So long, farewell...

...it's time to bid you adieu!

Well old blog, we have had lots of fun over the last couple of years! Remember that one time we had that giveaway for your birthday... or the time we launched the 'original' website... or even the time I posted shots from 2nd shooting a wedding for the first time...look how far we've come!

However, the time has come to move on to the next chapter. I am soooo excited to announce that this will be the last and final post on this blog.

Sweet Moments [photography + design] is now...



Please, oh please follow me on over to the new blog at blog.michelleherrick.com. Be sure to update your RSS and Google Reader feeds!

Much love to all my peeps!

The count down is on...

Pay no attention to the wizard behind the curtain...



All will be revealed on Monday... fingers crossed!

In the meantime hop on over to my brand, spankin' new photography/business Facebook page. I sure would feel all warm and fuzzy inside if you 'LIKE' my page!

It's been a rough week...

...and I will only steal a moment of your time...

This week our family suffered a great loss. My dear sweet husband's mother passed away and while she was technically my mother-in-law she truly was so much more than that to me.




Words will NEVER be able to fully express what she meant to me. I am beyond grateful for that gentle, yet strong voice in my head that urged me everyday to schedule a quick photo session for her and her children. Tami, I simply adore you for what you have given to us.

Please, let this be that gentle yet strong voice in your head... don't delay in getting your own family photos done! These stolen moments we were able to have captured will be with our family for generations.

Triple threat!

You know the saying, 'too many chiefs, not enough indians'? Well, for those who know this family (seen HERE and HERE) know that they already have too many indians and not enough chiefs. I love these little guys and have loved watching them grow up so quickly, in addition to their twin sisters.

In order to mark the spectacular occasion of their 3rd birthday we set out to get some great, fun photos with the amazing tee-pee their Nana made for them... gotta love Nana's!! As you can see we really only had one who was willing to wear his feather headband, but hey in this family one is better than none!

Monthly Design Freebie :: June

Super simple. Super cute. Super fun.



With this months download, not only are you getting a set of 2 photo borders, but also a BONUS 4th of July banner. The photo borders are a hi resolution .png file allowing you to size it anywhere from as small as a 4x6 photo up to an 8x10. The banner can be used as an element for your digital scrapbooking, an overlay on top of your favorite holiday photo or when it's resized can even be a fun graphic element for a blog or webpage.

Go download HERE.

REMEMBER... these freebies are of my own creation so feel free to download and use for your own PERSONAL usage... just please don't sell or pass them off as your own.

--Now for the fine print... please note the following before you download--
*All designs are created in either Photoshop CS3 or Illustrator CS3. I do not have access to test these files in older/newer versions of these programs or with Elements.
*It's helpful if you have some experience working with Photoshop (or other photo editing software) in order to use these freebie files.
*Since these are free I will not take requests for modifications or changes... what you see is what you get... why? because it's FREE! ;-)

However, if you ever have any questions please ask away. And as always I'd love to hear your feedback on these design freebies!

Side note >> Just a quick update to all my newsletter subscribers... This month's edition has been shelved pending the business rebrand which should go live mid-July. A million times thank you for your continued loyal support; I'm beyond excited about what the future holds. In the meantime, any new subscribers can go ahead and sign up HERE.

On the road again...

That's right, you heard it here folks! I'm taking the show (and family) on the road! This August we're hittin' the great wide open heading up to NorCal (bay area & central valley/Stockton area)... the birthplace of yours truly. Lots of destinations on the itinerary, but with only one goal in mind... NOTHING!!

So, naturally I thought while I'm there (and it ain't that often, unfortunately) if anyone wants to hook up for a photo session I can definitely make time for my peeps! I'm going to have an awesome travel session package that can't be beat! So call or e-mail me for all the details. Be sure to spread the word if you have any family/friends in NorCal, too.

Ahhhh, I can already hear the beaches calling my name...

How about another go at some OCF...

One of the biggest lessons I learned from this weekends webinar class with Mr. Arias was not to just practice, but to really put into motion some of the techniques he was teaching with regards to lighting setups. He even half joked that if you don't have a subject to shoot then take your vacuum cleaner to the top of some hill and shoot the heck out of it until lighting, shadows and everything makes sense. Well, fortunately for me I have at least one willing participant and my vacuum cleaner is spared any humiliating photos of it floating out there on the internet. ;-)

And by willing participant, I mean this one was all the way, 100%... see below...


I really wanted to get a better feel for that softbox; the photos above are from that small softbox...and who better to shoot then my tiny B.


Now with these photos I switched off the softbox and replaced it for my shoot thru umbrella... just lovely!

Thank goodness I have at least one I can call upon and is absolutely in love with getting her picture taken and wants to help her mama! One guess as to which one it is...

Testing, 123... is this thing on...

That's kind of how I feel about my camera lately. I've been so busy in other areas of my business and life that sometimes my camera looks more like a home decor piece sitting on my bookshelf.

A few months ago I picked up this nifty little softbox for my external flash to experiment more with OCF (off camera flash). I haven't had the opportunity to play with it too much, but after being so inspired by a webinar class I'm taking this weekend with the lighting guru himself I just had to get out and test a few ideas and lessons I've been learning.

Unfortunately, as you can see I had no control over wardrobe or hair... that's what I get when I'm spontaniously inspired after bedtime.




And so this begins my love affair with light... and not the natural kind... anyone wanna come out and play??!!

It's official...

...you can now find me here...


I know what you're thinking... first this

and now this...


...what is going on with this girl?? It is true, technology has gotten the best of me. I'm a techie girl... at a time when I should be simplifying my life - not cluttering it - I go and get me a twitter account. ;-)

So, if you twitter, tweet or whatever the kids are calling it these days let's connect!

There is a light...

...at the end of this tunnel...I can see it now!

Oh blog, how I've missed you! You've been so good to me; always being there when I need you and never asking for anything in return. I've neglected you and for that I will give myself a much needed time-out! Wake me in a few hours... ;-)

For reals though, I've been extremely busy these last few weeks with shooting, editing, creating, brainstorming, oh and being a mom. My sweet family deserves the biggest gold medal for staying strong and letting me go off and do my thing when I need to... love you guys!

OK, so I wanted to pop in and updated ya'll on my summer schedule. Basically I am taking the month of June OFF... well, we'll see if I stick with it. I have a few personal shoots & projects that I'll be doing, but for the most part I'll be working and preparing for the re-launch in July. I will have limited openings in July & August and then, believe it or not September will kick off the beginning of the fall holiday photo craziness...ooooo, I can't wait!!!

Loves to my peeps!

xo

Monthly Design Freebie :: May

Better late than never, right??

This month's design freebie is so much fun...


What you are getting is a set of 3 photo overlays in a variety of sizes. These are .png files so they will go right on top of your photo file... pretty easy. As always, if you have any questions please ask away.

Go download HERE.

REMEMBER... these freebies are of my own creation so feel free to download and use for your own personal usage... just please don't sell these or pass them off as your own.

--Now for the fine print... please note the following before you download--
*All designs are created in either Photoshop CS3 or Illustrator CS3. I do not have access to test these files in older/newer versions of these programs or with Elements.
*It's helpful if you have some experience working with Photoshop (or other photo editing software) in order to use these freebie files.
*Since these are free I do not take requests for modifications or changes... what you see is what you get... why? because it's FREE! ;-)

And the winner is...

My kiddos wanted in on the fun so I let them pick the winners for the giveaway. Everyone's comment was printed out, cut up and added to the box. If you blogged, FB'd or tweeted the giveaway I added in additional copies of your comment.


And we're mixing, and mixing, and mixing...

WAIT FOR IT...WAIT FOR IT...


...the winner of the boys tie is...

Jenn Peterson... I'm serious girl, you won! Congrats!

...and...


...the winner of the girls headband is...

Sarah... congrats darlin'!

For reals though, THANK YOU to everyone who entered... this was a lot of fun. Just remember that My Sweet Sunshine is offering a discount on purchased items in her shop... $5 of any purchase of $15 or more with the mention of this blog.

LUCKY are they! | Mesa Family Photographer

Meet this very lucky family! The mama entered my contest to receive a free session over at the Full House blog and she WON! As soon as I checked out their family blog I was even more excited for this shoot. I am still floored by the overwhelming positive responses I received from that contest - a girl likes to hear nice things every once in awhile - and I really do wish I could offer everyone a free session.

I love it when my clients basically give me free reign with their shoot. No expectations. Just fun. Those are the best and most relaxed, as you can see from these AMAZING shots I got of this gorgeous family. You guys hang in there...the starving student life doesn't last forever...I'm living proof!

And see mama, I told you I got some fantastic shots...xo! Enjoy!








There is something so metaphorical about the shot above that I LOVE... Dad catching daughter... always being there when you fall... trust me... loving, guiding hands...!

Photography marathon | Mesa Family Photographer

What do you say to someone who emails you a week ago and says she wants to drive to you, from San Diego, for a family/newborn/kids photo session? You pretty much say 'you complete me!' And then you freak out!

Seriously though... this woman is top notch in my book. She and her hubby are both marines, however he is currently deployed to Afghanistan and is due home very soon. She, on the other hand, is running the house with their two kiddos and one just happens to be a 4 week old baby girl who's daddy is going to melt when he meets her. I have so much appreciation for her taking care of it all (not to mention giving birth without her man) ... I flip out when my hubs has to work 2 days in a row... I'm such a wimp!

Anywhoooo, so here is the fantastic trio! I'm beyond words at how flattered I am that she drove here to have ME photograph her sweet bunch! We first started off with the newborn session; her little angel was so good and peaceful and pretty much let me do whatever I wanted. Then we moved on to the session of the handsome big bro rockin' his dapper tux and barefeet - gotta love that! Then, we finished up the day trying to squeeze out of the kiddos every last ounce of patience they had to do ONE more shoot as a family. See, I told you it was a photography marathon! I'm exhausted just recapping it all.

Please enjoy the quickie sneak peek, mama!

You say it's your birthday... it's my birthday, too!!

OK, well it's not actually MY birthday, but to this little ole bligity-blog...


I was just looking through my blog archive and realized that this month is the blog's 2nd birthday... I've been posting here for 2 years - although not too consistently, I know.

It all started with this post HERE. I distinctly remember coming home from that shoot with Jamie and loading the photos onto my computer and thinking... 'hot damn I'm good!' ;-) Seriously though, it was a major turning point for me personally in building my confidence and technical skills.

So, now the question becomes... how do we celebrate this monumental occasion? Cake and ice cream? Streamers and balloons? Oh, I know... how about a giveaway??!! I've never hosted a giveaway here let's just give it a shot!

You may have remembered I won a snazzy little headband from a very talented gal a little while back and I literally want to wear it every single day - and I'm sure it was actually made to fit the head of one of my darling daughters... oh, well - it's absolutely the softest and sweetest headband EVER! Well, Ms Alexis of My Sweet Sunshine is ponying up the goods... fo sho!!

Here's the dealy-o... up for grabs are 2, YES TWO, items... a headband for the little gals AND this adorable (brand-spankin'-new) neck tie for the little fellows! And the tie can be made for ages 0 to 9yrs... awesome, right!



All you need to do to win one of these is to simply comment here on this blog letting me know which one you want... easy peasey, lemon squeezey! One entry per person, however you can get multiple entries by blogging the giveaway or posting on Facebook (but leave a link in your comment so I know you're too legit to quit... yeah, I went there!)

Remember, I gotta have a way to get a hold of you, so leave an e-mail address (if I don't know you or have it already) in case you win!

Alright my peeps far and wide...lurkers & stalkers come out, come out where ever you are... leave a comment telling me which one you gotta have... giveaway ends Thursday the 20th @ midnight; winners announced on Friday.

(And PS... Don't sweat the small stuff if you don't win because anyone who is interested in making a purchase can mention my blog and they receive $5 off a purchase of $15 or more in her shop. Nice.)

Oh me, oh my!

You ever have those days where your head will literally explode just thinking about your to-do list?? Well, I'm there! I have 3 photo sessions coming up this week, 2 more to finish editing and 1 much anticipated lunch with a gal I have a HUGE girl-crush on... should be fun!

So, I thought I'd pop in to let ya'll know that I haven't fallen off the earth... just yet! Oh, and be sure to stop by early next week for a little sumpthin-sumpthin I've got up my sleeve ;-)

Peace out.

So nice, you gotta see it twice...

Here are a few more pics of sweet baby Lyla... she is so yummy and scrumptious and was an absolute angel during the shoot.

Enjoy these mama... she's a definite keeper!





Be sure to book your newborn shoot as soon as you know your due date... 480.326.4134 or michelle@sweetmomentsdesign.com

More wedding pics.... but, shhhhh...

...just remember I'm only the 2nd shooter... I leave this stuff to the real pro!

While this was only my second time 2nd shooting I'm quickly finding a real love and appreciation for it; it sure is nice to just be the relaxed, calm one who has to get all the fun, detail shots... that I can handle.

This couple was so sweet and the bride was such a crack up. She had this laugh that was so completely infectious that I couldn't stop smiling all night long. And as you can see the grounds at the Farm at South Mountain were absolutely gorgeous... loved it!





Thanks again, Andy for inviting me out to help shoot your wedding!

**next up... more baby lovin'... you won't want to miss this one**

Teeny tiny baby goodness | Mesa Newborn Photography

Seriously, I want one! I just about stuck this little nugget in my pocket to take home, but then I remembered... I LOVE MY SLEEP! There is actually quite a hilarious story about this little baby and my disorientated state of sleepiness... just ask!

You can literally count on 2 fingers the number of newborn shoots I've done so you can imagine when this mama had her baby I was ready to pounce... practically camping out in front of her house waiting to 'work my photo magic' on this little peanut. The mama did all the right things to make sure we had a perfectly smooth shoot. Baby bathed, check. Tummy fed and full, check. Eyes super sleepy, check. All the makings of a great newborn shoot.

I told the mama it would be a couple of days before I could get the sneak peek up on the blog, but seriously... look at this picture... I could not go another second without posting this delish pic!

Meet Miss Lyla...


I have a few more to edit and then I'll post more on the blog. For now, love on this one Mama!

Itty bitty wedding peek...

Last weekend I had the GREAT opportunity to 2nd shoot for Mr. Andy Andrews himself. He is an amazing wedding photog and I was beyond flattered when I was asked. Really?? Me?? WOW!! [insert grin from ear to ear HERE] Andy is the real deal... he knows how to 'get the shot' and he is an amazing teacher with loads of patience.

I'm madly editing about 1/2 dozen shoots right now so I can only give you a quick glimpse of one of the shots I got at the wedding. I promise more in the next day or two. Pinky swear!



Pure yummy-ness!