Several years ago, I had a blog post on here after cleaning my kitchen cabinets.  At that time, I was feeling overwhelmed.  I was very busy with my photography business, which was great!  And at the same time, I was crazy busy with my kids’ sports activities.  One day, as I was tackling a cabinet which was driving me nuts because it was so full (by the way, it’s time to hit those cabinets again), I found a a great moment of clarity.  I needed to cut back on my photography sessions.  I have always considered myself a mom first, secondarily someone who also liked to throw in some photography.  I didn’t want to miss any of the moments I needed to be there for my children as they grew up.  I don’t regret that decision in any way, shape, or form.

This past year was my first as an empty-nester.  There are things I am starting to get used to, some things I even enjoy about this stage, and of course there are things that I miss.

I have had a good 8 months now to figure out the next stages of my business and my life. But honestly, I think I was still kind of sad and maybe feeling a little sorry for myself….  until now.

So once again, I am tackling my home and cleaning the areas that have been hidden behind doors, cabinets, shelves, and drawers.  It seems it is during these menial tasks that I do the best thinking.  When there is less clutter around me, there is less clutter in my head.

Tonight (yes, TONIGHT, as in after we got home from a movie TONIGHT), I was determined to get started.  The coat closet in our laundry room was driving me crazy!  I had way more coats than I wear and I was bound and determined to find my North Face hat which had been missing for months.  But in order to clean it, I really had to have Al go through his things, too.  (I have such a good guy!)  And when 2 people conquer such a task, it really doesn’t take very long.  But I read in a book, the key to start decluttering is simply to MOVE.  And tonight, I knew I just had to move in order get in the mood to make to improvements over these next weeks before the kids are home for the summer.

As I was going through my hats (found my North Face hat!), I found some rather boring hats that I wanted to get rid of.  Al, my practical guy, said “These are good for Packer games.  You need to keep these.  They are very utilitarian.”  I thought about it a few minutes and said, “But I don’t want to look utilitarian.  I want to look cute.”  His response?  “Warm is sexy….  warm people don’t whine!”  Sigh…  after 30 years, he knows me so well!

So, anyway…  one closet down.  I’m on my way!

Sweet little Franny and Fergi were subjects in this studio yesterday.  I had never photographed two dogs together before.  In an ideal world, my first image would just “happen.”  However, I gave this some thought in advance.  Both of these pups were pretty young.  I knew that they would be full of energy and they most definitely were!  🙂  So how was an image like this created?

The mom of these “girls” 🙂 helped with the session.  I shot each dog individually and then I photographed the background and props alone, making sure to straighten out floor of the backdrop.  There was no “cutting and pasting” in creating the final picture.  This portrait was created by a careful combination of blending images together in order to create the “perfect” shot.

Why reveal my secret?

These are some skills that took a while to perfect, but after these many years in business I’m pretty darn good at combining images.  I wanted people to know that even if a session seems a little crazy (and it was 🙂 ) and if you leave thinking, “I don’t think she could have captured anything,” I usually can.  🙂  It needs to look totally seamless, like it came out of the camera that way, in order to pass my seal of approval.

If you are looking to create something amazing for your pet or family (these same techniques work great with people  🙂  ), I look forward to hearing from you!