Holly's Baby Bump! {Sneak Peek}

I met Holly and Dan on Saturday to capture the special moments of her growing belly! At 34 weeks she is glowing and very excited to meet her little guy. Holly really wanted an indoor shoot, and with the weather we have been having it was a good choice!

I just had time to edit a few this afternoon so here they are! Stay tuned for more.

Mini Meltdowns.

So the past couple of weeks have been a little stressful and hectic. Which led to a bit of a meltdown on Friday, but we all have meltdowns once in awhile.. right?

For the past week or so both Curt and Grayer have been quite sick, which means no sleep. I also started having computer issues a couple of weeks ago and was hopeful that it could be a quick fix. After my Step Dad worked on it for days I came to the conclusion that I needed a new one. I can usually run pretty good on little sleep, I actually get a little hyper but emotional. With the lack of sleep, being without a computer (one of my main tools for my job) and realizing I would have to bite the bullet and get a new computer led to a mini meltdown.

Of course it didn't last long, after I became a parent I soon realized those meltdowns where not worth it. There could be a lot of other things wrong and or more stressful. My son and family are perfectly healthy. So I didn't get much sleep this week, so I had to put money down when I wasn't planning on it... soon Grayer will be grown up and I will miss those midnight cuddles and sweaty palms grabbing around my neck for a sloppy kiss.

We all have our meltdowns...

These are the good times, the times I don't want to forget, the times I want to share, I want to freeze.

If I don't have work to do, I usually try to fill my evening working on something sweet! Curt loves to have baked goods in the house most of the time, so here are some of my favorites.
Chocolate chip banana bread & Chocolate chip peanut butter cookies!

Some of my other favorites lately, the best comfort soup to have, French Onion! Also loving my fish and spinach!

I met with another future bride and groom on Sunday. I am very excited for their wedding, I think it will be a blast! I so enjoy meeting clients, getting to know them and all the details of their big day!

After I got home from my meeting I decided to go for a run since Curt and Grayer were still out. It was such a beautiful brisk afternoon, defiantly going to relieve some stress or so I thought. After running for a bit and letting my mind drift in different directions I saw something run across my path up ahead, I told myself it was a giant cat and to just forget about it. As I got closer I realized it was what I was afraid of, a coyote. I just tried to keep going thinking it would run off, but it didn't. I soon saw something out of the corner of my eye, another coyote across the road.. great I am being hunted because I am only 5 feet tall was what went through my head then. I kept going, but had slowed down my pace without noticing it and realized they were following me.. I thought this was going to be a stress free run? They soon went in the other direction but I decided to pick up my pace and some rocks since my car was another 15 mins away. After I got home and had a shower I had a good laugh to myself... just my luck.
In the honor of the coyotes I have chosen this song playing, Coyote Dance ;)

All for now,
Tracie

Little Adventures/Reflection/Balance

Since it is the slow time for me, I have been loving our little adventures we go on. The spring/summer will soon be here which usually means I am working most weekends with Weddings and other special shoots. Which I am VERY excited for! I met with another bride and groom on Sunday, and hit it off with them right away. They are so kind and getting married at a beautiful location which is even more exciting! So far this summer I have 10 weddings to look forward to, hopefully more!

Since I am always behind the camera, I have made it a goal to capture a picture of that any chance I get. It's fun to find my reflection somewhere randomly. I had a picture on here awhile ago of my reflection in my Dad's toaster, well here is another in our truck.

I think having 'balance' in your life is very important. That said I have decided to try and capture random moments of balance. Here is a start..

Of course we are big fans of the dyke's. I love running there and Grayer loves to walk along and pick up the odd rock to throw it. He is pretty good at walking along without the use of a stroller now, but does have at least one hissy fit when you ask him to hurry along..



Our little adventures also include little evening outings to the playground in hopes to tire him out, usually includes a lot of "OoOo's" "WOW's" and "Mom Look!" which is music to my ears!

And of course a peanut butter sandwich in hand.. wouldn't be a little adventure without one of those :)

Any child can be satisfied for quite sometime with these two things! 

And of course there is nothing better then coming home from a brisk adventure to a latte :)



Time to go make some soup!

-Tracie

FAQ's

I have kept track of some the most popular FAQ's I have been getting so here they are with answers :)

Q: How long have you been doing this?
A: I have been doing this as a hobby for a couple of years, but decided to go professional last spring.

Q: Where does TRAY come from?
A: Tray was my nickname growing up so I decided to go with that simply because it sounded better.

Q: What editing program do you use?
A: I'm currently using Adobe Photoshop Elements 8 and I am very happy with it. It took me awhile to get the hang of it, but once you get into a routine of what you like to do it gets pretty easy.

Q: What is your photography style?
A: I like to think of my photography style as new, bright and fresh.

Q: What training have you done?
A: I received a diploma in Photography from The Photography Institute last year.

Q: What is your favorite session?
A: I LOVE all sessions I do and continue to challenge myself with each one. I must admit that Maternity sessions are very exciting to me, the anticipation and beauty of it all is amazing.

Q: What colors should we wear in pictures:
A: Any colors are good, if you are getting pictures done as a group or couple then it is better to have colors that will compliment each other. Solid colors always stand out better, try to avoid shirts with big logos on them.

Q: Where are the pictures taken?
A: It all depends on the session. I do not have a studio, so all my work is done either outside at a chosen location or inside your own home. For most inside sessions, props are provided.

Q: What website program do you use?
A: I currently just signed up with Showit and LOVE it! It is pretty simple to use and you can change it any time you want to!

Q: Was starting your business easy?
A: No. It is not easy and can have it's ups and downs. A supportive family and an outgoing personality is definitely the most important thing I think. It is a lot of time and energy but worth it if you absolutely love what you are doing and believe in yourself. There are some days I have no clue what I am doing, but that's part of the job :)

That is all for now! Stay tuned for more along the way.

-Tracie

New Look!

I have been patiently waiting for my new business cards to come in and they finally did today! I love them :)
Now I am just waiting on Gift Certificates I ordered that kind of go along with the same theme as the cards.
I have been without business cards for about a month since the other cards I had, had my old website on them so I am very happy I have some since so many people have been asking!

Sounds of Running

My plan today was to take it easy since my back has been bothering me, but I got antsy so I decided to go for a run in the rain. I LOVE running in the rain, something about it is so refreshing! As I started I thought "OK it's a lot colder than I thought". Of course you warm up as you go, so it didn't take long. When I am having trouble not focusing on the strain, I try to take in the things surrounding me. After letting my brain relax I started to hear the rain hit the water, my breath getting heavier with each minute, the wind wrapping around my ears, the gravel beneath my feet. The sound of each step keeps me going, motivated. I take a look around and appreciate the beautiful mountains hidden behind the fog. Passing by strangers with umbrellas who smile and and give me a nod. As I start to slow down and come to the end I think how peaceful this is, I wish I could listen to this while trying to fall asleep. After I finish stretching and walk back to my car I feel a natural high that almost makes you walk zigzag. Nothing is better then coming home and having a hot shower, jumping in some pj's and a hot cup of coffee :)

I feel that I cannot write a blog post and not post pictures so here are some randoms I found from Nova Scotia..

My Best friend Nicole is probably going to hate me for this, but I love and miss her and came across this editing. This was my last night there and she found this in a store and posed :)



That is all for now, I am going to do a little work tonight and curl up with a book. I am reading Unbearable Lightness by Portia De Rossi. So far so good!! Stay tuned for some of my favorite 'Love' pictures next week for Valentines.

-Tracie

Focus & more Mya!

 This week so far has been filled with work, exercise and focus. I have been reading a book that has different exercises for someone who is starting their photography business. So far it has definitely inspired me and is making me want to strive for more! Dane Sanders has a couple of books out, definitely worth checking out!
Since it has been a bit of a 'slow' time of year, there leaves a lot of time to think of where I want to be and what I want to bring to the table this year. Very exciting :)

ALSO this is what inspires me, capturing little adorable faces like this...

Mya's 1st Birthday! - sneak peek.

I was invited to join Mya and her family to celebrate her 1st birthday on Saturday! I met Mya and her family in the summer to do a family session, and since then did a few other sessions with their family members. So I was so happy when they wanted me to return to capture the moments of her special day!

Mya quickly go overwhelmed with the amount of people and needed to have a quick cat nap in the middle which was fine with me since it gave me a chance to mingle and chat with others.

I just had a chance to quickly edit a few tonight, shes soo adorable!

I LOVE her eyes!

Stay tuned for more!

-Tracie

Sarah's Shower

There is nothing I like more than a Baby Shower. Something about the food, cute little outfits, games and my favorite the decorations! A lot of work went into Sarah's shower on Saturday and I loved every detail of it. The cake was adorable!

I LOVE taking pictures of the little details that go into making it such a special day. There was even adorable keep savers from Sarah's little bean filled with Jelly Belly's!

Even the water was labeled for this special occasion!

Thanks again for having me there to share your special day!

-Tracie