Kaitlin is the last of my four children left at home. She will be graduating and leaving the nest this year. It’s crazy to think how quickly all of my children have grown up. I told Ashley the other day that we should take an adult trip for Christmas to Seattle and she said, “Mom do you mean I should find a sitter for my kids, cause if you’re talking about us we’re all adults now!” I said, “Oh my gosh, you’re right!”

I wanted to do something different for Kait’s senior pictures so we headed up to downtown Spokane again Saturday. I love all of the old buildings there. It’s nice that Ashley lives in Cheney now so we have even more of a reason to head that direction.

Kaitlin was such an awesome model. Maybe I’m a little biased, but she had all of the poses down and was great at switching from smile to serious looks as I was shooting. She is so beautiful and I find myself lucky to be the mom of such an amazing young woman. I hope you all enjoy the slideshow and a few of my favorite shots from the day!

 I’m taking the day off tomorrow!!!!!  I’ve had a record breaking two weeks of photo sessions and my right shoulder and arm are killing me from lugging my big 70-200mm lens around.  Don’t get me wrong I’ve loved every moment of being out there shooting.  I would much rather be out there shooting then sitting at my computer editing.  Now that Ashley is helping with my digital darkroom work I can take on more sessions.  Thank you Ashley!  So now for a peek at the senior sessions I’ve shot in between all of the other sessions in the last two weeks.  It’s no surprise that I favor senior sessions above all of the other sessions I shoot.  If I lived in a larger city I would specialize in Seniors, but then again, I might miss chasing after 2 and 4 year olds.

The Class of 2009

  I found this wonderful old beat up couch last week at Bargain Town.  I had just finished up two senior sessions on that end of town and drove past and noticed it outside.  I’ve been looking for a couch or chair to use for sessions for awhile now and was so excited to find it.  The only problem is it’s HEAVY and it takes two people to load and unload it in and out of my SUV.  Saturday I used it twice, once for a Senior session and then for the Jackson family session.  Here is my “new”  Harvest gold couch

I was able to fit the whole family on it! I thought the flowers were a great added touch…great idea M’lee.

 The only one missing was Ty, Brittany’s Husband…He had a hunting trip planed.  We missed you Ty hope you were able to bring something home.

I like to take a few shots of Mom and Dad alone when I do a family session and Tom and M’lee were up for it.  I think I may offer “Reconnection Sessions” sessions for married couples, especially for those who didn’t have the opportunity to have an engagement session or for those who just want to have fun.  Let me know if you think its a good idea.

The last one is my favorite from the entire evening.  I had to lay on the ground for this shot but the results were worth it.  Tom, I did get all of those weed burrs out of my vest, it took awhile but they came out. Ü

There is nothing like the sweet serenity surrounding a newborn and when you times it by two it’s even more special.  This week I had the opportunity to spend time with newborn twin sisters.  They are so tiny and beautiful.  It wasn’t hard to capture the bond these two brought with them from the womb. 

I love the wonderment of their sibs in this image

Yesterday morning I spent time with sweet baby boy K.  I enjoyed being around his new parents watching them kissing and cuddling him.  I couldn’t help capturing a few when he fell asleep.

A loving fathers touch… He’s beautiful Ryan!

Saturday we spent the day in Spokane enjoying the beautiful weather and having a great time shooting an engagement session with my son Rob and his fiancé Brandi.  It was great to have a new location to shoot in, but the best part of the day was spending time with these two.  I love them with all my heart and can’t wait for Brandi to be an official part of the Waites Family. 

I don’t want to post too many until they decide what to use for announcements but here’s a sneak peek of the day and a few of my favorites.

I can’t believe it’s already that time of year!  I must confess this is my favorite time of year, I love “shooting” Seniors.  My calender is filling up fast for fall sessions so if you are thinking of calling me don’t put it off or we’ll be shooting in the cold of Nov.  I though I would post a few from recent sessions.  The first images are of a beautiful blond from Moses Lake High School. The second set of images are of a young man from Ephrata High School. I’m looking forward to getting to know the Class of 2009!

My son is engaged to the beautiful Brandi Kisler. We’re excited for their November wedding.  They let me tag along with them today while they had some fun.  I can’t wait for a full session with these two.  A few of my favorites from today. 

..off to California for School, and leave on a Mission, let’s have our family picture taken.  Getting together and getting ready for a family picture is hard.  Any mom will tell you it isn’t easy but it’s worth it, especially as your kids leave the nest.  Ashley and I met up with the Roylance Family last week at twilight for this session.

Summer is a time for family reunions and a family reunion is a great time for a family photo session.  Bill and I have know this beautiful family since their kids were very young. It’s hard to believe that these kids, that I remember as little ones, now have little ones of their own.  You can tell by the looks on their faces they enjoyed the week being with their cousins and having fun with Grandpa Eagar.

This has been a crazy busy summer both professionally and personally, like everyone else I have a lot to do and not many hours in the day to do them.   Craziness aside, I’ve enjoyed the time I’ve had with my family this summer, time with friends, and time that I’ve spent getting to know new people.  I call myself a lifestyle photographer.  I like to photograph people in their own environment, letting them be themselves and enjoy the experience of being photographed.  For most people being photographed isn’t something they have had a good experience with in the past so once they start having fun that’s when I’m there clicking away trying to capture those moments.  When I do posed shots I like to let people pose themselves giving a few direction along the way but for the most part they are sitting standing or playing the way they normally would be.  I won’t allow for anyone to be stiff in front of my lens.  I love people so it isn’t hard for me to let my clients know I’m their friend first and the photographer second.  Every once in a while I get the pleasure of having my DH assist me.  Bill enjoys getting to know people as much as I do and I think has fun going out on sessions with me.  Last week he was with me when we photographed the Douglass family.  We had a blast being with them and getting to know them.  The session took place at their home on the creek.  We had to wait until late evening to have the best light so we were a little pressed to get the shots we needed before the sun went down but that didn’t stop us from having time to have fun.  I promised them a sneak peek.

Bill had to chase a few cows out of the way for this shot, they wanted in on the action so a little later I grabbed this shot.  I love how the “mama” cow is resting her head on the calf.

A big thank you to the Douglass family for letting Bill and I photograph your beautiful family!