Category Archives: How I do it; my family.

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The good life.

May 28, 2010 – 9:53 am

One of my favorite places in our house is this certain corner of my couch. I don’t sit there to watch TV or to enjoy a fire in the fireplace. In fact, you can’t even see those things from there. I sit there and gaze at the wall where a large gallery of photos looks back at me; photos of my children, my family, our life.  Some of them are happy, some are serious, some are just plain silly. All of them are a beautiful tribute to our life together and the four little lives I am watching unfold before me. Sometimes when I am enjoying the view I smile to myself. I smile because I know that I have had a hand in creating hundreds of beautiful memories just like this for countless families in Silicon Valley and beyond.

I so love my job! I truly believe that what I do is important. I don’t just record an image that shows what a child looks like at two or five or nine. Instead, I seek to record his spirit, her energy, and the love they share with siblings and parents. Capturing that spirit is at the heart of every encounter I have.  Ooooh, I get goose-bumps just thinking about it. What a privilege it is to be a special part of the lives of so many families!

If you want to see a whole lotta’ cool galleries that my clients have shared, visit the Images by Anna Facebook page.

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Day Nineteen. LOVE this kid!

November 25, 2009 – 11:29 pm

My life & your images: Tonight, the eve of Thanksgiving, I am burning the midnight oil to get all caught up on the pile of Christmas sessions and orders. Its like this every year. Thanksgiving for my family is often no more than a one-day break from round the clock work. Usually, we don’t even do a big dinner, but instead go out or order pizza and spend the day together, just being a family. Tomorrow will be no exception. I love it!! So tonight, while slogging through session after session, editing until I can barely see, I came across this delicious little gem. Mister Mojo here (could he BE any cuter?) is the big brother in this family. While we were shooting them all coloring pictures in the family living room, Mojo came up with this wonderful little interpretation of everyone in the room. good lookin'

Love it! Look closely, especially at the titles. It’s priceless . . . Mom is laughing, Matt (step-dad) is saying “Whoa, man, you are hot!” (I assume Matt was talking to his wife. :-) , Macy, the baby of the family, is screaming, he he, I wish I could see what miss Karsen is saying, I’ll have to ask mom, and Mojo, he’s sighing. I guess he doesn’t love this photo stuff, or maybe its Macy’s screaming that’s got him down. I just love this, don’t you? I have the world’s best job, late nights and all. Do you see me in there?? I gotta’ say I am glad I don’t know what he thinks I am saying!

macy how he sees it

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Day Eighteen. Picking up where I left off.

November 24, 2009 – 1:31 am

My life: Have you ever heard the phrase “If you want something done, ask a busy woman to do it.”? Well, it is true . . . usually. I have a gift, though, of asking myself to do things, crazy things, when I am the most busy. Things like posting every day for a month in the middle of my busiest time of year!! Hello . . . So I have gotten just a bit behind and now I must pick up the ball. I am going to modify my commitment just a bit. I will do my best to post every OTHER day, for the rest of the year. I think I can do that . . . we shall see. :-)

Your images: Up there in my favorite client hall of fame . . . This family is so much fun! Every session with them ends with a gallery of life-infused images that just shout out to you from the walls. Next time I am in San Jose (that’s next week already!!) I need to get over to their house and take a photo of their amazing wall display for you. They have two years worth of fantastic sessions gracing an entire wall in their home. It is spectacular!!downtown milwaukee monkeygirl  yay

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Day Seventeen. My lovely assistant’s family & some busy-work.

November 17, 2009 – 11:40 pm

My life: Well, ’tis the season of chaos and late-nights. As a portrait photographer, I find myself doing about 50% of my year’s work in just two and a half months. It can be exhausting!! But somehow we always come through for our clients and we always get it all done, with time to spare. I may have a sore tush and a hand that is begging for me to step away from the mouse, but it will all be done, none-the-less!!

Your images: This lovely little family belongs to my wonderful assistant, Rachel. This was a sort of “farewell” session for her, as she has moved on to other pursuits and is heading back to school. I miss the companionship of working with her but enjoy our coffee dates when I come to San Jose for shoots. Now, if I could just get her to visit Milwuakee in January, that would be fun!!aaaa glendale tickled whitefish-bay

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Day Sixteen. Ten, nine . . . seven?

November 16, 2009 – 11:37 pm

Your images: Last August I found myself at the HOTTEST photo session of my career. Not THAT kind of hot . . . more like 105 degrees farenhiet hot. The kids took it all in stride, as they are native to San Antonio, and high temperatures are more normal than not. But I found myself melting away and dripping with sweat to boot. Somehow, though, we managed to have a fantastic session which we finished off with these fun images of the kids by their age numeral in a parkinglot. How fun are these? Don’t you think their mom needs to use these for her Christmas card?? :-)

Pro Photography tip: When I saw these cool numbers on the parklot surface I KNEW I had to use them somehow. However, they were in full sun, which is less-than-desirable, not to mention, the kids would be squinting like crazy. My solution? I had Dad pull the suburban up to each space, blocking the sun over just enough of the space to make it work. The kids had their feet under the car (talk about HOT) and I had my tush up against the vehicle and my feet over their legs. I worked!! A kind of make-shift reflector. When you are on-location, you can always find a way, as long as you think outside the box. tennineseven

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Day Fifteen. Such a doll! Photo session in Capitola.

November 15, 2009 – 11:35 pm

 My life: What can I say, today, about my life? Perhaps that it is amazingly full. In some ways, at times, it feels TOO full. Too many responsibilities, too many balls in the air. But then, I think I like it that way. I mean, I can’t honestly remember the last time my life wasn’t FULL. It started with the birth of my first child when I was seventeen and it hasn’t really stopped since. Somehow, whenever it gets too simple, I find a way to add a little chaos into my life to keep it good and crazy. Maybe that means I am not allowed to complain? :-)

Your images: Could this little lady be any cuter??? I don’t think so!! I have been photographing her since she was a tiny 5 day old baby and it has been just a joy to capture her as she’s grown. She has such a sparkle to her . . . just adorable!! This session was part of a Short & Sweet in Capitola. I just love beach sessions. So classic and pure. Yum. sweetnessthe-oceantadastarfish

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Day Fourteen. My best friend’s beautiful children.

November 14, 2009 – 11:33 pm

 My life: I have one of life’s most precious gifts, and one not everyone can claim. I have a best friend that has been my friend since I was three years old. That’s 30 years of sharing life. That’s amazing to me. We have been through all of life’s trials and heartaches, triumphs and joys together. What a precious gift she is to me. Shannon, you rock! And your kids . . . well, I love them as much as I love you. Watching them grow is such a treasure. Aren’t they fantastic? emmaticked blessings wild-man young-lady

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Day Eleven. My baby turned 16 today.

November 9, 2009 – 10:41 am

I can hardly believe it, even as I type it; my little boy is 16 years old! I remember the day he was born with vivid detail. I was just 17 years old that day; naive, scared, excited, sad, confused, yet so sure of my decision. Months earlier my father and I had a meeting set up with an adoption agency. It was just an informal type meeting with birth mothers, adopted children and waiting families, all sharing their stories. That morning I had this feeling in the pit of my stomach, this feeling that I just couldn’t do it. I knew, I had known all along, that there was no way I would be able to hand over my child. As we walked to the car to leave I told my Dad my decision. He almost cried with relief. He told me he had known all along, too. He said that he could hardly imagine his daughter handing over her child. His child who, over the years brought in baby birds with broken wings, countless stray cats and strange looking dogs no one else would take.. That no matter how hard the circumstances, I would find a way. Somehow I did. That first day, holding my baby in my arms, with his soft, fuzzy blond hair, his perfect little fingers, his beautiful blue eyes, I knew we would be okay. We were going to make it. And even though its been a long, hard journey, it has been a beautiful one. I could not imagine my life any other way. What a blessing he is to me. I love you, Ty!

ty

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Day Ten. Leaving on a Jet Plane. . . again. So sad in Milwaukee. :-)

November 8, 2009 – 10:49 pm

Darn! I missed a day!! Life’s been busy around here with kids and work and some great friends. We had lunch with our friends, the Scaiffes, who are missionaries in China on furlough. We met them in California at a pastor’s retreat a year ago and serendipitously they moved to Chicago right about the time we moved to Milwaukee. It was so nice to see familiar faces. Tonight we had dinner with new friends in Whitefish Bay whom we met at our new church. It was really nice to spend time getting to know them and their children. I look forward to more dinners with them. Tonight I am finishing up my packing and heading off to California for a round of shoots and ordering sessions. So fun! Even better, I am bringing Alayna along with me as my side-kick and companion. She’ll be off with friends, too, but it will definitely help with the homesickness. :-)

Just for fun I thought I’d show you Mr. Nate, who really thought my “boo!” was fun once . . .but NOT twice! Scaiffe_1109-170

See, he DID like me, sometimes!

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Day Nine. A family secret. And my sister’s family in Northern Minnesota.

November 6, 2009 – 12:35 pm

My Life: Ugh, life can sure get busy in this culture. It seems that there is ALWAYS too much to do, too much to be and too many places to go. I cannot remember the last time I felt like I was “done” with everything I am supposed to do. Do you EVER get done? Our crazy-paced lives can really take a toll on family life. There is one solution I’ve found to fight back and to give our family a sense of belonging and identity that we all crave. It was a subtle change that had an enormous impact on our family and it is VERY simple; sit around the dinner table, as a family, for at least 45 minutes (our typical is an hour to hour and 15 minutes). If this sounds daunting, start small. If you normally only sit down for 15 minutes, stretch it to 25. If you spend 30 minutes, try 40. When we first started this ritual our children were naturally uncomfortable. They squirmed, they wiggled, they whined a little. I was shocked to discover how fast we had been eating and running off to our various activities. Over time, it became a habit, and one I will always cherish. Someday, maybe my kids will remember, and cherish it too. (If you ask them now, they may not agree!)

What can you do to fill this time? Well, I can tell you how we do it. First, everyone has a turn sharing their high and low for the day. Even though the kids all struggle now and then to listen and respect their siblings when its their turn, they are learning. And you can just see how good it makes them feel to have their turn to be in the spotlight. Who doesn’t like to be heard? This can take us as much as 30 minutes, depending on how many stories get thrown into it. Then, we all just sort of lean back in our chairs and visit. Its fantastic.

Kids visiting our home for the first time remind me how unusual this ritual is. They will often jump up, after just a few minutes, ready to run off to the next activity. But over time kids who know our family and who eat with us regularly come to love this ritual and wait with anticipation to share their “highs and lows” for the day. How cool is that?

Here is a video of Isaiah’s friends in California, at our dinner table one night. This was a reenactment, as you can tell by the over zealous acting, LOL, but it had just unfolded in pretty much the same way. It warmed my heart.

Photo Goodness: I had the privilege of photographing my sister and her beautiful family in September at the lake. If you’d have been there, you would not believe how great these turned out. Mr. Noah did everything he could be put an end to this photos stuff. Somehow, though, we pulled it off. Aren’t they a beautiful family?

You can see them all here: The Tonnesons

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