We are in Portland!

We made it! We packed up the boxes, loaded the truck, drove the looooong drive, unloaded the truck, unpacked the boxes and are settled-ish until we find a more permanent place and do it all again. In the craziness, I barely uploaded images from a gorgeous session and didn't even have time to look through them until tonight when I connected my hard drive and saw this...

and fell in love!

Just looking at it makes me homesick for those mountains, that sweet family 

and wishing I had discovered the location sooner!

Can't wait to go through the images to see the rest!

Horses and Scrabble - Salt Lake City Family Photographer

You know a session is going to be lots of fun when it involves horses, scrabble and a gorgeous family!

 

Just a little sneak peek...can't wait to share more from this lovely session!

I'm Back!!! Last Chance Salt Lake Special

My little lady is getting bigger. Following in the footsteps of her older siblings, she has outgrown 0-3 month clothes at a mere 5 weeks and is sporting some seriously adorable chipmunk cheeks and a pudgy little double chin. Everywhere we go, people (including me) just want to squish her little chubs!

A not-so-newborn baby also means that my maternity leave is quickly drawing to a close. I have been pulling out the camera to capture life more and more lately and every time I do I get that giddy feeling that comes from doing something you absolutely love! As such, I am so excited to announce that I am now scheduling sessions for July 18th and beyond!

In light of our upcoming move, I will only be able to schedule sessions through August 6. I know that is a pretty small window of opportunity, so to make up for limited availability, I am sweetening the deal with a Last Chance Special for my wonderful clients here in Salt Lake.

While I am extremely passionate about providing you with gorgeous prints to display in your home, the timeline of our move will make the logistics of print orders complicated, so I have decided to offer an  all-inclusive session for $350 which will include a disc of the images from your session released for printing any size! (If you would like to order prints, they will still be available, however the turnaround will be longer).

In addition to being a great savings, this is likely the last opportunity to get smileabunch photography images for your Christmas Card. I will try to accommodate as many clients as possible, but I know that my schedule will fill up quickly, so contact me as soon as possible if you want to schedule! 

As I have mentioned before, I am so very grateful to my clients here in Salt Lake who have made my first year in business so enjoyable! I have loved getting to know you and your families and will be ever grateful that you have invited me into your lives to capture such sweet and special moments. I have some fun things in store for smileabunch photography later this year (extreme makeover edition!) and I hope you will continue to stay in touch here on the blog, on the facebook page or by email. Salt Lake will always be "home" to me and I will continue to schedule sessions when I come back to visit (frequently)!

sleepy

It is true what they say...you forget how hard it really is to cope on the limited sleep you get with a newborn in the house. And, despite my best intentions to get on the ball and start scheduling sessions, packing for the big move and taking one month pictures (I can't believe my baby is already a month old!), all I can do is sit on my couch and snuggle sleepily with this sweet little girl while the big kids run circles around us. I promise this is the week when I will get on the ball and make things happen, but today I am just going to love this happy sleepy life of mine!

smileabunch photography is moving to Portland

Earlier this year I mentioned that my hubby was starting the last semester of his Doctor of Nurse Practice program and I am happy to report that we survived it (barely) and early in May he graduated!!! Woo Hoo! Then he passed his boards!!! Another WOO HOO! And after interviewing, receiving some great offers and lots of prayer, it is official...he has accepted a job and we are moving our family to Portland, Oregon!!!

The decision to move out of Salt Lake has been a hard one for me. I have lived in Salt Lake my entire life and I love it here. I love many many things about Salt Lake, but most of all, I love being surrounded by family and friends. I was perfectly content to find a home big enough for our growing family, plant our roots and stay here the rest of our lives. But after a lot of persuasion from my husband and a lot of reassurance from friends who know the ropes of living far away from family, (and a lot of ignoring my mom's protests...love you mom!) I am convinced that we will enjoy this new adventure and know that it is the right choice for our family right now.

I am so excited for all of the amazing photography opportunities that await in Portland and can't wait to get settled and up and running there! In our short adventure there to look for houses last week, I can already tell that I am going to love the greenery everywhere, the trees, the fields, the bridges, the architecture, the proximity to the beach, the food, the community and the people! I am also excited to perfect my "shooting in the rain technique" and maybe even meet some of the photographers up there who I blogstalk admire. ;)

I am so grateful for my wonderful clients here in Salt Lake and will be taking sessions when we come back to visit (which we plan to do often...feel better mom?). I will announce Utah session openings to subscribers of my email list for priority booking (you can sign up for that here), and then on the smileabunch photography facebook page (go here and click like) and here on the blog (you can get email updates when there is a new blog post here). I am excited to continue to capture your families and children as they grow and change!

I will also be opening my schedule for a few sessions in a few weeks before we move and I will post more details as that gets a little closer (and after I have scheduled with those who are on my waiting list) so check back soon!

Happy Fathers Day

Wishing you a very happy Father's Day!

Make sure you give the fathers in your life a great big bear hug today!

Ellie has Arrived

 

Ellie Tate

Born June 1, 2011

4:35 pm

8 lbs. 15 oz.

20.5 inches long

She is healthy, sleepy and so very sweet!