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Picture of 5 years old Atlanta Photographer

A quick session share of Jakester. He is 5 now and quite the smart little man.  You can see the wheels turning in his head and I just love his personality.  I also love his little boy smile.  I wonder if he will be missing any teeth this time next year? His Mom is so good about using his birthday as a the milestone to get a portrait made of him.  Birthdays are the perfect way to remember to do that. 4-5 years old is a great age to have a professional photograph of your child.  They start losing teeth and their looks really change the closer they get to first grade.

Picture of 5 years old

Picture of 5 years old Atlanta

I think he looks great in both red and blue.  What red, white and blue will you be wearing tomorrow? Picture of 5 years old Atlanta

Take advantage of any 4th of July sales next week and stock up on red clothing.  A lot of them will look great in the Fall when you are thinking about Christmas card pictures. Little boys in red or navy blue polo shirts always look great.

Happy Independence day!

First Lost Tooth Atlatna Child Photographer

“You will lose set number one, And when you do, it’s not much fun.  –Dr. Seuss

First Lost Tooth

Our Little Miss lost her first tooth last week.  It was a milestone for her…and me too.  The dentist told us in December the bottom ones were loose and would be coming out soon.  I was truly shocked. You would think I would know this was coming with my third child?  I just want her to stay little forever. I told our dentist that I wanted to cry but would save it for when the first top tooth came out.

Real life pictures here for you from me.  She had a wet head, Christmas nightgown and ready for bed – I grabbed my camera with the 100mm lens that I use for little bitty newborn pieces and parts to capture that tooth before the tooth fairy took it away.  Unfortunately, for the fun moments after taking the tooth picture I only had that lens but I made do and love them just the same.  Take pictures of your memorable family moments however you can, with whatever camera you have (and whatever bad light you have!).  The memory and emotion of it is what makes it so special.

You may not know this (my kids do) that the Tooth Fairy is only guaranteed to come the same night you lose a tooth if you lose that tooth before 3PM.  There are cut-offs and she has to plan.  That is just the way it is.  Luckily she came that night and left what my boys have always received, a Gold Dollar Coin.  The next morning my sweet little girl cried and cried when she found it.  I felt terrible (not sure what she was expecting).  She told her teachers at school that all she got was a penny.  She just lost her second tooth and believe me the Tooth Fairy was quick to leave a real dollar bill to avoid any more tears.

First Lost Tooth Atlatna Child Photographer

This was said during the laughs and tickles above:

Kate: You’re my favorite!

Dad: Thank you!

Kate: I was talking to Mommy!

Haha – I had to document that.  My children are all about fun-Daddy (with good reason) so it was particularly funny (to me).

I posted these pictures not just to share my incredibly sweet (and sometimes sassy) little girl but also because it reminded me how I am just like the other Moms that have panicked when those teeth are about to come out.  I have had many sessions with 5 year olds to catch them while they still have that cute little smile.  You just don’t ever want to forget it.  Honestly, a lot of times at 5 or 6 the smiles are a bit different even if the teeth haven’t fallen out yet.  Mouths are bigger and the teeth start spacing out.  I think year 4 is a great age to photograph a child.  They have come out of toddlerhood but haven’t quite become a big kid yet.  You can get an awesome portrait of them and they are still adorable.  A great age all around!  — Kate is 5 and a half in these pictures and her top teeth/smile look about the same.  As you can see the bottom permanent teeth are on their way and pushing the little ones out of the way. The baby teeth definitely needed to come out weeks ago. (sniff)

First Lost Tooth Atlatna Child Photographer

“But then you’ll grow set number two!

32 teeth, and all brand-new.
16 downstairs, and 16 more
upstairs on the upper floor.

And when you get your second set,
THAT’S ALL THE TEETH YOU’LL EVER GET!”

–Dr. Seuss

Our Family Pediatric Dentist and Orthodontist

On the 8th Day of Christmas… A Baseball Inspired Senior Boy Session Share

I know I say all my Seniors are so nice and great but this one really is!  We shot his whole session in and around the baseball field where he plays for his High School Team.  We captured a lot – the uniform, field, casual jeans & polo pictures and the Letter Jacket too.  We captured some really nice images to reflect what a big part of his Senior Year of High School was all about.  We also got the classic and timeless shots that never get old.  I was so happy to be the one to have this session with him.

Gift Ideas for the Baseball Enthusiast:

Teenagers might like a Snap-On Baseball Case for iPhone.  I also found a site called EverythingBaseball.com (which sums it up).  There are a lot of unique baseball gifts you can purchase.

Shutterfly is having a sale on Calendars – buy one and the rest are 50% off.  You could surprise your baseball fan with a calendar full of your favorite baseball pictures.  You can also get 40% off of photobooks through the 10th.  You will have to move on those things pretty quickly to get the deals and have it in hand for Christmas.

Good luck!

Merry Christmas!

We had an updated session for Cara’s 8th grade Yearbook dedication.  She is such a sweet girl – as beautiful on the inside as the outside.  How lucky is her Mom to have a teenager that will let her be in the pictures too?  A spontaneous moment that I’m sure will be treasured for a long time.

Christmas Idea:  You have probably seen many toy drives for Christmas already this year.  I like to give to the one through Must Ministries.  There are several collection areas and luckily there are boxes in my church to drop new unwrapped toys.  You could check any United Methodist Church in the Atlanta area (before December 21st) and I bet they have one.  MUST was able to help over 4,000 children last year from donations.  It may not be a BIG Christmas for lots of us this year but think of a child not getting anything at all and it breaks your heart.  It is so easy (& fun) to find little kid toys but I think teens in Cara’s age group that are in need can often be forgotten.  Some ideas for Teen gifts that are being requested by MUST: Sports equipment, make-up kits, wallet/purse, clothing, books, DVDs, and Bath sets.  My Sunday School class has adopted a specific family to donate gifts.  Those teens have asked for several gift cards (Kohl’s, Best Buy), socks and curling irons.  The basic necessities we take for granted are really needed as well (toothpaste, underwear, COATS).  Just writing this makes me feel so blessed to have so much stuff and be able to give something to others too!

Merry Christmas!  I am loving this warm weather and even had lunch outside yesterday.  My allergies think it is Spring and are really giving me a hard time! 😉

DONATION INFO: MUST monetary donations can be made online HERE.  Email SANTA (AT) MUSTMINISTRIES.COM for more info on toy donation drop offs.   →Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” –Luke 6:38

 

 

On the 5th day of Christmas…

A handsome Senior High School boy

Atlanta, Georgia

A Senior Boy Session is definitely different than a Senior Girl Session (usually).  The girls have lots of ideas and we try all kinds of new things.  The boys do whatever I ask of them and are there just to make their Mom happy.  This young man was no exception – so polite and I liked him immediately.  He did not even mind sitting next to his twin brothers for a quick Christmas Card shot!  😉

Looking for a good teenage boy Christmas Gift? I have no ideas for you.  I’m assuming something electronic would be good.  Even my 11 year old doesn’t give me ideas and says “anything is fine, there is nothing I want.”  Is this where having a boy starts to pay off?

Gift Idea: I can frame and wrap a gift certificate for a customized Senior Portrait Session.  I will be doing these again starting in February and it applies for Class of 2013 and Class of 2014 Seniors.  Email me for details.

Camera: I’m sure I am biased but I think a nice camera is a great gift for anyone especially a teenager.  I don’t know that much about all the brands and what options are out there, but I know I loved the Canon Rebel I had years ago. You can check this link or Costco to see what has the better price.  Unless you know a lot about it, purchase the camera with the kit so you have all the pieces needed and make sure you pull out the battery and charge it before Christmas morning.  What a bummer to open it and not get to use it right away.

Merry Christmas!

Because I have been so busy and behind on session-shares, I am going to try to catch up and fit in many during my 12 Days of Blogging.

This family will have a wonderfully fun Christmas with their one year old boy.  He was learning how to stand on his own and walk at his One Year Session.  I’m wondering now if he can keep his hands off the Christmas Tree.  He is so smart and curious to learn everything around him.

He is such a cutie and I sure love the blonde curls on the back of his head.  As I was going he showed me how good he is at stacking blocks and his framed newborn picture.

Day 3 Christmas Idea:

I am seeing many many The Elf on the Shelf sightings on Facebook now.  Everyone seems to love their Elves so if you have wee little ones and don’t have your own yet I guess I will recommend it before we get any further into the Christmas Season.  Our Elf, Tom, had a rather tragic ending a few years ago and Santa doesn’t feel like our family can handle that responsibility.  Personally, I am glad to have one less thing added to our already full Holiday season.  If you are one of the few that don’t know how our Elf went back to the North Pole, you can read about it here on my old blog.  The infuriating thing is that Alex keeps insisting that the Elf will be coming back this year and I have to keep explaining how Santa isn’t going to allow it.  If you already have your own Elf and run out of creative ideas, check out my friend, Katherine.  She has a posting on some fun things you can try.

Merry Christmas!