wouldn't happen. I was wrong, what a good Matty! I've been playing around with it the past few days and here are some of the shots I've gotten. I had a bokeh theme going because of the contest on Pioneer Woman this week. Actually I took several of these the day before she announced her bokeh contest, so I was pretty excited!

In case you don't know what bokeh is, here a wikipedia explanation: In photography, bokeh (pronounced /boʊˈkeɪ/) is the blur,^[1]^[2] or the aesthetic quality of the blur,^[3]^[4]^[5] in out-of-focus areas of an image, or "the way the lens renders out-of-focus points of light.

Get a good idea of what it is, because I'm having a bokeh photo contest on Friday, so get out there and start playing with bokeh before you put your Christmas tree away! Here are some places where I found great bokeh:

My mantel with my tree in the background.

You can put a figurine or anything you think is pretty in front of your tree and it creates great bokeh in the background.

I set up an ornament on my dining room table and shot through it to catch some great bokeh.

This is my centerpiece on my table, the beads created their own beautiful bokeh, no Christmas lights necessary!

This is just a sparkly ornament in the corner with Christmas lights behind it.

I had to use these adorable Rudoplh stuffed animals as my main focal point! I also gave it a vintagey color because I thought that it would look better that way!

I saw these cookie cutters sitting on my counter and knew I had to use them for the bokeh experiment. I did however crop out our gross kitchen counter. White laminate with gold flecks just isn't something I wanted to highlight. Can anyone says, '70s?

Gingerbread man bokeh!

So, get ready for the contest on Friday, I can't wait to see what you guys come up with!

I Heart Faces - Self Portrait

2010-12-06T14:54:00.000-08:00

I gotta tell you, I hate seeing myself in pictures. I almost didn't even do a self portrait, but I decided to go ahead and try it. I never like them. Ever. So, I decided to feature my favorite Scarlett coffee mug, since she's way better looking than me! So, focus on Scarlett please!

Go to http://www.iheartfaces.com/ to see lots of cool pictures of lots of talented photographers!

I Heart Faces - Scenic Black and White

2010-11-29T06:31:00.000-08:00

This photo was taken last November in Dublin, Ireland. It was the week of Thanksgiving and the city had put up its Christmas lights. I just love how European cities decorate for Christmas! To see more scenic black and white photos, go to http://www.iheartfaces.com/.

I Heart Faces - Paper

2010-11-22T05:39:00.000-08:00

The theme this week for I Heart Faces is paper. I looked through my folders for quite a while to find one! It wasn't easy folks! Finally I thought of cupcakes and knew where to go! This was such a fun couple and great wedding to shoot!

On another note, thanks for all the nice comments last week, having the winning photo was something I never thought would happen, it really made my week! Thanks to all!

To see more paper pics, go to http://www.iheart.faces/. Have a great Thanksgiving!

I Heart Faces - Silhouette

2010-11-15T06:06:00.000-08:00

When I saw the theme for this week I knew which picture I would choose. Well actually it was between this one and another one, but this one one in the end. This wedding was at a really beautiful church with the tallest windows I've ever seen! Made a cool picture!

To see more silhouette pictures, go to http://www.iheartfaces.com/.

I Heart Faces - Orange

2010-11-08T06:06:00.000-08:00

This is orange week on I Heart Faces and I remembered a baby I did a fall session for just recently with a little owl hat with an orange beak.

Isn't he adorable?? I know it's not a ton of orange, but I think orange in small doses is best! To see more orange go to www.iheartfaces.com.

Photo Friday Winner- Fall

2010-11-01T10:22:00.000-07:00

Ann must have known my weakness is a good sunburst! Beautiful job Ann! You are so talented. I love the colors so much too! Thanks so everyone who entered!

Photography Friday - Fall!

2010-10-29T07:20:00.000-07:00

Hey guys, I know that Photo Friday has been gone for a while, but I've been so busy editing that I can't find the time! However, I am mostly caught up and it's back! Your picture can be anything that you love about fall. I chose these mums that grow in front of my parents house, I think they're so pretty!

The rules: You can only enter one pic, you must have taken the picture yourself, has to include the theme, you have until Sunday night at10 pm. Winners will be announced on Monday morning!

I Heart Faces - Pink Week

2010-10-25T05:37:00.000-07:00

I just loved the happy expression on her face and the way the sunbeams came down around her! To see more pink pics, go to http://www.iheartfaces.com/.

Fixit Friday

2010-10-22T10:50:00.000-07:00

Original Photo:

My edit: I really wanted to bring out the yellow in the trees and pump up the colors too. I added a cool texture and a quote about kites. I can't tell if it's a kite or not that he has in his hand, but it looks like one to me! Plus, I liked the quote!

To see more edits of this photo or to participate in fixit Friday, go to http://www.iheartfaces.com/.

You know I love a barn

2010-10-22T07:40:00.000-07:00

Yesterday our family took a trip out to Route 66. Our plan was to eat at Pops then head over to Parkhurst Pumpkin Patch. Well, the waiting time at Pops was an hour long, so we ate at Subway, went to the pumpkin patch and then on our way home stopped at the historic Round Barn at Arcadia. It is such a cool place! I've driven by it lots of times but never stopped to go inside. Here's what the outside looks like. It's red, but I thought the picture looked cooler turned this antique style of black and white.

This is what the ceiling looked like on the second floor of the barn. It's huge by the way! And awesome.

I stole this shot of Vivian when she stopped running in circles for about a half a minute. I just love the expression on her face. She's so pretty, if I do say so!

So, if you live in the area, go out and check out the old red barn, you wont regret it!

I Heart Faces - In the orchard

2010-10-18T05:55:00.000-07:00

It was harder for me to decide this week because I have a ton of orchard pics to choose from. There's a huge peach orchard in my hometown that also has a pumpkin patch and hayride in the fall. So I have peach pictures and pumpkin pictures, but I decided on pumpkins because it's fall! This is a picture of my dad, who drives the tractor for the hayride at the orchard, surrounded by his five granddaughters. My two girls are the pale ones! Anyway, dad really loves doing the hayrides and all the school groups are always excited to see him when they pull up. They call him "the nice farmer". I love it!

To see more orchard pics, go to http://www.iheartfaces.com/.

My photo edit on Pioneer Woman!

2010-10-14T21:28:00.000-07:00

PW's latest photo contest has to do with editing. I spend most of my days editing, so I was up to the challenge! Pioneer Woman supplied the photo of Pesky Tim on a horse and told us to give it our best edits and she would choose some of her favorites. Well, I got a text from Dara tonight telling me that my photo made it on P Dub's website again. It was really exciting to see it on there, no only in the section but on the front page of the site! Go to www.thepioneerwoman.com to check it out. Here's a screen shot!

My Photo in Edmond Monthly!

2010-10-07T06:26:00.001-07:00

Here's how my Glendalough Cemetary picture looks in this month's edition of Edmond Monthly! They send me three copies in the mail the other day, and I was so excited to see it! It's on the back inside page of the magazine. Go pick one up today!

Chris & Lia Engagement Session

2010-10-04T14:35:00.000-07:00

This was such a fun photoshoot at a beautiful vineyard in Norman. They're getting married in Mexico and have invited me to do their photos for my first destination wedding in December! I'm so excited! Check out some of my favorite pics of their session.

I Heart Faces - Smirk!

2010-09-19T19:56:00.000-07:00

As you can see, the theme for this week's contest at I Heart Faces is "smirk". I knew immediately which folder to go to! Heather's bridal session had the perfect smirk! What's really amazing is that she still looks so beautiful and adorable while smirking, and I just love the dimple!

Head over to http://www.iheartfaces.com/ to see more smirks! Just don't smirk while you're looking at them!

Fall Special!

2010-09-16T10:16:00.001-07:00

I Heart Faces - Vroom Vroom

2010-09-13T06:22:00.000-07:00

It's vehicle week over at I heart faces, so I chose this adorable shot from the OKC photowalk. I love the old fashioned cars the best! To see more cars, trucks and more go to http://www.iheartfaces.com/.

Fixit Friday

2010-09-10T06:58:00.000-07:00

I really liked the picture this week for Fixit Friday, and so did my almost three year old daughter who saw it up on my computer screen. I almost talked her into letting me put braided pigtails in her hair because of it but she backed out in the end. Oh well, I almost had her!

Here is the sooc shot, which is pretty good already, just needs a couple of touch ups!

I just needed some boosting, some contrast and a little extra attention on the eyes. I used PW's actions, Fresh & Colorful, Sharpen This, and Bring on the Eyes.

Then I decided to do a second one, I thought that PW's Seventies action would be great with her coloring. It's definitely my fave PW action but it doesn't look good on everyone. I've been using it for a while and knew it would be great on this precious little girl. I then added an edge burn just to dim it a little.

Happy photo editing!

I Heart Faces - Photojournalistic

2010-08-30T06:25:00.000-07:00

The theme for this week is photojournalistic, or telling a story with your photos. I decided to highlight my trip to Ireland last fall. My husband is a musician and had a tour to Ireland and I got to go! How amazing is Ireland! I decided to highlight some of the moodier photos, because some of the days were more damp and dark and well, Irish! Here's some of my favorite shots of Ireland with my hubs playing in the middle!

To see more photos or to enter your own, go to http://www.iheartfaces.com/.

I Heart Faces - Fixit Friday #68

2010-08-27T06:27:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I've participated in Fixit Friday, but since I didn't have any beach pictures to enter ( living in Oklahoma kind of helped me out with that) I thought I'd enter this week.

Here's the before:

My edited version:

I loved the mood of the photo and the blurring at the bottom of the photo especially but thought it needed to be warmed up and softened too. I also added in a texture to make it have a more vintage feel. I also added in a lens flare, I just think the sky was too bright to not have one!

Heather's Bridal

2010-08-24T14:20:00.000-07:00

Oh my goodness, I've been so busy lately! I'm loving it by the way! Here are some bridal pics I did of Heather last month and couldn't wait to show you! She's a married lady now, so it's okay to put these out for the world to see. She was so much fun and had the most beautiful dress ever!

Heather's a costume maker/seamstress and works in the costume shop at the university. She really wanted to do some pics in the shop and when I saw this wall of hats I knew exactly what shot I wanted to get! She was such a trooper and climbed up a big ladder to get up there!

She's kind of fond of climbing things I guess. She climbed this gate at the entrance to a really nice neighborhood in town. With a train like that, you've got to show it off somehow!

Thanks Heather, you were a blast! Coming soon....Heather's wedding pics!

I Heart Faces - Got to wear shades!

2010-08-15T19:06:00.000-07:00

So when I saw that it was sunglasses week, I knew just where to turn, my mother-in-law! She always has the most fabulous shades on every time I see her. A different pair to match each outfit and all very stylish! I loved this picture of her with my daughter Violet at a park watching my husband's band play.

To see more shades shots, head over to http://www.iheartfaces.com/.

Favorite Picture Winner

2010-08-11T19:31:00.001-07:00

I just realized that I never announced the winner of Friday's contest! Let's just say that I had a 1am-3am photo shoot on Monday, yes A.M.! So my sleep pattern is off and so is everything else! Anyway, on the winner! I chose this picture of a father and son saying goodbye to each other before he leaves for Iraq. How sweet is this? And I may be biased because this is my brother and nephew, but it's a great shot! Good job Shelly, I know you're counting down the days until Mike comes back home!

Thanks to everyone who entered, I enjoyed your pictures a lot! If you have any ideas for next week's contest, just leave a comment!

I Heart Faces - Surprise!

2010-08-08T18:38:00.000-07:00

My parents live on a farm. Whenever all the grand kids visit one of our favorite things to do as a family is to go to the barn and help feed all the animals, 3 miniature horses, tons of ducks, a llama and an enormous pet steer named Brownie. Yes, they have a pet steer. He just gets bigger and bigger and they aren't going to sell him or do anything with him other than let him be a pet. So we were all out feeding the animals one day when Brownie came running around the corner right toward my youngest niece Sophia. Needless to say, she wasn't expecting that and took off running and screaming! I of course had to get the picture!

To see more Surprise pics, go to www.iheartfaces.com.

Photography Friday - Favorite

2010-08-06T11:02:00.000-07:00

The theme for this week is favorite. I want to see one of your favorite photos that you've taken this summer! It can be of anything you want, just one that you really love! There are several pictures that I love that I can't post on the blog because they're either bridal portraits or baby announcements, so I'll just have to wait on those! This is a picture I took at this year's peach festival of my cousin Jamey's son, Gunner. Doesn't he have the most beautiful blue eyes? They really look like that too, his mom has them also!

Let's see your favorites! One entry per person, the photo must have been taken by you, you have until Sunday night at 10 pm to enter!

I Heart Faces - Purple

2010-07-25T21:16:00.000-07:00

With a name like Violet, how could I not use this picture? This is my sweet girl that just turned one last week and we had a purple party on Saturday so this week's theme is just perfect timing!

Head over to www.iheartfaces.com to see more purple pics!

I Heart Faces - Over My Head

2010-07-19T06:32:00.000-07:00

I just loved this pic of a momma and baby having some fun outside! I love the sun coming down and the look on their faces! To see more Over My Head shots, go to http://www.iheartfaces.com/.

Walker's Newborn Session

2010-07-12T07:38:00.000-07:00

I met Walker's parents and big brother a few months ago when I did their family pictures and they called me up when Walker was born a few weeks ago to do his pics as well! What a sweet baby and family!

Photo Friday Food - Winner!

2010-06-29T14:54:00.000-07:00

Can I just say that I absolutely loved this week?? All the food pics were sooo yummy! I had several favorites, but it came down to this amazing cupcake taken by Lailah! I love the cropping on it and how just a couple of the little beads on top are in focus! Great job Lailah! Thanks to everyone who entered this week!

I Heart Faces - Pets

2010-06-28T06:35:00.000-07:00

This is a pic of my dog Daisy, she's half cocker spaniel and half cavalier king charles. To see more pet pics, go to http://www.iheartfaces.blogspot.com/.

Photo Friday - Food!

2010-06-25T12:48:00.000-07:00

This week's contest is gonna be really fun, and yummy because the theme is food! Your photo can have any kind of food, people eating food, or food being prepared. This is a picture of the delicious blueberry scone that they serve at Inspirations Tea Room in Edmond. Sooo yummy especially with the lemon sauce that they serve with it!

Here's the rules: one picture per entry, must include the theme, you have to have taken the picture, you can enter until Monday night at 10 pm. Be sure to go around and see what everyone else enters! You can include recipe's if you want to, that would be fun!

Fun Winner!

2010-06-22T06:44:00.000-07:00

The winner of this week's photo contest goes to Amy Nickerson! I absolutely loved this entry. From the post processing, to the priceless joyful look on her face, it really made me happy! Great job Amy, and thanks to everyone who entered!

I Heart Faces - Celebrating Teens!

2010-06-21T10:11:00.000-07:00

This is a picture of Emily, who just graduated high school last month. We went out into a field, scaled a fence to get there and took some really fun senior pictures! This girl was so much fun! She wanted a very Oklahoma/rustic feel to the photos and we found the perfect spot.

To see more teen photos, go to http://www.iheartfaces.blogspot.com/.

Photo Friday - Fun!

2010-06-18T12:58:00.000-07:00

The theme for this week is Fun! Summer is all about fun and being with friends and just hanging out and enjoying the nice weather. I can't wait to see your fun pics!

You have until Monday night at 10 pm to enter, you must have taken the picture yourself, must only be one photo and has to include the theme.

Another Lovett Baby!

2010-06-17T15:01:00.000-07:00

The other day I had the pleasure of shooting maternity pics for an adorable couple from my church. I was actually their camp counselor at two different church camps when they were in high school and maybe even middle school! Now they're all grown up, married and expecting a little boy! Here are some of my favorite shots:

I Heart Faces - All About Babies

2010-06-13T21:42:00.000-07:00

I'm all about the baby pictures, and it was tough to decide but I kept coming back to this one of my daughter Violet. Doesn't she just look like a Violet? She's a sweet baby and this picture was taken a few months ago before she was mobile enough to crawl away!

To see more babies head over to http://www.iheartfaces.blogspot.com/.

I Heart Faces- Play!

2010-06-07T12:46:00.000-07:00

We were at a friend's neighborhood pool the other day when a group of teenagers started lining up and jumping in together. I had to grab my camera! Oh, to be a teenager again!

To see more "play"ful pictures go to http://www.iheartfaces.blogspot.com/.

Session with my nephew

2010-06-03T12:38:00.000-07:00

During Mother's Day weekend I had the pleasure of taking my adorable nephew's pictures! He has grown up so much! It was a very exciting weekend because the next day his daddy came home from Iraq after being gone for about 5 months. Anderson was all smiles for his photoshoot and did a great job!

Photo Friday Baby Winner!

2010-06-01T13:26:00.001-07:00

I loved looking at the baby pics, so adorable! The winner this week goes to Sara Ackerman. I love the soft treatment she gave this photo, and what a beautiful baby! Thanks to all who entered!

Photography Friday - Oh Baby!

2010-05-28T11:30:00.000-07:00

The theme for this week is simple, babies! There have been a ton of babies being born lately so that's why I chose this theme. Plus, they're adorable. And smell like that new baby smell, (well except for the poop and spit up part). I consider a baby to be about 2 years old and under, but whatever you guys think is fine!

You know the rules, but here they are again, just in case: only one picture per person, must include the theme, you have to have taken the picture yourself, you have until Monday night at 10pm to enter.

What I'm Working On

2010-05-25T20:28:00.000-07:00

Thankfully I've had a lot of photo sessions lately, so I'm busy editing! Here's one of my favorite pics to share with you now. Can you say gorgeous?? Her eyes are breathtaking!

More to come soon!

Girlfriends winner

2010-05-25T11:36:00.000-07:00

The winner this week goes to Lynn! I love the pure joy on their faces! It was hard to choose this week, because I really liked all the pictures!

I'm lucky enough to call Lynn one of my closest girlfriends even though we live thousands of miles away from each other. When we see each other we pick right up like we've never been apart.

Thanks everyone who entered, see you Friday!

I Heart Faces - Yellow

2010-05-23T21:13:00.000-07:00

This is one of my most favorite pictures that I've taken of Vivian. I think yellow is her color! To see more yellow, go to http://www.iheartfaces.blogspot.com/ .

Photo Friday - Girlfriends!

2010-05-21T07:45:00.000-07:00

The theme this week is girlfriends! Girlfriend pics I think are always fun to look at, and I miss some of mine who are scattered all over the states! This is a picture of me and my BFF Jayna taken a couple of years ago.

Rules: You must have taken the picture yourself, can be a self portrait, has to include the theme, one entry per person. You have until Monday night at 10 pm to enter and then the winner will be announced on Tuesday.

Movie Quote Winner!

2010-05-18T07:30:00.000-07:00

This week's winner is...Rosie J. Photography! Rosie is a new Photo Friday participant and she found me through I Heart Faces and Pioneer Woman. It's great to have new internet friends! Rosie is a talented photographer, go here to see her photos.

I love this picture because the sun burst is just amazing! I tried to do one of these once and it didn't work out so well! Great job!

Thanks to everyone who participated! See you on Friday!

I Heart Faces - Flowers

2010-05-16T19:54:00.000-07:00

Oh my goodness it's flower week at I Heart Faces, and you know my love of flowers! I chose this one for two reasons, her name is Violet and she's surrounded by flowers! Oh, and she's mine so that's another reason. Go to http://www.iheartfaces.blogspot.com/ to see more flowers and faces!

Photo Friday- My Colors are Blush and Bashful!

2010-05-14T07:51:00.000-07:00

I honestly don't think there's anyone that loves the movie Steel Magnolias more than me, so I thought I'd do a movie themed contest this week. Your photo has to go with a movie quote! So, post your photo and accompanying movie quote and let's have fun this week!

Shelby: My colors are "blush" and "bashful."

M'Lynn: Her colors are "pink" and pink."

Shelby: My colors are "blush" and "bashful" Mama!

M'Lynn: How pretentious is this weddin' gonna get, I ask you?

Rules: you must have taken the photo yourself, must go with the theme, only one photo per person, you have until Monday night at 10 pm to enter, winners will be announced Tuesday!

Ah, things from home!

2010-05-13T07:38:00.000-07:00

I had a great weekend in my hometown and got to go out around the farm and take lots of pics, more to come later!

I Heart Faces - Celebrating Mom

2010-05-11T16:13:00.000-07:00

The theme this week at I Heart Faces is moms. I just did my own photo contest last week and it was moms also, it's so fun to see pics of moms around the world! This is a picture of my sister and three beautiful nieces in front of a 110 year old barn that we found in my hometown. My sister is a great mom and a fabulous sister as well! To see more mom pics, go to http://www.iheartfaces.blogspot.com/.

Mom Winner!

2010-05-11T16:02:00.000-07:00

Wow, I loved all the mom pics this week! My first place prize this week goes to Angie! I really love the treatment she gave this photo and the beautiful words written about her mom! Not to mention the beautiful lady in the shot! Great job Riz, I'll email you your prize information! Thanks to everyone who entered this week!

Photo Friday - Moms

2010-05-07T12:32:00.000-07:00

The theme for this weekend is Moms, which is appropriate since it's Mother's Day on Sunday! I chose this pic of my mom sitting on the swing in my backyard last year on her birthday. I like to call her the "original pioneer woman" since she's lived on a farm my whole life and cooks better than anyone I know!

So the rules: Must have a mom in the picture, it can be your grandma if you want or even a self portrait of you if you're a mom, only one pic per person, you have to have taken the picture yourself, you have until Monday night at 10pm to enter.

There will be an actual prize this week, so please enter! The prize is for 20 free prints on Shutterfly!

So Yellow Winner!

2010-05-04T11:50:00.000-07:00

This week's winner is Ann. Head over to her photo stream on Flickr and take a look at some of the gorgeous shots that Ann takes, she's talented! I love this shot because of the clarity, it's like you're in the picture! Thankfully we're not because I'm not a huge fan of bees!

Runner up goes to Kate. As a travel agent, Kate gets to go all over the world and she has taken some pretty amazing pictures! Loved all the action and colors going on in this shot and I loved the rounded edges also!

Thanks to everyone who entered this week, see you Friday!

Photo Friday - So Yellow!

2010-04-30T10:37:00.000-07:00

The theme this week is very simple, your picture has to feature the color yellow. It can be a pic of anything you want, as long as it's yellow or has yellow in it somewhere! It's just a happy color!

Rules: Must have yellow, only one photo entry per person, you must have taken the picture yourself, you have until Monday night at 10 pm to enter. The winner will be announced on Tuesday morning! Have fun!

Peach Orchard on Pioneer Woman!

2010-04-28T11:04:00.000-07:00

This morning I got up and checked PW to see the second group of landscape favorites and was so surprised to see mine in the mix! I really didn't expect it this time because of all of the other amazing pictures that have been featured. I am so excited! Here's the shot"

This was taken in my hometown, Porter, Oklahoma during Easter weekend. I was driving back from my grandma's house when I saw all the peach blossoms. I stopped the car, got out, climbed up the embankment and leaned over the fence to get it. I really wanted to get closer but since my mom and daughters were waiting in the car, I didn't climb the fence. I'm so excited to be on PW for the third time this year! What an honor! Here's the link to see the picture on her website: http://thepioneerwoman.com/photography/

All About Eyes Winners!

2010-04-27T11:44:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone who entered this week, it was a lot of fun! My first place award goes to Brook. I loved her chocolate brown eyes! Sorry if it looks pixelated, I could not copy it from her blog at a larger size.

Second place goes to Amy and her picture is not able to be copied at all, but here is the link to it. What a fabulous shot!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nickersonphotos/4491661445/in/set-72157623647647049/

Third place, and most creepy entry award goes to Kate! Not only are the eyes on the dead chickens creepy, but the lady standing behind them is a little strange too!

Please stop back by on Friday and join in for photo Friday again!

I Heart Faces - Smiles!

2010-04-25T20:15:00.000-07:00

I chose this lovely girl because I think she has a killer smile! What a fun photo session this one was, she was a natural! To see more smile photos, or to enter one of your own, go to http://www.iheartfaces.blogspot.com/ to enter!

Photo Friday - All About Eyes

2010-04-23T07:34:00.000-07:00

So it's all about the eyes this week! Just choose a photo where you think the eyes really stand out. Doesn't have to be a human, by the way!

Rules: you have to have taken the picture yourself, only one picture per person, has to go with the theme, you have until Monday at 10 pm to enter.

Aidan's Spring Pics

2010-04-22T05:46:00.000-07:00

I took these pics the other day of Aidan and she was co cute! She's getting a baby sister soon and this is her last solo photo shoot!

I had to show this sassy pose at the end!

Photo Friday Spring Winners

2010-04-20T09:43:00.000-07:00

First place goes to one that I kept going back to look at, I absolutely love it! How cute would this be framed in a nursery with a bird theme?

Complykated

Second goes to Lauren, I love how dreamy this looks, and how the edges are blurred out. Great shot!

Third goes to Lynn. This purple thistle is amazing! I really love the colors of this shot!

I had so much fun looking at all the springs pics this week and they were all sooo good! Thanks for entering everyone, come by again on Friday for a new theme!

I Heart Faces- Collages

2010-04-19T07:57:00.000-07:00

Yes, this is how my girls' Easter pictures turned out this year! What a great idea for me to get them all dressed up and take them to the park so we could get some great pictures with the beautiful tulips! Oh well, there's always next year!

To see more collages, head over to http://www.iheartfaces.blogspot.com/.

Photography Friday - Spring!

2010-04-16T13:50:00.000-07:00

The theme for this week's photo contest is spring, since I love it so much!

The rules: You must have taken the picture yourself, must have something to do with the theme, only one photo can be entered, you have until Monday night at 10pm to enter. Can't wait to see your spring photos!

Lovett Maternity Pics

2010-04-13T08:28:00.000-07:00

The other day I had the pleasure of shooting Broolyn's maternity pics. Have you ever seen a prettier pregnant lady before? We did the pics out at Jerad's parents house and it was a perfect day for pics! Take a look and let me know what you think!

Action Winners!

2010-04-13T06:18:00.000-07:00

I really enjoyed all the action shots this week, thanks to everyone who entered! My first place action picture goes to :

Kim Walden

I absolutely loved this! Such a great capture of a fun moment!

Runner up goes to Katie Seat

Look at his face!! I love how he is suspended in mid air and you can tell he's overjoyed! Great job Katie!

See you guys next Friday for another fun contest!

I Heart Faces - Desserts!

2010-04-12T06:47:00.000-07:00

Last summer a few weeks after I had a baby, all my closest girlfriends came in from around the country to all spend the weekend together. We all used to live in OKC together but everyone moved eventually and now we're spread out all around the country, from Chicago to DC, Wyoming to San Antonio. It meant the world to me that they all came in to see the newest addition to our family! Since we were all together, we decided to throw another friend in the group a surprise baby shower. We were all pretty much pregnant at the same time or barely overlapping so there are lots of babies coming! Anyway, we went to a lovely tea room in Edmond and threw her a shower, and this was the dessert that we got! Isn't it gorgeous?

To see more desserts, if you can handle it, go to http://www.iheartfaces.blogspot.com/. Yummy!

Photo Friday - Action

2010-04-09T08:29:00.000-07:00

The theme for this Friday is "Action". Since I have two very active girls on my hands, the theme is appropriate. I got this shot of Viv this weekend in Porter right after church. Can you tell that she was tired of sitting still?

So here's the rules: You must have taken the picture yourself, only one picture can be entered, must include the theme, you have until 10pm on Monday to enter. The winners will be announced on Tuesday morning.

So remember, no sitting still pics! Let's see your action shots!

Family Pics in the Oldest Barn Ever!

2010-04-07T15:02:00.000-07:00

I had an idea for my sister's family's easter pics this year. For some reason, I really wanted them to be in an old barn. So since my dad has been a rural mail carrier for my whole life, I sent him on a mission to find me the best barn in Porter for our photo shoot. He immediately knew of a great old barn that used to be on his mail route. The people who own it know that it is at least 105 years old, and probably much older. Here's the barn, pretty cool huh?

These are my lovely nieces, Sophia, Lily and Addi.

And my really unattractive sister and brother in law.

Aren't they the cutest?

Just the girls this time!

That barn's starting to look creepy.

But the girls don't think so, they're laughing!

There was a snake right by this log before we took this picture. I kept looking around and checking that it wasn't coming for me!

This was a room inside the barn that was sooo cool! The steps led up the second floor loft.

Senior Pictures, Oklahoma Style!

2010-04-01T21:26:00.000-07:00

When I was a senior we didn't do pictures like they do them now. I went to the studio with a boring backdrop or something lame like a megaphone in the distance and took a very predictable senior picture. Now, they are on location, fun photo shoots that really show off their personalities! How I wish I would've done something like that! Instead I have a picture of me with hot rolled hair, a forest green crushed velvet sweater and my hand under my chin in that weird glamour shots pose. You know what I mean! Anyway, I had the best time the other day doing Emily's senior pictures. Talk about photogenic! This girl knew what she was doing, and didn't take one bad picture. She's such a natural. I had a hard time choosing which pics to feature, so there are a lot of them! Let me know what you think...

These were done in the Deer Creek area at an old run down shack or barn. It was really cool, except for the huge bee swarm right behind it! Thanks Emily for the fun photo shoot!

On Pioneer Woman!

2010-03-31T19:58:00.000-07:00

One goal I had for this year was for one of my photos to be on Pioneer Woman's website. I really didn't think it would happen, but it's good to dream! I couldn't believe when it happend in January and I certainly couldn't believe it again when it happened yesterday!

When she said the theme was green I immediately thought of my trip to Ireland and specifically this shot of the Glendalough Cemetery. It was such a rainy, dreary day, just perfect for a nice creepy cemetery picture. (But very bad for my hair!) Anyway, the day that I posted this picture in her Flickr group I had about 35 views. Flickr tells you how many people have clicked on your photo to check it out. After PW announced that I was in the first group of best photos the numbers kept going up and up. Today, just one day later, I have 466 views! It's amazing the power the PW has! It's been such a crazy ride, and it's been so much fun! Here's the shot that was featured.

Click here to go to the page that features this photo.

Several people have requested prints of this photo, and if you'd like one, please leave a comment and I'll give you the price for whatever size you would like. Thanks!

I Heart Faces - Dramatic Black and White

2010-03-29T06:50:00.000-07:00

This is one of my all time favorite wedding pictures that I've taken. It really wasn't posed, that's how lovely and relaxed they were. I feel like I shouldn't even have been standing there. It's also very special because they are two close friends of mine! Morgandi is one of my dearest friends and Jason and I have know each other since we were kids. What a great couple!

To see more drama go to http://www.iheartfaces.blogspot.com/.

Fixit Friday

2010-03-26T12:24:00.000-07:00

Here's the before:

Here's the after:

To see more fixits go to http://www.iheartfaces.blogspot.com/.

Photography Friday - The worst

2010-03-26T06:49:00.000-07:00

This week we're going to do something a little bit different. I want you to post the most embarassing picture of yourself. You read that right, let's see the 80's hair, bad teeth and glasses. Hmm, well maybe that was just me. Anyway, let's see what you got!

So the rules are different this week since you don't have to be the photographer. I'm excited to see everyone's pics, be brave and don't leave me hangin'! You have until Monday night to enter, so get thee to a scanner.

Alright guys, this is me when I was probably like 14 or so. I had done my hair like this so that I could send it in to one of those Teen Magazine best hair contests. I'm not kidding. So, let's see what you got!

Black and White Winner

2010-03-23T07:46:00.000-07:00

I really loved all the pictures this week, there's just something about black and white photos! The winner for this week is:

Kate

She knows I have a weakness for this set of photos from her trip! Everything is so perfect with this shot, the light coming in through the windows, the color (black and white with a touch of sepia) and especially the silhouette in the doorway. Fabulous shot, my friend!

Thanks to everyone who entered this week!

I Heart Faces - Focusing on Angles

2010-03-22T07:10:00.000-07:00

Viv enjoying the music at the St. Patrick's Day activities downtown! That's her dad on the guitar in the background!

To join the fun, go to http://www.iheartfaces.blogspot.com/.

Photography Friday - Black and White/Sepia

2010-03-19T07:33:00.000-07:00

The theme for this weekend's contest is black and white/sepia pictures. You can choose whichever one you want to do. Sometimes I can just look at a picture and know it would be best in black and white or sepia. The pics I just did of Violet for example are some that I knew would look best with a vintage feel. It's something to play around with, so have fun!

The rules: You must have taken the picture yourself, only one picture can be entered, must include the theme, enter your link in Mr. Linky's below, and you have until Monday night at 10 pm to enter. The winners will be announced on Tuesday. Can't wait to see your entries!

Happy Winners

2010-03-16T16:31:00.000-07:00

I had two favorites that I kept going back to this week.

I chose this breakfast photo by Ann because I loved the simplicity of it. I love all the elements of it, and I love breakfast! Ann, let's go to Paris and have breakfast some time! Great shot this week. The next one that I loved was this happy girl below, taken by Sarah. I loved the look on her face and just how happy she was! However, I kept wanting to lighten it a bit and crop it. So here is the original shot, which was so cute!

Here's the editing I did to it. I hope this doesn't make Sarah mad, but I figured that since it's a photography blog that it would be okay! Great job to everyone this week, I hope you enjoyed the theme!

I Heart Faces - Bundled Up

2010-03-15T07:38:00.000-07:00

In December I took Viv out in the backyard so she could play in the snow. I bundled her up and told her how much fun it would be to play in the snow! This is what her face looked like the entire time we were out there, which was about 5 minutes before she burst into tears and we went back inside. I guess she's like her momma, wishing for Summer!

To see more bundled up photos, go to www.iheartfaces.blogspot.com.

I Heart Faces - Fixit Friday

2010-03-12T08:34:00.000-08:00

Original Photo: So cute but too dark!
I really wanted to lighten it up and showcase her face because she's so pretty! I also got rid of the stray hair because I felt like it was distracting. Go to www.iheartfaces.blogspot.com.