New Blog & Website

I have a brand new blogsite! It is a blog and website combined. You can find it here:

http://www.skeysphotography.com/

This blog will remain open so you can feel free to come back and look at old posts, but I will no longer be posting new entries here.

Miss Em - High School Senior Photographer, Newton, NC

Sneezing, watery eyes, box of tissue in hand .... you'd never know by looking at these pics that Miss Em is suffering from a cold. She looks gorgeous!!! She squeezed herself in amoungst the flowers and sneezy plants without a complaint. What a trooper!

I sympathize with her as I've been ill for the past few days myself, but with something completely different. But, hey, the show must go on!! Senior pictures must get done! And I'm so glad we went today. The weather couldn't have been more beautiful. The backgrounds were spectacular - even though we got run out of the first location we went to! lol

I'm exhausted ... one of the pitfalls of the particular bug I have, but wanted to get a couple pics up for Miss Em today. I absolutely love, love, love these two. Look at those beautiful brown eyes. So pretty. Feel better soon, Em. More sneak peeks in a day or two.

Two - Children's Portrait Photographer, Newton, NC

Little Miss C. Isn't she a cutie? This is the 4th time I've taken her pictures, but the first time since she turned two! I was so excited to see her, but I'm not sure she felt the same about me. lol She really didn't want to have anything to do with me, but my feelings weren't hurt. Afterall, I'm the mom of three myself and I remember what it was like when THEY were two.

We spent an hour and a half trying to cajole a smile out of Miss C ... we did everything but stand on our heads! I did manage to catch a few cute shots and even one or two of her actually looking at me! Hot-diggity-dog!!!

Don't worry "G". I think I managed to catch quite a few really good shots! Will have more to show you soon.

How Bout a Little Attitude - Newton, NC Family Portrait Photographer

at-ti-tude -(noun): position or posture of the body appropriate to or expressive of an action, emotion, etc.

How bout this attitude? :) And may I just say that this old knarled beauty (no, not you Mr. C (wink, wink) ... well it just melts my heart. Those of you know me, know that I absolutely, positively ♥♥♥ things like this. Just look at how gorgeous this old tree is in this photo! Such character and texture. Now imagine the same photo minus the tree. yaaaaaaawn..... :) Course, the humans aren't bad either. ♥ you guys!

For Mrs. C - Newton, NC Family Portrait Photographer

Sometimes you just know when a picture is going to be perfect before you ever click the shutter. Momma C knew it. She exclaimed "There! That's her! That's "Baby C"

I love it when I can capture the real personality, the real essence of someone. Momma C, I hope I captured through my lens what you were seeing with your eyes. :)
Look at that beautiful sweet face. It so reminds me of the sweet little face of the 2 year old I met 10 years ago. ♥

Sneak Peeks for the C Family - Newton, NC Family Portrait Photographer

I have known this family since we moved to North Carolina 10 years ago. As a matter of fact, Mr. C was the very first person I met. He took us on little tours around the town when we came up here house hunting on weekends. Young Miss C was only 2 at the time! She was the cutest little thing you ever did see. Itty bitty, with Shirley Temple ringlets and a great big voice. Look at her now. What a beautiful young lady she has become.

I had such a good time with them last night, despite Mr. C grumbling about having to miss his football game. :) These are some of my all time favorite photos. I have so many favorites I couldn't choose, so there's quite a few sneak peeks!

Mr. & Mrs. C trying to be romantic. ;}



I spotted this old log on the other side of their pond and wanted to use it in our photos. To get there we had to hike through the goat pen and across a little creek with a board over it, and through weeds that Mr. C assured me had no poison in them .... what I'll do for the perfect shot. I think it was definitely worth it!




What can I say. She's just naturally gorgeous!



These next three are just WOW for me. I absolutely love them. Beautiful♥

Hey Peeps!!!

Yes, I'm still alive. This has been a strange week. So much outside activity. Not so much computer time. I just wanted to reassure everyone that I'm still alive and kickin'. Now if I could just make this rain go away. I'm afraid tomorrow's session at the lake is going to be a washout. I'm praying that Sunday's family session will be a go! AND that the weather will be a might cooler. Can you say SUMMER?? Ack! Hate the humidity!

I promise (cross my heart) to have some new pics up early next week. Pinky swear. :)

Have a great weekend!

S

Unsuspecting ....

As he lay soaking up a little patch of sunlight on the steps, I snuck up very quietly to snap a picture or two.



Look how peaceful he looks ... to him there's nothing better than a nice little square of sun.




Uh-Oh! Caught!

Booking for November

Just a quick note to let everyone know that I am booked through the end of October, unless I have a cancellation. I am now booking for November.

Looking forward to all my upcoming sessions! :)

My Comfort Zone ~ Newton, NC Portrait Photographer - Seniors

A couple more from my senior session this past weekend. I am constantly reading, learning and exploring the world of portrait photography. There's so much to learn. And you just don't know if something will work unless you try it.

I've always been afraid of shooting in full sun, opting for the shade instead. But when I saw this gorgeous early evening light streaming in through the trees, I decided to step out of my comfort zone and give it a shot. And I'm so glad I did! I love how these photos turned out! They're bright, fun and happy. I particularly like the way her hair glows around her face. And look at Miss "K's" beautiful blue eyes.... I will definitely be shooting in this type of light again.

L ♥ O ♥ V ♥ E

un♥cond♥i♥tional, true♥blue, un♥dying ... puppy ♥ love

Gidget, happy to have her beloved human home from college for the weekend. I think the feeling's mutual. ♥

Another Fabulous Senior! (Newton, NC Senior Portrait Photographer)

Last night I met the lovely "Miss K" and her wonderful family. We met at Burke Christian Tours in Maiden, NC. What a beautiful place as you can see! It's the perfect place for pictures. Miss K came all the way from Raleigh for me to do her senior pictures. 3 hours away! I am completely flattered that they chose me for such a special event. We had such a good time... and I've got so many favorite images, I had trouble choosing for the blog ... here's just a few.

You look absolutely beautiful "K"! Should have the rest of your pics up in a gallery soon!

Portrait of Gidget

Meet Gidget. She's my daughter's 4-something-ish baby. She becomes my 4-something-ish baby while Stephanie is away at college. She's (Gidget, that is) a handful. Part Jack Russell. I actually captured her here in a rare quiet moment. Pretty cute. ♥

Remembering 9-11

Eight years ago, today. Do you remember where you were? Do you remember where your kids were? I do. I remember it like it was yesterday. It's a day I will never forget.

My prayers go out to all those who lost their lives and to all those who lost someone they loved on that day eight years ago.

My heartfelt thank you goes out to all those you fought and contine to fight to keep my America safe and secure. Your sacrifice does not go unnoticed in our home.

I will take a moment today to remember 9-11, say a prayer, and be grateful for all that I have.

May God Bless America.

A Few More Peeks for "Oma" ~ Portrait Photographer, Newton, NC

I wanted to post just a few more from my session with my girlfriend, her kids, and their "Oma", which means Grandma in German. I love all these shots. We had such a good time setting these up. Oma rocks! :)

Meet MJ ~ Maiden, NC Portrait Photographer

Meet MJ. Some of you already know him. For those of you who don't, let me tell you a little about him. He's an awesome young man. I've known him since he was in the
1st grade. And he was just as cute then, as he is now! My go-to word to describe MJ has always been "charming". He's just that. Charming. And sweet. He looks for the good in just about everyone he comes across.

Some of you have seen or heard of him lately in association with Maiden High School football. He is this year's starting quarterback. He's a sophomore. And he's moving and shaking the MHS football team. If you haven't seen him yet, you will. He's already been in the paper several times and won two local awards last week.

The Maiden Blue Devils had a tough loss last night against local rival, Lincolnton.
MJ played both sides, offense and defense. He plays with his heart and soul. He never gives up. He plays for the love of the game. And although losing's tough, he'll pick himself up and be ready for next week's game. I've no doubt.

So, if you haven't already, go to a Blue Devils football game this fall. See MJ and all his fellow teammates in action. And if they should lose, be sure and show your support for the heart and soul that they leave out on that football field every Friday night.

Good job, MJ and all the Maiden Blue Devils! We loved watching you play. xoxo S

THANK GOODNESS!!!!

I was beginning to wonder if I was EVER going to have pretty paper again. An hour and a half later, I've finally figured out how to get it back on!!!! I'm so happy. White is so boring. Whew ... I'm exhausted.

OOOOPS!

Well now I've done it. I went and messed with the HTML and lost my pretty paper background. May take me awhile to figure out how to get it back ... so we'll have to look at this ugly white ... yack!

Coming Along....

As you can see, I've finally got the new blog up. I really like the the fresh, light feel of the new design. The website is coming along as well. I hope to have it ready in just another couple of weeks. It will be jam packed with all new images and some of my favorite oldies as well. Can't wait for you to see it!!

Tea Stained ~ Child Portrait Photographer, Newton, NC

Been sitting here for hours editing .... thought I'd take a little break and play with one of my favorite images. I took this photo last year and I knew it was a beauty as soon as I snapped the shutter.

Most of my images tend to be very color saturated. I love color and find that most of my clients do as well. But it's fun to try something a little different every now and then. These images have a tea-stained, old-fashioned feel to them. Think how beautiful they would be in a bedroom or a sunroom. They would make gorgeous large prints or gallery wraps ... I'm talking 16x20 or even larger! Very soft and subtle. Love them.

{FYI - the first image is the original}

Good Friends ~ Harper House, Hickory, NC

This morning I photographed my good friend, AJ, her kids and her lovely mom who is visiting from South Carolina. We went to Harper House in Hickory. This gorgeous old house, built in 1887, is on the National Historical Registry. You know me, I love all things old. Older things just have so much more character than today's stuff.

Here's just a couple sneak peeks, cause I know they're peeking!! I got tons of great pics and will try and post some more tomorrow.



Ms. "H" was a little shy at first, saying that she really didn't like having her photo taken, but it wasn't long till she was posing like a diva!!! Beautiful.

Had a great time with you guys, as usual!! Ya'll look fabulous! ")

And In Black & White ~ Newton, NC Portrait Photographer

I just love a warm black and white...

Engaged ~ Newton, NC Portrait Photographer

They are the cutest couple. Beautiful both inside and out. Getting ready to start the beginning of the rest of their lives ... together. Matt and Ashlea recently got engaged and threw a wonderful engagement party to celebrate with family and friends.



The party was held outdoors in my neighbor's beautiful backyard. {How convenient for me.} My neighbor just happens to be Ashlea's aunt. There were tables with red checkered cloths, good food, good friends and family ... even Corn Hole. A game which is sort of a cross between a bean bag toss and horse shoes. It was quite the hit. Even a brief downpour did nothing to dampen the spirit of the evening.



This was no fancy, smanshy party. No sirreee! This was a Louisiana style cookout!
I've never seen so many pots a'boilin at one time in my life. And the "cooks" were awesome. They had the whole thing down to a science. Crawfish straight from Louisiana. Blue crab and shrimp. Boiled potatoes, corn and sausage. Bowls of fresh fruit. Beer and other beverages, including something called "German Chocolate Cake shots". They were the hit of the evening. Everyone who had one said they were awesome. I declined, cause I figured one of those and I probably wouldn't be able to work anymore. lol






It was a terrific evening. Ashlea, Matt and their families are the best. I can't wait to take their engagement photos this fall. They will be a blast to work with. I'll leave you with one of my favorite shots of the night. Eating crawfish the "right" way .... yuck!!! :)

Back to School! ~ Catawba County Portrait Photographer

... and we're off! Both kids were up early and eager to start the first day of school. I wish they were like this every day! This year we've got a college junior, a high school senior and an 8th grader. My, my they are growing up fast.

The big news for me is I am NO LONGER a taxi mom!!! I can't tell you how excited I am not to have to leave my house every day at 7:20 a.m. and 2:45 p.m. It's awesome!

I have now replaced those feelings of "having to watch the clock" with feelings of deep anxiety as we now have another teenager driver to worry about. But I'm thrilled that Ryan finally got his license and is on his way to more independence.

Here they are full of smiles and ready to hit the road. :)

Happy first day to everyone who starts school today!

Saying Goodbye

Yesterday we had to say goodbye to our beloved dog Elliott. He became very ill on Wednesday and was not able to recover. Yesterday afternoon we had to have him put to sleep. It was one of the hardest things we've ever had to do.



Elliott came to live with us 16 1/2 years ago when Stephanie was only 4, Ryan about 18 months and Kelly wasn't even a twinkle. I just HAD to have a dog. So we went to the Atlanta Humane Society and saw this precious 4 month old puppy hovering in the back of the cage. The place had other dogs that were bright and fun vieing for our attention. But we were drawn to the shy little puppy who was too scared to come to the front, preferring to just hang out in the shadows. We learned that he and his siblings had been dumped along a busy Atlanta highway.

We adopted this little guy, named him Elliott, and took him home where he lived as a member of our family for the past 16 1/2 years. He was a constant companion for our kids, a bed warmer, a crumb picker-upper, a package opener at Christmas and birthdays, a protector.... He was much loved.

We will miss him dearly.