April’s theme for the I Heart Faces monthly photo contest is “Wind”. I don’t have a lot of photos from which to choose; an unfortunate chain of events has resulted in the loss of my last two years of files. I only have a few shoots on hand since losing everything, which makes me sad. But, I DO have this photo, and while there isn’t a LOT of wind, my sweet little friend’s hair is blowing around a little, and SHE is loving the feeling! Be sure to click on the button at the top of this post to see the other photos that have been submitted; there are some BEAUTIFUL shots over there! May the wind be ever at your back…

The theme for this month’s “I Heart Faces” photo contest is “Framed”. I suppose that can be taken many ways, but I chose this picture because I love the way the opening in the old barn frames my beautiful friends. And if you knew them, you’d also know that their love frames an amazing marriage with two beautiful girls (and a few chickens, too!). Natural framing is one of my favorite things to do in portrait photography, whether it’s using structure in buildings or natural landscaping and trees. The most important thing is that the frame brings your eye to the subjects, and in this case? I think I got it right. To check out other interpretations of framing, make sure to go to I Heart Faces and browse the other entries!

She gave me life, and I passed it on to him. They are bound together through me, and I love them both more than life itself. She is the only grandparent that he has been able to do things with, and they have had many adventures together in his nearly 13 years. She is now 78, and she is slowing down, even as he is growing up. He is as tall as her now, but she will still call him out in a heartbeat if he needs it. And he still wants hugs and kisses from her before bed when we stay with her. I have begun to be more intentional in capturing their love, because there will be a day when he can no longer give her hugs and kisses. But he will always remember..
For more wonderful “LOVE” photos, don’t forget to go to I Heart Faces and check out the entries. And don’t forget to snap those precious moments between loved ones. That’s the only way that you can stop the hands of Time.

It’s been a LONG time since I entered an I Heart Faces contest! Bad me; seems like things have gotten too busy to do one of my favorite things. But, I can’t pass up this month’s contest; Best Face of 2012. I had the honor of shooting a LOT of beautiful faces, but I finally chose this face as my best:

Handsome senior, and just as nice on the inside as he is handsome on the outside! I can’t wait to see the other entries; SO many talented people enter, and I’ve learned a LOT over the past 4 years at I Heart Faces.  Don’t forget to head over and see the other beautiful faces of 2012 (after you leave me just a little comment love… xoxox!)

My friend Karyn adopted Chester 8 or 9 months ago when she saw his photo on Facebook. We have mutual friends who work with and for rescue groups and no-kill shelters, and when Karyn saw Chester’s photo, something just “clicked”. Her Maggie is aging and needed a “spark” in her life, and boy oh boy, does Chester ever provide that spark! Karyn is a horse trainer who keeps her horses at a barn nearby, and Chester LOVES to ramble all over the acreage when she brings the dogs. He and Maggie tussle, and it’s hilarious watching Maggie, whose front teeth have gone missing with age, bare her gums at Chester. As of late, with the oppressive summer heat, Chester has taken to jumping into one of the watering tubs at the barn that are set out for the horses (dog-flavored water.. oh YUM!). Seeing him in there, I waited, knowing that eventually, he WOULD jump out. And being a dog, well.. he WOULD shake (anyone else get drenched when you give a dog a bath?). I love this capture of Mr. Flappy Jowls, and I love Karyn for rescuing this handsome boy!

I Heart Faces is featuring “Pet Faces” for this month’s contest theme, so once you leave me a little “comment love”, head on over there to look at the other furry photos!

I Heart Faces has monthly contests now, instead of weekly. So if you miss one, then it’s a whole month before you get to play again (they do have Facebook “Letter” contests, which are a lot of fun, too!). I missed last month, so I feel like it’s been forever since I played. But I do love this month’s theme, “Enjoying Life”. Wow.. that opens the door to SO many possibilities, and it honestly made it hard to pick an image. But I ended up settling on one that I took recently, of a beautiful young girl smoochin’ up on her pony. What little girl hasn’t asked for a pony from Santa at least once? To have a mama who is a horse trainer and to therefore have unlimited access to equine fun every day? Must be heaven, at least to me. This quote seemed perfect:

When riding a horse, we leave our fear, troubles, and sadness behind on the ground.
- Juli Carlson

Isn’t that the very definition of enjoying life? No fear, no troubles, no sadness… yep, I’ll take it!

For more photos that will make you smile, laugh, and maybe even cry, check out the other entries at I Heart Faces.

Just in case you didn’t know… ponies + children = sheer awesomeness. :<) I saw a photo of a little cowboy with a pony in Western get-up and HAD to find a way to do something along the same lines. Because I'm so fortunate to have friends at Rose Equestrian, I was able to get a pony model (Breyer... best pony EVER!) and a brother and sister who absolutely top the "cuteness" chart. Put them together on a beautiful grassy hill, and you get this....

Riding Breyer over to the lake for the shoot…

Best pout EVER…

It was her idea to throw the hat!

And a great idea it was!

Pony in a cowboy hat… oh yeah!

Every little girl’s dream

Like I said in my previous post, Facebook has allowed me to re-connect with a lot of people who mean a lot to me. My cousin Susie, who lives in Texas, is one of them. We have messaged and commented and shared photos over the past several years, and I finally decided that we needed to meet up in person. So, I loaded my boy in the van and we drove to Celina for spring break. Susie’s girl Mackinlee is an amazing young woman. Born with a heart defect, she learned early how to be a fighter. And after fundraising and speaking in front of large groups for heart disease charities, she decided that she LIKED being in front of people and wanted to act. After a couple of years of training in L.A., she landed her first role in a network show, GCB, which aired this spring. Sadly, it didn’t get renewed, but I know without a doubt that Mack will have continued success in the industry for as long as she wants. We had a great time visiting, playing with dogs and horses, and exploring Celina and the surrounding area. Here are some photos from our fun trip!

Facebook has put me back in touch with family, high school friends, and college roommates. When I go home to Nashville to visit my sweet mama, I love being able to get together with people that I’ve known from elementary school on up. One very fun thing that I do with my mom is to go see the Old Hickory Boys if they’re playing when I’m in town. I went to school with three of the guys, and we really love their music. Back in May, I took my camera and grabbed a few shots while they were playing. Can’t wait to see them again!

The 8th grade parents at my son’s school put together a dance for their class every year. This year, I was asked to do photos, including a photobooth. I know they’re at the end of their 8th grade year, but the kids looked more like high school age than middle school. They had a blast dancing, doing the conga line, and yes, hamming it up for the photo booth. Here’s a glimpse into the fun they had!