Sandy Smiles :: Killeen Children's Photographer

Playgrounds are wonderful things. Swings. Slides. Space to run. SAND! So the swings and slides and space to run are great for toddlers. Sand is really great for babies with their tactile explorations. This little fellow would have contentedly grabbed and poured sand all afternoon, had he not had the unfortunate idea to eat the sand. After that, he was happy to smile at mommy and chase after the big kids.

Ice, Ice Baby

So it is not five feet of snow. Goodness, it isn't even five centimeters of snow. But it is icy. And cold. And that combination is a rare find in Central Texas. So, I dashed outside in my pajamas and a sweatshirt to preserve the scene that was already melting in the morning sun. Isn't ice lovely when you don't have to drive in it?

I ♥ Faces Contest Entry, Week 3 :: Killeen Maternity Photogrpaher

Here we are at Week 3 of the I Heart Faces photo contest...the first week with a theme. And I found themes give me stress. Far more stress than a fun contest should! (Excuse me, Type A Personality, can you step aside a moment?) 

Anyway, I scoured my photo coffers for kid and adult pictures that exuded JOY. I found this gem from Thanksgiving...can you even remember the days when ice cream alone made you laugh and giggle?

::KID ENTRY::

For all the women out there who have ever been pregnant, you KNOW you have to be full of JOY to be able to leap when you are so very full of baby:

::ADULT ENTRY::

Patriotism :: Fort Hood Military Photographer

For those who follow my blog, you have read of my connection to the military. My father served in the Navy for 26 years, I served in the Navy, too, and I am now married to an Army man. I love the military. I love the people who have sworn to protect the United States from all enemies, foreign and domestic. And I love to welcome them home from war.

Here in Fort Hood, Welcome Home Ceremonies are occurring almost daily as two units are returning from very long deployments. At the same time, though, a third unit is bidding farewell to their soldiers and starting the seemingly interminable countdown to their own homecoming celebration. It is the cycle we live as Army families. It is hard, but there is so much pride and patriotism amongst the men and women who serve so devotedly.

The deployment is long, for both the soldier and the family, but somehow the thrill of the return erases all the terrible days and makes you forget the last fifteen months as you melt into that long awaited embrace. To all the men and women who have recently returned, THANK YOU AND WELCOME HOME!

::Sneak Peek: Laughing Lads and a Lass::

What is a photographer? Based upon my recent session with these energetic children, a photographer is someone who can employ bribery, coercion, praise, and guidance with the facility of a kind hearted nanny with a disciplinarian streak. Oh, and while doing all of the above, you must balance a stuffed Nemo clown fish on your head...if you want smiles and great eye contact...I think the choice of a clown fish is fitting...

Hey, whatever it takes, right?! Using all the tricks I knew, I did capture the enthusiasm, joy and happiness of these three siblings. I always love a session filled with giggles and laughter and this one did not fail me at all! Enjoy your peek!

::I ♥ Faces Kids Contest Entry, Week 2::

Week Two of the I Heart Faces Contest and here is my Kids Category entry. This little man is intoxicated by the love of his daddy:

::Sneak Peek: The Deployment Stork::

This little bundle of love has been the eager anticipation of his mother and father for the last nine months. And he must have known his arrival would be more spectacular if everyone was around for it...he politely waited one day after his daddy returned home from deployment in Iraq before making his big debut. Talk about timing!

And, of course, I was honored to preserve these tender, treasured moments of newness. Newness to the family, to the world and to his own history. It is hard not to wonder what this little life will become and what he will do in the years to come. But let's not get ahead of ourselves! He is only 6 days old. Give him time to cut some teeth and learn to feed himself, then we can tackle the cure for cancer.

May your family now feel complete! Enjoy your peek!

::I'm a winner!::

Oh me, oh my, my entry to the first week of the "I Heart Faces" competition won 5th place! Okay, not a blue ribbon entry, but I placed! My picture was awarded a number! Out of 209 entries in the kids category, mine merited mention. And that makes me very happy! (So happy, I am using exclamation points in an excessive manner...sorry.)

Click the link below and you can see the other winners, and you can consider entering next week's competition, which will be announced on Monday:

(And the overall winner, Ms. Jenn Bowen is a local Harker Heights gal, too! If it weren't for her blog post about the contest, I wouldn't have known about it at all. Just think, from our small Central Texas burb, two winning entries! Oh, I think talent abounds here...)

::I ♥ Faces Kids Contest Entry::

What a fun blog and contest! Check it out and post your own entry!

Here is my first entry:

::Oh, she is crafty!::

Maybe I should learn that a 2 year old cannot really be left to her own devices for too long. But she was dressed so nicely. And sitting in the living room so nicely. And normally there are not pens around...

::I feel the need for speed::

Texting and driving are dangerous. Phoning and driving have been shown to reduce a driver's reaction times. But photographing and driving? There might be a study on it conducted in Sweden in the '50s, but I really don't know the specific findings. 

I can tell you this, based upon my own thorough investigation tonight: when you hold a bulky digital SLR with a very heavy Canon lens mounted to it, one handed, while driving a manual transmission car, you get cool images like these:

::I'm Grumpy, I'm Happy::

A picture is worth a thousand words. Every photographer and parent knows this adage to be completely true. I shall let this picture duo speak for itself:

::Law and Order::

A quick personal tidbit: watching Law and Order, regardless of the time of day or night, makes me want to drink coffee. It must be those little blue and white throw away cups the detectives get from the street vendors. Am I easily swayed by packaging? Oh yes. Time to brew a pot...

::Goodbyes::

A family can be so many different things. My family is a mom, a dad, a daughter, and a stepson. The stepson and daughter are brother and sister. Mom and Dad are husband and wife. Nobody is just one thing. And the more titles we all have, the more important we are to one another.

Families can also exist apart from one another. Despite our having to say goodbye to my stepson, my daughter's brother, we are so happy for the time we shared over Christmas and into the New Year. These absences truly do make the heart grow fonder. Until we meet again...

Hello, I'm Julie, and I love to photograph life.

I was a professional photographer for three years. I recently chose to set aside the business of photography and concentrate on the art of photography. I don't think I will ever stop seeing the world in pictures. It is part of me. But for now, it will be a non-lucrative part of me.

The smallest thing can spark the deepest thought for me: a line from a song, a passing comment in a movie, the feeling evoked by a particular beat. And I can't help but try to convey that thought through writing or photography. So I will continue to do that. Even though this blog started as a way to promote my business, it will continue as a way to voice the thoughts in my head. The images in my mind's eye.

The way I see the world.

::A Clean Slate, a New Year::

With the dawning of a new year, it is impossible not to be somewhat reflective on the past year and the many changes you experienced. For me, my list is pretty substantial: I started a business, I sold a house, I bought a house, I made it a home and I raised a precocious 2 year old. Granted, I didn't work towards world peace or fight in a war, nor did I invent the Swivel Sweeper, but I feel I had a full and productive year. I had happiness, I had sadness, I had hopes and fears. In a word, I lived. 

And that is my dream for 2009. To live fully, unabashedly and with more gusto than the previous year. I wish to embrace all I can, savor the innocence of my daughter, tell my husband how much I love him and be happy in all I do. May 2009 be a wonderful year for you, too!

Drop me a line!

If you are interested in scheduling a session or receiving more information about my photography, please email me:

julie@julieriveraphoto.com

or call:

254.371.3384

I look forward to working together!