Archive for 'Portraits'
Organization… (sigh)
Posted on 24. Feb, 2010 by maryanne.
No, I didn’t find a treasure chest buried on my farm, even though this looks like the classic pirate’s booty you see in adventure movies. This.. is my dresser top. Okay, before you start making all kinds of rash (but probably true) judgements about me and my lack of orderliness, just know that it doesn’t always look this bad.
You see, my dresser top is a source of contention for me, every day. Every day of my life, I walk past that dresser top with things strewn everywhere. Usually it is the jewelry items I have worn in the past week (or month), my camera, picture frames that I hate but still keep, a spool of thread and a needle for mending buttons, important receipts, props from my last shoot, and dust, oh the dust. My heart cringes every time I see it, no matter what form it is in, and I think a few not-so-nice things about myself and go on with my day, feeling defeated before I have even started. Organization is my weakest character quality, and it is especially hard when I grew up with a super organized mother and sister. My artistic flair took me in other directions, and most of my life, I have dreaded even trying for fear of failure.
So, last night, I took every single item out of my jewelry box and drawers and decided to start there. I don’t think I have thrown one item of jewelry away since I was a little girl. It was actually a very nostalgic experience looking at things that were my mother’s or grandmother’s. It was also a little like Christmas seeing things I had packed away (for lack of knowing what to do with them), that I had forgotten I had. About two hours later, ( yes, two hours) this is what I had for a dresser top.
It was actually worse than this, but this is as vulnerable as I can get right now, okay? Immediately I did what any normal girl would do. I called my mother. “I need your help” I pleaded. Before I got two sentences in, she had devised a plan and a day to implement it. That’s my wonderful mom to the rescue! “Just leave it all on top like that”, she said, ” and we will have a fun day putting it all where it is supposed to go”. She even had a plan for the unwanted pieces with a church swap that is coming up for the ladies.
I will let you know how it goes! I think this is the beginning of a whole new world for me. Starting with my dresser top. 
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A Piece of Faraway
Posted on 16. Feb, 2010 by maryanne.
We don’t get much snow here in Georgia. Last year we got one day’s worth, and it was so magical. I felt like a little girl on that day. Then, as if someone shook the etch a sketch, it was all gone the very next day. We have had some false alarms this year, so when the weather man said it would snow on Friday, I was more than a little cynical (mostly because I wanted it so badly). However, much to my surprise, we got a great snowfall, and enough to play in too. It was a wonderful Valentine weekend surprise.
I took some photos while it was snowing on Friday afternoon, and then again Saturday morning when the sky was cerulean blue. I found my heart overwhelmed by the dramatic scenery. I asked God to help me to capture it if possible, but more than that, to breathe it in and enjoy it. I have often felt jealous of other photographers who get to travel and photograph beautiful scenery in faraway places. To quote photography icon and author Joe McNally from his book The Moment it Clicks, ” If you want to be a better photographer, stand in front of more interesting stuff “. I love that quote. The bottom line is that capturing God’s creation is at the center of my joy in photography, and I want to see more!
However, I felt thankful Saturday morning as I walked in the glory, that I had not (up until this present time) been a world traveler. I found my heart could not contain the splendor I found in my own backyard. I felt so small and incompetent as I fumbled through my bag, disapproving of each of my lens choices as soon as I placed them on the camera body. It was a humbling experience, as I once again offered up my heart, and my camera to God, and I laid down my need to perform for the approval of others. That is something we artists have to do on a daily, or even hourly basis. Anyway, this is what came of my time in the glory. Thankful for my own piece of ”faraway” that God gave me this weekend just out my back door.
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Cory and Cami are engaged!
Posted on 27. Jan, 2010 by maryanne.
Annie and I had SO much fun shooting Cory and Cami’s engagement photos at Piedmont Park last weekend. Before the shoot, we did some dreaming about what they wanted to do and what they loved. Eventually, we landed on the whole idea of doing a vintage shoot. I was so excited as that was something I have really wanting to try. It was something we did at Love Affair this last fall. ( wow did I LOVE that workshop!) I had been wanting to try some new things but hadn’t had any real takers with my couples. Then came Cory and Cami! I love this couple! They are so fun and enjoy each other and life so much. This is part of what makes my life so enjoyable. Working with wonderful people who so openly and comfortably love one another.
I never had to pose them. We just gave them a few props and let them go. They did the rest.
I pray many blessings on this beautiful and sweet couple and am so thankful I get to shoot their upcoming wedding in March.
Enjoy their sweet pictures~
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Boys will be… beautiful
Posted on 05. Dec, 2009 by maryanne.
Every year for some time now I have been going out to my good friends Keith and Kelly Anderson’s farm to photograph their beautiful boys. I love it. When you see the images below you will know why. They are so full of life, and we always have fun running around her farm from place to place laughing and giggling. I can’t help laughing listening to them talk to one another, drop right on the spot and wrestle in the mud, chase chickens, and sometimes, I get them feeling pensive. The youngest, Ethan, is an old soul. He is the most like his mommy, I think. I can usually catch him standing with his hands in his pockets thinking about something important, I am sure. He is a love bug too, and I could just squeeze and kiss him all day. The middle one, Jonathan, comes up with the most amazing things to say. When I told him I couldn’t go with them to see Santa that night, he quipped ” it is such a hateful world”. I laughed about that all the way home with my Johnny, who assisted me on the shoot. Their oldest, Jack, is so funny too. He also comes out with hilarious things that sound like they came from a twenty-something man. All of them, amazing, and adorable.
Their mom, Kelly, is one of my dearest friends. She is wonderful through and through. She is a veterinarian, and therefore an instant hero for me. I always wanted to be one when I was a kid, but lacked the chemistry grades in high school. She has both beauty and brains. You can’t beat it. There is always a potpourri of different animals and rescues at her place. She has a heart of gold and the animals always seem to find her. I am always at home there myself. It is a good place to be.
Enjoy the beautiful Anderson boys.~
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My Girls
Posted on 30. Nov, 2009 by maryanne.
If you follow my blog at all, you know I have two lovely daughters. It’s true. I don’t mind saying it. In fact, when I was pregnant with my second one, I was concerned about them comparing themselves to one another. So, I prayed. I asked God to allow my second to be equally as beautiful as her sister, but in her own unique way. Wow, did He answer my prayer. Katie’s features are dark and dramatic and Annie’s features are fair and classic. Both beautiful. Both unique. Best of all, who they are outshines their physical beauty. Both of them care for people deeply and love their God. This they have in common.
The shoots below were done on the same day, with the same roll of hay in my pasture. You can see how different they are in these shoots. I let them choose their costumes (with a little artistic direction from me) and who they are shines through. Annie will be heading to Liberia December 27th with the Water’s Edge Mission Team. Please pray for them if you think about them. You can read about their adventures on that blog. Katie will be headed to Valencia, Spain, in January to study abroad. Please pray for her as well. Also, pray for this mother’s heart! I don’t know what I am going to do with myself. I am such a mom.
Johnny hid from my lens on this day, but hopefully I will capture him soon and post something on my boy in the near future!
Blessings~
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The Riley Family
Posted on 13. Nov, 2009 by maryanne.
We had so much fun shooting the Riley Family last week when the Sugar Maples were at their glorious peak in the season. Looks like fairy princesses were at their peak as well, as we stumbled upon a beautiful one with a lolliop as twilight began to settle in. What a beautiful day for a family shoot. I think they will have some wonderful memories from this season in their lives together as a family when they look at these photos.
Thanks for trusting me with your magical memories, Riley Family. Much Love!
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My Katie
Posted on 05. Nov, 2009 by maryanne.
Every now and then my mother’s heart swells to the point of bursting with pride and joy over my kids. This post is for my Katie girl. She is now twenty-one and I am so thankful for who she is and is becoming. She is so beautiful, but not just outwardly, even though that is the first thing you would notice about her upon seeing her. She cares so deeply about people. Daily she comes home and tells me a story about someone she met, and with so much empathy that I feel am meeting them as well as she tells it. She has always been this way. She also has a deep love for the Hispanic people and culture. She is currently majoring in Spanish at the University of Georgia and hopes to raise the money to study abroad in Valencia, Spain in January. It will be hard on me to let her go. Her presence here is so comforting. When she is here, I can usually hear her playing her guitar in worship, or hear her laughing on the phone to friends. She is also very spontaneous. All someone has to do is mention ” Salsa dancing” and she has her salsa shoes on and is halfway out the door. Another favorite thing about Katie is her love for playing dress up or creating characters. I never know what I am going to find when I come home sometimes. The other day it was a southern belle, a costume she found for nearly nothing at a consignment store. Not long before that, she took her brother Johnny to Kroger and bought some cheap Halloween wigs and they morphed into English rock stars (accents and all), and a spontaneous photo shoot broke out. Life is never boring around here.
Lastly, I love her heart for God and for His worship. I am including a song she and her daddy wrote for Project Lifesong, the brain child of Miriam Ahkuoi and Playchase Music, where songs help to tell people’s life stories. Though it is barely audible, I can hear her daddy counting off the beginning, and I can hear his tenderness for her in his voice.
Click the play button to hear her song.
Katie has long been one of my photo guinea pigs. Lucky for me, she has a flare for the dramatic. Below are some photos of my Katie girl.
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Taylor Ronne, Senior Extraordinaire
Posted on 04. Nov, 2009 by maryanne.
I had the pleasure of photographing Taylor Ronne last week for his senior photos. What a great guy! Taylor is so funny and talented. His mom and dad, Deb and Dave, are good friends of ours and Dave serves with my husband, Chris, at 12 Stone Church in the redemptive arts department.
As you can tell, Taylor loves his wheels, as most teenage boys do, his dogs, and his family, who all came to watch and participate behind the scenes. We had such a great time. I always love it when my kids assist me, and Annie assisted me on this shoot, bringing the tunes and helping everyone to loosen up and dance. :)
Taylor, I hope you love these pictures as much as I do! May your senior year be your best one yet!
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Those Crazy Kids
Posted on 27. Sep, 2009 by maryanne.
This year, Johnny had his first homecoming dance and date. It was a big deal to us both. He asked if I would be the photographer for the group, as I have photographed his sisters’ groups in the years past. ( I miss those days!) Of course, I jumped at the chance! They had 12 in their group and they were so excited about their pictures. Unfortunately, it rained. I mean it RAINED. There were even flash flood warnings and severe weather alerts. So, our lovely outdoor location was a no-go. Thus, my trusty ( but small), studio came in very handy. I ran to the local Kroger and picked up 12 red helium balloons and dozens more to toss on the floor. This is what we came up with. They had so much fun, and of course I did too! We played music and danced and snapped some great shots. I am going to miss these days.
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rain rain go away
Posted on 22. Sep, 2009 by maryanne.
It has been raining here in Atlanta for weeks now. We are breaking all kinds of records and several lives have been lost. It is very hard on everyone, the constant day in and day out of rain, rain, rain. We have also had all kinds of sickness going on in my house, including a stay in the hospital with my youngest last week.
So, I am continuing to stroke the chords of hope and creativity by looking through some of my favorite photos, and happier times. Here are a few more of my favorites. I am hoping to hang some of them as canvasses someday soon. Praying for sunshine…
