Category Archives: Little Ones

And She’s One!! | Tinsley | LinnyJo Photography | Weatherford, TX

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Ya know that feeling when you have something wonderful planned, a vacation or wedding, but it’s not until the next year? The feeling of wondering how you’ll ever make a year go by quickly to get to that moment you can’t wait for? Then it seems that year just crawls by…

Why is it then, when a child is born that first year just FLIES by?!?! Seriously. They go from a tiny little blob to a crawling (sometimes walking) little mini person with a personality. How does that happen?

This little peanut was born last year to my best friend and has changed our lives completely. Ya know how when all you do is watch her and then you ask each other what you did before she was born…yea that happens.

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We also had fun doing a cake smash in the studio. She loved digging in the cake!! Can’t you tell?! haha

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So again, Happy Birthday sweet girl! I can’t wait to see what this next year brings us!!

Weatherford Children’s Photographer | Kase

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Oh boy do I need to do some catching up on the blog!!! Well, here’s a start…

I was enjoying lunch at Yesterday’s sandwich shop in town on Valentine’s Day with my guy. I love this place!! It’s dangerously close to the studio (about 30 steps!) and so yummy!!

Anyhow, while we were eating I noticed at the next table a couple of young moms with their babies and I cringed that I left my wallet with cards in the studio. So I walked down real quick to grab a handful and went back to sit and try to muster up the courage to talk to these strangers…not just talk but promote myself. My guy was no help, bless his heart, he’s so shy. He goes, “I wouldn’t do it.” Thanks for the help honey!!

As they’re getting ready to leave I’m losing my chance to spread the word of my just opened photography studio, so I walk over and begin to introduce myself as a photographer and hand them my cards. One of them starts laughing and says, “Were you listening to our conversation?” Oh, bleep! is pretty much what crossed my mind. What did I do?!

They said they were just talking about getting the kids’ photos taken and then I come up and introduce myself. Purely a divine coincidence. I did NOT eavesdrop on potential clients!! haha (not saying I wouldn’t, but I simply didn’t this time)

Lindsey emailed me and came in the studio to set up Mr. Kase’s photo session for his first birthday which had just passed the week before. After all was said and done I am SOOOO happy I went over and talked to them. Kase is absolutely precious and hopefully a new life long client!!1 copy copy

2 copy 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11I have the cutest clients!!! His little mohawk and outfit kills me!!! Happy 1 year little man!!!

The Gold Hope Project | Alexander

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Right before Christmas I had the pleasure of meeting little Alexander. He showed up true to form in his complete cowboy get up.  Here’s a little bit about this amazing little man:

He turned 3 in January 2012 and got sick on January 26, 2012 with seemed to be a sinus infection. On February 6, 2012, that he has T-Cell (T) Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) standard risk. He began the fight for his very young life. Alexander failed to go into remission with the first rounds of chemo and was moved to High Risk category. Alexander would need a stem cell transplant to give him the best possible chance of living a long life. On June 26, 2012 Alexander got the much-needed stem cells! He is currently at home in recovery and doing great!

Alexander is an awesome little guy: at 4 years old, he loves to play from the second he gets up until the very last moment before he goes to sleep. Whether he is playing in a group with friends or by himself, he seems to truly enjoy every single day. He loves to read, play guitar, sing, play with hot wheels, go to movies, but most of all – he loves to watch and play bucking bulls and rodeo.

About a year ago, he saw a girl in the yard next door and drove past her in his electric jeep and introduced himself as Cowboy Alex of the PBR. That may come from the fact that he loves bull riding and watches a lot of Professional Bull Rider’s Association (PBR). He is also somewhat of a flirt!

online1 online2 online3 online4 online5 online6 online7 online8Alexander was my very first Gold Session and I’ve had one more since. Please visit The Gold Hope Project on Facebook to keep up with all these amazing fighter stories. Hopefully by summer or fall we will have our non-profit status and that’s when the really FUN stuff will start. We need more awareness and funding for childhood cancers.

Did you know that in 2011 the NCI budget was $5.196 billion.  BREAST cancer received $625,059,909.  LUNG cancer received $296,814,144.  PROSTATE cancer received $288,326,756 and research for ALL types pediatric cancers was only $195,529,112.

That’s not going to cut it people!! For more facts visit this page.

I’m so humbled to be part of this organization. I can’t wait to see what’s in our future. If you are a photographer who’d like to participate, we are opening applications back up beginning Feb. 15 until March 1st. Click here to apply.

Trying New Things | Video

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For Christmas my honey upgraded my Nikon D3000 to a full frame Nikon D600. Yes I know, he spoils me!! I’m okay with it though.

Besides the obvious perks of just flat out taking better photos, my favorite thing is the HD video it captures. Whoa I’m blown away!! My first test subjects were our two boxers. Check out the fun footage below.

noah grace 1-5-13 from Melinda Fain on Vimeo.

So maybe it isn’t award worthy but I thought it was fun to put together and watch. I made another yesterday of a human being haha My little nephew was my subject and he kept it very interesting…Check it out below :)

Thomas | 1.6.13 from Melinda Fain on Vimeo.

More to come from my newest hobby!! What are you trying new this year??

Newborn Kolsten | 8.8.12

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Meet 11 day old baby Kolsten.

He decided he wanted to come into this world a few weeks early while I was still in Washington. He was born on a Saturday morning and I was due to fly home that following Wednesday and we did the photo shoot the next Wednesday. I was so excited, as was mom and dad, to take photos of this little boy!! I came to their house and did the entire shoot in their living room. They also have a almost 3 year old so it was easiest for me to come to them. 

Kolsten also happens to be my cousin’s little boy. His daddy is one of the head athletic trainers for Tarleton State University so to say he enjoys sports is a bit of an understatement :)

Right from the get go he told me he wanted a shot of Kolsten on a TSU football helmet.Cool right?! So I tried to plan as much as I could in my mind how it would go. Would I actually place him on the helmet or composite him onto it later in Photoshop? I tried that but couldn’t get the right curve that I felt would match the helmet’s so we scratched that and just went for it. Mom and dad both on either side of baby, NEVER….I repeat…NEVER was baby left alone on the helmet. Someone always had hands on him!! I can’t stress that enough.

So here’s my final image. Photoshop and I are more acquainted than ever!!! I originally placed a small piece of blanket underneath him and so this image is a combination of a clean shot of the helmet I did then I painted baby K on top without the blanket. The blanket didn’t bother me but it wasn’t the vision my cousin had so that’s why I took it out. Gotta make the clients happy! :)

I found this cute little bucket in WA at a Tuesday Morning for less than $20. His little stocking cap is a men’s sweater sleeve cut off and tied with a ribbon. I found the sweater for around $4 at my local Goodwill store. I never even made the connection that the bucket said “No. 2″ and he is their second little one!! I almost did the shot with it turned around!

I can’t wait for the day when I get an actual Macro lens. Oh the fun I’ll have getting even closer to baby lips!!!

If you’re a photographer reading this I hope you know you don’t have to invest tons of $$$ up front to start newborn photography. This faux wood is actually not one of those expensive backdrops but a roll of bulletin board paper from Mardels. Super cheap! Just lay it on a piece of wood to save from creasing. Also, when baby has accidents you can just cut off the messed part and roll up the rest. That actually has happened more than once with this roll!!

The gray fabric is more of that Goodwill sweater cut up, and the wagon is my mother’s. I wish I had taken a pullback shot of the living room set up, but I got busy and totally forgot. We were set up near their northeast facing sliding glass door. It’s all natural light, no flash.

I love seeing the moms and dads getting super excited as I capture each shot. I often show them a few in camera and it’s so gratifying to see them fall in love with each image.

If you are expecting or know someone who is please contact me for booking inquiries at linnyjodesigns@ymail.com

Daley & Deacon | 6.18.12

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The day before I left for my 6 week trip to WA I was fortunate enough to have a client want me to take photos of her children. So amidst packing I loaded up and headed over to her house. I welcomed the break from packing!! Trying to fit everything needed for 6 weeks in one large suitcase and one carry on is not fun! BTW it didn’t all fit when I was ready to head back home but that’s an entirely different story! haha (There’s two pair of shoes who got left behind that are having to travel back solo)

This little girl is a spitfire!! She kept me on my toes and laughing the entire shoot. Except for shots like this where she left me catching my breath.

This little man was the serious of the two haha. He’s already trying out GQ faces!!

I love each of these equally, couldn’t pick one over the other!

She had a BLAST with these shots!! We had to do it twice haha!!

I would LOVE to take credit for this but I cannot….this was all momma’s idea!! I love it!

Hope everyone is having a pleasant Summer. It’s soooo hot here in Texas, looking forward to the cooler temps!!

Newborn Session {Harper}

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Meet Harper! She weighed in at 9lbs 13oz and was 21.5″ long with a head full of thick dark hair. 10 days new.

The sun set and it was amazing light! Headband made by yours truly. Basket found at Ross or TJ Maxx (can’t remember) Purple wrap, well that was just fabric I bought at Joann’s. Look at all that hair!!!

The cute little bed was found at a garage sale for $2, headband made by yours truly, and the fabric is from Joann’s. The diaper cover is my favorite! I crocheted the cover and then sewed on ruffles I hand made. It was too little for her so I just tucked it around her. The headband is a Yo-Yo with a vintage button glued to the center.

We of course had to get the older siblings in some pics, too!!

And last but not least…

Please note that this is a composite shot. Do not EVER attempt this shot without an assistant (mom was my helper) to support baby’s head at all times. Newborn safety is crucial!! No shot is worth harming a baby.

Travel Deals {WA State Only}

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I can finally say in 7 days I’ll be on my way to see my sister!!! One week baby!! I’ve been looking forward to this for months now and pretty soon I’ll be leaving the Texas heat for my water front getaway….sorry Texas peeps!

Funny enough I just received a call last week from the wonderful family that I met and took photos for last year. We’re gearing up to update the family photo…can’t wait!!

I am offering special, WA only, photo packages just for my trip. Here are the details:

$95

(3) 8x10s (3) 5x7s and a bonus gift

$120

(1) 11×14 (4) 8x10s (4) 5x7s and a bonus gift

 

If you are interested in hiring me please email at linnyjodesigns@ymail.com with a potential date that you would like to reserve. Typically I ask for a deposit but since the prices are so low I’m asking for the entire session be paid for in advance to reserve your date. I want to make absolute sure that I’m not wasting a vacation day with my family for a client who may or may not show up. I know you’ll show up, but it will put my mind at ease if we play by the rules :)

I really hope to meet more people on my extended visit. I really love it up there. Oh my geez….before I go on and forget one of the most important sessions I hope to do up there….SENIOR 2013!!! I have a wonderful senior package and know that most schools require seniors to have their sessions completed early (new to me, please correct me if I’m wrong). Please email me for further info on Senior 2013 photo sessions. Photographing seniors is so different and fun than anything else I photograph!! I’ll be there for 5 weeks so I can definitely fit you in! So go shopping, get your props ready and let’s have some fun!!

Please note that if you are in Canada I can travel to you or vise versa. So all you near Blaine, WA like White Rock, Langley, Surrey, Delta….you’re within decent driving distance. However, I only take US dollars hehe! :)

Washington…and Canada….I’ll be seeing you real soon! :)

Composites and some changes

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I wanted to show you real quick how the composites work. Mostly so you could see that the baby was safe the entire time. Please note that this was my very first time so don’t judge too harshly! :)

Last week I came across a really good blanket editing tutorial and for the life of me I can’t find it again. As soon as I do I’ll update this post because it’s totally worth sharing. I wanted to see what the image looked like with a girly pink blanket. This let me realize how yellow her skin was, reflection of all the yellow around her plus a tiny bit jaundice. I was able to tone it way down. Maybe yellow isn’t the best newborn color. Eh you live and learn. I like the image either way. What do you think?

I’ve done this pose once since capturing it here. We were outside and baby was in a bowl. I didn’t push to get both hands under chin so we did it with just one and I cannot wait to share it!!! Meeting with the mom soon so keep an eye out for the post!

Also there’s a lot of hoopla going around regarding Facebook and it charging business pages to promote their pages. I’ve always known not to rely on Facebook as my main source of marketing, but it was just so darn easy and convenient!! So with this new change it’s forced me to make changes of my own….that I’ve been putting off. I will be posting more frequently here and updating my website to host for information. Facebook is now 3rd on my list.

If you haven’t yet already subscribed to my blog please do so. This will send you a little email every time I make a post so that you don’t miss anything!! If you’re viewing this from a computer there’s a small box to the right where you can enter your email. If you’re viewing this from your phone scroll all the way down past the posts and you’ll see the box.

One last thing….on Facebook if you go to my page hover over “Liked” and click – “Show in News Feed” you’ll have a better chance of seeing my posts.

Newborn Goodness {Tinsley}

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Twenty-four years ago I had a pesky little brother. Twenty-four years ago she had two pesky older brothers. When we moved next door to her family we both found that perfect little friend in each other. One that would play barbies without having to blow them up. We entered kindergarten together and finished HS together. She went to college, I got a job. We still remained close friends.

I feel like I had some years of going rogue, living an hour away and with a bf she didn’t quite care for made staying super close a little difficult. But as they say, boys come and go but our friendship has remained strong throughout whatever came our way.

She got married in “08, I was maid-of-honor. I love her and her DH. They had already been together since HS so wanting a baby was quickly on their minds after marriage.

However, we now know that God’s timing didn’t quite match up with theirs. On April 3, 2012 they were finally blessed with their first baby, a girl named Tinsley. She has rocked their world in the best of ways!!

I love how a tiny little newborn who wants nothing more than to eat and sleep can come into a house and run it better than any high ranked military official. haha

I could not wait to get her in front of my camera!!! She was 7 days new when she had her first photo shoot.

(yes there will be a zillion more in her future)
Disclaimer: the above two shots are composites. mom’s hands NEVER left baby. please do not try letting baby hold itself up!

I had never successfully gained that pose before and told my friend if I got nothing else I was getting this shot!!! Luckily for me Tinsley was deep asleep and let us pose her, aahhhhh sigh of relief and accomplishment!! haha

And of course since she was born the week of Easter we had to do a bunny shot!

The words do not exist for how happy I am for my friend. These past nearly 2 months of watching Tinsley grow have been amazing. We will be face-timing like crazy for the weeks that I’m up north! She’s going to practically be a new baby by the time I come back :( And she’ll be ready for her next photo shoot!

(all accessories except for the very first poses – bonnets, headbands – were made by yours truly)