Lisa Russo Photography Blog

End of 2008 Wrap-Up!

Lisa — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 03:45:05 +0000

Well, we’ve come to the end of another amazing year! I photographed so many wonderful little ones and their families in 2008. I truly have THE most amazing job.

I will be out of the office for two weeks starting tomorrow. I will be back on Monday, January 5th. Any calls and e-mails will be returned promptly at that time.

I do have a few openings in January - an afternoon appointment on the 10th, the 17th and a morning of the 24th. So if you wanted a holiday session and I wasn’t able to fit you in, just let me know if you’d like a session in January.

As always - if you’re having a baby, let me know as soon as possible! I always make time to fit newborns into my schedule.

After I return, I plan to work on my annual year-in-review slideshow. The 2007 version was viewed so many times - I can’t wait to do one featuring all of my amazing 2008 clients!

Personally, it was a great year for the Russo family. We saw the addition of Lulu and Annie (and all the dirt that comes with them, but I’m pretending it doesn’t really exist). Our little miracle Ava turned 3 (going on 16) and decided it was ‘all dresses all the time’ and Aidan turned 9 and promptly inserted his head into a very thick cloud that I hear will remain until he’s around 20. Goody!

Speaking of my two little monsters:

It was also a great year for my chair, since there’s less of me sitting in it.

2007:

And now, minus about 30 pounds (Ava’s three…the ‘baby weight’ excuse was past the expiration date ):

OH, and since he’s not seen that often, I told Vic he had to sit so I could meter for the shots he was going to take of me (gotcha!). Here’s the Mr. himself:

Technology-wise, the above shots were taken with my awesome new 5Dii. And since the 5Dii files are so ginormous (seriously, it’s a 21mp camera), I had to squeeze in a 2008 tax writeoff add a new Dell desktop to my arsenal. It has 6 gb of ram, nVIDIA graphics, 640 gig hard drive, and it’s an XPS gamer model so it glows a funky neon blue color and revs (literally) when it starts up. And don’t you think for one SECOND that my inner geek didn’t squeal with delight. Vic says I need to add another 24" monitor so I can run dual screens, but SHEESH, I’m not THAT much of a geek. Or am I? Hmmm…..

Thank you to ALL of my amazing clients this year. I look forward to seeing many of you again in 2009 so I can tell your little ones to STOP GROWING UP so quickly. The stinkers never listen to me, but I do try. I also can’t wait to meet all of the bitty new ones joining the world next year. It’s an exciting time, and I’m thrilled to help you capture it.

Happy Holidays!!

It really is such a shame she’s so shy and introverted.

Lisa — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 02:19:34 +0000

As soon as she saw me, she screeched “That’s my mommy - right THERE!!!” Then I pointed to Vic, which resulted in an enthusiastic “AND my DADDY! That’s my daddy right THERE!!!” (repeat twice). It got quite the giggle from the crowd.

Much like her brother, she has no fear of performing.

To the photographers out there, these were shot with my brand spanking new Canon 5D Mark II. At what ISO you ask? How about 2500?? Wowza this camera rocks. Would I blow these up to 20×30s? No. But if I can get usable shots at 2500, just imagine how sweet 1600 is.

Last Sneak Peek of 2008 | Riya | Atlanta Child and Family Photographer

Lisa — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 01:44:58 +0000

So how is it possible that my adorable little ones just get MORE adorable as time goes on? Seriously. I think it’s nature’s way of making up for the personality volcano that’s soon to erupt (moms of 2 and 3 year olds - am I right or am I right?).

Well, if little Riya is any indication…her mom is in for a treat! Because this girlie….well, let me just show you, with one of my favorite images from our session:

Oh my goodness, those CHEEKS! This was my third time photographing Riya this year, and it’s just been such a treat. She turned ONE on Sunday (Happy Birthday!!) - here she is in her fancy party dress:

I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned her eyelashes in the past. But if not…

And some love from mom and dad…

Rohini and Ashish, thank you once again for sharing your beautiful girl’s first year with me!

Technical Difficulties

Lisa — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 21:32:09 +0000

So it turns out the ‘7′ on my phone is DELETE, while the ‘9′ is SAVE. Which means I accidentally deleted 3 messages last week from folks calling about sessions. Oops!

It’s December, so I’m allowed to be a little backwards, right?

If you called me - and I didn’t call you back - just try again. I promise to hit the right button this time. And I apologize for deleting you.

Final sneak peek of ‘08 coming up later…

Alexandra | A Sneak Peek | Marietta and Atlanta Newborn Photographer

Lisa — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 00:38:48 +0000

Sweet little Alexandra was my last newborn of 2008 . But what a perfect way to end the year! Since she’s my last sweet baby, this is an extra-special long sneak peek.

Isn’t she beautiful?

With her stunning mama…

And you know I love baby feet. Especially when she’s being held by daddy…

How about a little pink girlie on her daddy’s pink caddy?

Big sister Sophia helping Alexandra figure out where her nose is…

Cristina and Joe, thank you again for sharing this wonderful time in your lives with me!

Cali | A Sneak Peek | Roswell, Georgia Child and Family Photographer

Lisa — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 02:01:11 +0000

I’m almost caught up! Only two more sneak peeks to go this holiday season. I met ADORABLE little Cali just this past weekend, after we had to reschedule from a rainy November day.

I usually post images go in order, but I’m going to start with a couple of shots from near the end of our session. Just because they make me so happy. And there’s nothing wrong with mixing things up!

Seriously. Her little chubby cheeks…blue eyes…happy smile…reminds me SO MUCH of my Aidan. I had to call Vic in when I was editing to show him. He agreed.

The whole wonderful family - and as you know, dogs are family!

Mom requested the ‘bottom on the scale’ shot. And I’m always happy to oblige!

This one definitely falls into the category of ’shots I wish I had of me with my kids.’

Hellllooooooo cuteness!

Cami and Terry - thank you for sharing your ADORABLE little sweetie with me!

Patterson | A Sneak Peek | Atlanta Children’s Photographer

Lisa — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 04:20:00 +0000

Oh my goodness, can it be? TWO sneak peeks in one day? Oh yes!

Mr. P has a special place in my heart - and many of you may recognize him. I’ve been photographing him ever since he was still inside his momma’s perfect little belly. Now that he’s growing up (waahhh!), the fuzzy hair has flattened out, but he still has those amazing eyelashes!

I was quite pleased to find out that my Ava isn’t the only little stinker in town who has moved into the “do everything myself!” stage. Patterson? Oh yeah, he’s right there with her! But look at that face! I’d forgive him anything.

Seriously, this family is so beautiful (inside and out!). What do we think? Abercrombie, J Crew, Ralph Lauren…Gap?

Donna, Johnny and Patterson - thank you for yet another amazing session! See you in February!

Hunter | A Sneak Peek | Kennesaw, Georgia Children’s Photographer

Lisa — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 03:23:22 +0000

Phew! I’m still chugging along with sessions - trying to get everyone edited and live in time for the holidays! Thanksgiving put me behind by a few days - I thank all of my wonderful clients again for their patience.

Meet adorable little Hunter. Who has the BLUEST eyes I’ve ever seen. I did not retouch his eyes in any of these images - they just really are that blue!

We had a lot of fun inside where it was warm…

Then bundled up and headed outside in the *freezing* cold. And just like all of my other little troopers this Fall, while mom, dad and I were shivering, Hunter didn’t seem to mind the cold one bit!

I think I squealed when mom pulled out this hat. And I loved it so much, I ordered two (pink and blue) the minute I got home! Favorite!

And I’ll wrap up with a portrait of mom and dad. Are these two gorgeous or what??

Etta & Sam | A Sneak Peek | Atlanta Newborn Photographer

Lisa — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 20:39:25 +0000

Sweet little Etta. She was one of my older newborns, and I always let mom know that once baby is over a week or so, we might not get those curled up newborn shots.

Well. Etta must have overheard me and thought to herself “Harumph! I’ll show HER!”

I also told mom that my 2 week olds sometimes don’t want to sleep. Hmmm…..

After proving me very, very wrong, I got to meet Miss Etta’s big brother. Who - seriously - needs to work that personality into a fabulous career someday. I could have chatted with Mr. Sam all day.

The two beautiful ladies of the family…

And dad and his little girl…

I have so many I could share…but I’ll wrap up with this one. Because it cracks me up. I think she’s saying “See, I TOLD you so!”

Marni and Julian - thank you for sharing your beautiful family with me!

Outtakes and Blog Posts

Lisa — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 18:49:35 +0000

I decided to squeeze in a little photo session with my kids yesterday after Ava’s nap. I’m slamming to finish my clients’ sessions, but Vic informed me that we MUST (we meaning *I*) do Christmas cards. After being outside the past few years, I decided to set up my little indoor studio this year. Ava wasn’t too thrilled with the idea….or the fact that she couldn’t wear her Dora shirt. Ummm…mostly the shirt.

(I love the teary red-rimmed eyes and ‘How DARE you do this to me!’ expression. I really don’t know where she gets that expression from. It’s a mystery.). But if anyone can cheer her up, it’s her big brother. This is literally 30 seconds later:

In other news, it recently occurred to me that I always respond to blog posts directly. But perhaps I should respond here, in case someone else had the same question. So from here on out, I will do just that. So if you post a comment with a question, come back here to find the answer. And thank you for posting. I love blog posts - they make me happy. Almost as happy as my front-loaders. Which have made my house a much cleaner place to be. Did you know you can wash pillows in them? Oh yes. They’re magic.