RACHAEL EARL » PHOTOGRAPHY: Lifestyle Portraiture and Wedding Photography

Here is a quick sneak peak of my session with Janell and Earl (yes, Earl and I instantly bonded because he has an awesome name) down in Tempe.  You see, when I asked what was really important to them, they said water!  Well, we live in Arizona, so there isn’t much of that stuff around, but we got some great shots, and I was so glad to have met the two of them.  They were winners of a session in my Find a Reason contest.  Their best friend, Shannon, entered every single day to get them a session because they have never really had their pictures taken!  Well, I think they did a pretty dang good job, don’t you?

You know how I love a little sunflare!

I love the pop of color here!  (Sun and color make for a great session!)

And this is the closest we get to a beach in Arizona, but at least we don’t have earthquakes, right?

Thank you guys, and it was such a pleasure to meet you!  More soon!

can come from anywhere!  (Even a bag of Skittles that I was dying to eat, but alas, I am on the hcg diet and can’t have them for another week.  *sigh*)

Prepare to taste the rainbow.

A few weeks back, I set out to shoot one of my favorite families, and one that I have known for a while (like 5 years now!).  They were dressed to perfection, like a 1940’s era family, but the winds were angry that day, my friends.  Unfortunately, the weather was just too crazy.  Now, I’m a girl that doesn’t mind a little inclement weather-keeps things interesting, but I was no match for this blustery day.  And while it was crazy, we did get a few shots that I love.  I’ll be rescheduling their session, and hopefully we won’t have gale force winds this time!  Here are a few that I liked from the shoot anyways:

I did learn that wind can work for couples, and singles, but definitely not families.  You can tell they’re being gusted at a little here…Aimee, your dress is so fabulous.

Check this out-it’s “derelicte”!

I recently shot some new photos for the Tie Chair Website.  My super talented friend Misty invented this product, and has patented, trademarked it, and is now selling it all across the U.S., as well as in several other countries!  She just came out with some new limited edition prints and also an organic fabric.  I am not even kidding when I say that I sold my old highchair for more than on of these costs, and I use it now exclusively.  Brooklyn loves it, and loves sitting at the table with us instead of off to the side in a highchair.  We also take it on trips and out to restaurants with us-it fits on every chair I’ve ever tried it on, and secures them really well, with no annoying buckles or plastic parts!  If you haven’t checked out this product, do it now, and I’m sure it’s available in your area!

Here are some of the new fabrics-super bright and fun!  (Brookie was one of the models)

Here’s the Organic Earth fabric:

Here are some of the classic fabrics:

There are even more fabrics to choose from, this is just a small sample!

So, make sure to visit the Tie Chair site, and if you have questions about how easy it is to use, check out the spot on Good Morning Arizona!  (You might notice a couple of familiar faces on there, too!)

that you would not have seen yet if you weren’t my Facebook friend. 

I have to make a comment about fashion today.  I love it.  The big belts, the flowy dresses, the layers, the fun hair accessories.  So whimsical and colorful and great!  If that is your style (or not matter what style you have), incorporate it into your session!  Whether for your wedding or any other day, bring something special out in yourself!  (By the way, these girls aren’t models, they just play them in these photos)

Princesses love nature and animals, beautiful dresses, makeup and fabulous accessories.  I think Lorelai fits the bill!

LOVE the bright color in this bathroom!  If you couldn’t tell, I really love green 

I brought some fun Blue’s Clues stuff because it’s Lorelai’s favorite show!

You found Blue!  Peekaboo!

Oma’s house had no shortage of awesome props!

FAVORITE!  (Along with the Frog shot, that is!)  I love the sun 

“Up above the world so high!”

I spy with my little eye Dora and Boots!

And look at these adorable toes!

“We all fall down!”

Upside down!

Everyone was doing somersaults, and look what Oma busts out with!  Holy cow!  I can’t even do that!

I love the panned out version as much as the tighter one-I just loved that sculpture hanging above the bench!

Practically perfect in every way:

Oma’s doggies got in on the action!

Awwww…cute puppies!

And upside down again!

Thanks for looking!

(Drawing by Abbie-age 4, of her Daddy)

We had such a fun day today for Dan’s birthday.  Abbie was sooooo excited about it, so Dan wanted to do fun things with her all day.  First, we went to TC Eggington’s for breakfast-if you live in Arizona and have not eaten there, go!  It is so delicious.  And while we couldn’t get our favorite Blueberry Hill Pancakes because of our diets, we did get to have super cheesy omelets, and I was full for most of the day!  Next, we hit up Hannah Montana at the “big movies.”  We all came home and relaxed, and Dan took Abbie swimming.  We then ate at our favorite restaurant, Texas Roadhouse, where Abbie decided she does, in fact, like bread (big deal).  Dan opened his presents, and we played Mario Kart on the Wii.  All in all an awesome day!  Happy birthday, my love!

By the way, today kicked off the Earl Family tradition of “Week of Birthday,” for which Dan gets to dictate what fun activities we do for a week!  Typically we would get to eat lots of treats, but due to our diet, we’ll just be eating a whole lot of steak.  Almost as good.

Well, actually ten of them.

Summer is vastly approaching, which means kids are out of school and are BORED.  I only have one in preschool, but I love the 9 hours a week that she gets to learn and have fun in preschool.  So, I compiled a list for you of 10 things under $10 that keep my kids entertained NO MATTER WHAT.  I have a 1 year old and a 4 year old.  A few of them are strictly for older kids, but my baby likes to watch my older daughter play anyways!  So here they are:

1.  Silly Putty-Abbie and her little friends can run around for hours with a thing of Silly Putty and be genuinely entertained.  My husband still gives this out to people at Christmas because it even entertains adults.  You can get it for a couple of bucks at most stores-check the checkout aisle.

2.  Slinky-The creator of this toy was a genius.  Both of my kids love the Slinky, and while it’s annoying to fix the kinks, for the price, it’s great entertainment value!  Check the dollar section at Target for Slinky Jr.

3.  Yahtzee Jr.-For ages 4+, this game is actually fun to play.  There are several different character versions, and it is currently on sale at Target for like $8.  It’s way more expensive at Amazon.

4.  Paint with Water Books-You can buy these on Amazon for $2.99-3.99, and Abbie loves them!  Care Bears is the best because it has super bright colors.  These really don’t produce any mess because it’s just water.

5.  Magic Mic-You can also buy these at Target/Wal Mart for a couple of bucks, and it’s a microphone that echoes when you talk into it.  Both of my kids LOVE it.

6.  Recorder-You can get several different types (including the old school one we all played when we were young in school).  I like this one, though.  It’s called “Little First Act Discovery-My First Recorder.”  I like that it’s easy for little hands to reach all the holes, and everything is color coded.  You can get it for around $7 at Target (that’s where I’ve found it the cheapest).  We also have the harmonica in this brand, which is totally cute.

7.  Glowsticks-Holy entertainment, Batman!  This could entertain kids for hours (18 hours, to be exact).  They are super cheap, and you can find them almost anywhere.

8.  Travel Magna Doodle-This is great and quiet, and only about $9.99 at (you guessed it) Target.

9.  Mr. Men/Little Miss Books-For $3.99 each at Amazon, you can’t get anything cuter than these books that teach great principles to kids.  It’s our current must read every single night before bed.  (For a little more, Amazon just introduced collections of all the books-either the boy set or girl set-for $11.55)

10.  Sunflower Growing Kit-Abbie is so excited that we started growing a sunflower in the house.  We got ours for $1 in the dollar section of Target, but I also found this one that is super cute because you grow it in a Ben and Jerry’s ice cream pint!

So there you have it!  Hopefully your kids stay happy and entertained this summer!

I realized today that I have left you with a lot of cliffhangers with no resolutions!  I promise to post more from my past sessions that I left you with quick sneak peeks and then left you hanging!

Starting with…the popsicle session!

There was much more to this session than popsicles and insanely witty jokes, my friend!  Robin was one of the winners of my Find a Reason contest, and what a fun bunch her family is!

Here are a few faves:

I relate to this image because my brothers pushed me around…that’s not what he’s doing, but it looks like it!

The girls had a tea party in the woods…

A few of the whole family:

This image screams summer to me!

I love this warm light…mmm!

The boys were wild, but in a good way!

One thing that Robin told me about her family is that her kids love to climb trees.  Little did I know that they all loved to climb them all the time!  They’re good at it, too!  Check out this shot!

Thank you guys, and I hope you had fun!

Kids are totally worth it.

Happy Mother’s Day to all you mommies out there, who I’m sure will agree with me.