Our very own Navy Boy!

A couple of weeks ago, I traveled to the Chicago area to see my youngest brother graduate from Navy Bootcamp.  Not only were we so proud of him, but we were eager to see his transformation from civilian to sailor. Needless to say, the anticipation at the ceremony right before the doors of the hangar/auditorium were opened to let in all the graduating recruits was a ridiculous thing.  I was really good about holding back the tears...until...they opened those huge garage type doors. Seeing those sailors standing there, perfectly lined up in their sailor blues, well... I simply lost it. The families in attendance went nuts at that moment.  Can you believe that I don't have one good photo of this?  I was too busy blubbering and making my sister blubber, as well.  I tried to shoot off a few shots as they marched in, but they were all a huge fail.  They all ended up blurry from trying to balance on my tiptoes (yes, I'm short) and from trying to hold in my embarrassing crying fit, but I finally got it together.

Division 136. All these boys looked alike to me.  Fortunately, because of his height, we were able to find him in the very back of his division sticking out above many of the others.  Don't they look neat? There they are between all of those heads.  Did I mention I am short?

The stripes indicate he is now a Fireman and he was so proud of his Sharpshooter pin. Notice the fuzz on his arm from his girlfriend's sweater.  We were so happy she was able to make the trip with us.

My parents couldn't have been more proud.

Brother and Sis...Awwwwww.

And I think no one was more excited to see this sailor than his sweet girlfriend.  

I'm so glad I made it and was able to get a few pics of this milestone.  Go Navy!

A Creative Share Site

For those of you who are creative and always scouring the Internet for cool resources, I have just found a new creative share site called the Creative Market.

They are trying to create a market place similar to Etsy.  It's "a new kind of marketplace for handcrafted, mousemade design content powered by a global community of creative people."  You can sell and buy fonts, brushes, icons, frames, patterns, etc.  Early members who join get some freebies and if you use the link below I get some credits, too! :-)

Click on the link below to join
http://creativemarket.com/uR6CxTl

If you join...don't forget to click on the freebies tab and get some neat goodies.
The freebies are only available until the site goes public. So, if you are interested, you would need to sign up soon. =-)

Enjoy!
~Rosie

I'm Still Around!

I'm still so very neglectful when it comes to this blog.  If only I could run Chasing J Bird full time....it would be so much fun and I might actually get some real blog posts in.  Anyway, I recently edited this photo even though I took it about six weeks ago.  Isn't that awful?  It was just hanging around my hard drive begging to be opened.  Well I did and believe it or not I did very little editing to this one.  I just pumped up some color and viola!  Doesn't she look like a dream?  I had donated a photography package to J Bird's school for their annual auction and I was delighted to see how well it did.  I'm looking forward to meeting the lucky winner.  I printed this in a 16x24 for display and I fell in love with it.  I still can't get over seeing my own work in print.  It gives me little chills every time I open them the first time. I hope that part never goes away.  

I hope everyone is doing well and I'll try to get another post up before another 6 weeks have passed us by.

~Rosie

Week 5 | Simplicity

What is more simple than a field of golden light and a little girl? We were so lucky to get a sliver of sunlight through the clouds. It had been cloudy all day long and I just wanted to begin a shoot of my little one before Valentine season came and left us like the Christmas season did.  I decided this would be perfect for this week's Simplicity theme.  Don't you agree?

52 weeks project

I have joined my sweet friend, Sarah, from My Four Hens Photography, in a 52 week photo project. My first 52 week project helped me grow and learn so much, that I thought it was a must for me this year. Plus, I need more pics of my baby (or babies, if you include Lola.) What better way to see the changes throughout the year.  Last year she grew almost 3 inches! Can you believe it? Each week Sarah shares a theme with us and we interpret it however we like.  It's amazing to see everyone's shots.  I shared my first photo, Resolution, a few posts back.  It was a beautiful butterfly I was lucky enough not to scare away. These are my posts for the last 3 weeks.  You can click on them to read the background of each (not that it's too complicated or anything.)  I'm a simple gal and you can definitely see it already in these first 4 posts.  I hope you'll join me along my journey.

Week 2 | Life

Week 3 | Inspiration

Week 4 | Imperfection

Sweetie Mini Photo Session

Are you looking to capture your sweetie in a fun and affordable way?  The sweetie minis will be available for a very limited time.  These $75 mini photo sessions include a 30 minute on location shoot, one 8x10 print and one 5x7 print. You will be able to view up to 10 proofs in an online gallery and other promotional print packages will be available.  So get your sweetie and head on over to www.chasingjbirdphotography.com or just email me at rosie@chasingjbirdphotography.com to confirm your spot.

Happy New Year

I hope everyone is settling into the new year complete with a new energy and new hope for the year ahead.  My hope for the new year is to not be afraid to spread my new wings and fly with my little Chasing J Bird Photography biz.

I also want to capture more of my J Bird.  She has grown so quickly and is not as eager to be a willing model, so I really need to let go of my perfectionism and settle for any snapshots I can get of her along the way.  Can you believe she has grown 3 inches in exactly a year's time?  Wow, I know.  Anyway, I hope the new year brings you many new opportunities to grow and spread your wings, as well.  Oh and don't forget to click away whenever you can and capture those moments.

~Rosie