Presleigh Part II

Pretty girl Presliegh {Part II}

After our girl Presleigh got cleaned up and had a few days of beauty sleep, she came to see me in the studio and while she decided that since she was at Auntie Didi's house- so it must be time for a party..... she was nearly impossible to get to sleep...... but finally.... we got her rocked out and created these with a few props and her natural beauty.   {sigh}  I do love SNG! {Squishy Newborn Goodness}

*****

Thanks for coming to play Miss P!

XOXO  Didi V

{this.... is just because she holds the keys to daddy's heart}

{Can you even stand that kissy-lip??????}

Presleigh Ryan

Pretty Little Presleigh.....  Oh how we've waited for you!!!  Where do I begin?  

Do I start 15 some odd years ago with your fresh face momma- right out of high school- the baby cousin of my friend's friend?  Or  being there for so much of your parents lives over the years...  It certainly isn't limited to your daddy's patience with your momma and me....... and your  momma being my grunt, lab rat and assistant extraordinaire  for experimental photo sessions, my cooking partner in crime, my walking for a cure buddy..... or just the fact that you were so long in  the wanting and waiting process for your parents.....  We are so glad you are finally here!

I had the privilge of being present at your birth little one- and you (and your parents) are amazing!

Love you little one!  So blessed to be a part of your life!

xoxo Didi V

****

Ansen

How you gonna act when you're the newest kid on the block???  

****

Well, when you're born to a couple of the coolest Rock-a-Billy parents around.... 

{Mom's a stunner who resembles Betty Boop and Daddio is a vintage looking Harley guy} 

you're gonna rock that Radio Flier like you stole it!

And while some kids dream of ponies and Teddy Bears..... 

Kool Kids like ANSEN dream of wrenches, gaskets, gear ratios, grease zirts and oil cans.  

The boy is destined to be riding in a side car before he can walk!

****

I heart this family - I've been friends with momma for over 15 years and I'm thrilled to have followed her growth from fun party girl fresh out of school to stunning married woman and now as a momma.

****

Congrats guys!

xoxo Didi V

SLACKER

Hey folks.... I'mmmmmmmm BAAAACCCCCKKKKK!  And before you say that I'm a total SLACKER.....


The Urban Dictionary defines the word SLACKER as such:

Someone who puts off doing things to the last minute, and when the last minutes comes, decides it wasn't all that important anyways and forgets about it...

Now, while part of that may be true on my part...... I have been good about maintaining the fan page for you Facebook Fans.....  but I have been utterly and completely lame about blogging.   And it's not that it's NOT important- at all.... but there is just only so many hours in a day.  Or as my grand-dad used to say... "You can't fit 10 pounds of stuff in a 5 pound bucket".

'Nuff said.

So here is my apology and excuse all in one.....

Uhm, yeah, uh-hemmmmmm.... I know.  It's been almost 6 months, yes, SIX MONTHS since I've blogged. Nothing. Nada. Nil. Zip. Zero. Zeta. Not a danged thing.  And I'm sorry.  I promise to do better this year!

*****
Yes, I am still a photographer.  {YES, a working photographer!}
Yes, I am still actively shooting photos... for other people.
Yes, I am booking sessions again!
Yes, I still work at my day job.
Yes, my kids are now teens... and with that chaotic roller coaster comes 3 sports and 5 schedules this season. (and the off season training for two teams this winter was at a heavily scheduled price of 8.5 days/week.  And by 8.5 days/ week, I mean that my girls had two a day practices, several times a week along with their weekday practices.... and that Mr. Miles and I... spread from Hell to breakfast.
Yes, my husband coaches and heads up T&D for LSLL.
Yes, our dogs agree that we should be around to snuggle more.
And, yes, tho we are ridiculously busy these days...... Occasionally we try and be social and have folks over for dinner or drinks.. which is rare anymore with the whack-a-doodle schedules we keep..... but it's great when we do- because we get more cleaning done around our house and yard that way!!!!  So if you are thinking we've been avoiding you.... not the case.

*****
So there you go- stay tuned, tell your friends about us here at My crazy,crazy life, over on Facebook at Natural Approach Photography AND you can check out the brand spanking new website at www.naturalapproachphoto.com

I'll bring you some photo love from the last few months shortly!

xoxo Didi V

The Ugly Truth

Copyright Infringement….




In response to a situation that has unfortunately, come up several times in the last month for me here at NAP, I'm going to make this a public service announcement.



Folks, I would like to remind EVERYONE out there in the ocean of social media usage...... Snagging/Taking photos that have been shared publicly and cropping out a logo and using without permission from the author is THEFT. Plain and simple.



When a photographer {whether it's ME or any other photographer out there-} who is generous enough to share digital files with you personally or in the form of a sneak-peek on social media... you need to give credit where credit is due. Do not assume it is OK to copy/save/print/crop/alter in any way. That is why there is a share and tag feature on FB. That gives credit and track-back to the author of the photo/photos.



There is a reason why those images shared on-line have been reduced in size and watermarked.... when you attempt to use those images the quality is significantly reduced, resulting in a less than desirable result. It won’t give you a clean crisp photo that says “I care enough to hire a professional”. 

Trust me on this- on every level it is better to have hired the photographer and been granted usage of photos of yourself. (and yes- I did say USAGE- the photographer owns the image of created artwork.) And having obtained permission to use the images protects you- as the end user and the creator of the photos.



To quote the US COPYRIGHT OFFICE:

http://www.copyright.gov/help/faq/faq-fairuse.html#howmuch



Is it legal to download works from peer-to-peer networks and if not, what is the penalty for doing so?

Uploading or downloading works protected by copyright without the authority of the copyright owner is an infringement of the copyright owner's exclusive rights of reproduction and/or distribution. Anyone found to have infringed a copyrighted work may be liable for statutory damages up to $30,000 for each work infringed and, if willful infringement is proven by the copyright owner, that amount may be increased up to $150,000 for each work infringed. In addition, an infringer of a work may also be liable for the attorney's fees incurred by the copyright owner to enforce his or her rights.

Whether or not a particular work is being made available under the authority of the copyright owner is a question of fact. But since any original work of authorship fixed in a tangible medium (including a computer file) is protected by federal copyright law upon creation, in the absence of clear information to the contrary, most works may be assumed to be protected by federal copyright law.

Since the files distributed over peer-to-peer networks are primarily copyrighted works, there is a risk of liability for downloading material from these networks. To avoid these risks, there are currently many "authorized" services on the Internet that allow consumers to purchase copyrighted works online, whether music, ebooks, or motion pictures. By purchasing works through authorized services, consumers can avoid the risks of infringement liability and can limit their exposure to other potential risks, e.g., viruses, unexpected material, or spyware.

Let me highlight that for you- It can carry a fine of up to $150,000.00 dollars for EACH work infringed if the author chooses to pursue action!!!!



The moral of the story is … DON’T DO IT.

Thank you- that is all.

Senior Madness....

It's September... and back to school and Senior portrait time!!!!!

Here's a quick glimpse of some of the gorgeous High School Seniors I've had the privilege of shooting.

Life's a Beach...

.....And aren't we glad it's a pretty one?

I just love Jetty Island!  And it was made even sweeter with the presence of one of my favorite little girls! 

Little Adi is turning three- and all of her grandparents were in town to help her celebrate, so we decided to go to the beach for some calm, peaceful, restful, classic beach photos......

What we failed to plan on was how amazingly WINDY it was- and that the 3 year old was so completely taken with the beach that the rest of us barely existed... so any hopes of some moderately composed shots... sort of vaporized...

That said- the magic that is little kids and sand- compounded with a toddler who is surrounded by the most incredible halo of love made for the sweetest way to spend an afternoon.

Aannnndddd..... She's going to have a new brother or sister soon- so there will be even more gorgeous in this family..... I am giddy with excitement!

The new kid on the block...

Meet Scotty.... He's new in town.  This handsome, tiny little man had a newborn appointment tentatively set with me for this week- but decided to come a few weeks early so I popped over to their place instead to meet him and his gorgeous big sister Lizzie. 

Lizzie was a great tour guide but she was very busy, so I mostly hung out with Scotty.... who slept like a rock the entire session- which is so rare and it made for sweet snugly images.

I feel so lucky and honored to be a part of my client family's lives....  and to help them book mark their lives.

Thanks for having me over guys! xoxo Didi V.

Meet Lauren....

I was supposed to meet baby Lauren and her beautiful parents for belly pix... but she decided to come a month early to meet me in person! 

{I loved that this family was all about the natural beauty of skin and not a lot of fluff- just sweet and natural}

So without further a-do... I'll let this little show stopper speak for her Diva self.....

in a word.... Perfection.

Fi & the Fam

Sunshine and Seattle....

It's rare- but when these two things collide... it's magic!

Now add a dash of sass and a pinch of adorable and you have the recipe for the perfect day!

I met with Fiona and her folks at Gas Works Park in Seattle for a late day pic-nic.

Her parents wanted to chronicle Fi turning 18 months and it was so fun to chase this VERY busy little girl around...  We had a grand time!

{Her Super Hero name should be "The Blur" because she is super duper fast!!!}

I can't help but run fast forward in my head, thinking about how precious a bird's eye photo session like this will be to these kids that I photograph with their families when they are adults... to see how  adored they are- and who their parents were when they were little..... good stuff.

Thanks for asking me to play guys!

xoxo Didi v.