In the Moment

I've MOVED!

2010-01-07T14:33:00.001-08:00

Hello to all my faithful blog readers! I am happy to announce that I'm officially moving on to bigger and better things! No more blogger for this girl! I have been working on my new blog for weeks now, and it is finally up and running. I would love for you to go check it out and add it to your favorites!

All future updates will be posted at this address:

http://www.melissahatcherphotography.com/blog/

Thanks!
Melissa

Big Bang Deal!

2009-12-31T16:31:00.000-08:00

{ A Family }

2009-11-26T19:09:00.000-08:00

This was such a fun session! I was at home in Louisiana for the Thanksgiving holidays and I was able to schedule a shoot with an old friend. She and I were teammates on my highschool softball team. It had been FOREVER since we had seen each other, so it was so great getting to reconnect and get to meet her family. What a beautiful family they are!

I had such a fun time! The whole session was on my parent's land out in the country. The light was great and the boys had a blast exploring. Sorry, I got them a little dirty......boys will be boys though, right?

Look who is ONE!

2009-11-17T19:12:00.000-08:00

I have no idea where the year went, but it sure went by fast! I can't believe this little man is ONE! He's already walking...fast! Mom and Dad certainly have their hands full. I have so enjoyed watching this little guy grow up this year. He was my very first "Baby's 1st Year" client and I've had such a great time being a part of each milestone.

Happy Birthday Skyler!!!

Finally!.....a little cooperation!

2009-11-12T20:02:00.000-08:00

Why is is so hard to get your own kids to cooperate for pictures? I went out a month ago and took my annual pics of my kids + my nephews and got great shots....well, great shots of most of them I should say. My son....he didn't cooperate that day. So, today we had our own little mini shoot outside before the girls got home from school. I bribed him with, "Wanna go for a walk with me?".....he was putty in my hands after that. I am so pleased with how they turned out. We had lots of fun together walking, playing airplane on my feet and tackling each other. I LOVE my little man!

Book your session!

2009-11-11T15:13:00.000-08:00

Book your session today!

Details, details, details!

2009-11-06T13:52:00.000-08:00

Details are crucial...at least in my world! I have just a strong a passion for the detail of my work as I do my photography itself. I truly believe that how you present your work to your client is just as important as your images. I believe and treat each one of my images as a piece of art. I remind myself of this as I shoot, edit and package. It is just one more detail that I don't want to overlook. I think it says alot about my style and passion for what I do!

Here is a little sneak peek of how my new packaging will look! So excited!!!

Fresh and New

2009-11-06T13:16:00.000-08:00

I'm sorry it has been so long since my last posting. I've taken a few weeks to do some re-evaluating and revamping. After I returned from Amy Wenzel's fabulous workshop back in September I had so much going on in my head. It has taken me some time to get some things on paper, order new products, design a new look, etc. I think I'm getting close. :)

I definitely can say I came back inspired and full of new information about how to run a successful photography business. It was up to me to get the ball rolling and step out on a limb (a very shaky and unsteady limb) in order to start establishing my vision for my business. It has been a very hard, but beneficial 2 years. I've learned alot, and I continue to learn, but I refuse to give up! I LOVE what I do. It is my passion!

So, with all that said, I want to share with you some "new".

Below is a new product I have recently started to offer. It is an Accordian Book. It is a beautiful piece that measures 2 1/2" x 3 1/2" and can display up to 12 images. It is perfect for a travel size album that can easily fit in your purse, but it can also be displayed on a shelf or desk. I LOVE these books and have purchased some for my own personal images.

Plus, they are perfect for the holidays! Stocking stuffer anyone? Previous clients, let me know if you are interested in having one made from your recent sessions!

Accordian Books - $40

Fall Family Portraits

2009-10-17T10:46:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year! Time to schedule those Fall Family portraits that we all have to have! I finally took some time and did some for my own family this week. I'm so glad I did, because I LOVE how they turned out, and I know the grandparents will love them even more!

If you've been postponing Family portraits because you've just been too busy or can't find time to fit it in your schedule...don't let that be an excuse. I would love to work with you and find the best time and location for your family's portraits.

I'm offering a discount for 25% off your session price for anyone that books a session with me before October 31st! Call today!

Amy Wenzel is AMAZING!!!

2009-10-01T16:50:00.001-07:00

Wow! What an amazing weekend I had at Amy Wenzel's Photography Workshop! I don't even know where to start. I traveled to Michigan earlier in the summer to attend the workshop, but as you know, her husband was diagnosed with a Brain tumor the very evening we arrived. This was the much-anticipated postponed/rescheduled event!

I met up with my good friend, Kristen again in Michigan, and we had a fantastic time! There is sooo much information floating around in my head at the moment. I'm hoping that it somehow continues to absorb so that I don't forget a thing.

I've been so excited to edit and post some of my favorite images I took from our afternoon of shooting. The models were pretty impressive. I mean, the oldest was 9 and they all seemed to be naturals. Can you imagine being a kid and having 20 crazy photographers coming at you with their cameras, yelling at you and telling you how to turn your head? Kinda intimidating, don't ya think?

Amy, if by chance you read this.....YOU ROCK! I learned so much and loved getting to hang with you for a few days! Thanks again!

Tell me it isn't true!

2009-09-21T17:45:00.001-07:00

Summer has come and gone. Today was the last day of summer for us all. :( No more running in the yard barefoot, or playing in the sprinkler....it's really gone. How do I know this? Well, because it SNOWED today!

Time to dust off those snow boots and grab a cute hat, because it's Fall! And well, in Colorado that means snow.

Here's a fun summer pic I took of my little Em a few weeks ago.

9 months? Already?

2009-09-19T18:24:00.000-07:00

Can I just say...this kid gets cuter and cuter everytime I have a session with him. He has been a part of my "Baby's 1st Year" collection and I can't believe the year is almost up. Where did the time go? I'm sure that is what Mom and Dad are thinking too.

We had such a great time today. I've shot at this spot once before, but I have to say, it was tons of fun with a baby. The little guy was dressed super cute and I loved the little mohawk added just before the session while he was sleeping in the car. Perfect!

Enjoy the pics! I think I might have broken a record with this sneak peek..... :)

{ O Family } Sneak Peek

2009-09-16T13:27:00.000-07:00

I had such a fun time at this shoot. We managed to avoid any rain that may have been lurking around the corner and got some great shots! Aren't their girls the cutest! Little Miss "E" gave me a run for my money. I'm not sure she ever stopped moving...unless it was to take a picture with my camera. Miss "K" was super cute and soooo fun to talk to. I still think she's a pro at taking pictures. :)

Thank you "O" Family for letting me get to spend the evening with you! I had a great time!

Mount Rushmore

2009-09-12T16:57:00.000-07:00

Labor Day weekend we decided to finally make the 7 hour trip to South Dakota to see Mount Rushmore. Peyton has been asking to go for over a year. As you can see, all she wanted to do was stick her finger up George's nose. :)

We had a great trip. We loaded up the camper and spent 3 nights in Rapid City. We did a few of the touristy stuff, but for the most part we just enjoyed being together. I have a ton of pics but these are by far my favorite.

The top one cracks me up everytime I look at it. That was her very own creative pose for the picture and it turned out perfect. Total Emily shot!

The one of Andy is his reaction to kicking ALL our butts at cards. What was funny was that he had no idea what he was doing, but managed to pull off 2 wins in a row! Crazy!

{ Q Family }

2009-08-30T21:02:00.000-07:00

It could not have been a more beautiful day in Denver last Saturday! The perfect day for a fun family shoot! We had a lot of fun wandering around this park and getting some great shots. This little man is constantly on the go. We played in a skate park, climbed trees, ate acorns and almost managed to catch a crawfish in the nearby pond. It was a lot of fun following him around. I'm amazed that he made it out of there with a still clean white shirt! Whew!

I had a blast! I hope you enjoy some of my favorites from the shoot!

His first and my last first day of school.... :(

2009-08-18T20:01:00.000-07:00

The day finally came...there was nothing I could do to stop it. I've tried...believe me! He was sooo excited! I came downstairs ready to walk out the door and my little, ahem...big boy, came up to me and said, "Mom, I'm all ready. I have my clothes on, my shoes on, my backpack, my lunch....and I'm ready to go to schooooooooooooool"! (add squeal here)

I of course grabbed my camera and we were on our way. We went straight to the room and waited in the hall to be greeted by his teacher. As soon as the door opened he was on his way. I kept bugging him to turn around and look at the camera. He cooperated up to a point, then he was ready for me to stop with the pictures.

He went in and put his snack and drink in the snack basket, then went over to his cubby to put his lunch and empty backpack away. I just stood back, helpless or at least not really needed. Why do I have to raise my kids to be so darn independent. At this point, he had already found a seat at the table and began his activity. I don't think he would have even noticed I was still there if I wouldn't have gone over to kiss him goodbye and tell him I'd see him later. At least he was still willing to give me a kiss. :)

I did fine until I got into the car and drove about 2 miles away. It hit me...this is the first time
in 9 years that I've spent the day ALONE. He's been my little buddy for the past 4 years. This is my new life...I hope I'm up for it.

Another "W" Family

2009-08-10T14:50:00.000-07:00

Summer Baseball

2009-08-05T16:05:00.000-07:00

Our little guy played on his very first Baseball team this summer! He was so much fun to watch. So serious... and I'm proud to say, he has some of that good competitive spirit! I opted to do my own pictures this year, instead of going with the regular team/posed pics. I love some much more to catch him in the moment and get those great faces and action shots! My parents were in town for his last game and both him and my nephew (also on the team) played like CHAMPS! Here are some of my favorite shots from the last game!

{ W Family }

2009-07-10T21:28:00.000-07:00

Look at this sweet, sweet boy! He's my nephew and I'm in love with that curly tongue! My hubby's sister and family came for a visit this week. It is actually the very first time I was able to hold and get to know my nephew. He's such a cutie, and he's got one of the sweetest personalities. So content and like I said, that tongue curl is a definite charmer! :)

While they were here we had to get some good pics. I'm still editing, but I wanted to post a few for Grandma's to see! The one below is of all the Hatcher side cousins. I know my mother-n-law will LOVE this one!

A Princess and her Crown!!!!

2009-07-08T20:57:00.000-07:00

I absolutely LOVE the light in this image! Plus, that sweet girl of mine makes it shine even brighter! I taught my girls how to make dandelion crowns just like I did when I was a little girl! Doesn't she look gorgeous!

Still loving these girls!

2009-06-17T09:31:00.003-07:00

More from these sweet girls! I can't get over the blue eyes! So beautiful!

More I love

2009-06-16T14:32:00.000-07:00

"S" Man is 6 months!

2009-06-15T16:16:00.000-07:00

I can't believe this little guy is already 6 months old! He's pretty good at sitting up on his own, but Dad did a good job staying close, just in case. There were a few tumbles, but I managed to capture some good shots before the falls. :)

What made it interesting was that one minute he was all smiles and then the next he was sound asleep. So funny. Once he took his power nap we were good to go again.

I love how his whole face lights up when he smiles. I love the family shot too! Oh, and the Dad and son shot.....gorgeous!

Little "S" and Miss "T"

2009-06-14T16:23:00.000-07:00

What a fun time I had with these two precious girls. Little "S" was the very first newborn I ever had the pleasure of shooting and now here she is at 9 months old. Her big sis, Miss "T" is a little model and reminds me so much of my oldest.

I think I captured their unique personalities in these images and I love those blue eyes!

Enjoy!

Back home

2009-06-11T18:31:00.001-07:00

I flew back into Denver last night after spending the past few days in Grand Rapids, Michigan. I was there to attend a workshop with the fabulous Amy Wenzel. She is a fantastic photography that specializes in children and Senior girls. I was not only going to pick her brain and become what she calls a "Photoshop Jedi Master" but I was really just excited to meet her and spend time with her. I've been following her blog for a while now and I have not only fallen in love with her photography style but more so her personality and love of life!

I was also able to meet my good friend Kristen there in Michigan. We had both decided to attend the workshop and had worked it out to share a room. It was great catching up with her and sharing photo tips and tricks.

As for the workshop, Amy got some unexpected news about her husband, David early Sunday morning. Apparently, David, while on a business trip to San Francisco, was goofing off with some friend and hit his head. He went to sleep and while at the conference the next day (sunday morning) had a seizure. Sunday night, all of the workshop attendees were gathered together for a mixer. Amy explained the situation, but was still hoping to go on with the workshop. Bless her heart, you could see the worry on her face. I got to spend a few minutes talking with her and of course LOVED her from the start!

It was about an hour later that she received the news that the doctors had found a mass on David's brain. He appeared to have a slow-growing tumor that had been growing for 2-3 years. It was actually a blessing from the Lord that he hit his head and was taken to the hospital to run test. Who knows when or if they would have found the tumor if not for that seizure.

So, there we were, drink in hand, receiving the awful news. We all knew there was only one place she needed to be and that was in San Francisco with her husband. We all decided to meet the next morning to discuss details, but the workshop we knew would be cancelled.

I would be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed...we all were...but, we all knew that what Amy and David were experiencing was much worse.

As of right now, David has been flown to Minnesota to the Mayo clinic to receive treatment and determine the next possible steps in his recovery. Please join me in prayer for this sweet couple. If you would like to continue to follow their journey you can go to Amy blog or David blog and read all about it.

Home Sweet Home!

2009-05-21T19:15:00.000-07:00

I'm back home and back to reality. Our 8 day vacation was better than we could have imagined. We had such a great time and the kids first experience at the ocean was fantastic!

I came home to a calendar overload. Immediate orthodontist appointments...turning expanders and retainers, birthday planning for my son, Field Day and testing at school, Brownie meetings and Sleepovers at the Zoo, client updates, editing vacation pics, preparing for my photo workshop in a few weeks.......i could go on, but I think y'all get it! It is totally true what they say about losing more and more brain cells with every kid. If that's not reason enough to stop at 3, I don't know what is!

I didn't go crazy with pics from our vacation. Most of the time we were doing things that made it hard to bring a camera along. I have a few, but you'll have to wait to see. I'm completely swamped with stuff right now.

Head em' up, Move em' out...

2009-05-08T10:39:00.000-07:00

...is what my dad always said to get us out the door. I'm so ready for those same words to cross my lips tomorrow morning at 4am.
We'll be on our way to sunny Florida for a week of soaking up some sun! We'll be leaving bright and early tomorrow morning, driving all the way to LA for two nights with my parents (Nannaw and Pappaw) and then getting back in the car on Monday morning to drive the last treck to Florida. We'll spend 4 nights in FL and then we'll head back home, but this time taking the route that will take us through Little Rock to see Grandma and Aunt Becky & Uncle Ferris, plus my sweet nephew, who I have yet to hold!

It will be tons of fun and even more driving! I think total (CO to FL) is somewhere around 28 hours. Needless to say, with 3 kids ages 8, 7 and almost 4, there will be plenty to do in the car. At least I hope! Jimmy has maxed out his Ipod with tons of audio books for the two of us, while the kids will have their own private theater in the back (thanks to Caci). The kids also have there own personal video game systems (2 Nintendo DS's and 1 V-Smile) for their own enjoyment.

I have just recently (like since wednesday night) taken up crocheting. My neighbor gave me a little mini lesson on how to make granny squares. I'm proud to say I have the pattern memorized, and I'm on my way to making the cutest little something you ever saw. The pic above shows my 2 day progress. Not bad, huh?

I also have two great books that I'm hoping to read for bookclub while on my trip. This month's book is "The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society" and the other for June is "The Shape of Mercy".

I won't mention the snacks that will be consumed on our long drive....just know, they will do nothing for my bikini clad figure on the beach next week.

....oh, but I did get my very 1st mystic tan today. I read and then reread the directions as to not pull the classic "Ross" from that great "Friends" episode. We'll see how I did in the next 24 hours. :)

I will be out of the office, so to speak until May 18th. If you need to book an appointment for a photo shoot please send me an email or voice message and I will get back to you when I'm back.

Day Dreaming

2009-05-01T14:51:00.000-07:00

Lately, I've been finding myself day dreaming about my June trip to Grand Rapids, Michigan. I am anxiously awaiting my first ever photography workshop (put on by Amy Wenzel)....really, my first ever "business trip" if you will. I know, I'm a dork. But seriously, I've been a stay-at-home mom for over 8 years now, and I've never flown anywhere without the little munchkins tagging along. I'm super excited!

Anyway, that is where my mind has been today. I'm so anxious to leave and even more anxious to learn all I can in 2 days with such a fabulous photographer. Now, if I can just get my hands on that Shootsac I've had my eye on for months I'll be ready to go!

More Mini's

2009-04-26T15:39:00.000-07:00

I've been slacking this week. I don't know why, but I have put off editing pics all week. Just wasn't in the mood. I finally managed to get around to editing another mini shoot I did last weekend. Don't you just love the hat?

My Beauties!

2009-04-13T15:08:00.000-07:00

I seriously did this little shoot with my kids in like....I don't know.....8 minutes. It was crazy. I was trying to get out the door by 9am to head to church and I literally snapped these shots in record time! The light was poor Easter morning, because it was cloudy and rainy. Kind of a bummer, but it was all I had. Some are little jewels, but others are the best I could do without my sweet, creamy light that usually shines into my living room. On another note, this is probably one of the last pics of Peyton without her braces on. Two weeks from a mouth full of metal! Ahhhh!

Easter duds

2009-04-13T14:48:00.000-07:00

My sweet little nephews came over for Easter. I had to get my camera out....just look how cute they are! Their personalities shine in these pics. I love all the faces!

Here Nannaw and Gigi, I know you've been waiting for these! Oh, and take a look at Finley's right hand. Lookin' good, huh?

Mini Shoots sneak peek!

2009-04-11T18:29:00.000-07:00

My first Mini Shoot sessions! It was really fun spending most of the day behind the camera. I had a blast hanging out with all these cute kids. I was really concerned that I didn't have enough bookings, but by the end of the day I was so glad that I wasn't booked solid. There are still more to come, but I'm still editing. I'll get them up as soon as I can. My 10 minute sessions turned into a little longer than that. Shhhh! Don't tell!

My Friend and I

2009-04-07T17:00:00.000-07:00

Adult Entry:

If they aren't friends I don't know who is!

Child Entry:

Friends forever and ever!

Sugar and Spice and everything nice...

2009-04-04T16:09:00.000-07:00

Look at this sweet baby girl. What a cutie she was, not to mention a trooper. She was such a good sport with all the moving and posing and propping. I made Momma do all the handling since my hands are always freezing. I think I'll start taking handwarmers with me to newborn shoots.

Here's a little sneak peek! Don't you just LOVE the pink-striped chair! Perfect!

Finally! Snow!

2009-04-03T08:44:00.001-07:00

We've spent months with hardly any snow, and finally it caught up to us! Now, we're back in forth from snowstorm to warm, snowstorm to warm.

Here are a few fun pics from our sledding excursion. My son really did have fun, though you may not have guessed it from the pics. :)

After, like everyone should, we celebrated our warmth with Hot chocolate!

My new favorite blog!

2009-04-01T18:59:00.000-07:00

As you know I post a lot of my favorite, most inspirational, photographers on the right side of my blog. I look at them daily.... ahem, lust over them daily. I really do get inspired just reading their thoughts and seeing the beautiful images they post. It helps me, so much. Ok, sometimes, if I'm honest I walk away feeling depressed by the amount of stuff I still have to learn or figure out. But, usually I do just feel uplifted.

One of my favorite photographers on my list is Brenda Acuncius. She has such a cool eye and is so creative. She is actually the photographer I bought my first ever action set from....I love them! Anyway, she was recently interviewed by another photographer, Drew B. Brenda posted the link to this new site called, "Momtog" where her interview was posted. I became instantly blown away at this cool new find.

"Momtog" is a great site that is just for Mom Photographers. It was so cool to sit there and read through the site (which I did in one sitting) and know that there are other mom professionals that love being exactly that, Moms with a cool, fun job on the side. It is such an informative and fun site to visit. I would highly recommend it to any of you, whether you are a professional "mom" photographer or not. Just enjoy!

Won't last long!

2009-03-30T19:51:00.001-07:00

Catch em' while you can!

2009-03-08T12:19:00.000-07:00

I did my first ever 3 month old shoot this weekend. I have to say....a bit of a challenge. But, you know me, I'm always up for a challenge.

I have had the pleasure of seeing this little guy grow from the time he was in his Momma's tummy. I actually shot his parents wedding too, so I guess I could go as far as to say......I have been around even before he was a twinkle in his Daddy's eye.

I managed to capture a few moments of him playing and smiling before he eventually conked out on us. Of course, the one of him sleeping in his mom's arms is great too!

{ S Family Maternity }

2009-03-02T14:33:00.000-08:00

I had such a great time with this family yesterday. I have really come to love maternity sessions. There is definitely a certain glow to an expecting mother. One that I can only hope I captured on film. If you couldn't tell already, this first pose is one of my favorites for maternity. I love the angle and the way the eyes are enhanced. :)

Thanks so much to the "S" family for allowing me in your home once again and this time letting me do a little rearranging in your living room. I can't wait to schedule your newborn shoot in just a few weeks! Enjoy your sneak peek!

I'm in love!

2009-02-26T13:46:00.001-08:00

I wish I could describe to you the way my heart lept out of my chest when I drove up to my house after lunch and saw that little box sitting on my porch. My son was probably thinking to himself, why is my mom giggling? I raced inside to open it and gazed at the wonder of my shiny new toy! It was beautiful....and it was MINE!

Of course, naptime had to be postponed for a few minutes so that I could have a model. Andy, normally hates to have his picture taken, but today after seeing how excited I was, he humored me.

We did a quick little mini shoot outside in the front yard. Nothing too fancy, just something to scratch the itch. I wish I could take a picture of what my camera looks like with my new lens....it's so flippin' sweet! I guess you'll just have to see at your shoot! :)

Best Week EVER!!!

2009-02-25T10:18:00.000-08:00

I did it......I just registered and booked my spot at Amy Wenzel's photography workshop this June. I'm super excited!

Jimmy came home last night and we figured out a way to cover the expense. I think he is just as excited as I am about me attending. I've been wanting to do this forever and I think I've found the perfect photographer to learn from, plus a little added bonus.....Kristen will be with me! It will be so much fun to have my good friend there to compare notes with and just enjoy each other's company. I miss her since she moved to NY!

Anyway, I'm just on cloud nine right now! I still haven't received my lens, but I know it is coming. I think it will be here tomorrow. I couldn't ask for a better week! Now, to start scheduling sessions so I can pay my June trip off!

Learning patience.....

2009-02-24T12:55:00.001-08:00

Patience is a virtue, isn't that what they say. Well, I'm lacking in that category. I'm the one that needs things to happen yesterday....always have been. Right now, I'm trying to patiently wait on my lens to come in. It is stuck in Illinois somewhere and hasn't moved for almost 24 hours. And if that wasn't enough, my friend Kristen (fabulous photographer) has just informed me of a workshop that Amy Wenzel is putting on in June. I have been looking for a great workshop to attend for months and it would be so great to go with a friend and enjoy the learning experience together. Bad news is, I have to come up with a good chunk of change to pay for it and also my plane ticket to Grand Rapids, Michigan.

So.......the wait goes on!

A thing of beauty!!!

2009-02-19T14:33:00.000-08:00

I can't even begin to tell you how super excited I am! I just purchased my first lens with my own, hard-earned money. And, it's not just any lens. We're talking 85mm 1.8 with that sweet, sweet bokeh, lens! I ultimately wanted the 1.4 but the 1.8 is a better deal and really, in the long run, offers me most everything I want. I cannot wait to see that UPS man pull up to my house in a few days with my much anticipated, new lens!!!!! It is gonna knock your socks off!

Beautiful Mom

2009-02-15T19:12:00.000-08:00

I love all the directions you can take with photography. I feel as if everytime I do a shoot I walk away learning more and more about poses, lighting, etc. It never gets old and I love every minute of it.

I did a beautiful maternity shoot the other day and I've been waiting to post the pics until after Valentine's Day. The pics were a surprise for her husband, so I've had to wait. I think they turned out so great. These were more of an elegant look and I love the softness of the images.

There have been quite of few maternity shoots lately. I have just recently added a "Baby's First Year" package deal to my repetoire. I have not posted the info to my website yet, but the details are this:

"Baby's First Year" Package {$250}
Includes :
Maternity session
Newborn session (within first 10 days after birth)
6 months session
1 year session
*Free 8x10 from each session

If you are interested in booking a "Baby's First Year" session, contact me today!

I'm back on!

2009-02-03T14:13:00.001-08:00

Update: Email is working again.

My photo email has been down for a few days. If you have written me and not gotten a response I apologize for the delay. I do have another email address you can contact me at: melhatcher@gmail.com Sorry for the trouble. I'm hoping to get my hubby on it tonight.

Can't choose. Help?

2009-02-02T14:23:00.000-08:00

So, I'm in the post processing days of my most recent shoot. I have really been messing around with some cool stuff in photoshop (textures and actions) and I've come across a look I can't decide on. Let me know what you think. Thoughts?

#1 Troy action/textured

#2 Urban action

#3 Troy action (possible favorite at the moment)

#4 Nothing

{ "T" Maternity }

2009-01-31T18:58:00.000-08:00

What a fun shoot I had today! Some good friends of mine are expecting their first baby. A little girl. Without a doubt they will be fantastic parents. As you can see they are pretty much guarenteed a beautiful baby. Y'all are naturals behind the camera. Thanks "T" and "C" for having me in your home and sharing an afternoon with you. I had a great time! Soooo many great images to pick from. It was really hard to decide which ones to post for the sneak peak. Here are some of my faves!

{ "S" Family }

2009-01-29T17:46:00.000-08:00

Thanks for all the great advice and positive feedback about my brochure. It was fun putting it together. I still have a few little tweaks to do before I send it to the printer. I am hoping to have them in my hands within the next couple weeks.

I did my first family shoot of 2009 today! The "S" family welcomed me into their home for the morning. It was great fun getting to spend time with them and capture some great images for them. Here are a few for my popular sneak peek.

Off to the printer!

2009-01-26T21:28:00.000-08:00

So, I've had a few requests to see the finished product of my session information trifold brochure. I've been working on it for a while and I finally finished. I'm hoping to get it off to the printer in the next couple days.

A little shout out to my wonderful hubby. I couldn't have done any of it without you and your super, fantastic brain and photoshop skills. I love you, handsome!

Basically, the image you see will eventually look like a 5x5 trifold. I posted the front of each page so you could view it better. Tell me what you think, especially before I send it off to print.

Look who is 2!

2009-01-24T18:37:00.000-08:00

It has been a slow month as far as photo sessions go. I am scheduled to have two next weekend, and hopefully booking a few more for February. I actually haven't minded the slow for a while. Before the holidays it was crazy busy, and it is good to use this time to play and enjoy my kids while they are off from school. They go back monday.....yay!

I've been spending the last couple of weeks trying to get myself organized with the business part of this job. Paperwork, forms, marketing....not really my specialty, but I'm working on it. I'm excited to have a brochure almost complete that will be sent out to all my potential clients with session information. Also, I've been creating a database and doing a little tax stuff too. It is coming together nicely if I do say so myself.

I do have some fun pics for you to enjoy though. These pics were taken at my nephew's 2nd birthday party today. He is our little miracle baby and can't be any cuter! The party was at Gymboree, so all the kids ran around and got alot of that bottled up energy out!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY FINLEY!

What's wrong with these pics?

2009-01-19T18:58:00.000-08:00

As I was messing around photoshop the other day trying to figure out how to do make my logo into a copyright image, I discovered something. Can you see what I see?

Not cool, right? The one on the left is the one that is on my business cards. I fixed the image to look like the one on the right, but I still have like 500 cards that are wrong. Ahhhh!!!!

Little Snowbunnies

2009-01-12T19:49:00.000-08:00

We woke up to around 5 inches of snow this morning blanketing our street and front yard. Since the kids are still on their break, and I'm trying to be the cool, fun mom for two more weeks, I decided to take on the task of bundling them all up and heading outside to play. We gathered up everything we could possibly need for the most awesome snowman building experience, only to discover that the snow was a little too fluffy for rolling. Plan B.....um....I didn't have a plan B, so I let them come up with something.

They chose to build a small sledding track in the yard. One year I built a really cool mini sled slide, but again, that was not in the cards today. They seemed happy enough with their 5 foot mini track, so I let them do it.

I took a few pics of the girls having their fun and wanted to share. Didn't manage to get any good ones of Andy as he was in and out complaining of being cold.

Oh, and yes.....I finally (with great amount of help from my hubby) mangaged to figure out how to post my full logo design as my copyright. Yay!

Someone pinch me!

2009-01-09T14:41:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it! The picture I entered in the photo contest got chosen as one of the top 5. I've been waiting ALL day, stalking the site to see who won, and during a small window of non-stalking activity I recieved an email from my cousin saying, "Congrats on the photo contest".

What? I won? I quickly went to the site and immediately saw my picture at the top. I thought I really had won the whole thing. So, stupid me posts on my facebook, "I can't believe I won!" only to find out (when i read the post) that I was just one of the top 5 cause she couldn't choose. So, to pick the final prize she put numbers 1 -5 in a hat and drew. I was #1, but #3 was drawn.

Oh well.......I'm still super excited! My picture was posted up there and my name is linked to my website. If nothing else, maybe I'll get some business out of the deal. Here's hoping!!!!

2008 Photo Contest

2009-01-03T17:57:00.000-08:00

There is a photographer that I follow on a daily basis named Tiffany. She also has just this past year started her own photography business. You can find her link under my "Inspiration" category in the sidebar...."Follow Your Art". She is a fantastic photographer and has an extroidinary eye for lighting and compostion. I LOVE her work!

Anyway, she just recently posted about a photo contest for "favorite picture of 2008" on her blog. I have never entered a contest before, but I thought, what the heck...I'll try it. I went through a ton of pics before choosing, but I settled on the above pic of a little girl I know. She's just the cutest thing, and I love the innocence that is captured in this photo. Her eyes say so much, and I've loved this picture from the very start. The winner will be announced on her blog on Jan. 9th. I am looking forward to see who will win.

Tell me what you think of my choice and maybe what has been your favorite pic of 2008!

Christmas

2008-12-30T17:18:00.000-08:00

I know I've been MIA for a while. It has been a busy month! Between Christmas parties, shopping, baking, annual card updates, editing, and visiting family, I haven't had any time to keep my blog updated. Sorry, for those of you that continue to visit my site only to see the same thing everytime.

I had the opportunity to shoot a Christmas Tea this year honoring single mothers. My church, along with an organization called James Research Network helped to put on the event. It was a wonderful night of great food, fun with friends and sweet single moms that were truly blessed.

My parents came in town for the holidays. The kids were so excited to see their Nannaw and Papaw for a whole week. Plus, Sissy (my sister) was here too! We played lots of games, did lots of fun shopping, and ate way too much food! It was a fantastic Christmas!

Here is a pic of our tree and all the presents early Christmas morning. That same room was trashed just a few hours later! So much fun!

Last but not least, I had to post this pic of the ornament my cousin gave me for this year. My favorite leading man, Gerard Butler and me! Photoshop is an awesome thing. Thanks, CACI!!! I love it!

A STAR is born!

2008-12-15T16:22:00.001-08:00

Look at this sweet baby boy! This is the baby from my very first maternity shoot. It was so neat to meet him in person and play with him during this session. The parents are having so much fun loving on him!

My sweet ones

2008-11-24T20:22:00.000-08:00

So, it really has been a while since I took all my kids out for a little togetherness photo shoot. They had a lot of fun and I got a lot of cute shots. I'm saving some of my favorites for my Christmas cards and possible Christmas presents. Don't want to ruin the surprise! enjoy!

{ The T Family }

2008-11-22T16:12:00.000-08:00

This sweet family, I'm especially fond of, not only because they are beautiful but because they are MY family! It is so nice to have even a little bit of family close by when you feel as if you live forever away from all the rest! I love my brother and his wife so much. And, well....those boys are the BEST!

I had a great time at our little shoot this morning. I tried to get your sneak peek up as quick as I could. Hope you like some of my faves!

{ The C Family }

2008-11-17T14:39:00.000-08:00

Wow! What a weekend! After finding out that my pregnant sister-n-law was going to be induced on friday while on my way to The New Kids on the Block concert (yeah, you heard me right) with my cousin/BFF, we had to make some adjustments to our weekend schedule. Jimmy spent saturday contemplating his quick trip to Little Rock, AR and trying to book a flight. I spent most of the day organizing and getting ready for my afternoon shoot. He finally booked the flight and decided to leave right as I was having to walk out the door. This left us in a bind with, what to do with the kids! Ahhhh! Luckily, my brother and sister-n-law decided to watch them for us. Thanks guys!

The shoot went great! I loved this family, they were a blast to work with! What beautiful girls they have!

I always rush home to see what shots I got during the shoot. This day was no different, except I had to wait until all the kids were fed, bathed and sleeping before I could push that "upload" button. I'm not very patient.

Sunday morning presented its own set of challenges since I had to get all the kids to church on time and later try to find out what to do with the kids again while I attended a baby shower and bookclub! Turns out, I had to take my kids with me to both. They were pretty good, but I was definitely ready to dump them in bed by sunday night!

{ The L Family }

2008-11-13T15:31:00.000-08:00

I had a wonderful time yesterday meeting and taking pictures of the "L" family. What a sweet family! We had a few obstacles with the weather and trying to keep that sweet little girl warm, but I think we managed to get some good shots. Just look at those blue eyes!

I hope you enjoy your little sneak peak. I have tons more to edit and look through. Gotta get back to work! Thanks again!

Family is forever

2008-11-03T16:16:00.000-08:00

I spent sunday afternoon with such a fun family. They are close friends of mine and it is always fun to hang out with them. We went to a gorgeous open space with lots of picture taking spots. I took tons of pics, but I always try to narrow my favorites down for my sneak peek reveal. Here they are! Thanks again, F family for such a great shoot! Love you all!

Mama shoot

2008-11-01T09:54:00.000-07:00

So, I had the pleasure to shoot another maternity shoot yesterday. One of my really close friends is expecting her third baby! She is such a beautiful mom! I tried out a few new ideas I had rolling around in my head. How cute is big brother playing cars with his little brother (wink, wink) on mom's belly. That "3" was a doozie to get to say on because little one kept kicking it off! So sweet! I love how some of them turned out. Here are my favorites.

Little sneak peek....more to come!

2008-10-30T10:58:00.000-07:00

Look how precious! I spent the morning with this sweet thing. She is such a girlie girl with the funniest personality! Here is my favorite photo from the whole shoot. I'll post more later. Still trying to teach myself photoshop!

1st Maternity shoot

2008-10-26T21:20:00.000-07:00

What fun! I had my very first maternity shoot today. My good friends are expecting their first baby in just a few weeks. She had a really cute idea to paint her belly. I painted it to match her nursery theme and it came out so cute! She was joking that I may have requests to paint more bellies for photo shoots. :) I guess we'll see.

S family sneak peak

2008-10-26T21:10:00.000-07:00

I spent my saturday morning with one of my favorite families. We had a lot of fun playing around in their beautiful yard. I love what I do, but the icing on the cake is getting to spend time with such wonderful people! Thanks, S family for letting me spend the morning with you!

New chair photo shoot

2008-10-23T17:19:00.001-07:00

I bought and picked up this great new antique tufted velvet chair last night. I bought it off craigslist and I absolutely love it! Here are some pics of my girls modeling for me.

I love what I do!

2008-10-21T12:40:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited to really see my business taking off. I have been working hard on pracitcing, looking for locations, researching, and lots of paperwork stuff. Just in the past month I have heard from a lot of people about scheduling shoots. I am slowly getting booked up! This weekend I have a family shoot and a maternity shoot. I can't wait! Yay!

Because this is something I absolutely love to do, it is kind of surreal to receive payment for it. Not many people have jobs that they love. I am truly blessed!

My girls went back to school this week after 3 weeks off track. It was nice having them off and enjoying some time with them. I taught them both how to make friendship bracelets and potholders over the break. It occuppied their time for at least a few days.

You should see the trees in our area. Right now, I'm looking out my front window at the gorgeous snow-peaked mountains and the bright golds and reds of all the trees. There is a little crisp in the air and leaves scattered all around. I LOVE this time of year!

I took some pics of the girls yesterday playing in the leaves. ahhh....fall!

I love babies!

2008-10-17T11:42:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I did my very first shoot with a newborn. A great friend of mine was nice enough to let me borrow and practice on her sweet little girl. I learned alot and was pretty happy with how some of the pics turned out. How sweet is she?

Getaway pics

2008-09-30T16:45:00.000-07:00

I had a fabulous time with The Pickles! A weekend of beautiful scenery, hiking through the Aspen trees, boating on Shadow Mountain Lake, great food, shopping, movies, and lots and lots of talking!!!

Pickles Retreat

2008-09-26T13:56:00.000-07:00

It's Friday! I'm so excited to be going on my second excursion into the mountains this month. First, for my wonderful, pampering birthday trip; and now a weekend away with the Pickles. I know you are all wondering who or what the Pickles are. The Pickles, as we like to call ourselves, are my fellow bookclub bunch. A group of us started a bookclub almost two years ago. One of the first books we read together was called, The Persian Pickle Club. That is where the name emerged, and you'd really have to read it to find out why.

I head out tonight around 6pm with all the girls! We will be staying in a friends cabin and enjoying some girl time all weekend long. I'll be bringing my camera, of course. The mountain colors are changing and it is a sight to behold.

As for stuff around the house. My son is well on his way to being fully, yes....fully potty trained. I'm so excited! What is it about seeing those little cheeks in cute Spiderman undies! I just love to squeeze em'!

The girls are off track as of yesterday, so I'll have to find some fun things to do for the next 3 weeks to keep them occupied. Peyton's birthday is just around the corner so you know I'll be on that real soon. Actually, I already am on it. Designed and ordered the invites and made each girl attending her own press ID badge. So cute!

Next week is a busy week. I have lunch plans with a girlfriend of mine from middle school. She just had baby, and she has agreed to let me practice some newborn photo shoot ideas on her sweet little one. I'm really excited to catch up with her and meet both of her sweet girls.

Between that, two Brownie meetings, Bible study, and a follow-up Mary Kay purchase appointment I will be meeting another friend of mine to look at and learn how her studio lighting equipment works. She is a fabulous photographer that inspires me in so many ways! She is moving to NY in the late fall and is leaving behind a lot of her equipment. She has generously offered to hook me up with some stuff. I'm so excited to finally learn how to use and put together a little studio area in my house. Thanks so much K! I love ya girl!

Pampering, Parties and Poo!

2008-09-19T14:15:00.000-07:00

So, I've been slacking on posting. I've been really busy. Last week was my 30th birthday, so there was lots to celebrate. My wonderful husband took me away for the weekend up to Beaver Creek's Ritz Carlton. Yes, I just wasted away up there. It was so awful!!! :)

We spent the weekend relaxing in our gorgeous two-room suite and dining out at some great restaurants. He also pampered me with a couple's massage and vanilla bourbon milk bath. It was the first time ever I had enjoyed a massage, and I hope it was not my last! Also, sunday morning he surprised me with an early morning hot air balloon ride. It was absolutely gorgeous, and so much fun! I'll never forget it!

When we arrived back home on sunday night he had planned another surprise for me. A party! I love parties! It was the perfect ending to a perfect birthday. I felt like a princess all week!

The bummer part was that night, sunday, I got sick and have spent the entire week trying to shake it off. I hate being sick!

Oh, other big news! My son is finally succeeding in the potty training area. We've got two good (accident free) days under our belt! Yay!!!!

More gorgeous children

2008-09-04T19:56:00.001-07:00

Beautiful girls

2008-09-04T19:43:00.000-07:00

Today I set up a practice shoot with a few of my friend's kids. OMG! What beautiful kids they have! I had found some really cool locations that I wanted to shoot at, and my kids are about done with my using them as models....so, I borrowed some others! Here are some of my favorites. I couldn't post them all, but I also had trouble narrowing them down. Sorry!

Location, Location, Location!

2008-09-02T17:13:00.000-07:00

Lately, I've been in search of shooting locations around town. I notice myself swerving a little while driving because I want to get a better look at a certain spot, or make a mental note of the cross streets. Scary, huh? Who knew photogpraphy was so dangerous.

I took the kids out the other day to scope out a few spots. I had a few ideas of where I wanted to go, and the look I was in search of; but really, I was just wandering around like a crazy person.

I found some great spots. I'm really excited. Still though, I need to find some that are a little closer to where I'm located. The red door/alley location is probably about 40 minutes from my house. Not cool. I would love to be able to know numerous locations all over town so that I can meet my clients at those certain spots, based on the look or feel they are going for. Wish me luck! I'm still on the lookout!

Oh, also...I have my first senior portrait session tomorrow. Ahhhh! I'm a little nervous.

Here are some favorites from my little location scoping shoot the other day. Enjoy!

Party planning

2008-08-27T17:19:00.000-07:00

I had a great weekend! Lots of fun, family time. I played my last softball game of the season this past saturday. I always love getting out on the field and getting dirty. My need to get dirty got me in a bit of trouble this time. Apparently, my slide into second base produced an ugly strawberry on my leg, that later got infected. I'm now on antibiotic for my aggressive base running. Oh well! LOL!

I have received lots of great comments on my website and blog. Thanks to all of you for your encouragement and sweet words! I am having a lot of fun planning shoots, scouting locations, and buying props.

My daughter is having her 8th birthday in October. She is a big American Girl, Kit Kittredge fan. She likes Kit because she thinks she looks like her, and because she is also an aspiring writer. So cute! Anyway, I bought her a Kit oufit from the American Girls website and it was delivered this week. Today we had a special photo shoot with her in her new outfit. The plan was to get a great picture to use for the party invitations. I think I got some good ones. She is so excited!

Close call

2008-08-24T19:49:00.000-07:00

I turn 30 next month, and today I saw my very first tornado. At first it was just a little pencil lead shape in the clouds. I really didn't think much of it. It seemed quite harmless. Then, within about 10 minutes of watching, it slowly made its way down. We all watched in amazement as it picked up speed and strength. What an incredible force!

I took a few pictures of the scene. My kids were a little scared at first, but soon got really in to the progression of it. It was about 4-5 miles from our house, so we weren't in too much danger. Luckily, it didn't cause much damage because it just touched down in open space.

New prop finds

2008-08-22T16:36:00.000-07:00

Got up early today to scope out the garage sales in the area. I had some specific items I wanted to find for photography use. I found two great rocking chairs, a stool, and a few hats. I was very excited.

Here are a few pics of my son in the new chair.

Backdrop fun

2008-08-21T21:25:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to slowly get a studio set-up in my home. I have no idea what I'm doing or exactly what I need. I'm going off what I've seen other people do and finding little treasures of information on some of my favorite photographers' blogs.

So far, I have the stand and 4 rolls of paper for backdrops. I have yet to purchase lighting, reflector kits, or softboxes. Hopefully, in the new future those will come.

In the meantime, I decided to set up my mini studio in my dining room with as much natural light as I could muster. Here are a few pics of a quick 10 minute session with my daughter.

Here goes nothin'!

2008-08-21T14:44:00.000-07:00

So my dream has finally come to reality. Melissa Hatcher Photography is up and running. I can hardly believe it, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't scared out of my mind! Help! Is it too late to turn back?

I guess I have to have the faith that this is God's timing. He wouldn't put me here to fail...i know that. He has given me this gift and I want to use it to glorify Him in every way.

I fell in love with photography in college. Something about capturing life's little moments through a lens and having them forever, just got me. I was captivated! Compostion and light came naturally. It wasn't a thought about process. Being at a certain location at a certain time of day and picking up the camera to capture it. Wow! I just can't tell you how that feels. I love it! It is my passion and I'm excited to see what comes from this new adventure in my life!