Sugar Petunia Photography

Baby Baby Baby!

2012-01-20T07:59:00.000-08:00

I had such a great time on this baby bump session! What a great couple! Mommy was just STUNNING and Daddy may not dig getting his picture taken but he was as sport! I want to say THANK YOU to him for the two tours he finished in Iraq also. I can't wait to see if they're having a boy or a girl! They've scheduled me to take his/her pictures until he/she is one!!! SO fun!

HELLO!

2012-01-20T07:49:00.000-08:00

Yes, I'm still here. Just had to clean off some old blogs so I could make room for new ones. I had filled my capacity. Crazy! I hope you all had a great holiday season and have been enjoying the new year. Here are some of my favorite shots from the last few sessions. January and February are pretty slow months for me which is a curse and a blessing all at once. A blessing because I need time to get caught up on editing, scheduling, and doing my taxes, etc. A curse because I miss taking pictures so much! I still do a session or two each week but I find myself wishing winter away and telling Spring to hurry up already! Have a magnificent week...I will be posting some birthday sneak peeks next week as I have two birthday sessions this weekend! Peace!

My friend's husband came home from Afghanistan last week. It was amazing.

I've been a BAD Blogger!

2011-12-17T08:37:00.000-08:00

I've been a terrible blogger these past couple of weeks! It's such a busy time around here during the holidays. Tons of Christmas pictures being taken, lots of yummy cookies being made, a ton of shopping being done and preparations being made, etc. I will try to make up for it and give you a blog that pretty much covers the last couple of weeks. Thank you to all of my amazing clients. I seriously cherish each and every one of you and the fact that it is because of YOU I have had another amazing year doing what I love...well...I just can't thank you enough.

Remember this season during all the hustle and bustle, during all the present wrapping, the cookie baking, the craziness of it all...that it only takes minutes of your time to GIVE. Whether that means dropping a couple of dollars into the red bucket, donating coats to the less fortunate, taking a plate of cookies over to a neighbor that is alone during the holidays, or just taking the time to show someone that you care. What seems like "not that big of a deal" to you might change someone's holiday. Might change their life. Might give them hope. Or warmth. Or Love. These gifts have no price tag. They are precious beyond words. And you have a treasure chest full of them inside of you. Share them.

Oh So Posh is having a GIVEAWAY!

2011-12-15T07:18:00.000-08:00

The owner of Oh So Posh is pretty much the most giving person on the planet. Honestly. She gives with no expectations or promises of payback. She gives from her heart and her soul and it is honestly so humbling to see. I am SO EXCITED for the lucky winner of this Nikon D90!!! What a great camera. What an amazing woman. THANK YOU Lidia for being so amazing!

PS - Did I mention her actions are soooo lovely?

Happy Birthday Red!

2011-11-15T08:36:00.000-08:00

ACK! I love taking pictures of this beautiful little girl! Seriously...if I had it my way, I'd be her personal photographer everyday. She has the sweetest face...and is just SO funny. Love her to pieces!!! What a cute little Tinkerbell!

Family

2011-11-15T08:15:00.000-08:00

I LOVE this family! My friend K and her husband are great people...and even more importantly, amazing parents. I don't care what you accomplish in life...as long as you are a good parent. The rest means nothing...big houses, fast cars, lots of "stuff". Nada. I look at these two and their three gorgeous kids that they absolutely adore...that they always put before themselves...and it makes me so happy. I loved our session guys...I look forward to watching these three beautiful babies (and maybe more future babies?) grow up!

Girls Girls Girls

2011-11-15T08:00:00.000-08:00

These girls were SO much fun to take pictures of! They all remind me so much of their Mom (who I've known since we were in school together). Can you imagine having four girls just like you? I have one that acts just like me (and one that acts like her daddy thank goodness) and that's about too much for me to take. For all the drama, tears, slammed doors, etc. that you get from girls, the blessings are tenfold. Thanks for such a fun session girls!

Siblings

2011-11-15T07:16:00.000-08:00

I had a great time with these two and their mom this weekend! I coached L in t-ball and he is seriously just the sweetest kid. Thanks for a great session kids!

Happy Birthday Miss A!

2011-11-15T06:54:00.000-08:00

I ADORE taking pictures of this little firecracker! The personality on this one...she's so much fun! Happy Birthday Sugar!

More LOVE

2011-11-15T06:30:00.000-08:00

I LOOOOVED the LOVE sessions. Thank you so much to all the wonderful couples that showed up!

Family

2011-11-06T20:38:00.000-08:00

I absolutely LOVED this session. This little man was FIRED UP! Getting him to sit still long enough to photograph him was a challenge but when I got a shot, WOW...he's SO cute!!! :-) What a great family. Thank you so much for such a great time!

Miss M

2011-11-06T20:29:00.000-08:00

This little princess was so much fun!!! Her freckles were just about the cutest thing I'd ever seen. She made my day!

She's just as cute in black and white :-)

LOVE

2011-11-06T20:21:00.000-08:00

Day 1 of the LOVE sessions!!

Miss A

2011-11-06T20:00:00.000-08:00

I was so excited to get to photograph Miss A this week. It was her first session by herself. We are usually photographing her family or her with her siblings. She's incredibly photogenic and just a REALLY great kid. Thanks for being such a sweetheart...I loved photographing you ;-)

Senior ~ 2012

2011-11-06T19:51:00.000-08:00

It's a well known fact that boys do not like to have their pictures taken. I managed to squeeze a few smiles out anyway during this session. I noticed how sweet he was with his little sister though...when she posed with him, he smiled. So sweet! Thanks for such a great session!!!

Love these girls!

2011-11-06T19:43:00.000-08:00

I've known L & K's mom since we were kids and I absolutely love taking pictures of her girls! They remind me SO much of her when she was younger (especially the youngest). She's a pistol!!! She always makes me smile! Thanks for so much fun girls!

Seniors!

2011-11-01T10:12:00.000-07:00

I had a last minute cancellation for a girls senior session this week and got a little bummed because...they are my FAVORITE sessions! I was able to get not one, but two seniors that were more than willing to snatch up the session! I had such a great time with both of these girls! There's a reason why senior girls are my favorite people to photograph!

Thanks for such an amazing session "S"! I could have photographed you all day long!!

Session #2

A was GREAT! I LOVE a girl that looks just as good in red glittery heels as she does in her catchers mask. What a doll! Thanks for such a great session!

Chillin' on a Dirt Road

2011-10-28T17:54:00.000-07:00

I had so much fun with this Edwardsville Senior! We had the most perfect setting. It was really so much fun. I could have taken pictures of her all day!

She is absolutely STUNNING!

S. J. is Nine Months Old!

2011-10-26T13:50:00.000-07:00

It certainly doesn't seem like nine months ago when I first met Little S.J. We weren't sure we'd get to take her pictures today because it's been so rainy outside but we got them done before the rain. She was in a such a good mood! And such a beautiful little thing. Adore her!

Senior 2012

2011-10-26T13:11:00.000-07:00

I can fully appreciate a sweet, quiet girl who knows how to rock it out when she needs to. I had such an amazing session with this Senior! She was a complete blast! I love that she showed all of her "sides" in these pictures! Thank you so much for a great senior session! Hope you love them!

Girls...Girls...Girls

2011-10-26T13:02:00.000-07:00

These girls are just the sweetest. S, who usually never wants her pictures taken, was hamming it up for me! R was just NOT in the mood and either was her baby sister F. But we managed to get some really cute shots of them. Be sure to check out the last one. It's my favorite. I always laugh going through the pictures because the "perfect ones" where everybody is looking at me and smiling are few and far between sometimes. They mostly look like the last one. :-) Hope that's a picture their mom will treasure forever.

This cracks me up so much!

Wow

2011-10-20T10:06:00.000-07:00

I think KNOCKOUT would probably be the best word I can think of for this 2012 Senior. She was SO easy to photograph. She knew exactly what I wanted her to do with no guidance from me. I can't tell you how amazing that is for a photographer. This girl turns heads...and probably breaks necks. What a fun session! I couldn't choose my favorites!!!!

We're Engaged!

2011-10-20T09:50:00.000-07:00

I had an amazing session with this couple! What a fun pair! Their puppy "Snoop Dog" had the cutest mohawk. What a little sweetie! I loved what we captured with these two gorgeous people. They were so fun and full of energy! That coupled with some great locations made for a fabulous session! Thanks guys...you are going to perfect partners in crime!

What are Little Boys Made Of?

2011-10-20T09:33:00.000-07:00

We should ask Mom...because she's got LOTS of boys! I had such a great session with this family. I don't know HOW they do it with all these BOYS! Poor Mom is greatly outnumbered 5 to 1! I was a little nervous to do their pictures because their mom is a fellow photographer. Hope you guys love them!

There are no words...

2011-10-20T09:15:00.000-07:00

There are no words that seem quite adequate enough. Thank you doesn't seem to cover it. The sacrifices made every day by our soldiers and their families are so great...I just don't know how to thank them. I am a photographer with Operation Love Reunited. It is an organization that provides photo sessions for soldiers and their families, free of charge. I was contacted by this family. They wanted to schedule something with me for when Stewart came home from Afghanistan. The day after we got it on our books, we got word that Stewart had been critically wounded by a sniper. He fought for his life and spent months recovering.

See his homecoming video at the aiport here: http://www.ksdk.com/video/default.aspx?bctid=1165902864001

Stew was recently allowed to come home for a short period of time with his family and his wife and when they called me and asked if I would do a different kind of "Homecoming Session" there was no way I'd miss it for the world.

Welcome Home Stew. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. You're a true Hero.

Happy (almost) Birthday Beautiful!

2011-10-20T08:50:00.000-07:00

I can't believe the past year has flown by so quick! It seems like I was just taking Miss A's newborn pictures. What a gorgeous little girl. Such a pleasure to capture. (Although I find it somewhat odd that she was MUCH more interested in eating the cupcake wrapper than the cupcake...must get her quirkiness from her Daddy). Thank you so much for letting me take photographs of your little girl. She is just too lovely.

Perfect

2011-10-12T07:16:00.000-07:00

I can't think of one other word to describe this child. It was absolutely a pleasure to photograph this little sweetheart. I am still in awe looking at these photos of her. How blessed her family is. And how blessed she is to have them. ♥ Absolutely PERFECT.

More Family!

2011-10-12T07:10:00.000-07:00

This family was just great! My daughter was so smitten with their littlest boy! What a head full of curls he's going to have! Thank you so much for a great session. Hope little L didn't eat too many leaves :-)

Family

2011-10-12T06:57:00.000-07:00

I loved this session! Miss R is such a little model. Her big sister is a knockout...We got smiles from their brother despite his best efforts...And what a great looking family!!! So glad we got a couple of their gorgeous niece too! Thanks so much guys. It was fun!

So much fun!

2011-10-12T06:49:00.000-07:00

I had a great time with these kids! Mr. B has the best face doesn't he? I could have taken pics of him all day. And his sister is such a pretty girl...I kept telling mom "just wait til she realizes it!" Thanks for the great session guys!

Happy Birthday Princess A!

2011-10-12T06:41:00.000-07:00

What a doll! I NEVER get tired of taking photos of Miss A and her mommy and daddy. Talk about a gorgeous trio! And she loooooved her cake! What a gorgeous little pixie!

This cake was made by the FABULOUS "Cake is a Good Thing"...look them up on Facebook!

Happy B-day J!

2011-10-12T06:34:00.000-07:00

Mr. J is so much fun to shoot. He turns four this month! What a little stinker!

Senior 2012

2011-10-12T06:29:00.000-07:00

I think Gunnar gets an award for coming the furthest for Senior Pics (three hours?) And how dreamy is he girls? *Sigh* ... did boys look like this when I was in high school because if they did, I certainly don't remember. What a dreamboat (does the word "dreamboat" show my age? LOL!)

Happy Birthday Little Monkey!

2011-10-12T06:20:00.000-07:00

I had such a great session with Little Z. She is a DOLL!!! And the cutest little birthday monkey!!!

Mr. C is One!

2011-10-02T07:48:00.000-07:00

This must be birthday season! I have done so many birthday sessions lately, mostly 1 and 2 year olds! What fun I'm having! Mr. C. is ALWAYS fun to photograph. Love his smile! He is starting to get around and definitely does NOT want to be put in one spot but we managed to get some great shots of him anyway. Happy Birthday Big Boy!

Mini McDreamy is Two!

2011-10-02T07:37:00.000-07:00

How is it possible that Mini McDreamy is TWO! I started taking pictures of him when he was a newborn. Wow...I can't believe how the time flies. He's been my little "client" from the minute he was born and I adore him! So glad I've gotten to capture that face for two years...and those eyes...he's so dreamy (hence his nickname). Love you buddy!

Mr. J is ONE!

2011-10-02T07:29:00.000-07:00

It seems like yesterday I was taking mommy's baby bump pictures but here he is, one year old...and wanting to GO GO GO! What a gorgeous boy...love him to pieces!

Family

2011-10-02T07:21:00.000-07:00

I had such a great session with this family last week! What a great looking group! And I just adore little "L"...what a face on that boy!

Sweetie Pie!

2011-10-01T08:10:00.000-07:00

I LOVED this session. What a sweet little girl! We had so much fun with her (me, Mommy and Daddy). She is just TOO precious!

J&J Got Hitched!

2011-09-27T12:35:00.000-07:00

This location was by far one of the most amazing places I've ever photographed a wedding. There were zebras, free-roaming peacocks, alpaca, horses...just an amazing property. What a gorgeous wedding and what a lovely couple. I enjoyed every second of shooting this wedding! My (amazing) second shooter Crystal was there and as always, she was absolutely great! Thank you for such an awesome day. I feel blessed that I was a part of it!

N&J Got Married!

2011-09-27T09:43:00.000-07:00

I had such an amazing time at this wedding. The day could not have been more perfect and the sky...OMG...it was amazing. What a great couple. Thank you for choosing me to take your wedding photographs. It means more to me than I could ever convey!

"L" Family

2011-09-27T09:35:00.000-07:00

I loved taking pictures of this family! I have known "Dad" since he was just a little boy like his son is now. It is so neat to see things come full circle. Thank you for such a great session. I loved it!

Welcome to the world Mr. H!

2011-09-27T09:26:00.000-07:00

I'm so glad we tried this session a second time. Mr. H. and his big sister were in a much better mood the second time around. I adore this family and Ms. A keeps me laughing...so much personality. Thanks for such a great session (and sorry for the late blog post!)

Senior 2012

2011-09-27T09:21:00.000-07:00

I slacked getting this one blogged! I had a great session with this Senior. And even though he wasn't too keen on the lifeguard pictures - they were my favorite! I hope he enjoys his sneak peeks!

YIKES! Someone has been SLACKING!

2011-09-27T09:13:00.000-07:00

I haven't blogged in WAY too long...here's some of what you missed! I had such a great engagement session with these two. I am DYING to do their wedding next year at a beautiful winery. We had a great time (and even had a glass of Cloud 9 from Shale Lake Winery...YUM!) I couldn't have pictured a more perfect shoot for the two of them.

Mommy & her Mighty B's

2011-09-11T15:37:00.000-07:00

I LOVE these girls...all three of them. Three of the prettiest ladies I know! I had such a great time with them today. I don't know how mom keeps up with them! Whew...I was sweating after two minutes and it wasn't even hot. LOL! Thanks for such a great session to the Mighty B's...you're the sweetest!

Miss O Eats Diamonds for Breakfast (at Tiffany's)

2011-09-11T11:47:00.000-07:00

Could this little girl be any more precious? I think not. I've been taking pictures of Miss O since she was first born and I have to say she may be the most photographed baby in HISTORY! I always have such a good time taking pictures of her. This session was no different. The location was beautiful. Miss O (while not giving up many smiles) was her usual DIVA self and ... somehow ... we avoided the wild alpaca that frequent this college campus (inside joke...). We got some of the most beautiful, sweetest light right there at the end. Wish every minute of every day was that gorgeous. Love you Little Miss O! You are Divalicious with a capital D!

Little Miss G

2011-09-11T11:28:00.000-07:00

I LOVED this session. Miss G came with quite the extensive wardrobe (and hair accessories). She worked each and every outfit! This absoulutely adorable 9 month old is already off taking steps and wanted to GO GO GO. Thank you so much for such a fun session Miss G and her mommy. ♥

Family & Birthdays

2011-09-11T11:10:00.000-07:00

Love photographing this family! They had a couple birthdays this month and did family pictures too! I've seen a lot of them lately and I'm definitely not complaining! Mom and Dad have their hands full with three amazing boys...all so different from each other and each of them absolutely gorgeous and so much fun! Thank you so much for trusting me to capture your beautiful family!

Happy Birthday Mr. G!

B's 2-2 Train Birthday!

2011-08-31T08:49:00.000-07:00

I have been photographing this little scoundrel since he was a newborn baby. He was my first ever newborn session as a matter of fact. Wow...that blows my mind a little. He's grown up to be the sweetest little man. And smart...whoa is he smart! I had fun chasing him and, as always, my favorite shots were the in between shots when nobody thought I was shooting. It never fails. I love ya Big B! Happy Birthday! You are TOOOOO amazing!

Gorgeous Family

2011-08-31T08:27:00.000-07:00

What a gorgeous little family. It was a beatiful morning and we took full advantage of it. Mr. C loved playing in the fountain. How he managed to stay dry, I'll never know. I had a great time at this session. Mr. C. always gives me the best smiles. And those eyes! *sigh*

Marry Me

2011-08-30T15:28:00.000-07:00

I love my little brother. I always wondered what kind of a girl he was going to grow up and marry with him having so many sisters and all. Well, he's getting married in December...and he's marrying one phenomenal girl. I had so much fun (and lots of laughs) with these two. We decided to finish the session another day because we had an overcast day downtown but we got some cute shots before the light left us...Love you Do-Yay and I couldn't have picked a more perfect girl for you.

"M" Family

2011-08-30T15:14:00.000-07:00

This session was so much fun. What a great family! We got to see some amazing horses and had some really funny moments (like when one of them tried to eat the boy's shirt). The weather was to die for. I almost had forgotten what it was like to take pictures and not be dripping with sweat and constantly wiping the fog off of my lens from the humidity. Thank you so much to the M family for asking me to do their family pictures! I was honored.

Happy Birthday P!

2011-08-30T14:58:00.000-07:00

I had such a great session with Mr. P. He has the most infectious smile. I've known his mom since she was younger than he is so it is so neat to get to take her kids' pictures (although it does make me feel old, I confess). Thanks Mr. P...I hope you had a great birthday and you are honestly the cutest!

Senior ~ 2012

2011-08-23T22:20:00.000-07:00

I had such a great session with this drop dead gorgeous chick tonight! I hope I did justice to what she had in mind for her Senior pictures. I'd have to say the funniest part of the shoot was when we were near the cornfield. Cornfields freak me out. For real. Every once in a while the wind would blow and I swear something was moving around in there. I actually screamed and jumped at one point and she was laughing at me. I'm not sure if it was the wind or something in there jumped. It was broad daylight for crying out loud. THIS, my friends, is why I do NOT watch scary movies. Hope you like your sneak peeks T! You're a knockout!

Where's Chi?

2011-08-22T10:51:00.000-07:00

I just love this family. I've known mom since she was the size of her babies. Little L was ready for some photos last night! He is always fun to photograph but last night he was just a dream. His little sister is so darn pretty...they were adorable together. Mom made my day when she told me that they were on their way to get their monthly shots at a chain studio and little L asked where they were going. Mom said "to get your pictures taken" and he said "well...where's Chi???" I can't tell you how much I love this! I thought it was just the cutest. Thanks for such a great session K Family. See you in November!

Procrastination is my middle name

2011-08-21T10:12:00.000-07:00

Wow...I have been completely slacking this week! I took a few days off to work on some editing and completely neglected to blog my last session. It was such a fun session...these girls are seriously a dream to photograph. I first met them at my Easter session and was thrilled when mom asked me to photograph them again and for "K"s first birthday. I've done a watermelon session before but these pictures of her with the watermelon are some of my favorites! Little K is almost ALWAYS smiling....she has the sweetest little personality. I enjoyed our session so much. What beauties!!

I heart Fix It Friday

2011-08-12T07:35:00.000-07:00

I love I Heart Faces Fix it Friday. This one was really fun!

BOYZ RULE!

2011-08-08T22:30:00.000-07:00

I had a great two day mini session with lots and lots of reeeeeallly cute boys!!! How fun!

Happy Birthday J!

2011-08-08T22:14:00.000-07:00

I loved taking pictures of J and his little sissy. We took these right before his party. He turned SIX! Hope you had a great day J!

Love

2011-08-07T14:20:00.000-07:00

I LOOOOVE couple sessions. Love them. Love everything about them. Love watching love. Love capturing love. Love Love Love Love LLLLLOOOOOVVVVEEEE (can you tell I kinda like LOVE?)

Yowsa

2011-08-04T22:58:00.000-07:00

I think maybe this blog post should come with some sort of heat index warning or something. This lovely lady is my sister in law. If your computer starts steaming...you've been warned.

Happy Birthday W!

2011-08-04T22:52:00.000-07:00

Mr. W was TOTALLY on today. I've done his photographs many times and never has he been in such a carefree mood. Mommy must have promised him something REALY good today! (bribery is always best). I enjoyed my session with him so much tonight. He did such a great job. And him throwing his hat in the air...not my idea. All his :-)

E is in "One-derland!!!"

2011-08-04T22:38:00.000-07:00

E's birthday party was spectacular. What an amazing idea her parents had and they pulled it off splendidly! E was all smiles right up until she compeltely crashed out before opening her presents. What a doll!

2012 Senior ~ GHS

2011-08-04T22:32:00.000-07:00

I had such a great time with this Senior this week! Her mom came along too and I was so glad she did because she had some really great input! I always tell people to never be afraid to tell me what they want or what they have in their head. Success to me is making what is in their head coupled with my vision into a reality for them. It's very fulfilling! What a naturally gorgeous girl too. I loved this session!

Beautiful Family

2011-08-04T22:20:00.000-07:00

This was a HOT day but we weathered the heat and got some amazing shots of this beautiful family. How blessed are they?

Family

2011-08-04T22:07:00.000-07:00

Okay, I've been completely neglecting my blog. It's been a REALLY busy couple of weeks. So without further ado...here is the "tu-tu" cutest family I did a session with last week. They were so much fun!

Family

2011-07-25T16:01:00.000-07:00

What a gorgeous family...seriously. Some people have all the luck :-)