Baby Graely

So it's hard to imagine, but newborn pictures aren't as easy as you'd think!  I know, I know--babies just hang out and look cute--how can it be hard?  I can't tell you why, but it just is!  So I'm lucky to have some patient, trusting friends who somehow have faith that I'll take a decent picture or two of their 3 month-old!  It's a good thing Graely's so stinkin' cute!  It sure helps my job out a lot!  Enjoy. 

Just one more over-the-shoulder shot!  They are my favorite.  ;)

We wore little Graelyn out!  She deserved a nap after all that hard work.  
Baby Graely will be back in a few months for her 6 month pictures!

The Gugle Family

Three years ago Labor Day, Matt and I were sitting in the hallway outside Riley Hospital's Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, absolutely crushed.  Our oldest son, Trenton was recovering from his second open-heart surgery and had taken a turn for the worse, to put it lightly.  We'd basically been told to wait outside while the doctors and nurses worked on trying to save him.  I can undoubtedly say that was one of the worst moments Matt and I have ever had to endure in our lives.   I am sure it was clear to anyone passing by that things were not going well, but one brave soul approached us and simply asked if she could pray with us.  Since neither Matt or I had the words, we were so thankful for this complete stranger who somehow knew exactly what we needed to pray!   We later learned that her name was Jen, and her daughter Kathryn was also in the PICU after having surgery on her heart.  It's amazing how God just puts the right people in the right place at the right time.  And what a bonding moment for all of us!  Of course, those of you who know Trenton already know that he quickly recovered from that horrible  couple of hours he was having, thanks to the Lord placing some amazing doctors and one nurse that literally stayed longer and worked harder than anyone else (We love you, Sheila!).  It was a night we will never forget, and we formed a friendship with Jen and her husband Andy that started on a level that hopefully none of you readers would ever have to understand!   So you won't be surprised that I have Trenton and Kathryn already married off in 20 years!  Ha ha.  Sadly, we've only ever seen and visited each other when one of our kids were in the hospital.  So it was time for us to hang out in the real world!  ;)  And what better place than the IMA for some fun pictures (Don't worry, we got together again a couple days later for some non-picture-taking fun!)!!  It was so much fun to spend time with the Gugles, and so great to see Kathryn running around and doing so well!  Here are some of my favorites.

Andy, Jen, Jack, Josh, and Kathryn  :)

Meet Justin!

Alright, Lantern Tree Fans!  Allow me to introduce you to Justin VanDuyn (That's Van-Dine if you're wondering).  He's a great friend, and an awesome musician!  And he's SINGLE, ladies!!!  Sorry, Justin--had to throw that in there.  :)  And yes, he has already made an appearance on LT's blog--he's a couple posts down in his brother's wedding pictures!

Anyway, we had such a fun time taking some promo pictures in Broad Ripple.  Justin's sister, Ashley, came along and was a huge help carrying changes of clothes and tripods, fetching us coffee--you know how it goes for these celebrity photo shoots.  Just kidding, Ash!!   The night turned out to be pretty crazy, that's for sure!  You ready for some story-telling?  Here we go!  It all started at the Arts Center . . .

Next, we thought it would be great to get some shots on this bridge we'd seen from afar at the Arts Center.  So we jumped in the car to hunt it down.  Ten minutes later we finally pull in a parking lot near the bridge--and then we realize it's the same parking lot we'd just left at the Arts Center!  Sigh.  I always claim the "sense of direction" part of my brain doesn't work.  Just another example.  Bridge pictures, coming right up!

After the bridge, we headed into the Broad Ripple Starbucks for a quick break.  It turned out to be a really great spot for some pictures.  We played around a little with some ideas while annoying some of the other coffee drinkers, until one of the drinkers next to us suggested we use a tripod for some of the darker light shots.  Next thing we know, he's running to his car to let us borrow his tripod that he just happens to have with him.  Now it turns out that inside of the most photogenic Starbucks in Indianapolis sat the nicest photographer in Indianapolis!  How crazy is that?  So I got a much-needed lesson in using a tripod and even some camera tips, right there in the coffee shop.  ;)  Here are some of our favorite shots there: 

Long story short, the next thing we know, we are leaving Starbucks with the tripod.  Our new friend gave us some suggestions for outdoor night shots, and insisted we take his tripod out on the town.  Seriously.  He was such a nice guy.  So we headed out, loaded up with the tripod and my new lesson, and got these fun shots:

We never could have captured these shots without the tripod, so we were so thankful for that random encounter!   I will say that I now have a tripod in my photographer's toolbox (yes, we returned the tripod when we were done--it turns out my father-in-law had one he's not using)!  And hopefully we got some promo shots that Justin will be able to use very soon!!  I promise to put some of his awesome music up on my page for you all to hear.  Stay tuned!

Rain, Rain Go Away!

The blog has been pretty quiet lately, but it's not for lack of pictures being taken!  Be prepared for a tsunami-sized wave of posts coming your way!  To start us off, we have the Dodridge Family, who just happen to be my in-laws!  :)  We made the drive down to my favorite new picture-taking spot, the IMA (Thanks, Todd Family, I'm officially addicted!), and prayed for the pouring rain to stop.  Just in case, I found the world's biggest, most colorful umbrella in the IMA gift shop, which made a couple appearances in the photos just for fun.  Turns out our prayers were answered, and we had a perfect, dry evening for pictures!   Anyway, aren't those Dodridges just the most beautiful family ever?  And if you're wondering where you can get Gabby's fun tutu, shirt, and hair accessories, they were made by my sister-in-law, Sara.  Amazing, right?!?  She's the craftiest person I know, and you can find all kinds of fun things she makes on Krisara.  Check it out sometime!  But first, take a look at these pictures . . .