SO I have been a bit busy the past few weeks. It was 2.5 weeks early and unexpected but my little bun in the oven decided she was fully baked and ready to make her appearance in the world. Rooney Olive Palmer was born Sept 16, 2012 at 5:40am. She was 6lbs 4oz and 18 inches long. It was thursday night when I started to feel back contractions. They progressively got stronger over the next day until they got to the point that I couldnt take it anymore. Braden and I decided to make a hospital trip to see what was going on. They hesitantly admitted me (I think they thought I was being a baby myself) and checked me out. It turned out that my water was broken with a small tear. They told me I wasnt going anywhere until I had that baby girl in my arms. They induced me to speed up my labor to reduce infection. I was in labor all through the night but felt amazing as I had a pain med drip and epidural. Braden and I watched the UofU/Byu game and napped. At about 5:15 the dr came in and decided I was ready to push. I pushed for about 15 min and she was out. She came into the world screaming, just like we expected. We couldnt be more in love with her. I had no idea this is what all other mothers were talking about, there is no other kind of love.

The other day I just could not resist. A few people have asked about sunset shots, especially being in California. I wanted to show that by adjusting your cameras color settings, setting up the shot and cropping it differently can all create unique photos. I had Braden drive me up to a good spot so I could get some shots of the sunset. To me, sunset shots can be so cliche but you can get so many different looks depending on how you use your camera. All the shots below were taken during the same sunset. I played around with my camera and voila, I got some “hot, warm and cold” photos. I also threw one of Braden in, I just had to…Call it revenge;) Enjoy.

By tweaking the saturation and hues on my camera I was able to cool the shot down. I also exposed it differently to get a “bigger sun”

Sometimes its cool to have no focal point at all. I “unfocused” my lens and just shot the pretty orange glow of the sunset.

I also think cropping can have a big part in capturing a cool shot. I just wanted to get these people conversing and I wanted them to be dark.

And here is the shot of Braden. I was able to sneak it in….I wanted to get a profile pic and I wanted the sun pointing towards him. I was able to get both.

This is not a typical type of post for me. I usually do not post my life events on my photography blog, however, I have had so many people asking me about the baby, my life and the accident that I was recently in, that I decided to fill everyone in. I apologize for being so absent! I promise I am still a photographer but have just been really busy with shooting and life events!

First off, I have been SPOILED by my friends and family. They have thrown me the very best baby showers! My sisters and mom threw me a whimsical shower that had the yummiest food and fairytale like decorations

My friends from high school threw me a “D.I.Y. cupcake bar” shower. It was loaded with sugar, talk of memories and the cutest baby gifts around.

My friends from California COMPLETELY spoiled my baby and I by throwing a quaint “Equestrian” themed dinner shower. We had the best time talking for hours and eating my fav mexican food down here. They used my riding gear and my childhood toy horses for part of the decor which made it so nostalgic…anddd lets just say my baby is equipped with a fancy wardrobe!

So that is the GOOD News…now onto the bad

Last week I was involved in a MAJOR car accident. First let me tell you that I am ok and so is my baby. It is truly a miracle. I am not one to be mushy but I really do feel so blessed. This accident opened my eyes and made me really appreciate what I have. Its amazing how scary life events quickly put your life into perspective. Soooo what happened?

I was driving on the 405 going south when I began to feel dizzy. I was going to pull over onto the shoulder of the freeway, however, there was no shoulder. I needed to make it to the next exit. I was driving off of the offramp when the lights went out. I blacked out, hit a guard rail and collided with a few cars. I woke up to the BMW emergency services talking to me as well as the smell of burning car and airbag. I jumped out of the car but was quickly sat down by a nice gentleman who witnessed the accident.

I felt the best I had ever felt right after the accident, come to find out I was in major shock. I called Braden and he was there within 5 min (I was originally meeting him for lunch). The ambulance, police and fire truck all showed up at the same time. They put my in the ambulance and took me to saddleback hospital where I stayed monday and tuesday. They monitored the baby and me the entire time making sure both of our vitals were stable. Braden stayed with me the whole time except when he went to get me my cafe rio and pellet ice soda! It was a huge comfort!

I was having contractions every 3 min for about 9 hrs. The drs thought there was a chance I was having this baby. They basically made me sleep, loaded me with iron and fluids in order to calm my body down. After being in the E.R for about 4-5 hrs I was moved to Labor and delivery where I remained. I was eventually told everything looked ok and was able to get outta there.

Why did I black out? Many of you have asked why it happened? Well, drs said it was basically a perfect storm of medical conditions including, very low iron, low blood pressure, and a few other things. I am still very sore but have minimal cuts, burns and bruises. Its amazing how quickly the body can recover. I am trying to return to normalcy, but have this fear of being in a car now. I have the BEST friends and HUSBAND who have driven me around and taken my mind off of everything. I lucked out!

I am now 33 weeks pregnant and my main goal is keep this little girl in my belly until oct 3rd!! We just had a few ultrasounds to check on her and Braden and I were able to see her little chubby cheeks and ski slope nose. She is already the cutest thing in the world to me. I cant wait to meet her.

above: 33 weeks pregnant

below: Celebrating my hubbys birthday (aug 9th) at the every so classy Roscoes chicken and waffle house a few days after the accident. I am so happy I was able to be there!!…my stomach was pretty happy too.

I promise I will get back to my regular photo blog soon! I am still booking before bebe comes. Feel free to contact me to get your shoot in. Also booking for fall christmas card sessions!! Cheers!

Happy 4th of July week everyone! I hope everyone had a fantastic holiday, I know I did. It was filled with family, friends, food and fireworks! I also had a great time photographing this beautiful family. It was a great shoot down on Crystal Cove State Beach. The weather was nice and overcast. Their children are full of energy but were so incredibly sweet. Here are a few images from the shoot. Enjoy!

You may recognize these beautiful children from a few past shoots I have done. They have the brightest smiles and sweetest personalities. There is never a dull moment with these kiddos and I was thrilled when I was asked shoot a few photos for fathers day. Here are a few shots from the shoot. Enjoy!

FYI: Now booking for fall/Christmas card shoots. Ask about special pricing. Shooting all  months except October (having a baby).

I have been LOVING the beach lately. I have had numerous shoots at a bunch of beaches and it is making me excited for summer! This family was such a pleasure to photograph. Their little girl has SOOO much personality and the most beautiful blue eyes. We had a great time shooting in Huntington. Here are just a few shots from the shoot. Cheers!

I had a blast photographing these darling girls in Huntington Beach. It was a last min shoot but it ended up being awesome. These little ones have tons of personality and attitude, which makes it fun for me. I wanted to keep this shoot light and fresh as it was sunny and nice weather. Here are a few from the shoot. Cheers!

Ok this one is for my horse people….and my dog, cat, bird, chinchilla and creepy reptile people. Unique pet photography is a great way to display art in your house without it looking cliche and cheesy. It adds personality and flavor to a home or barn locker (horse people know what I am talking about). I am now doing wrap around canvases that are weather proof (for barn people) or for inside your home. It is a great way to show off your loved ones. I am constantly taking pictures of my pets but never had displayed the images. I went through them the other day and realized I had some cool shots that would look great blown up as art…..so, that is exactly what I am doing. Inquire through email, phone or Facebook to ask about the special I am doing right now!! Starting at 150$ Here are some shots from a recent horsie shoot. Cheers!

These two were a blast to photograph. They were both so laid back and relaxed about being in front of a camera. It was a breeze to capture some awesome pics of these guys. Like her bridals, we wanted to keep the scene light and airy. The beach was the perfect spot to shoot. Here are just a few from the morning. Cheers!

I was so excited when I was asked to photograph this beautiful bride. Chelsea is from Salt Lake and came down here to California to get her Bridals and engagements (soon to be blogged) done. We decided to keep it beachy, light and fresh. I think we accomplished the look. Here are a few images from her shoot day. Cheers.