Wendy VonSosen Photography » Uncategorized

Welcome Charley Kate | Bay Area Newborn Photographer

wenderful — Fri, 18 May 2012 23:48:40 +0000

Charley KateAs you’ve probably already gathered from sporatic pictures I’ve posted on Facebook and Instagram, my youngest sister had a baby not too long ago. I was honored to be able to be there with her and her husband for the actual birth. It was an incredible experience to watch little Charley Kate come into the world. It reminded me so much of my own babies and what a miracle each one of them is. There is nothing like watching a new life come into the world.

Charley Kate has been welcomed with many open arms and she is doing wonderful at home with her big brother, Hudson.

I am so excited to share the birth of Baby Charley! Her newborn sessions will be posted soon!

Art Display Project | Deb Schwedhelm

wenderful — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 16:51:27 +0000

I have been soaking up all of the creativity and beauty of this project in the past couple of weeks. Each post makes me want to change something in my house, similar to when I veg on the couch with a hot drink and Pinterest. Today I’m feeling like purging all of my clutter, moving to a quaint 1920s bungalow, and remodeling all of my bathrooms. Thanks, Deb Schwedhelm. I probably won’t get to that today, but I’m definitely going to add to my ‘to-do’ list, creating family albums from all of our pictures. How cool are those?

One of the challenges of being a military family and moving every 2-3 years is trying to make your belongings work, from home to home. The homes we have lived in over the years have all been so very different — in style, square footage, layout, etc. Our last home in Kansas was 2700 square feet, 5 bedroom and 3 bathrooms. Our home, here in Tampa, is a 1920s spanish-style home, 1600 square feet, 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. We do our best with making our furniture work from house to house, but photographs seem to come and go. There’s a bunch in our storage facility right now, due to lack of wall space. I also like to have a good mix on my walls — my photographs, photographs from others (that’s I’ve purchased) and art prints.

This is our living room entryway. The large print is 34×34 framed. I wish it was much larger.

My family books. One of my greatest treasures. I’ve been making an annual family book ever since I started photography, in 2006. I’ve blogged about my book-making process quite a bit over the years. My book this year was over 108 pages. They make my heart so happy and I love that the kids will periodically pull out the books and start looking at them, giggling as they do. I can’t wait to look at these books 10 years from now.

If you turn 180 degrees from the credenza, you see our living room fireplace, which displays my most favorite family photograph, taken by Leah Zawadzki, while we were stationed in San Diego. This is another photograph I wish was larger, but it has moved this way from house to house. Do you see the HOPE in the print? Many people don’t at first.

The display shelves in my little one’s shared bedroom. They’re always doing little projects so the shelves have taken on a mix of photographs, art prints and craft projects.

And my 14-year-old’s display shelves. This is where Kiele keeps many of the photos of her Dad. He lives in California and they are only able to see each other a few times a year.

This is our bedroom dresser. It’s a mix of old treasures, mostly of my kids, when they were babies.

And the bedroom nightstand, which has a homecoming photo, from Steve’s military homecoming in 2008 (photographed by Peta Mazey).

The start of a wall collage in my office. I plan to keep adding framed prints to this wall. The ‘Remember Who You Are.’ print is one of my polaroids printed as a 20×20.

The inspiration boards, to the left of my desk, which has become quite the mix of inspiration, drawings from my kids and photographs. This area changes with time and seems to be getting messier and messier but…I love it.

This is really the only real hallway in our entire house. A lensbaby photo of Sky on one wall and a portrait of each of the kids on the other wall.

I have a pretty big mix of custom and store-purchased frames throughout my house. These silver frames are from CB2. I love them because you can have vertical and horizontal displayed side-by-side in the same frame. Not a bad price either.

My husband just finished renovating our main bathroom yesterday (although still missing some of the hardware). I put this photo up, but I might end up doing a collage something like the image on the right. Still deciding. So proud of my husband and so excited to finally have a second bathroom back.

Thanks, Deb!

Thank you, Tamara!

If you’ve missed any of my guest bloggers for this project, you can find the right here:

Joyce Smith

Stacey Woods

Aubry Startin

Breeze Floyd

Carey Pace

Nancy Lary

Jules Trandem

Amy Lockheart

Jasmine Johnson

Hope Toliver

Kristina Buskirk Sara

Tegman

Gail Pomare

Elisabeth Ross

Tamara Burross

Art Display Project | Hope Toliver

wenderful — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 14:42:37 +0000

I’m so excited that Hope Toliver agreed to share a glimpse of her home with us today! I love that she’s sharing both the art on her walls and the art that’s in transition because, in reality, whose house is really ever “done”? I have a stack of images that I’ve printed out and have no plan for … yet, sitting in my office. Hopefully by the end of the month I will have a plan for it all. And, Hope, I am so envious of that hallway. It has the most beautiful light! (Take a peek at Hope and her beautiful girls making good use of that hallway HERE.)

I have had a huge love affair with photography for quite a while, but I’m sad to say that i don’t have any work of my own currently framed. I’ve had the best of intentions and even have a folder on my pc for those images that I consider canvas worthy.

But for now, I proudly display the work of other artists.

At the entrance to my home, I have this large signature frame with a rather tiny (4 by 6) print.

In my daughter’s “piano lounge” we have a wall that I hope to eventually make a gallery wall, with several framed images. For now, there is an image of my oldest and two gallery framed 11 by 14 images of our twins. I love seeing the comparison from them at 3 weeks to 2.5 years old.

Above the fire place, we have a 20 by 24 family maternity image and then two collage frames with images from our wedding day and engagement session.

Here are several other images I have purchased with the goal of framing but haven’t gotten around to it yet.

Photos by:

John Lew, Denice Toombs, & Brenda Horan

Lora Swinson

Here are some of my own favorite images of 2011 that will be printed as canvases and soon be displayed on my own walls.

Thanks for looking!

Thanks, Hope!

If you’ve missed any of my guest bloggers for this project, you can find the right here:

Andddddd…we have a winner | The Bloom Forum Giveaway | Bay Area Photographer

wenderful — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 23:44:37 +0000

Unlike my sister Jennifer aka Tatertots and Jello, I do not do regular giveaways or contests on my blog. Therefore, I have no idea how to get my image from Random.org to my blog. So you’ll just have to trust me that, using the entries from 1-29, lucky #24 was chosen. That means Kat wins a year membership to the wonderfully fabulous Bloom Forum!!!

Thank you for all of the entries. Even if you didn’t win, please consider joining the forum. You will not regret it!

Happy Weekending!!!

Fifty-Two on Friday: Shoes | Bay Area Photographer

wenderful — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 04:58:30 +0000

I’m not really a shoe person.

I have cankles so lots of shoes don’t look good on me.

I’d rather spend my money on a lens or a pair of jeans or something fun for my kids. So I didn’t have any favorite shoes for this week.

And at this point my kids’ shoes are well worn and not very inspiring.

But what did inspire me was the light coming in from the french doors as I was thinking about this assignment. So I rummaged through my daughter’s closet and found her homecoming shoes. I set the self timer, stuck my feet into those heels, and stood in the doorway.

Viola!

Shoes

Now head on over to Breeze Floyd Connecticut Photographer for her rendition of this week’s SHOES theme.

20 on Tuesday: Desiree Hayes!

wenderful — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 21:06:53 +0000

boudoir: is a lady’s private bedroom, sitting room or dressing room.

Boudoir Photography is hot right now. And my favorite boudoir photographer is the amazing Desiree Hayes. She celebrates the beauty of women of all shapes and sizes tastefully and beautifully. Although I don’t shoot boudoir myself, I share the belief that all women should have the opportunity to feel as beautiful on the outside as they are on the inside. I’m often drawn to photographers who specialize in things that I don’t photograph myself. Desiree is no exception. She is incredibly honest and generous in her knowledge and incredibly funny. I was thrilled when she was up to the 20 on Tuesday task because I’m fascinated by what she does. (And because she is wickedly sarcastic on top of it!) Without further ado:

Hi Desiree,

Photography by Krissy Alori

Where are you from?

I moved a lot when I was in elementary school but mostly grew up in Stanwood, Washington.

Where is home now?

Southern California

Are you formally educated or self-taught in photography?

Self-taught

What made you decide to specialize in boudoir?

My sister in law had me do some for her and I LOVED it.

How long does your typical session last?

One hour-ish

Have you had your own boudoir portraits done?

I have, by Denise Kramer. It was really fun. I’ve done a couple self timer couple ones of my husband and I too. They hang on the wall in our bedroom and master bath. LOL

What is your favorite way of making your clients feel comfortable during a session?

I try to make them laugh to break the ice. A little booze never hurt either (champagne. LOL!)

I would imagine there are far more women that want to do a boudoir session that actually do because they don’t feel that they have the “perfect” body. What would you say to those women?

I just show them my horrid stretchmarks and floppy mom gut. They say “oh wow.” Nobody cares after that. I’m serious. HAHA I used to be pretty big so when I lost it all, I got this stomach from hell. I think too because I spent a lot of my life as a “fat girl” I have “fat girl” personality. I don’t think anyone ever feels like I am judging their body. At least I hope they don’t because I am NOT.

What’s the most memorable reaction you’ve gotten from a client after seeing their images?

I once had a husband email me to say thank you because his wife finally saw herself as beautiful the same as he saw her all those years anyways. I was thinking “AWWWW!”

Name a photographer you would like to take a portrait of?

You know this is funny because over 50% of my clients ARE photographers. I think I have seen a lot of them naked already. ;)

What’s in your camera bag?

5DII + 35L (and backup crap that I rarely use.)

When you’re not photographing, where can we find you?

It’s a recession so lately, at home playing Super Mario with my hubby and kids. I can kick all their butts. Prior to that, probably at Happy Hour having a margarita. LOL

If not a photographer what would you have been?

A midwife. I still look occasionally look at the courses @ Seattle Midwifery. I went to doula training there in 2001 and thought it would be awesome to get into their midwifery program.

If you could live anywhere on this awesome planet where would you build your dream home?

I HATE the cold so it would have to be somewhere warm. I love North Shore Oahu, maybe there……

What talent would you most like to have?

I wish I could dance. You should see me at Zumba, I look like a newborn colt that is learning how to walk. I still go because it’s fun but I’m always hoping no one I know sees me.

What are the three words your spouse would use to describe you?

I just asked him and his exact words were “horny, loud, and stubborn.” I would have said “stubborn, horny, and spontaneous” if I didn’t ask him.

Something that is over rated…

it’s a toss up between shopping and jewelry

Your favorite movie of all time?

Mermaids, the one with Cher.

If you could change one thing you did while starting your photography business, what would it be?

Figure out the numbers. I was eating money for so long by not even knowing my “break even” point. It’s sets you back A LOT.

Name one blog you stalk regularly.

http://blog.mrslilien.com/

Desiree’s work can be found HERE.

Thank you Des!!!

Hailee: Class of 2011 | Middleton Senior Photographer

wenderful — Mon, 03 May 2010 18:09:25 +0000

Meet Hailee. She’s one of my Senior Reps for the class of 2011!

We headed out on Friday night under cold and windy conditions hoping the weather was a little better downtown, only to find it colder and rainy there. But by the time we parked, gathered our things, and headed out of the parking garage, the rain had stopped and the sun had come out. We had a great time exploring the alleyways of the city. We had so much fun, in fact, that we shot another round of pictures in a local field on Sunday as the sun was going down.

Hailee was so much fun! She was never short on smiles and was willing to try just about anything. Just my kind of senior!

If you see Hailee around, ask her for one of her Senior Rep cards. If you bring it to me at your senior session, you’ll get 8 free wallets!

i heart faces: “smiles”

wenderful — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 17:28:02 +0000

Head on over to iheartfaces this week. It will make you “smile”.

Faking it: Part 3! | Middleton Idaho portrait photographer

wenderful — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 17:43:36 +0000

Remember THIS post from over a year ago?

Where the discussion around the dinner table was about how Erik thought he needed glasses and I thought he just WANTED them?

Well, it turns out he does want them but he also needs them.

I finally took him in at the request of the school nurse. His eyesight is actually pretty close to 20/20 but he has a prism problem? His eyes are rotated in slightly and they are always straining to straighten out.

He gets a lot of headaches.

He officially needs glasses.

He was SO excited! It’s been a LONG week waiting for the wonderful people over at Family Eyecare Specialists to have the glasses ready. But they called this morning and we picked them up.

And loves them!

You can go ahead and award me Mother-of-the-Year right now. It’s only been over a year since he started complaining about his eyesight. Live and learn I guess.

I’m guest posting over at my sister’s fabulously popular blog Tatertots and Jello today. It’s the first in a series on how to take better pictures. GO check it out.

Happy Thursday!

LIFE IS GOOD lifestyle sessions | Boise lifestyle photographer

wenderful — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 15:06:17 +0000

The sun was shining, but there was a bite in the air. The trees were beginning their annual transformation from green to gold, red, and orange. Fall was surely on its way to southwest Michigan. It was a typical weekend as my family piled into our wood-paneled blue Ford LTD station wagon, headed to one of our favorite fall destinations. As our wagon made its way out of the city limits, street lights and businesses became scarce and more pastures and farms appeared. The magic of fall could be seen in the groves of colorful trees and the golden fields. When it was obvious that we were in the heart of the country we pulled into a dirt drive and up to a farmhouse surrounded by apple orchards. The door to our trusty wagon opened and out we stumbled, stretching our legs and inhaling the sweet smell of apples and the wonderful aroma of fried homemade donuts. Before we were rewarded with what we had come for, it was essential that we picked our obligatory bushel or so of apples. But we knew that the faster we picked, the closer the donuts were. Soon the bushel was filled to the brim and my mom gave us the “go-ahead”. In the barn, as we vigorously rubbed our hands together, my dad bought each of us a cup of hot cider and a freshly fried old-fashioned cake donut. Mmmmmm! Our favorite!

When I think of family traditions, this is the tradition that comes to my mind. This is how I remember our trips to the apple orchard. I may not remember how often we made the trip or what I was wearing when I went or what we talked about in the car on the way. But I distinctly remember the smell of the fall Michigan air, the warmth of the cider and the deliciousness of those scrumptious donuts. More importantly, I remember that we were together doing what we loved, as a family. It’s a memory that I hope to never forget. It’s a tradition that’s near and dear to each member of my family. I wish we had pictures.

When you think of your childhood, what are the things you most looked forward to? What memories will you create for your own children? I would love to record those moments for you to keep as heirlooms for your family. To find out more, click HERE.