Long time, no post

September 5, 2008 | Filed Under Children, Family, Mine | 2 Comments

I’m not sure what has happened to the past few weeks. We’ve been busy! And, we’ve had company, which has been wonderful. My dear friend and fellow photog, Jen, was here for the long weekend and took some fantastic images of my family. I’m posting them here because I’m just too excited about how they came out! These are priceless to me.

More posts to come! Stay tuned. And as an UPDATE: my New Mexico sessions are filling up quickly! I have 3 regular session spaces left and 3 mini-session spaces left. If you’re interested in booking with me for my New Mexico trip, contact me soon to reserve your spot!

Hope you all had a great weekend.

Senior Reps

August 26, 2008 | Filed Under Announcements, Seniors | 3 Comments

I had the pleasure this past week of shooting a couple of seniors from Temescal Canyon High School. N. and R. are two Senior Representatives for me there. They were so fun! It’s not very often that I find a guy so willing to have his picture taken. Thanks you guys!
Senior Reps get great perks! I’m looking for 4 (2 guys/2 girls) from each high school. In short, as a Senior Rep, you get half off your session fee as well as all prints and products. In exchange, you promote Rachel Clare Photography and refer your friends! When your friends book sessions with us, you get great stuff! Free 411 cards, free wallets, free prints, etc. Contact us soon to inquire. It’s not too late to sign up!

NM Holiday Mini Sessions!

August 21, 2008 | Filed Under Announcements | 1 Comment

New Dress

August 20, 2008 | Filed Under Children, Just Because, Mine | 2 Comments

I found this little dress yesterday at the Gap Outlet and nearly died. I’d buy it in a HEARTBEAT for myself if I could find it in an adult size! LOVE IT. Screams the ’70’s, right? I do resent (just a little) the fact that I was born right at the end of that era. Oh well.
We played at the park this morning and I put my little pea in her new dress. She was the fashion queen of the playground, I tell you! And unfortunately, she couldn’t have cared less.

Canvas

August 19, 2008 | Filed Under Just Because | 2 Comments

I’ve had a number of people ask me about the canvases I offer my clients. These are fantastic works of art and come pre-hung, ready to go on the wall. They are gorgeous and absolutely “make a statement”. Here are some shots of one I ordered for a client 2 weeks ago (the white border is optional). In regular full-bleed canvas wraps, the picture actually wraps around the frame. I just purchased two to go in my daughter’s room and will post a picture as soon as I get them hung (one of hers has a border and one is a full-bleed). Hopefully these images give you a better idea of how awesome these are!

PS. The news on the hard-drive crash is not good. It looks like I’ve lost everything and can’t get my old drive back. I’m trying to find the positive: this gives me an opportunity to start fresh and be MORE ORGANIZED. (Though it will take a good chunk of time to get back to where I was.) Onward and upward, right?

Bad Luck, Bad Timing

August 9, 2008 | Filed Under Announcements, Just Because | 1 Comment

I am beside myself. On Tuesday night, my hard drive crashed. While I’d backed up all photos of my own children as well as almost all of my other important images, I’d neglected to back up some important documents and I am praying they can be recovered (I’ve SO learned my lesson!!). My Mac is at the Mac Hospital, and I’m sitting vigilantly by my phone for word.

I found a quote last night in my current read which I found most appropriate…

“In that week, Laila came to believe that of all the hardships a person had to face none was more punishing than the simple act of waiting.” –A Thousand Splendid Suns

So, until I have my computer back, I won’t be posting any pictures… I hope to be back up and running by Monday. We head back to California on Tuesday, and I’ll be back to answer client/potential client emails by Wednesday evening.

Please keep your fingers crossed for me!

Tagged (and a newborn)

August 3, 2008 | Filed Under Babies, Just Because | 3 Comments

I’ve been tagged by my friend and fellow photog, Maria. So, here are 6 quirky things about me, followed by a couple of newborn pics (isn’t she a beauty??).

1. When I was 3 years old, a horse bit off the tip of my left index finger. I’d just started violin lessons. No, they didn’t sew it back on (yeah- they shot the horse, dug out the tip of my finger and re-attached it…. don’t think so), I just have a stubbier finger on that hand… I still play the violin, and my cute little stubby works just fine!

2. I hate soggy cereal. But I love cereal. So this is how I eat it: Pour milk (skim) into bowl. Add 2-3 pieces of cereal at a time. Enjoy. (One of my best friends gave me a bowl in college and the bottom was sloped! How ingenious is this?? Then, I could pour the milk into the deep end, pile the cereal onto the end sticking out of the milk, and only add one bite at a time!)

3. I have a horrible emotional habit where I form attachments to inanimate objects, and believe they have feelings. No, I’m not crazy, per say, just… weird. I hate moving because I know I’ll miss that house like crazy, and believe the house will miss us. I will never sell my ‘97 Jeep Cherokee because she has been faithful to me for the past 11 years and I love her. And while she has 160,000 miles on her and isn’t actually worth very much, I got her new and I’ve been her sole provider. And, she loves me back.

4. I love LOVE love, more than anything, having my feet tickled. LOVE. When JT sits down to watch a movie with me and says, “Okay, give ‘em to me” and proceeds to tickle my feet for 2 hours, I swear, I could not be happier. Pure endorphins, I tell you. Puts me into a comatose state in no time flat.

5. I love how my children smell. Okay, yeah, there are exceptions, but generally, I love their smells and often put my nose right in their necks while I’m holding them and just inhale. It is sweet and pleasant and… just them. Pure joy!

6. I played on a women’s rugby team in college. It was fun, though it could be fairly painful. We attended a tournament in Las Vegas once where we played against a team of 200+ lb. women. We lost.

Tag! You’re it: Jen, Jamelle, Lindsay

Gotta Love Them Cowboys

July 28, 2008 | Filed Under Just Because, Mine | 3 Comments

I love New Mexico. It will forever be my home. I love the mix of cultures, I love the green chile, I love the pick-up trucks, I love the pinon trees. I love that I have so much family in one little town. I love the smell when it rains- that of wet dirt (though my husband says that smell reminds him of tomatoes ???), I love the three rivers. Deep down, I even love the cowboy culture.

I grew up with horses and a farm and a cowgirl Mother, but never considered myself a “cowgirl” by any means. Every now and then, however, I really wish I were one. Not a fake one, like I am when I wear my cowboy hat and go ride the horses, but a real one. With boots and tight jeans and a big belt and a horse of my own… And I felt that all over again this weekend when I went (in my cowboy hat… and shorts and flipflops) to the National High School Finals Rodeo which was held here in my hometown this year. I LOVE the rodeo! [But it's sort of like my love of football and basketball- I couldn't care less about the NBA or the NFL, but I LOVE college ball].

Yeah, it’s sort of like that. I’m not sure that I’d go to many National Rodeo Circut Rodeos, but I love the National High School Finals rodeo. I love it that these KIDS are out there doing stuff that’s, well, SCARY. It’s so fun to watch. We watched the barrel races, the poles, goat tying, calf wrestling, and the fun ones- bronc riding and bull riding. I’m posting this 2 days late because I wanted to know the fate of a 17-year old Louisiana boy before I posted. JT and I were watching the bull riding when this poor kid (in a cowboy hat, not a helmet as some of those guys wear) got bucked off, went under the bull, got stomped on 3 or 4 times, then kicked in the back of the head. I was sure he didn’t survive it, and I felt so horrible the rest of the day. However, he did survive, he underwent emergency back surgery and is still in critical condition but is conscious and can feel his extremities. Knowing he’s okay, I feel that I can publish this post and gush about how much I love the rodeo and how fun it was to attend this weekend. And to let you all know that I want to be a 17-year-old rodeo finalist. Yep- that’s today’s daydream.

My little man in his new boots…

And, my favorite shot of the day…

Sneak Peek for the C. kids

July 25, 2008 | Filed Under Children | 5 Comments

Tonight: Lighting- perfect. Clothing choices- couldn’t be better. Colors- awesome. Cute kids- got it. Little Miss E. is going to end up in Milano! At one point, she looked at me and said, “Um, Rachel? Do you want me smiling, or not smiling?” ARE YOU KIDDING ME?? I love 6 year old girls!! The boys, not so interested, but I CAUGHT them anyway! Cute, cute kids. So here you go Cassie- I hope you are as happy with them as I am! Thanks for coming out in the wind tonight. Despite that, I think the evening was PERFECT for a photo shoot!

Also known as…

July 23, 2008 | Filed Under Children, Just Because | 3 Comments

PROCRASTINATION:

Procrastination is a type of behavior which is characterized by deferment of actions or tasks to a later time. Psychologists often cite procrastination as a mechanism for coping with the anxiety associated with starting or completing any task or decision.
For an individual, procrastination may result in stress, a sense of guilt, the loss of personal productivity, the creation of crisis and the disapproval of others for not fulfilling one’s responsibilities or commitments. These combined feelings can promote further procrastination. While it is normal for people to procrastinate to some degree, it becomes a problem when it impedes normal functioning. Chronic procrastination may be a sign of an underlying psychological or physiological disorder.

Or maybe, I’m just lazy and don’t want to do anything productive tonight. I’ve got laundry to fold, an entire house to organize and clean, a whining dog outside my window waiting to be appeased, a little boy to wake up and take to the bathroom, floors to vacuum, and dishes to put away. Among a WHOLE LOT OF OTHER THINGS. But alas, I’m going to finish this post, check my email and go read before falling asleep with the light on and the book in my hands.

Here are some shots from a few weeks ago- the GIRLS at the park. (Doesn’t happen very often in this family!) All the boys were off engaging in other activities (hikes, swimming lessons), so we decided to take the girls out!

(Note: they’re not yet into “working” the camera, but dang- they’re cute!)