I'm still here, a few recent images

VayCayMom

Hello, update... my husband has Pick's Disease, we sold our home, ended up in Anthem AZ renting a cozy little place in the country club. We apply for disability next week for him and I hope to increase my business here since I already have a foot into this community. I'll need it to help pay the rent on this cute place....The scenery here is BEAUTIFUL and everywhere you look! We have bunnies all over. Expect some images other than people from me. That is the good news, the bad news I'll just keep to myself. Please be easy if you must c&c. it is a miracle I can even remember my name right now.


This first photo is of a 13 day old newborn that weighed in at 10 lbs!!
Would you like to save money on car insurance??? Maybe the new Geico spokesperson!! 13 days old!



2



3


4
5 month old petite young lady


5



6


7
Her FIRST sucker!! I want to do this in all my toddler shoots!!



8

graced the family card this year...


9
AWESOME last minute prop for $3.99



10.

SPECIAL MENTION.... my DH took the camera bag from me to load it in the car for me. Pick's Disease is new to us, it shares some symptoms with Alzheimer's Disease but with a nasty attitude and OCD issues. We discovered it did not make the trip when we arrived for the session. The entire time he worried it was lost and was inconsolable. My client is very pretty and very savvy, she knows how to do photoshoots like a pro and does her own hair & make up to boot.

She handed me her Canon, I shoot Nikon, I left it pretty much in Auto. Between the two of us we managed to get 10 great images which is what I give in a standard session and she used 4 on the family card. They are not large enough to make prints, but good enough for postcards. A success all around!! Of course I did not charge her but I made her promise she would not share the story or photo credits if they didn't turn out well.
And of course the camera bag was not "lost" since we did not make any stops, but it was a long drive home for dh until we "found" it in our house. Lesson 1.... checklists are mandatory from now on!!!

Hackbone

Trudy, best wishes for you and your family. It's a long road. The work was outstanding, a big congrats on that.

Photogbiker

Nice light....
Love the lighting on all of them, but especially the baby. Soft, even with some contouring...just right. The last one of family is great, but the "tilt" due to angle bothers me a bit. Maybe just me.

PS: I am just south of you in Cave Creek. Didn't pick up if you were new to area or returning, but if you need any suggestions for local info feel free to email me (I don't check PM's here very often). I am involved with my kids high school and happy to pass a referral along if you are into senior photos.

VayCayMom

Photogbiker wrote: »

Love the lighting on all of them, but especially the baby. Soft, even with some contouring...just right. The last one of family is great, but the "tilt" due to angle bothers me a bit. Maybe just me.

PS: I am just south of you in Cave Creek. Didn't pick up if you were new to area or returning, but if you need any suggestions for local info feel free to email me (I don't check PM's here very often). I am involved with my kids high school and happy to pass a referral along if you are into senior photos.

HI! We moved here from Gilbert because I have a friend and her mother that can offer some of the support I need. I would love to get some info on great spots to shoot out this way. I have no clue. In Gilbert I used the Water Ranch / Riparian Institute for everything, so I am starting all over for locations.

I have done a few seniors with good results and it would be wonderful to get referrals!! bow

We suddenly have had our lives turned inside out and now my "hobby" Grandma business will have to help support us the rest of our lives besides disability. One day my husband was working and then the next he was fired and eventually told by DRS he will never work again.

My smugmug site is CottageInk.smugmug.com

Thank you so much. Not sure if this will reach you via email notification, I could not find an email address on your profile.

Thank you so much, Trudy

jpc

Great set! #6 is a fantastic capture.

Ed911

Sorry to hear about your predicament. One day your planning next years vacation and then, bam, your living one day at a time.

God bless you...and your family. Good luck with your photography business...from the looks of your work...you won't have a problem finding clients once the word gets out.

One suggestion...and it's just a suggestion...try working some contrast into your shots...darkening the BG a little, or a lot...look for the separation...your subjects will standout more than when you have the BG at or near the same exposure level. Your work is already appealing...so don't take this as a hit...just a suggestion for another creative avenue.

Don't be a stranger...when you need to get away...remember us.

divamum

Hi Trudy! Glad to hear from you - I've thought about you since you posted a couple of months back about everything going on with you. Fingers crossed for some more good news - sounds like you're due as much as possible.

These are beautiful, and I agree that once the word gets out you should have people beating a path to your door! Just love little "Cindy Lou Who" with her topknot and grin, and the Coca Cola box is a wonderful prop! The wee knitted hat is adorable too.

Definitely don't be a stranger

#1 looks a little pink to me - skintone that is - you might want to check it and desat the magentas/pinks just a tiny bit.

D3Sshooter

Nice series of pictures and I hope that you can make it theire in AZ. Although I do not know you or your family I wish you all the best and good luck for you and your family.

jeffreaux2

OOOh Trudy.....reading this has smacked me dead in the face.

I know that simple words have little value in helping you at this time in your life, but still, know that I am praying for you and ALL of your family. We are still chasing health issues with my oldest daughter. I felt so "frozen" at first....with fear....anger....sadness....and other emotions. It was a dark time for me. I did find out, though, that I had some really good friends here on Dgrin who were/are VERY supportive. It sure helps knowing that others are praying and hoping for the best of outcomes. It was a real comfort for me knowing that several hundred folks were offering prayers for her health. I can surely offer you my prayers now.

and...

You say that you'd like to keep the bad news to yourself. I can definately understand that desire...especially in a public forum. Still though, I encourage you to release a little of the burden just by talking about it with folks when you get the chance. In private if nowhere else.

and don't be a stranger to us!

VayCayMom

your responses have really touched me
To each and everyone of you that replied, you have encouraged me more than you can imagine. Jeff, aren't you doing a photography project for someone facing a similar future? A bit ironic isn't it. I did some portraits of him 3 years ago that turned out really sad but we thought he was depressed from being unemployed for a year . Perhaps that could be the beginning of a photo journal to document this disease if I can find the emotional strength to continue.

This forum has made a huge difference in my life, and now in more ways than one. I have had some very dark days, I disowned one of my two children that live nearby and the other informed me her husband accepted a job in D.C.

I still look around me at times in shock asking myself how did this happen? Is this a dream? Where did everything go? All the while my dh accepts this without reaction, or by being silly, or by being mean and he doesn't get why I cry and he really doesn't care. He still thinks he is going to get another job, that this is all about being unemployed, not about being ill. He thought we could pack up our huge home in just 23 boxes and refused to buy more. He thinks the DRS are all crazy and there is nothing wrong with him. And when he can't find something it is my fault. At least when we fight he forgets it right away!

Where did my husband go and when did he start slipping away? What will I do when the money is gone? I will be fine when he is gone, he always made sure he had life insurance but I have to support us the rest of his life not knowing if that will be 2 years, 10 or 20. Somedays I am overwhelmed by the fact I have absolutely nothing to look forward to in my life but a progressive, constant descent into becoming a caretaker for someone that could become violent, abusive, have OCD and have no control over his body's functions. Oh but he will be a riot in public since the patient tends to focus on sex or dirty jokes and has no filter on what they say.

The day I signed up for an online course on how to use my camera has been a lifesaver. Without photography in my life it would be unlivable. Having all of you in my life to connect to on several levels is priceless.

Again, thank you to everyone that has posted and to those that have kept me in their thoughts. You have made my life better! And if he comes up with any really good dirty jokes, I'll be sure to share !

divamum

Oh, Trudy, my heart goes out to you. What a slap in the face life is sometimes. I so hope that you can establish yourself in your new home with some joy somewhere among the shock and sadness. You've always struck me as such an upbeat "get it done" kind of person, and I hope that energy can somehow stay with you even amidst all that''s going on. Here's to a much brighter 2012 for you {{hugs}}

VayCayMom

divamum wrote: »

Oh, Trudy, my heart goes out to you. What a slap in the face life is sometimes. I so hope that you can establish yourself in your new home with some joy somewhere among the shock and sadness. You've always struck me as such an upbeat "get it done" kind of person, and I hope that energy can somehow stay with you even amidst all that''s going on. Here's to a much brighter 2012 for you {{hugs}}

Thanks. Diva, I am working on getting that girl back, she's not as far away as she was 3 weeks ago!

Andy

Hi Trudy! Welcome back and it sure seems like life is throwing you some curveballs right now.... well, we at SmugMug are going to try and make it a little less stressful for you, I just renewed your account for another year, on the house. Your next renewal is not until January 2013 now, so Happy New Year! Oh you also have a some $ in your account from sales, waiting to be paid, so go to your control panel, pros tab and tick the button today to "pay me" so that you're in the next ACH payment on January 8th.

All the best to you and yours!

divamum

An example of why dgrin/smugmug is the best photographic and probably one of THE best communities on the internet.

This is wonderful to read, Andy. Random acts of kindness are few and far between, and it more than warms this heart to see one in action.

VayCayMom

Oh my gosh!
Andy!! What a wonderful surprise, I'm speechless and humbled to have people going out of their way to let me know I am not alone. Thank you so much, you made a big difference in my day. The end of my day is much better than the beginning, thank you everyone and have a Wonderful New Year!clap

Antonlm

Trudy, just wanted to say your site looks great but more importantly, I wish you the best.

New Hope Studios

Trudy... thank you so much for having the courage to share such intimate details with the Dgrin community. I am certainly quite new to this spot on the web, but I have already been quite blessed by it in my short time here. You sound to me to be an incredibly strong woman... I suspect stronger than you think yourself to be. I adore your photos that you have posted here. Great job! I especially love the sucker photo... what a burst of joy showing on that little girls face! So sweet. I love the idea of doing a photo journal of your husband's illness. I did a sort of photo journal with my Grandmother. Sadly, I was not able to get nearly as many photos of her as I would have liked to due to circumstances. She actually passed away Christmas Day and I have spent the last several days tending to her arrangements, trying to find a way to pay for her burial, and trying not to bite the heads off the "family" that left me alone to care for her during her Dementia and quick physical decline over the last year. I can say that watching her through the lens has given me a different perspective... I am not sure I can even put it into words... but it has been in some ways a way to detach a little, yet in some ways it brought me even more deeply involved in her. Weird... but here are a few of the last photos I got of her. I did take some as she was taking her last breaths too and some after she was gone, but I won't post those here...

These are my three favorites:







I haven't uploaded or edited all of the pictures, but here is the link to what I have so far - http://newhopestudios.smugmug.com/Portfolio/Portraits/My-Gramma-Betty-Looper/20838109_WcVCkd#1654230025_rF3J4hT

jeffreaux2

I found my old link.....
http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=169711

fireguy.ed

Go Andy!!!

sphynge

Really beautiful work Trudy... you really need to keep going! I actually love how light and bright the photos are, they feel like a ray of sunshine to me

New Hopes Studio, I particularly love the last photo you posted of your grandma... the twinkle in her eyes is priceless!!

Hope you gals will be strong through the hard times you're facing... and keeping clicking through it all. You're both extremely talented!

New Hope Studios

sphynge wrote: »

New Hopes Studio, I particularly love the last photo you posted of your grandma... the twinkle in her eyes is priceless!!

Thanks! That is actually my favorite shot of her. I love how she really engaged the camera on that shot.