Little One's First Christmas

Two weeks into January and still more Christmas posts?  You betcha!

But I have a really good excuse…I mean, look how adorable this little one is!

 

A few weeks prior to Christmas, my girlfriend called me up requesting some Christmas pictures. Not yet having an opportunity to see the new baby, I couldn't have been more excited and jumped at the chance!

 

It was a lot of fun watching the new parents fawning over their little Christmas present.

This little one is certainly surrounded by lots of love.

 

 

Merry thoughts and hopes of Christmas blessings to Caleb, Diane and their little one!

Lesson 1: Keep babies warm.  If you’re going to go for diaper only…make sure you have blankets around to keep the baby nice and toasty between shots.

Lesson 2: Babies sleep a lot!  Arriving at the end of nap time let’s you get in some cute sleeping pictures…and gives you a chance to have a few well-rested baby pictures when the little one does wake up.

Lesson 3: Find places that are safe, confortable, and warm...this keeps parents and baby happy.  If you want to place the baby on the floor bring plenty of freshly washed soft blankets.

Wordless Wednesday - Playful

Some of my favorite pictures from the Four Wonderful Families - Playful photo-shoot:

 



 

 

Since so many wonderful people have begun hosting Wordless Wednesday linky's I'm running out of space on the posts. So, now I've put all the buttons on their own page.

Click here to find more pics and Wordless Wednesday linkys.

Or Just click on the tab at the top of the page titled "WW Linkys".

Thanks!

Four Wonderful Families - Playful

The last of the Four Wonderful Families, this week I have the pleasure of introducing to you Matt, Susan...

and their four children: Jack, Leah, Elle and Chase.

 

 

 

 

 

A joy to work with…this family knew how to make a photo shoot fun. 

 

Whether it be a dog-pile on Mom and Dad…

Oh…can’t have a dog-pile without the dog (Lily)!

 

Or acrobatics with the kids…every activity was turned into a game.

 



Half way through the shoot we even had a surprise visit from the Grandparents (Richard and Eleanor), who arrived with their sweet golden companion – Yankee!

 

Naturally, this led to (one of my favorite pictures) an impromptu group shot with the whole family!

 

Thank you to Matt, Susan, Jack, Leah, Elle, Chase, Richard, and Eleanor for allowing me to share an afternoon of play with you.

 

Lesson 1: Rather than just taking pictures of individuals, consider taking pictures of two or more people interacting together...this way you can capture elements of the relationship those individuals have.

Lesson 2: When trying to take a photo with a large group that all need to be in one shot, consider dividing up the groups into clusters that you can arrange in the photo to draw interest.

Lesson 3: Be careful how you get a dog’s attention if you don’t know the commands the family uses.  A whistle may simply cause the dog to look up…or it may end up with the dog running towards you expecting a treat.  ;)

Lesson 4: The hour or so before sunset offers really neat light to take photos in.  The sun at that time is much less harsh – however, you need to keep in mind that your window for sunlight will be closing soon.

Family and Friends Come First - Snow

Family and Friends take over the holiday leaving no time to edit and post...
Therefore I give you a filler picture until the holidays are over.  ;)

View from my livingroom window:

 

Four Wonderful Families – Boys!

I had wanted to share with you these four families prior to Christmas…however, as it so often does, life got in the way and changed my plans.  Oh, well…we’ll just have to celebrate Christmas a little longer here at Beyond the Whiskers.  ;)

This week I’d like to introduce to you to Wendy, Tim and their four (yes, I said four) energetic boys: Wesley, Wyatt, Colby, and Blake.

Typically, because I am often interacting with babies, young toddlers, and expecting mothers-to-be, safety is at the forefront of my mind at all times.  While there may be fun and games, there is always a strong element of caution involved during a shoot.

Wesley, Wyatt, Colby, and Blake quickly taught me to set that mindset aside and embrace the fact that when it comes to four teenage boys…adventure is the name of the game.  And adventure can lead to…

Conquering Caves...

Scaling walls…

Hanging Doorways...

 

Climbing trees...

 

And even some goodnatured family roughhousing …

 

 

 

After a bit of reassurance that everyone would be fine from Wendy…I must admit, it was a very freeing experience to watch the tough and tumble balls of energy that are boys.

Thank you Wendy, Tim,Wesley, Wyatt, Colby, and Blake for taking the time to share the day with me.

 

Lesson 1:  It helps to talk to parents ahead of time to find out what is considered OK and what is not.  (Example: climbing a tree is OK, but jumping in the lake may not be).

Lesson 2: Direct sunlight is not your friend unless you really like squinting.  I heard that shade is good, but for best results consider taking you pictures in the very early morning or closer to sunset.  Anyone have any suggestions, please send them my way.

Lesson 3: When dealing with a family of teens, especially boys, come up with some physical activities that everyone can participate in.

Wordless Wednesday - A Little Christmas Cheer

After last week, we could use a little Christmas. 
Our decorated Christmas Tree:

 

 

Since so many wonderful people have begun hosting Wordless Wednesday linky's I'm running out of space on the posts. So, now I've put all the buttons on their own page.

Click here to find more pics and Wordless Wednesday linkys.

Or Just click on the tab at the top of the page titled "WW Linkys".

Thanks!

In Loving Memory - MomMom

Many people have grandmothers...in our family, we had a MomMom. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Betty (Fidler) Pfennig

 

MomMom...

 

 

 

We will cherish the loving memories you have left behind.