whose birthday is it?

So what's this all about, this celebration of life, this reason for the season? Why does the holiday exist? This is not just a story to hand down from generation to generation, but a beginning for some of forgiveness and grace.
I love this video, and will always appreciate the message told to us in such a simplistic and truthful way. Thank you to the creator Charles Shultz for these characters, and thank you to my Creator for giving us the message of the birth of your Son Jesus!





From our coast to your coast...we pray you all
have a Wonderful reason to celebrate the season



Merry Christmas!

private sessions.....

I hope to share more images with you soon, but my clients' sessions have been (shhhh....don't tell anyone) secret Christmas gifts for their boyfriend, fiance or husband! That makes it sort of difficult to share, but I promise to give everyone a peek after the first of the year. If I can get their permission!

33...for a moment

I spend time with my clients discovering who they are and what locations I can uncover that would define their story. I listen for the clues, imagine the session in my mind, and then scout out the locations (this can be the best part of my job sometimes!). Together we decide what wardrobe and time of day would be best ... we find the most natural enhancing light, and then go for it!

Hopefully if I listened correctly, I will be able to find the setting that you will feel the most yourself in, and the surroundings will become the background of your story, but not the focus. It's about you, the real you, the you that has favorites, and dreams, and knows your inside story. I want to bring that personality out if I can, and help you appreciate it.

Meet Kristi...she wanted to be captured as she is today...thirty three years young. Discovering things about herself that she never realized (like her favorite colour is brown!). She's from Iowa, which steeps her in a great love of changing fall leaves, the smell of snow and fresh baled hay, and walk under a star-filled sky. She is the perfect "victim" for an environmental portrait!

For her session with me we traveled to some really great locations to simulate the fields, backroads and barns in Iowa. I placed her favorite chair from her home in an open field to shoot her in a "Stress Your Dress" part of her session (more info on this in a later post). We found some remote railroad tracks ,a once train depot , an abandoned warehouse with splashes of red and yellow peeling paint, but I saved the best for last...a loading dock full of baled hay!! She absolutely flipped out when she saw this and we got the best of her there...right before the thunderstorm that tried to drown us! I hope to have this kind of enthusiasm from ALL my clients!

Kristi has a very infectious laugh that makes you want to join in the moment and giggle with her! Her eyes are a kaleidoscope of colour with deep hazel hues of teal and browns. It's as if you are looking in the bottom of an antiqued green glass of hot chocolate and the syrupy goodness at the bottom was all that was left. She celebrates each day no matter what crosses her path, and makes the best of any situation. She can see through the muck and rust to the beauty of things. Her favorite quote, "Carpe Diem" describes her...and her images here show that!

If you would care to see more of her session, you can go to my proofs sections of my website www.rapturephotoart.com and click on "Kristi's Favorites" which will give you an idea of a session with me, and a taste of the 75 of the 190 images that she decided were her favorites for her album.


"my gift is how I see life...my art is telling your story"

Welcome!

......welcome, everyone, to my new site!
Have a seat, and let me tell you about the people I have been blessed to interact with and to tell their stories. It has been a long winding road to get to this point...the collection and collaboration of people who have encouraged me and been an integral part of this journey to get this site LIVE are now (or should be) literally like the rapturephotoart website definition states...estatic and jumping for joy!

My mission is to give you a glimpse into these people's lives and hearts. Seeing the beauty and depth inside them, with a colourful story to be captured in photo images will be my "show and tell" randomly. (notice I didn't stay daily...I am learning to put my thoughts on paper...I work better with a camera in my hands.)

Hugs to my precious friends and family for listening with well-tuned artistic ears to my visions for the website, and for helping me bring those dreams to fruition.
Kudos and hugs to my designer, Andy Corley (www.makingwebsites.net ), who translated those pieces together to form my web design in great harmony.
Eternal mugs of caffeine and enormous kisses to my husband Greg for his patience and kindness during any event that involved any self-doubting , self-deprecation, painstaking perfectionism, and late night epiphanies of "another great idea".
And most importantly, praise to my Lord, who gave me the gifts of vision, energy, and encouragement to others so I may serve Him by detailing the moments captured in a "blink of an eye".

"my gift is how I see life...my art is telling your story"