Learning to Shoot - Tucson Photographer

I've decided to finally do it! After lots of inquiries about doing a photography 101 class I've decided to hold my first "Learning to Shoot" workshop. This class will be perfect for you if you're a photography newbie or if you love photography but haven't quite grasped the concept of "going manual". We'll be learning about your camera, different modes, lighting, composition, and technique. Here's the details...
 

And I'm super excited to say that anyone who books their registration before September 1st will receive $20 off their registration, after that the normal class fee of $100 resumes.

I can't wait to see some of you at my first Learning to Shoot class!

Adorable Little Miss is Turning Two! - Tucson Child Photographer

Blond hair, blue eyes, an adorable personality, and an upcoming second birthday = a great reason for a photo shoot in downtown Tucson. Little Miss came dressed for the occasion in a great black and white checkered dress and awesome red converse (I'm so happy they have these in kid sizes...I've got to get my little girl a pair!). We headed to one of my favorite downtown locations for this family photo shoot and had fun trying to keep Little Miss from pointing out every bus and train that went by. I can't believe how well this little girl could work the camera...a million smiles all around :) Happy birthday sweet girl!

Beautiful Sarah- Tucson Senior Photographer

It was so much fun photographing Sarah. I had this crazy idea for her senior photo shoot. I told Sarah the pictures would be gorgeous, but that she'd have to trust me. I told her no one would believe she took the pictures in Tucson...it would look like we'd driven all the way to Iowa for such gorgeous tall grass. She was up for it...and I'm so glad she wasn't scared to follow me into a random wash not too far from my house. Her courage + her beauty + overrun grass in a random wash = AMAZING senior pictures. Hope you enjoy!

Reprioritizing has it's benefits - Tucson Family Photographer

You may (or may not) have noticed that things have been a bit quiet around here lately. There's a reason for that. A few months ago I was in meltdown mode. In reality, my daughter was the one having the meltdown, but I was not far from it. She was having a tantrum and was not wanting to go to bed, and all that I had playing in my mind was "I don't have time for this!" I had several photo shoots to edit, emails to return, calls to make...and, oh yeah, I hadn't spent an evening hanging out with my husband in who knows how long.


At times I'm able to handle the constant screaming (and boy can my daughter belt it out!). When I've allow Him to, God has used these hard times to remind me of His tremendous love for us...even when we're in the midst of acting like a tantrum-prone two year old. At other times He's allowed me the patience to stay calm through the screams and to be able to talk to her about what's going on her heart (rebellion, defying my authority, selfishness) after she's calmed down. But that night I too was having a tantrum, wanting to scream at the top of my lungs, "I just want some time for myself!"

In that moment of desperation God graciously spoke to me. After thinking the words, "I just can't do this" it dawned on me that I really couldn't do it. I had to slow down. I couldn't work endlessly to build my photography business while working as a part-time physical therapist, being in the Reserves, being a pastor's wife, and attempting to be a good mother and wife. I just couldn't do it. (I know at this point you're thinking- no kidding, that's too much for one person to handle-- but I tend to think I'm superwoman at times and sometimes just need to crash and burn before I realize my folly.) I needed to enjoy the precious moments of my kids being little, and I needed to spend time with my wonderful husband. Bottom line- I needed to re prioritize.

So I did it. I re prioritized. I took a month or so completely off from photography (the business side at least...I was still taking way too many pictures of my kids and family :) ). God comes first. My family is next. Work is last.

At first it pained me to do this. I love photography. I'm addicted to photography. So purposefully stepping back from photography and the business I was creating was hard...but in a way really wonderful and freeing. I needed a reminder that I'm not superwoman and that our time on this planet is short. I'm thankful God is gracious in reminding me.

So all of this to say I've decided to only take a few sessions a month to make sure that I'm still able to provide wonderful, full, and gorgeous photos for clients without feeling like I'm taking too much time from my family. I feel lighter and free-er than I have in a long time.

I'm still in love with photography. I'm still addicted to it. But now in a more healthy way.

One of the benefits of re prioritizing and taking some time off was that I was able to take a family vacation with my family. Here are a few pics of my nephew, my brother, and my incredible sister-in-law from our time.

High School Senior Spokesmodel

I'm on the hunt! I'm looking for one more high school senior to be the last Spokesmodel for BG Photography for the class of 2013. This senior needs to be outgoing, involved in extracurricular activities (including volunteering and giving back), and has to love being in front of the camera. This awesome senior will receive a completely free photo shoot, plus a cd of watermarked images for sharing, and can work towards earning free prints. Their job will be to help me spread the word about BG Photography senior pictures. The more friends you refer, the more free stuff you'll receive!

If you're interested in applying for this incredible position, email me (yvette@bgphotography.biz) with the following information:

- name
- school
- your interests
- your extracurricular activities
- tell me how your friends would describe you
- tell me how you'd help spread the word about BG Photography
- tell me why you'd like to be a BG Photography spokesmodel
- tell me if you know any of the other 2013 BG Photography spokesmodels


I'll be accepting applications for the next two weeks (or so) and will notify the senior that's chosen by August 1st.

*You must be available for a photo shoot during the first two weeks of August 2012

Your Senior Pics...With Your Best Friend...For Half the Price!

I'm really excited to be offering an AMAZING deal for seniors the next few weeks!

For senior sessions booked before 7/30/12 I'm offering a two-for-one best friend session. 

Best friends...behind the camera for three hours...at up to two locations...with unlimited outfit changes...and you can SPLIT THE PRICE! 

Amazing, right? 

Contact yvette@bgphotography.biz to book your session.

*Applies to only two people; can be applied to any package (see www.bgphotography.biz for package details)

How we jumped from two to three in just a few months- Our story of Adoption

This is my first personal post in a LONG time. I normally blog about photography and just mention my personal life in passing, but lately I've been inspired to be a little more transparent about who I am so I've decided to write a little bit about my life. Writing about my life is partially for me, mostly for my kids, and maybe a little bit for whoever ends up reading this blog. Here goes my first attempt at being open with the world...

(warning- this is about a million times longer than most of my posts, and there are no pictures...yep, this is true...I actually didn't include way too many pictures in a blog post for once)

We're anticipating that in less than a week we'll have a new daughter. Last month we received a call from our lawyer that we needed to come down and sign paperwork, and were then informed that we'll soon stand before the judge to adopt our sweet little girl into our family. We're so excited that things will be official, and so excited to have her as our child.

Our adoption story starts so long ago. I remember watching some nighttime news show as a child that was highlighting orphanages in Russia. I can remember crying over the horrible situation the children were in...with no one to hold them or stroke their face or pat dry their tears. I told my parents that I would adopt when I grew up, and I knew then that what I said was true.

When my husband and I got married we began to talk about adopting. We knew that we'd like to try to have biological children but that adoption would need to fit into the plan. After six years of marriage we had our first adorable baby and just a few months after she was born I found out I was pregnant with our son.

I'm not sure what made us say "now" was the time to begin the adoption process. Our little kids were a lot of work back then. We were sleeping very little and were always short on time. But God was prompting us to look into adoption. We found an agency that a few friends had recommended (Christian Family Care) and we set up an appointment to discuss infant adoption. It was a good meeting, but we left feeling unsure. We were praying quite a bit over the next few weeks and we both started asking "what about the kids in foster care?" This was something that we had never considered before. Our hearts had always broken over the thought of older children without loving and stable homes, but we were scared of the work involved and the disruption that it would bring to our already crazy home. But God is bigger than our fears, and provides the strength we lack. Our hearts were changed and we began the path to "fost-adopt" an older child.

The next phase in our adoption was quick. It was obvious that God had sovereignly chosen the time to begin the process. In less than one year from when we began our journey our little girl could be adopted into our family.  We began our 10-week fost-adopt classes in October, we found out about our little girl's situation in November, we met her at the end of December, she moved in at the beginning of February, and our adoption should be complete in July.

It's been so wonderful to welcome her into our home. Going shopping for her room, helping her with homework, tucking her in at night have been mundane, but incredible things for her now. I love that my girls play together all day and that our new daughter loves to read books to our two year old at night. I love the way our one year old screams her name when she walks in the room. It's incredible to see a family come together.

The transition has not been easy, even with all the great joys. In fact it's been incredibly challenging, heart-aching, and stretching. It's been physically, emotionally, spiritually draining. But we're forever reminded of the lengths God went through to adopt us when He sent Jesus to live, die, and rise again on our behalf, because of our sin. On the tough days it's even more apparent of how desperately we need a savior. I'm so grateful for these lessons, even though it means that we had to go through the heartache.

Thank you all for your love and support and for helping to welcome our daughter into our lives. And if you're wondering, she'll be getting a new name. She asked if she could not only receive a new last name but if she could change her middle name to the middle names from both her moms. On the night we signed the adoption paperwork she prayed, "Dear God, thank you for giving me a new name." I cried.