With a Thankful Heart {four}

"Both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness." - George Washington, 1789 

I'm thankful for our founding fathers.

I'm thankful for this country that I love. 

I'm thankful that we still celebrate this day of Thanksgiving.  

Happy Thanksgiving readers.  I hope you are spending your day surrounded by family and fellowship. 

With a Thankful Heart {three}

Before I was married I ate a lot of chicken tenders and salad.  Then I married a man that craved more than just chicken and I needed to learn more about cooking tenderloin, tilapia, salmon, rib eye...  Learning to cook was fun.  Yet it wasn't without its share of mishaps, like the time I used Minute Maid instead of freshly squeezed orange juice, resulting in me crying over little orange scented muffin bricks.  Since then I have de-veined shrimp, stuffed chicken, butterflied filets, filled pumpkin rolls, and nursed many burned fingers. 

I'm thankful for family and friends willing to be taste testers. 
I'm thankful for the evenings I have the time to cook a meal from scratch.
I'm thankful that when there's no time, there's always the Crock Pot.

A Campy Oklahoma Weekend

I never never ever thought I would like camping.  I'm still afraid of most wildlife... opossums, armadillo, all bugs, birds (thanks Hitchcock), the list goes on. But I've learned a getaway to the great outdoors can be very relaxing.  

We started out as tent campers and quickly became pop-up campers.  LeNita, our 1983 Coleman pop-up, has turned into our home away from home.  We used her for the first time last month in Broken Bow, Oklahoma.  Here our a few pictures from our trip.   

With a Thankful Heart {two}

My mom and grandparents visited last weekend.  I was reminded of how thankful I am for how I was raised and where I came from.  It's a place where life is slow, shoes are optional, doors are unlocked, coffee is black, tea is sweet and cornbread goes with everything.  It's the land of cotton.  It's Dixie.  It's Mississippi. 

I'm thankful for the state that raised me.
I'm thankful for the people there that I'm tied to.  

An Instagram Update

Happy Election Day everyone!  I hope that you all have a chance to get out and vote today.  Here's an Instagram update to keep you occupied while you wait in that long line.

1.  My vote counted!
2.  I was summoned to jury duty and dismissed, but left proud of my Texas legislature.

3.  Dan picked these up for one of my shoots.  It was so windy that only one balloon survived in this post.
4.  We used our pop-up (which we named LeNita) for the first time.  We'll never go back to tents again!

5.  We enjoyed Halloween with friends and their adorable children.  I consumed way too many caramel apples. 
6.  Pinot's Palette with girlfriends... mine didn't turn out that great. We prominently displayed it in the closet.

7.  Before the time change I was able to see a few sunrises... I call these cotton candy clouds. 

8.  Starbucks' red holiday cups are back.  I'll be getting Christmas in a cup every Friday morning with my prayer group girls. 

With a Thankful Heart {one}

The Starbucks holiday cups have arrived.  Stores have their shelves lined with ornaments, garland, and the hottest gifts of the year.  I saw a Christmas tree up in Highland Park.  The holiday season has officially arrived, and while many may have forgotten that this is a time of thanksgiving, I wanted to commemorate the season by sharing with you just a few of the many things I'm thankful for.  I must start with my dear husband. 

We've been together for six years, married for two and a half of them, and we'll always be newlyweds.

I'm thankful for how supportive and loving he is.

I'm thankful for his sense of humor and ability to always make me laugh.

I'm thankful God caused our paths to cross that night on Beale Street. 

I'm thankful that he's willing to be my model for lighting tests.

How hot is my hubby?? I think I'll keep him. 

Flashback Friday {eight}

This will be our last Flashback Friday... at least for now.  But fret not, I have another series planned for November and lots of exciting things to share with you!

I wanted to leave you with this sweet photo of my grandfather, mom and uncle.  It's one of those perfect unposed photos that made me want to become a photographer, to one day be able to capture my own kids, as they follow in their parents' footsteps. 

I think candid shots are the best as they often capture that special, unplanned moment.  Especially for kids... they don't generally view having their picture taken as fun, and forced smiles aren't what you're looking for.  Remember when you're taking your child's photo to make it fun, give them tasks, play simon says, tell jokes, sing, be silly, whatever it takes to capture their playful spirit you'll want to remember. 

All I Want for Christmas is You {and a few other things}

I love CHRISTMAS!  It really is the most wonderful time of the year.  I love what it represents and everything about it... watching the movie Elf and sipping hot chocolate, while the faint scent of cinnamon floats through the air are a few of my favorites.  There is also ice skating around the Galleria's Christmas tree, and let's not forget Jewel's Christmas CD!  And no matter what, everyone loves finding the perfect gift for someone on your list.

Finding that perfect gift isn't always easy, so here's a little list of the things I'm wishing for this Christmas, just in case you're shopping for a photographer.  It's never too early to start your holiday shopping!

1.  The LensPen Lens Cleaner is super handy to clean your lens properly when you're on the go.

2.  The Canon Wireless Remote allows you to be in the picture too!

3.  These Reflector Discs help create the perfect exposure, no matter the time of day. 

4.  The Manfrotto Tripod and ball head, when you need to ensure you get a steady shot. 

5.  This Kelly Moore Bag looks like a purse, but it's a camera bag with plenty of room for your gear!
6.  This Macro Lens, when you need to capture the smallest details. 

7.  This Black Rapid Camera Strap has pockets for your lens caps and cell phone and is super padded to protect your neck. 

8.  Another lens cleaner, the Giottos Rocket Air Blaster, is great for those dry windy days.
9.  Comfy shoes are a must for long shoots, the Pewter Metallic Toms can be dressed up or down, functional and so cute. 

Flashback Friday {seven}

These aren't Instagram photos, but it must have been photos like these that inspired the app's creators.  They seem to have the perfect filter applied.  I'm sure Daytona Beach has changed a lot since the 1960s. 

If my grandfather was on the beach today, he'd still be in dress shoes.  If you have ever seen him try to wear flip flops, you know what I'm talking about.  I love how my mom is holding his pinkie, so ridiculously precious.  And she's still a daddy's girl, I guess some things don't change.   

Flashback Friday {six}

Our first picture in color! These are two of my great great grandmothers, Jessie Head (on the left) and Minnie Rodgers (on the right).  Both of these ladies are my grandfather's grandmothers.

I don't know much about these women, but let's see how much can be gained from simply looking at a photograph.  Jessie was a cook that loved her snuff.  I lived in the South long enough to know when you have a coffee can hidden behind your leg on the porch, it's not for coffee grounds.  Since some of you might not "be fortunate enough" to know what snuff is, it's technically dipping tobacco.  It also cracks me up that she is hiding the snuff can behind her pink socks and sandals- what an ensemble!

I've seen enough pictures of Minnie to know she always wore her hair in an intricate braid bun.  This was the first picture with her crystal cat eye glasses, not sure they match the rest of her look, but I think they're adorable. 

It's funny how this picture shows two different personalities... Jessie seems to be indifferent, while Minnie looks quite joyful.  Regardless, it makes me want a front porch on a southern afternoon.



An Instagram Update

This weekend was so busy!  Dan and his dad participated in the Tough Mudder in Austin.  I ran around like crazy to get pictures from as many of the obstacles as I could, resulting in sore shoulders from hauling around equipment and a major sunburn.  It was worth it though!  I got lots of great pictures that I hope to share with you soon. Until then, here's your Instagram update.

1. There have been lots of announcements lately!!  Mary got engaged (celebrating above), another friend just found out she's pregnant and another friend is due any day now.  It is such an exciting time!

2.  The view from a downtown atrium, I love Dallas architecture and how much attention there is to detail. 

3.  We always have Sunday lunch with friends, I love when peach tea from Olive Garden is included. 

4.  An example of my extreme organization... the rubber band ball prevents clutter and provides entertainment.

5.  Mobley Photography taxes were filed (all by myself).  It still doesn't seem real that I have a company to file taxes for!

6.  The new iOS 6 update has failed me more than once.

7.  My Austin t-shirt purchase, obsessed with some Willie Nelson.

8.  After the Tough Mudder, the end of a looonnnggg day, but so excited he finished! 

Flashback Friday {five}

This photograph was found in my great grandmother’s things and is a total mystery to the family.  The only hint we have is a simple note on the back which says, "This is ugly me... he he he," no name, no date.  I can only imagine this woman's history.  Does she look familiar to you?  For me, she serves as a reminder to always label my photos so their history will never be unknown.
 

Flashback Friday {four}

Meet Beatrice.  Known to most as Bea, known to me as Gran.  She would not approve of me telling you her full name.  Even though I love it, I’ll refrain.  This 1953 photo was obviously intended for her future husband, and shows her looking undeniably southern.  Her handwriting hasn’t changed in the 60 years since this picture was taken.  I love how she is posted up on that car, and I can’t help but mention her slip peeking out the slightest bit.  I’m sure she wasn’t going for the hot rod pin-up look, but for Bea, this is a little provocative.  I can’t wait to see what she’ll say about this.  Yes, she follows the blog.  She is totally tech savvy and hip with social media.  You should check out her Facebook, complete with photos from the garden and life lessons.  She's one incredible woman.

Flashback Friday {three}

Doesn’t this look like the roughest group of guys?  You would not want to meet them in a dark alley.  This isn’t a 1960’s street gang or a picture from the set of The Outsiders, it’s my grandfather and his brothers.  My grandfather had 7 brothers and 4 sisters… can you imagine 12 children?!  Here we have James, Billy, Bobby, Herman, Thomas, Leon and Roy Lee.  Names can’t get any more American… or any more Mississippian.  They all look way too cool for the camera.

Flashback Friday {two}

In the second post of this series we have two pictures of my late grandfather, Rev. Jerry Franklin Presley, while he served our country in Korea.  I love the worn tape on the edges.  I imagine my grandmother receiving these photos in the mail and taping them up as she waited for him to return.   Interestingly enough, Presley was a typist for the U.S. Army.  I’m not sure what the duties of a typist were (please enlighten me)… but I’m pretty positive they didn’t include posing on “Colonel’s Jeep” in your cockeyed cap or doing push-ups in your sandals.  It almost paints a picture of a rule breaker, far from the man I remember, the pastor.  I love that.

$$ and Instagrammin'

I’m so encouraged by how many of you are interested in a session, and I have several openings in the coming months (hint hint Christmas card photo)!! To answer your questions about pricing, it’s hard to print definitive pricing when every session is different.  I would love to work with you and create a package within your budget.  Shoot me an email for a custom quote.

mobleyphotography@gmail.com

There are lots of projects coming up that I am so excited to share with you (TWO sessions this Saturday!!)  While you wait, here’s what I’ve been up to this month, via an instagram update.  

1. Sunrise over the big D... kind of obsessed with my city

2. College football has started!  Perfect accessory to any outfit, Hotty Toddy!!

3. High maintenance hotel quest = 9 pillows and a great night's sleep

4. Trying to be a healthy homemaker with made from scratch peanut butter banana muffins

5. Intrusive neighbors that just moved in and were quickly assassinated

6. For some reason I now collect lip gloss, even though I never wear it

7. Orchids, I love you, even though I always kill you quickly

8. Sunset and absolutely stunning clouds over the weekend

Flashback Friday {one}

Our grandparents had leather bound albums filled with faded black and white photos.  We store ours on Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr.  Because no matter your age, race, gender, most everyone loves looking at pictures.   So, every Friday I will be posting some of my favorite vintage photographs and why I love them.  Hopefully these posts will prompt you to print some of your photographs to ensure they make it into the hands of future generations and don't die on your desktop! 

This is a picture of my grandparents, Herman Jasper and Barbara Sue to be exact, on their wedding day in 1961.  My grandmother was happy that day, explaining that her facial expression was due to the fact she thought her parents were about to snatch her out of the church, not entirely thrilled about the union (don't worry, Herman grew on them).  I love her style here.  Look at that headpiece and the gloves, and those earrings.  You can’t tell but that dress is the sweetest shade of baby blue.  And my grandfather, my sweet papaw, with the Elvis pompadour (the hairstyle he still rocks, but now in a striking shade of silver). Aside from the fashion, the worn wood floors, the felt attendance banner, what I love the most about this picture is that I can look at it and see features of my mom, my uncles, my cousins, myself.

Things I’ve Learned This Week

The CapriSun straw is still tricky to insert.

Probably shouldn’t have your Victoria’s Secret packages delivered to the office.

Hackers are still getting a thrill sending naughty emails from personal accounts to everyone you have ever emailed, including your college professors and church administrators.

Leasing agencies believe bulldogs to be aggressive and might ban you from owning one, even if you have already scheduled everything with the breeder. 

Zumba with the elderly is always a good idea.

Husbands do not get as much enjoyment going to four stores in a row to look at lamps as you might expect. 

Giving up desserts will cause desserts to consume a majority of your thoughts.

And finally, as this is a photography blog, ordering used photography equipment is a great idea, just make sure you can make returns if needed.

P.S. Thanks for reading and let me know if you want to take advantage of this cooler weather with a photoshoot!

-LMOB

Greetings from the Country

While visiting my grandparents in Mississippi over the weekend, the cows were very interested in my camera.  I love livestock photos, especially when a black and white effect can highlight all the great textures a photo has to offer.