But the Christmas holiday is special for another reason: most babies are born in August and September meaning that more babies are conceived during Christmas season than any time.




An image from Tuesday's pregnancy session.

 

I had to share these from an earlier session with you. This week, I have had brides, newborns, one year olds, families, pregnancy portraits, teens, and everything in between. It has been a fun couple of days shooting.

I'm working limited hours until January the 2nd. I will be available but, be patient when expecting return phone calls, as I will be spending most of the holiday break with my children. I am looking forward to an exciting new year full of great portrait opportunities!!

So, it is Friday, and I have that Kohls commercial in my head.... " It's Friday, it's Friday, everyone loves black Friday. Black Friday, black Friday, got to go to Kohls On black Friday." Grrrrrr it's a catchy jingle that is bouncing around in my head.

I loved my day off today. It was a whole day spent with the kiddos, and no telephone. I even survived the new muppets movie. I do not recommend this movie unless you bring a pillow to take a nap. Even the boys didn't like it.

It's back to work for me in the AM, and I am very excited. Three days of a staycation, and I miss my little studio on Main Street. I have two awesome families coming in the morning, and then I am expecting Jennifer Mann (another local photog) to stop over. It should be a good day.

I'm thinking it is almost giveaway time again. Keep your eyes on Facebook for updates.

Melissa

Quick preview of some of my photos from my session in a junkyard.

Yesterday, I photographed several families in my studio. Today I photographed a beautiful pregnant woman amongst twigs and vines, and illuminated her belly with the natural window light of a 130 year old house. Tomorrow I'll edit, shoot, edit some more. Photograph two cute little girls in a junk yard, and then host a photography club meeting in my studio. It has been a great weekend, and I'm gearing up for more wonderful things to come this week.

Today I am thankful for many things, but high on that list is the gift of photography!!!! If you don't love what you do, do something else.

Melissa Sheets

I have a break in sessions, and I wanted to share a few from this morning. This great family is new to Real Life Photography, but I really hope they will come again, because I am in love with this family's sense of fashion. Jack is too cute for words! He thought my studio dog "Pippa" was funny and he affectionately renamed her "Hippo".

We walked the downtown area and hit some of my favorite shooting spots.

It is warm and rainy today. Which seems like a cruel joke from mother nature. I had to run out on a sad errand this morning to visit a family in the hospital.

And when I got in my car this little gem of a leaf was on my windshield. My camera was in the back, so I grabbed my new iphone and loved the shot.



Not only does it come with "Siri" an incredible personal assistant, but a great little camera on board. Here are some specifics for all you tech junkies:

HDR shooting, f/2.4 maximum aperture, 8 megapixel sensor.

Technology has changed a bunch since bagphones were all the rage. Do you remember those? I wonder what cell phones will be like in 10 years?

Happy rainy Wednesday.
Melissa

It is great when clients bring in their furry friends. Meet Max a robust jack russell terrier. I can tell that these two will be friends for a while. Did you know that these famous folks own Jack russells too:

Mariah Carey and Nick Brown - singers.

Charlotte Church - singer.

The Prince of Wales (Prince Charles) and Camilla Parker-Bowles - British royalty.

Paul McCartney - singer.

Bette Midler - actress.

Serena Williams - tennis player.

Yesterday afternoon I drove a little outside of my normal shooting range to meet with a future wedding couple. Lake Norman was gorgeous, and the weather was as if I had custom ordered it.

I am pretty sure this was my last fall leaves session of the year. Today and tomorrow should be windy, and then all those great leaves that have been my best friend this fall will be my evil nemesis all over our front lawn. This morning my youngest son said "Let's make a leaf pile before all our leaves disappear." So this afternoon I will be taking a break to play in the leaves with my kiddos. Have a great fall day everyone!!!

(This is me & Pipa at the office)
Pipa Frequently visits the studio...

Anyways...
Melissa has been super busy!
(Which is great)
She's had tons of sessions, weddings
and she's also getting ready for a wedding show
tomorrow
(At Oak Hollow Mall, in NC)
So I figured it would be fun to write a little guest post
for my awesome boss!
Seeing that she's probably not going to have time to!
"And I'm not just saying that because she's my boss"
She really is an amazing person
Wife+mom+business owner+building owner+still looks great+amazing talent=
Crazy admiration and exactly what I want to be (when I grow up) hehe

Anyways....I was just thinking what to write about??

"Then I thought why not talk about what REALLY happens at the studio/office..."
We eat like normal people
NORMALLY...today I bought some doughnuts for a fundraiser
and me & Sidney have had three each so far...they are so addicting
We usually just order Bojangles/Arbys/Cafe 35 (Main St. Lexington) for lunch
We make crafts (like ghosts for Halloween)
Me and Sidney might have slid across the floor in our socks today...
Sidney is Melissa's son who was in the studio due to being out of school!
We make lots of UPS and Post Office trips...
We have mini photo-shoots...

Here's one I took of Melissa not long ago
She was super excited about her new tattoo (Cute right?)!
Answer/return lots of phone calls and emails...
Update the blog and facebook...
Clean, talk, and stalk pinterest for great ideas..

Well that's all I can think of right now!

Hope everyone has a great week...
&& enjoyed getting to know just what REALLY happens at the studio!!

I ran back to my studio between sessions this morning to warm up before my next appointment. I just had to share these two from this morning. These little guys are so much fun to be around. They remind me endlessly of being around my own kiddos a few years ago.




Just a reminder that fall leaves may only last another week or so. If you aren't on the books but want to schedule something be sure to let me know. I have two openings next week. Just give me a call.

Earlier this week I met with a new family. We shot outdoor pictures too, and I LOVED all of them. Here are just a couple from their session.





Have a great weekend.
Melissa

Such sweet sisters. Can't wait to edit the rest of this session.













Have a great weekend!
Melissa