She is…

Urban goddess

Downtown diva

Voodoo mama

Fierce and feminine

Dark chocolate

High heels

Half-moon eyes

And open heart

Strength you can lean on

And a soft place to fall.

She is Leigh…and va-va-va-voom – does she know how to work the camera!

Yes kittens, I’ve been MIA again.  I know, I know – it’s not exactly a surprise.  Despite all my good intentions and my frequent promises, it seems I am an inherently bad blogger.   I think I’ve had “Blog.  Just Blog, Dammit!” on my to-do list every day for the last several months…and if you look at my posting record you’ll know just how well that is going for me.

So where have I been?  Living in crazy-busy land – that’s where, and somehow this blog seems to be the first thing to slide.  It’s been go-go-go for months now, culminating in four weddings+one charity brunch+ a one year old session in downtown Phoenix in an eight day span last week. Whew. Who knew wedding photography was an endurance sport?!

I’m starting to realize that it’s not going to slow down any time soon.   I’m also admitting that I’m unlikely to get caught up in the foreseeable future (do you know I have weddings from last year that have not been blogged?  Last year, people!).   So, instead of waiting till I invent a time expansion machine that miraculously converts each day to 48 hours while simultaneously maintaining my sleep needs at a solid eight hours (how you like that run on sentence?)  I figured I’d better take the opportunity and splash up a few random images while I have the chance.

Here’s just a slice of my life over the last few months – weddings, weddings, weddings (both my own and second shooting for the amazing Justine Miller and Keri Doolittle at amazing Phoenix wedding venues like  Sassi, Firesky, Wigwam as well as Oasis Ranch in Tucson), miles upon miles of location scouting, gorgeous seniors, three beautiful girls under the age of three (with tutus! and ice cream!), glorious glowing mama’s-to-be,  edgy urban fashion shoots in downtown Phoenix, crazy-cool families, spunky-silly- up-for-(almost)-anything engaged couples, fiesty photographers/branding gurus, off camera flash on the roof of the Orpheum Penthouse and the most knock your socks off beautiful mother-daughter combo I’ve ever laid eyes on.  And of course, just enough downtown, urban, grungy, junkyard shots to keep me happy.

I was in the bookstore at the mall, crouching down to get a book off the bottom shelf.  When I stood up I saw another mama next to me, wearing her toddler son in a brown hotsling pouch.  I just happened to be rocking my own pink and green Pucci print hotsling at the time, six month old Julie along for the ride.  In the manner of mothers recognizing common ground (it doesn’t take much when you are a stay at home mama eager for connection) we began to talk.

We chatted for a bit and exchanged names.  She paused for a second, smiled and said “Oh, I think I read your blog”.

I tell you, people, it was my first (and only) glimpse into of the rush of celebrity.  Someone recognized my name, knew who I was.  Holy-freaking-cow, I was actually cool enough to have readers!   Went straight to my head, it did.

Then I came crashing back down to earth and remembered all the things I had written about recently. All the personal things.  All the goofy things.  All the not-so-pretty things.

I had been chronicling my life online for so long (since before there were even blogs, let alone facebook or twitter.  true story.) that I tended to forget that real people could be reading.  Not just my mother, or nameless, faceless, far away people, but actual, local, run into them in the bookstore kind of people.

Totally freaked me out.

Luckily, I got over it, and a true friendship was born.   And even though I never seem to have time to write anymore, I’m pretty sure she still reads my blog.

And that still makes me feel pretty dang cool.

I normally head to downtown Phoenix for my urban photography sessions, but Tamara lives on the west side of town, so we went with downtown Glendale this time – and I was not disapointed!

We happened upon this spot toward the end of the session and I was in LOVE! The perfect backdrop for the perfect mama to be.

Things I know for sure

1. I am the worst blogger ever. Period. End of story.
2. I would apologize and say I’m going to change.  But I might not probably won’t, and I’d hate to tell you a lie.
3. I’ve been so busy my head is spinning, but holiday order deadline is almost here so I’ll be coming up for air soon.
4. My family will be VERY glad to have me back.
5. I’ve got the coolest, most beautiful, utterly stylish,  totally inspirational, utterly incredible clients in the world.
6. They make it worth staring at the computer for hours upon hours at a time.
7. I’m a photographer. I get to pay my bills with my camera.  How cool is that? I still get giddy thinking about it.
8. Big changes ahead in 2010 – a new assistant, studio manager, new products, new partnerships, new direction.  Watch out Phoenix – ya’ll should stay tuned.  Seriously.
9. It’ll probably be June by the time I get around to blogging about it, unless you nag me.
10. Life is good.  Very good.

And since no blog post is complete without pictures, here’s just a bit of what has kept me busy over the past few months.  Check these out, and then re-read #5 above….see what I mean?

This family was amazing!  I was so in love with these girls!

Little girls in pink rain boots…. Who wouldn’t be utterly charmed?

Um…so I probably don’t have to tell you that I was totally giddy when I saw this one.  Did a little happy dance…for reals.

Happy Mama-baby shots always make me smile.

Ah, baby Max….I melt.

A beautiful bride in a vintage phone booth at an incredible location….What more could any photographer want?

These kids were a RIOT.  The first year of my annual summer Nova Scotia Photography Sessions (yes – I’m a Snow Bird….once the temp gets over 100 degrees…I am OUTTA here!)

Oh, sweet little Lucy – those lips…those eyes, and a rare quiet moment.

My wee nephew Hayden.  I miss him so much!

Tamara rocks her urban maternity photography session in downtown Glendale… so much fun!

I love kids.  The sillier and goofier the better.  Alex and I got along wonderfully

This wedding at the Anthem Country Club was so beautiful.  Thanks to Keri Doolittle for inviting me to second shoot!

It’s no secret that I love maternity photography – and this session was no exception. After all, who wouldn’t jump at the opportunity to capture a knockout gorgeous redhead and her adorable family during such an important time of their lives? As if that’s not luck enough, I’m waiting to get the call that Marie has gone into labor (any day now!) so that I can go be with them and photograph the arrival of their second son.

We headed to yet another fantastic downtown Phoenix location and the family played and hung out while I snapped photos, then Marie and I snuck away for a few fashion-esque solo shots.  Isn’t she a knock out?!

In addition to being a beautiful mama, Marie is also a knitter extraordinaire (check out the fabulous diaper cover in this post) and I’ll be posting images some of her wonderful creations in several upcoming posts. If you are a photographer looking for fabulous diaper covers, hats, cocoons and wraps, stay tuned for more details!

This week I was incredibly honored to have the opportunity to photograph local photography rock star Kimberly Bee. Together with the awesome Maggie MacDonald and Kim’s handsome husband Mike, we headed out to an amazing spot and shot for several hours, even breaking out the off camera flash setup when we ran out of light.

Kim is a phenomenal photographer and I am blessed to call her my friend. I feel lucky that our paths crossed a few years ago, and even luckier that I get to work with her every once in a while. I know it’s not easy for a photographer to relinquish control and step out in front of the camera, but Kim made it look effortless.

We had a blast, Kim and Mike are clearly such a gorgeous and fun couple that it made the shoot easy. Over the course of the afternoon and evening we climbed on ladders, laid down on the ground, got covered in orange paint, played on dumpsters…by the time we were done we were all exhausted and a total mess. There’s one shot somewhere that shows just how dirty I got – note to self: don’t wear light jeans and a white shirt next time!

It’s been a busy week filled with sick kids and general craziness, and tomorrow I’m shooting a wedding for this lovely couple featured on Kimberly’s blog a few weeks ago, but I promise to get to the rest of the photos from this session as soon as I can!

Thanks to Maggie, for being so dang fun to work with, and a special thanks Kim and Mike, for trusting us to capture your relationship.

First things first: I am terribly behind on my blog (although I always have the best of intentions, this likely comes as a surprise to nobody)! This should have been a sneak peek of a maternity session, but instead it is a late look at a mama who has already snuggled in at home with a beautiful baby girl.

I love doing pregnancy photos. As a mama and a birth professional, the opportunity to capture a woman during this sacred time is a precious gift. This particular session, however, was meaningful to me on a different level. I have known Janis for several years. A woman of uncommon grace and wisdom, Janis is one of the most beautiful souls I have ever encountered. Her words and insight have helped me along my own parenting journey more times than I could possibly count.

In the summer of 2007 Janis, already the mother of two beautiful girls, was expecting her first son and asked me to take her maternity portraits. I was spending the summer in Canada with my family and was unable to do the session, so my dear friend Kimberly Bee stepped in for me, and (as always) captured some truly amazing images. I was eagerly awaiting news of the birth, but one morning in July I received news that broke my heart and filled me with grief – Janis had lost her dear son, Ferdinand, at full term.

The loss of a baby is almost beyond comprehension. I cannot even begin to fathom the depth of grief and pain that accompanies this loss. Through it all, I have been awed and humbled by the grace and strength with which Janis has lived and continued to reach out to others in need (myself included); gifting them with her words, her heart and her presence. Last spring Janis, and several other mothers who have experienced loss, came together to create glow in the woods ‘for parents of lost babies and potential of all kinds’ a place of refuge in the midst of the storm of grief. Please visit, and forward the link to anyone you know who may benefit from the knowledge and heart contained within.

A few weeks prior to the birth of this baby girl, several of us gathered to bless Janis on her journey. I am blessed to see beauty every single day of my life, but I don’t know if I have ever witnessed anything as beautiful as Janis with her face lifted to the sky following her ceremony – ready to welcome her daughter and honor her son.

Janis, thank you for allowing me to be a small part of your journey. I am forever grateful.

Please check back soon, I photographed Janis’ precious baby Lyra this past weekend – and will post a sneak peek of her images next week!