I’m thrilled to announce that Elisha Snow Photography has expanded to include studio portraits! The greatest advantage to studio portraits is that no matter the weather or lighting conditions outside, the comforts of a photography studio are constant. So whether it’s the dead of winter or height of summer, I’m here for you!

And right now, to celebrate the launch of my studio, I’m offering FREE portrait sessions (a $75 value) and the opportunity to purchase the digital files (up to 15 photos)at 40% off. That means you will receive a 30-minute session and your digitally edited photos on CD to use however you’d like (think Christmas cards!) for only $180 total. This pricing will also apply to outdoor, on-location family (up to 6 people), children, and teen shoots. (Wedding and engagement pictures are not included in this promotion.) You need to book your session by September 30, 2009, and you need to complete your session by December 31, 2009.

I’m so excited to take my business to the next level and I couldn’t have made it to this point without your support.

…but maybe just move quickly on through this “typical-two-year-old” stage. Does that make me a bad mom? The time out chair is just all too familiar these days.

He sure looks cute and innocent in this photo, though. I guess that’s what photos are for. Stay tuned for some more “cute and innocent” photos from a little photo session with my two boys.

“What should we wear?” is probably the most frequent question I get asked when someone is booking a photo shoot. I know it would be so easy for me to tell everyone exactly what colors and styles to wear, but I never do. My biggest advice is “be yourself” and “don’t be afraid of color.” I thought I’d share a few photos from some recent family sessions I’ve done to show you some good examples.

I love what this first family did with their colors. I know they considered the all brown, all white, or all black look, but I told them to make sure to add some color (jewel tones are always good!). So they chose a dominant brown and added pops of color here and there. Awesome!

I love how this next family wore white. Mostly white with splashes of color. And I love that the whites they wore had TEXTURE. Texture is huge in photography and I love it when clients wear ruffles, buttons, jewelry, headbands, belts, etc. to a shoot. those little things add so much!

Like I said, don’t be afraid of bright colors! It was so awesome against this very neutral background:

And finally, I love again what this family did with white. Beautiful white with touches of muted colors (navy, dark yellow, etc.). I thought it turned out very casual but classy.

And notice the logos! Logos are totally fine, especially if they say something about your personality.

Anyway, just a little tidbit for anyone out there that needed it!

And yes, jumping on the bed is exactly what he was doing.

I realized today that it has been WAY too long since I’ve posted client photos on my blog. All of my clients have seen their photos by now, but I wanted to share them here anyway. I’ll start with this little guy. I could go on and on telling you how cute this kid was, but you can pretty much see that for yourself:

A quick sneak peek for Jessica:

I know many of you right now are thinking, “Yeah…so?” But you have no idea how HUGE this is! This boy does not eat any sort of meat, fruit or vegetable. Kyler has actually never had fish sticks until today, either. I decided to give them a try (even though I despise any sort of seafood). I broiled them in the toaster oven and as I was serving them to Kyler, Ryan came up and said, “What is that? Can I have one?” I decided to be very calm about it and not freak out, so I said, “Sure.” And got him a plate. He took one bite and said, “Mmmm, I like it. But I don’t want anymore.” So I told him that if he ate it all gone, he could have a little drink of soda pop. AND HE DID! I about cried. I even called Matt (who is on a business trip in Mexico) to tell him.

And because he did it, I decided to do it too. I forced one down, and I’m still feeling a little queasy. And yes, I realize that it’s all in my head.

So all you mothers…you know those frequent moments in life where you turn and look at your child and all of a sudden think, “who are you and where did my baby go?” Uh…yeah…Exhibit A:

And I need to stop talking about it right now, because I seriously am tearing up just thinking about the fact that my baby boy will be 4 in two weeks.

Next year plant ONE zucchini plant (not two), ONE squash plant (not two), and TWO tomato plants (not four).

Next year plant corn, more peas, and more potatoes.

Having a garden has been so fun. Isn’t it truly amazing that the earth can yield so much yummy food? That we can eat things right out of the ground? That our tummies are full from stuff that came from tiny seeds? AMAZING.

And incidentally, I’ve been enjoying the smell of a pot roast simmering in the slow cooker all day. I seasoned it with rosemary and thyme from my garden, and in just a few minutes I’ll be adding potatoes, carrots and onions–all from my garden.

Mmmmmm…anyone wanna come over?

So after our overnight trip to Yellowstone we drove down to Bear Lake (borders Idaho and Utah). There we met up with all of Matt’s extended family for a big family reunion. We stayed at Matt’s parents’ condo the first night (thank goodness for showers!) and then camped the next two nights. We really did have a great time and I think I’ve offically become a lover of camping.

On to the photos:

The men quickly organized a touch football game. It was fun to watch (and photograph!)

Lots of cute cousins to photograph:

And the little ones all huddled together for some sort of mischevious plotting, I’m sure:

At night we had dutch oven dinners. Oh my gosh, it was heaven. Why is it that food tastes 10 times better when it’s cooked in a dutch oven?

I realize that I should have taken a picture of the actual food that was in the dutch oven, but by the time it was ready I was too busy scarfing it down.

Then off to the beach:

Gosh, could my kids be any skinnier?

I must have said at least 10 times during the day, “Kyler, don’t you dare throw that sand…KYLER…don’t you do it…oh boy, you are in so much trouble now.”

And then the warm towel and the sound of the crashing waves got to him and he was out.

Poor Ryan…it was the only life jacket we could find at the moment. But he obviously didn’t care.

And finally, my fabulous view from the shady spot under the tree. This photo doesn’t even do it justice. It was just so relaxing and fabulous.