DANGLING (PHOTOGRAPHY, PERSONAL)

Sometimes life leaves you feeling like your dangling in mid-air. Feet like hang-gliders unable to ever touch down. It's at times like those when you have emotions that leave you powerless and feeling helpless. Emotions such as these are tough for someone like myself who tends to find solace when "in control." These past few weeks have been a "stresser" on our family. For those of you aren't already aware, we learned a couple of months back that my husband has a tumor growing on his spinal cord. The tumor is not only on his spinal cord but it's wrapped up and in his nerve cavity. I mentioned this on facebook once when we were finally told that the doctors believe the tumor isn't cancerous. Well...they've given us a 99.9% chance that it isn't cancerous and by golly we are banking on that number. Other than that one mention of it, we've pretty much kept it to ourselves. It has taken us more weeks than we care to count to find a doctor reputable enough to take on the task of this surgery for Brent. The tumor is in such a rare location that these surgeries aren't done very often. Therefore, it was tough to settle on a doctor that we felt was reliable and whom had done enough of them to pull Brent through it all without issue. In the beginning, the doctors scared us to death when they warned us that paralysis was a possibility. We have since been told that Brent might have some loss of motor ability in a foot or leg or maybe loss of sensation to a certain extent in those areas but that with rehab, he should come out OK.

As you can imagine, this ordeal has thrown Brent and our family for an absolute whirl wind. My closest friends and family members knew about it but I haven't discussed much other than with them and my one mention on facebook. I don't like to admit to Brent that I'm scared for him but the truth is...I am. I know he is nervous and full of anxiety over the surgery as are myself and those close to us. I took the image of our son, Kross, dangling from the swings the other day and when I processed them...the first thing that came to mind was how much that image was a true depiction of life for me. It is a great word picture so to speak. It's in moments like these when I crumble to my knees and do the only thing I know how to do. Pray! Even though my legs still feel as though they are dangling in mid-air and are a reminder that I'm no longer in control, I have confidence that God is my swing - our swing - holding us afloat during this time. I love me some God and I know without a shadow of a doubt that he is in complete control. I hear him calming me. Allowing me to pull it together, stay strong, and remain peaceful during the ride...

Thank you to all of our dear friends and those family members whom have called and cared enough to send their prayers and well wishes for Brent. There are no words to express how much we appreciate your support and encouragement during such a scary time. We realize the surgery is risky but we also know you guys are there to lift him up in prayer as well as the surgeons who will be working on him. Thank you for that. Really.

I'll be finishing some shoots for clients over the weekend and then we'll be heading to Gainesville, Florida this next week. Brent's surgery will take place on Tuesday (we're unsure of the exact time as of yet). For those of you who pray, can I ask you to keep him on your prayer lists and in your thoughts that day? For those of you who don't, any positive vibes would be greatly appreciated.

Brent will spend at least a week in the hospital before being allowed to return home. The recovery will be brutal for him as well as the rest of our family. The doctors have told him to expect a 6-8 week recovery time with lots of rehab. As his wife, I'm prepared to do whatever we must to pull him thru this and get him back to new. I'll try to update here on the blog sometime next week after the surgery has taken place. They told us that the first 48 hours after the surgery are crucial. We're praying those will go smoothly and that no paralysis or long-term sensory or motor issues will occur. In the end, like with any other trial or deep trench we must crawl through here on earth, we're confident that God will leave us all thankful and blessed to be able to come out smiling that it's over. I'm faithful that the stress from the ordeal will retreat and the smiles will return. Christmas is coming as well as our third child's 1st birthday. Therefore, we've got some celebrating to do. :) We'll celebrate the birth of Christ, the birth of our son Kross, as well as Gods promises as he pushes us along on this swing called "life."

Thank you in advance for all of your prayers and positive vibes. You'll never know how much they mean to us.

In his grip, Angie

PS...I will continue to work thru this process. I'm taking next week off but will return in full force after that. This is my busiest season of the year and I'm grateful for those clients that already fill my calendar. It's your sessions that allow me to use my camera as therapy during this stressful time. :) Photography is like a band-aid in life for me. I'm blessed.

TAR-JAY TRIP

I was recently inspired by another photographer to grab my camera and take it everywhere - yes everywhere. That includes a trip to Target in the frozen food section. LOL! I had gotten out of the habit of bringing my camera along on any random trip lately unless I have a photo shoot that I'm headed to. Bad Angie. Bad, bad, Angie. I know better. So...Brennen had basketball practice the other night and I decided to take Kross and head to the local Target for some much needed groceries. Guess who I also took with us? Yeap, my camera.

I love lines in photography - angles and lines along with color. This arch above him really helped make these shots for me.

As you can see, he was playing with a football in the cart and that boy wouldn't release it for anything. He had a death grip on it. Literally. In the end, it added to the quirkiness of the images I guess. LOL! That's my story and I'm sticking to it. Ha ha!

Did I have some onlookers pass by and glance at me like I was nuts while doing this? Heck ya. I think they thought I'd lost my mind. I was laughing so hard at the whole process though that I couldn't help but get lost in the moment. My giggles surely made them think I was even more nuts. Kross was loving it. I was playing peek-a-boo behind my camera with him to get him to smile. He passed with flying colors. :)

We eventually headed back to the basketball courts and picked Brennen up from practice. It was a gorgeous night and I thoroughly enjoyed hanging with my boys - even though I had to pay a trip to the grocery store which I totally detest. Amazing what my camera will do for my soul - even while grocery shopping. LOL!

Tonight I'm headed out to dinner with my hubby and some neighbor friends of ours. I'm looking forward to the down time with great friends as well as some good ol' fresh Florida lobster. I have a weekend chalked full of shoots which I'm also extremely excited about. Now if that hurricane that just dissipated out in the gulf will stop the rain from heading this way and canceling my shoots, I'll be a really happy girl. I just finished up a newborn session this after with a beautiful 5 day old baby girl. Swoon! Stay tuned for those sneak peeks to come soon. What a doll baby she was. Other than all that, the stone crab festival is going on here in Naples this weekend. More yumminess to add to the calendar.

I hope all of you have a great weekend and enjoy those Halloween parties that might be on your schedule. If you're in the Midwest, start a bonfire and roast some marshmellows for us Floridians, will ya? Oh...and don't forget to take your camera with you on some random and mundane trips. Yes, even to Target's frozen food section. :0)

Blessings, Angie

LEMONADE STAND SHOOT - NAPLES, FLORIDA CHILDREN'S PHOTOGRAPHER

I had the pleasure of working with this beautiful little girl for a shoot recently. We pulled out all of the stops surrounding a good ol' fashioned lemonade stand. My husband and son built the stand for me as a photography prop that I can use on shoots. It was a gorgeous day here in Florida for it so we brought in little Carina and she rocked it out with all of her great looks.

We had several businesses in the Naples area that had products within our images. The donuts came from Peace, Love, and Little Donuts. The cupcakes came from two different bakeries...Sassy cakes of Naples and Gracie's cupcakes. All of the baked goods added such a fun look to the shoot.

It was so hard not to eat the inviting sweets that were there. I let Carina dive into her own cupcake while I watched with envy. LOL!

Carina has desires to be a model. As you can see, she definitely has the look for it...

The lemonade stand was a huge hit and I can't thank my husband and son enough for making it for me. There spent a couple of different weekends in the rough Florida heat finishing this for me. I love you boys!!!

After the lemonade stand part of the shoot was done, I decided to pull Carina aside and do some shots with a few vibrant colors behind her. I love how simple yet incredible these images look...

Carina, you're a beautiful girl. You're going to go very, very, far with your passion in modeling. Best of luck to you sweetheart!

xoxo, Angie

FAMILY SESSION FUN - INDIANAPOLIS INDIANA PHOTOGRAPHER, NAPLES FLORIDA PHOTOGRAPHER

I had the pleasure of photographing my friend Kari's family while in Indiana this trip. The session was sure to be a tough one because we had a larger group and harsh mid-afternoon sun. However, we had to make it work because that was the only time of the day we could squeeze in a session together. In the end, her large group number in attendance and the harsh sun were no match for the adorable family that they are. They all nailed the session like they had done this 100 times before. As you can see, they are such a great looking family which always makes for incredible images.

These are just some quick sneak peek shots that I promised her until I can get back to Naples and finish editing all of the others this coming week. The images above and below are of their absolutely adorable sons. They totally have Kari's eyes. I'd kill for eyes that looked like theirs. Soooooo not fair! And then you add in their golden sun kissed tans and you've got even more unfairness. LOL!

A HUGE thanks to our friend Lori for allowing us to use their backyard as a back drop. It was gorgeous out. We had to fight that notorious dappled light with a vengeance but with a few extra very helpful hands, we managed quite well.

I'm still working on editing the images from my urban grunge session I did the other night with three adorable little boys. They too, ROCKED it, and I cannot wait to share their images with all of you. It's about 12pm in Indy right now and we are planning to get back on the road and head out - toward Naples again - around 6pm this evening. I am not excited about the 18 hour drive back given that my pregnant feet and cankles legs are already swollen up like shamu from the time I spent shooting in the heat over the past several days here in Indiana. Oh the joys of pregnancy in the summer heat. Until now, I've never had to experience this because both of my other pregnancies were grown throughout the winter season. Between the charlie horses in my legs and the swollen extremities, I'm over it!

Please help us in praying for safe travels as we make our drive back to Florida over the next two days. Our departure tonight is bitter-sweet. Reality has hit and it's painful. This will be the last time I will see my Dad until baby Seaman is born come the first of December. It's going to be a very long 3.5 months. :(

Until Monday's post...be safe and have a superb weekend. I'll be updating from the road via facebook again. Much love, the Griswald's (a.k.a The Seaman Clan)

PURPOSELY DROWNING REALITY

As most of you know...we are back in Indiana enjoying two weeks of visiting with friends and family before heading back to Naples. We are doing a little bit more of this today. Chillin' by the pool - in the wide open sunshine - like ducks wading in water. The rafts are out in full force. The sun tan oil is lathered on nice and thick and my Step-Mom's homemade chicken salad has filled the tummies quite nicely. Baby Seaman is the newest lover of Cathy's mad skillz' in the kitchen. Oh yes, my tummy is happy this week. I'm sure my OB won't be though when I step back on her scales come next Monday. I'm quite positive that I'm in for the lashing of my life. :)

My Dad just came home from his office to grab a quick sandwich for lunch but is now headed back into work. It's just the kids and I again. Lucky for us, Dad and Cathy will have the next four days off from work. Although the kids will be with their other Grandma tomorrow evening and I will be with my girlfriends for a much needed and anticipated sleepover until Sunday afternoon, we'll meet back up with my Dad and Cath on Sunday evening so that we can enjoy their days off with them. I hate that they miss work on the account of us but I have to admit that I'm so appreciative that I have parents who care enough to want to spend every little waking second with us that they can. Brennen will be taking off this evening to go camping into tomorrow but Kenidi and I will be hangin' with my Dad and Cath until we all head off our separate ways tomorrow evening. I love the down time and the no-stress, no drama, life when I'm home with them. You can cast all your worries away into the brilliant blue waters of the pool and just float carelessly away on bright, yellow, sunny colored noodles all day.

Real life? No. But for the moment...I'm sooooo pretending that it is. In three weeks, my kids go back to school and reality hits hard again. You better bet your heiney that I'm relishing in this vacation time with my family until the day to day routines of middle school and 2nd grade set in again. Early mornings wardrobe fights, school bus pick ups at the crack of dawn, homework, sporting events in the heat, etc. are all floating on the bottom of my Dad's pool right now.

Drowning.

I have no intentions of trying to save those tiresome events either.

A HUGE thanks to all of you who've made this trip so grand thus far. You each know who you are. I'm so thankful for such incredibly awesome people in my life.

Lots of hugs from Hoosierland...Angie

PINK - NAPLES FLORIDA PHOTOGRAPHER

I thought I'd share some images that I grabbed of a few flowers today. There is nothing more beautiful than my two favorite colors magenta/fuchsia and turquoise. I don't have any turquoise to share but there is plenty of pink laced up in these photos. No matter what it is in life...magenta/pink just makes it all better. Wouldn't you agree?

I broke out the macro lens again today and shot with it in order to capture the depth and detail of these flowers.

The colors were just so vibrant and so incredibly "Spring-esh." I added a slight haze in the post processing of the images and I love how it gave them a pink summer wash for some added character.

No matter what type of flower, they are always even more beautiful when examined up close - via a macro. Bring on the color and those details... :)

xoxo, Angie

WORDFUL WEDNESDAY

"What the catepillar calls the end of the world, the master calls a butterfly." ~Richard Bach

"The catepillar does all of the work but it is the butterfly who gets all of the publicity." ~Attributed to George Carlin

"Happiness is a butterfly, which when pursued, is always just beyond your grasp, but which, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you." ~Nathaniel Hawthorne

"If nothing ever changed, there'd be no butterflies."

Registration is open ladies. Get your spot while they are available. We've had a great response to this class and are really looking forward to the next 4 weeks together. Class will begin promptly online on July 1st, 2009. Once you have registered for the class, you will receive a confirmation via me. The forum for the class will open on July 1st and each of you registered will receive access to the forum on the day it opens.

The class itself will consist of a lesson each week that covers several different topics at a time. We will have one assignment each week that pertains to those lessons/topics. You will be given a time line to complete each assignment and submit it. In between all of that, we will use the forum for our question and answer area. Any questions you have that you want me to answer will all be answered within the forum so that each student can read, review, and learn from everyone as a whole. We will be in this together. Learning together. You can check in at the forum as many or as little times a day as you wish. The class can basically be done at your leisure over the four week time frame. Aside from the weekly assignment, there isn't really any pressure for deadlines, etc. You can work, read, and learn at your own pace along side all of the other participants. This course will be very informal and very laid back.

Should you have questions regarding the course, feel free to email me at Angie@AngieSeamanPhotography.com

If you are ready to sign up and claim a spot in the class, go HERE and click on "photography courses" at the top of the page. It will take you to the current course available. Click it and walk thru the check out process there. Again, you will receive a confirmation from me once your registration is completed.

Looking forward to this! It's going to be great fun!

xoxo, Angie

TO BE A KID AGAIN

SLEEPING ON THE JOB

IMAGE INFO: Location-Bonita Beach Florida, Camera-Nikon D300, Aperture Priority Mode, 1/2000, f/5.6, ISO 200

IMAGE INFO: Location-Naples Florida Zoo, Camera-Nikon D300, Program Mode, 1/320, f/9, ISO 200

"When I hear a man preach, I like to see him act as if he were fighting bees. ~Abraham Lincoln"

IMAGE INFO: Location-Naples, Florida Zoo, Camera-Nikon D300, Progam mode, 1/250, f/11, ISO 200

"The sun does not shine for a few trees and flowers, but for the wide world's joy. ~Henry Ward Beecher"

IMAGE INFO: Camera-Nikon D300, Aperture Priority Mode, 1/2500, f/5.6, ISO 200

"It is an interesting biological fact that all of us have in our veins the exact same percentage of salt in our blood that exists in the ocean, and therefore, we have salt in our blood, in our sweat, in our tears. We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea---whether it is to sail or to watch it---we are going back from whence we came." ~John F. Kennedy

IMAGE INFO: Camera-Nikon D300, Aperture priority mode, 1/2500, f/5.6, ISO 200

"One cannot collect all of the beautiful shells on the beach; one can collect only few, and they are more beautiful if they are few." ~Ann Morrow Lindbergh IMAGE INFO: Camera-Nikon D300, Aperture priority mode, 1/4000, f/5.3, ISO 200