Lets rewind, to 2007, The Day I met Tomme for the first time:  I had emailed Tomme in August of 2007 to shoot my wedding. We made a ‘date’ to meet at Starbucks that September — her signature meeting spot — still hasnt changed. I booked her and did my engagements that November. And it was love at first sight… of my first session, that is! Wink.

For those of you who has never met Tomme, she is one of those people that makes you feel all special and warm and fuzzy. She assures you that her product is the best — which, lets face it — it is!! Insert the fireworks — sparkle sparkle — our personalities meshed! Like an old movie romance. Pshh, who am I kidding. We had discussed work, swapped work and discussed work some more. We decided we liked working with each other. AND it just so happened to be that she was in need of an assistant! So, I asked for the position. Luckily, I was considered! Whoop Whoop.

A year ago this time, we met to stuff our faces in sushi at Wasabi — ahem, I mean — discuss job duties.  She gave me the ‘low down’ on what she was to expect out of me, told me more about her Gallery and what she aspires to be in the future. On my way home from meeting with her, I ended up with a flat tire. Great. Thinking to myself… is this the right decision? Is this a sign? Should I take the ‘position’? What will I gain? etc. All these questions began to run thru my head… all because a flat tire was a sign!? Ugh. BUT, luckily, I did not let the tire sway my decision. I signed the contract and sent it back to her with all smiles. And, since that day… I have loved every minute of it.  Never regretting my decision.
Tomme develops friendships with her clients that last. Our three year relationship has made us great friends and co-workers. I have thourghly enjoyed working for and with her. Tomme has taught me so much as a professional and as a friend. I would not trade my time with her or my learning experiences.

I love you TomTom! Thank you for hiring me on as a part of  your Gallery. I appreciate the time and effort you have put into teaching me become a better assistant to you. Cannot wait to see what we have instore for another year!

Smoooooooch.

xo,

erica

SO, sit back and enjoy the ride! We have lots of things coming to you in the next couple of weeks — from weddings to baby bumps to babies… sigh. The circle of life!

Tonight, I shall blog about my experience with my recent baby affairs. They were a while back, BUT I never got the chance to blog about them on here! So, catch up step one: START.

First: Master Griffin

Mr. Precious Griffin was SUCH a trooper… from the carpet to Mama and Daddy’s arms to kitchen bowls to snuggle time to pianos and fire pits… I think we maxed out on our limit! Griffin was a little over a week old when his mama and daddy decided to do his photo shoot! And lets just say… AMAZING! Griffin was a GREAT baby during his shoot. As we all came to notice, He can just about sleep ANYWHERE!

Last: Miss Lilly (starting with the glass sink bowl)

Baby Lilly was two weeks old and a tiny lil’ thing too! She was only a little over 6lbs. That’s right. Two weeks and 6+lbs! Can you believe it! Sigh. A tiny bundle of joy that did not want to give up her paci! AND her house was just amazing! I could spend days taking photos of Baby Lilly! I sure do hope I get the privilege of taking her 3 month photos! I did get the privilege of designing her baby announcements.

If you are interested in Tomme or I taking photos of your ‘wee wittle won’ — let us know. We would love to be an addition to your new addition! ha. Just email us at gallery.tommehilton@gmail.com

*Please stay tuned as we blog about our recent JUNE wedding extravaganza’s and post our {GUEST BLOGS}

Till next time,

erica.

Entering the world of ‘Beebee’ photography is quite the challenge. Not because of the other photographers out there… but because of the skill it involves, PATIENCE. Yes, many believe patience would come with the job. But dealing with adults versus a baby is different. Adults you can communicate verbally what you want them to do (not that they all listen)… but, BeeBees… well, you just have to wait, hope and pray they will work with you… and when you place them into the position you want… they might stay… or they might not. But, all ‘you’ as a photographer can do is wait. And try to make the family as comfortable as possible. Because, the more comfortable the mom is… the easier she can calm the baby. AND that is what you want and need to get great photos!

{Master Jonah experience}

We shot baby Jonah when he was 2 weeks old.  Now most 2 week old baby’s sleep A LOT. Ahem, not Jonah. Jonah apparently started that very day we shot him… with Colic. Yes, Colic. If you dont know what colic is… basically, THEY CRY A LOT! And nothing you can do will calm them… well, hardly nothing. And Poor thing, he was not happy with us. BUT, when his mom got him calmed down… these are the shots we took:

Overall, I think Master Jonah’s photos turned out well (esp. for the crying we went through!) Laugh.

Oh, Beebees. Got to love them!

Until Next time!

tomme and erica

{Stage 1} engaged.

I got engaged in August of 2007. I had seen Tomme’s work before hand and set her website aside for when I become engaged. Photography was the only thing I wanted to spend money on. It is my most important feature of my life. Not as a skill. No No… That, I am still learning. But more because of the moment each photograph holds. Photographs are irreplaceable.  And I LOVE to look back on moments and remember that ‘special day’.

I met Tomme and knew right away that I wanted to sign her. I didn’t even have to meet with any other photographer… just her. So, I signed with her and Tomme did my engagement photos that November.

{Stage 2} bridals.

I had thoroughly analyzed her work before I chose her… knowing she would produce wonderful unique images. BUT, in order for them to be as AWESOME as I wanted… I knew I had to get dirty… And I did.

For my bridals, I was in a field with grass, crickets, spiders (yuck) and mesquites (i think i ended up with 14 bites)… then I rolled around in the middle of a road… Dont worry ladies… the dirt comes out!

{Stage 3} the wedding.

Once your wedding day arrives, there is nothing to do but put your faith in your photographer. It is ALL in their hands. Because THEY ARE THE REASON YOU REMEMBER YOUR WEDDING.

{Stage 4} maternity.

My husband and I found out shortly after our wedding that we were expecting. SURPRISE to us! And of course the first thing I did was contact Tomme. DUH! Its another big moment in my life. You think I dont want me captured when I am 30+ lbs over weight! Many think not… but to be honest… Tomme made me feel like a SEXY pregnant woman. Let’s just say I walked away from this shoot feeling more confident than I did the entire pregnancy! Come on, any woman who gains 30+ lbs doesn’t feel ‘sexy’ or ‘pretty’… EVEN IF THEY ARE PREGNANT! I walked away feeling like a MODEL!

{Stage 5} baby.

And then came baby… HOUSTON! A couple weeks ago Tomme and I scheduled for her to come and shoot my baby, Houston‘s newborn photos. Sigh. Didn’t work as planned. Let’s just say Newborn photography has a different skill… PATIENCE! and more PATIENCE! and then waiting. This was our first attempt at ‘Newborn’ photography. And well… ahem, yea.

Although, I wouldn’t say it was a complete failure. Our first mistake was trying to shoot his photos during the main time Matt and I keep him awake… Oh well… But, as always, Tomme still got some great shots in between the crying…

Tomme and I called it a night. So the next day I started thinking… since I had started shooting with Tomme in October (2009), my confidence was not quite up there… I still get a little jittery before I shoot. So, I knew I had to grow a pair of… you know… and try to shoot on my own. SO, I tackled this shoot myself. AHHH. Dont worry, I did good! So good, I impressed myself! And Tomme!

{Stage 6} Family

My family (entire family) is having a photos session with Tomme this spring! So, I will be sure to post them soon!

Thanks for staying with me and reading my chronicles of life. I think its very important to develop a relationship with your photographer. Because, they are the ones that help you remember the important moments in your life. Before I was Tomme’s assistant, I told myself I would use her for every important moment in my life. Because the first time I met her, she was not just a photographer, she became a friend.

Charles Houston made his debut into the world last Monday, January 18th!

Here is Erica’s blog. I’m sure she will keep us updated on his progress!

Had to include a before and after, well… because that’s just how I ROLL!

Much love and Peaceful Cat Naps, Erica! xo