Sunrise Love

Okay, I’ve officially learned my lesson. It’s worth it to get up before dawn to catch the sunrise for a photoshoot. I suppose being at the beach and in Hawaii probably helps too. I did touch these up, but I didn’t feel like I really had to. I came home and literally did a “happy dance” (as my husband calls them) when I looked at them on the computer. Brian and Sarah were an awesome couple to shoot, super flexible and obviously so happy to be together. That makes my job easy!

A Letter from Malachi

 

Dear Pepa, Mema, Papa, and Grandma,

Aloha from Hawaii! Mommy has been telling me all about this airplane trip and how we are coming to see you. I can’t wait!

So Mommy got these suitcases for me to play with from a yard sale. Aren’t they cool? I’m just getting ready to fly in the sky. I can’t wait to see the clouds!

Did you know that I will be turning 9 months old while I’m there with you? I haven’t seen you since before I turned 4 months old! I am very much grown up now.

I can play with things so much better than I could before! And I think my family is so funny. I will tell you lots of jokes to make you laugh too.

Can you see I have four teeth? Actually, I’m showing off my tongue in this picture, but my teeth are way cool! I’m learning to eat finger foods too. There’s no stopping me now!

And I scoot everywhere. I don’t like to crawl because this floor is so hard. But maybe I will try at your house where you have carpet!

Can’t wait to see you. We will have so much fun.

Love,
Malachi

Backyard Hawaiian Sunset

 

I hope I never get tired of the beauty here, especially when I can look out my living room window and see this:

Malachi and Jack were excited about the sunset too…

What to wear?

I don’t often cite other photographers on this blog, but this article on what to wear for photoshoots was too good to pass up. It captures perfectly what I try to express when people ask this question. Thanks to Laci Davis Photography for this!

http://lacidavisphotography.blogspot.com/2009/11/what-to-wear-for-your-family-photos.html

Mysterious Botany

One of the extra cool things God did when finding us a house was finding one that had an award-winning yard! There is so much beautiful Hawaiian creation growing in our yard, I thought I would share with you, and see if anyone can tell me what some of them are! I have been given several lessons on some of these plants and trees, but some of them are still a mystery. Have a look:

I'm awful at remembering names of plants but we have lots of these beauties.

Anybody know what this is?

We have lots of these. In Peru we were told they try to get rid of them because they grow like weeds. Still pretty!

Can we say coconut?!

Jack has to check out whatever I'm looking at to make sure it's okay.

A closer look at these guys, which actually is what prompted me to get my camera out. Anyone know what these are? Looks like beans on the tips of the flowers but I'm assuming they're not edible. Tried to Google it with no success. Anyone?

Mini tangerines. They are extremely sour, but look just like a regular tangerine inside. My landlord said they just use them for target practice.

This is my husband's contribution to the yard. I told him it had to be somewhere I couldn't see it all the time. Creeps me out. It's a coconut birdfeeder scary-face!

These are the flowers on the star fruit tree, which is sadly out of season. We enjoyed it for about a month and are anxiously waiting for it to start producing again!

I found one lone star fruit hanging on at the very top of the tree. The locals call this fruit "Five Fingers" and it is oh-so-yummy.

This tree produces a bunch of non-edible hard berries (I use them for decoration inside), and the sweetest smelling flower you've ever smelled. I think the flowers are at the end of their season too. Sorry, I didn't get a picture.

A view of the yard that runs along the side of our house. This is where our landlord suggested we start a vegetable garden if we start one. Apparently the soil there is excellent. (PS. Can you find Jack?)

Looking back across the back yard, the back of the house is to the left of this picture. Plenty of room for Jack to run!

Yes, those are the beautiful Koolaus rising up behind our house. There's nothing like seeing the mountains from your kitchen window.

Jack likes to watch the fish in the fish pond. I hate the fish, but I suppose the pond is nice.

We've been told this is a rosemary bush, and that if we want the perfect grilled steak or chicken, to just pick a few of these and sprinkle them on. We have yet to be so brave.

Another mysterious plant. Anyone know what this is?

Growing on the same plant as the previous picture, looks like the petals just fell off, but I'm not sure.

Cactus and other miscellaneous plants

And finally, a tree whose leaves smell just like cinnamon. I'm not sure if you can actually cook with it or not, but it sure smells good! Bring on Fall and this may be in several places inside our house.

That’s it for our plant tour. I would love to hear comments about what you think some of these plants are! It is really cool to see all these new (to me) creations God has made and learn about them, especially while staying home!

Just Another Lunch by the Ocean

We decided to grab lunch to-go on Sunday and enjoy some of the beauty God has put around us. It is so nice to be able to head to the beach without feeling like you have to make the most of it because you don’t come that often. No bathing suits or beach towels, just a picnic lunch and camera on a beautiful day!

Malachi and Mommy by the water

Of course everywhere is a photoshoot, right?

"When I grow up, I wanna be just like Daddy..."

Buds

Professional Products Unleashed!

Interested in transforming some of your digital images from one of our shoots together into product? Easy as pie! Now you can personalized any of the products on this website directly from your computer and have it sent straight to you. Don’t forget to enter my photographer code: AMYCOPELANDPHOTO

http://www.PinholePress.com/?prc=AMYCOPELANDPHOTO

or just www.pinholepress.com. Happy Creating!

A recap

Back in May just before we left to move to Hawaii, I did a family portrait day for friends we were leaving. Several had asked for pictures, so I decided to do them all at once and make a day of it! Here are some of the shots from the day. Thank you all of you! It was so much fun, and we miss you all very much!

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New Beginnings

Being in the military easy divides your life up for you.
–Marriage, stage one: Chicago, 3 years, medical school, HTC, pregnancy/newborn.
–Marriage, stage two: Hawaii, 3 years, residency, baby-3 year old Malachi.
–Marriage, stage three: TBD

Now that we’ve started stage two we are making a lot of changes. Adjusting to being parents of an almost mobile little boy; starting life in a beautiful tropical climate where the prices are higher but the weather makes it worth it; learning how to live so far away from family and friends and everything familiar; and what’s most on my mind lately: spreading out into a much bigger home and beginning to trade in some hand-me-down furniture for our own! This is very exciting/nerve wracking as we take on this project. We have set goals and budgets and my idea-filled mind has been slowed down many times by my much more practical husband who says, “wait, figure out exactly what you want, research the best deals, and find furniture that matches.” I know, not a hard concept, but I tend to find things on sale or used that I think would work (you know, if I paint it or add a little fabric here and there), and think I’ve hit the jackpot, bringing something home that doesn’t match and though it may not have cost much, was a waste of money.

So my husband suggested making a plan. Actually writing down, drawing pictures, deciding exactly what I want to go where. So I went online and found www.mydeco.com. Free virtual 3D home designer. It’s not perfect. If you use it, remember to save often because it doesn’t automatically save. And it doesn’t have all the options you could want. But, for being free, it’s a really great program. You lay out the rooms and add in doors and windows, and from there you can choose to fill in everything from cabinetry to your sewing machine. I got a little bit addicted. The cool thing about it is that it actually loads real items on sale through different online companies so if you find something you like, you can go to the website and get more details on it. Maybe I should wait to say what I found that we are saving for first until we get it in case we don’t… but can I mention through this mydeco.com we found it about $400 cheaper than it’s listed on overstock.com? Try the program!!

Another new adjustment is sleep… We are all sleeping! For the first time in six months, Malachi has learned to sleep through the night. Last night he slept from 7:30pm to 7am! Nate and I are actually able to have a few minutes to ourselves, and I am actually sleeping a full 8 hours! And now that I’m getting sleep, I’m sleepier. The last couple days I’ve sneaked in a 20 minute nap in the mornings while Malachi naps which is wonderful. (Have I mentioned I love staying home with my baby?) And Nate’s new rotation is Heme/Onc (hemetology/oncology) which is clinic hours, so he’s getting sleep too! You know you either have children or are in college when you’re this excited about sleep.

Sometimes Daddy helps me sleep after he tires me out with all my toys.

 

And baby food has begun! New and exciting foods to try, and he loves them all.

Yay for finishing all my sweet potatoes!

I've just got to check to make sure I got it all, I know some fell on my bib.

Look for an update to my blog soon. My website is back up and running (www.amycopelandphoto.com). Check it out before it’s gone! Hopefully soon that link will redirect you here. Happy Wednesday!

 

Thoughts and Happenings

Ever struggle with wanting to work on a project but because you’ve procrastinated so long it’s become so overwhelming that you think you have to do it all at once and then you just procrastinate some more? That is the story of my blog, especially the last few months. Wow, there is so much to say. I have several shoots to post, a very active growing baby boy, new photography equipment I’m so excited about, not to mention we just moved to one of the most beautiful places on the planet! I have more than a few things to say about that! Instead of starting at the beginning and trying to remember all the details, let me start with today, and we’ll see if we make it back at all.

I have been completely inspired by some incredible women to revamp my blog. I want to create something that is not just about photography, but that can relate to everyone. I am a stay-at-home mom of an amazing baby boy, an Army wife, a doctor’s wife, a Southern girl, a Chicagoan at heart, a resident of Hawaii, a Christian, a photographer, a learn-as-we-go-newbie-crafter, an occasional musician, a softball-lover (and hopefully coach again soon), and a (newbie) gardener to name a few. I think there is no reason why my blog should be limited to photography, but instead should be a place where I can share everything that I’m learning as we go. I am good at making grand plans and falling short, so I will need some support in this, but if all goes as planned, I hope to make this my new and only photography website as well (since my other site has been down for a few months and no one can seem to figure out why anyway, I have been prompted to make some changes anyway).

Back to today. Today my husband is bringing home our brand new futon. Our first home with a guest room needs a bed! But the room is not big enough for a big bed, so we decided to start with a futon. Found a good deal at HomeWorld Furniture and we are very excited about getting that room set up. It will double as my craft room soon too (so I can move off the dining room table). Also, a friend and I are planning to hit some thrift stores today and hopefully find a small furniture piece or two for a couple other spots in the house. I’m really hoping to find something I can paint. I’ve never tried painting furniture before but I’m anxious to try! Pinterest is a dangerous thing if you haven’t found that out yet.

Yesterday I received my mega-purchase… my Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM Telephoto Zoom Lens. It is so beautiful. Here are a few pictures straight from my camera that I took as soon as it arrived yesterday (which happened to be when Malachi woke up from his nap). I’m in love.

I also took a few pictures of Malachi playing outside with Jack the other day (this is before I got the new lens). I intended to get pictures of just Malachi, but Jack decided he wanted to be center stage too.

In other happenings, I have begun a project inspired by this: http://decorate.tipjunkie.com/how-to-paint-a-rug-ikea-hack/. Yep, I’m going to paint a rug! Call me crazy. Call me even crazier because the rug I have to paint is not a plain rug like the one in the link. See the pictures. I’m in the process of taping over the design to paint the background first. But I’m still toying with color ideas. Anyone have any thoughts? I’m thinking this will go in the guest room if it turns out. This rug was a $20 craigslist find that we had in our first apartment that has subsequently been hiding under our bed because my husband hates it. If I can’t salvage it, I’m only out a few cans of paint and tape!

In further news, I finally updated my pricing and posted it on my blog, in an effort to take my business more seriously. Eventually I hope to post prices on products and albums as well.

There is much more to say but the little one is awake from his nap and hungry! Hopefully I will post some recent shoots soon. What would we do without the internet?!