Thankful

Yes, this post is titled "Thankful" and it's all about my sister and her family... :)

Happy Thanksgiving to all, hope you have a wonderful day surrounded by loving family that you love just as much. I love this day because we can eat so much amazing food (made by my in-laws and I am NOT sucking up here - it truly is unbelievable), but also because you can slow down and really think about what makes your life so amazing, big or small, what you are truly grateful for experiencing. Yes, family is probably at the top of that list, and here there are no exceptions. I am so incredibly thankful that I am able to go upstairs every morning, usually in no rush, and enjoy my babies. Get them dressed, sing to them (with them now!) and be goofy with them all day, relishing in their learning and seeing new things through their new eyes. And then to see them all be so happy when Daddy comes home, they love him so much and it shows in their beaming smiles and sweet choruses of "Daddy, Daddy!" We are truly blessed and life is good.

I am thankful for all of my family, and today - here - I get to focus on my sister. Because without her, I wouldn't have even gotten this far in my photographic journey. She has been the one reaffirming that I might be good at this some day, constantly egging me on, to go for it, to help critique and mold the way I look at things through the camera, that I am where I am meant to be. Constant, gentle guidance - So, for her sweet and much needed steering, I am thankful. She is truly a sister - my sister. And that is just one reason I am thankful for her..... :) Love you, Beth.

Here are a bunch from her family's shoot in the orchard a few weeks ago - I have more to go - so, consider this Part I. :)

My favorites in the family pic series...

I giggle when I see this one because it makes me so happy!

Have a fantastic and yummy Turkey Day!

Jordan, Senior Portraits in The Yard

Well, finally..... here are my favorites from my cousin Jordan's Senior Portraits that were shot here in my yard. Again, she was super cool to work with, always smiling! Plus, I had the added bonus of Aunt Jeanne as an assistant for both me and her... holding reflectors, suggesting poses, making her laugh! It was a blast with you both, and thanks again for the cool opportunity to practice in this genre. :) You made my first foray pretty dang easy.

As a technical note, after I uploaded this (which took forever!) I realized that I probably need to sharpen my images before making a slide show...something must happen in the conversion that fuzzes them up a bit...so I will apply that little gem to the next shoot spotlight....which is..... Mike, Laura and their super cute babe, Hunter! Mike happens to be Jordan's sister and so also my cousin - though he happens to have grown up so close with my sister and I, which made him feel like our baby brother.... :)

For now, enjoy the beautiful Jordan!

Jordan's Senior Photo Shoot from cheryle ertel on Vimeo.

Beautiful Magic

I know today is Jordan's day, and I will post her shoot later this evening, but I just had an inspiration for this collage and after I made it, I liked it so much I wanted to share....

Little Em, such beautiful magic...all little girls are just that, and I felt that this showcases her and all little girls' magic, the magic so beautiful, that fleeting innocence and sweet angelic nature that we only get to keep a part of into adulthood. This is what it's all about to have a sweet little daughter, folks...that lovely, beautiful magic, that only they can use on us. :) And we are powerless to resist.

Teaser Bonanza

Yes, I have been up to a lot around here! So many awesome opportunities to capture emotions and special milestones in lives - something I will always be grateful for. I needed and still need the practice! :)

Here are a bunch of teasers for the sessions I have been doing, many are still waiting on my computer patiently to be processed, but here are a few teasers... I will try to post the ones that are actually done over the course of the next week...keep checking back - if you are still with me, thank you! :)

Kristie and Al's 2-part Engagement Session Extravaganza! :)

A Ring Shot!

My Sister's Family in the Orchard!

More of Little E and her Family!

Little Hunter and his Family (My cousin)!

Stephanie the gorgeous Preggo! (Whose little baby boy Benny has already been born!!)

I love the shadow of the daisy on the spot of sunlight strategically placed over the baby bump - thanks, God. :)

And more of my Cousin Jordan's Senior Shoot!

And many more to come of little things here and there and everywhere.... New sessions I have yet to get to...and my kids...and a walk in the field across the street... I do like taking them, and they get taken a heck of a lot faster than they get processed, so I have created one heck of a backlog for myself... :) But, I am awesomely and blessedly busy...and that is a very. good. thing.

First up..... Spotlight on Jordan's Senior Shoot. Hopefully tomorrow!!! (Which probably means the day after... ;) )

Holy Crow!

I had no idea that it has almost been a MONTH since my last post....

I have been so incredibly busy working shoots, post-processing them and being a full time mommy that I hardly noticed the passage of so much time...

Thanks to all for being so patient! "Clients", readers, whoever you are and why you are here, you deserve a teaser! So, I will try to do just that tonight after the day's end... Teasers from all my latest projects and some insight to what I am loving about what I am learning - about photography, about myself, lots of learning.... :) Stay tuned!

Here are three, just for making the journey - and check back tonight for more! Happy Day!

Little E, a beautiful tiny little dancer.... so sweet. :)

MJ and Martin

Soooo... I have been mega busy these past few weeks! Mike has been working a TON more hours lately...so my job has been to back him up; meaning - do many of his house chores that he does not have time for right now! These days he works late into the night only to get up a few hours later and start all over in the wee hours...he is beat. :) He's a good provider and we know he is doing it for us. So, it's all good. But...that means less time to do other things, like take and edit pictures! I am very behind on all my post processes and have a great many shoots scheduled in the upcoming fall foliage. SO! If you are on my list - past, present or future - I know it's hard, but please be patient! :) I will get there at some point, and hopefully you will be happy with the result! What is it they put on restaurant menus about waiting longer for your meal? Something about "good food takes time to prepare..." ...or whatever... :)

Anyway, here is another family post - a mini-shoot I did back whilst on vacation with Mike's family. Mike's sister, MJ - and her boyfriend Martin, who live in NYC - were able to make it to the Adirondacks to play with us. Yay! The whole family was together...well, for about 1 day! Martin unfortunately had a work schedule that was as immovable as Jabba the Hut. So, he was able to experience the magic known as Brantingham Lake... for only about 36 hours, but it was great to see the place through his new eyes. He was like a little kid...and we all completely understood.

He had to catch the train, and they had to leave pretty much in minutes, so I asked them if they wanted a few pics of them both by the lake to remember this first time! We literally ran down to the dock and snapped away for about 15 minutes...and then he was gone! Boo. We all missed him, especially MJ, but it was fun to have him join us - better than nothing!

These guys are just so adorable together. They are both in arts professions - drama queens! And it shows. LOL...they made my job ridiculously easy, since they are the most expressive people I know. They are as expressive about their fun as they are their love. And that's a lot. :) Not eeeww-y expressive, but awwwww-y expressive. A good thing.

Hope you guys like them - and we can't wait to come down there to visit. Kisses, hugs...

I did a few montages here, since there were so many I liked that were very similar - it worked out better this way.

Senior Teaser Storyboard

Yep, one more teaser - though I need to learn how to tease! Someday, I can maybe not be so excited that I can just post one as a sneak peek and then do the rest, but for now, I am way too crazy excited to show any restraint. :)

Here's a storyboard I made of three cute pictures of Jordan laughing, which is...as her mom says....so her. Jordan laughs! It's what she is always doing. :) I was happy to catch these candid cute moments of her and I thought I would group them to showcase that which is truly her.

Miss Jordan, Senior Portrait Sneak Peek

It's pretty darn freaky thinking about my "little" cousin graduating next year...I remember when she was born - the baby nicknames we all used for her (that stuck) that I will not mention here.. :) I remember my aunt pregnant with her! And now...here she is, getting her Senior year pictures taken. *sigh* - how time flies!

So, here we are...and I am grateful and honored to be the one doing them! What a cool feeling!

We had the shoot in the middle of last week and I was so excited about the way they turned out, I wanted to share a few as teasers - I have not even shown them to her or my aunt yet, so this is their teaser too! I have a few other things to post before I get to this one - and as always, I want to give them first crack at seeing them before the world does! 3 different outfit changes and lots of movement around the yard - I think I can say we were all pooped when we were done, but it was a good kind of tired - we got a lot accomplished!

Here you go, guys - I hope to talk to you soon, since I am so excited to show you! Thanks for being such a great sport, Jordy. :) Hopefully I will have a few more up soon.....

I'm sorry, but is she not gorgeous?! Thanks for making my job easy, dear! :)

the Black and Whites

As promised, here are a few of the previously posted pics of my kids in black and white - I think some of them look better this way, but I'll let you decide!

Tomorrow, I will post a few of the Senior shoot, providing I get the a.ok. from her momma - I am super excited about the shots we got... One of the challenges I face, and actually like to face, is always taking pictures in my own yard - but then making them feel fresh and new. There are a few favorite spots I have, that to me, just placing a new person there is enough, because it is so cool and adds so much substance to a picture - like the barn, for instance. So, I love having that problem, because it means I get to stay here and shoot while my kids are napping - no babysitter needed. :) And that's always a good thing to be able to wear both hats at the same time without it driving you mad.

I love her little toes!

And one of Cole smelling his feet. :) Just because.

We're back!

Wee-hoo! The Computer Wizard worked his magic and we are back in business!

I have a Senior photo shoot with the lovely Jordan this afternoon, but I will be working on maternity, vacation and senior photos after that! Ya-hoo!

For now, I have more pics of the kids - they are getting so big! Cole and Alex actually had fun with this - B-Man wanted nothing to do with me and the camera...but that could be because he is cutting his 2-year molars. I'd like to think he doesn't have an aversion to the camera! :)

I took a few pictures with the intent of giving them to the grandmas...portraits of the kids that showed what they looked like and not just cool artsy shots so they could show them off...but there are a few included of those artsy ones too. Some are also to send to Fisher Price, since we have been asked to send some in to see if the kids would be suited to a photoshoot there. Their cousin ended up on a few packages back when he was this age, and I remember thinking what a cool memory/experience they were preserving for him - to be on a toy package! So, we'll see where that takes us. Maybe they will be cooperative enough to be included.... :)

I was wowed by just how blue their eyes are getting, but some of them looked great in black and white too - so, I am including the large amount of colors today and then tomorrow I will post the black and whites separately, since they are so different and cool in their own way - tell me what you think! Prepare...this is a LONG one!

Alexandria

Braden (for not cooperating, I certainly got the MOST from him! Weird.)

Cole