Bye bye old blog. Hello new blog!

My new Grin & Share It Blog is officially up and running.  Please update your records, as this blog will be deleted later in the week.

To visit the new & VERY much improved blog, please click HERE, or just click on the link below.

http://blog.grinandshareitphoto.com/

~Tessa

Mine on Monday

Isabelle recently started playing tball and the whole family couldn't be more excited!  Not only is this the first team sport she's played, but I'm having a great time taking sports photos for the 1st time.  I have been eyeing the Nikon 70-200 f2.8 VR II for awhile now, and tball was the final push that I needed to hit the "purchase" button.  A friend of mine said that the nausea I felt after spending the money would go away as soon as I used it, and she wasn't joking!  One thing though, I am so out of shape.  Five minutes of holding this lens and my arm and wrist were burning.  I think maybe I need to do some sort of stretches and a warm up before I use it next time.  Well that, or maybe start lifting some weights at the gym ;)

Enjoy,
Tessa

Baby Luca

Met this cutie pie last weekend.  Poor little guy, everytime he finally fell asleep, we'd start moving him around and putting more hats on him.  He was a trooper though, and oh-so-adorable!!!!!!!!!!!!

Enjoy,
Tessa

Nowak Family

I just love it when clients contact me because Grandma & Grandpa will be in town and they want to do a family session during their visit.  Personally, I think photos are one of the best gifts we can give in life...the opportunity to freeze a moment in time and to literally hold onto it and to carry it with us.  I love looking at old photos, and to relive whatever was going on when it was taken.  Just another reason why I love my job :)

Oftentimes, after I send a client their gallery, they will email or even call me to thank me.  I can't tell you how much I treasure those emails and messages.  I just wanted to share with you a little of what Momma Nowak sent to me after she received her gallery.  On those days when I question if "I'm good enough", I go back and read these emails to help pick me back up. The quote below is the number one reason that I do what I do.  Thank you so much for your kind words Roberta!!

"I just went through the pictures. They are wonderful.  Thank you so much! I've been on the fence so long about getting pictures done, and I could never find someone I really liked, and when I saw your pictures, I knew you'd be the one...  I hope we'll get to do it again soon. Next time anyone asks about a photographer, I will definitely mention your name."

Enjoy,
Tessa

Heredia Kiddos {The Valentine's Sofa Session Mini}

The last time I photographed little Ms. Daylin, she was only a few days old.  What a difference a year and 1/2 makes!!!  I had a very hard time narrowing down which images to use for this blog post.  There are SO many adorable photos of these two, and man, check out handsome big brother.  He is going to be a heart breaker someday for sure!

Enjoy,
Tessa

Montgomery Kiddos {The Valentine's Sofa Session Mini}

I had a blast photographing these little cherubs!  Both Livi & Jake love the camera, and as you can see below, the camera certainly loves them back.  Their Mommy said something at the beginning of the session that totally made my week too; "Olivia you remember Tessa, she's our family photographer".  Oh how I LOVE hearing the sound of that!!!

Enjoy,
Tessa

Provins Boys {The Valentine's Sofa Session Mini}

I have been photographing this family for years now, and not only are they great clients, they also happen to be one of my favorite families on the planet :)

Tracy & I talked about what the boys should wear weeks before their session date, so when I saw these ties pop up on Kidsteals I called her immediately! I love it when my clients take my advice on what they should wear, and I was thrilled when the boys showed up not only in color, but also not perfectly matchy matchy. The colors totally pop in their photos, but yet you still see the boys first, and their adorable outfits second.

Enjoy,
Tessa

Mine on Monday

A few weeks ago my family was invited to to attend my girlfriend Angelica's 40th birthday bash!  It was 50s themed, and we all needed to dress accordingly.  I am a HUGE fan of themed parties, and absolutely love dressing up.  G's outfit was already taken care of since I still had Isabelle's first Halloween costume that I made 6 years ago.  It just happened to be a 50s outfit, and Belle's saddle shoes even fit G (whew). Belle borrowed a dress from her buddy Lauren, and I threw some things together for Joel & I that we already had in our closets.  The final touch was a pair of 50s style glasses that I picked up for myself at a local thrift store.

As we were getting ready to leave the house for the party, I found Ms. Isabelle in the bathroom posing in front of the mirror.  Suffice it say that she really liked her costume ;)  I grabbed my camera and snagged a few photos of her...

At the party Genevieve decided that she wanted to wear my glasses and actually kept them on for quite awhile.  OMG, she looked so darn cute with her pizza crust in hand, dirty face, and Mommy's cat glasses on.  Yep, out came the camera again...

Man I adore these girls, and I am trying to savor every moment with them before they get too much older and don't want to hang out with Mommy & Daddy anymore :(

Enjoy,
Tessa

Little Ms. Adelynn {The Valentine's Sofa Session Mini}

I was SO excited for my Valentine's Day Sofa Session Minis yesterday, and Ms. Adelynn was my first client. She loved playing on the sofa, and was a total ham for the camera. Since it was just Adelynn, and her family just had photos taken with me in November, I did a quick 10 minute mini. It was the perfect amount of time to grab some super cute shots, and we even managed to squeeze in an outfit change :)

Enjoy,
Tessa