MINE | NAPLES, FLORIDA CHILDREN'S PHOTOGRAPHER

I got a new light that came in recently and decided I wanted to try it out. It's been sitting in the box for at lease two weeks since its arrival but I've been gone with traveling so much that I haven't had the chance to take it out and put it to good use. So...yesterday I got a few seconds to do just that. I tried bribing my son and eventually MADE him be the model for my initial set up. Of course he fought me on it but in the end I won. I think I threatened no this, no that, etc. until he finally caved. LOL! I'm such a mean mom. There was a day when that kid used to love getting in front of the camera for me. Now...he is just two weeks shy of officially becoming a teenager and can you ever tell it. UGH!

In the end, my oldest only gave me about 5 total minutes of studio time. That included the time it took me to set up my light source and so on. Needless to say, I was very limited. I had to make it happen fast. Because of that, I didn't get the overall solid ring look in his eyes that I was after but I'll just have to use it on a client for a trial run in the near future rather than my son. After five minutes, Brennen looked at me all serious and said, "I'm so over this." The sad thing was...I was suddenly propelled back into my childhood when my own mother used to do the same thing to me with her camera and I'd get so frustrated. So...I released him and made due with what I had.

It's always great fun to get a new toy especially when it relates to photography for me. This light will make a great addition to our arsenal. I'm extremely excited to try it out on my high school kids. I know they'll LOVE it. Until then, thanks for letting me share. I hope all of you have a fabulous weekend. Blessings, Angie

KROSS - 7 MONTHS OLD (NAPLES, FLORIDA CHILDREN'S PHOTOGRAPHER)

I like to show you guys pictures of our new little guy each month - just to share how much he's changing. He'll be 7 months old this Saturday which is just astonishing to me. It feels like it was only yesterday that we brought him home from the hospital.

Now he's sitting up, eating baby food, has two bottom teeth, and smiles at just about everything you can possibly imagine. He is an incredibly great natured baby. My husband and I always say that God must have known we couldn't handle anymore exhaustion or chaos (we have a a daughter with special needs as well) so he gave us Kross - this meek, mild mannered, very happy, baby boy. We also have our 12 year old healthy son, Brennen (shown below)...

Both Kenidi and Brennen adore their baby brother and he adores them. Kenidi doesn't understand her own strength sometimes with little Kross but we know she loves him with every fiber of her being. She is our ray of sunshine when skies are gray. (she is shown below)

Kross fits right into our crazy, chaotic,and oh so loving family.

We love you beyond measure Kross. Thank you for bringing so much joy to our lives...

Happy 7 months little guy!!!

WHAT IN GOD'S NAME HAS HIT THIS HOUSE???

It's 2:40am and I'm up - wide awake - with a 5 month old sound asleep on my lap, an almost 8 year old princess in the bed asleep with Daddy (keeping my spot warm for me) and a 12 year old in his bed, sick yet again. It's been a helldacious week here in our household and it doesn't seem to be letting up anytime soon. Kross's face in the above photo gives way to the feelings were are spewing in our house these days.

Brennen was home sick on Monday. High fever and vomiting. He went back to school Tuesday feeling somewhat better. Tuesday afternoon while holding Kross on my tummy during my eye-brow arch at the salon (he likes sitting up on my belly when there), he rared backwards, arching his back and hyper-extending his arms as I clutched his little hands. He rared back with such a quick forceful movement that it immediately resulted in this God awful sound. I heard a POP! Not a good POP either. I knew right away what had happened. Two hours and several hundred dollars later, the doctor at the Emergency room had popped his elbow back into place like a pro. It took all of 2.2 seconds which is good considering how Kross was NOT happy about it. Can you blame him? They call it "nurses maid elbow" and I know it fondly because the same thing happened to Kenidi when she was a toddler. She was holding my hand as we stepped off a curb together. She pulled one of those "I'm gonna drop to the ground and make Mommy carry me" stunts as she was stepping off the said curb. By doing so, she went down and I was still holding her hand - which resulted in that same familiar POP. While at the ER with her that time, they told Brent and I it was very common in babies thru toddlers. I guess it happens a lot as their bones are growing and locking into place. The doc here in Naples told me the same thing when we were there with Kross on Tuesday. It was awful. This child never screams but that day - he whaled. I felt like the "suckiest" mom on the face of this earth. There goes my Mom of the year award. :(

Once his elbow was back in place, he was a happy camper again - instantly.

I wish I could say that our night got much better from there but it didn't. While in the ER with Kross, Brent calls to tell me that Kenidi's school had been trying to reach me at home. She was apparently in class vomiting. Needless to say, she came home sick. High fever just like with Brennen the day before. I was supposed to go out with my photography friends that evening but began questioning whether I should just stay home at that point. I got home and no sooner did I utter the words..."Boy I hope Kross doesn't get what you guys have" did little Mr. Kross himself puke all over me. I knew then that it was God's way of telling me..."STAY HOME ANGIE!" And so I did. I couldn't bare to leave Brent home fighting that fire with all three of them sick. I cuddled with my sweet babies and prayed that God would heal them both. Today was a better day for Kenidi. She seems to be on the up and up. Kross has some congestion and a runny nose but no more vomiting. However, que the 1:30am wake up from Brennen as he is making a mad dash to the bathroom because he is vomiting again. WHEW! I'm clueless as to what bug has taken over my kiddo's but I'm praying it exits our household FAST!

I have two of my girlfriends coming in from Indiana this morning. I pick them up at the airport at 9:30am. It's 3am now and I'm still wide eyed and awake. Go figure. It's the Mom in me that can't sleep. I keep going in to check on Brennen and make sure he's ok. Amongst the chaos this week, he's learning how to swallow pills for the first time ever. When he has a headache or has been ill in the past, we always gave him tylenol melt-a-ways. Well they've apparently taken those off the market now. It's no fun trying to co-erse a sick 12 year old to swallow tylenol pills while they are in the middle of being so ill. I tried all kinds of tricks. In the end, he broke them in half and chewed half of them on the way down. Gross!

I'm hopeful that the lysoling I've done and disinfecting I've embarked on will be good enough to rid our walls of the germs before my girlfriends arrive. I definitely don't want them (or me) getting sick too. No. no. no. Speaking of the sickies, my laptop is in the shop because it has the sickies too. It's been gone for a week now and I seriously feel like my right arm has been removed. It won't be back for another week to two weeks so I am basically going into convulsions as I wait on its return. Talk about torture. This is one of those times in life when you really find out what you're made of and how strong you really are. LOL! Just kidding! Ok maybe I'm not. :-) Either way, I need the next two weeks to cruise by so that my laptop can come back home to Mama realllllllll quick! I have photos similar to this one to edit...

Mama likes editing best on her laptop instead of my desk-top even though I realize it's a no-no. Since when have I ever been one to obey the rules anyhow?

For now, I'm off to snuggle with my boys while my princess is resting peacefully. I'm trying to be quiet so that I don't wake everyone but of course we always become a total klutz when we try to traipse thru our houses like mice. Don't we? You know, tripping over the sick 12 year olds shoes and backpack. Dropping silverware in the sink even though you tried to place it in there gently and ever so softly. Let's face it - being up and wondering around any house at 3am is never good for the additional occupants in your home. I'm thankful I have a fan club here and that they forgive me - a lot!

Have a FAB Thursday! Much love, Angie

MY SON, BRENNEN (PERSONAL PHOTOGRAPHY)

Last night we hit the beach. Just Brennen and I. I love those one on one moments I get to spend with him. They are far too rare these days. I took him to run some photography errands with me this weekend and then we stopped off at an impromptu dinner at Chili's. I love how he opens up to me when it is just the two of us. Not to mention the chocolate molten cakes for dessert that get us both pinging off the walls. :)

I took these shots of him while we were at the beach last night and I can never get enough of his eyes and eye lashes. Those things are lady killa's. No joke! They are the window to his soul and just so happen to be gorgeous all at the same time. When I posted this photo of him on facebook, a friend wrote and said "WOW! He looks like a little James Dean here." I hadn't noticed it but now that she said it, he does. Of course when I told him that, he had no idea who in the world James Dean was. I tried explaining that he was the "Robert Pattinson" back in the day. That helped a bit I believe. LOL! However, I went googling old vintage photos of James Dean and stumbled upon this one that has always been one of my favorite ones...

He is one handsome young man if I do say so myself. He is also one very excited big brother whom is counting down the days until his baby brother finally arrives. Brennen has begged and pleaded for a baby brother since he was at least 5. It's been a long time want of his and it's finally coming true. He is so excited that he keeps a countdown tracker on his iphone with how many days we have remaining until baby Seaman's birth. As of today...we have 35 days exactly. Five weeks to go. Thirty five more sunsets until life changes drastically for us yet again.

When I look over these images, it's hard to imagine that one day soon he'll have a little brother to frolick in the sand with and teach how to surf/boogie board in these beautiful Florida waves. One day soon I'll be taking photos of not only Brennen and Kenidi but of a new little guy together with them as well here on the white, sandy, shores of Naples.

In the meantime though, I'm going to relish in these one on one moments with Brennen like the dinner out this weekend, the photos at the beach last night, the funny times in the Halloween store as we shop for his little sister a costume and the life size "Jason" from Friday the 13th scares him to death. Again, he had no idea who "Jason" was. Friday the 13th, "Freddy" from nightmare on Elmstreet and the "pinned head" Hellraiser dude were all long before Brennen's time. It's just one more confirmation that I'm getting old. Really old.

Brennen is actually helping me out with a photo shoot this evening on the beach. I have a scheduled client/family that I'm doing a beach session for in Bonita Springs tonight. We'll be back on the beach together again - only this time - he is my helper - positioning reflectors and such where I might need them. The boy has an eye for photography. He really does. He impresses me when on shoots together because he sees things and opportunities that even I have yet to see. I love his extremely creative mind. He has always been that way too. Creative with everything. This morning, after getting his little sister on the bus, we hopped in the car early and headed down to Starbucks together. We had breakfast there, jammed to a little bit of "Bruno Mars" tunes and then I drove him to school. It's mornings like this that I enjoy so very much. I'm thankful that he comments on how he likes doing it as well. In a few short years he'll have his own car and be driving his own self to school. Those early morning breakfast dates out with my handsome son will be non-existent. For that reason, I'm soaking them up like a sponge in the sea. I'm treasuring those little dates just like I do the gorgeous Florida sunsets. You can never have too many. You will never tire of them - no matter how many times you've been present within their beauty...

Thanks to my stud of a son for entertaining me with his presence this past week. I love you dearly...with all my heart...to the moon...to the sun...and back.

Love Mom.

STORMY DAY SESSION BY THE SEA - NAPLES, FLORIDA CHILDREN'S PHOTOGRAPHER

These were just some recent shots from a cloudy day on the beach recently. One of my favorite things to do is shoot right before or after a storm on the beach rolls in. There is something to really be said for Mother Nature and the sea as they mingle together. It's a great reminder of just how powerful our world really is.

One of my other favorite fun captures is to shoot the surrounding area in a pair of sunglass lenses. As you can see in the lenses above, the storm clouds on this particular day were massive. So very cool!

Somehow, no matter what the weather, the sea always makes everything in life look all that much better. To schedule a beach session or sunset shoot with me, please email me directly at Angie@AngieSeamanPhotography.com. Have a superb weekend.

Blessings, Angie

HANDS - NAPLES FLORIDA CHILDREN'S PHOTOGRAPHER

This week over at I heart faces, they are running a theme contest based on "hands." The images submitted must reflect the importance of the hands. When this came to mind, I couldn't help but think of this image that I took last fall. It was of my son with his guitar. For fun, I thought I'd enter it and join in with the other participants. If you are interested in joining the contest, visit I heart faces for more details. Have a great week!

Blessings, Angie

BASKETBALL SHOT SEQUENCE - NAPLES, FLORIDA PHOTOGRAPHER

Just a fun shot sequence from my sons basketball game yesterday. This was one of the shots his team scored and I wanted to capture it as best I could. Yes, I am one of those crazy Moms down on the sideline with my camera. LOL!

Hope you are all having a great weekend...

xoxo, Angie

MY LAPTOP ROCKSTAR

Umm...yeah...Brennen thinks he pretty much ROCKS now that he is sporting the front side of Mom's laptop. This nifty little attachment is causing quite the stir when in public - for all of the fellow Starbucks customers, airplane/airport guests, etc. to see. Great - simple - & extremely easy advertising. We love it around here. Kenidi is a bit perturbed that she isn't sporting the cover of Mommy's laptop though so we are working on getting a picture of the two of them together. If both of them would ever cooperate at the same time for a photograph, that might be an option. So far we are striking out - repeatedly - with our attempts. Better luck next time. Famous last words. Until then, Brennen is the sole "ROCK STAR" for now. :-)

Much love, Angie

THE B-STER - CARMEL, INDIANA CHILDREN'S PHOTOGRAPHER

I had a great shoot with a very handsome ten year old boy yesterday. He opted for a grungey urban approach so we rocked it out with his guitar and rolled thru the small town creating a stir with his skateboard. The locals new we weren't from around those parts but they enjoyed observing the shoot go down either way. In fact, the event created quite an audience of the street. We had fun with it and my subject enjoyed every second of it.

This small town has a great old and worn feel. Thus, why I love it. It was perfect for our backdrop...

I told my subject that he should have his "Mom" make the above shot a big poster in his bedroom. It looks like something straight off the front of a CD case.

And this is how he rolls...

Thanks for rocking and rolling with me yesterday "B-Ster." It was a very cool session and one that I'll remember always. :)

I love you, Mom