Happy Leap Year!

Am I the only one who forgot that this was a leap year?

After two weeks of internal “housekeeping” at my business, I have a very clear business plan and a refreshed sense of hope for the continued growth of Look Who Just Blouin Photography. I’ve found out that in the evolution of any healthy business there comes a very awkward transition stage from being a sole proprietor to becoming a corporation and all that goes with that.

One another note,  I wanted to share a few more photos from the book coming out in a few weeks.

Love this beagle from the Kirkman family:

This young man from the Aman family is a whiz kid with anything computer related:

Stewart is non-verbal and therefore uses sign language to communicate. Here is trying to tell his mom something:

~Trista

Marathon

Whew. I’m stopping for a drink of water before I hit the second leg of a crazy two weeks. This is supposed to be my slow time guys! Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining, but things have grown so much with my business that I’m meeting with a consultant on Tuesday to make some more decisions in regard to my business and direction it is heading. My main goal is to always give my clients a custom experience and I want to make sure things are in place to continue that when I hit my “busy” season starting in late May – mid December.

An update on the autism book: it is coming right along and it should be off to the publisher in the next week!

Clients are loving the new online galleries I started offering three weeks ago because they can share their photos with their friends and family regardless if they own a PC or a Mac. As you may recall my previous slideshows were only accessible on a PC.  The online gallery feature is an option available to any of my clients after we have an in-person ordering session (and for some who are a further distance away from me). Make sure to ask me about it.

I had my 35th birthday last week and it occurred to me that I now have to check a new box on the demographic forms. I am no longer in the 24-34 category. And to top it off, every single radio station I turned to this weekend was playing the “retro 80’s.” I’ve started reading the works of Eckhart Tolle and he encourages individuals to live fully in the present and step outside the mental confines of the guilt from the past and the fear of the future. When you are present you are free of all that mental noise that disrupts your clarity. This week has made me acutely aware of how vital it is to practice this awareness. Getting mired in the muck of one’s past or the uncertainty of the future does no good. Living fully in the here and now allows you to be the best person you can be, physically, mentally, and spiritually. I look forward to implementing some of the ideas on how to do just that.

Have a great week!

~Trista

In need of one more family for my autism book

One of the families that was to be in the book just experienced a family emergency and needed to back out of the project. So I am in need of a family to fill their slot. There are some great benefits to being part of this but you must be willing to allow me to use photos of your family in a published book. If you are interested, I will need to photograph your family within the next week. Sorry, we are on a very tight deadline to get the book to the publisher by the beginning of March.

You can email me: trista@lookwhojustblouin.com if you are interested.

Thanks!

~Trista

 UPDATED: THANKS FOR ALL THE HELP, I’VE FILLED MY NEED FOR ANOTHER FAMILY.

Another Autism Session

The Slane family invited me into their home last weekend. Heather is a single parent and she amazes me. She is very proactive in finding out the roots of her son’s autism and finding ways to help mitigate some of the issues related to it. Heather’s mom was staying the weekend when I came over. I enjoyed seeing the way they all interacted with each other.

Seth had recently been gifted with a new MP3 player that he was deeply engrossed in.

Heather was engaging Seth in a round of flashcards. Seth was able to say about 1/4 of them. Seth had just learned a new word that day and it was exciting to see him repeat it a few times to all of us.

There was this little stuffed toy that danced to a Christmas song. Seth just loved it and could dance to it all day. His grandma had spent quite a bit of time with him getting down the choreography to the song (which Seth LOVED), they were stage ready and the hassock was Seth’s stage as he performed his moves.

Of course, you’ll be able to see more photos from the Slane family in the book coming out in end of March/early April.

~Trista

Simplicity

Sometimes the most simple photos are the most profound. What kind of emotions does this stir in you?

~Trista

Curly Locks

Here is another subject in my Creative Exploration Series. I played with color in this session. Here are a couple photos.

~Trista

Free Spirits

I go to a great church and this family attends. They won a session I donated to a charity auction this past fall. Four beautiful people from their head down to their toes.

~Trista

Sweethearts

These little sweet sisters with their heart dresses and red feather boas…like a big box of candy hearts.

Photographed in Pensacola:

~Trista

Spending time with Grandma

I spent one of my mornings last week in North Hill in Pensacola at a beautiful historical home.  Grandma was down visiting from Pennsylvania. The apple of her eye, her grandbaby, kept her busy all morning. We baked cookies, washed dishes, and petted whatever cat was tolerant of a 2 yr old’s eager hands.

~Trista

Autism Book

Time to shift this very important project into high gear. My goal is to have this book out by April in time for Autism Awareness month. Here is one of the family’s that will be in the book, the Crosses.

Ruurd, has a milder form of autism. It was so much fun playing with him and his sister today at their home. Their family was very relaxed and it was fun spending Saturday afternoon just kicking back.

I titled this one: “Refusing to Stay Trapped”…

“Popping Bubbles”…

 ”Snack Time”…

I can’t wait to share many others with all of you in the book. That was a teaser, btw.