Monday, December 10, 2007

Joseph & Rachel

Last Sunday afternoon, I met Vicki (our school librarian) and her kids-Joseph and Rachel-at Allendale for a session. Joseph and Rachel were pretty good sports, I totally remember that age and I am pretty sure I would not have wanted to take pictures with my brother then either. I think we got some great shots, so enjoy!
Here's your sneak peek and your slideshow link at the bottom.





Allendale was all decorated for Christmas, so it was a great backdrop.

And THIS is what happens when you ask a brother and sister to act like they like each other and touch for 2 seconds........



I think this is my favorite one from the day.

Thanks for putting up with me Joseph and Rachel!
Enjoy your slideshow.
To register to view all of their images when they are posted, click HERE.

Thursday, December 6, 2007

McMurray Family


Before I get started, let me just warn you that this may be THE longest blog post ever!

Chad, Tina, Carson, and Caylee were so great to work with-we had such a great time and got an incredible number of wonderful images.
So, here I go......


When I arrived at Chad and Tina's, the family was dressed in their UT orange for some outside family shots. We headed outside and had some fun as a family, then in the piles of leaves, and as Chad and Carson tossed the football around. It was so evident how much Carson and Caylee are loved.



Then, we headed inside for the family to change into Christmas outfits. Carson read Hello Smokey! to me while Chad and Tina got changed and got Miss Caylee's dress on her.
Carson is adorable! I asked him who the book was about and he said, "Smokey, Tennessee dog."

Right as we headed inside, Grandma and Cousin Emma arrived.
We got some great shots of these little cousins!


Tina was cracking me up during this session. She kept saying, "This is SO much better than going to Sears. This is SO much better than going to Penney's."
That's why I LOVE doing this. I love being able to go into family's homes and being able to capture exactly who they are and what they are all about in this stage of their lives. And all without rushing through because there's a line of 30 people waiting.


Aren't these sweet?!
After taking the traditional in front of the tree shots, we headed to the fireplace and Miss Emma tried out her new skirt!

As you can tell from the first pictures, this family is a UT family!
I must insert this great piece of information here:
Our session was scheduled a month or more ago, before anyone knew that Tennessee would be playing in the SEC Championship right at the same time as our session.
The game was going on the tv, so we heard most of it and watched bits and pieces in between shots. I told Tina that she is very lucky to have a husband who would be so cooperative and great during a photo shoot with such a big game going on!
Tina had another set of outfits for the kids for their family Christmas picture, so Chad got Carson all suited up while they watched the game.
Right after I took this, I heard Carson, "Who Tennessee playin' Daddy?"


Tina wanted some pictures taken in front of my black backdrop.
I think these turned out so well.
Poor Caylee fell asleep, but we kept on going.


This is my favorite from the session!
And then Miss Caylee woke up!
Carson and Dad checked the score while Tina and I got some pictures of Caylee.Chad and Tina, thank you SO much for inviting me into your home (and still letting me come with UT playing!). It was a pleasure to capture these special moments with your family.


And so, as I type this, I am remembering several more pictures that I wanted to include, but I'll let you watch them on the slideshows.
Yes, I said slideshowS!
When I asked Tina what song they wanted, she and Chad chose "Centerfield" because they thought it would go so well with Carson's football pictures. (I must tell you that when she told me she said, "We're not going to do Rocky Top....."-with just a bit of disappointment in her eyes)
Then, as I continued editing, I decided there were too many good ones and that the wonderful "put me in coach" lyrics just wouldn't go with the Christmas pictures, so I made two slideshows.
Tina has been amazing to work with, and as I stated in their previous post, she has spread word of Skelton Photography far and wide, so it's just my thank you to her.
Click HERE for the McMurray Family Part 1.
Click HERE for the McMurray Family Christmas.

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Ava and Family


I love the images we got from Ava's session! She is such a beautiful little girl-she takes great pictures! Sam the dog even hopped in for a shot!
Allison and Chris, thanks for allowing me to photograph you and Ava. I hope you enjoy your slideshow. To register to view all of their images when they are available, click here.

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

Another Sneak Peek


After I left Ava's house Saturday, I headed over to visit Tina and her family. Tina is another teacher at my school and is a fabulous supporter of Skelton Photography! She had already sent business to me before we even had our session. I know she's very excited about seeing her pictures, so I thought I'd go ahead and put some on the blog for her.

We started off with some family shots in the UT gear-Tina, Caylee (5 months), Chad, and Carson (2 years).


LOVE these two!


I loved the color so much in these, I have had a hard time putting any in black and white!
Go BIG ORANGE!


Tina's niece Emma came over to get some cousin shots. She was SO sweet with Caylee.

We even had Grandma hop in for some pictures.

Emma really wanted her picture made with Cindy, her doll. I'm told Cindy's been with Emma since she was born.

After our shoot, Emma and her grandma headed to Emma's first trip to a ballet. How fun! This fur coat was a surprise for Emma. Isn't it precious?

There are so many good ones from this session. I already know I am going to have to cut down how many I am choosing for the slideshow! Stay tuned for many more including more family shots, sweet ones of baby Caylee, and precious ones of Mr. Carson. And of course, the slideshow!

Reminisce Heirlooms

I have to share this BEAUTIFUL ornament that Tabetha made of Maggie's first meeting with Santa. I am in love with it. We only have a little tree this year since we are in a basement, but this ornament makes up for it.
I had one made for Jana, Martha (Nana), and myself.
Tabetha also made one of Ryder's first Christmas for Cody and Kristy. You can see it on Tabetha's blog. Be sure to see her for Christmas gifts! She is truly amazing!

Monday, December 3, 2007

Sneak Peek

Saturday afternoon I visited Allison, Chris, and Ava at their home for some Christmas shots. Allison and I work together at school.
Ava is 3 years old and was a very active girl. Allison said she had gone to bed late the night before, gotten up early that morning, and had not had a nap. I thought kids got draggy when they were sleepy, but not Ava!
We got some great pictures from our time together. This is just a sneak peek.

I love the hat!