Christmas Lights

A few favorites from Temple Square. Thanks again to Dylan and Jessie for restoring these files after my SD card went bonkers... more on our family blog.

City Lights

My Dad orchestrates a neighborhood progressive dinner each Christmas and this was the first we've been here to attend. My Dad sets out lanterns in front of the hosts' homes so that the neighbors know where to go when they walk from one end of the street to the other to enjoy hors d'oeuvres, dinner, and dessert.

The dinner portion was hosted at our dear friends' home. They have a gorgeous home and a magnificent view of the Salt Lake valley, so had fun trying to capture the city and the reflection of the Christmas tree in the window. Here are my favorites...

This picture

pretty much sums up our holiday thus far... incredibly fun, a bit crazy, lots of snow, loads of holiday cheer, fun with family, and a blur because it's going by too quickly!

Hope your holiday has been fantastic!

Fresh perspectives

One aspect of photography that I love is looking for creative ways to portray what I see. Photography has entirely changed my perspective on my world. I notice shapes, textures, reflections, colors, lighting, and pretty much everything like never before. It's been amazing. Life changing, really.

Though, my family members are probably going to slap me the next time I say "Wow, the catchlights in your eyes are AMAZING!"

It's been a fun Christmas noticing little things that I've never seen before.

H. Family

I was lucky enough to see this family again... but just the three of them this time for a mini session for their Christmas card. It lasted about 10 minutes and we got some great shots. Here's my favorite:

Holiday Giveaway #3

Hey hey there's another giveaway for Old Town Imports... this time it's FOUR Christmas items, and they'll give away EIGHT if they get over 100 comments. So spread the word... readers of this blog have been very lucky in the past.

Enter right now!

Miss S.

This was my first ever photo shoot at the end of September... Isn't my baby sister beautiful?

These pictures are straight out of the camera people! That's right, no editing whatsoever! She didn't get senior pictures taken, so we shot these a few weeks after she started university, before she dyed and whacked her hair. She is so photogenic. It's not even fair. Not at all.

We made my Mom a book and printed our favorite (I did edit those, however) for her birthday in November... it was a secret until then and I can't believe I've waited so long to post these. Here are a few favorites. And I mean a few. I could have posted 50.

Magdalen College Christmas Tree

I've been thinking a lot about England lately, and after the 'Christmas Baubles' post I was determined to find this picture and post it. There was an intense fog in Oxford the night before we left for Christmas in Paris, and at dusk it made the sky an intense blue. My little point-and shoot-did a pretty good job that night.

I love the vertical lines in this shot. The spires and the simple beauty of a lit evergreen pointing upwards...This is one of my favorite pictures of all time.

Happy Christmas

Christmas Baubles

The first time I ever heard the term 'baubles' was while reading Harry Potter. It was one of the passwords to get to the Gryffindor common room and I had no idea what it was. So I looked it up... and while we were in England I loved to hear people say the word. Goodness I miss England.

We absolutely adored how simple Christmas was in Oxford. There were lights, garlands, and beautiful decorations of red and green and silver and gold. No inflatable Santas, blinding lights blinking incessently, or overly decorated trees and houses. Just simple, beautiful decorations that speak to the true meaning of Christmas. I have never felt the spirit of Christmas more strongly. We actually went to Paris over Christmas and thought it would be highly decorated like in the US... but it wasn't either. Just simple lights and decorations. Lovely.

While we were living in England we purchased some baubles of our own (on sale for £1 per box at an after Christmas sale). We bought three boxes (12 total) and they all survived the journey home. I love how they are all nestled in their boxes.

They remind me of that simple Christmas we spent abroad. I will never forget it.

Hmmm

Is it wonderful, or a tad bit strange that we have so many ornaments? We've only been married four years. Most are from my childhood, but I'd guess 1/3 have been acquired during our travels.

I love that ours is a tree of memories.

For one magical moment

the cosmos aligned so that I could capture this shot...


My Dad and I spent a few good minutes trying to capture them in low light as they were spinning and spinning. I would have loved to see the smile on my face when I saw that one shot was in focus. And perfect.

My Dad's Chrismobiles' bring back so many memories. These two boxes are the number one items we are all going to fight for when my parents are gone... Stace broke one a while back, so she thinks she is entitled to have them. Think again, dear girl.

I love that they are in their original boxes from 1954. I love how excited my Dad is when he hangs them in the hall. I love that my Dad and I are in the picture too... something we didn't even think about but we love it.

26

I turned 26 last week and goodness I feel old. We celebrated, after Kyle took his last final, by going to Pizzeria 712 and then to the movie Australia. Pizzeria 712 is amazing if you love gourmet pizza, and we had an appetizer featuring roast duck, boiled cherries, and lentils that was absolutely amazing. The atmosphere was fantastic, and both the pizzas we ordered were delicious. I ordered the pizza with butternut squash, caramelized onions, gorgonzola cheese, and rosemary. Amazing.

Australia was a great film. Had the potential to be fantastic, but it was WAY too long and there were a lot of holes in the plot. It would be a great movie to get from redbox so that you can enjoy the three hour flick from the comfort of your own couch.

Thanks to all of you who send cards, emails, texts, or stopped by. This birthday was definitely one of the best yet.

Experiments

At our tree decorating party at our parent's house, Erin had the idea to capture the lights of the undecorated tree reflecting on our black grand piano. These are some that I took... and I love how they turned out. I think I'm by far the least creative photographer in my family, but it's sure nice when I can steal an idea like this :)

Behind

I've never felt so behind! There is so much to do... and blogging is definitely on my list but it's more towards the bottom. To give you an indication of how far behind I am, this number is usually around 20...

A. Family

Aside from being one of the most fun shoots ever, Erin came along (she's also A's best friend) and it was so lovely to have an assistant! I had the hardest time picking a few because they all turned out so well (if I do say so myself). I've never had such trouble narrowing pictures down to a few favorites. The couples shots of M&A are killer, and I love the interaction between Little J and his mama who is so photogenic you just might cry. Gorgeous in every picture. See for yourself...

My lovely assistant. Thanks Rinny, you are the best!

Little B at Two Weeks

I had the pleasure of seeing this darling girl again at two weeks old. Little Miss B decided it was ok to sleep this time around. We got some lovely shots with her parents as well.

A&E are such confident parents. It is wonderful to watch them with this wee one (Little B's Mum is Scottish, so I guess I can get away with saying that). Oh, and while I'm at it, I love her wee Scottish toes in the first shot.

E are you kidding me? Who looks this good 2 weeks postpartum? Apparently you do.