simplymoore blog

the tanners are the kind of family you just like being around. as i looked through all their images, i just smiled the entire time. the kids’ smiles are so genuine, and the love joe has for his little sister, jackie, is just very cool. i hope you smile looking at these as much as i did!

last week, i was honored to be able to photograph a miracle family.  truly.  three months ago, jack was born into the family – three months premature!  he spent many weeks in the hospital, and he has already had heart surgery.  he’s got about a 4 inch scar on his back – i had no idea heart surgery on preemies went through the back.  he is doing great now though, and just as cute as can be.  two years ago, i met jack’s family when his big brother, sam, came in for his newborn photos.  sam was also born a few months early, and to see him today, you’d never know! he’s just a spitfire now, running around and playing.  it was so fun just watching him. 

the whole family came to the studio last week  for jack’s first photo session.  jack is still so tiny, and he was so calm.  he let me do just about anything with his posing, and we got the sweetest images.  a couple of him and his mommy are just breathtaking.  she is a very calm person and jack was just so relaxed when she was near.  it was just beautfiul.   lucky for me, he actually let me hold him too!  here are some of the images we were able to capture during the session.  i think you can see both boys’ personalities perfectly!  -wham

well, this isn’t exactly the happiest way to start off the new year, but my family experienced a loss this weekend.  my cat, hannh, passed away on sunday.  hannah found me in 1997, during my senior year of college at mizzou.  she was the tiniest, cutest kitten.  i found her on a sunday, and i called john (then my boyfriend, now my husband) and told him i’d found a kitten.  he said he would come to columbia and help me decide what to do.  i think he wanted me to give her to wayside waifs.  so i spent the week with hannah, and by the time john arrived on friday, i was already in love with hannah.  i hoped she would make a good impression with john, and luckily she did.

as i finished college, hannah and i would drive home to kansas city on some weekends.  on our first trip home, the air conditioning in my taurus broke.  hannah was riding between my neck and the seat, so i didn’t want to open the window because i thought hannah might drop out.  i remember hannah looking at me at one point and hanging her tongue out and panting.  as pathetic as it looked, it was something i will always remember.  i spent most of the drive that afternoon rubbing cold water on her.  by the time we got home two hours later, she was totally wet.

hannah has always been a special member of our family.  she is very shy and only comes out when she is completely comfortable with those that are here.  at night, she would sleep on my pillow with me.  even on crowded nights, when the kids climbed in, i would make a special spot for hannah.  something just wasn’t right if hannah was there too.  she loved being brushed at night, and when i watched tv before bed, she often layed right on me blocking my view.  she always had to be right up in whatever i was doing.  but, i loved having her close.  even when i was sick or had one of my migraine headaches, hannah would lie immediately next to me.  it was the most comforting feeling knowing that hannah wanted to take care of me just as much as i wanted to take care of her.

she would have turned 12 this summer.  in my mind that really wasn’t “old”.  to tell the truth, i always expected that when zane grew older and left for MU, it would be hannah who comforted me.  that would have made her 22, but that didn’t seem out of reach to me. 

this weekend, though, things changed.  hannah didn’t sleep with me thursday, which i found odd.  then, friday i noticed she was sick.  i immediately took her to the blue springs animal hospital (which i would recommmend to anybody), and they told me she was in renal failure.  apparently, she was pretty far along, and the doctor wasn’t sure she would make it through the day.  i was absolutely devastated.  john was out of town, so i didn’t know what to do.  ultimately, i chose to take hannah home so we could all say goodbye.  we spent the weekend holding her and making her feel as much love as we could.  the thought of having to take her to the doctor that final time made me nauseus, and i prayed and prayed i wouldn’t have to make that decision.  my prayers were answered and hannah passed naturally on sunday afternoon.

it is definitely different around here now.  i keep expecting hannah to jump up on my bed at night or meow at me in the mornings for her breakfast.   i will definitely cherish the years i had with hannah.  never will i have a cat quite like hannah.  she was with me for so many phases of my life – college, first job, marriage, children… i will certainly miss her always.  and as i lay down for sleep each night, i will still pat my pillow down in the spot where she slept.  she may not be there in body, but i like to think she is in spirit.  goodnight, my hannah.

i thought i’d post some families that i have photographed lately.  i started to do that on my last note, but i got distracted.  that tends to happen with me.  so, let’s try this again.  this is a family that came to me via a client/friend of mine, kendra.    we wanted some outside images, but it had rained a lot, so the ground was a bit soggy.  but, the kids did great and never complained.  it was actually the cold that drew us back inside.  but, we had so much fun!  both of the kids were full of energy and laughs.  and mom and dad were both just going with it.  it was great.  i could tell they are a family who just has fun together.  i think the images captured them perfectly.  here’s a few for you to have a look at!

can you hear the laughter in this one?

over the past few weeks, i’ve been busy photographing.  it has been so much fun!  i love weeks when i get to be behind the camera being creative.  i had a small flood in the studio during that busy week, but everybody was very understanding.  however, i think it might be worse now simply from the smell.  but, i’ve got some “glah-day” air fresheners plugged in down there to mask the odor.  this week i might get to open the windows and air things out. 

well, i have some fun fall images to share with you.  i know how exhausted a lot of you are when you leave the studio.  having a portrait made (don’t you love that phrase? it sounds so stately to me) is hard work, especially for the parents.  we bribe, we beg, some of us cry.  it’s all worth it when get that perfect image.  i make no secret of photoshop being my personal buddy.  i am not shy about performing photoshop plastic surgery on myself.  why not, i say.  if i have to look at this image forever, i want to make sure i look good in it!  anyway, i attempted some photos of my boys (including my nephews) in the leaves, and a family photo with my dad and stepmom.  wow, it was some work.  really, it is more work for my poor sister, laura, who has to chase kids.  but, anyway, just so that you all know you are in good company, i thought i’d post some from my session.  whew, these should make you all feel better.  my boys were less than cooperative.  kids were running around, daddies were complaining about the cold, and then my stepmom, laura, and myself were just begging everybody to keep smiling. 

one of the better images

do you like the ring pop sucker?

well here i go again.  i’m going to give this another try.  i think i had the wrong address or something on the website.  but anyway, i’ve got the new website up and running, and i think i am quite happy with it.  i hope you all are enjoying it.  i had a bunch of fun photo sessions over the past couple weeks!  families, newborns – fun stuff!!  this is such a great time of year for photo sessions with the leaves and the chilly air. i love it!  and for those of you who know me well know how much i love my jammie pants – this is the perfect weather for pulling them out of the bottom drawer.  ahh, my comfort zone!  but, back to my sessions – we got some great images!  oh the babies were just perfect and the families looked so pretty in the fall leaves.  i am going to try to post an image or two in the next couple of days if i can figure it out.  enjoy your jammie pants!

well hello!  here i am – my first blog.  it’s going to be a fun ride to see if i can figure this blogging out.  i’m hoping to be able to upload highlights from my photo sessions and different ideas that i am having.  i think this will be a fun way to keep in contact with everybody and give you all a glimpse into my thought process. 

last week, i dragged my boys (well some of them) down to the studio for some updated images.  and for those of you who don’t know, my boys absolutely hate having to sit for a photo.  if they are ever asked to define torture, this will probably be their definition.  but, as it happened, the skiies were smiling last week, and i got some of the cutest images ever of zander and zaiden.  i was actually giddy with the results.  so, i am going to attempt to share a couple images with you.  i hope you find them as cute as i do!

so, let’s give it a try and see if this works!

-wendy

zaiden