Crystal Butler Photography Blog

I’m a big fan of The Lovey.  When photographing children, I often ask the parents to bring along his or her favorite “lovey.”  I can almost hear the mom’s nose scrunching up on the other end of the phone: “Oh, I don’t know.  That old thing is so ratty I’m not sure I want it in the pictures.”   I understand why it seems unusual.  But I’m a born story-teller.  That’s what I’m hired to do – create images that showcase your family where they are at this moment. The well-loved puppy or blankie is one way to tell your little one’s story.

Thankfully, my clients trust my instincts.  And it never fails; these are often some of their favorite images.  So don’t be afraid to bring along that tired, ratty doll.  It’s precious to them, which will be precious to you.

I find it hard to believe that it’s already been three years.  Three years at a WONDERFUL gem of a preschool we were lucky to find.  Perhaps even better than how they treated my little girl was how they have treated me.  It has been a hectic few years.  They’ve witnessed two additional pregnancies and have been so gracious to me, never judging me when I show up ten, okay – fifteen – minutes late for school, even letting Ashlyn join in on the activities when I show up early.  They’re a wonderful group of teachers and I highly recommend the school – both for the progressive curriculum and their lovely hearts.

Thank You, Mrs. Butler, Mrs. Howard, and Mrs. Cannon, for getting my daughter to this proud moment, for embracing our family’s quirks, and for loving E and being a wonderful presence in her daily life these last three years.  I credit you with this smile:

I’m proud of you, Baby Girl.

She hired me to take pictures of her girls.  But considering how rarely moms get to have their picture taken, I couldn’t help it.  I think maybe everyone needs a great picture of themselves, don’t you?

So when I told her to sit on the stairs, she instinctively called to her daughter.  “No,” I insisted.  “Just you.”

And this is us trying to do a cheesy pose with a rose, but darned if you can even see past how pretty she is to see how cheesy this could have been.  I bet if I were in the picture it would have looked plenty cheesed out.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

‘“Never be afraid to try something new. Remember that a lone amateur built the Ark. A large group of professionals built the Titanic.” - Dave Barry

I’m not a risk-taker.  I hate being bad at things, I hate the thought of something not turning out as I imagined it, and I just plain hate not being able to control things.  Most people know this about me.  Which is why it’s kind of hilarious that I was ever an Army wife.  Or that I started a small business.  Or that I have three children.

When I ran across this quote on a friend’s page, it made me smile.  So I just had to share it with you – maybe offer some encouragement about the things in you’re life you’re afraid to try.  I’ve had the chance to try several new things in the past few years.  Which makes me wonder what I’ve missed out on some of these years by not just taking a leap and being okay with the possibility of failure.

From one of my first shoots as a Photographer:

My first paid contribution as a freelance writer and craft designer:

And, finally, maybe what I’m most proud of – the “something new” we didn’t know we desperately needed to complete our family, until God surprised us with him:

I wonder if there’s a Something New you’re waiting to try…