It's springtime for Dearheart!

I unofficially went into photography hibernation for the winter...but once the weather warmed up [temporarily], I got back to shooting relatively regularly.
I've had the pleasure of reconnecting with people and meeting some new ones, and the opportunity to shoot headshots, senior portraits, graduation photos, families and some pretty dang adorable babies! :)  

I've got nine more days of school left and then I look forward to having a much more open schedule for shooting.  

I just signed up for two more photography classes at TCC this summer:
Photography Level III & Wedding Photography.
I'm excited :)

Babes. {newborn}

A while back, I had the opportunity to shoot little Miss Harper's newborn photos.

She was only five days old at the time and had more props and wardrobe changes than any baby girl I've ever encountered :)

She needed heating pads and blankets and touch and bottles to keep her happy, but she was quite a trooper!

First, a behind-the-scenes look:

And now, some of my favorite shots of the precious little one:

I pray that Harper will grow up strong and full in the knowledge of God!

Take care, little one.

Home for the Holidays. {travel}

When you live 1,930 miles away from your "home" and family, visits are few, far between and sweet.
From the moment I step off the plane onto that famous PDX airport carpet, something is different.
The air is cleaner, the greens are greener and my heart is happy.

I spend my days in Oregon watching millions of episodes of "What Not to Wear" that my mom DVRs throughout the year, seeing all my high school friends [and their ever-expanding brood of gorgeous children], making memories with my family and exploring the natural beauty of a very un-Oklahoma-like land.

Also, I occasionally make my parents smile for the camera.

Until next time, lovely place I once lived.

Much love.

Seasons change. #dearheart

Well, they do!
Here in Oklahoma, the colors of fall are here for a short time, so it's a bit hit & miss when it comes to fall photo shoots.  We caught the tail end of the foliage in the following two shoots, but beggars can't be choosers ;)

Kaley and I have known each other for a long time now.  We met in college & lived on the same floor, had lots of classes together, shared an apartment for two years and now we teach at the same school!  We kinda like each other ;)  So, it was natural that she and her fiance should be the subjects of my first engagement shoot.  I had a wonderful time traipsing around Turkey Mountain with them and I'm very happy with the results!  Less than a month until wedding day, you two :)

The next day, I got to spend time with the lovely Hunt family at Stuart Park & the Gilcrease Museum.  I met Hilary during a production at the Broken Arrow Community Playhouse and have had the pleasure of calling her a friend, shooting her maternity photos and then newborn/family photos once Miss Margot was born.  I hadn't seen Margot since she was just a few days old and was so excited to see her at seven months old, gummy smiles and all! :)  

And now, rather suddenly, it's winter, the world is white and magical, the Christmas season is upon us and I will be home in Oregon in less than two weeks!

What a wonderful time of year to be a photographer :)

Life is Short. Take lots of pictures.

Life has gotten rather exciting lately for the slowly-blooming, itty-bitty business of Dearheart Photography :)

First of all, I missed my first anniversary...but I'm blown away by the fact that I've been officially pursuing this dream for over 12 months now.  Business ebbs and flows, but I am incredibly grateful for clients, supportive friends & family members, and plenty of opportunities to learn and grow and change.  Here are some of the awesome and recent developments:

• I made the decision to get my Photography Certificate at TCC and couldn't be happier about it.  I am crazy excited to finally get some formal training, to fill in the holes I have and to develop myself further as a photographer.  I started my first of eight classes last week and can't wait for next Wednesday :)
• I joined a meet up group of Tulsa digital photographers and hope that my schedule will allow me to join them in one of their excursions soon!  I still have so much to learn, and know that rubbing elbows with seasoned photographers will only make me better.
• I bought a reflector and am excited to experiment and improve my photographs!
• I got brave and entered seven photos in the Tulsa State Fair.  It's totally random and I don't expect anything to come of it, but I'm proud of myself for doing it!
• I am back to work on my website and hope to launch it before the first of the year :)

And now, I shall leave with some shots from my recent photo sessions.

[Click Click Click]

Please allow me to catch you up on the last month in the world of Dearheart Photography :)

I did my first shoot for church in April during the Unite My City event.  We sent volunteers to the Laura Dester Shelter and to Crisis Pregnancy Outreach and I was able to spend a little time in each place.  It was a pleasure getting to serve in this aspect!

May was a busy month for weddings and I second shot for Artworks twice.  It's always fun to see new venues, work with new people and learn new things.  I also love seeing my shots make it into the facebook album! :)

A friend of mine has a videography/photography company and I shot dance studio portraits from him a few weeks ago.  Studio lights, backdrops and poppers made for a steep learning curve for this natural-light girl, but it was great exposure!  I will hopefully be doing some more work for him, including learning the ropes of videography!  I'm really excited :)

I shot Joshua's newborn photos last summer and was shocked that it was already time to do his one year photos!  I met his fab family at Haikey Creek Park and we explored with the little man and got some great shots!  

Last weekend, two of my friends from college got married and invited me to do the photo booth at the reception.  I took some photos at the other events as well and had a really great time enjoying the California sunshine and my college friends!

I'm gearing up for a headshot session tomorrow, preparing to reveal my new logo this weekend, discussing a photo devotional project with a ministry here in town and excited for the summer!  Bring it on :)

Pups, Love and Lil' Popcorn Balls.

My camera and I are loving spring so far!

It makes for exciting events [like new babies and weddings!] and awesome weather for outdoor shoots.  Well, in theory.  We do live in Oklahoma ;)

A few weeks ago, I spent the afternoon with a teacher friend from school, her husband and their adorable dog-baby, Molly.  They are such a great couple and their love for each other is obvious and super sweet.  I really enjoyed the time I spent with them!

Then I got to meet sweet, long-awaited Margot Louise!



Her mommy and I were in a show together last spring and became friends.  When Hilary asked me to do her maternity pictures, I was delighted and couldn't wait to meet darling "Sprout" [as the baby was affectionately referred to, since the gender was a mystery].

Just as I expected, Margot is gorgeous--which is no surprise if you've seen her parents ;)  Besides being good looking and talented, they are also loving, doting and protective.  She's one lucky little girl!

I recently got the chance of a lifetime to take photos at a live event in New York City...but that's a separate blog post in and of itself ;)  

I also photographed my first event[s] for church last Saturday.  We were involved in Unite My City and volunteered at the Laura Dester Shelter and the Crisis Pregnancy Outreach.  I really enjoy capturing candid moments, so this was a lot of fun for me and it's even better when I get to help out with a good cause :)

There's lots of other exciting stuff coming up: weddings up the wazoo in the next month [second-shooting two here in town and then working the photo booth at one in California], collaborating with a friend on a new logo and hoping to spend some quality time working on my website when life allows.

I am forever and always grateful that the Lord has given me an artisitic outlet that I enjoy and opportunites to learn and grow!  Here's to hoping that those keep coming :)

Bowties and Babies.

Today, I met this handsome little man.

I'm a bit smitten.

My side job is awesome :)

So far.

So far, 2013 is treating Dearheart Photography well :)

I've been busy with families, baby bumps, newborns, pups, powdered paint, head shots and couples.

Here are some of my favorites:

I had the opportunity to take some classes with Elite Photography Institute a couple weeks ago, am learning to be a better business owner and am continuing to work on my website.  I will be second shooting a wedding in May and will be in California to run a photo booth at another wedding just a week later :)

I love my clients and the constant opportunity to grow!