Catching Up...

It has been 2 months since my last post. Life has been, well, shall we say very different for the Tinsley household lately. With all of the transition of moving in with my parents and adjusting to a new lifestyle all while searching for a new house, it has been difficult to find the time or energy to blog. However, great news! We finally found a beautiful home in our beloved Winter Garden and should be closing within the next week or two! Hooray! But don't worry...all of the chaos did not stop me from shooting, just from posting. That being said, for time's sake, I decided to post some of my favorites from the last 2 months all together rather than individually. Please enjoy these precious children!

a rainy evening at Crane's Roost

A few weeks ago I met this adorable family out at Crane's Roost for a shoot. Unfortunately, it rained on us (yes, I checked the weather beforehand!) but that didn't stop our fun! We made the best of it and had a great time anyway (even when we were all huddled under a tiny pavillion)! This little 17 month old, who is just as cute as he can be, loves the water and his 2 month old baby sister (who is a doll baby herself!). Here are a few of my favorites!

If nothing ever changed there would be no butterflies...

Sorry for my long absence but the past few weeks have been busy, Busy, BUSY and have brought about quite a bit of change for me and my family! Being the sentimentalist that I am, change has always been difficult for me; even when I know the change is a happy one! I have always had a hard time with goodbye's knowing that the beginning of something new brings about an end to something else. But I know that change is good and even necessary. It gives it the abilty to stretch and grow, try new things, and reach new heights. So after nearly 3 years of "talking" about moving, a very intense 4 months of finally acting on our "talking", 5 contracts, and countless sleepless nights we finally closed on the sale of our house. Our first house...the house where I first laid eyes on my husband (he already owned the home when we met), the house we came home to after our honeymoon, the house in which we brought our first baby home! It was very bittersweet to leave our house filled with 5 years of wonderful memories but we are excited to see where we end up and what God has in store for us. So for now, we are temporarily residing with my parents and searching for our dream home! We know it's out there somewhere...now we just need to find it...

E is for...

EGGS? Thank goodness I'm not getting a graded on my weekly assignments otherwise I would fail this one miserably. I'll be the first to admit it! Life has been a more than a little hectic the past few days...taking care of a sick husband and child, having a garage sale, and trying to pack up our house (we're moving in 9 days)! I had several ideas for 'E' this week but never had time to get out and shoot them. My friend suggested 'eggs' and set up a whole breakfast spread. Great idea, I thought, until I actually began. Most of you that know me know I do not cook. I love to bake and create finger foods, but I absolutely loathe cooking. For good reason, too. I'm just not good at it. Sadly, even my eggs leave much to be desired. So, here is my attempt at frying an egg for Jackson's dinner on Sunday. Embarrassingly enough, he ended up eating a hot dog instead! So, let's just move on from this week (please don't judge this weak attempt too harshly) and we'll look onward to next week! I promise to do better!

There was a little girl who wore a string of pearls...

and her name is Reese! She is absolutely beautiful and was a such a doll to work with! She put up with 3 wardrobe changes and kept smiling the whole time! This sweet girl just turned 6 months old and she was eager to show off her new trick...sitting up! Here are a few of my favorites from our session!

D is for...

DRAGONFLY!!! This little guy flew in to my yard just in time to be the subject for my letter 'D' assignment. Since I don't really have much to say on the subject of dragonflies, I thought I would do a little research on them. Here are a few fun facts I found via Wikipedia:













-Prior to becoming an adults, dragonflies (called nymphs) live underwater and prey on mosquito larva, tadpoles, and fish using their extendable jaws

-large dragonflies can live for up to 6 years, and can remain water nymphs (without their wings) for as long as 5 years

-Even though dragonflies have 6 legs, most do not walk well

-In some parts of the world, having a dragonfly land on you is considered good luck

-In some parts of the world, dragonflies are cooked in oil and served as a delicacy

That's all for now! Hope you enjoyed your science lesson for the day!

Scott Kelby's Worldwide Photowalk 2010

On Saturday I participated in Scott Kelby's 3rd annual worldwide photowalk. Over 33,000 professional, semi-pro, photography enthusiasts, etc. were involved in this event in 1,111 cities worldwide. My group met in Mt. Dora, FL and we simply walked around this city for 3 hours and took pictures of anything interesting or beautiful we laid our eyes on. It was wonderful to be completely surrounded by my fellow shutter bugs and just be immersed in photography for hours! It was like a dream come true! Here are a few shots I took during the event!

C is for...

CROSS! I came across this cross in a courtyard while wandering around Mt. Dora (during the worldwide photowalk) and it immediately reminded me of the traditional hymn 'The Old Rugged Cross'. "To that old rugged Cross I will ever be true, it's shame and reproach gladly bear; then He'll call me some day to my home far away, where His glory forever I'll share." This hymn causes me to reflect on my commitment to my faith in Jesus and remember that no matter what temptations come my way I must always try to take up my cross and follow Him. The way of the cross will lead us home.

Puddle Jumping!

The other day I picked Jackson up some rain boots at Jo-Ann's. Or actually, he spied them, put them on, and there was no way we were going to be able to leave the store without them! It turned out to be the perfect day for them too because no sooner did we get home then there was a HUGE rain storm! After the rain he proudly donned his boots and we ran out in the street to play in the puddles. He had a BALL...however, it didn't take long for his puddle jumping to become puddle sitting! By then he was completely soaked and over the boots. Don't think he quite understands the concept that boots are supposed to keep you DRY! Oh well, guess we'll have to work on that one;)

B is for...

BABY!!! For my photography assignment this week I got to take pictures of my friend's beautiful 12 day old! I don't think I could ever get tired of photographing newborns! From their precious little ears to their tiny toes they are truly God's little miracles! I apologize for my post being a few days late this week...my assignment was technically completed on time but we were having computer issues. Anyway, without further adieu, please enjoy this sweet baby girl!

A is for...

ARCH! I decided to start giving myself photography assignments to complete on a weekly basis. Over the next 26 weeks (25 actually since this week is completed!) I am going to take a picture to correspond with each letter of the alphabet. This week's assignment was 'A' which allowed me the excuse to finally get around to shooting this "archway", which is all that remains of the old West Orange, Country Club. I have driven by this archway dozens of times and each time I think how much I want to photograph it. There is something so intriguing, mysterious, and even romantic to me about old, abandoned buildings and structures. I love to imagine what the people who lived there were like or what the place might have been like in it's heyday. I have tried to research it but so far haven't had any luck. Oh well, my fantasies are probably more exciting than the reality anyway! Well, they aren't masterpieces but here they are! My first "assignment" is complete!

Are you ready for your close up?

Ladies and Gentlemen: It is my privilege to introduce my protege, Jackson! My poor, sweet boy, who is used to having a camera in his face more often than not, has recently taken an interest in my camera. He wants to look through it (wince), he wants to push it buttons (cringe), he wants to hold it (I shudder to think!)...and he DOES NOT want my help while doing these things! There are not many things that are off limits in our house but my camera is one of them...so...I bought him one of his own! I knew a toy wouldn't do so thanks to eBay he is the proud owner of a vintage Kodak PONY and let me just tell you he thinks he is big stuff! I had to give him a few pointers but as you can see, he is a fast learner!