In case you're wondering, guys: real men DO have senior portraits made! These are some of my favorite shots from the Class of '07. I'm looking forward to delighting this year's crop of moms with the great portraits their handsome guys and I will create.

Thanks for making me look good, Pablo, Josh, Jordan, Corey and Sid!

How crazy am I? One of my bestest friends is preparing to pack up and move to China in seven months, and I'm helping her get ready to leave me behind! I know it's all going to be fine because God clearly is handling even the tiniest of details, but... let's just say that, for me, this is a bittersweet display of His glory. Walk in peace, Lesh girls, and remember:

He brought His people out like a flock;

He led them like sheep through the desert.

He guided them safely, so they were unafraid.

Psalm 78:52-53

THIS was supposed to be my first blog entry, but that was back in the fall when having my own blog was just a starry-eyed dream... Anyway, this is my little friend Mia at her six-month session:

And here she is just a couple of months ago as she was about to turn one year old:

Simply beautiful beyond words! Thanks for giving me such great material to work with, Mark & Melissa!

I've got lots more pics to post, but tonight I just want to share one of my very favorite Thomas Merton quotes. These words helped pull me out of a deep, dark pit a couple of years ago, and they continue to inspire me today:
Humility consists in being precisely the person you actually are before God, and since no two people are alike, if you have the humility to be yourself you will not be like anyone else in the whole universe. It is not humility to insist on being someone that you are not. It is as much as saying that you know better than God who you are and who you ought to be. It takes heroic humility to be yourself and to be nobody but the person, or the artist, that God intended you to be.

These thoughts both challenge and encourage me, and I hope they reach someone else who needs to hear them.

Another fun shoot I did a couple of weeks ago was the 50th wedding anniversary celebration for some long-time friends and former neighbors. The afternoon provided lots of opportunities for family visiting and great photos. Thanks for including me in the fun, Jane Arden and John!

Oh, my -- look at this sweet little one! Today was Ella's one-week birthday, and I had the privilege of taking her very first portraits. Blessings to you and your mom and dad:

The Lord will keep you from all harm -- He will watch over your life;
the Lord will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.
Psalm 121:7-8

Brand new year, brand new excitement, brand new blog! I'm ready to get to work, seniors, so take me up on my Early Bird offer.

Here are some shots of a few sessions that have already been completed. Thanks, Sierra, Courtney, Courtney and Christine!