Best and Favorites of 2013

It has been an especially busy year for me.  As I look back on the year, I want to share a few of my favorite pictures here.
In no particular order...

My youngest brother got married in March.  They were so excited.  I love this one of Hannah and Ben.  Ben is totally smitten and Hannah was beaming!

On the first day of school, I took pictures of my girls while we waited for the bus.  As I headed back to the house, this is what I saw... poor June was so sad that her sisters were off to school and she wasn't.  And Pepper was peaking out the window.  (And my husband is awesome.)

Another spring wedding!  And we did bridal photos in a blossoming orchard.  I love this shot.  They are lying on a bedspread that I made.

I took this picture at the Highland Youth Garden.  This volunteer is in her nineties (I believe).  She is dedicated to gardening and helping the young'uns get it.  I loved spending the day in the garden.

This year I volunteered with an organization called Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep.  I had the opportunity to take pictures for families who were suffering the loss of an infant.  It was some of the toughest and most rewarding work I did this year.

This particular family had twins.  One of the boys was thriving and healthy.  The other one slipped away just minutes after his birth.  I was a fly on the wall... I was in the operating room for the C-section.  I was with the family afterward.  I got to document the amazing journey of this little life.  (And I cried.  A lot.)  This is a picture of the family together for the first time out of the operating room (and in the NICU).  The dad is holding a son who has passed away, and the mom is reaching out to the other son, who is surrounded by monitors and medical devices.  She is still recovering from the c-section.  This picture is heart-break and hope.

This is from my sister-in-law's wedding.  Jen and Derek planned a very cool, simple and stylish ceremony in Boulder, Colorado.  The weather was perfect.  A skydiver landed in the park during the ceremony (not part of the plans, but very Boulder).  Their dog was part of the event.  It was just right.

Apparently I like kissing photos.  Geesh.

Anyhow, I love this one.  This is from a graduation party in Powell, Ohio for Jen.  I set up a photo booth and guests wrote their wishes for the graduate on chalkboard signs and posed for pictures.  And here is the graduate with her dad.  It was just sweet.

Our elementary school has the best gym program anywhere.  I got to shoot an event call the Wellness Warrior Run.  It is a free event for kids in the school district.  A one-mile course with adventurous obstacles is set up, and the kids run in their divisions.  Then the grownups get a shot at it.  It is a blast.  This is a teacher or parent (I think).  I had a blast taking pictures... and I even got muddy from the sidelines.

This is my niece Thea.  This photo shoot took place in my parents' living room with several relatives looking on.  My husband was holding a flash and reflector.  It was not my typical set up, but so much fun.  And Thea slept like a champ through the whole thing.

This is Liam on the day of his First Communion.  He also lost a tooth that day... but at this point, it was hanging by a thread.  I love his snappy outfit and the communion pin on his suspenders and his springy yard.  He was so happy and shy and grownup.

Senior pictures are always fun to do, but this guy offered to carry my camera bag!  Chivalry is not dead.  Tyler was a star athlete at Liberty High School.  He is now on a Mormon mission.  Tyler is a great guy all around.

Halloween night was gross this year.  Cold.  Rainy.  If it weren't for the candy and awesome neighbors, we would have stayed in.  My daughter Alli dressed up as Malala Yousafzi for Halloween.  (I'm so proud of her.)  After trick-or-treating, a few of Alli's friends came over to count/sort/trade candy.

I love this picture... my girls in their costumes (June is only wearing part of her bat/cat/princess/dalmatian/skeleton costume).  My husband was standing on the wrong side of the strobe... and his shadow is cast on the wall.  It is kooky... and awesome.

Over the summer I got to take baby pictures for this guy.  He was such a squishy-cute newborn!  I love his wrinkles and rolls!

This is from a fall wedding.  The bride was stunning.  She wore a vintage dress that belonged to her husband's mother.  I love the pin in her hair.

This is from our trip to Utah this summer.   I think my girls spent a week in Grandma's cherry tree.

This is a shot from our Christmas card photo shoot.  Whew.  My sister-in-law Betsy actually took the pictures.  She said we were the most difficult family she has ever shot.  It's true.  My kids like to go crazy when there is a camera pointed at them.

This is what we used on the front of our Christmas card.
It is totally photoshopped. Two pictures stitched together.
Alli and Ruby were not both good in a single picture.  Good thing I have PhotoShop skills.

 Ruby.  This is her 100%.

This is the same day as our family photo shoot.  Same place.  This family is perfect...

Okay, not all the time.  They had a grumpy kid.  But even grumpy, Keyan is adorable.

And now that it is winter, it sure is nice to see pictures of sunny, watermelon-munching evenings... hang in there just a few more months!

Thank you to all of my wonderful clients, family, friends, and fans.  I am looking forward to another great year in 2014!

Which picture is your favorite?