Thanksgiving

We spent Thanksgiving with Riley's friend Trey and his family. It was a great get-away in Wickenburg. The kids had so much fun scrambling up the huge hill near the house. It is great to see the kids have so much fun with found objects - rocks, nails, bottle caps... Riley and Trey have such a special relationship!

Montessori Center School Fundraiser

The Robert family was the first to sign up for my fundraiser at Montessori Center School. Here are some of my favorite shots from the shoot. I love that the pictures were taken at the school!

Christmas Card Special

The rocks and waterfalls were a great backdrop. Terrie and the kids were a lot of fun.

Check out my website for current specials.

Transformers Soccer Team Photography

I was the official photographer for the Transformers soccer team. I designed a mini book that featured the coaches and each of the players. I also designed the team photos and the player cards. The player cards are my favorite! Let me know what you think. I can adapt this to just about any sport or activity. Let me know if you want me to set something up for your team.

Family Reunion

It was a busy weekend. Jay's Dad and his brothers were in town from Oklahoma and California. We met up with the local crew and played games, built lego creations, splashed in the hot tub and ate, ate, ate... Riley loved having so many playmates.

Halloween

We enjoyed another fabulous Halloween with Trey's family. They live in an old-fashioned neighborhood where everyone pretty much knows everyone. We were able to dash from house to house and fill up everyone's candy buckets. What a treat!

International Children's Day

Riley's school, Montessori Center School, is a really special place. There are about 75 children there and about 40 nationalities are represented. Every fall, they hold an International Children's Day program where the children sing songs like "God Bless America" and "Hello to all the Children of the World". They also have a fantastic pot-luck dinner where everyone brings dishes that represent their culture. Yum!

Super Monday

Hi, I went to a Professional Photographer's Association class last Monday. It was great! The class was titled Environmental Portraiture. We photographed young children, couples, high school seniors, and young families. The portraits were all done outside in natural light. We also went scouting for good locations near downtown Mesa.

Here are some of the shots I took during the High School Senior shoot. Thanks Rachel. You were a great and very patient model!

byMelinda Website is Up!

Check it out! My new website for photography is up and running at www.bymelinda.com. It may change over time, but it is a good starting point. Let me know if you find any errors. Also, let me know if you like or dislike the site.

Little Lego Master

In between soccer, swimming, chess, and everything else, Riley has started playing with legos. I love that he ditches the pictures on the box and creates his own masterpieces. He creates transformers (that actually transform into different things), robots, vehicles, animals... This is one from a couple of weeks ago. How cool is that!?!

Officially a Soccer Mom

It had to happen at some point. The boy decided to play soccer with his best friend Trey. So, I guess I am officially a "soccer mom". In the first game, Riley took off at the sound of the whistle and went straight for the goal. SCORE!!! He also played excellent defense. He is loving soccer, but gets pretty tired from all the running.

First Chess Tournament

Riley has been taking chess lessons for two semesters at Montessori Center School. He has been asking us to let him be in a chess tournament since they sent the first flyers home last year. He used to bring home three copies each week - one for Jay, one for me, and one for our cat, Taco.

He was so excited when we relented and signed him up for a tournament in September. I guess he was ready. He placed fourth out of fifteen in the kindergarten division, and won a trophy. We had no idea what we were getting into. There were hundreds of kids and tons of parents. The entire gym was full of tables with chess sets. The parents were banished from the gym. I managed to snap a few photos with my point and shoot camera before the event started and from a little window in the door.

Riley had so much fun that before we even got in the car to leave, he started asking when he could go again. At least we will know what we are getting into next time.

Make it happen!

I'm finally making it happen. I'm going to be a professional photographer. I lucked into a 13-hour per week job that will pay most of the bills. That will leave me most of the week to pursue a career in photography. Hang on! The adventure begins now!