[untitled] | personal

{ Judah & Jordyn | one radon day in april | Tucson, AZ | April 2012} I found a grip of family pictures in my abyss of 'personal pictures to edit later' stash. Lawson snagged these few while on a daddy-date with the kids a few months ago. The picture above of my daughter, Jordyn, makes me smile. This chick is SO girl--neither Lawson or I can  get over it. (note--she went through three outfits before being content with the below. destination? a walk around the block with dad. (roll of the eyes). Judah is equally all boy. And while sometimes the differences between both of my children can spark explosive results, they are in a pretty rad 'he's my favorite playmate' stage. Judah protects her. Jordyn streches him to be more daring. They squabble. They wrestle. They giggle their brains out. For all you moms of ONE out there--having TWO is SO much easier. So much more fun. :D I know. Weird. You can choke on your drink if you'd like thinking i'm crazy. But i'm not joking....It just MAKES sense to see them grow together. Learn together. Resolve fights together. Now THREE...(gulp) that might be another story. and in three+ months. my tune might just change a little...for now, i'm embracing all there is in a growing quiver. :) | lkm

Peter + Vanessa | Claremont, California Wedding Photography | The Bride

 {Vanessa (Johnson) Bugbee | My New Sister! | Claremont, CA | Johnson-Bugbee Wedding 06.16.12} My brother, Peter Bugbee, turned 25 today. Well--yesterday technically. On the 4th. Along with promised fireworks, I was dead set on releasing a few teasers of his brand new bride...i may be 30 minutes late, but alas, beauty still drips and my heart is full as i post a few favorites of Vanessa on her and Peter's wedding day. Happy Birthday Brotha! I love you! | lkm

 So so so much more to come... love you both!

DILKS Pt. 1 | Proudly Patriotic | Tucson Family Photographer

  {Dilks Family Portrait Session | June 2012 | Davis-Monthan Air Force Base | Tucson, AZ} Mariby found me online as she 'searched the snot' (slight paraphrase of how she described her photographer hunt) for a family portrait photographer. I had yet to shoot on base and was THRILLED to hear of her different ideas with red, white and blue and her desire to capture her little girl's 1st year. Both Mariby & Ken beam with pride to be an air force family! | lkm

It's My Birthday Month! :D :D :D

 {Mooreguia Sisters | July 2011 | (yes i'm using a recycled bday picture from last year because i haven't taken any personal pictures recently. cry later.) | Tucson, AZ} Had a great birthday weekend...and surprises still continue to show up! Last night, my sister Ali took me out to dinner at Olive Garden (it's becoming a tradition. Note: you MUST check out their new Smoked Mozerella Chicken dish. B O M B) I opened the fridge this morning with my 'birthday cake' welcoming me with its burst of color and awesomeness -- a bona fide FRUIT SALD aside homemade yogurt/carmel topping. Lawson knows me TOO well. :D TOP fave gift however a sweet little email from my husband while out on a bday date Saturday. It had a pdf that was titled: "PERMISSION GRANTED"... He has insisted that i go to this year's WPPI U 2012  intensive workshop in August in VEGAS AND next year's big convention next March. If you don't know what WPPI, go HERE for more details :D Last time i was able to attend was back in 2010. It was awesome! Made new friends. Saw new industry standard stuff. Was challenged to take biz to the next level. Listened to more seasoned pros talk about their take on the industry and what makes a healthy photography business tick. Etc etc etc. Stuff that makes my little entrepreneur  heart drool. THANK YOU MY LOVE. | lkm

Jesse + Samantha | Southern California Lakeside Proposal | Riverside Wedding Photography

 {Jesse + Samantha | Proposal in the Park | Fairmont Park, Riverside, CA | June 2012} A couple weeks ago I received a sneaky text from Sam asking the sly question, "so would you happen to have December 15th booked yet? I'd like to tentatively, secretly reserve you for a particular occasion..." (smiley face smiley face smiley face). To which i promptly called back with hushed squesls and excitement. It wasn't offical. Nothing was official of course. There was no ring. And that angst was setting in mixed and colored by sheer joy. So i grinned to myself with a sprouting idea, told her timing would be perfect and hung up. I immediately called Jesse and pitched an idea that sounded a little like this, "so, this is going to be way presumptuous of me, but...i'm still gonna go for it. Would you by chance happen to have the ring yet?" He was getting it that Friday. Perfect. "I'm going to be in town to shoot in a few weeks, would you be up to letting me possibly scheme with you??" He was. He did. And i 'sponateneously called Sam the Sunday before my Monday Riverside Mini Shoots, June 18th, and asked if she could whip up a sassy outfit, grab her honey, indulge in a bit o' romance and meet me for a Sweetheart shoot 'just for fun' at the park. She was game of course.

I started off with just a few fun casual portraits. Honestly, Jesse and I hadn't really set up an agenda. So my mind was racing with a gameplan while trying to maintain a really casual front so Sam wouldn't suspect anything :) I love this picture below with that glow behind Sam's gorgeous face and sparkly eyeballs :DI pretended to hem and haw a little looking for a few more spots with fun sunbeams. Asked them if they just wanted to walk along the lake. They were down. We found a secluded peninsula. Perfect. I was able to mutter to Jesse: "the code words will be 'I'm gonna back off and you have to give me a whole 60 seconds of romance..."... So that's what I said. And that's what they did. They talked and snuggled for a little under that darn tree. I couldn't hear anything. I actually started to wonder if Jesse was gonna flip the script and ask for a different spot. Or something... I'm so glad i just shut up and watched and snapped away... (Do note Sam's funny face in that 3rd picture to the far right. You should ask her what choice explitive she used when she got a closer look at the ring. I burst out laughing) Her eyes DANCED! SO excited!! couldn't stop looking at her new bling bling SO stinkin excited for Sam! We trotted back to show Lawson and the kiddos the new finger decor.  I've known Sam for a LONG time! Watching her go from highschool, through college and into adulthood--wrestle with big things, grow with Jesus, meet Jesse and now engaged--sheesh! I'm so overwhelmed with joy for her! Can't wait for your wedding in December dear friend!! 

Sotello Family | Tucson Baby Portraits

 {Baby Sotello | March 2012 | Tucson, AZ} Little bundles of humanity...babies are really mind-blowing for me. I just can't quite wrap my head around that this ball of helpless awesomeness will one day morph into a man or woman. The level of dependence, reliance, desperate need for training and intentional upbringing--it's overwhelming. And I'm already on #3 and STILL feel like I haven't fully grasped the full length and breadth of my role's significane as mom; a child-rearing, bottom-wiping, snot-swiping, laughter-loving, sleep-needing, patience-building parent. Amos & Dulce let me capture a bit of their little one's first stage and it was a treasure :) -- though, i will secretely admit that i take a meniachal level of deep satisfaction in watching newborn parents. I giggle to myself while I think, 'oh boy...they have only JUST begun...' Cheers to beginnings friends... | lkm

MICAH | Musician Meets Mad Men | Urban-Styled Tucson Senior Portraits

 {Micah | Senior Portraits | April 2012 | Tucson, AZ } This kid is so suave. Literally--my husband came bounding home after a shift at Starbucks uber excited to tell me he found a rad Senior client for me. He began to sing accolades about Micah's chill sense of humor and ability to carry on conversation--you know, little things that a regular customer/barista relationship can establish. His mom set the session up, I met Micah in downtown on a blistering hot late afternoon. He was down with caravaning around 4th/5th street finding a wicked cool building that the sun was hitting just right. We stopped near this wearhouse, i gave him the basic run down of how 'a guy looks cool in senior pictures' and we hung out for the next hour or two playing with different poses, backdrops, wardrobes, inside jokes, etc. I was thankful for the extra time Micah and his mom chose to invest in. It really made a difference in the session experience. I felt like I reached a myriad of emotional expressions, we weren't rushed, we laughed a ton, we're able to relax... it was a blessing to be trusted with these milestone pictures! | lkm

"now...Micah, i want you to jump off that step with your top best air guitar impression" i love the composition of the two pics below. maybe it's just how the colors work against the sky...i dunno... i vote album cover...headshots below are probably top fave :) Micah just naturally slid into 'subject' role and was awesome to shoot...

MICAH | Musician Meets Mad Men | Urban-Styled Tucson Senior Portraits | teaser

 {Micah | Senior Portrait Sessions | Downtown Tucson | April 2012 | teaser}

I'm doing it backwards again. HERE is the facebook highlight album for Micah's Senior Sesh... I'd love to write about this shoot but I'm pretty sure i'm going to nod off and hit my head on the keyboard any second now. Last time i checked, head-banging isn't the most effective method of blog writing. for now: This senior session goes down as one of my top favorites. I mean, who gets a highschool senior dude to crank out 'the Zoolander face', mixing suave and goofy effortlessly, and a offering 12-point model pose series without blinking? Micah was amazing to work with and skirting around 5th avenue for an hour and half was a blast! | lkm  :)

Jeremy + Kelly | teaser

{Jeremy + Kelly | Engagement Session | Windy Point, Tucson | April 2012} So teasers are pretty mean. That's why i'll trade you a facebook highlight show if you promise to 'like' that sweet little LKM facebook page. deal? deal.

Best Mother's Day Ever | personal

 {Saguaro/Colossal Cave National Park  | Mothers Day 2012} God is so good. It's taken a pretty incredible 4 years to get to this point of celebrating Mommy Day 2012. I won't hash out the heart struggles today. I just wanted to share something personal today--my joy in my family. These are my 2 children. I'm pregnant with #3. (sadly we failed to get any baby bump pictures...you can whine at me later - i just look mostly fluffy anyways.)Lawson suggested we find a place to go hike with the kids. So weird how he reads my mind sometimes. Ive been wanting to check out Saguaro National Park the past few weeks (confession: yes there was an alternative motive that was work-oriented. I've been craving to find some crazy awesome Tucson backdrops for portraits...and yes also, I confess I tend to pronounce it SAG WAR OH. laugh and call me gringo. do it. I dare you)Lawson snagged some great accent shots of desert stuff. the kids haven't been hiking since last summer. I've said it before and i'll say it a thousand times henceforth--the older they get the more fun it is to do stuff like this! Jordyn was so thrilled with the freedom of treking on her own two feet. :D Judah was a little obsessed with stepping on snakes. Dad, in all his mighty warning wisdom, told the kids to be 'careful of snakes'...Judah freaked a little and we had to coax him a little to be brave and trudge forward...carefully.   they pretended to hunt for tigers in these tall sticks...as you can clearly see, Judah was a very committed tiger hunter.by the end of our trek in the desert, you could tell we had run our little munchkins raggedwhile resting back in the picnic area Lawson went to go destroy a dead tree with Judah. While ripping off the bark Jordyn was about to thrust herself upon the trunk and try to scale the darn thing. I heard this very fatherly yell, whipped around to find Lawson swopping the kids up and backing up about 10 feet from the tree. Apparently he found a spider cluster. I think he attempted to protect his manhood by insisting it might have been a brown recluse nest. What a hero. we also had a grand time catching this lil lizard and helping the kids get friendly with it. Judah was pretty sure he was going to lose a limb but still giggled hysterically when he got to feel the poor thing's racing heartbeat. all in all, it was my most favorite mother's day thus far. definitely beat's last year's lonely experience and watching these spawn of mine grow and change rocked my face off. So to sign off...this is them, my offspring, yelling 'happy mommy day' at the top of their lungs. :D Peace. | lkm