13Dec 2011 by Donna Chapla 1 Comment

Santa

Children, Family
I had the pleasure of photographing the sweetest kids last week as they visited with Santa. A local neighborhood organized a FREE pancake breakfast, a story read by Mrs. Claus, and a photo with Santa. The kids were excited to see Santa and share their lists.  A few children had put some serious time into their lists, pictures cut from ads and catalogs carefully pasted onto colorful paper, each item labeled in neat handwriting. The smiles lit up the room and Santa was amazing! He was so kind, listening carefully to each child and taking the time to chat. My favorite photo of the day is of the kids looking out the window eagerly awaiting Santa's arrival. And the adorable family pictured is responsible for this wonderful event. They cooked the pancakes, wrapped…
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15Nov 2011 by Donna Chapla 1 Comment

Autumn Evening | I Heart Faces

Uncategorized
The theme over at I Heart Faces this week is Autumn Splendor. My little man picked the last of the pumpkins tonight and was happy to pose with one of them as the light quickly faded. It was pretty dark when I took this photo but we are trying to utilize every available outdoor moment for some fun before the cold and snow arrives.  The kids rode bikes beside me as I did a trail run, we hit a few golf balls, had a mini picnic and picked pumpkins. I don't think we could have squeezed in anything  else in the limited daylight. We truly enjoyed all of Autumn's Splendor tonight. Check out the rest of the entries at I Heart Faces.com by clicking the link below.      
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09Nov 2011 by Donna Chapla No Comments

School Fun

Children
I met up with this family for an afternoon at the school the two older children attend. They had a great time playing and exploring the school grounds in a way they can't do at recess. These four siblings are wonderful children, so sweet and funny and happy... They all have a special bond and their love for each other was obvious. I was touched seeing the 3 older kids being so protective of their baby sister. It was an honor to be part of this family for a few hours.
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09Nov 2011 by Donna Chapla No Comments

Cows & Cats & Cuties

Children
I had the opportunity to photograph 2 wonderful boys at their dairy farm. It was an incredible experience for me.  There was a new litter of kittens and numerous kitties roaming the vast farm (my favorite was Jim the Cat, gotta love that name.) There were also 4 new calves.  They have huge, gorgeous eyes that make you melt when they look at you. They are very affectionate and wanted to lick and suck my whole hand, some serious saliva from these guys! My favorite calf was the little red one (I learned that "brown" cows are actually called red.) Aside from the animals and the amazing workings of a dairy farm, I got to spend time with two sweet little boys. They made my job easy, showing me around the farm…
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18Oct 2011 by Donna Chapla 2 Comments

Pink Dreams | I Heart Faces

Children, Photo Challenge
The Photo Challenge theme this week is Pink. I wasn't going to enter a photo this week because I just didn't feel inspired.  As I went to check on my sleeping daughter, I noticed her pink pjs, pink pillow, pink sheets, pink cheeks... I immediately thought it was unfortunate that I didn't  have a photo of my beautiful sleeping princess. I looked at the clock and realized I still had an hour. I grabbed my camera and got the photo posted on the blog in record time. I hope she's dreaming of all things pink. Check out all the other great photos at I Heart Faces.  
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17Oct 2011 by Donna Chapla No Comments

Fall Day

Teens
I took advantage of a gorgeous Fall day to take on a new challenge, photographing a teen. I was intimidated, so far I've only worked with children, they don't care how silly or cheesy I am. Sadly, I'm both no matter how hard I try.  I was worried about the pictures coming off as childish, or too posed. But I knew I needed  to practice and I had a willing subject to photograph. I pushed the worries aside and gave it my best. I was pleasantly surprised by how much fun I had taking the photos and interacting with this really great young man. He was fun & relaxed and both of those things made my job much easier. I hope the photos capture his personality and show some growth on my part.
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11Oct 2011 by Donna Chapla 4 Comments

Hands | I Heart Faces

Photo Challenge
This week's photo challenge theme is Hands. As you can imagine, tons of sweet, chubby baby fingers and hands were submitted. I truly enjoyed looking at all of them but thought I'd go in another direction. I took a few shots of  rough, callused hands wrapping up a hard day of work.   Check out the other entries at iheartfaces.com
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20Sep 2011 by Donna Chapla 1 Comment

I Heart Faces | A Touch of Sun

Children, Photo Challenge
  For this week's I Heart Faces Photo Challenge the theme is A Touch of Sun. We were on out way out the door last week when my daughter put on this dress. I immediately thought the colors would look great with all the "weeds" growing in the field near our home. We quickly walked across the street, already running a few minutes late for a Cub Scouts meeting. As I was setting my white balance, I looked up to see her soaking up the warm sun on this  breezy evening. I thought she looked gorgeous in the sunlight and snapped off one quick shot before she realized I had even taken a picture of her private moment.  My favorite part of the photo is the sun shining through her…
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12Sep 2011 by Donna Chapla No Comments

I Heart Faces Photo Challenge | Back to School

Children, Photo Challenge
Here is my entry for the Back to School Photo Challenge on the website I Heart Faces.  I used the photo I took of my kids on their first day a few weeks ago. We had a rough start when the school bus failed to show up because of construction on our road. When we realized the bus was not coming I drove the kids to school and arrived 20 minutes late.  Despite the rocky start, both kids had a great first day and came home on the bus. I chose this photo because I love the sign my son made the night before the big day.  He was excited about his first day of second grade and made the sign knowing I'd be snapping pics in the morning. Not…
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