Got the Winter Blahs?

I admit that I struggle with maintaining a positive attitude when the weather gets dreary. I blogged about the seemingly endless rain last week, and after a brief respite, it's back. Ugh.

When it gets like this, what I start to crave is COLOR. Bright, warm, fun COLOR. Color like that in, say, my backdrop collection.

So I'm busting out the backdrops and props and sprinking in a dose of fun and a dash of surprise. I'm going to kick my winter blahs to the curb, and I'm excited to do it for you, too!



Please note that WEDNESDAY'S appointments will be in the MORNING, and THURSDAY'S appointments will be in the afternoon.

Email me at erin@erinclausenphotography.com to secure your appointment now, and be sure to let me know if you're interested in Wednesday morning, Thursday afternoon, or either. Spots are very limited, so definitely don't delay. When I confirm, I'll provide you with more info about backdrop options and other details. Fun!

Wet.Wet.Wet.

I feel a little bit bad complaining about the weather around here, given the recent natural disaster endured elsewhere and what still others suffer through on an everyday basis from November through March. Suffice it to say, I would not do well if we lived in Minnesota, for instance. Or a place or where it snowed at all.

Here in our neck of the woods, the heavens dumped rain on us this week. And then dumped again. And then dumped some more.

And then did it all over again.

All told, I think we had four separate storms move through, leaving the ground -- and us, at points -- completely saturated. Despite wanting to crawl under the covers and stay there, I slogged out into the torrential downpour over and over, to take kids to school, to pick up kids from school, to get groceries, to go back for groceries I forgot. I drove white-knuckled to my volunteer assignment in Noah's kindergarten class, though a very large part of me thought he'd be better served by a mom who was MIA but alive and well than by one who hydroplaned into a ditch.

This morning, we actually got a glimpse of blue. My hopes soared. It was supposed to be overwith today, right? I even saw the droplets covering everthing in the yard as beautiful, rather than annoying.





I even spent much of the schlep to preschool wishing I'd brought my camera along. How fun it would be to document the rainbow that arched across the hill behind school or the fat earthworm inching along the sidewalk. Even the potholes, now the size of compact cars, looked interesting to me.

And then it started to rain. Again.

And not only was it raining, but the car thermometer registered 43 degrees. So I cranked up the car heater and thanked my stars that I live in a place where this kind of weather is considered newsworthy.

Then I pulled into my garage and bolted out of the car and to the computer, to check the forecast for the hundredth time this week.

Know Someone Who's Expecting?

If you've got a friend expecting a baby, then you're in luck: My current referral program is for you.



And if you don't know someone expecting a baby but you DO know someone WITH a baby, then don't worry. I'll extend the promotion to anyone who refers a new client for a first birthday session. If your friend needs any convincing, just point them here.

(The fine print: The newborn or one-year session can be scheduled for anytime in 2010, but the referral program concludes 3/30/10. A 50% deposit will be required within 2 weeks of booking. Newborn sessions are pencilled in around the mom's due date, and the exact date and time is confirmed by the photographer and family upon the baby's birth. The half-price session credit for the referral is valid through 10/15/10.)

And if you read my recent post about a special opportunity coming up (and it piqued your interest), I have one hyphenated word for you: mini-sessions. Details will be posted Monday. Woohoo!

Tough Guys

Last Friday's session brought me the darling Mr. C and his photogenic family. Fortunately, they were up for photos with their new bundle of love. It would've been a bummer to have a group this good looking and NOT get them all in front of the camera.







Dad was a trooper and had no complaints when I asked him to move this way, move that way, get up, get down, etc. etc... all with a recently broken leg.



Despite our best efforts, little C wasn't much interested in sleeping after the first few minutes. Fortunately, grandma whisked away Big Sister, and C's parents were patient (and good company).

In the end, we did get some sleep out of the little guy. Here's a peek at that:



We also got a display of the toughness he no doubt inherited from his dad. These last images were from the very end of our session. While we knew he wouldn't sleep at that point, we thought we might still try for some shots in the egg basket -- thinking that he might settle in and at least look peaceful. All of a sudden, C pushed up his 10-day-old self and showed us that he is The Man. :)



Looking forward to sharing your gallery with you soon, M & E!

Pretty Little Lady

When I edit newborn sessions now, I always put together a 3x3 collage of some of my favorite images. Whether or not the parents choose to purchase it, I love seeing the juxtaposition of precious baby parts and expressions. As it turns out, most parents tend to agree. ;)

I got to photograph two sweet little newborns this past week -- a girl and a boy. This little lady was so sweet, and she really seemed so delicately feminine to me. Since I was in a collage-y mood, I decided to post her preview this way. I may change up the images as I make my way through the session... who knows.



On a side note, little Miss A is the fourth child born into her fun family. I was quite impressed with her mom for (a) even getting newborn photos done (my third child has hardly a photo up in our house, despite my current occupation), and (b) looking fabulous, with nails done and a great haircut. Hmmm... maybe I need a fourth.

Unforunately, my husband told me recently that the only way we'd have a fourth is if we adopted a 15-year-old with excellent babysitting skills and no college ambition.

I guess I need to come up with another way to look fabulous and have my act together.

Three Going On... Nine?

At Christmas, The Girly Girl received a very cool knitted scarf and hat from Godmother Jo. Well, it was also from Godfather Dave, though I am pretty sure Jo was the driving force there. ;)

Foxy absolutely LOVES her new accessories, and she's worn them for at least part of every day since. She loves them so much that she even -- gasp -- offered to pose for pictures. On TWO SEPARATE DAYS.

The first pic here was snapped outside one afternoon. The other was snapped while I was setting up for my recent twins session. I hadn't finished, and the lighting wasn't yet ready, but I knew that if I stopped to fiddle with things, I'd be left staring at an empty beanbag. I mean, the photo goodwill only lasts so long.



When I emailed a copy of that second photo to my husband, his response was, "Is she nine now?"

I know.

The Playoffs

This fall, something great happened in our house.

Noah got into football.

See, his parents are big football fans. We watch. We cheer. We jump up and down and do silly dances when our team scores. I've been known to drop an expletive here and there when they don't.

So every year when the NFL season starts, we encourage our kids to watch with us. Mostly it's so we don't feel guilty for virtually ignoring them on Sunday afternoons. But we also hope that by watching with their parents, they even start to think it's fun.

This year, it actually worked.

Noah fell in love with Stanford football and Toby Gearhart -- the man robbed of this year's Heisman Trophy -- after attending a game with his dad and brother. And he became equally enthusiastic about the NFL.

He had a football-heavy Christmas, and one of his gifts from my parents was a set of mini helmets representing all the NFL teams. He and his dad had them arranged on his dresser according to division for awhile. Once the playoffs started, the helmets made their way into the family room and were set up to represent the playoff picture.

All the teams in the foreground are now out and "watching from home."





For this next shot, I apologize to any Patriots fans out there (but only those who might read my blog). Noah gleefully plucked them out of the bracket after their loss yesterday.



Looking forward to next weekend and OUR big game.

A Gift in the Mail

A few weeks ago, I posted a link to a fellow photographer's blog and awesome craft tutorials.

Her week of crafts also included a contest open to anyone who commented throughout the week. I left my comments, crossed my fingers, and... won!

I actually won second place, but since the person who won first never stepped up to claim her prize (crazy lady), it became mine. Or, I should say, my childrens'.

The prize was an incredible hand-made felt mailbox with little felt envelopes, felt stamps, and mini-postcards. It is seriously darling. When the big brown shipping box arrived today, my kids tore right into it and got down to business.



I realize now that none of these shots show the adorable mailbox itself, but hopefully shots of my adorable kids are enough. ;) And you can check Emily's blog if you want to see beautiful photos of the box.

Yumminess Times Two (At Three Months)

I mean, seriously??? Can you imagine how much fun it is to hang with these little dudes?



I've been lucky enough to photograph these guys three times now (well, four, if you count that we did their newborn session in two parts). And I get to snap their photos every month until they turn one.

I really, really love this job.















For those who don't already know, their little blue and green seats are called Bumbo seats. These came on the scene right before my daughter was born, and man, we used that thing A LOT. It's a great alternative to a high chair, among other things -- especially since you can toss it in the car and take it absolutely anywhere.

They also make sessions with babies this age much, much easier. ;)

*Edited to add*
I realized after posting those three-month pics that I never did post any of the boys together when they were newborns. I'd kept those under wraps until their printed announcement went out, but that ship has long since sailed. SO...

Looking Back, Looking Ahead

Yesterday, I spent a little time organizing my personal photos from the last couple of months. The holiday season was such a busy one around here that things had gotten a bit out of hand. *cough* understatement *cough*

Anyway, I came across a bunch that made me smile, and these were among them. I took them one Saturday afternoon in early December. My boys had just wrapped up their first basketball game of the year and had brought their buddy home with them to romp in the yard.

I think that someone said something about actually sweeping up the leaves, but as I remember, it was waaaaaay more about playing.









Now, to look ahead.

I have some shots of A-DOR-A-BLE three-month-old twins that I took just this morning. I am going post those on the blog in the next couple of days. If you want a baby fix, then be sure to get your buns back here.

AND...

I'm going to be posting some news soon about a special offer I'm cooking up. I'm excited; I think it will be really fun. So if you think you might possibly potentially perhaps be interested in having your kiddos photographed one of these days, you should DEFINITELY come back and check out that post.

Adios for now!