You know how some people have lapdogs? The kind of dog that waits in anticipation for the moment your tushie makes contact with the couch so that he can jump up and claim his rightful position warming your lap? You see that dog knows that as he dozes you will idly stoke him for as long as you sit there, not even really conscious of doing it. This happens over and over again until the dog has got you so trained that when you sit down in a lapdog free home you find yourself feeling oddly empty and your hands awkwardly unoccupied.

I don't have one of these:



I have a dog, and while he would love the chance to worm his way onto my lap, that position is already occupied by one of these:


I am realizing that the same principals apply to a laptop as a lapdog. The minute I sit down I pull this little baby onto my lap where my fingers idly stroke key after key for as long as I sit there. I can't seem to help myself. Even when I sit down to watch TV with my husband he has to snuggle up to me and my silver little beauty, much to his chagrin. It has gotten so bad that I put little Apple on my night stand so that I can work on her when I wake up in morning and before I start my day with the kids. In my defense, I am a great multi-tasker. I can fully enjoy whatever sitcom we are watching (although my computer stays at my desk while we watch "The Office". That kind of humor deserves your full attention) or follow the thread of a conversation while I edit photos, design marketing pieces, or check my e-mail. So I decided that I would be fully present to everything going on around me on Thanksgiving. I was hostessing so I was busy all morning cooking and making sure everything was set out just right. Then dinner started and I was so touched by the conversation and beauty of the people who sat around me that my thoughts stayed right in that moment. After dinner came some clean up, some singing around the piano to welcome in the holiday season, and game time (we set out card games, board games, and art projects on card tables throughout the down stairs so people can break off and do what ever activity appeals to them). I sat on the couch just to take it all in and watch contentedly as the people I love most engage and enjoy one another's company, but I was only content for a few minutes. I became restless and my hands felt awkward and useless as they just sat there. My lap missed the weight and warmth of my MacBook. Ohhh, how I longed, how I itched to just quietly pull it out and scan the black friday ads or respond to a couple of client e-mails, or to order my new backdrops. I almost gave in. But then I would have to admit that I can't go one whole day with out my laptop and I think that would say something really sad about me, so I resisted. Oh, I missed it, I missed it bad, but I did it.

Because I was able to do it on Thanksgiving, I decided to go one more day, just to solidify that I truly am well balanced. Friday was a special day for me anyway. When Jon asked me what I wanted for my birthday (which was the 23rd) I told him that I wanted a day off. I just wanted a day where no one made any demands on my time or attention. I wanted to sleep in, eat cheesecake for breakfast, shop at my leisure, take a nap, get a pedicure, read a book with no educational or professional merit, shop some more, and just be totally selfish with my time. It was awesome. I looked forward to it all week. Then, the morning of, I packed up my laptop and thought to myself that it would be a good day to get caught up on some business stuff undistracted. I reasoned that I love what I do, and that it wouldn't really be at odds with the sentiment of "Shama Day". In reality though, I just wasn't comfortable being away from my laptop for two whole days. How well balanced it that? So I put my laptop bag back in the closet and walked resolutely out the door.

I have to admit that before I went to bed last night I had to make sure she was charged up and ready to start today with me. For practical reasons, I tell myself, because I am doing all my holiday mini session this weekend (I am blogging in between shoots right now) and I will need to download photos throughout the day, but really I just missed her. It is the same way a lapdog person misses their snuggy warm mutt when they've been separated too long.

Come One, Come All!!!

Shama Lea Photography Studio Grand Opening!!!!

Saturday, Nov 21st 

Open House: 6:30-8:30

245 4th Street Suite 506 (roof top reception)

Bremerton, WA 98337

I have been immersed in preparation for my photography studio's grand opening. I am so excited by this event, and I have to admit, a little nervous. I can't wait to debut this lovely little space and share with everyone what I have been working on. Please come by and enjoy some great refreshments (the event is being catered by "Having a Ball Catering" and I can tell you that at least your mouth will be having a ball), fun music, great conversation, all the while enjoying a beautiful roof top view of the city and marina. I am giving away a door prize every half hour including gift certificates to a day spa and dinner at Anthony's. I am also offering exclusive discounts on print products, as well as offering 10 Holiday Card Sessions (this is a 30 min mini session to take a family photo for your holiday cards this year. The session comes with 25 custom designed holiday cards) at an amazing price. So, come one come all. Make a date out of it. You can pop by the open house, please your taste buds, book yourself a photo shoot, then take your honey to see Twilight. What better way can you think of to spend your Saturday night???

What is wrong with this picture???

Why are my tomatoes splitting like this??? Do they need more fertilizer? Are they getting too much water or too little? I don't understand because they have been producing so beautifully for the last couple of weeks. In fact they are such champion tomato plants that I am giving away tomatoes every couple of days. I just can't eat them fast enough and I don't want even one tiny perfectly round red orb to go to waste. Any suggestions on what can be done to save these poor plants?   

Stacy's Maternity Shoot

Here are a few pictures from a maternity session I did with my good friend Stacy. She was such a fun subject and was such a good sport about trying different poses and locations even though it was freezing out side. I had a really hard time narrowing down the ones to post because she was so great in all of them. Thanks Stacy for such a fun shoot!! By the way, I have no idea why this is all underlined nor do I have any idea how to change it. I will save that for another day.I couldn't decide which belly picture I liked better because they both have such different feels to them. In the end I couldn't cut either one. 

My New Business Site is DONE!!!

I have been pouring my heart and soul into redesigning my business website. It is a labor of love because I really wanted it to represent who I am as a photographer. After hours and hours of wading through color schemes, fonts, layouts, and designing and redesigning my new logo trying to figure out what felt like "me", I called in my sweet husband. I did this for two reasons, 1-there are times that he knows me better than I know myself, and 2- all things technology based come easier to him. So with my love by my side and Jon sitting next to us (by "us" I mean me and my Mac) we toiled away all weekend long and are both proud to launch: www.shamaleaphotography.com

I decided to do a redesign along with changing the name of my business from "Moments Photography" to "Shamalea Photography" a few weeks ago but have stalled because of the work involved in making a change over like that. I loved Moments photography because to me being a photographer is all about capturing those little moments that are authentic and convey a sense who a person is, but there are so many other photographers using that same name or a variation of it that I felt lost in the crowd. It occurred to me that my parents gave me a beautiful unique Irish name and that nothing could represent me better than that. I also figured that after having my name mispronounced, misspelled, and misunderstood my whole life, it was time to let it be celebrated a little, poor abused name :). I am still working on the blog, but I was just so pleased with the way the website came out that I couldn't keep it under wraps any longer. And Jon is so bursting with pride at our creative venture together that I was barley able to keep his finger from inching towards the "publish" button before the finishing touches were complete.  So check it out and let me know what you think. shamaleaphotography.com

PS-if you know any seniors who are interested in getting senior portraits, I still have a few senior rep slots available. A senior rep receives a free senior shoot and lots of incentives for referring their friends to shamaleaphotography. I am looking for energetic, fun, charismatic seniors who would benefit from being a senior rep. I only do a handful of these shoots a year so if you know someone who fits the bill have them e-mail me as soon as possible: sl@shamaleaphotography.com

Danali is one month old!

Here are a few photos from Danali's one month shoot. She was so sleepy that she wasn't even bothered when I jostled her about in a field and in the forest. I think she has resigned herself to the fact that her mother is a little nutty, especially when there is a camera in her hands. This was the first shoot that we have done together that didn't involve tears, hers or mine. She is now my favorite subject!

Three week old Danali...

This baby truly tortures me- when she isn't being the most delightful light of my life. As she is our last baby I wanted to make a really concentrated effort to photograph and document her infancy so that it didn't slip by in the craziness of everyday living. So I have done a photo shoot with her every week as she turns a new week old. EVERY time I pull the camera out my sweet snuggly girl turns into a crying pooping mach

ine. She hates being naked or uncovered in any way. In the photos where I am holding her you can see that she looks truly disgruntled even in sleep, and in the photo where she looks like she is sleeping alone my friend Monica is wrapped in a black cloth (what a good friend) and holding her because my darling girl acted like I was neglecting her whenever I tried propping her up against the back drop alone. So this is what I came up with from that shoot.