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If you have been following my facebook page, you might have seen the photo I have created for this lovely family. It reached over 4500 people in the short time it's been up and it got tons of the new facebook reactions. And I can see why! But let me tell you about my personal reaction ..... It was early March, I decided to advertise my services on the local buy sell trade facebook groups. Caryn contacted me soon after that. We talked a bit and after the usual chit chat, Caryn has told me something that broke my heart and left me speechless. She told me that her three beautiful young children had lost their father last year. My heart sank. I couldn't imagine what she must be going through, what her children must be going through. Luckily, I haven't had to feel the pain of such a huge loss. The only people I have lost are my grandparents. And I was too young to understand, or realize what had happened. I was shocked. I didn't know what to say. All I wanted to do is say something.... something that would make her feel better, silly me, right? Like some stranger she has never really talked to could say anything that would make the pain.... less real? I remember staring at the message Caryn sent me. My fingers were resting on the keyboard of my laptop. They kept lifting up, ready to type. It was like they were yelling at me to just SAY SOMETHING. She knows you've seen the message... you have to type something. But my brain just didn't go hand in hand with my heart in that moment. You know, when there are so many emotions in your heart, you feel so much, but your brain just can't transform these emotions into words? That's how it was for me. I went back to the message to see how long it took me to say something. It took me 8 minutes to find the right words. 8 minutes that felt like such a long time. After that, all I could bring myself to say was "I am very sorry for your loss" . I felt so stupid. How many times must she have heard that? Is that really all you could come up with? Come on Theresa...... I wanted to say so much more. Lucky for me though, she had also asked if there is any way she could get one of those memorial shots done, so I added questions about what exactly she had in mind. Great. I avoided it. I'm such a coward. We went ahead and booked the session. I had this picture in mind that I would create for her. I thought about it for such a long time, I did research, I talked to fellow Photographers. I wanted to make this perfect. I may not be great with words, but what's that popular and famous saying? "a picture is worth a thousand words" And I couldn't agree more. I knew I could make up for my lack of words. Make up for it with the photo composite I had in mind. After hours of research, days of photoshop work, tons of cussing involved, I finally created this photo for Caryn and her family.  Of course this wasn't the only reason Caryn hired me. She also wanted family photos, photos of her children. And we all had such a great time together. When I got out of the car to meet them, her kids came up to me and hugged me right away. About 20 minutes into the session, her youngest daughter Ashley started holding my hand and asking me to come to dinner with them after the session. She was such a sweetheart and she trusted me right away. She even came up with some poses, and so did her sister Camryn. I could have hung out with this family for days, it was soooo much fun!    
Even the little boy, Lukas, warmed up to me just enough so I could capture a few smiles. He is on the autism spectrum and has ADD. I was so impressed with how well he handled the session, which would be a challenge for any child his age! He was so well behaved and cooperated in his own way :-) I'm glad we got some really good photos of him and with him. And I'm sure his mom is too. He's such a handsome little guy and he is loved by his family so much!       What I thought was just a normal inquiry, turned out to be one of my most favorite sessions up to this day. Not just because of the amazing photos I was able to take, but also because I got to meet this family and spend so much time with them. It was and is a huge honor. I want to thank you, Caryn, for choosing me to capture these special moments for your and your family.  Theresa Burkhart Photography, located in SPOKANE, WA
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Getting engaged is so exciting! From the proposal, the moment leading up to it, to all the time and dedication that goes into planning the wedding, it's such a emotional time! It can be stressful, it can be draining, but it is all so worth it. Because no matter how many disagreements about -who to invite, what food to serve, if round or square tables are more convenient- you might have, in the end, you are getting married to the love of your life. Jamie and Corey booked me for their engagement session, and I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE engagement sessions! I get to capture the love between two people who decided to spend the rest of their life with each other. It is so special and important to have these photos taken. Your life is about to change, you're making a big step towards happiness. With your engagement session you're freezing time. You let your photographer preserve these memories, the love, the excitement before the big day. I'm sure Jamie and Corey will forever cherish these photos. And so will I! With this, I want to give Jamie and Corey my congratulations on starting something BEAUTIFUL. I'm wishing you love, luck and happiness to last you today, tomorrow and forever. You are such a beautiful and heartwarming couple and the perfect match for each other! Thank you so much for choosing me to take these wonderful photos of the both of you.
     
 Theresa Burkhart Photography, located in SPOKANE, WA
Are you interested in booking a session with Theresa Burkhart Photography? Click on the button below to get information and details! If you've been following my blog posts, you probably saw Part I of the Utz Session. If you haven't - check it out here! This is Part 2. And unlike other sequels - this one is actually really good, if not better than the first one! ;-) I have honestly never been this happy with any session before. Everything worked out perfectly, the location was great, the light was amazing, my settings were right on and I had one of the most beautiful models a Photographer could ever wish for! Looking at the pictures, you'd never think that this was only my 3rd ever (and first in years) maternity session! I am so thankful that Jessica gave me this amazing opportunity to shoot her and her awe- baby belly! Weeks before, Jessica and I had talked about what exactly she imagined, what she wished for her maternity session. Amongst other things, Jessica wanted water shots! So cool right? Well, cool is almost the right word for it, almost. But I think freezing- yes, that's it. That's the perfect word to describe it. FREEZING more likely. So there we were, on a warm-ish, mostly cloudy with a cool breeze, typical German spring, late afternoon. On the 2nd of April. Now mind you, in Germany it doesn't really get warm until June, even then, only if you're lucky it gets up to the mid 80's. So naturally, the water at the location we picked out was bitter cold. But we didn't realize HOW cold just yet....... When we arrived at the beautful, man-made "beach" of Grafenwöhr, we first started shooting in front of the vegetation growing at the pond. The sun broke through the clouds just enough for a tiny spark of light to shine directly onto Jessica. The light flare was a perfect feature I incorporated into the shoot. See for yourself!      Besides pretty vegetation, there was another sweet "prop" we got to use! This adorable little road, leading into the woods. It took a while for us to get the perfect shot, because that day tons of people decided to use the "road less traveled" and drive into the woods. I felt bad for Jessica! Being very pregnant, she had to sit down, get back up, sit back down, get back up and back and forth! But she did it! And it was totally worth it! I have so many favorites from this spot!  
Doesn't she look breathtaking? And that dress! It was all so perfect! Until we decided to start with the water shots .... Like I already mentioned, it was FREEZING. At the beginning of the session I put my hand into the water and thought: "oh, this isn't too bad." But we all know that there is a difference in touching cold water- and actually being in it! But Jessica was a champ! She put her "big girls panties" on and went into the pond. There might have been some profanity :-D :-D and she decided not to go too deep into it, but the results are just as beautiful as I imagined they would be! I've been dying to share them with everyone!  
 I'm honestly a little sad that I have finished this session. I had so much fun planning, shooting and working with Jessica and editing the pictures afterwards. But I'm walking away with newly boosted confidence in my work, STUNNING maternity pictures to advertise with and great memories of the time I've spent with this amazing, gorgeous, very pleasant human being that I'm glad I get to call my friend. Thank you Jessica. For everything! Theresa Burkhart Photography, located in SPOKANE, WA and sometimes Germany!
Are you interested in booking a session with Theresa Burkhart Photography? Click on the button below to get information and details! You're probably getting really tired of hearing this, but I just HAVE to mention it again, because I just think it's so cool! Jessica and I met each other in Fort Riley when both of our husbands were stationed there. She was this super awesome Photographer everyone's heard of (check out her work!) and I had just started my Photography business. I was beyond nervous when I was introduced to her. But ever since we got to meet each other, she has been nothing but sweet to me. We met a few times at Photography events during our stay at Fort Riley and let me tell you, if you don't know Jessica, you're missing out. She's one of the nicest and most uplifting, inspiring and positive people I have ever met, hands down! Anyway, fast forward a little over a year later, she is stationed in my hometown and I live in the Pacific North West where she's from. Just imagine my excitement when she contacted me for a maternity / family session after she found out I was going to visit! How can you say no to that? Honestly, I never liked doing maternity sessions. It just wasn't my "thing" and I hadn't done one in years. But when Jessica asked me to, I didn't want to say no. Not to Jessica. She's too sweet, I can't turn her down. I remembered all the inspirational posts, pictures, quotes and personal stories that she always shares on her Facebook (seriously, this girl is so motivating) and thought to myself: "You can do this, this is the perfect opportunity", after all, Jessica is a Photographer, she knows the struggle, she can relate, she'll understand. And oh boy she did!! Jessica agreed to be my "guinea pig". Almost every single day leading up to the session. I went on pinterest, on dozens of websites and looked at countless of pictures to get even more inspired for my very "first" maternity session. After all , the last one I had was when I barely knew what I was even doing with my camera. So much has changed since then. I've learned so much more about Photography and man, was I ready for that session with Jessica and her family! We met in Pressath, my sweet little hometown and took advantage of some old buildings and pretty walkways! When they got out of their car, it took my breath away. Their outfit choice was more than perfect. I want to start a new "what to wear guide" based on their outfits, I mean, look at the colors, the textures. Mesmerizing!! The Utz family is one of the most gorgeous and nicest families I have ever had the pleasure of photographing. I mean it! 
 Although their daughter Abigail was in a great mood - goofy, happy, smiley, she wanted nothing to do with "posed" photos. She was okay with just walking around and being a goofball, playing with her flower headband, but as soon as we tried to pose her, it was over. I could tell that Jessica started to get a little frustrated, who wouldn't? But Clients always forget that it takes less than one second to take a photo! I kept reassuring her that it's okay, we'll get it. And we sure did! I'm swoon by the natural, lifestyle images I got from our session! Looking at the pictures now, you would never know Miss Abigail wasn't cooperating the way we would have liked her to! See for yourself! She is such a sweetheart, I could have chased after her all day.  
 
 This picture above is one of my favorites from this session. Abigail walked up to her mom and both parents were looking at her, kind of like: child, please cooperate. It was the perfect moment. I shouted "LOOK AT ME!!!" and within a 10th of a second or so, BOTH Austin and Jessica stood up straight, gave me the prettiest smile and nailed the pose! I had to laugh so much because of how amazingly fast they reacted! So worth it!   Afterwards, we all went out to get ice cream at a local "Eisdiele" and of course the session didn't stop there!  
   I am so happy with every picture we created together. It was such a pleasure and honor, getting to hang out and work with this amazing and inspiring family of soon to be 4! Oh and if you're wondering why this post is called "Utz Session, Part 1" then stay tuned. Because Jessica and I got a lot more up our sleeves! Theresa Burkhart Photography, located in SPOKANE, WA
Are you interested in booking a session with Theresa Burkhart Photography? Click on the button below to get information and details! Let's talk Disney movies for a minute, shall we? Because who doesn't love watching them!?! The ones with a good, cheesy, maybe even a tearjerker love scene. Like when Nala and Simba sing "can you feel the love tonight," or when Lady shares her Spaghetti with Tramp and they "kiss". When the Prince wakes Snow White. And to mention a few newer ones, when Flynn says, “you were my new dream," after he saved Rapunzel from Gothel and then kind of dies for a minute, when WALL•E thinks he’s always going to be alone, but then he meets EVE, I could go on and on and on, but you get the idea. Ugh, it’s just so beautiful! I'm sure we all appreciate these love stories Disney has provided us with for a few decades now. But let me ask you: Have you ever met a couple that made you FEEL like you were in one of these Disney movies? Because I have. Starring in today's "Disney Episode", with Theresa Burkhart as Director of Photography:  notice the cool Disney font? ;-)  I mean, would you just LOOK AT THEM?! They're a perfect match! Brayden and Heath made my job for that day so very easy. I barely had to pose them, I didn't have to crack any jokes, I didn't have to try hard, at all. Even though they didn't have their pictures taken before their session with me, it felt like they had done this hundreds of times. Heath made Brayden laugh and smile during the whole shoot. All natural and sincere. It was such a pleasure watching them just being themselves, seeing the love that they feel towards the other twinkle in their eyes when they caught a glimps of each other. It was honestly breathtaking. Like a Disney movie! If you're one of these folks that don't believe in true love, I highly suggest spending a couple minutes with Brayden and Heath. Believe me, your faith will be restored in no time.
The day of the session it rained, all day. It was windy, it was wet, it was cold. Usually when the weather is how it was that day, both Clients and myself wouldn't hesitate to reschedule. But for some reason, we didn't. When we arrived at the location it was still windy, still raining a bit, still cold. Then a couple minutes into the session, the clouds just magically opened up. (Disney Plot Twist anyone?!?) The sun was out for the first time that week! A few minutes later, the sky was almost clear. It was sunny, it warmed and dried up quickly, it was beautiful. I immediately took advantage of the gorgeous sunset we were just blessed with and in my head, each one of those photos were put into my "all time favorites" folder right away! The way the sun touched Brayden's hair and made it kind of sparkle, it was stunning! I just couldn't contain my excitement. We kept finding these really sweet spots that gave us some great backgrounds, great light, great portraits. I was swoon, still am by these pictures! I didn't want the session to end, but then again I just wanted to stop so I can rush home, edit my newly created art and show it off to all you fine folks and especially the fairytale couple right here. All in all, It was a great sunset, a great couple, a great session. A great day. I couldn't have asked for more.   Theresa Burkhart Photography, located in SPOKANE, WA
Are you interested in booking a session with Theresa Burkhart Photography? Click on the button below to get information and details! and nervous is a huge understatement! So here I was, standing before my first teeny tiny step into success here in Spokane, WA. My very first session at my new home. I was terrified! What if I mess up? What if I'm too weird for these people? What if I make some lame joke or got something stuck between my teeth when I first see them!? What if my hands are super shaky and the pictures don't turn out because of it!? I was so scared, the day before I even went to the store to get new make up, to make sure I look great and leave a good first impression! Thinking about all of that now, I just can't help but laugh. How silly I was.... The day of the session started out really badly. It rained. Great. One of the worst nightmares every Photographer has. Urgh... it was frustrating, but I kept telling myself "think positive, it'll be alright.." and it was! By the time I left for the session, the rain had stopped, THANK GOD! One less thing to worry about.... When I arrived, my heart was beating so fast, I was still so very nervous, but there's no going back now. I grabbed my camera bag, put on the right gear and walked to the spot where my Clients were waiting. I told myself that it'll be okay, "Theresa, you've literally done this a hundred times before! This isn't your FIRST session. You GOT this!" Then there they were, my first Clients in Spokane, patiently waiting by the pond, mesmerised by the ducks paddling and dabbling in the water. As soon as we laid eyes on each other all my fears and nervousness magically vanished. I snapped into "Photographer Mode". And I mean that literally! Let me explain: -- A few months ago I visited my sister. She's the complete opposit of me in so many ways. There's one I'd like to mention specifically. You see, I have a million photos of me and my husband. Silly selfies, cell phone shots, action shots, professional shots, pictures taken with a tripod, .... you get the idea. Those photos are all hanging up on the walls in our home, there's barely any space anymore. But my sister has like no photos of her and her significant other, so I told her I would take pictures of her and her better half to fix that! We were all sightseeing and walking through the city, and there I found this beautiful little road in a public garden with the cutest archway I had ever seen. I posed them right under it and just did what I always do during sessions. Try to be funny to get all natural smiles and make them feel comfortable. Afer a few shots and different poses my sister said to me with huge eyes: "what was THAT?! You were so different just now, you went fully into Photographer Mode, all funny and goofy! That was so cool!!" My husband responded to her, smiling: "you've never seen that before? She does this every time she picks up her camera. It's soooooooo cute." had no idea what they were talking about!!! But after thinking about it for a little while, I realized they're completly right. I do that every single time I turn my camera on. I forget everything else around me and 100% of my attention goes to the subject(s) I photograph and my camera. It was that moment that made me realize, I do have a "Photographer Mode"! Anyway... back to the original story ---- When I saw my Clients standing there waiting for me, I went into "Photographer Mode". I put a smile on my face and all my fears and worries were gone. Nothing else mattered in this world, my whole attention went to little miss Shelby. My "subject" for the day :-) This 1 1/2 year old girl, with the cutest little blond angel curls! She has cheeks you just want to pinch all day and the dress she was wearing!!!! Perfect choice! She immediately smiled at me and after the meet and greet with everyone, we started snapping pictures right away!  Shelby was in such a good mood, infatuated with all the ducks at the pond, she kept trying to feed them sticks she had picked up along the walkway. I thought it was going to be a little challenging to get her away from them, but Shelby's grandma, who came along to the session, just had a way of distracting her and keeping her happy. This little girl LOVES her grandma, you could definitely tell! The whole family - Shelby, her mom Kylee, Shelby's grandma and Kylee's cousin - made my first day of work a pleasant, relaxing and wonderful experience. On my "what to expect / welcome page" I talk about how much better and comfortable the session is for both, Clients and Photographer, when we "talk each others ears off". And we definitely did! :-)  We utilized the variety that Manito Park has to offer, From the pond to the woods, across the lilac field and up to the rose garden, I think we actually did more walking than anything else! I'm so surprised that Miss Shelby did so good during the whole session, especially since her mom told me she hadn't napped that day! I didn't even have to try hard to get great images, Shelby made it too easy! She loved picking up sticks, racing her mom after counting to 3, chasing and stomping bubbles and watching the ducks! She is such a happy little girl, being around her made my day. 
All in all, I'm happy that all the worries I had were quickly taken away. I couldn't have asked for better first Clients. They made the start into my career here in Spokane nothing short of a perfect experience. Thank you, Shelby, Kylee and family! Thank you so very much!  
- Theresa Burkhart Photography, located in SPOKANE, WA Are you interested in booking a session with Theresa Burkhart Photography? Click on the button below to get information and details! |
AuthorTheresa Burkhart, owner of Theresa Burkhart Photography Archives
February 2019
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© Theresa Burkhart Photography
SPOKANE, WASHINGTON
2018
SPOKANE, WASHINGTON
2018
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