Leggy Bird Photos

Got to help Andy Brophy of OneNine Images with a gorgeous, intimate wedding today and really loved how these shots came out! (Click on photos to enlarge)

It seem that  lately, I’ve been taking an excessive amount of photos of beautiful girls… and I LOVE it! Since I did Help Portrait last Christmas, I’ve been saying that making girls/women feel beautiful in front of a camera for the first time is one of my favorite passions! I just wrote a paper for Interpersonal Communication about Self-esteem in adolescent girls, so I’ve been thinking about it a lot. There are so many gorgeous (inside and/or outside) girls that I know that don’t even have a clue! Maybe they haven’t been feelin’ the love or maybe they’re just going through a lot of changes. Whatever it is, I just want to shout in their face (and sometimes I do…), “YOU ARE SO DARN GORGEOUS!” They just don’t get it.

So, here’s my tribute to those girls I know (and don’t know!) that may or may not know how pretty they are. You are so worth loving, so live like it!

Eryn Erickson and her Bible Study group of high school seniors!

Cindy, my mom and a master housekeeper/chef

Erin, my classmate and new friend

Christine, my roommate and fellow tea drinker

Chelsea, coworker and friend

Lily, my oldest, most loyal friend

Mallory, my good friend’s beautiful sister

Last week, I shot my first boudoir shoot with a friend! Understandably, she did not want these intimate photos all over the internet, which I knew from the start.

After I finished editing and weeding through the pictures, I realized that this was some of the best work I’ve done yet! I didn’t think anything of it, until I remembered I couldn’t show off this work that I was so proud of.

I thought about why was work that I knew I couldn’t show off some of my best work? I think that God is trying to show me that I care too much about what others think and say about me. Will they comment on these photos? Will they want to hire me after they see this work? I’m always thinking about this! BUT, when I just let go and do what I love for the benefit of the client and for the glory of God, then my passions and gifts are exemplified!

I need to remember, too, that my value does not (or should not) lie in my talents or gifts, but in my Creator. If we put our value on anything besides Him, our response to criticism or disapproval will either be pure anger or defeat. Don’t let people abuse you or walk all over you, but when they do, remember that you’re not working for them- but for the joy of doing what you love and for the Lord.

The staff at Segue Ministries went to IKEA last week to get some furniture for our new offices! I captured these precious photos of my boss’s son, Jude. Rip and his wife, Bonnie adopted Jude a little over a year ago and are in the process of raising money to adopt a beautiful little girl. Bonnie is making and selling soap and little hair flowers to help with the huge price of adoption. If you want to help, just order one on their facebook.

Chris and I went to Nashville this past week to visit my oldest friend, Lily, and some other new friends from Twitter, such as Josh & Amber Ulmer and Kyle Reed! We had the best time touring the city and trying out every coffee shop and meeting wonderful, real, talented people!

Here’s a preview from Malory’s senior photo shoot yesterday! A beautiful little sister of one of my very best friends!

Here’s a favorite from my weekend at my boyfriend’s family’s house. Chris was taking a nap and his little sister crawled on the couch with him! It was a splendid weekend with a splendid family.

I hope all of you fathers had a great day today! I just wanted to take a minute and brag about my father. He works so hard for his family and is home for dinner every night. That is something I’ll always remember from when I was young: Family dinners. We were a family that cherished the final meal of each new day together. It’s a time that I still find sacred when I still visit home, which is a rare find these days! I also remember a time in middle school when my dad would go out and throw a football everyday with me after school. Now. in college, there’s not a time I come home to visit when he doesn’t insist on taking me out for breakfast. He sits intrigued and impressed the entire meal and never forgets to tell me how proud he is of me with tears fogging his eyes. He wrote me a prayer on my 21st birthday that left us both in each other’s arms and in tears. I don’t have space to write it here, but you can read it by going here!

Also, a little about what he does: He was the Staff Director at Perimeter Church in Duluth, which was our church home and my brother’s and my elementary and middle school. It was so fun going to his office after school and drawing at his desk for hours! After 17 years, he then moved on to start his own company as a church coach. This job is so wonderful for him and he just loves it! He gets to travel around to churches literally around the world and coach churches on discipleship, leadership, planning, and organization. He gets pure joy out of sharing all he’s learned and interacting with others. His website is www.transform-coach.com.

I love you, dad.

There’s really nothing like developing a roll of black and white film after sparingly taking one photo at a time on it for the past two months. It’s so exciting and such a thrill! Here are some of the random shots I captured, most of which, using my brand new 24-70mm: