Happy 1st Day of School!!!

In honor of the first day of school this year, I wanted to share some photos that mean a lot to me and my family. You see, we are a Montessori Family.

In February of this year I was able to repay the teachers in our Montessori program for all the gifts they’ve given to our boys in the last two years.

I visited the boys classrooms, and as always, I was amazed at the way the rooms function. Each room has a distinctly different feel, and it completely reflects the personalities of the teachers.

Mrs. Law is energetic and energizing. In her room, the movement is a little quicker, more colorful, more bold.

Mrs. Mulholland is dedicated, and calm. In her room, the focus is always on the children and the process, and the pace is a little more quiet.

They’re even organized differently - which at its core, reflects the Montessori process clearly. As a primary student, (grades pre-k through kindergarten) the students are invited to experience their world with manipulatives, and are surrounded by materials that involve all the senses in the process of learning. In the elementary space, there are more work tables, and spaces to work in groups. The  materials are still there, as well as some more advanced hands-on learning manipulatives, but I find it fascinating that the same tools are approached differently at each phase of the Montessori education process.

Here is a peak into the work, personalities, and processes of the wonderful Montessori program at Belle Valley.

Music: Renee and Jeremy - "Share"



Thanks so much to the hard work of our Montessori Family. Here’s to a fantastic year!

A new home

My 2nd Anniversary for LHP is coming up in October. I've been doing photography (both teaching and working with clients) for about 6 years, but the official, paying taxes and being a registered business is about 2 years old. I spent a large part of this year wondering if I was going to keep LHP running, and as I've done some sessions, worked with some great clients, met some amazing women, and learned about how to run a successful business, my heart keeps returning me to YES. This is my passion. This is the time. So, with the support of my family, we made some changes, and LHP's official home moved from a small, dark, shared space out into an open, bright, sunny spot where I can interact with my family, see the bus when it comes, and have a sweet dog sleeping at my feet.
There is more work to be done, but I'm so pleased with how this new layout has been working for me.

Here's a picture of Day One of LHP's new home.

Soon, I will introduce you all to LHP's new web-home. I've been working on a new website for quite some time, and I'm excited to be getting closer to revealing it to you! A few tweaks and changes to reflect some new ideas I've had is all that is left to do. There are lots of changes, new stuff, and products coming, so keep checking back!

Link with Love

Such an amazing idea. See that? Over there on the right side? Awesomeness. I'm so honored to know Kal, and so often inspired by her ideas, her attitude, and her art. This idea is so BIG. So RIGHT. So perfectly in line with what I believe, what I've tried to teach, and what I require. RESPECT. LOVE. INSPIRATION. ART. SHARING. Link Back.
Learn more about this new program here.
Spread the word.

Memories

Ugh! I had this whole post typed up that didn't reflect my joy in this family AT ALL. It was a total bummer of a post, because I was reminded this week that they're not permanent Erie residents... so I got all negative. None of that, PLEASE. This family is far too fab to worry about next year. Instead, let's take a look back at last LAST year first, as in 2009. Way back then...
The Garrison's were my guinea pig family. They bravely dressed their kids nicely, and let me take them to the beach to see if I could do what my heart was telling me I could do.
Here are a few from that very, very first LHP session, before it was even LHP! Thanks to my good friends for letting me experiment on them, this session even resulted in some of the pictures that are still my favorites today.

For our 2010 session, they were all about capturing some more Erie memories. We spent some time downtown so they would have some photos of that area, and I get to experiment on the Garrisons AGAIN when we do this year's session - they've already reserved my first snowfall session this coming winter, much to Beth's dismay. :) I've convinced her that she can't leave Erie next year without capturing memories of her favorite season!

 Here is the video of our downtown session.

Music: Renee and Jeremy - Is there really any wonder?



Enjoy!

I Heart Faces...

This will be my first entry in the I Heart Faces weekly Photo Challenge. This week's theme "Sun Flare" instantly brought this image to mind. I hope you enjoy it! Please visit I Heart Faces to enter your own image, or to see other amazing photos.

The Kita 5

Working with the Kita family was a wonderful experience. They had some great, creative ideas of what they wanted to capture, (hence the motorcycle!) and the things that were important to them. Their appreciation for photography was obvious when I visited their home to share their images with them, and the kids were some of the nicest, most well-mannered kids I've ever had the pleasure of working with.

Enjoy!

Lucky by Leslie Mills

Toddler and Puppy? Sure!

Working with the Kelley family stressed me out. It was early in the season, I felt pretty new at all this, and there was a toddler AND a puppy? Um. Sure! Absolutely. That's no problem at all! At the beach? Sure! (Panic! Never let them see you sweat!)

The day of the session dawned with beautiful weather, and after the first 15 minutes it was obvious that things would be fine. Having the most photogenic family ever didn't hurt, and Treasure was, well. A treasure. She calmed down just when I needed her to, and played with Nathan like a pro. Some training (both puppy and boy!) had obviously been going on!

Once I relaxed, and they relaxed, we made some magic happen. I hope you enjoy the Kelley family slideshow.

Always Home by Sound of Harris