Natalie B Photography

NEW BLOG LINK

2009-04-01T18:38:00.001-07:00

This blog has moved to www.photographybynatalieb.com/portraitblog

Please bookmark the new link, I will not be posting here anymore.

New blog coming soon!!

2009-03-26T19:30:00.001-07:00

I am so excited this blog is going to be getting a facelift, well a new blog!! Stay tuned and if you happend to get here and it has moved already check it out!!!

Womb to Bloom Website

2009-03-25T20:34:00.000-07:00

I am so excited about a new pregnancy website I am listed with. If you are pregnant, or a new mom, or even a seasoned mom like me you should definently check it out!!! wombtobloom.com

This new website is just getting started but is loaded with lots of information for mommies~

Also if you are a current client of mine, and I have had the pleasure of photographing your sweet baby could you leave me a review here: Natalie B Photography

Clients Collage { Michigan Newborn & Child Photographer}

2009-03-20T11:17:00.000-07:00

I saw a cute collage on another photographer's blog so of course I had to try it!! I pulled some pictures from a lot of sessions last year and this year. See if you can find one of yours!!
You can download this cool program here :http://www.shapecollage.com/

Out of the office

2009-03-13T11:59:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to let you know I will be out of the office from Friday March 13th- Sunday March 15th. If you are inquiring about a session I will answer all emails on Monday.

Sweet Baby "K" {Michigan Child Photographer}

2009-03-12T17:11:00.000-07:00

Miss "K" is almost one years old! I can't believe it has been a year since we did her newborn session. She has grown into one cute little girl!! I had so much fun photographing her today. What a smiley, happy baby!! Miss "K" has the most beautiful blue eyes and strawberry blonde hair, the boys better watch out!!!

I love this picture, she looks like she is thinking " Um seriously I have to sit in here naked and let you take my pictures? "

We are going to try something new to get some more involvement on the blog so help out this client and post a comment! Once she gets 20 comments she gets a free set of wallets!

Learning to ride a bike { Michigan Child Photographer}

2009-03-06T18:11:00.001-08:00

So today it was 65 degrees! It felt like summer!!! I think Spring may be around the corner. Although it is supposed to be 32 again tonight. My kids were so excited to be outside playing yesterday and today.
At the end of summer Karli had begged for her training wheels to be off, we knew she was not ready but you can't argue with a almost 5 yr old. She never touched the bike after that day. So yesterday she got out her bike, and had daddy help a few times.
Then today she begged us to hold the back and we just showed her how to use one foot, then the next on the peddles. She has a little temper and was not easy to work with so we left her alone. All day long she tried and tried while the boys played basketball.
Finally about 5pm she ran in the house and told me to come watch her. To my surprise she was riding her bike!! It was so exciting to watch her. She is 5 1/2 years old, much younger then I was when I learned to ride. Our son Kade taught himself at 3 yrs old but Kyle was about Karli's age too.
So here are some snapshots of her, I actually ran in the house to capture this moment as I did with the boys.

March Madness NO SESSION FEES {Michigan newborn, Child Photographer}

2009-03-02T13:33:00.000-08:00

March Madness!

I can't believe it is March already! The time seems to go by so fast. I think is is partly due to the fact that I have a full time business and 3 kids involved in activities. My boys have been playing Upward Basketball since January.

Wow I just can't say enough about this program. This is the 2nd year we have had our oldest play and it is just run so well. Kyle's team is undefeated but what I love the most is they work as a team. They don't have a one man show out there, and he is learning so many plays. Kade's team has only lost one game, and he is also learning the fundamentals of the game.
So, I am guessing by now you are thinking what does this have to do with Natalie B Photography? Well not too much but I just like to give you a little peek into my own life.
This month is March Madness, for all your basketball fans. I used to be a huge Piston's fan when I was in high school and right after. My dad took me to several of the playoff games. I kind of lost interest when I was in college though. Now that my own kids are getting into it, it seems more fun!

So in honor of March Madness I am going to be offer some great specials!

MARCH NO SESSION FEES

Do you want to get to know Natalie B Photography better? Want to have a session and try us out? Here's your one chance all year long to get to do that without session fees!

Whether it is newborn, baby, child, model or senior session.... you can book a mini session to be held within the month of March and there will be no session fee!

Really you ask? Really! Seriously we mean it!~ (Now don't think we will shoot a family reunion, or large group cause that is just not going to happen, sorry!)

What does a mini session mean? Normally sessions last about 2-3 hours with unlimited clothing changes. With a mini session the time is limited to 1 hour and you can have 2 clothing changes. It is that simple.

It is still cold out you say? Well we still can shoot on-location if the weather is cooperative and we are above freezing. Snow sessions are fun!!

For newborns and children we can shoot natural light in your home or studio in my home. Think yearly pictures, Easter pictures, gifts etc.

How many proofs will I have to choose from? There will be 15-20 images min for you to choose from in your online gallery. All images will be presented fully retouched as with a full session.

There is a 'catch' if you want to call it that..... your minimum purchase in prints and products must total $350 ( pretax and shipping) You get all the money you spend in prints! How awesome is that!?!

We collect $175.00 to reserve the session and the other half will be due when you place your order. So get over to the website and use that contact form to book that session with Natalie B Photography today! Spaces are limited and won't last long!!
** Full senior sessions will be required to purchase a minimum of $600.00

Newborn Baby "D" 6 day old {Michigan Newborn Photographer}

2009-02-27T17:05:00.000-08:00

Today I had such a fun time photographing newborn baby "D". What a wonderful family this baby has been born into. He has such a great foundation for his life.

I was so excited to be able to try some poses with dad that I have not been able to do before. You see most men are not thrilled at the idea of taking off their shirts for me lol. Thank you Mike for being so willing! I love this shot of your son on your arm.

When will it be Spring?

2009-02-27T16:10:00.000-08:00

Is anyone as tired as I am of this cold weather? Gosh it seems like every other week someone in our family sick. Karli has been the one most recently. Yesterday I took her to the Dr. to find out she has double ear infections. NICE.

Hopefully Spring will be here soon!!!

I wanted to share a picture of Karli, since she is the only one that let's me photograph her anymore!!

One more of Miss "S" & Casting Call for March;Michigan Newborn Photographer

2009-02-24T10:43:00.000-08:00

I just had to share this lovely picture of Miss "S" from last week. People always ask why it is so important to try to get sleepy shots, of course it is be cause they are so cute but also because newborns that are awake generally have flailing arms, crossed eyes and want to eat!

Miss "S" was wide awake when we started so I first wrapped her up tight and took some pictures of her awake, luckily her eyes were not crossed and she was almost look at us!

On a side note.... I still have some openings for the newborn casting call in March!

If you are expecting call or email me ASAP! You will receive a complimentary session ( 125.00 value), an 11x14 print ( 100.00 value) !

Minimum order of 350.00 is required. Additional discounts are being offered as well. Contact me to find out!

They are here!! The canvases!; Linden Michigan Photographer

2009-02-22T18:39:00.000-08:00

Here is a picture of my much anticipated 24x36 Canvases!! I am still waiting on the one of Kade, which should be here this week and I will post a picture again. Kyle is standing next to his ( looking less then thrilled, or maybe trying to be a cool 10 1/2 yr old)

I am certainly in love with these, not only because they are my children and my own work but it is just amazing looking at how large they are. I am so glad I decided not to go smaller.

I realize not everyone has wall space like this, but man if you do, take advantage and go large. I will have to post a comparison on sizes, I have some canvases of Karli that are 11x14 and 16x20, they look teeny compared to these!!

Canvases are also in investment, they are not cheap but are exquisite works of art. Timeless comes to mind, they will last forever.

Oh and just for fun, I posted a picture of these Yummy blueberry muffins I made today. I am not a product photographer, but the picture looks pretty nice! The muffins were the best recipe I have ever tried. I got the recipe off Allrecipes so if you want it you can find it here http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/To-Die-For-Blueberry-Muffins/Detail.aspx

Newborns Newborns! Little Miss "A"; Michigan Newborn Photographer

2009-02-18T18:49:00.000-08:00

Can I just say yeah me this is like the 3rd post this week! LOL! I am so loving photographing newborns!! This is the 2nd baby girl this week and what a peanut! Miss "A" was so tiny and perfect. I am not quite sure if I am getting my newborn fix or making it worse LOL.

I bought all these little hats right after Christmas knowing I would be doing more newborns this year, finally I got to use them. I also totally love the little pod that I put her in, she is all curly and warm.

She has two gorgeous older brothers who finally warmed up to me towards the end of my 3 hours at their house. They were so cute I could have stayed all day!!

Newborn Baby Girl Miss "S"; Michigan newborn Photographer

2009-02-17T13:34:00.000-08:00

Today I got to meet Miss "S" for her newborn session. What a sweetie!! While she didn't sleep as much as I would have liked, we did get some adorable pictures of her. I am going to be getting my baby fix this week that is for sure!!

Here is a sneak peek for you mom and dad!!

Better Bloggin!; Michigan Baby Photographer

2009-02-16T19:49:00.000-08:00

Hee hee! I am trying so hard to be a better blogger. Here is a shot of our puppy, well she is now 4 months old and does not like to sit much lol.

My daughter is going to be here helping out with a newborn session tomorrow, so we were practicing with her Baby Alive lol. She loves to pretend she is a mommy. This is just a cute close up of her.

I am so excited to have two newborns this week!! Check back for sneak peeks!!

Large Canvases of my kids; Michigan Children's Photographer

2009-02-15T15:16:00.000-08:00

I am so excited about the new canvases that should be arriving this week!! If you know me, you know I have been waiting forever for our living room to be painted. We built our home nearly 9 years ago, and because we did everything ourselves ( my husband built it) we only did the basic white paint inside.

Our ceilings are high and painting them was the last thing my husband wanted to do! So before Christmas I finally had someone paint and it looks so beautiful.

My husband always teases me saying I am like the carpenter that doesn't do anything on his house, or the painter who never has a painted house, I am the photographer without pictures of her own kids on the wall!

Well not anymore!! I ordered 3 canvases, one of each child in a large 24x36 to grace our huge wall. I can hardly contain my excitement!!!

Kade asked me how many canvases I have of Karli, and well this will be the 3rd BUT in her defense, she likes being photographed and he does not. I told him that and he says "I AM SURE YOU HAVE AT LEAST 2 PICTURES OF ME MOM!". I was laughing so hard, I told him this canvas is going to be so big he can look at it everyday~

Well I just wanted to share, and of course I will post a picture when they are hung on the wall ( um yes Gary we WILL hang them right away!)

The pictures I used are below, totally my kids and their personalities.

Have a great week! I have several little newborns to photograph this week so that should be lots of fun!!

NEWBORN MODEL CALL FOR FEBRUARY & MARCH; Michigan Baby Photographer

2009-02-08T17:27:00.000-08:00

Natalie B Photography is having a Casting Call for Newborns!

Since this is my off season for high school seniors, I would like to photograph more newborns. I have been doing quite a lot lately but have some specific poses and props I would like to use. **** I would love some baby girls!! Been doing a lot of boys lately.

These sessions will be FREE ( 125.00 value) and you will receive an 11x14 mounted picture from your mini session ( 100.00 value). You may purchase additional prints are regular prices.

The session will not be a full newborn session but will most likely last between 2-3 hours. I will have a specific idea of what I want to capture during your session, some of which may not work out but we will try!

In order to qualify you must do the following ;

* Contact me ASAP to temporarily book your session. Newborns MUST be photographed within the first 10 days of birth. If you do not call me to set up the definite date once you have the baby, you will lose your free session.

* I will be taking newborns that are born in FEB & MARCH. If I need to do more casting calls I will post for other months.

* Newborn sessions will be done in my home ( not on-location) giving me the opportunity to use studio lighting and natural light.

* Specific qualities I am looking for ( but not limited to) are preemies, babies with different ethnic backgrounds, multiples, fathers with tattoos willing to photograph with their newborn.

Please contact me at nataliebphotography@charter.net if you are pregnant and due in January or February so that I can block out time for you. Most likely sessions will be during the morning/early afternoon.

7 day old Newborn Session Baby "E";Linden Michigan Newborn Photographer

2009-02-05T14:50:00.000-08:00

Well I would be lying if I said I loved watching football, so I won't lie lol. On Superbowl Sunday I did this newborn session for some of my husband's highschool friends. This is their 4th baby boy and he was such a cutie!! Mr. "E" was 7 days old and WIDE AWAKE when I got there lol.

His mom was not too convinced that I would be able to get him to sleep but I worked my magic and we did, in the process getting pooped and peed on a bit lol.

Such a sweet baby with light red hair !!

I hope you like your sneaks!!

Twice the fun! Newborn Twin Boys; Linden Michigan Photographer

2009-01-31T06:21:00.001-08:00

I remember when I was little and I would talk to my friends about when I grew up, I always wanted twins. I thought having twins would be the cutest thing ever! Of course I never did have them, I am blessed with 3 children of my own though. I think God definitely gives you what you can handle, I am not sure I would have been able to handle two of any of my own kids lol.

Yesterday I met such a beautiful couple and their 7 day old baby boys. I could tell the minute I went into their home that they were totally in love with their babies. I know they have come a long way to get to this point and are just so blessed. It was such an honor to be able to meet them and photograph their little miracles.

I won't lie, twins are hard to photograph! This was my first set of newborn twins ever ( ** if you are having twins email me!) they keep waking each other up while posing them lol. The parents were great though, so very patient with me and the babies. Dad was even a sport when he got pooed on!

Thanks again for letting me come to your home and meet your adorable little boys! Here are some sneak peeks from our session.

Natalie B Photography Hours for 2009

2009-01-20T04:32:00.000-08:00

Gosh could it be any colder in MI? I swear this is the worst winter we have had in a long time! I love to look at the snow but that is way different then getting up at 7 every morning and starting the car to take my kids to school!

Bring on Spring! Ha I think that may be a little while though.

Lot's of new things are coming for Natalie B Photography this year. If you haven't signed up for the newsletter you can do so on the side of this blog. You won't want to miss out on any of the news or specials.

In the past I have been available pretty much 24/7 it felt like lol. While I do want to be here every step of the way for my clients, I need to set some boundaries for 2009.

Natalie B Photography will have the operation hours of Monday through Friday from 9-5, Saturday from 10-3 and Sunday closed.

If you should need to contact me after hours you can do so by email however I may not be able to respond until the following business day.

To coincide with these hours, online galleries will no longer end on weekends, preventing the need for me to talk with clients after hours.

I absolutely LOVE my job, and I am so thankful to be able to have this full time job that really does not feel like work. I do need to get a better balance between work and my family though. Don't you think that is what every mom strives for? I know it is so difficult especially with my kids getting older and more involved in activities.

Ok enough rambling for today!! As previously posted last week, I am expanding my newborn/baby part of my business. Thank you to those that have booked sessions in the upcoming months! I am looking forward to meeting your new bundle of joy.

You can read about the Newborn Casting Call here http://photographybynatalieb.blogspot.com/2009/01/calling-all-newborns-casting-call-for.html

I still have room available for a select group of new babies so contact me asap to reserve your session!

Natalie

PS here is a picture of my darling Karli, all girl and getting way too big!-

4 month old Baby Session; Linden Michigan Photographer

2009-01-15T07:30:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I was able to photography one of my newborns who is now 4 months old! It is so much fun to see how they have grown and how their personality starts to come out. I am really looking forward to his next session when he is sitting up!

Mr. "A" was kind of sleepy but we managed to get some cute pictures! I tried something new with the vintage bw, I thought it worked for his picture.

Only a mother can appreciate that last picture! We are never in pictures ourselves. I know his mommy will love it since this is her last little baby.

I hope you like your sneak peeks!

BTW! The newborn casting call is still on! I am so excited for the mommy's that have booked already!!

CALLING ALL NEWBORNS! CASTING CALL FOR BABIES DUE IN JANUARY AND FEBRUARY!

2009-01-11T12:59:00.000-08:00

Natalie B Photography is having a Casting Call for Newborns!

Since this is my off season for high school seniors, I would like to photograph more newborns. I have been doing quite a lot lately but have some specific poses and props I would like to use.

These sessions will be FREE ( 125.00 value) and you will receive an 11x14 mounted picture from your mini session ( 100.00 value). You may purchase additional prints are regular prices.

The session will not be a full newborn session but will most likely last between 2-3 hours. I will have a specific idea of what I want to capture during your session, some of which may not work out but we will try!

In order to qualify you must do the following ;

* Contact me ASAP to temporarily book your session. Newborns MUST be photographed within the first 10 days of birth. If you do not call me to set up the definite date once you have the baby, you will lose your free session.

* I will be taking newborns that are born in JAN & FEB currently. If I need to do more casting calls I will post for other months.

* Newborn sessions will be done in my home ( not on-location) giving me the opportunity to use studio lighting and natural light.

* Specific qualities I am looking for ( but not limited to) are preemies, babies with different ethnic backgrounds, multiples, fathers with tattoos willing to photograph with their newborn.

Please contact me at nataliebphotography@charter.net if you are pregnant and due in January or February so that I can block out time for you. Most likely sessions will be during the morning/early afternoon.

Newborn Session Baby "S" 9 days old; Linden Michigan Photographer

2009-01-07T19:48:00.001-08:00

Just a reminder, only 2 more days for the 25% off Reprint sale! Take advantage if you need some extra wallets, 5x7's or prints!

Today I had a wonderful newborn session with baby "S". He was 9 days old and so good for me!!
This session was really special because his mommy and I went to school together. It was fun to reminisce, and talk about how we have grown into woman and mothers.

Thanks so much Erica for allowing me to photograph your beautiful little boy! Here are some sneak peeks.

Happy New Year reprint Sale!

2009-01-02T19:25:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!! 2008 was such a great year for our family. God has blessed us and we are grateful!
I know that 2009 is going to be fabulous as well!

While I am tying up 2008 ends and starting to book 2009 sessions I thought I would have the 1st EVER 25% REPRINT SALE!

This is a one time sale, and may never happen again so take advantage~

Terms-

Offer applies ONLY to clients that have placed orders PREVIOUSLY in 2008.
* If you had a session in 2008 and have NOT placed your order, this will not apply to you.

* 25% discount does NOT apply to Canvas Prints.

* Sale will run from Jan. 3rd to Jan. 9th.

If you are interested and would like your client gallery re-loaded for the time period of the sale please contact me at nataliebphotography@charter.net

You will be given a special code to use for your reprint sale!!

5 day old Newborn Baby "K"; Linden, Michigan Photographer

2008-12-17T07:15:00.000-08:00

Last Sunday I had a great newborn session with baby "K". She was only 5 days old and was sooo good for me! She slept the whole time a record 2 hours of me moving her around!!
Who doesn't love a cute newborn in a santa hat?

Merry Christmas!!

Mr."T" Newborn Baby Boy; Linden Michigan Photographer

2008-12-11T19:26:00.000-08:00

Today I had the best newborn session! I am not sure if it was because the baby was sooo good to me, or that I have had a little break from sessions but it was sure worth it!
Mr "T" was such a good baby. He is just a bit over a week old and pure joy! He was so willing to do all the poses I wanted to try , even putting his little hands together to form a heart!

Here are a few sneak peeks from his session.

Oh and if anyone needs gift certificates for Christmas please contact me asap!

Happy Thanksgiving & New Puppy

2008-11-29T18:34:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving!! I hope everyone had a great holiday. It has been so nice having my kids and husband home all week. Lots of family time!

Today we drove to Yale to buy a new puppy! We have been talking about it for awhile and wanted to try to suprise the kids for Christmas but that was just going to be too hard.

So today we went and picked out Maggie, our 9 week old English Springer Spaniel.

She is greatly loved already and looks to be a good fit for our family.

** These are NOT professional pics lol just snapshots! Real doggie photo session to come.

Twin 4m babies & My best friends girls.

2008-11-23T17:59:00.000-08:00

Ha! Today is like blog history for me, posting 3 times lol. I had a wonderful session on Friday with a great family and their 4 month old twins. Look at these cuties! I love their big blue eyes and they could not be more different!! Mr. C is full of energy and will be quite the mover when he starts to crawl, while his sister Miss "E" is content to just sit and gaze at everyone!
Thank so much for having me photograph your babies!

I also photographed one of my best friends girls, these are just two of them but aren't they beautiful?

I remember when the oldest was not even born yet! I have pictures of her and Kyle when they were little playing. Time goes so fast!

Booked for 2008, Orders due by December 5th

2008-11-23T14:07:00.000-08:00

I am working on everyone's orders, editing sessions and trying hard to wrap things up for 2008.

All orders must be placed by December 5th.

I am only taking newborn sessions through the end of the year. I will open the books for 2009 after Christmas.

Here are a few pictures of my own kids, they never let me photograph them!

I got this beautiful Crimson paper and wanted to see what it looked like.

Back from GA

2008-11-23T14:02:00.000-08:00

Well I had a great time in Georgia visiting my friend Alisha. We were able to do two newborn sessions together. It was great to see how she works with babies, I picked up some new little tricks for my own newborn sessions.

I really enjoyed just hanging out, talking late and drinking some wine! Her husband is such a nice host and well the kids.. adorable just like mine.

We attempted to do a family session for her, it was weird weather raining, sunny, cold. I got this image as well as others and then a cool rainbow shot!

Out of the Office & Newborn Sneak

2008-11-13T07:45:00.000-08:00

I will be out of town from today until late Sunday evening. Please send an email or leave a voicemail if you have any questions, I will follow up on Monday with everyone.

Before I go here is a fast sneak of this cute little baby boy. I promised a sneak and while it is only one I will try to share more soon! He was the cutest little guy and his family was so nice too.
Thank you Amy for contacting me to photograph your newest addition!!

Newborn Session with Baby "L";Linden, Michigan Photographer

2008-11-07T14:24:00.000-08:00

There is something so rewarding with newborn sessions when they finally sleep! I just love this picture I took a few hours ago of baby "L". He was born on Halloween, two weeks early and is such a little cutie!

Normally I never get a sneak peek up this fast but I wanted to share him before I got busy this weekend!!

Fall Neighborhood Portrait Party

2008-11-06T07:04:00.000-08:00

Last Sunday I had another Portrait Party. The hostess was my good friend Melanie. It was a lot of fun!! I simply went around to each house in the neighborhood that was participating and photographed their family or kids!!

Here are just a few sneak peeks, I promise you will all love your pictures but I have to get back to work!!

Fall Family Session; Linden, Michigan Photographer

2008-11-06T06:52:00.000-08:00

Well I have realized ( yes took me this long) that I just cannot promise to post on this blog daily or weekly. This is the busiest time of year and I can barely get my laundry done LOL.

So for those faithful readers please bare with me. I am so thankful for all of my wonderful clients. This has been a remarkable year! I am looking forward to winding down later this month, and trying to get some Christmas shopping done. ( Yea right)

I am still running 3 weeks for galleries and the same for orders, however I will be burning the midnight oil to get everyone their goodies in time for the Holidays.

A few weeks ago I photographed this beautiful family at the Flushing County Park. The colors were beautiful!!

You may recognize this young lady in the family, Miss "J" was a senior I have photographed this year already.

They are such a fun family. We got some great pictures, and of course a silly one as well!!
Thank you so much for calling me to photograph your family!!

Another cute baby picture

2008-10-22T12:30:00.000-07:00

I just had to post another picture of this sweet sweet baby!! I love her little scrunched up lips and eyes!

One week old newborn Miss "S"; Linden Michigan Photorgapher

2008-10-21T13:58:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I had a session with a one week old newborn little Miss "S". She is the 6th child of one of my very good friends so I was thrilled to photograph her!

Little miss "S" was soo good to me. I got to do everything I wanted to and she slept the whole time! What a rewarding session!!

Portrait Party at Spicers Orchard; Linden Michigan Photographer

2008-10-20T16:01:00.000-07:00

Wow I can't believe I haven't posted here in so long! It had been a crazy busy month!! I am taking a break from editing seniors to share some pictures from a portrait party at Spicers Orchards.

We had about 11 families consisting of nearly 20 kids that I photographed. This is just a sample from the families from that day. I hope you like your sneak peeks!!!

Newborn Session in Swartz Creek ; Michigan Photographer

2008-10-05T17:23:00.001-07:00

Last week I had the pleasure of photographing this beautiful 9 day old newborn baby girl in Swartz Creek, MI! She was soo precious, I loved holding her. Like most newborns she was awake when I got there ( I think they all know I am coming !)

We had a little ordeal of pooping and peeing and feeding ( all normal by the way) and finally we decided to just start taking some pictures with her awake. I have never had such a sweet awake baby. She would just lay and let me move her around.

Of course eventually after a few hours she got wore out and fell asleep for us!! Thank you so much Lisa! I am sure you are going to love all the other pictures we got from this session!

Family Session in Davison ; Michigan Photographer

2008-10-01T20:19:00.000-07:00

I know I am behind on sneaks and I honestly apologize. It is just an extremely busy time of year for me and I am trying very hard to keep up with everyone's orders and requests. I appreciate your patience too!

I had to spot between proofing to share these two cute images from a family session in Davison, MI.

What could be sweeter then a photorgaph of your 8 year old daughter and 7 month old baby?
I love kids this age ( I have 3 kids and one is around 8 ). It seems like for babies that the 6-7 month are like a magic time. They can finally sit up, are starting to communicate with the family more and are generally just super happy!!

Well, back to work for me check out the blog in a few days for a sneak peek from my 9 day old newborn session today!! ( she was a cutie)

6 week Baby Session ; Linden Michigan Photographer

2008-09-26T17:55:00.000-07:00

I love that I am getting more calls for newborn sessions! I adore babies, and well like I said before my husband says we are done lol. So I need to get a baby fix once in awhile!

This week I was so honored to photograph Miss "B" and her parents. This session was a gift to Nicole from her fellow teachers. ( ** what a great baby shower gift!)

We had planned on photographing the baby within the first week of her life but we were not able to.
Miss "B" was born with no soft palate, a jaw that was too far back and her tongue was blocking her airway. She has already had surgery to move the jaw forward ( she has screws behind her ears to turn and move it forward).
Her parents told me that she did amazing with the surgery and will have to have 2 more surgeries.

I saw the pictures of her at birth, and I just have to say that doctors can do amazing things. You cannot even tell that her jaw was too far back now. Miss "B" is such a beautiful baby, she has big eyes and long legs and fingers.

She has loving parents that will help to guide her into a beautiful young lady. It was such a joy to do this session. I love having parents willing to move furniture, try something out of the ordinary or use items from their home.

Miss "B"'s daddy plays softball and so we had to try to get that into the pictures. We put her in the mitt and had dad hold her, I think it turned out cute.

My favorite by far ( as I LOVE a little bit creative lol) is the picture of her laying on the clock.

I saw that huge clock on the wall and casually mentioned I had seen a picture of a newborn on a clock before. They were all for it!

Here are some sneak peeks. I know you are anxious to see them all and I promise to work hard to get your gallery ready!!

The Next Survivor Series

2008-09-26T12:26:00.000-07:00

So normally I never read the forwarded emails from people ( sorry! ) but I got this email from a client and I was cracking up while reading it. You very well may have seen this before but I had to share it here. I will have sneak peeks from some sessions this weekend too.

THE NEXT SURVIVOR SERIES

Six married men will be dropped on an island with one car and 3 kids each for six weeks.
Each kid will play two sports and either take music or dance classes.
There is no fast food.
Each man must take care of his 3 kids; keep his assigned house clean, correct all homework, and complete science projects , cook, do laundry, and pay a list of 'pretend' bills with not enough money.
In addition, each man will have to budget in money for groceries each week.
Each man must remember the birthdays of all their friends and relatives, and send cards out on time--no emailing.
Each man must also take each child to a doctor's appointment, a dentist appointment and a haircut appointment.
He must make one unscheduled and inconvenient visit per child to the Urgent Care.
He must also make cookies or cupcakes for a social function.
Each man will be responsible for decorating his own assigned house, planting flowers outside and keeping it presentable at all times.
The men will only have access to television when the kids are asleep and all chores are done.
The men must shave their legs, wear makeup daily, adorn himself with jewelry, wear uncomfortable yet stylish shoes, keep fingernails polished and eyebrows groomed.
During one of the six weeks, the men will have to endure severe abdominal cramps, back aches, and have extreme, unexplained mood swings but never once complain or slow down from other duties.
They must attend weekly school meetings, church, and find time at least once to spend the afternoon at the park or a similar setting.
They will need to read a book to the kids each night and in the morning, feed them, dress them, brush their teeth and comb their hair by 7:00 am.
A test will be given at the end of the six weeks, and each father will be required to know all of the following information: each child's birthday, height, weight,shoe size, clothes size and doctor's name.
Also the child's weight at birth, length, time of birth, and length of labor, each child's favorite color, middle name, favorite snack, favorite song, favorite drink, favorite toy, biggest fear and what they want to be when they grow up.
The kids vote them off the island based on performance.
The last man wins only if...he still has enough energy to be intimate with his spouse at a moment's notice.
If the last man does win, he can play the game over and over and over again for the next 18-25 years eventually earning the right To be called Mother!
After you get done laughing,send this to as many females as you think will get a kick out of it and as many men as you think can handle it.
Just don't send it back to me.... I'm going to bed.

Out of the office

2008-09-19T10:16:00.000-07:00

Just a quick note to let you know I will be attending a photography workshop this weekend and will not be able to answer emails or calls from today until Sunday morning. If you are interested in a session please email or call and leave a message. I will get back to you as soon as I am back in town.
Thank you!

Precious 8 day old Newborn baby "A"

2008-09-11T14:17:00.000-07:00

Nothing is more delightful then photographing a brand new baby. Yesterday I was able to meet and photograph 8 day old baby "A". It only took us an hour to get him to sleep and then he was so good for me. We were able to pose him in the sweetest positions! I left there really wanting a baby myself! Well then reality hits I have 3 kids of my own, but oh man those babies! Someone call me soon to photograph another newborn to satisfy my baby yearnings!

Look how precious his little peanut head is in his father's hands.

Christmas & Fall Mini Sessions

2008-09-06T10:55:00.001-07:00

If you have already had a family session/kid/baby session this year withme and spent at least $300 you are eligible to purchase custom Christmas cards. The images from your session will be the ones we will work with tocreate your custom cards.

All you need to do is contact me for pricing and to view the gallery of Christmas cards. ( which I am working on!)

Family Sessions- if you want a full session ( unlimited time, min 30images in your gallery)
PLEASE contact me ASAP for October/November. Almost all weekends in October are booked. **** All orders for Christmas Cards MUST be placed and paid for byNOVEMBER 15TH.
If they are not they will be subject to a $50 rush fee.

Fall Mini Sessions aka Halloween/Christmas Sunday October 19th 10-5pm.

I will be opening up this date for mini sessions. If I do not have at least 5 families booked this date will not be opened.

Mini Session Details -
*30 minute sessions* minimum 10 proofs to view in your gallery
* Must be prepaid within one week of booking your session.
* If the weather is NOT permitting I will try to reschedule the followingSunday. $300.00 ( must be prepaid)
* Includes the session fee
* 24 Custom Press Printed Christmas Cards 5x7 or 5x5 ( front and back orwe call them flip it cards) with envelopes OR 1 digital image on a dvd fromyour session with a printing release to make your own cards.
*5x5 Defined Collage ( perfect for desktop or as a gift)
* 150.00 Print credit (to be used as you wish towards prints, storyboardsetc)
* 10% off additional purchases including prints, albums, canvases, etc

DO NOT WAIT TO BOOK YOUR SESSION! LIMITED AVAILABILITY.

** Home Portrait Parties-If you are interested in hosting a home portrait party this fall/winterplease contact me for details. The first NEW client that books a portraitparty with me will receieve a complimentary 8x10 Canvas!! ( 200.00 value)

Entry Page not working

2008-09-05T11:22:00.000-07:00

I sincerely apologize for my entry page of my website not working. I have had several problems in the past month with this and am trying to get it worked out.
In the meantime PLEASE feel free to call me 810-252-6884 or email me
nataliebphotography@charter.net

Also, my emails always go to SPAM or BULK folders so please check those.

Natalie

Some cute Outtakes

2008-08-30T20:46:00.000-07:00

Well, here it is Labor Day weekend. Another summer gone in a blink of an eye. I can't believe it is over. In just a few short days my baby girl will be starting Kindergarten!! I cannot even believe it. The nice thing is that the school my children got to (CSA) has the kindergarten program set up where she will go M&W full days and then every other Friday 1/2 days. I will at least have her with me for a little bit during the week.

Many people have asked me what am I possibly going to do with no kids at home? Work! try to get caught up on housework, laundry etc. Along with that I will be taking baby/toddler sessions during the day on Monday & Wednesdays.

I am working hard this weekend to get caught up, I have so many sessions to edit! I am just about finished with this adorable family and wanted to post a few outtakes.

If you have a toddler you know they can only cooperate for so long. ( Yeah pretty much not more then about 1/2 hr)
Little miss here had me pulling out all the stops. I had to post this shot with her holding my camera lens ( one of my tricks, to hide the lens and smile).

Lastly we got out the hats and pettiskirts for some fun. The girls LOVED them so much. It didn't last long though for the baby, we tried to get her to look at me and well... the results. HA HA .. this is the effect I have on kids!
Just kidding, but yes she threw down and pretty much was DONE.
I was laughing just looking at these pictures tonight.

My clients are aware that with family and kids, you have to go with the flow. You can try bartering, bribing, following them around and in the end.. they do what they want. That is part of the fun of photographing children at this age, you can really document how they were.

Well I am off to editing some more. I just wanted to pop in! Look in your email this week for a newsletter ( yes I am way behind) and details on "Limited Edition" sessions for Christmas.

Natalie

Kyle & Kelly's Wedding

2008-08-17T22:54:00.000-07:00

This weekend I was honored to photograph the wedding of Kyle & Kelly Hopkins. I have really enjoyed meeting this couple, from the engagement session to their wedding day.
They both made me feel like I was a part of their wedding and not just the "photographer". I think it is wonderful when you can connect with your clients this way. That is one of the many reasons I do not advertise that I do weddings, and why I limit them to just a few a year.
I want to be able to get to know the bride and groom, and let them get to know me, so we can work together on their special day.
I personally would not be able to do that if I did weddings every weekend.

Another plus I loved was that Kyle & Kelly's wedding was held outside in my hometown. ( Nice and conveinent lol)

We couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day. The weather was amazing!
There were many laughs ( I won't say why Kelly :)) and some tears too ( me included!)
Mainly the family and guests just had a really fun time!
So here are a few sneaks of some of my favorites. I will be working hard to get all of your wedding pictures done in the several weeks!

Thank you again, for choosing me to photograph your wedding. I think you both will have a very long and happy marriage.

PS. I better get a call to when you decide to have your first baby!!

2008-08-13T12:02:00.000-07:00

whoo hoo I am actually caught up on sneak peeks ...... for today lol.

Last night I had a great family session!! The girls were adorable and dressed so cute!

I loved that this family was so willing to do whatever. The Dad was wonderful too, sometimes Dad's can be a little stiff with sessions.

They had some amazing fields which I love!

Here are a few sneak peeks!

Session with 100 year YOUNG grandma & family

2008-08-13T09:27:00.000-07:00

Last week I had the privledge of photographing a family with their 100 yr old grandma.

She has been living on her own up until the week before. She got an infection and needed to have time to heal at Cresmont.

When Julie called me to book this session for her brother I was just amazed that her grandma was 100! She even told me that they took her to Disney last yr.

Needless to say, this grandma was amazing. She is not only beautiful but an inspiration to all of us. She doesn't even look 100 to me.

If any of you know me personally, you know I wear my heart on my sleeve.
Did I cry at this session? YUP. It was so touching to see the love for this woman, and her spirit was wonderful. ( So if I cry at your session you will know it is just natural for me!)

I have two grandma's in their 80's and so naturally I thought of them as I was photographing this family. I hope my grandma's live this long, I can't bear the thought of losing them someday.

Thank you so much for allowing me to photograph your family. I hope that these photographs bring you many precious memories in the years to come.

( ok I have to go get a kleenex, ya I am crying again.)

Isn't she just beautiful?

This is where I lost it!! But quickly regained composure!

I love this picture. I have one of my grandma's hands on my website and it is our family's favorite picture.

See that box under here? You can leave comments. I bet this family would love to see comments from you!

Yummy Sweet Corn

2008-08-04T21:43:00.000-07:00

While I am taking a quick break from editing I thought I would post a candid shot of my daughter I took yesterday. She LOVES sweet corn and LOVES BUTTER.

I just love this time of year, the farms out here where we live have the best corn. We actually think Eichelbergs corn is the BEST EVER!

So, go out and get some yummy corn!! OK back to work for me!

Baby "B" 5 months old

2008-07-31T11:50:00.001-07:00

This little cutie is 5 months old and has the nicest parents! Baby "B" was a smiley happy girl, willing to do about anything I wanted lol.

We got some wonderful family pictures as well as a few of her in special little dresses.

Check out the amazing pond/waterfall in their backyard! It was so beautiful.

Thank you so much, I had a wonderful time getting to know all of you!

Hope you enjoy your sneak peeks!

Baby fix

2008-07-28T22:03:00.000-07:00

I am definitely getting my baby fix lately. Good thing too since my husband thinks I am going through a mid life crisis if I even mention babies!!

Look at this cutie! She is 4 months old and just a bunch of squeezable love.

Thank you miss "J"for contacting me for your family session. It was a pleasure to meet your family and your mom.

Updates & Holiday Sessions

2008-07-23T20:53:00.000-07:00

I am MIA lol. Being held hostage by my computer LOL. No seriously I am so blessed to have wonderful clients and am grateful to be busy!!
I am running definently 2 weeks before you see your gallery and about 3 weeks before you get your orders.

August is almost booked up, there are a few spots left in the last week of the month. I am now booking into September & October. Seniors are filling spots daily so if you are on the fence about a family session or one for your children I encourage you to book it now before I am completely booked.

If you are interested in my Holiday mini session ( includes some custom Christmas Cards) please sign up for the newsletter. I will be sending out information within this next month about the dates, the special, and all details. It will be on a first come first serve basis.

I have two wonderful sessions this weekend with two families so check back next week for some sneak peeks!!

Natalie

If you are having trouble getting into the website

2008-07-17T09:33:00.001-07:00

If you cannot get into the website via the new splash page you may need to update your Internet Explorer browser to 7.0

Here are the direct Links to the sites.

Senior Site

Portrait Site

Another Celebrating Adoption Session!

2008-07-15T10:03:00.000-07:00

I met another amazing family who recently adopted this cute little baby from Ethiopia. Mr. & Mrs. "E" already have two beautiful older girls they adopted from Guatemala. What a precious gift to adopt these children.
Here are a few sneaks of your session. I had a great time meeting all of you!

Natalie B Photography Face Lift

2008-07-14T14:13:00.000-07:00

Natalie B Photography got a face lift! I wanted to stay with the classic style but add a little bit of "BAM" to it ! lol

Kim from Simply Splash is WONDERFUL! Jessica Dittmer too!!

Check it out!

July Dates Left

2008-07-11T09:35:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to let you know that currently I only have 3 available dates left in July. Seniors are booking everyday and now I am booking into August/September/October.

If you are interested in a family fall session please let me know soon. I will be offering a Christmas Card Mini Session again this fall, details will be in the Newsletter so sign up if you want to know more!

Natalie

Celebrating Adoption session with Miss "e"

2008-07-10T10:44:00.000-07:00

I am so excited to share a few sneak peeks from my Celebrating Adoption session last night.

What a wonderful family I met! They already have 4 children of their own ranging in age from 5-12 and wanted to adopt another child.

Miss "E" is from Ethiopia and was brought home to her new family in May.
Isn't she just ADORABLE!!! I think this one of her smiling is about the only one we got ( thanks to her brother!) but that is ok because you can just feel the love this family has for her in the photographs.

Thank you so much for letting me document this beautiful new addition to your family!!

A small Wedding...

2008-07-09T18:30:00.000-07:00

So I know I am a terrible blogger. I am so sorry! I just get so caught up in sessions, editing, my kids, laundry ( UM NOT).

I don't advertise that I even will do weddings but will take on a few a year if they are referred to me. A couple of weeks ago I photographed a small wedding for a family friend. Sarah and her husband were so sweet and evn though this was a fast wedding, it turned out beautiful. The whole family & loads of friends helped to throw it all together and you would never have known that it was planned in a few weeks.

So I am long overdue for a sneak peek but here are a few from the wedding.
I am working hard on your wedding pictures and will have them done in a few weeks!

This first picture was taken by my assistant~ She did a great job!! Thank you Amanda!

One of my best friends Kelly, her little girl is standing right in front of her. She is such a spitting image of her older sister.

Isn't this beautiful? A family friend whipped this up, went out and bought all these rose bushes just for this. Great job I would say!!

Can you say YUM? This cake and cupcakes looked divine! Dang I forgot to get one before I left LOL!

Session with a senior & two horses

2008-07-01T22:20:00.000-07:00

Hey hey! Well you know I have a blog just for seniors www.photographybynatalieb.com/blog

BUT tonight I had my first senior session with 2 horses! Pretty neat so go one over and check it out!!

Natalie

Cute sibilings

2008-06-30T17:25:00.000-07:00

Last week I had a session with an old childhood friend and her 3 children. They were so fun. I have never seen a 3 month baby as smiley as mr. "j" was!
Miss "M" who is the little blonde was the cutest thing ever. She is like a little firecracker! Flitting here and there. Everytime I told the girls what to do or helped them to be around the baby she told me "my mom does that". "My mom does this too". LOL

I am way over due for a sneak peek as I shot a small wedding last week as well. Sorry for the delay!!

A few sneaks from my sessions

2008-06-22T20:03:00.000-07:00

As promised here are some sneaks from two sessions I have had in the past two weeks. The first one was an adorable family session. The first picture here is actually my son Kyle's teacher and her nieces. Isn't she cute?!
Then of course Miss "v", who LOVES the camera, can you tell?
I loved the next picture, I caught dad kissing his little baby. ( So Precious!)
Oh and then of course, the last one this cute little girl!! She was a mover but super sweet.

This next session was a large family. There were 4 families and grandma. We had a great time, the family was big but willing to do some fun things!

Don't you just LOVE this. I had the grandkids jumping before this, and casually mentioned that maybe the adults wanted to. ( I didn't think they would take me up on it) But they did and it was hilarious. Nothing better then jumping with your sibilings!!

This landing cracks me up. I love how they are just rolling in laughter and of course putting their hands out to prevent a fall!

Things are getting quite busy here at Natalie B Photography. Usually orders take about 2 weeks ( most of the time earlier). I am expecting orders to be up to 3 weeks at this point. The senior season is off and running as well as several family sessions.

If you are interested in a session contact me as soon as you can July is booking up and I am now taking sessions for August.

Such a bad blogger

2008-06-21T13:19:00.000-07:00

I am such a bad bad blogger!! I promise to come back this weekend and post some pictures from a few session. The time just flies by!! Especially now that the kids are out of school.
Promise to come back later!!

Super Special One Week Only!!

2008-06-13T14:29:00.000-07:00

Summer is a perfect time to schedule your family session, or just a session with your children. I have a few dates available in June, and then I am booking into July & August. A lot of those dates will be taken with high school seniors, so if you are
interested please call me soon!

With gas prices so high, it seems everyone's budget is bursting! So in honor of those high prices, I am running a special for one week only. Starting TODAY!

Book your family/newborn/baby/children session between June 13th- 20th and you can apply 100.00 of the $125.00 session fee as print credit! You must book your session in June/July/August and pay your session fee by June 20th. Your account will be credited 100.00 which will show in your photocart when you view your session photographs.

** Large groups of Families, reunions, weddings do not apply to this special.

Also, just a reminder that I offer a referral program. Normally it is a print credit of 20.00 towards your next session, but for the month of June/July I am offering $30 credit for every referral you send me!! This can be applied towards your next session ( not the session fee) and could be used for a Holiday Session!

I wanted to let you know about a wonderful organization I recently joined called Celebrating Adoption. Here is some more information, if you know of anyone that has recently adopted please have them contact me.
Celebrating Adoption is a national organization of professional photographers dedicated to promoting and celebrating adoption.

Our gift to adoptive families is a complimentary portrait session to capture this wonderful time in their family’s life. In addition to the session, each participating family will receive a set of 4x5/4x6 session prints, suitable for framing, scrapbooking, or giving to family and friends.

Because the adjustment period is different with each family, we offer the complimentary session to family’s anytime during the first year after the adoption.

To schedule a session, a family only needs to visit the Celebrating Adoption website (http://www.celebratingadoption.org/) and find a local participating photographer. The next step is to contact the photographer to schedule the session. Because each photographer will need to limit the complimentary sessions per month, it is best for family’s to call well in advance for their Celebrating Adoption session.

Power is on!! New Collage!

2008-06-11T19:36:00.000-07:00

Hurray!! We finally have power! I am so glad to be back at my own house again. I jumped right in and got a session proofed and up in their gallery!

I wanted to share this adorable new collage I have to offer. It is sooo sweet!! This can be ordered in a square 10x10 or 12x12 size.

The collage includes 13 squares, so some of them can be color coordinated with the photographs. The text can be custom too.
This would be a beautiful addition to your child's bedroom or playroom.

The outside border is white, you cannot really see that since the background here is white.

Well still no power..

2008-06-10T11:18:00.000-07:00

Well here it is Tuesday and still no power. Apparently we are now told it might be Thursday. I don't mean to complain as I know there are several people out of power but it sure puts a cramp in my work!!
I have a few sessions currently that need proofing and I am afraid there will be a delay as well as a delay in current orders. I promise to work my butt off next week ( if we have power!) to get caught up.

Since we are talking about no power, I will say this has motivated me to clean out my fridge and freezer! I had to bring everything over to my moms house yesterday morning. The kids think it is totally awesome that we get to stay at grandmas for a few days. I think grandpa will be needing a rest though by the time we leave!!

My husband, faithful guy he is has been staying at our house. He is such the protector and tells the kids he is staying there to prevent the looters lol. In all honesty he is running our generator so that our basement does not flood. Yes I get the honor of putting gas in and restarting it during the day.

I am not opposed to hard work by any means but I am just not that kind of girl that likes to work machinery! It actually scared me to death to start it lol. But now that I have, I can do it. One more thing I have learned to do in my lifetime!

So as I sit here on my moms slow as ever computer, I just wanted to touch base with all of you. I am going out of my mind not being able to work on my sessions lol.
Drop me a line or comment so I have some new life to read about LOL.

Natalie

Lost Power

2008-06-09T06:13:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone, I just wanted to let you know if you have sent me an email or contacted me through my website it will be a day or so before I can respond. We had a big storm last night and lost power. I guess it is not supposed to be on until Wednesday. How lovely, nothing better then having to have 3 kids in the house with no air!!

If you need me you can always call 810-252-6884.

Natalie

Kyle & Kelly E-session

2008-06-05T11:37:00.000-07:00

Last week I photographed Kyle & Kelly for their engagement session. They are such a nice couple and I am very excited to photograph their wedding in August!

Sweet Toddler Boy

2008-06-04T18:47:00.000-07:00

Tonight I had the pleasure of photographing Mr. "S", one of my Fresh Faces winners. Oh isn't he a cutie!! It took him awhile to warm up to me, but with his mom, sister and Aunt singing "itsy bitsy spider" and "the wheels on the bus", bubbles and a tootsie pop.... well he finally came around!
At the end of our session he even gave me a hug!
Mom, I know you are patiently waiting to see all of the photographs from the session so I wanted to share a few sneak peeks!

Mommy Play Date Cards

2008-06-02T17:41:00.000-07:00

How many times are you at the park, or a play place and you meet a new mom, find out you have kids the same age and you want to exchange numbers?
I know I never have an extra pen ( karli takes them all!) or paper ( hmm she takes that too lol). Well you will be so happy to see these stylish new mommy cards!!
Never worry about scribbiling on that McDonalds Happy Meal bag again!
These cards are stylish and can be customized with your personal information, children's names and photographs from your session!

I am so excited to offer these that I am going to give away a set to each NEW client that books in June and has kids! All you have to do is contact me at natalie@photographybynatalieb.com to set up your session!

For exisiting and past clients if you would like to order a set I will offer them to you at 25% off the regular price of 60.00 (for 50 cards) or 80.00 ( for 100 cards).

Just email me and we can design your mommy cards!!!

** If you are a photographer and want to know where I got these awesome templates shoot me an email!

Happy Birthday Kade!

2008-06-01T18:55:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Kade!!! My baby is 7 years old today!! I cannot believe how time flies, I remember when he was just a baby!!

He picked out this awesome dirtbike cake, we totally had to take close ups of these frosting mountains. OMG Karli was like "I want the big mountain piece!".

Kade was such a cutie, look how thrilled he is that we are all singing Happy Birthday to him lol. The last picture is of Kade and his cousin. They are like two peas in a pod. Only 6 months apart in age.

Today was a wonderful day, we all enjoyed it. Kade got a basketball from his Grandma & Grandpa McDonald and money from eveyone else. He LOVES money lol. I swear he will be rich someday, the kid saves money like crazy!!

The life of a photographer's husband..

2008-05-31T19:09:00.001-07:00

1. Honey, I think I am going to start a photography business.

2. The camera I want is $2500.00

3. Say CHEESE!

4. I need another $1700.00 lens to add to my equipment.

5. If you let me do this I will be good to you tonight!

Memorial Day

2008-05-30T17:09:00.000-07:00

I have realized as a photographer I hardly take any snapshots of my kids anymore and I really miss it. I used to take photographs of them almost daily ( Hmm that must be why they run from the camera !).

In all seriousness though, I love being able to just capture them as they are. No props, no poses, just the raw deal. So on Memorial Day, after I had a family session, I decided to just take some photographs of my kids being kids.

My parents had a new beach dug out this year, even bigger then before with tons of sand and my kids were thrilled. They got to spend the day on Saturday helping to spread the sand out and swim. On Memorial Day they went swimming again. ( This make me feel so old because I remember not caring about how cold it was, and I would literally scream now in that cold water!)

So without further adieu, here are some funny photographs of my kids jumping in the water and playing. Of course, as a photographer I had to play a little with some textures on the last two!

Here is Kade, who will be 7 on Sunday. He was like "Look MOM!". These pictures just make me smile so much.

Here is Karli, she is 4 1/2 and LOVES the water and of course her "NEW" bikini. lol

Check out the water droplets, so cool.

Here is Kyle, he will be 10 in July. WOW I cannot believe he is going to be 10. He cracks me up here.

Highland Games & Karli's Competition

2008-05-26T16:01:00.000-07:00

Wow what a beautiful weekend we had! Saturday my family and my parents drove up to Alma, Michigan for the Highland Festival .

Our family is Scottish and very proud of it too lol. Really we are Scottish, my grandmother's parents came from Scotland over to Australia.

My daughter started taking Highland dance lessons when she was 3 years old and this year she finally went to her first competition.

We were so excited for her! I was not worried about her getting up on the platform in front of everyone, she loves the attention. I was more concerned that she might mess up and get upset ( very stubborn!).

However she went up to do her first dance of Pas de bas and stood so tall and perfect! She did great and her father and I had tears in our eyes!

Next she went up to do her Pas de bas and Hi cuts. Again she did wonderful and it was so exciting to see her up there at 4 1/2 years old!

We enjoyed watching the Highland Games while waiting for the Awards ceremony. Boy those men are strong!

For Primary dancers under 7, they all receive a participation award which is all we really expected for Karli. I was taking pictures like a mad woman and my husband was video taping a little ways down from me. All of the Primary dancers, I think there were about 26 lined up and received little stuffed animals as their participation award. It was so cute to see them standing there. They were then escorted off the platform and the announcer called out numbers ( which are on their kilts) to come up to the platform again. I heard 113 and quickly looked down at my husband with delight thinking she had placed in a dance!! We were so excited!

Karli ended up getting 6th place in Pas de bas and 3rd place in Pas de bas and Hi cuts!! How exciting it was for us to see her place in her first competition!!

The studio she dances with, Hodgkin Highlanders had several dancers who received awards that day! Miss Holly was so happy!!

Here are some photographs from the competition, Please note that I am not an event photographer!!! lol Karli is the one with the 113 on her kilt.

This is before the competition, of course you can tell she is like "MOM, ANOTHER PICTURE?".

This is when the girls are getting ready to go up to get their participation awards.

This is when they received their metals for placing.

Miss Holly's Primary dancers.

Baby "E"

2008-05-22T17:12:00.001-07:00

Oh sweetness, there is nothing that smells better then a new baby! This little girl was 3 weeks old and such a precious baby. Her mom was putting her hands on the baby to keep her calm, I took this photograph and just love how it turned out! Hope you like your sneak peeks!

If you tried to contact me through my website..

2008-05-21T10:42:00.001-07:00

I just now was told that my contact section on the senior side of my website was not working! I am so sorry, thank you to the mom that called me. If you have tried contacting me for information on sessions and did NOT get a response PLEASE email me again or call 810-252-6884.
The problem is fixed now but my email is natalie@photographybynatalieb.com

New Seniors Only Blog!

2008-05-13T11:07:00.000-07:00

I am happy to finally announce my new Seniors Only Blog and senior logo! Thanks to Kim from Simply Splash I have a sweet blog and logo!
I felt like my seniors needed a place of their own!
So check it out, if you know a senior send them HERE to check out sneak peeks, information about senior sessions etc.

All other clients will still see their sneaks on this blog.

Thanks!

Senior Blog

Happy Mother's Day

2008-05-11T15:30:00.000-07:00

Happy Mother's Day everyone! I hope your day is as special as mine. I am so thankful for my three beautiful children. They are the light of my life and bring me joy everyday ( well you know most days lol).

I wanted to share this photograph I took of Kade the other day. I am in love with his green eyes, he is the spitting image of his dad. When he was a baby he was soo sweet and clung to me all the time. I used to say that if Kade could climb back in the womb he would!

Funny how boys grow up, he will barely let me hug or kiss him let alone sit by him lol. Of course this is normal and he totally idolizes his dad.

Today he was the first one to wish me Happy Mother's Day, and presented me with his homemade card that said "You are the Best Mom ever". He even gave me a hug and let me kiss him!

Being a parent is such a rewarding job, it can be so hard as well. Everyday is a challenge to make sure my children are taken care of and loved. I would never ever trade this job, even though it makes me crazy sometimes!!

I hope that if you are a mother you are enjoying your day!!

Sweet Newborn

2008-05-09T08:06:00.001-07:00

Last week I had the pleasure of photographing this beautiful little red headed newborn! Newborn sessions are best within the first 10 days, after that they tend to stay awake more, and are not as curly as they are when they are born.

Miss "K" was 3 weeks old, and well as her mom says she has red hair so she is going to be full of spirit! Miss "K" was adorable, a sweet smelling baby that gave me a run for my money lol. We managed to get some beautiful photographs of her, I especially love the ones with mom. I enjoy capturing the emotional connection between a mother and child.

Thanks for letting me get my baby fix for the day!!

I have been tagged again!

2008-05-08T14:17:00.000-07:00

Well I have been tagged again by Karmen.

The rules are;
1. The rules of the game get posted at the beginning.
2. Each player answer the questions about themselves.
3. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves a comment, letting them know they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

What I was doing 10 years ago; I was newly married to my husband Gary, teaching 1-2nd grade split in the inner city of Flint.

First things to do on my list today;

Gosh my list gets bigger everyday!!
Here are some things I need to do;
work on my new senior blog so I can release it
order new business cards
design two 5x5 softcover books for 2 of my reps
post a new contest on my blog here :)
then of course your normal thinkgs like, laundry, dinner etc
Watch Lost tonight it is supposed to be sooo good!

Things I would do if I was a billionare;
Never have any debt, have more kids, adopt kids, invest for my children's future, buy a vacation home, enjoy life!

Three of my bad habits;

I analyze everything.
I stay up too late and am cranky in the morning.
Chocolate, cannot live without it.

Five places I have lived;

House on West Street as a baby
House on Main street till I was 5
House on overlook until I got married ( Fenton)
House on cook rd with my husband in Swartz Creek.
The house Gary and I built that we live in now in Linden.

Five jobs I have had;
Domino's Pizza Delivery girl
Bank Teller
Telemarketer
Elementary Teacher
Photographer

People I am tagging are;

Natalie K Photography

Dan Brouillette

Teri Eddy Photography

Michelle Miller Photography

Dixie

Spokesmodel Jenna

2008-05-07T06:59:00.001-07:00

May is filling up!

2008-05-05T15:55:00.000-07:00

Just a quick note, inbetween all the editing lol. I am booking up for May, between my son playing soccer and Karli in dance & soccer time slots are slim.
I will be booking a few evenings during the week and weekends. If you are thinking about booking a family session, kids, babies please contact me asap to get in the books.
I am officially booking 2009 seniors. I have a great new blog just for seniors, hope to announce that this week along with a booking special!

Natalie

The importance of family portraits

2008-05-02T19:21:00.000-07:00

Last November I had a surprise family session for a grandma's birthday. My client Julie called me from Texas to schedule a session because all of her family was flying into Michigan to surprise her mom. The grandma's birthday was not until March, but with the Thanksgiving holiday all the family and grandkids would be there.

I ended up photographing the individual families, grandkids etc. Everyone was so nice and then the grandparents arrived at the country club. We quickly did their entire group in front of 100 guests. I only briefly got to meet them before they were to enjoy spending time with all of their friends.

The session went well for inside a country club and my studio lighting. The family ordered Christmas cards and several prints for everyone.

Just a few weeks ago the grandma ordered quite a few more prints and I went to deliver them to her today. Upon delivering them she told me how her husband had died in December, not long after the family session. She was so grateful that they had had the opportunity to have a family portrait session. I had no idea that he had passed, and as a very emotional person I tried everything I could to not cry. Unfortunately if you get to know me, you will know that never is the case, I tend to tear up pretty easily.

The grandma explained what happened and my heart just went out to her. She said that they had not had a family portrait in over 20 years, she had promised the kids she would never make them do that again! She was now so happy that she had this portrait though.

I am sharing this with you because I want you to know how very very important it is to have a family portrait done. I am not even saying that you have to have it done professionally but make sure you do some time. You will never regret it if you do. I know that we all make excuses, not enough time, not enough money, need to lose weight, when the kids are older etc.

You never know when you are going to lose someone precious in your life. Having the recorded memories means so much to you. I encourage you, if you have never had a family session or it has been a long time please consider booking one. You will be so happy that you have those memories.

And Judy if you read this, I am so sorry I lost it today! I really enjoyed meeting your family and feel so blessed that I was able to record those precious memories for you.

Natalie

Miss "M" 5 years old

2008-04-27T16:41:00.001-07:00

Today I had the pleasure of photographing one of my fresh faces winners miss "M".
She is all of 5 years and full of spirit! We had a good time talking and walking though downtown Holly.
Miss "M" is going to have a new baby sister in a few days so it was a nice time for her to have a little "me" time before the new arrival!
Here are a few sneak peeks! I had fun today with you.

2009 Spokesmodel Miss "A"

2008-04-27T16:34:00.000-07:00

I am so behind on posting!! My husband decided last weekend that we should have a garage sale this week. Well let me tell you, just cleaning out and setting up had me exhausted! Garage sales are so much work!

It is nice to be able to have things cleaned out and we had a goal in mind to put some money towards a new piece of furniture and a basketball hoop for our boys. Thank goodness it is over though!!

Ok on to the sneak peeks, here is Miss "A" another of my 2009 spokemodels. She is such a sweet person and wants to go to college for photography. It was a little hard for her to be on the other end of the camera but she did great!!

Miss "J" 2009 Spokesmodel

2008-04-20T06:59:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I had such a great time with Miss "J" one of my 2009 spokesmodels. What a beautiful day we had which was perfect for her mini session! Here are a few sneaks!

Red headed beauty!

2008-04-17T15:54:00.001-07:00

Last night I photographed one of the winners in my Fresh Faces contest.
Miss "A" is offically the first red- head I have ever photographed and well I am smitten! She is so beautiful! Very much a grown up young lady!

We also had time for a few photographs of her younger brother Mr. "M" which by the way has a Birthday today! Happy Bday!!! Hope you get lots of cool presents!!

Meet Mr. "S"

2008-04-17T08:57:00.001-07:00

Can I just say that the senior guys I get to photograph are just about the nicest guys I have met that age? I do not remember guys in highschool being that nice when I was there!

Tuesday I had the pleasure of photographing Mr. "S" who is also a senior spokesmodel for 2009. I think we were able to get really get some cool photographs of him! Here is your sneak peek!

My little girl..

2008-04-11T20:42:00.001-07:00

My sweet little 4 1/2 year old let me take some photographs of her yesterday. Now this is really nice since most of the time she is running from the camera lol. My baby keeps asking about kindergarten since we went to the "round up" last week.
I am so not ready for her to be old enough to go to school!! Thankfully I have all summer yet. The plus side is I will be able to book day sessions a few times a week, which I will love!

April is basically booked up except for newborns or babies. I am now booking for May so don't wait to schedule your session!

Miss "A" Spokesmodel

2008-04-11T04:19:00.000-07:00

Here is another of my 2009 spokesmodels. Miss "A" was a trooper in some windy and kind of cold weather! She was very sweet and put up with all the strange requests I had lol!!

I have been Tagged!

2008-04-05T11:10:00.000-07:00

I have been tagged by Rebeccah Photography !
Here are the rules;
1. Link your tagger and list these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
4. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Hmm I am so not good with these things!!
1. I don't like onions, eggs and milk.
2. I always wanted to be a singer; love the Sound of Music, sang in choir in school and church.
3. I have a degree in Language Arts and Elementary education. I taught in the inner city of Flint for 8 years.
4. I used to LOVE Rap & R&B music. I had a pimped out cavalier with big speakers and a whoofer in my trunk LOL. ( sold it when I got pregnant with Kyle )
5. It has to be completly dark and quiet for me to go to sleep and I usually do not sleep through the night. ( DH hates that it has to be so dark)
6. I hate swimming in lakes. I got spoiled growing up with an inground pool.
7. Someday I want to travel to Austrailia to meet all of my relatives.

I am Tagging:

NatalieK Photography
Photography by Sabreena
LCH Designs
Martha Bravo Photography
Ali Hohn Photography
Deboes Studios
Faith Essary Photography
Rachael Scott

Miss "E"

2008-04-04T19:13:00.000-07:00

As promised here are some sneak peeks from my first spokesmodel session. One down another 9 to go lol! Isn't she gorgeous!! Miss Emily is so sweet, and loves getting her picture taken!!

1st Spokesmodel for 2009

2008-04-03T18:46:00.000-07:00

I photographed my first spokesmodel for 2009 tonight and it was a blast~ I promise to share some photographs of Emily soon. She is a doll and her mom is a blast to hang out with as well!!

Do you remember when paypal started? I do, if you signed up you got $20 right away. Man that was great too, who can't use an extra 20 bucks?
Well another company is attempting to rival Paypal and is offering $25 if you sign up, no strings right to your account!

Check it out, free to sign up too!! Just click on this button and go sign up!!

What type of fruit are you?

2008-04-02T04:55:00.000-07:00

What type of fruit are you?

You Are a Strawberry

You are friendly, outgoing, and well liked by many people.

You are popular, but there's nothing you ordinary or average about you.

You a very interesting person, and you have many facets to your personality.

Sometimes you feel very conflicted. Your different sides of your personality pull at you.

You are a very sensual and passionate person. You are fiery... you can't help it.

College Road Trip

2008-03-28T21:40:00.000-07:00

Wow has it been a week since I posted? The kids have been home on spring break and the time has flown!! We had a mixture of snow/rain/ and sunshine this week. Very depressing!! I had two senior spokesmodel session I had to reschedule because of this weather. It does look like next week is going to be a little better!!

Well I have to tell you , I my mom and I took the kids to see College Road Trip since we did not get to go on vacation!! You can read about it here
http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/collegeroadtrip/.

This was such a great movie!!! My kids love Raven anyways from Disney! It was so nice to see Martin Lawerence in a movie like this for kids.
The movie also had a great message for parents :)
Yes, I was bawling my eyes out thinking about my babies leaving the nest someday!!!
If you get a chance to see it you should go, even my 4 yr old loved it.

Oh and the little pig was soo cute.

2008 Senior Guys

2008-03-22T11:48:00.001-07:00

How fast can you type?

2008-03-21T21:35:00.000-07:00

So it is Friday night and I am up way too late!! I never took typing in high school. I am not sure how I even got out of it? I remember in college I had my husband ( boyfriend at the time) type my papers for me! I have no idea of the correct placement of the fingers, but well what I do works for me lol!!

I found this typing test online, actually on a fellow friend's blog. :)
Try it!! See how fast you type!!

50 words

Speedtest

Amazing 30x30 Collage Canavs!

2008-03-20T16:54:00.000-07:00

I am so very excited to share this beautiful collage canvas! One of my seniors ordered this amazing 30x30 collage I designed. It is truly an extraordinary way to display your portraits. This will be handed down through generations!
The canvas is stretched and gallery wrapped which means you need no frame! Hardware is attached so it is ready to hang as soon as you receive it.
I offer several sizes of canvases, among the many other beautiful items you can order during your portrait session.

Contest Winners!

2008-03-19T10:16:00.000-07:00

I am happy to annouce we have 6 winners! It was soo close, I am glad I did not have to vote! Thank you to the over 20 out of state photographers that voted in this contest! I could not have done it myself!! I have emailed everyone so please get back to me when you can!!

Two more modeling entries for today!

2008-03-15T16:49:00.000-07:00

Kelly just sent in her cute little girl for the contest too! What a doll!!

WOW I am so excited the entries keep coming!! Check out this 11 month old cutie!! Her mom Michelle sent her picture in tonight. Thanks!