It was a beautiful day for taking portraits ... the weather was warm and breezy. We had to shoot just short of the perfect light but their precious little spirits made it worth the hunt for beautiful shade and colorful backgrounds.

You may recognize this baby boy from our BABY FACE Contest. Chaz was our Grand Prize Winner ... with those eyes, there is no wonder! Be looking for an update of our website in the next couple of weeks. Along with a Complimentary Portrait Session and a 16x20 Wall Portrait, Chaz wins an exclusive spot on our webpage.

Hope you enjoy this little peek into our afternoon.

Sometimes, when things just don't go the way they are supposed to ... like when I get home from a shoot and find all my images are bad because of a camera error ... I wonder if I should really be doing this. It's easy to doubt myself and think that there are so many others who could do the job I do so much better.

Then there are days when I get to spend some special time with a special little girl ... and I know why I've chosen to be behind a camera recording memories to be treasured for always. Today was one of those days. Today, Lilly (and Baby Wesley) came for a visit ... and we got to capture some of those precious moments.

Lilly is a special little one to my heart. She is the granddaughter of a friend of mine and I just love her to pieces. Lilly has a disease called Neurofibromatosis. This disease will cause her little body to be invaded by tumors that will not go away, as well as other related complications. Most of the time, this disease does not progress until puberty but for Lilly, it has already begun. She has already endured lots of tests and a biopsy and now faces an MRI in the next couple of weeks. She'll soon be having surgery to remove the first agressive tumor that is growing on her tongue. I know all those who treasure her would appreciate your prayers.

If you'd like more information on this disease, you can go to the Children's Tumor Foundation website and read up on it. Her mom will be hosting an NF Tea Party in the near future to help with fund raising for research. We look forward to being a part in some way. We'll keep you informed about that.

Here is a peek into our afternoon ... I know it will make you smile as much as it did us.

Today I had the pleasure of conducting my first 'father and sons' portrait session. Kind of reminded me of that show that many of you have never heard of  ... My Three Sons ~ smile. Got together with these nice young men and their dad as a gift for their mom's upcoming birthday. John assures me that his wife will not see this entry ... she apparently is too intelligent to spend her free time surfing the net or lurking on blogs such as this. Still, if anyone should see her, do keep it to yourself that you saw her boys on this page.

We did have a few moments of calm and cooperation ...

BUT ... if you know these boys, then you know that SOME fun must be had when they are present. Glad that we got to have a part in it.

If you haven't yet recognized these silly boys ...  maybe this one will help jog your memory! Anyone ever see John do that from the pulpit? ~ smile

AND ... I have to tell you that I began to laugh out loud when I took a look at these photos for the first time on my big screen. During our session, I asked them to give me some attitude. It cracked me up to see how John and Randall had taken the same exact pose in response to my suggestion. What is that they say? Like Father, Like Son  ... or ... hmmmm, could it be that it's the other way around?

 Hope you enjoy this little peek! Thanks, Guys, for letting us join the fun.

Azalea Park in Summerville, South Carolina is a wonderful backdrop for a portrait session ... and two precious little munchkins will complete the beautiful scene.

You may recognize Earl from our BABY FACE contest. He didn't end up winning the contest but he's definitely got one of the cutest little faces you'll ever see. I was so blessed that baby Earl and big sister, Audrey, allowed me to capture a few of their precious smiles in spite of the ending results of the contest. =0)

Here are a few images from our session:

I'm in South Carolina again ... this time, for a photography conference. I'm learning so much and can't wait to begin implementing some of the new ideas that are being shared.

Blessings for you all this week! penny