These days I photograph primarily high school seniors , which is what I love to do.  But every now and again I get a request to photograph younger kids.  I was so excited to meet this adorable brother-sister team for a session.  This little cutie was full of spunky personality and even had her own ideas about posing (and they were good ones too!).  The camera loved her as much as she loved the camera. And big brother was the most comfortable tween boy I’ve ever photographed.  He had the most relaxed and natural smile.  Ever.  I love these ages, they’re old enough to follow directions as well as have fun.  We trekked all over downtown and they were up for whatever I suggested.   Thanks Ashley and Anthony, for being so much fun!!

Rachel contacted me way back in August about scheduling a senior session.  She was waiting to get her braces off in the spring.  After a number of talks and emails trying to decide on the *perfect* locations for her session, we had it all ironed out.  We planned on mixing up with some downtown urban shots and some shots in an overgrown field.  We almost had to reschedule due to the weather, but as luck would have it the storms mostly missed us and we were able too proceed as scheduled.  Everything went according to plan and we hurried to a local overgrown field to finish the session before the last bit of daylight was gone.

As soon as I saw Rachel’s deep purple prom dress, I knew it would really pop against the drab, dead brush and the overgrown, green weed and trees.  We mostly were shooting on the flattened-down dry brush area and had been there about 15 minutes or so.  We were almost finished when we decided to move to the edge of the area, but still on the flattened-down part.  Rachel was twirling in her dress for some shots, lost her balance and fell.  None of us expected there to be a snake!!  Rachel was bit on the leg and had to leave immediately for the ER.  Luckily her mom was along and stayed calm.  I stayed behind to take a photograph of the snake (to assist the doctors in identifying the snake bite).  The snake turned out to be a poisonous Copperhead!  The doctors were able to quickly administer a dose of anti-venom and kept Rachel overnight for observation.  I’m relieved to report that she is doing well and no permanent damage was done.  Through the whole thing Rachel has held on to a positive attitude and her sense of humor.

I can’t even begin to describe how horrified I was by this whole event!  I’m terrified of snakes and don’t go near these fields during the hot summer months.  None of us expected to find a snake in this location (next to a busy highway and a small strip mall) this time of year.  The main reason I wanted to share this story is to warn everyone to be aware that you CAN stumble on a snake this time of year, in a populated and busy area.

And now for Rachel’s sneak peek (already on Facebook), which she was has already informed me that she LOVES.   And I’m adding one extra image because she deserves it. 

I’ve been hard at work on a new website, completely overhauled, updated, reworked, and refreshed.  Its *almost* done, just putting some finishing touches on it, then I’ll unveil it in the coming weeks.  And when I do, expect some kind of giveaway  just for the heck of it (I’m not above bribery).  Oh and good news if you’re on a slower internet connection, the new site will have a mirror HTML site for you, too.  And as if that isn’t enough … an super-cool new iphone version is coming too.

I’ve made a couple of small changes to my product offerings this year, so be sure to check back for some product shots of my new, fabulous, and ever-so-modern session album.  I am seriously in *love* with it and I know you will be too.

Also, 2010 Senior clients … be watching your inbox for something extra special and ultra-top-secret.

Oh and 2011 Seniors … I’ve still got a few openings left for Senior Models.  Don’t wait too long to apply, I’ll be closing applications next month.

Here’s a little sneak-peek screen cap of the new website … enjoy! 

I had such a hard time narrowing these down!!  I had so many images that I loved for 2009.  I hope you love them as much as I do.

Ok, so here’s the deal.  Wanna win the 16×20 canvas?  All you have to do is receive the most votes for your image.  So what are the rules?  You can email friends/family and ask them to vote.  You can ask your Facebook friends.  You can call/text your friends and ask them to vote.  That’s it.  You can’t ask for votes on forums and such.  Play fair, k?

Here’s how to vote:   leave a comment with your favorite image number here on this blog post, via email (info@marlalaramie.com), on my Facebook page, or tweet @marlalaramie.  The contest ends next Tuesday, February 9th at midnight, CST.  One vote per person only, please!

Now go out and solicit those votes. 

To view the images, click on the first thumbnail to bring up the gallery.

Are you a Bob Jones senior who hasn’t had your senior pictures done yet?  Be sure to ask Erica for a card with a special offer!

Doesn’t she have the most stunning eyes and gorgeous smile?!

One more for Emily L. and her slideshow.   Enjoy!

I love how one of my favorite locations is already beginning to look like fall!

While I LOVE the black & white version, you definitely have to pop over to Facebook and see the color version … the light hitting Emily’s beautiful blond hair is just gorgeous.

I love her reflective look here … do you suppose she’s thinking about what the future will hold?

Mac mentioned that he doesn’t usually like pictures of himself.  I said I’d take that as a challenge!  So how’d I do?!

One of my favorite shots and one of my favorite spots from this session.

Never again will I doubt the beauty of morning sunlight.

Another fave!

A nice close-up and a smile … just for mom.

And a little bit of silly fun!

Striking eyes, no?

Emily is equally beautiful with her serious look and with her lovely smile.

Love how the sunlight just skims her hair here.  And did I mention her gorgeous eyes?!

I was love, love, loving the light in this spot and how the sun was hitting her hair.

And of course I can never resist a chance to capture a little sunflare!

I love the softness of this one, and her sweet, thoughtful expression.

A little flirty fun!

Does she have the most stunning eyes, or what?!

And how could I resist a chance to get some shots with equally gorgeous big sis?!  They reminded me of my girls, who are also as different looking as day and night.

I’m starting with Day Three because … well, Days One and Two were spent in the car.  Driving.  Riding.  For Way. Too. Long.

I’ve got TONS and TONS of pics to go through from our trip to South Dakota.  The girls were in HEAVEN being spoiled by their grandparents.  We had an amazing trip, did a bunch of fishing (ok, so I lounged on teh dock with a book and Sarah climbed rocks) saw loads of wildlife, visited a water park (my children are fearless, let me tell you), did all kinds of other touristy fun stuff, and even snuck in a bit of R&R while we were at it.  And, I even lugged my tripod up the mountain (ok, so I made Elliot lug it) and set it up on the self timer for a couple of shots of the four of us.

Sarah was dying to see Mt. Rushmore, so our first full day in SD we headed up there to see the four presidents’ heads carved into the mountain.  She was very impressed and beyond excited about it.  Afterwards we headed over to the town of Keystone to explore the little shops (less impressive to me than to Sarah and Anna!) and have an ice cream cone.  The girls found this hilarious cutout of the presidents heads to pose with!

Believe me, I have more silliness where that came from.   And more trip details to follow.  Eventually.

For now, here’s that silly shot.

Ok, on to a few business details.  If you’ve called or emailed in the last two weeks I’m not ignoring you … I’m slowly catching up and returning calls/emails.  I promise, I’ll get through them all soon.  Also, July is jam packed with senior sessions, so stay tuned for a slew of sneak peeks this month.  And August is shaping up to be just as crazy … look for more seniors and a sprinkling of adorable kiddos.  So if you’re looking for a session in August don’t wait to schedule, I’ve only got a few openings left.  September is pretty open and October still has quite a few openings.

And yeah, its July and its HOT, but its not to early start thinking about getting on the schedule if you want holiday pics.  I recommend you schedule those sessions for September/October/November so that there’s enough time to get everything edited and back for the lab in time to mail out your holiday cards.  Last year I had two days of holiday minis, but this year I don’t think I’m going to do those unless the demand is there.  So let me know if that’s your preference.