Gretchen Blair's Photography

Day 4/ 366

2012-01-04T15:24:00.001-08:00

Hmm... When I post the day like that it seems like an overwhelming task that I have started.

You would think that with 5 kids, I wouldn't have to post the same child 2 days in a row... :) She LOVES to dress up. This is a southern belle/ Scarlet O'hara dress that she got for Christmas. It came complete with a hoop skirt. She loves it...

Posted via email from Gretchen's 365 Photo Blog

Day 4/366

2012-01-04T15:18:00.001-08:00

You would think that with 5 kids, I wouldn't have to post the same child 2 days in a row... :) She LOVES to dress up. This is a southern belle/ Scarlet O'hara dress that she got for Chrsitmas. It came complete with a hoop skirt. She loves it...

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Day 3/366

2012-01-03T19:50:00.001-08:00

Today's delight...

Posted via email from Gretchen's 365 Photo Blog

Untitled

2012-01-02T11:52:00.001-08:00

Yay! Day 2! Little steps... right?

My kindergartner is quickly becoming a good reader and she LOVES reading...

Posted via email from Gretchen's 365 Photo Blog

New Year... New Beginnings... or just restarting old projects... :)

2012-01-01T13:03:00.001-08:00

Recently I gotten caught up in the trying to make something out of my photograpy that I have lost sight of making things through my photography. I had stopped making time to shoot just for the fun of it. I havev decided to try the 365 project, except being the really ambitious person that I am, I decide to do this on a leap year so it is 366 days of "Documenting Delight".

First day, first post... Yay me! I am still on track. :)

Posted via email from Gretchen's 365 Photo Blog

A Little Sunshine and a Little Sidewalk Chalk | Just Me and My Girls

2011-05-03T22:17:00.001-07:00

Surprisingly, we had a nice afternoon here. A couple of days ago i had purchased some new vibrant colors of sidewalk chalk and my girls were begging me to out front and play with it. It was a great chance for me to play around with some of the fun images I have seen on Pinterest. Definitely a first attempt, but I had so much fun that my brain is just flipping through new applications for this idea. I have to admit that I think that my crabby photog mom side came out while I was in my creation mode, but I think the girls had fun anyway. Little miss worked on her Harold and the Purple Crayon city. I just got all crabby with them smearing my picture and the biggest ordeal was getting her to trust me that the sun was behind the clouds and that it wouldn't hurt her eyes to open them and look at me. Silly girl. If she can't look up at the cloudy Seattle sky, we might as well blindfold her for the move to Texas. :)

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A Day of Sunshine with a Tahoma Senior - Class of '11 | Maple Valley Senior Photographer

2011-05-02T23:50:00.001-07:00

Saturday was the first gorgeous day in western Washington in a loooooong time. It shouldn't have surprised me that when I went to go meet this senior and her family at Coulon Park that the place was crawling with photographers. Crazy considering how challenging the direct sun is. Last senior shoot I did at Coulon we were running from coverred area to covered area to stay out of the drizzle, this time we were trying to find some shade (and great reflected light.) As we tromped all around (in the mud) we took all of the strange contrasts you have in the Seattle area when the skys clear and the temp hits 60. We saw one guy sitting without a shirt trying to get some sun and nearby was a girl all bundled up in her fur edged hooded sweatshirt. It was a great people watching day down at the lake. Meanwhile, we got some great images of this beautiful senior.

These are the first ones that I have edited... I might have to share more as I edit more.

See the full gallery on Posterous

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Waiting for baby...

2011-04-17T20:35:00.001-07:00

While the rest of us are just waiting for spring here in the Northwest, this family is waiting for their spring baby. You would think that the arboretum in the second weekend of April would have blossoms and fresh spring green everywhere. Well, after this winter, I shouldn't have been surprised that we were in coats and that the only green came from the evergreens and the moss. We endured the cold and got some great shots of this beautiful mom to be. Can't wait to meet their little girl next month!

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Waiting for Spring with an Awesome Family | Maple Valley Family Photographer

2011-04-08T15:27:00.001-07:00

The winter her in Western Washington seems to be going on forever. We were lucky enough that it was relatively warm a couple of weeks ago for our session. It was cloudy with a few sun peeks, the trees were still bare, but it wasn't raining and that has been rare lately. I met with this gorgeous family along the Cedar River, a favorite place of mine. These guys were so great... and the 4 year old... with those eyes and just his overwhelming cuteness... It was just too much! Not that there was any shortage of cuteness going around. The baby girl stole the show with all of her smiles... and a little bark eating. Both of these guys are so lucky to have a big brother who is truly awesome with them. Great family! Too bad we missed the beautiful blossoms.

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A Spring Senior shoot | Maple Valley Senior Photographer

2011-04-04T23:04:00.001-07:00

I love high school seniors. It is such a exciting time of life. It is the perfect balance of ends and beginnings. They are celebrating the completion of a stage of life while there is so much excitment and anticipation over the next stage. It is also so intriguing to talk to the parents of senior. They seem to be so torn between pride and excitment for their kids, but struggle with a little bit of sadness that it has all gone by too quickly. Spring senior sessions are fun because that anticipation is building and they are so close to their goal. This session was fun! Daniel was awesome. Despite many signs of spring the river park still made a great backdrop. I loved getting a chance to incorporate a trumpet and a mossy tree in the same shot. What is the thing that you think makes your Senior Year of High School such an exciting time?

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An overdue blogpost of an adorable baby boy| Maple Valley Newborn Photographer

2011-04-03T01:06:00.001-07:00

We have been working so hard to get our house ready to go on the market and March was full of activities for my older kids and birthdays for my younger kids. I had so much going on that I have gotten so behind. This little guy has one of the best big sisters ever! It was so adorable to see how much she LOVES her baby brother. He was such a great sleeper for me too!

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My Girl... Where did the last 5 years go...

2011-03-30T21:36:00.001-07:00

It is birthday season in the Blair family. Between the middle of March and the middle of April we have 5 of the 7 birthdays in our family. Our three youngest children's birthdays are all within a 11 day period. I need do photo shoots of all of them, but as we get our house ready for the market, I seem to be short on time. Here is my 5 year old. She looks so grown up. Five years has gone so fast!

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Day after Valentine's | Musings of a Family Photographer

2011-02-15T20:43:00.001-08:00

Most of the people who know me personally know that I am a pretty pitiful housekeeper. Don't get me wrong, I love a clean house. It is just that I am too distracted to focus on keeping my house picked up. I guess to prove that opposites attract, I tend to be drawn to super organized people. They are these people who tell me about their physical inability to go to bed with dishes in the sink. Hmmm... Yah. I don't get that. I can sleep like a baby with dirty dishes in my sink. Granted, I am a MUCH happier person in the morning if I wake up to a clean kitchen, but sometimes that isn't incentive enough for me to get the cleaning done beffore I go to bed. I truly didn't get this. I couldn't comprehend it. I had nothing similar to relate to it. ...then came Valentines Day. You see, right now my life is pretty crazy. I have 5 kids, a small business and a house that we are trying to get on the market in 2-3 weeks. Valentines Day rolls around. It would be so much easier to just go buy a pack of Valentines at the grocery store. I passed them countless times. I only had one to really worry about and she only needed 10 valentines. She didn't have to address them, just write her name. Easy Peasy... Well, actually no. Not easy. Why? Because I cringe at the thought of handing out store bought valentines. It pains me to do something so... so... generic. So I spent an hour in between helping put in a shower door and grouting a floor to cut out hearts and arrows... AFTER I had spent a half hour looking online for inspiration... AFTER I designed the hearts on photoshop... AFTER I had completely failed at our homemade, multicolor heart shaped crayon making. I had probably lost hours when I could have just thrown a box of Valentines into the cart the last time I was at the store. Then, I realized, I am like that across the board. I HAVE to be original. I strive to give unique gifts. I can't fathom the idea of my kids wearing store bought Halloween costumes. And I should appologize to my friends who had scrapbooking parties only to have me sit in the corner, ignore any instruction and come up with my own little wacky creations.

That is when it hit me. That is what the people are talking about when they say that they can't go to bed with dishes in the sink. It is THAT feeling. I do have a comparable quirk. I get it now...

What about you? Is there some weird thing that you are physically inable to do?

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A Little Sliver of Peace | Maple Valley family photographer

2011-02-02T23:06:00.001-08:00

I have 5 kids. CRAZY! ...but in a good way!

We are trying to get our house ready to sell. CRAZY! ...but worth it to get closer to family!

I am trying to actually launch this photography gig and make a name for myself. CRAZY! ...but something I have wanted to do for at least 11 years now.

I can define most aspects of my life with one word: crazy. The good sort of crazy. The trying to carry 3 bags of groceries into the house while balancing a kid on each hip sort of crazy. Although I am often reminding myself that this craziness is an abundance of blessings, I am usually pretty content that this IS my life and, for the most part, peace and solitude are not a big part of my life at the moment. But every once in a whie, when I am very lucky, I find those moments, hidden like the little jewels that they are. Imagine my suprise when, with the oldest 3 off at school, I managed to get the 2 year old and the baby to nap at the same time. I had 2 hours of peace and solitude. Even better, it was a beautiful sunny day here in Western Washington. As I am getting dinner started, the sun is streaming through our south facing windows. There is something about the light coming in on days like today that make me LOVE my house. It was so beautiful. I tried to capture it. I just thought I would share. It would have been nice if I had picked up a bit. In my artist brain, I was taking a picture of the LIGHT... not the stuff.

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Wednesday Ramblings | Maple Valley Portrait Photographer

2011-01-19T14:55:00.001-08:00

I am a consumer of information. I am always trying to stuff my head with new knowledge. With the internet, it gets overwhelming. I am always trying to better my photography... trying to better my shooting, my processing, my business skills... the amount of learning resources are almost limitless. It makes someone like me a little overwhelmed and stressed because I would really like to consume as much of it as possible. There just aren't enough hours in the day!

Today I stumbled across Don Gianatti's Project 52 and decided it was a great challenge for me to take on this year. The first challenge was to write your vision statement. Don's point in doing this as the first assignment is the idea that clarifying your direction and goals will help you focus your photography and really refine those skills that will get you closer to where you want to be. Earlier this year, after participating in another workshop, I was challenged to come up with 3 words to descibe me and my work. I came up with Real, Relaxed and Refreshing. I figured this was a good starting point to come up with my vision statement.

What IS my vision statement? How would I describe my goals with my photography. It is easy to say that I want to create beautiful pictures for my clients. Duh! If you are trying to do this professionally, THAT is a given! So I started to think about what I strive for... How I want my art to be perceived.

I strive to capture emotional images. In my mind there are documentary photos and emotional photos. The documentary photos are things like school photos, passport photos and church directory photos. "Stand here. smile. snap." They document what someone looked like at that particular moment in time, which is great and necessary, but not what I want to be known for. I want to be known for REFRESHING, unexpected images.

There are so many people who dread having their picture taken. You say photographer and they think stuffy studio with a hard metal stool and turning their head to some unnatural angle. That is not what I want to be known for. I want people to be RELAXED. I love shooting people in settings of their choosing. I am always striving to find ways to help people assume comfortable, natural poses that also help them to look their best.

I want to be able to capture REAL emotion. There are lots of photographers that have a huge storehouse of amazing props and fun costumes. Although I will make some use of these, I want my images to focus more on the subject and less on the extras. There are photographers, primarily commercial photographers, that create these fantastic creations that take hours to plan out and set up. I love to look at these, but it doesn't fit my personality style. My favorite images are pretty simple, but I love it when I capture someone's personality.

Now how do I refine this into a stong vision statement? Hmmm....

I capture distinct moments in your life and the emotion that surrounds them.

Now I just need to strive to do it better!

--Gretchen Blair

my photography blog... gblairphotography.com

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Look back over 2010 | Newborn Photography

2011-01-03T23:51:00.001-08:00

I hope that all of you had a wonderful holiday season. Ours was a quiet celebration. Well, as quiet as you can get with five children. I grew up running from celebration to celebration, surrounded by grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. I know that there are a lot of people who find those kinds of Christmases crazy, but it was my normal.

With the coming of the New Year, comes a time of reflection. I am so blessed to have collected some of the most amazing clients. Many were friends that believed in me, but I love that my customers become my friends.

I love newborn sessions. Partially just because I love newborns, but I also love the privledge of documenting such a precious moment in a family's history. I have gathered some of my favorite images. I hope you enjoy them!

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Must Love Superheros! Maple Valley Children's Photographer | Gretchen Blair

2010-12-01T21:25:00.001-08:00

Check out this adorable little man! These eyelashes are to die for! Not only was this little guy super cute dressed in his Christmas plaid, he was absolutely sweet as sugar. He loves superheros, his favorite being one that I am not very familiar with, the Green Lantern. I definitely need to study up before my little guys reached that age. When I asked him what his favorite movie was, his answer couldn't have been more adorable. His favorite movie is Transformers, BUT his parents haven't let him watch it yet. He was just overflowing with charm and that awesome energy that seems to power little boys endlessly. I love you guys letting me in to your lives. I get to work with the most phenomenal people. This guys mom was the neatest woman... I am pretty sure that most people wouldn't be able to pull off a pairing wonder woman t-shirt and pearls with the grace and southern charm that she did. Unfortunately I wasn't able to catch that illusive boy/puppy combination.

See and download the full gallery on posterous

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Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-24T22:47:00.001-08:00

On this day where we count our blessings, I am not sure even where to begin. I have had such a blessed year. I am so very thankful for everyone who has supported me in this venture as I follow a long time dream. I am so lucky to have family and friends who have supported me. I am also so grateful for all of the new people I have met. I am honored that you shared little bits of your lives with me. I wish everyone an amazing Thanksgiving tomorrow with your loved ones. Eat turkey, watch football, enjoy those close to you!

Happy Thanksgiving!

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Growing with a Family | Gretchen Blair | Maple Valley Family Photographer

2010-11-19T10:30:00.001-08:00

It is so much fun to get to capture a family over time. I got to shoot this Mom when she was pregnant with the adorable redhead. I don't portraits of both boys so the next step was to try and capture the entire family. This was during one of my mini sessions. For my mini sessions, because the shortened time, I tell customers to expect about 5 images. We were blessed that we got a few more in that short time period. Here are a few...

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Oh my gosh.... Can You Handle the Cuteness? | Maple Valley Family Photographer

2010-11-13T15:39:00.001-08:00

This was from a minisession this morning. I woke up to a dreary wet morning and was stressed that I would have to cancel, but I watched the radar and saw that we were in the clear. And we had great light and look at the cuteness we were able to capture. Jen... I am daring you to only pick 3. :)

There are still a couple more openings next Saturday if you are realizing that you need some pictures for this holiday season.

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Take Pictures... Lots and Lots of Pictures...

2010-10-20T15:45:00.001-07:00

My sweet cousin and her awesome husband experienced a devastating loss last week. Their vibrant, healthy little boy was gone in an instant. I am so glad that I flew down to take his newborn pictures. He was a beautiful newborn and they just radiated with love and excitement for their new son. I am so grateful that they indulged me as I was building my portfolio. We always just assume that we will have a tomorrow with our loved ones, but there is no guarantee. It is so hard to realize that the ones you love could be gone in an instant.

I am a photographer. I was a photographer long before I ever tried to do it as a profession. My language is photographs. Anyone who knows me personally knows that my husband and I lost our son 5 years ago. I have tons of photos of my son and now that it is all I have, they are some of my precious items. But even if you don't lose your child, and I pray that none of you ever experience that, they grow up so fast. My precious three year old that used to dress up like a princess to dig up and collect worms, the beautiful little girl that had ringlets down her back, is now fourteen. She is still beautiful and I still get to see her every day, but that three year old is long gone and sometimes I miss her.

Take pictures. Take lots and lots of pictures. Take them with your phone or have them professionally taken... It doesn't really matter. Print some off from time to time. Don't let them all live lost inside of a computer. I haven't found any better way to hang onto the past other than with photos... but then again that is who I am.

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Newborn Sweetness, a Sneak Peek | Maple Valley Newborn Photographer

2010-10-08T23:57:00.001-07:00

This Little Miss was not going to sleep for us on Thursday. We tried and tried. Mom tried, I tried. We were both getting a little frustrated and her big brother, who had been so good, was done. Sometimes the best thing to do is just to reschedule. I came back again today and she was perfect. Look at this sweetness! I LOVE NEWBORNS! I have got to become a huge success with newborn photography so I can keep getting my baby fix. Mine are all growing up too fast.

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Catching Up on the Blog | Maple Valley Senior Portraits | Gretchen Blair

2010-10-05T07:24:00.001-07:00

I realized that I had never blogged about this session. It was ssuch a fun session. Clarissa was an awesome subject and so great to work with. She was even a great sport when we had to work around the rain. Despite the rain, and the broken heel, I think that we got some great shots. Our saving graces were the picnic shelter and mom's umbrellas. Thanks you guys for letting me take your senior portraits!

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Catching up on the Blog | Showcasing a Beautiful Senior | Maple Valley Senior Photographer

2010-09-20T21:55:00.001-07:00

This natural beauty was awesome! She was great and very willing to try some of my harebrained ideas. We had a great time together. We shot these before the school year even began and now, going into the third week, it seems like it is in full swing.

School has only been part of the reason that it has been busy here in my little chaotic world. My five kids might be the other part. I have had some fun doing some sessions with some great seniors. I have been wanting to work on a better way of showcasing the images in my blog and share these guys with the internet. It has taken my a while to get around to actually doing it. This very well might just be a first draft. I always reserve the right to revise! Let me know what you think!

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Weather-smeather... Who Trust Forecasts These Days | Maple Valley Senior Photographer

2010-09-18T14:56:00.001-07:00

For the last week they have been saying 60% chance of rain today. The forecast for today has looked so bad! Then there was some talk that it might dry up this afternoon, but my first shoot as at 9am. At 8:30 I made the call to go ahead with the shoot. As we arrived it was ever so slightly drizzling on us, but we pressed on. By the end of the shoot we were urging the sun to go behind the clouds and trying to find shade. Never trust the Seattle weather forecasts.

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Something a little different for me | Tahoma Senior Photographer | GBlair Photography

2010-09-12T16:02:00.001-07:00

When photographing seniors, my goal is always to incorporate something that has been a big part of their high school experience into their portraits. When you are photographing a high school athlete, that is pretty easy. You have sports equipment, uniforms and sometimes letterman's jackets. What about a theater kid? We decided to experiment with some off-camera flash in the auditorium a completely different arena than outdoor, natural lighting shots. I am sure that I could have dinked around refining this shot for hours. When I realized that I didn't have the brackets to hold the flashes, I had to improvise and use my helpful daughter. I couldn't ask for a more awesome subject though. He was great and I think that the shot worked. What do you think?

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Something a little different for me | Tahoma Senior Photographer | GBlair Photography

2010-09-12T15:21:00.001-07:00

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Sneak Peek from Saturday's Family Session | Maple Valley Family Photographer

2010-09-05T22:37:00.001-07:00

Great family, good friends. I got the pleasure of shooting some good friends this weekend. We didn't let the dark gloomy clouds scare us off- and it was worth it. I had to share this one. If I posted it on a forum for critique, it would get picked apart. Horizon through the head is a big no no. But I don't care... I LOVE it.

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Tahoma Senior-

2010-09-02T21:35:00.001-07:00

I had a fun evening running around with this beautiful girl and her mom. Well, mom didn't really run, she more hobbled with her broken foot, good sport that she is. I am glad we decided to make the trek down to the river area and get some shots in front of the grafitti wall. We got a couple of great ones shot in between the distraction of the jumping salmon.

Gretchen Blair

my photography blog... gblairphotography.blogspot.com

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August 22-28: Faces

2010-09-02T08:40:00.001-07:00

Things are getting pretty busy with school about to start back up. I only got 3 shots that week. This week the theme is "My Favorite Things." I have realized that most of my favorite things are intangible and the things that are tangible aren't things that I have readily available at my house. I am thinking that I should surround myself with more of my favorite things. Of course the shots I got for the faces week could easily pass for both weeks as they are some of my most favorite things.

See the full gallery on posterous

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Wall Layout | Gretchen Blair | Maple Valley Family Photographer

2010-09-01T22:34:00.001-07:00

Look at what I am working on. I went over to a client's house to help her figure out how to use her existing frames for an amazing wall gallery of her images from her family shoot. This whole display is going to take up about a 4' x 3' square on her wall. The combination of color pictures and black and white pictures, big pictures and small pictures are going to make for a fabulous display. I can't wait to see it hanging up. I do have it kinda backwards though, because her wall has color, the mats are all white and the frames are out of a nice warm wood. I will try and post pictures of the finished project.

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Saturday Fun at a Great Workshop | Maple Valley Photographer

2010-08-30T23:18:00.001-07:00

So last week I was kind of whiny. So sorry. Mom life had been wearing on me. But then, what great luck!... Through facebook, I found out that a photographer that I took a workshop from last winter was back in town for another workshop. So, I messaged him to see if there were any available spots left. I found out at 7:30 Saturday morning that they did have room. They started shooting at 9:00... In Everett. Hmmm.... Hard decision. Should I grab my gear and jump in the car for a day of shooting? Should I abandon the 5 kids to the care of my husband who thought that WE were going to spend the day staining our poor weather beaten deck? Not only did my awesome husband told me to go and practically pushed me out the door, he actually got the deck stained while I was gone. I got to have a very enjoyable day discussing strobes and aperture with adults, envying everyone else's very cool toys and basking in all of the photographic knowledge that was there. I definitely was the freshman of the group when discussing these complicated lighting set ups. Don is a great instructor and his workshops (http://www.learntolight.com/) are a great way to spend a day.

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Random Ramblings... | Maple Valley Family Photographer

2010-08-26T10:28:00.001-07:00

I was listening to a very successful photographer talk about how she got her start. She firmly believes in frequently updated blogs. She also believes in putting more personal info in the blogs so that the reader actually gets to know you the photographer. At this point almost all of my readers are my personal friends, but sometimes you guys are still amused by what I have to say... sometimes...

I love this picture. It's not like it is good or anything, but I really think that it is a picture of my life. I have 5 kids running around my house. FIVE! I love them to pieces- most days. The problem is sheer numbers. When you have five, the chances that at any one point in time someone is going to need something are significantly higher than if you just have 2. Most of the time there is at least somebody at my house that NEEDS something... and a good portion of the time those needs come out as a cry or a whine.

Sometimes I feel like I need a vacation. I mean, we DID just get back from 2 weeks visiting family in Texas, but I am not sure if that was a vacation. I had five kids with me! Don't get me wrong, we had a blast, but I didn't get to escape my everyday duties. What would I consider a vacation? Honestly, it would be some sort of photography workshop. I love being a photographer. Just getting out for a shoot is a little mini vacation for me. I get to leave behind all of the things begging for my attention (the kids, the dog, the laundry, the dirty cabinet doors, the soap scum on the shower door...) and capture beautiful images for someone. I get to spend some time doing something that I am actually good at (don't look at my shower doors- I am not very good at that). I get to complete a train of thought- a huge luxury that I rarely get at home. I get to awe people. Nothing is better than that. Nothing is better than to see someone get excited about an image that you have captured. Love it!

Maybe it is just a instant gratification thing. Taking pictures is much closer to instant gratification, especially in the digital age. You shoot a picture, you see it in the little LCD screen. It looks promising. If you are like me, you might even flip back through them if you are at a long stoplight as you are driving home (probably shouldn't admit that). Then you get home, you see it on the screen. You feel all warm an fuzzy. Then you get to order it, hopefully big, and give it to the customer and see their smile. Huge payoff. Raising kids... it take much longer for those pay offs. My older two are turning into pretty awesome kids and we are so very proud of them, but the stakes are much bigger and it is a much more long term project.

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This week: Sequences/ Storyboards

2010-08-21T21:30:00.001-07:00

I loved this theme. It was a lot of work, but I LOVE making storyboards. Two of this weeks creations are going to be album pages for an album I am going to make of this summer. I only cheated and used old pictures on one day.

See the full gallery on posterous

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August 8-14: A Week in Your Life

2010-08-14T20:55:00.001-07:00

This week's images were just supposed to represent a week in your life.

I think I did a fair job of giving a glimpse into my life. I still am not as good at "lifestyle photography" as I would like to be, but you always need something to work on!

See the full gallery on posterous

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My Little Guy

2010-08-14T07:53:00.001-07:00

He is growing up WAY too fast. I love this picture of him! It shows so much of his personality. Isn't he just the cutest little bug?

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Cupcakes with the Cousins

2010-08-07T08:28:00.001-07:00

We just got back from 2 weeks in Texas. We planned on spending one day running around Austin taste testing cupcakes. Our first stop was Polkadot Cupcakes in West Campus. Teeny tiny little pace with yummy, yummy cupcakes. Our second stop was a bakery co-owned by Sandra Bullock with much more ymuuies than just cupcakes. Unfortunately, they wouldn't allow photos. :( After that our kids were actually ready for REAL food (go figure!) and we were running out of time if we were going to make it to the Zilker Hillside's performance of Annie. It was a fun, fun day.

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This week was The Seven Colors of the Rainbow

2010-07-17T10:06:00.001-07:00

I only got 5 pictures this week, but that isn't too bad. We were busy with VBS and the cousins in town.

See the full gallery on posterous

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July 4-10 Theme: Unfocused!

2010-07-17T08:52:00.001-07:00

Two weeks ago the theme was unfocused. With the friends that were in town that week we went to the zoo and the aquarium and I got some fun shots.

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June 28th-July 3 Items that tell about you

2010-07-17T08:48:00.001-07:00

I am so behind in posting these. We are on day 18 of consistent out of town guests so we have been busy, busy. Throw in VBS last week and I haven't gotten much done. But I have been having a lot of fun. :)

I actually have been doing pretty well in taking the pictures, so points for me.

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This week was Food

2010-06-27T12:36:00.001-07:00

I only managed 5 this week. I actually took a picture on Friday and never got the chance to post it. Then, I erased it on Saturday without thinking. Dan had to work on Saturday, making it a little more hectic than usuall and, although I took lots of pictures, none had to do with the theme. Next week starts the beginning of all of our Summer visitors, so who knows how well I will keep up.

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Week before last: BUGS

2010-06-27T12:31:00.001-07:00

Just realized that I didn't post these to the blog. Here is the 13-19th of June.

6 out of 7 days last week. Not too bad. It was almost too cold and rainy last week to find many bugs. This would have been a much easier theme if we lived in Texas! :)

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Tuesday's Tip for Better Photos (on Wednesday) | Maple valley Photographer

2010-06-23T21:56:00.001-07:00

Today's tip is to check your background.

I have learned that more than anything else, improving your photography is primarily about training your eye to see more and more details. All too often we are snapping pictures of our children and we are SO focused on their cuteness that we don't notice how cluttered the background it. At my house we have many, many pictures of somone sitting at the table, with their lit birthday cake and behind them, the pantry door is wide open. All too many times I would only notice it days later as I was looking at the pictures. For the rest of their lives, my children will be able to look back at their childhood milestones and see the dissarray of pasta, can goods and other chaos in our pantry. I have now gotten much better about scanning the background BEFORE we light the birthday candles. All too often we take pictures only from the view point where we happen to be with out realizing that if we would just move 3 feet, we would no longer have a cluttered background. Some of the easiest ways to simplify the background:

Stand Up- a higher vanatge point will turn more of your background into the surface that your subject is standing on

Reposition your subject- Especially when you are taking those "stand against the wall and smile" milestone pictures (such as first lost tooth, first day of school, etc.) Find a plain wall or other surface and have them stand about 2-3 steps in front of it. Watch for picture frames or other wall hangings that might be creeping in.

Use a shallow DOF- One great way that some photographers will simplify their background is to use a shallow "Depth of Field." The result is a blurry background that attracts less attention. If you are shooting in manual or aperature Priority, this can be a great option.

There are some major things to avoid in your background

Trees, Poles and other things growing out of your subjects heads.

Horizons, or other prominant horizontal lines dissecting your subject (especially anywhere between the shoulders and top of head).

Patches of bright light or other prominant objects that would draw attention away from your subject.

Taking pictures of your life is first and formost about capturing the moment. All too often, especially when photographing children, the moment passes too quickly to make sure that you have all the pieces right to make the perfect photograph. During those times I will ALWAYS fall on the side of seizing the moment, but when there are just some little changes to make to get a better picture, it is worth it.

I have attached some snapshots taken in bright sun with only somewhat cooperative subjects. :)
The first one exemplifies my seizing the moment, despite the bright pink object behind her.

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At the Fair... | GBlair Photography | Maple Valley Family Photographer

2010-06-17T19:30:00.001-07:00

Some more of my session at Maple Valley Days...

We didn't realize at the time that we really should have been soaking up all of that good weather. Who knew it would have been so yucky this week. These guys were Champs! Not only were we taking pictures in a very public place, I had my flash and umbrella, so we were really obvious about it.

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Last weeks Theme was light...

2010-06-13T19:34:00.001-07:00

I only missed Friday. You can blame it on the Zack Arias internet workshop... It sucked me in... I only have a picture from Saturday because I had a session.

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Sneak Peek! Maple Valley Days | Maple Valley Family Photographer

2010-06-12T22:33:00.001-07:00

I got to do a fun shoot this evening. We decided that a fun backdrop would be all of the lights and fun of Maple Valley Days. It is late and I am only editing this one picture before I go to bed.

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Tuesday's Tip for Better Photos

2010-06-08T22:34:00.001-07:00

Tuesday's Tip for Better Photos

Sorry I missed last week. Coming off of Memorial Day threw me for a loop. I just barely made it today. :)

Change your Point of View!!!

The bulk majority of pictures are taken from an adults standing height. Try something new. Stand on a chair, get down on the floor.
It is amazing how some simple changes like that can improve your snapshots. There are some noticeable advantages to changing your viewpoint.

1. It adds interest!!!
Taking pictures from your normal viewpoint just documents objects the way that most people observe them. Get down and take pictures of the
flowers from a worms point of view and really get peoples attention.

2. Use it to Accentuate certain Features-
Want to emphasize how small your child is? Shoot down on them. Want to pull the viewer into a soccer picture? Take a picture from the ball's
point of view. Show how tall a building is by shooting up the corner of it.

3. Use this technique to Simplify the Background-
Shooting down while outdoors can remove some of the distractions from the background filling it with grass. Shooting up can fill the
background with sky.

4. Fit the Whole Group in-
Shooting down at large group minimizes the space used for bodies and legs and emphasizes the faces.

5. Use it to Eliminate Double Chins-
For those of us that are carrying around a couple of extra pounds just looking up slightly can stretch out the neck helping with those double chins.

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Negative space

2010-06-05T20:56:00.001-07:00

This weeks theme was negative space. It was a fun theme and I am pretty sure that I actually posted every day... I think. Here were some of my pictures.

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Beautiful Backlight

2010-06-03T10:02:00.001-07:00

Just a quick picture to some yummy morning backlight (it would have been even better had it been a little earlier). Note when choosing clothing for pictures it is important not to choose tiny patterns like in this dress. They tend to do funny things on camera.

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Black and White

2010-05-27T17:59:00.001-07:00

This weeks theme is black and white. I am not being as creative as some of the others who are taking pictures of black and white items, I am just taking normal pictures and converting them to black and white. Maybe for the last two days I will find some more creative juices.

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Tuesday's Tip For better Photos (a day late)

2010-05-26T15:14:00.001-07:00

Tuesday’s Tip for Better Photos

Rule of Thirds – Stop Centering Your Subject!

When we start taking pictures what is the natural instinct? Line the subject up in the cross hairs and shoot! We aren’t hunting. Let your poor subject live!

Today we are going to talk about a composition rule that is one of the first rules that people learn when they start studying photography: The Rule of Thirds. On some of the photography forums there are people who are pretty militant about it. Instead of considering it a “Rule”, I like to think of it as more of a recipe, but I will explain that a little later.

First of all, I wanted to find the origin of “Rule of Thirds” (ROT). When I looked it up it seemed that most people agree that ROT derives from the The Golden Ratio. The Golden Ratio is a mathematical constant (like π). It is a ratio that has been thought since the Renaissance to be aesthetically pleasing to the human eye. Leonardo de Vinci studied how it related to some bodily proportions and Adolph Zeising studied it in nature. ROT is an almost crude simplification of it.

When you place your subject in the middle of the image, you create a very static and uninteresting image that seems to be more documentation than artistic imagery. Applying ROT creates a composition that is pleasing to the eye and seems balanced and unified. To apply ROT to your pictures, imagine an equally spaced tic-tac-toe board on your viewfinder and try to align your points of interest with the grid. Extra points if you put your subject at one of the intersections.

Like I said, consider it a recipe, not a rule. Some people are great cooks. They never measure. It is always a dash of this and a pinch of that. Similarly some people have a more intuitive sense of balance. There are instructions on the photography forums for how to set up ROT grids on your editing software and some point and shoot cameras that offer it in the viewfinder/LCD screen, but there are lots of people who just develop a feel for it. Rule of Thirds is a recipe to help you get more pleasing compositions, but how strictly you follow it has to do with your comfort level with finding balance.

Quick Tips:

· Take Your subject out of the center

· Have more space in the direction that the subject is facing

· Try and align horizon line with one of the ROT lines

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One Picture of My Boy

2010-05-22T07:46:00.001-07:00

I have a friend who has her son's picture taken every year in a certain sweater of her husband's. I love that tradition, so I decided to start it with the baby. I am using a rugby jersey that my husband has. Griffin is too little to fit into it right now, but you get the idea.

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More from Last Week's Senior Session-

2010-05-21T13:50:00.001-07:00

I had such a great time with Kelly and his mom. He was so nice to accomodate some of my goofball posing ideas. We got some really great images too. This is a fabulous location with a ton of variety. It would be interesting to do a family shoot here if anyone was up to that. We shot these during the middle of the day which limited some of our choices. It was really hard to get anything with the water in the background. Now with our late summer evenings, we could get even more variety. How fun would that be?

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365 day- Accidental Letters

2010-05-19T21:49:00.001-07:00

This week's theme is fun: Accidental Letters. Some letters are a lot easier to find than others. The group shot are my initials. Can you figure out the others?

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Tuesday's Tip for Better Photos

2010-05-18T22:10:00.001-07:00

Tuesday’s Better Photo Tips

We are going to start with tips about composition. Employing these tips on composition will improve your photos dramatically no matter whether you are shooting with a DSLR, a point and shoot or even a disposable.

Today’s tip: Simplify!

When you are taking a picture, you are making a statement. What are you trying to say? What are you trying to remember forever? Just if you are writing a paragraph or giving a speech, if you include too much information the recipient gets distracted or confused. Choose one object or story for your picture to be about and make sure that the only things in the picture help tell the story or emphasize the object.

One of the easiest ways to do this is to Fill the Frame. Zoom in closer. Whether you just have to push a button or you have to walk up closer to your subject. As you zoom in, you eliminate all of the clutter that will distract the viewer from your subject.

Also, Check Your Background. One of the big problems at our house is pictures taken at the kitchen table, only to see the open pantry door. If you notice something like that, walking over and closing the door can make a dramatically better picture. If you can walk 3 feet and change the background behind your subject from a park with kids playing, to solid greenery, move. One easy way to get a simpler background, especially outdoors, is to get higher than the subject (filling more of the background with grass). Understandably there are moments that won’t wait for you to make adjustments. Those moments you have to catch while you can. In those instances the moment you are trying to capture is more important than the quality of the picture.

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Senior Session

2010-05-15T16:54:00.001-07:00

We had a great senior session this afternoon! Kelly is an awesome kid and was such an adventurist with some of the places I sent him. We had fun discovering all of the cool spots around Maplewood Park. I am realizing that the graffiti wall is always changing which can be a challenge. One sneak peek shot from the session...

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Product Profile

2010-05-15T07:50:00.001-07:00

A way to keep your images with you and show them off to everyone you see. The book is 5x7 making it the perfect size to tote around and yet still have large enough images to enjoy the detail. The images in the book are protected by a translucent plastic front cover and another plastic cover on the back. This option comes in the second package or can be ordered A La Carte.

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This week... Show us your hometown.

2010-05-14T20:21:00.001-07:00

It has been a busy week... Here are some of my images for this weeks 365 day theme.

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Tuesday Tips for Better Photos

2010-05-11T13:28:00.001-07:00

I have had several people approach me about helping them with their photography. Although I don’t really have the time right now, with a new business, a new baby and 4 other kiddos, I thought I could start posting weekly tips on my blog. So in the future look for Tuesday’s Tips for better photos.

Today we are going to talk a little bit about cameras. It is so easy to say “Oh, my photos would be better if only I had a better camera.” We live in such a gadget focused world that it is so easy to fall prey to the “I need that” disease- you can find it all over photography forums.

Have you ever gone over to a friend’s house, had an amazing meal and then ask what brand of pots and pans they have, expecting to be able to cook the same meal at home? Getting the same paint and canvas as an artist doesn’t mean that you will instantly be able to create a masterpiece. If you want to be impressed go to www.thebestcamera.com to see fabulous pictures taken with iphones. So many people think that once they get a DSLR (the big cameras with interchangeable lenses) they automatically get fantastic photos, but that isn’t the case. In fact, if you have no plans to shoot in manual, you’d probably be best served by a point and shoot. As you build your photography skills, you might want to upgrade to a DSLR, but you can begin taking better pictures with whatever camera you currently own.

Tip #1: READ YOUR MANUAL

You know the little book that came with your camera. If you are anything like me that book is somewhere in a box, in a closet… maybe. Good news! Google your camera make and model number and you should be able to find a PDF version on the web. Find out what the icons other than the green square do.

Tip #2: Take lots of pictures!

Don’t reserve the camera for special occasions. Use it every day. One advantage of point and shoots is that they are often small enough to fit in a pocket or purse. Taking more pictures will help in several ways. First it will help you to see things a little different. You will start noticing things you didn't notice before. Secondly, great for all of you moms, your kids will get so used to it that they have no problem going on with their regular lives. If you only pull it out for special occasions and then line everyone up to say cheese, all you will ever get is stiff pictures with bad flash and red eye.

Tip #3: Take pictures during the action instead of stopping the action.

This is really just a continuation of tip#2. Try to capture life rather than taking a picture. Sometimes the best pictures are the ones where someone is wrapped up in what they are doing. It will always have more emotion than calling someone over and telling them to say cheese. Most times all you need is to say their name for them to look up and then quickly snap the picture. I am not saying that the attached picture is some phenominal image, but it is a great capture of a sweet moment and that is my primary goal for our family snapshots.

CAPTURE LIFE! Snap those photos because before you know it, the moment will be gone and the babies will be grown.

Next week we will talk about composition.

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This week- Show us your Hometown

2010-05-10T19:26:00.001-07:00

Hard to take pictures of your hometown when you live 1800 miles away, but this is my current hometown, Maple Valley, Washington. This is a picture of the Cedar River just before it runs under the Maple Valley Highway. I always love to look at this view when I drive across the river.

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Product Profile- 10"x20" Storyboard

2010-05-08T16:44:00.001-07:00

One option for your images is the 10" x 20" custom storyboard. Made with 2-3 images from your session, the story board is custom configured for the look you want. This one is from a newborn session, focusing on all of the little details that are gone all too quickly. Remember the peely skin? the tiny toes? What a perfect way to showcase those newborn memories! It also would be perfect for a family session, compiling different individual shots and the group shot together. This comes mounted on double thickness matboard and is ready for framing. There are so many options for your images these days. Watch for more product profiles to come!

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365-Affection-Wednesday

2010-05-05T17:12:00.001-07:00

The baby and yet another big sister.

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365- Affection

2010-05-04T16:17:00.001-07:00

Today's posting for affection.

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This week: Affection

2010-05-03T15:43:00.001-07:00

Live subjects that I have to bribe or otherwise get to comply... Macro was easier. This one was pretty easy. My 4 year old with her little brother. I love the light in this picture. I was using high tech equipment such as window light and a plastic serving tray as a reflector. Too bad I chopped her fingers... I am not crazy about her hand being there in the first place. I tried to move it, but then I couldn't get as good of expressions from her and the baby started to wake.

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Friday Macro

2010-04-30T17:58:00.001-07:00

I am still missing that all illusive water droplet, but here is a tulip and some bells.

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Friday's Macro

2010-04-30T17:52:00.001-07:00

[IMG]http://i694.photobucket.com/albums/vv306/theblairfam/April30-3.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i694.photobucket.com/albums/vv306/theblairfam/April30-1.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i694.photobucket.com/albums/vv306/theblairfam/April30-2.jpg[/IMG]

I have actually kept up this week! Pretty exciting! I still have not captured the illusive water drop, but here is a tulip and some bells.

-
Gretchen Blair

my photography blog... gblairphotography.blogspot.com

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Macro- Thursday's offering

2010-04-29T15:17:00.001-07:00

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Another plant Macro...

2010-04-28T18:00:00.001-07:00

Not very exciting, but here is a sunflower sprout... macro style!

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More Macro- Baby Parts!

2010-04-27T15:13:00.001-07:00

Some baby G details! Love those lips!

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More Macro....

2010-04-26T19:17:00.001-07:00

Went outside in the drizzle to get some shots for today's post.

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This week... Macro!

2010-04-25T20:28:00.001-07:00

Macro is something I really need to work on. I see all of these really cool macro shots and then I try to take one and they just really lack the coolness factor. Hopefully I will be much better by Saturday! I have all these baby parts that make for pretty cool macro shots!

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The youngest 2...

2010-04-23T11:39:00.001-07:00

Just a snapshot... Iwas trying to get some pictures of my little man. I was trying to get him asleep, but had no luck. The sister climbing on him might have been part of the problem. -that and she kept trying to mess with his pacifier. Evidently his spare pacifier wasn't enough for her.

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Shadows

2010-04-20T17:33:00.001-07:00

Sundays, Mondays and 3 for today. One of them is my naked bathroom. We had a flood and now our master bath is naked. It has no floor, no cabinets, no toilet, no sinks, no countertops... Poor little naked bathroom. Also here is a picture of my beautiful boy. He is 16 days old today!

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Last week- Framing

2010-04-20T17:30:00.001-07:00

I have been neglecting this little blog for too long!

Here are some of my posts for last weeks 365 day theme which was framing.

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Baby in the bowl

2010-04-17T17:54:00.001-07:00

My most difficult model... My little Baby G!

My difficulty might be being in my own house... AND the parents (me) don't control the older siblings! I also think that it is harder for me to devote the time that it might take to get Baby G in a good deep sleep- I tend to just want to put it off until a later time. Anyway- I did get a couple of cute ones today.

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The Chunk...

2010-04-11T17:03:00.001-07:00

My little guy! Griffin was born on Easter Sunday weighing a whopping 10 lbs and 8 oz. All of the girls just love him to death.

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Playing Catch Up...

2010-04-09T17:37:00.001-07:00

This is the beautiful little girl that I photographed the Sunday before I had my little man. Don't you just love this hair? I thought it was adorable. She was so sweet and slept the entire time I was there. There is also a shot with her big sister with amazing eyes.

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More from Saturday's Session

2010-04-02T12:27:00.001-07:00

Well as we wait for the baby in this household, I am trying to get some editing done. Here is some more of the sweet baby girl that I took pictures of last Saturday. She was almost 9 lbs and so adorable.

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Green with Envy...

2010-03-28T20:32:00.001-07:00

I got to spend my afternoon taking pictures of this sweet little thing. LOVE this hair!!! Now I am officially very behind on editing pictures. I processed this picture becasue it went with the theme 365 day group that I try to participate in (stressing the word TRY). I had to stop myself because I have to finish up the last of my senior sessions from last weekend and then my session from yesterday. But here is the one that I processed... Isn't she ADORABLE???

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Just one Picture of 7 day old Sweetness...

2010-03-27T21:48:00.001-07:00

I got to meet this awesome family last month when I did mom's maternity pictures. Their little 2 year old is ecstatic to be a big sister. I was lucky enough today to get to meet this sweet 7 day old baby. But, being as I had to come home to get ready for a birthday dinner for my favorite 4 year old princess and I am one tired pregnant lady, tonight is just a tease. Just one picture is edited to show this baby girl's sweetness.

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This weeks theme: Night Images

2010-03-23T16:02:00.001-07:00

I missed Sunday... But I did get out and take a night picture last night. The hopping metropolis of Maple Valley!

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New Gallery on the Blogsite

2010-03-21T21:18:00.001-07:00

Check it out HERE. After all of the crouching and climbing yesterday, my legs feel like they have had a major workout, but it was worth it. I now have a teen gallery on the blogsite. I am so thankful for everyone who came out yesterday. They were such great kids and luckily for me, everyone was so photogenic. For those of you who paricipated, it is going to take me a little longer to get the rest of the photos edited, but I was so excited to share these. I hope you guys enjoy them!

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Worn Out After an Awesome Day!!!

2010-03-20T16:47:00.001-07:00

It was a long day for this very pregnant lady, but I got some great shots and met some amazing kids! I was so incredibly impressed by how nice and polite all of the teens I worked with today were. It made for a fun day. I hate to totally just tease everyone with just one image... but, it is all I can get to until later this evening.

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This week.... Perspective

2010-03-18T20:34:00.001-07:00

I am having a hard time keeping up with things. I have been taking the 365 day picture... well, most of the time. Here are some of the recent pictures. I am not terrible happy with my interpretation of the theme, but I am taking pictures.

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Excited about Next Saturday!

2010-03-13T15:06:00.001-08:00

We went out this morning to test out a location to use for next Saturday's Senior Style casting call. LOVE IT!!! There are so many options for several different looks all at the same place. My oldest was a trooper, but the 10 year old really wasn't crazy about playing model this morning. Despite it all, we got some great shots!

I am off to go sell girlscout cookies, but I will contact everyone about next Saturday this evening.

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Reminder about the Casting Call

2010-03-11T20:01:00.001-08:00

I just wanted to remind everyone that I am looking for 15-17 year olds to participate in some Senior style mini sessions on Saturday May 20th. Details are on the facebook page. I will be making the decision on Saturday. If you are interested, just post on the FB page and I will contact you through that.

GBlair Photography Facebook Page

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This weeks theme: Something Old

2010-03-10T13:29:00.001-08:00

I have been bad about posting this weeks 365day pictures on my blog. Here are the last 3 days. I don't have a lot of really cool old stuff and I tend to take my pictures during nap time so I can't venture out anywhere. Several people have taken pictures of cool old cars. Although by most definitions our cars are old, they aren't the cool kind of old.

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3/6/10 Colour Accents

2010-03-07T09:15:00.001-08:00

It was a busy, day and this one turned a little more abstract than I was planning.

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Today's for the critique thread

2010-03-06T18:42:00.001-08:00

Today my oldest was in her school's production of Cinderella. They encouraged the little girls to dress up like princesses and had a princess parade across the stage before the play began. When I went to take a picture of the 4 year old, I realized that I had forgotten to replace my flash card. So, when we got home we had to take a couple of pictures.

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3/05/10 Colour Accents

2010-03-06T10:35:00.001-08:00

Some yellow plums while we sold Girl Scout cookies at the MV market.

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Two of my other girls... (I have a bunch of them)

2010-03-05T19:48:00.001-08:00

Some of the others I have posted for this week's critique thread.

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3/4/10 Colour Accents

2010-03-04T19:16:00.001-08:00

So this didn't quite fit the theme. It is much more of a colorful accent than a color accent. It is still kinda cute... and taken today.

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The Belly and the Beast

2010-03-04T10:41:00.001-08:00

A little self portrait. I tried to get this kind of shot with my maternity session on Saturday, but I think that her little girl was a little too old (longer legs) and I was too self conscious to take a ton of pictures tweaking between each one. This is a self portrait, so I wasn't too concerned about what the subject thought. My almost 2 year old's legs are almost too long, but I think that they just make it.

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3/3/10 Colour Accent

2010-03-03T17:29:00.001-08:00

The ever so popular color accent here in the Pacific Northwest... MOSS!!! I LOVE taking pictures of moss. Weird, I know. I haven't done very much of it with my macro lens, but here goes.

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3/2/10 Colour Accents

2010-03-02T18:25:00.001-08:00

I sure hope we don't have anymore freezes or anything, because my plants definitely think that it is spring. My picture for today...

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Just my girl....

2010-03-02T09:22:00.001-08:00

I am taking part of an exercise on the forum where you post 2 pictures a day for some intense critique. These are pictures I took yesterday afternoon for today's post.

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3/1/10 Colour Accent

2010-03-01T19:36:00.001-08:00

Don't you just love "colour"? We have a bunch of Aussies on the board. The kids found the stash of plastic eggs and now they are strewn all through out the house, but it inspired me for my picture of the day.

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Expecting a Little Sister!

2010-03-01T12:46:00.001-08:00

In part of my crazy Saturday, I got the privilege of taking some pictures of this family who is anxiously awaiting little girl #2. The weather unexpectedly held out for us and we were able to get some shots at a great little waterfront beach. I would have been content to hang around a little longer and get some more shots at the waterfront, but I was late for my date to sell girl scout cookies.

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2/25/2010 -Catch lights

2010-02-25T21:41:00.001-08:00

Busy day! It is almost 10:00 and the oldest and I are getting home from Cinderella practice. Made her lie on the floor really quick to take my 365 shot.

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Welcome to the world Baby H!

2010-02-25T13:03:00.001-08:00

Is this the sweetest little guy? He was all of 5 days old. I actually used my little space heater and we (the adults) were cooking but baby H just slept like a champ. He actually slept a little too well, as it would have been nice to get a couple with his little eyes open. I still kind of struggle with a touch of performance anxiety where I tend to forget all of the ideas I wanted to try.

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