Colette Bradley Photography

Newborn Baby H

cb_photo — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 13:30:03 +0000

Newborn sessions are my absolute FAVORITE! Of course it’s awesome that I have the opportunity to get my “baby fix.” But the best part is enjoying (and preserving for the new parents) all those details that often get lost in those first few lazy-hazy days. ….those itty-bitty fingers and toes…the squeaks that come with baby yawns and stretches.

It is truly something special to be invited into the home of a new family. There is a calmness that permeates the air–the amount of love in that home is truly palpable. As an outsider, you can see it when the new daddy studies his new baby girl’s face in absolute awe. It’s there when the new mother strokes the silky soft skin of her new daughter. And it’s there when the new parents gaze into each other’s eyes marveling at how they could have possibly created something so perfect.

The Edwards & Ehrlich Combo Session

cb_photo — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 00:18:05 +0000

What’s better than a Mini Session on a glorious fall day? A Double-Mini Session on a glorious fall day!

I absolutely love when the sunlight streams through the remaining leaves on the autumn trees–casting the warm golden tones that go hand in hand with apple cider, pumpkin pies, and evenings by the fireplace. We were particularly blessed to have a warm sunny day when the Edwards and Ehrlich families braved the perils of I-495 to travel to me in Leesburg.

…such a beautiful day to spend in the company of friends!

What are your plans for holiday cards? Do you have your photos yet? I still have a few sessions available for 2011, please contact me to schedule your family’s holiday photoshoot.

What about cards? You have until midnight (PST) tonight to take advantage of the holiday card sale going on now at Minted. Ask me how to use images from your photoshoot…OR…you can use images of your own!
Order now and add your images later!

The Adorable Mr. C

cb_photo — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 22:53:28 +0000

My dear, old friend (old because we’ve known each other 16 years…not old, old) recently gave birth to her third little munchkin! The adorable Mr. C was oh-so-sleepy when I first arrived, but boy-oh-boy does he love the sound of his older sister’s voice!

The itty-bitty-ness of newborns never ceases to amaze me! I could sit and stare at those little fingers and toes for hours on end (and believe me, when my boys were newbies I did just that)!

How could you NOT spend your whole day staring at this face!

Red Velvet for MY family!

cb_photo — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 04:09:20 +0000

As much as I love photography, I also love cooking. It brings my heart such joy to cook with my boys. When children are involved in the process of preparing food they are far less likely to pick at and reject their food. Cooking sessions provide excellent opportunities for my boys to practice taking turns. And, the teacher in me loves that a little time spent in the kitchen can provide a variety of educational enrichment–Math! …all those measurements, reading …all those ingredients, following directions, the list goes on and on.

Oh yeah! It’s also fun! …and you never know when a spontaneous case of break dancing might occur!

So, for Valentine’s Day I wanted to make a special treat with my guys. I recently came across a recipe for heart-shaped Red Velvet Whoopie Pies on Pinterest by Annie’s Eats. I LOVE RED VELVET ANYTHING! The problem is that we have eliminated red dye from Brad’s diet. What to do? What to do? Once I get red velvet on the brain it doesn’t let go. My solution: make red velvet to old fashioned, true southern way–with beet juice! WHAT!? Blecchhhh! Does anyone really like beets? They taste like dirt. Double-Blecchhhh! Why would anyone deliberately add a dirt-flavored ingredient to something as delectable as red velvet. Well…because it’s RED! I searched endlessly for advice on the proper method for adding beets to red velvet. No luck. Most recipes called for fresh beets, boiled, pureed, strained, and otherwise obliterated. Seriously. If you have the kind of child that needs red dye removed from their dye, you don’t have the time or energy to do all that AND bake the cake. I decided to get a good ol’ can of beets in their own liquid. Since my red velvet recipe called for 1 oz. of red dye I measured out 1 oz. of beet juice, plugged my nose, and added it to the batter. Voila! Red(ish) Velvet Cake.

While my Red Velvet Whoopie Pies are not nearly as vibrant as your traditional red velvet, I am incredibly happy with them! They are delicious (you CAN NOT taste the beets at all) so my craving has been satisfied. My boys had a blast helping to make them (and eat them). And Brad gets to enjoy a red treat for once! Happy Valentine’s Day!

A “Kindful” Kid

cb_photo — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 01:57:14 +0000

Just a little sneak peek at a project I’m working on for Valentine’s Day. How much do I love this kid!? I was telling the boys today that when they are teenagers they won’t want me to hug and kiss them anymore. They were both shocked that I would say such a thing and vehemently denied that would ever happen. Brad then went on to say, “Mom, I’ll still give you hugs and kisses when I’m older because I’m going to be a KINDFUL teenager!”

Squish! My heart just melted all over again!

Project 365 – January Favorites

cb_photo — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 06:19:36 +0000

Well, I’ve had a revelation — as Brad likes to quote Gru from Despicable Me — “LIGHTBULB!” While I am loving the photographic journey of documenting EVERY day of our lives for the “Project 365,” I am struggling to post my progress with any degree of consistency. And that drives me NUTS! So, I am going to borrow an idea from a fellow 365′ing photographer. She brilliantly writes only ONE “Project 365″ post at the end of the month and wisely only includes her absolute favorite images from the past month. Sigh. I already feel the burden lifting! This is going to work out just fine and I will just keep snapping away!
So…
without further ado…

My January Favorites
{bowing}Thank you, Thank you

Hue & Texture Journey – Week 7 & 8

cb_photo — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 06:26:13 +0000

Super behind in blogging. Fortunately my various creative projects are still on track…it’s just the task of getting them up for display that has stalled out just a bit. I should be able to get caught up tomorrow in between the Super Bowl commercials.

Week 6 of Marta Locklear‘s hue & texture assignment was Blue & Nubby. As much as I love blue this was a difficult challenge for me–I just don’t have enough nubby blueness around the house! Time to go shopping??

Now, Week 7 was so much easier! The challenge was yellow with unlimited textures. My house is filled with yellow! My kitchen is yellow…our “spare closet” is yellow…our white pine floors have a yellowish hue to them. Yellow is warm. Yellow is bright. Yellow is happiness!

It’s probably a good thing that I have such an affinity for blue and yellow–I did marry a Mountaineer man after all! This one’s for you, babe!

Evergreen

cb_photo — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 03:24:16 +0000

Last week Marta challenged her readers to seek out images that were green and “piney.” This was a cold assignment, but definitely very easy!

hue.green.texture.piney

A Quest…

cb_photo — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 06:46:18 +0000

I have started a “Project 365,” just as many other photographers do at this time of year. It is an exercise in creativity–taking a picture EVERY day for a year. A picture must be taken regardless of sick kids, piled-up laundry, or overbooked client sessions. It is a method of sharpening and honing one’s photography skills–after all practice does make perfect! The trick is to find and maintain the creativity without falling into a monotonous rut… to document day-to-day life in an interesting and captivating way… to capture the small details that often go unnoticed during the frantic rush from school drop-off to the gym to the dry cleaner to the grocery store and then back again to the school for pick-up.

So, here is the start of my quest to find the beauty in my everyday life…

Winter Inspiration

cb_photo — Sun, 09 Jan 2011 15:49:55 +0000

I recently signed up for a workshop in April that I am so excited about! The PSD Experience promises to be a totally unique, hands-on learning experience. The photographers that will be conducting this workshop are A.M.A.Z.I.N.G! While exploring their respective websites, I’ve developed a bit of a photog-crush on Marta Locklear. Her work is just absolutely luscious! Marta has challenged her blog-readers to a brilliant exercise in creativity–perfect for beating the winter doldrums and spurring inspiration. Each week Marta suggests a specific color and texture to seek out in one’s everyday surroundings. I only wish I had discovered her site earlier. I’m just now joining in at week 5, but what a truly “eye-opening” exercise! It is my hope to catch up on the missed exercises all while continuing my other project (more on that one later).
So, without further ado…my response to this week’s challenge:

hue.buff.texture.soft