I just received my brochures for the mini sessions that I will be offering next month for area families who want to have their son or daughter photographed for their First Holy Communion, and I love how they turned out! In case you attend a church that has not received my brochures, here are all of the important details about the mini sessions.

Be sure to call soon to reserve your time because three spots have already been taken (as of March 13th)!

In addition to the two dates that I have reserved exclusively for these mini sessions, I can schedule individual mini sessions depending upon my availability. However, to ensure that you have your photos prior to the May communion dates, sessions must be scheduled and held no later than April 21st. I will continue to offer the mini session pricing through the month of May if you do not need to have the photos prior to your child’s first communion.

All images used in the brochure and displayed in this post are copyrighted by Anne Zirkle Photography.

I don’t post much about my personal life here on this blog, but today seemed like a good day to throw a little bit out there about me. You see, today is the day that my daughters turn 10.

One decade.

Double digits.

How on earth did THAT happen?!

It has been a pretty amazing ten years, and I really wish I had known what I know now on the day we found out that we were having twins.

Let’s rewind back to the beginning of September 2002. I was almost 9-weeks pregnant and thought I may be miscarrying (it had happened once before I had my son), so had called my OB and was sent to a local ultrasound location to be checked since he didn’t have an opening in his schedule for that day.

I called my best friend to see if she could help watch my almost 3-year-old son, and the almost 2-year-old boy I was babysitting at the time. She knew that I was anxious and wanted to be there for me when I got the news, so she met me at the imaging center with her almost 3-year-old daughter, her 1-year-old son, and the two young children that she was babysitting. My husband met us there too and went back with me for the ultrasound while my best friend earned some points towards sainthood and kept 6 small children relatively quiet and entertained in the waiting room!

The technician got me situated and began the ultrasound while I held my husband’s hand. She was quiet at first, and then she said “Oh look, there’s two!” and continued making conversation while performing the scan.

I lay there for a few minutes and looked over at my husband with a questioning look. He shrugged his shoulders and looked back at me with an equally confused expression. So I said to the technician, “Excuse me, but two what, exactly? Two arms and two legs?” To which she replied with a laugh “No! Two babies!”

My husband’s head dropped into his hands, and I felt like the bottom had just dropped out of my world. I laid there in stunned silence as she continued the scan and pointed out two little peanuts: Baby A and Baby B. Turns out that spotting is very common with twin pregnancies. I wasn’t miscarrying at all. The radiologist came in soon and confirmed that we were going to be having twins, probably some time in March or the beginning of April since they tend to arrive before 40 weeks.

We took in all of the information, but honestly it was all a bit of a blur. All I kept thinking was “how on earth am I going to handle TWO babies in addition to my very active, VERY demanding son?” and “what if it’s two more boys?!”

They printed out our ultrasound pictures and sent us on our way with the advice to schedule a follow-up within the next week with my OB.

When I walked into the waiting room and saw my best friend’s worried and expectant face, I tried to hold it together, but all of the emotions and fears just bubbled up and I burst into tears. It took a few minutes for me to relay that I was not crying because I was miscarrying, I was crying because we were having twins. I was crying because all of the things that I thought I knew to expect about having a baby had changed drastically with those four little words. I was crying because there was a good chance that I may in fact miscarry one or both babies because there are more risks with a twin pregnancy. I was crying because I didn’t think I could nurse two babies, and I was so sad that I might not have that beautiful experience again. I was crying because I was afraid of how having twins would affect my son – how would I ever have time for him again? I was crying because I was afraid. Period.

I won’t bore you with all the details of the pregnancy. We had some scares that Baby A’s bowel was not developing properly and that Baby B was showing some cysts in the brain that could indicate potential developmental delays (both issues resolved themselves in utero, and I attribute that to fervent prayers by many). We went ahead and found out the gender of the babies because we thought that finding out that we were having twins was surprise enough! And over the course of the pregnancy we put those early fears to rest. It was physically challenging carrying two babies on my 5-foot, 2-inch frame, particularly the last month when I developed PUPPPS.

When April 17, 2003 finally rolled around and I delivered two healthy, (and hefty at 6 lbs 5 oz, and 7 lbs 1 oz!) baby girls at 39 weeks, the only tears I cried were tears of joy.

Having twins is definitely a challenge in some ways: the sleep deprivation during the first few months was like nothing I have ever experienced! There have been the logistical challenges, and the decisions about whether to keep them in the same class at school or to separate them (we separate them and it has been so good for both of them), the necessity of driving a minivan or other larger vehicle because 3 car seats wouldn’t fit in a sedan, the expense is definitely higher (the only “discount” we got was delivering two babies for the price of one!). But none of these challenges begins to touch the wonderful parts of having twins.

Imagine waking up and going to sleep every single day of your childhood with your best friend living under the same roof! Of course there are some squabbles, but the skills that they have developed just in sharing, compromise, and conflict resolution far surpass those of other children their age, and will help them throughout their lives.

None of the things that scared me so much on that day were an issue after all, and the simple joy that they have brought to our lives has increased exponentially. I would love to comfort that scared woman I was when we got the news, or to experience getting the news knowing what I do now so that I could feel the elation instead of the fear.

And so today we celebrate having these two daughters in our lives for ten years, and our hearts are filled with gratitude at hearing those words: “Oh look, it’s two!”

I discovered the idea of taking a photo a day for a year back in 2009 when I was still actively scrapbooking. The idea has been around for a while in photography circles, but it was introduced as a way to document the everyday life in a Creating Keepsakes magazine. It’s called a Project 365, and the concept really just resonated with me (you could say that it clicked, but that would be an awfully cheesy photography pun, so I will restrain myself…).

The idea was to take a picture every day, and then also to jot down either a memory about the picture, or some other random memory from the day. How easy is that?!

But then the kit that was being offered by Creating Keepsakes sold out so quickly that I didn’t get one. I was really disappointed, but decided to continue with the concept since I had already started taking the photos.  In response to the disappointed masses who missed out on the physical kit, CK offered a digital download so that we could either print out the journaling cards or use them for digital photobooks. I decided to try something new…

I knew how to use photoshop on a very basic level, and had been intrigued by the idea of digital scrapbooking (making your scrapbook pages on your computer) for a while. This seemed like the perfect opportunity to give it a go!

I decided to use Blurb to print my book because you can have more than 100 pages (which is very important since there are 52 weeks in a year and each week has a 2-page layout).

This is what my very first digital page looked like using the cards that came with the kit:

It’s pretty basic. No bells and whistles. And honestly? I am fine with that!

In 2010, Becky Higgins introduced her take on this idea, and called it Project Life. She describes the whole concept way better than me, so go check out her site for more details.

This method of scrapbooking has had the most profound change on what I scrapbook. And it was this idea of capturing the every day moments that has shaped the way I photograph for my business.

I am currently working on our 2010 Project Life photo book (yeah, I’m still not caught up. oh well!). I chose to use the digital version of the Clementine Edition because I loved the colors in this kit.

I wanted to have a larger variety of journaling cards than what was provided in the purchased kit, so I set out to find some more.

Leena Loh is one of the creative team members for 2013 for Project Life and she designed a freebie set of beautiful, bright, citrusy-colored cards. I loved her design, but the colors didn’t work with my Clementine kit, so I shamelessly copied her design for my own use and then asked her permission to share what I made with other Project Lifers who are using the Clementine kit. She gave me the go ahead, as long as I included a link back to her site. A huge thank you to her for her generosity, and willingness to let me copy and share my take on her cool design!

To get your copies of these cards, just click the link below:

link! —-> Days of the Week Clementine Freebie  <—- link!

The files are .png files that you can either print yourself on your printer, use on your digital pages, or have printed by your favorite photo lab.

Now go document your life!

My neighbor, Enza, and her sister-in-law, Madeline, saw a need in our area for delicious baked goods that fit into the special diets of themselves and their children. Enza has a son with multiple food allergies, a daughter who is allergic to gluten, and she suffers from celiac disease. She is an amazing cook and baker and developed a variety of her own recipes and methods for creating baked goods that were safe for her family to eat while still tasting delicious. Madeline has been an avid baker and skilled cake decorator for years. Their bakery, Maddy’s Fatty’s, offers a variety of baked goods that are all organic and natural, as well as items that are Vegan and gluten-free. Be sure to go check them out!

I first took pictures for Enza and Madeline to use on their website, but after Enza saw the photo session I did with Sugarpops Candy and Soda shop she contacted me about doing a similar session to create art to hang in the bakery.

We met at Jeton Park since it is close to their Cornelius bakery, and let the kids have some fun eating cupcakes! I had hoped that they would get messier, but these kiddos were so neat, and polite. Smiles and laughs flowed freely, but everyone managed to keep themselves free from stickiness!

My personal favorite Maddy’s Fattys cupcakes are Salted Caramel and Maple Chocolate Bacon — seriously heaven in your mouth! Go treat yourself to some decadence and let me know what your favorite flavor is!

I have to feature this family again on my blog for several reasons:

1. They are awesome (A & T are complete naturals in front of a camera)!

2. Lori has helped me break into corporate photography this year, which isn’t necessarily creative, but it helps pay the bills.

3. We did another funny Christmas card project that I have to share!

4. I find it really cool that someone who started as a client has become a friend.

We are both moms to twins, so there was an immediate connection there (if you have twins too, then you know what I am talking about here). Back in January, we got to spend an interesting week in Atlanta while I provided photographic coverage for her company’s leadership retreat, and then we collaborated on a photo shoot that got one of my photographs published in an ad campaign for tires! Thanks to her encouragement I have worked with another company to do corporate head shots, and another one to photograph items for a catalog and website. She has since left that company and we are coming up with all kinds of ways to work together in her new job of working with senior citizens! Stay tuned for more about that at a later date…

Back to this session, one of the first tasks at hand was to help her with another unique Christmas card photo. After tossing around a few options, we decided to tie up the kids with Christmas lights in front of her Christmas tree! I avoid using lights with young children because of the threats they pose in terms of lead poisoning and electrocution (yikes! generally NOT a way to get repeat clients!), but A & T are 12, and know to not put the lights in their mouths… We also used some duct tape on their mouths, but only after we had reduced the stickiness by putting it on our pants and peeling it off a few times. The family pets got in on the fun too… The colors on the pre-made card idea that Lori had found did not work well with the photos, so I used the idea as a starting point and tweaked it a bit and then customized it to suit her taste. And here is the final result:

Fun, right?

And then we took a lot more pictures to hang in her home and for gifts. This is one lucky momma because her kids are just as beautiful on the inside as they are on the out.

Up above is the gorgeous, more posed photo of these twins, and down below you get to see a bit more of the true personalities. A is busy chatting with me about acting, while T is being distracted by something he found on the ground…

(There’s one of those “real life” moments up there! A got a little bored while I was taking pictures of her mom and brother so she decided to “surf” on the swing…)

I’m already looking forward to our 2013 session and need to come up with a unique and funny idea for their next card!

This gorgeous lady contacted me as a referral because her husband’s mom really wanted pictures of her son with his wife, and her other son with his new fiance as a Christmas gift this year. I love giving and receiving personal gifts like this, so was thrilled to work with them to come up with something meaningful.

One of my favorite products right now is a large 8×8 cube that has six images laminated on each face of the cube. It ended up being exactly what they were looking for!

Erin and her husband hadn’t had portraits taken since their wedding almost 10 years earlier; and her brother-in-law had just gotten engaged to his long-term girlfriend so I started off with some photos of just the two couples.

Then we got everyone together for some group shots. Erin had seen photos I had done for another family last fall, and really liked the one with everyone holding hands and walking. It turned out super cute for them too!

Sometimes photo magic happens when people are looking at my camera, and sometimes it happens when they don’t realize I am there. I particularly love the image below for that exact reason!

And we finished up with a shot that they included in a card along with their gift! The sunbeams came in just perfectly to give it a really special feel. (And check out that banner! I have learned to make these and am finally using up my old paper scrapbooking supplies!)

In addition to the outdoor shots, Sean and Jennifer wanted to feature some of the over-sized candy that would be available through their shop in a striking way. We got together a second day to do an indoor studio session with the boys. There is nothing like a bright white background to make the colors pop (or should I say SugarPop?! *wink wink*).

My favorite part was capturing the m&m’s shower…

If you are interested in decorating your business with photos that feature your products, your clients, or your family, please contact me to schedule a complimentary consultation to discuss your needs and build a vision!

I have been so excited to share the rest of the photos from my session with the owners of SugarPop’s, the new candy store that is opening in downtown Mooresville in November of 2012! But this being the busy season for photographers with the holiday season fast approaching, I haven’t had a lot of time to work on blogging. Being busy is a good thing though, right? (nodding my head!)

Collaborating with the Colas family to create the art that will be hanging in their candy shop has been a great experience. We decided to do two very different sessions: the first was at Fisher Farm Park. We wanted a variety of photos that featured some of the different candies that would be available at their store. There are so many types of candy so it was a challenge to decide which candies to use and how to feature them. And since SugarPop’s isn’t going to be only selling candy, we also wanted to feature some of the “pop” (or soda as we call it around here) that would be available at the store.

We lucked out with gorgeous weather, and Jen did a great job picking out brightly colored clothes and the denim overalls to add some great POPs of color! (see what I did there? LOL!) My friend, AnnMarie, who has a business creating custom items for parties and events helped me to set up the candy bar. If you ever want to give your party or event some of those special touches that will make your guests say “WOW,” be sure to visit her etsy shop Custom Event Creations to check out her gorgeous products! Every product is hand-crafted, and she offers all types of customization options to help you make your party special.

And now, get ready to satisfy your sweet tooth…

Stay tuned for the next installment of photos from our candy shop studio photo session! And be sure to go check out SugarPop’s Grand Opening on November 3rd!

Fall is always one of the busiest times of the year around our house. Between heading back to school, sports, and all of the fun holidays my days are packed! But when you add in the fact that it is also one of the prettiest times of the year and that lots of families like to have new portraits for holiday cards? Well, it can get just a little nutty.

Since there aren’t enough days in a weekend, and enough weekends in the fall to schedule all of the families who want to have their photos done, I am offering two days of mini sessions this year. What’s a mini session you ask? Well, it is the fun and personal attention found with a custom photographer but for a shorter amount of time. There won’t be time for clothing changes and photos of all the various combinations of your family that you get during one of my full-length sessions, but there will be time for individual pictures of children, a group photo of the children, and a few different photos of the whole family. You will end up with about 12-15 edited photos to choose from for holiday cards, to update the family portrait in your own home, and to make grandparents happy when they open a package with photos of their favorite people.

This year I am offering a few different packages because one size really never fits all! However, these sessions get booked quickly, so be sure to contact me soon to make sure that your family is on my schedule.

Oh, and my referral program? It still applies to mini sessions! You will get a $50 print credit* to use for purchasing prints or digital files from your mini session. So be sure to pass this along to your friends!

* Print credits are good for purchasing gift prints, wall prints or digital files. They can not be used for photo books, gallery canvases, or custom cards.

When working with small children, sometimes you just don’t get the photograph you envisioned straight out of the camera. Especially if there is more than one small child. And when there are three small children? Aged 4, 2 and 1? Well. It becomes even more of a, ummm,  let’s just call it a challenge

Recently I had the opportunity to enter into a collaboration with a new candy store that is coming to my town. If you are ever in Mooresville, NC, be sure to go check out SugarPop’s! We got together to shoot some photos that will be hung in the store when it opens in November of 2012. The photos primarily featured the three young sons of the store’s owners enjoying some of the candy that will be sold at the store. At the end of our session, we got a little silly and had the boys “tie up” mommy and daddy with multi-colored licorice laces!

I assure you that while this may sound fairly easy, trying to get all three boys (did I mention that they were young?!) to look at me and give their best evil villain faces all at the same time was just not happening. They had already consumed sugary soda, and some gum balls, and some lollipops, and were buzzing just a little bit with their sugar high. And a 1-year-old honestly does not understand what an evil villain face even is, let alone how to make one! But we kept trying, and I kept shooting, and thanks to a little photoshop magic I think we got a very fun final shot.

While I was working on editing this  particular shot, I thought “Hey! This might be a fun way to illustrate the joy of composite photos! I bet people would get a kick out of seeing this!” What is a composite photo you ask? Simply, it is taking parts of at least two different photographs and combining them into a single photo.

So, here’s the photo that I decided to use as my base picture:

This picture worked because the dad’s expression was hilarious to me, the 2-year-old was facing the right direction, and the 1-year-old was looking at his big brother. But I didn’t like that the oldest son’s face wasn’t visible.

So I erased him. Ha! That will teach you not to look at me!

His little brother is now thinking “Hey! Where’d he go?!”

I had a great picture of the oldest brother doing a super hero/villain pose, so I copied that part into this photo. After all, he’s just too adorable to erase forever! I’m not a mobster ya know:

Baby brother is now thinking “Wow! My brother is the coolest! He can disappear! He can reappear! He can do kung fu!”

So I could have stopped here, but I had an even better facial expression for our little 2-year-old:

Oh yeah! Now that is looking much better! If you look really close you can see that he is supplementing his sugar buzz with a little bit of blue licorice…

I’ve just about got what I want now. But mom looked even cuter than this in yet another photo, so I decided to swap her too. Here is a glimpse at all the little pieces that are now layered on top of my base photo:

See what I mean about mom? She’s cute in every picture I took of her, but the way she is looking down at her sons in this picture, with her head sort of tilted towards her husband is better than the base photo.

And here is my final version:

So. What do you think? I think photoshop is pretty cool. And I think that these parents are even cooler! And I think their sons will think they won the lottery for cool parents–after all, they own a CANDY store!!

I can’t wait to share more photos from our candy shop photo shoot.