Its raining, its boring...

  Honey took Biggest and Middle to the grocery store, and that left me and Little home. No outside playing because it is raining. What do I make my seven year old child do? Take my pictures lol. Of course! I have really pretty light in my bedroom. It is the only room in the house that has any good light at all. Tripod wasn't going to cut it today. So fingers crossed that she didn't knock over the tripod and camera,  I get her to get some pictures of me. As a photographer, I am rarely in front of the camera. And although I do not like it, I find that doing it every once in a while puts in perspective for me, sort of what my clients feel like on the other side of the camera. It is a bit humbling. Not so much with my kids, but with another photographer...Oh I just am the worst client. Sorry Lori! I can't apologize enough lol.

  So here is the results of an afternoon of playing inside.

No actions used on this one.

A little action ran on this one.

And so, we are now live!

   I mentioned in a previous post that I was in the process of launching a website. It is finally done, and officially launched. This is a big accomplishment for me, because even though it was easy enough for most people to do, for me, it was hard lol. Technology, well lets just say, it's not really my bag. So after much time, here it is:  www.brookebiknerisphotography.com

  This week turned out to be quite productive and very busy. Another season is starting and I will be photographing the Dreamcatchers again this year. Love those girls, and their instructor, Santana McKinney. This year two of my three girls will be in it. We will have a lot of fun, no doubt.

  Also, I entered a drawing on www.SheHeartsIt.com earlier this month to win a Lensbaby Composer. And can you believe it? I WON! I am so excited, and it will be here on Wednesday. Thanks so much!

  This week also was bitter and sweet. At the beginning of the week, a girl I went to school with lost her 7 year old son. Absolutely devestating. My prayers are with her family. Having lost a child myself, I can say from that experience that you manage a new normal, but obviously your life is never the same. My Vivian Jane will always be counted, and therefore she will always be missed. There are always the questions of "How many kids do you have?" The hesitation of my answer, the quick thought process of Do I want to say the actual number, or do I want to give the easy answer of how many are living and leave it at that. This is something that will never change for me, I am sure. When I only answer 3, I always feel a sense of betrayal. But sometimes that is easier than the complicated explanation of 3 on earth and 2 in heaven. One was a miscarriage, one was born sleeping. What caused it, etc... Don't get me wrong, if someone wants to know, I am always happy to share, I love talking about Vivian. It just put a lot of people in an uncomfotable position because they don't know how to react.
  At the end of this week, my sweet Pastor Sam Day was admitted to the hospital for a double bypass. It was a shock to everyone involved. And a good bit of our church was there for his wife and waited with her for the many hours it took for the doctors to say that everything went perfect and our friend will be fine. The Day family is precious to my family. I can't say it enough. God has gifted them to us. He has gifted our church family to us as well. The support we have received and the friendships we have made, they can only be explained as blessings. Pastor Sam was there, not only as a pastor, but as a dear friend, at the hospital with me and Jim ~ the same one he was at last night, when the ultrasound showed that at 30 weeks our sweet girl was gone. He went to the next hospital where I delivered her too, and stayed with us through the whole process, even until after I handed her back to the nurse for the funeral home to come and get her. It was such a comfort to me and Jim that he was there. None of our family was there, they are all out of state. He stepped in and was a rock for us. God given. I am a firm believer in God and that He puts people in our paths to be his hands and feet. We are so blessed. Sam will be back home with his sweet family in no time. And once again, God is great. He always outdoes himself :)

  So yeah, a full and busy week. Filled with such emotion. Certainly one that makes you take stock of your life. I am always humbled and filled with thanksgiving that I get to do what I do. Just as a side note, though, never wait to get your portraits done. You never know when your circumstances will change and you won't get a chance to do them. They are something that your family will have to remember you by, a gift for your kids, so they have something visusal of you. They are so important, in my opinion.

  I hope that everyone has a great weekend! Blessed, and BE a blessing!

Fun with backlighting

  Well unless you are a photographer, you probably don't get what I mean by the title of this post. The other day, I took my daughters youth pastors wife, Jenni, out for a quick mini session to get some maternity photos for her baby shower announcements. It was BLAZING hot outside, and she looked cool and calm...I was calm, but I certainly wasn't cool. I had to change clothes when I got home lol. What was beautiful, besides Jenni and sweet baby J, was the light. There was this great filtering from the trees we were under, and the backlighting was wonderful. We will finish up with the session later ~ we have an awesome plan for the rest of it, and I can't wait to show it to you all. Here is a little look at the lovelies!

Reaching milestones...

   Milestones are so important. It really doesn't matter how big, or how small. They each are have their own importance to us. In business, we have "goals". I find I like them better when I call them milestones. To me, they aren't just these things to be reached. It is all about the journey, is it not? When you have children and they hit milestones, it is celebrated. A first tooth. A first tooth lost. Photography is something that I put my life into. I mean, I literally spend chunks of my life learning, and then putting into practice, many many aspects of photography. My family and I have both invested a lot of time into it. So it has become something that I feel has a life of its own. And where there is life, there are milestones.

  Inch by inch, I have acquired a web presence. What I have yet to put out there is a website. I felt like I needed to really know what I want to present to potential clients ~ and only show that kind of work. I love all photography ~ I am just more passionate about particular kinds. So soon, I will be launching my website. It is definately a journey, and I learn more about my strengths and style and likes as I am putting it together. I am finding there are directions I want to head more towards, and there are things that I want to try that I haven't yet. It has been a very rewarding experience. And definately a frustrating one ( I am SOOOO not good at the technical stuff!). In the end it will be totally worth it though, I am seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.

  I posted earlier in the year that I had a lot of big changes coming for my business. One was a different equipment set up. That was a big deal to me. I never thought I would be able to take it this far! And I have so much further that I want to go! Another is that officially we will be offering weddings in 2012. There is so much more, but I don't want to give it all away. Stay tuned!

Is that a wet noodle? NO! It's a wet POODLE!

   Ok. So my clean boy was stinky today. My boy Angus never stinks (except for his breath occassionally). Today was officially bath day ~ courtesy of Middle. She had a great time, and the pups all smell great. This is what Gussy looks like "pre" groom. Tomorrow I will groom him. He runs around the house like  mad man while he is drying off. With four dogs, getting bathed one after another, it was a zoo.

The awesomeness of DOG.

I love dogs. Period. I have one at my feet as I type this. Anyone who knows me well will know which one it is. I never have been without a dog, and I never will be as long as I can help it. If I have done one thing true to me and my nature for my kids, it is pass on that love for animals, and majorly for dogs. Kitty doesn't count, because he isn't like a cat, he is like a dog. All of my girls have theirs. Big has Pippa, Middle has Percival (cat/dog) and Little has P Man, Fat Head, or Puccini, what ever we are calling him at the time. "I'm just wild about Angus. He's just wild about me..." Ok, so I changed the lyrics just a tad, but it is true none the less. Actually for Gus, it is a bit of an understatement. lol. He is totally devoted to me. He is staring at me right now. Sucha good boy. And my honey has Edgar. Everyone has their own that is particularly attached to them. Middle loved Kitty when he was so, so very sick. She nursed him through all of it, so patient and caring. Even when he was the "Loogey King" (seriously, oh my gosh, he was SO sick). Now he is mostly the picture of health, and a big mouth. Yeah, Cornish Rex cats are very talkative. Even at 2 in the morning. Or 2:30, or 3:00. He doesn't mind striking up at conversation, ever. Any time. Eddy is just my honey's dog. He adores Jim. He's a mans dog. Loves boys too. P Man, well, P Man runs everyones show. He is the boss. Of everything. And he is sort of getting crabby in his old age. But he is forgiven because he is so stinkin' cute. Last but not least is the Pip. Little Pippa is just a doll baby. Meaning, the girls wrap her in baby blankets and make her a doll. She is referred to as the Lawn Weasel. She doesn't really look like a dog when she is standing and when she is running  she looks like a weasel. She has a big heart and loves her Biggest. She follows her everywhere. Wee little Pip. Oh she has her faults, she wins the title of food beggar supreme. She loves to eat fruits and veggies, she can pop open sunflower shells and eats the seed like a pro. She sounds like she is electric when she growls ~ she doesn't sound real! Which makes it all the more fun to play with her. She is a fab cuddler.

Each of our pets have such unique personalities. It is hard to imagine not having each of them. They add so much to our lives. They are all "second hand", or shelter pets. Rescues. I think that says a lot. They have the most appreciation. My kids have all learned such life lessons. Incredibly deep life lessons from them. Like the time we fostered a pregnant bully. She was here 2 days before she whelped. After nearly loosing her in delivery, she gave birth to 10 pups. And one by one they all but two passed away. Middle and Little took it the hardest. Biggest is better at understanding. What did they learn though? That even though someone had thrown these away, they still had worth, they were still an opportunity for us to love them while they were here. To know love even briefly, it was our privilege. We were so blessed for it.

I am going to try to post a photo a week of our furry family. This week I will start with the last first ~ The Pip!

When things are up in the air

   Have you ever been at a stand still because various things are "up in the air"? Right now, in our home and in our business, we have big changes coming, but we can't make one decision until another is made. So hows that for a stand still. It seems as though moving forward or sideways or any other way for that matter is an impossibility until a major decision is reached (and it isn't even up to us). So instead of moving forward we have decided to keep on as best we can until things are settled. What do you do when things are this way? You just go on about your business. In light of all this, I have a wedding that I am super excited about this weekend. What a fun bride! And over the weekend I let the girls get all fancied up and play in makeup for a funky little tutu shoot we had for Santana McKinney. She is an awesome young woman that is incredibly creative and makes the best darned tutus you have ever seen. We have 3, I love that they are long and full.

  In the middle of getting ready for this and all the girly chatter and giggles ringing in the air, it hit me. My girls are a lot bigger than the last time I really saw them. School rushes by (not fast enough in my opinion) you are so busy with that and cramming in as much family time in the evening as you can. And before you know it, whoosh! Summer is here, and nearly over for the kids already. Another whoosh! Dig your heals in as you might, but you aren't stopping anything, not even slowing it down. So there I stood, amazed at how no longer are my girls "cute". My girls are beautiful. Oldest has crossed over that threshold of silly girl, to willowy teen. Middle is not far behind, and all of the sudden has just come into her own. Little is just as silly and goofy as ever, my sweet little Beana. I am going to soak her up as much as I can, squeeze every little ounce of baby goodness that is left in her into my memory. All the while not trying to be sad, but giving them the best a mother can : the ability to stand on their own two feet, strong in the Lord, and knowing without a shadow of a doubt that no matter what this world dishes out, we are their biggest fans. Lord have mercy on my and my poor husband. We have some alright kids :)

Here is a little bit of the fun we had (well I can't say they had fun, it was hot and difficult lol. Sorry ladies!)