I ♥ Faces! Adults

My iHeartFaces adults "joy" entry is pretty evident. There is no greater joy than that of a first time mother with her new baby.

I ♥ Faces! Kids

As I was searching through my photos trying to find the perfect picture for my iHeartFaces kids "joy" entry it hit me... I don't have to have the child with the biggest grin. Joy comes in all forms. The picture below is a little girl I photographed not to long ago. Her eyes lit up as she saw her mom walking towards her. It amazes me the unconditional love and joy our children show us just because we are near! I hope you enjoy this weeks "kids" entry!

Kaydence at the Triple Play

With a new year always comes new changes..and yes, I am still talking about things that are changing!! This year I have vowed to manage my time better and spend more time with my family. I don't want to look back years from now and be asking myself, "What if?"

As many of you of know I became so busy last year that I finally had to put Kaydence in daycare. It was a really hard decision but one that I felt we needed to make for a number of different reasons. This past year was such a learning experience for me and at times I felt so overwhelmed with Kaydence being so sick and the mounds of work I had piled to do.

I'm still playing a bit of catchup this month from my end of the year weddings but once I have caught up on these things, everthing will be a lot different. I have restructured everything and have made personal, realistic deadlines and goals for myself so that I may enjoy more time with my baby girl. She is growing way to fast and I don't want to miss a second. Of course, I can't forget my husband. I want to be able to enjoy spending evenings with him as well instead of glued to the computer trying to finish editing.

We hope to have Kaydence in daycare only part time and for this reason I have decided to join our local MOMS club! We had our first outing at the Triple play last Thursday so I grabbed my camera for a few quick shots. I have also set a goal for myself to take more pictures of her interacting and playing for my family and friends to see. So.. here she is at the Triple Play. I didn't bring my flash so I was shooting at a pretty high ISO but I love them!

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. Enjoy!

Isn't this setup awesome?!


That's one big place for a little girl!


She LOVED the train table!


and a closer view..


Don't you love the bruise on her cheek?? That's from falling off the chair at my desk.




This was as far as she would go without me.. she wasn't too sure about it!


This is my favorite.. that tube blows are really hard to keep the balls floating in the air.. she thought it was funny to put her face over it!

I ♥ Faces!

So today's blog is a highlight and entry of the new photography blog/forum iHeartFaces!

iHeartFaces was created for photographers to be able to share the art of capturing faces and the emotions that they hold. Check it out and enter your faces!

This week I decided to enter a photo for both categories, kids and adults. It goes without saying that I'm going to pick my baby girl for my first kids entry:



For the adults entry I chose my bride Julie from last summer. Julie reminded me (and everyone else I know for that matter) of a 50's movie star! She is also one of the sweetest, most soft-spoken people I've ever met.

I've been tagged!

Good morning everyone! I was recently tagged by Kendra of Motif Design (she designed my logo!) and thought that would be a good way to start my morning. Then I can tackle my mounding to-do list! I have a busy day of editing, album design and then tonight I get to judge a pageant. I actually had flashbacks of my old days in pageants when I was asked. I had so much fun I thought I would give judging a try! I hope everyone has a wonderful, blessed weekend!

7 Random Facts About Me:

1. I was Miss Defuniak Springs (what a town name right?!) in 2002 and competed in the National PEANUT Festival that year.

2. I'm addicted to Chick-fil-A. I have strong desired to eat their mouth watering chicken-minis all day long. I've had to control my addiction with out lifestyle change though. I've been twice since before Christmas.

3. I, like Kendra, am an only child.

4. I'm horrible about printing pictures of and for my own family. I have 2 scrapbooks that I've done no scrapping in since before Kaydence was born.

5. I pray... a LOT! I probably couldn't count the times in a day that I say at least a small prayer about or for someone or something.

6. I LOVE chicken and dumplings! It's my favorite meal of all time!

7. I LOVE to cut my hair extremely short (chin length) but my hubby likes is longer so right now I'm holding back. Plus I really like how it looks right now.. it's an inner battle though when trying to decide whether or not I should cut it off!

Trying to think of RANDOM things about me was a little hard... but I did it.

Now.. I'm supposed to tag 7 people... (If you do this.. make sure you tell them you've tagged them!)
1. Amanda Suanne
2. Patsy Brown
3. Samantha Jackson
4. Aliya Rinaldi
5. The Sloans
6. Pam
7. Bri

Have a great weekend!!!!!

2009 Goals

If you are anything like me.. you are now sitting here 11 days in to 2009 and are wondering, "WHERE ON EARTH DID 2008 GO?!"

I mean let's be serious for a second. Can time really pass by so quickly? Apparently so. This past year has been one of the most amazing years of my life. I'm still in awe at the blessings God has given me. I've met the most amazing people that gave me the opportunity to capture their weddings and portraits. I've become what I think of as friends with photographers around the country who blog as well and are willing to share their stories and be mentors for others. I have a wonderful family and the best, most supportive friends a girl could want.

Friday night was my oldest BFF Leslie's birthday. With a group of some old high school friends and some other friends I've made along the way we headed out to, "Live, laugh and love!" At the end of the night one of my "newer" friends, Mandy, asked me, "Did you ever think you would be where you are now?" You see, Mandy had me take portraits of her 2 week old newborn only a month after I started my business. My answer to her was, "Never in a million years!" I honestly would have laughed very hard if someone had tried to tell me I'd be were I am now.

That being said, I want to make 2009 even more amazing! As we all know, resolutions are made to be broken. So as with most everyone else I know and or blog stalk.. I've made goals. The week after Christmas I put a notebook beside my bed with a pen. I do most of my goal setting as I'm trying to fall asleep. What better way to remember them in the morning than by writing them down immediately!? At the top is says, "2009 Goals ~ In no particular order!"

You see, it doesn't matter what order they are in or accomplished. What matters is that I work hard to accomplish them. This list is made up of not only my business goals, but my personal goals as well. However, if I had to pick one as my #1 for 2009, it would be to spend more time as a family raising our beautiful daughter.

I learned so much this year about photography as a business. I'll be the first to admit.. it's A LOT harder than I ever thought it was. I learned that I'm not superwoman and it is ok to tell people no. Especially, if I'm sacrificing my already precious time with my family.

Time is precious.. and so are our lives. Jasmine Star had a contest a while back in which she asked us to describe our lives in exactly six words. I thought really hard on this. You see, all year I had been going non stop and couldn't figure out how to narrow that down to six words. That's when it hit me. I needed to slow down love and enjoy life. That alone created my life, as I intend to live it this year and in years to come, in six words, "Loving life in the slow lane!"

Words cannot express my gratitude to every amazing person that has touched my life. Thank you, without you I would not be the person I am today!

May you all have a very blessed 2009!

Merry Christmas!

Well Everyone..

I can officially say that I am going to take the next two days

off to enjoy spending time with my family and friends!

Yep, that's right... no computer for two days.. although...
I might still be twittering a bit via my handy cell phone!

That being said I wanted to go ahead and wish everyone a very
Merry Christmas by sharing our Christmas cards (sorry.. I ran out

so a few of you will be getting your physical ones late!) this year
as well as a bible passage from church this past Sunday.





Isaiah 9:2-6
2 The people who walked in darkness
Have seen a great light;
Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death,
Upon them a light has shined.
3 You have multiplied the nation
And increased its joy;
They rejoice before You
According to the joy of harvest,
As men rejoice when they divide the spoil.
4 For You have broken the yoke of his burden
And the staff of his shoulder,
The rod of his oppressor,
As in the day of Midian.
5 For every warrior’s sandal from the noisy battle,
And garments rolled in blood,
Will be used for burning and fuel of fire.
6 For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

May you remember the reason for the season..

God Bless and Merry Christmas!

♥Leslie

Wonderful White Christmas..

and no I'm not talking about the white stuff falling on the ground

around various parts of the country.

I'm talking about white all purpose flour and baking!!

I LOVE to bake. End of discussion. :)

Of course hubby thinks I am crazy because I will bake a whole pan of brownies and eat one. That leaves the rest for either him to eat or take to work.

He, 99.9% of the time, takes them to work.

However, this is the time of year that I bake most often. I mean.. who doesn't?!

Kaydence is finally old enough to start participating in various activities and somewhat understands what is going on. I would also like to start some family traditions that she can hopefully pass along to her children one day.

I was going to get a gingerbread house kit and then realized she would eat it before it was put together and opted for sugar cookies.

(Either way.. yes I am still crazy trying to do this with an almost 2 year old!)

Here are a few pictures from our baking session. It's the closest this family will come to a White Christmas without taking a vacation up north!

Please forgive the hair. I just threw it up in order to begin.. many years in the restaurant industry and I still can't wear it down while cooking or baking!


She did this all by herself with no encouragement from mommy or daddy!


This is after we laughed that she did it without encouragement.

Adding some sprinkles...


The finished product! Not bad for a first timer!

Special Thanks!

Websites are hard work. Period.

Anyone who has one knows this.

Especially photographers. Yes, there are templates to make the designing easier or you can pay someone to do it, but that is not the hard part.

Combing through thousands and thousands of pictures is the hard part.
At least for me it is.

Then, there is writing about myself, taking pictures of myself and designing a logo for myself.

Oh, but wait?! I had lots of wonderful people helping me with those things!!!

So that being said, I have quite a bit of thanks and praise to dish out!

First, I must say thank you to my wonderful husband for his love and support. Not only that, but for sitting hours on end helping me choose the pictures that best showcase what my photography is about and helping (or in some cases just putting) everything together.
I don't know where I would be without him.. he is my rock!

Then, my husband, mom and Dane Sanders (Fast Track Photographer Book) for helping me write an About Me page that is true to myself. I want my clients to know who I am in order for them to feel comfortable with me during their wedding day or portrait session. I always stress how important it is for clients to be comfortable with their photographer! I hope that my new About Me gives everyone a better insight as to who I am!

To one of my best friends, Kricia Morris, for taking pictures of me that reflect my personality! I love to laugh and smile and she captured that perfectly for me share with others!

My former bride Kendra Fendt of Motif Design. She was the creative genius who took my thrown together idea of a logo and made it exactly what it is today. I love it! I think it reflects not only my business name but my personality as well and that is what branding is all about.
Finding what fits your personality!!

The most praise, however, goes to God. For without him I would be nothing.

Proverbs 3:5&6 says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct your paths."

I would have nothing, not my family, friends or business if it were not for trusting God to lead me down the path he wanted me to take.

Thank you SO much to everyone who has been a part of this process.

There are so many other people that I could thank for their

love and support over the last year but I would be here all day.
You all know who you are and I love you all very much!

IT'S LIVE!!

I am SO excited to announce that the new

www.leslieroark.com is live!

Let me know what you think!

Kids will be kids

As I am sure most moms would agree, getting your children to cooperate during picture time is extremely difficult.

It’s even worse when you have younger children.

But when you are a photographer, it's more difficult than ever! I've been procrastinating for weeks to take pictures of Kaydence to send out with our Christmas cards and I really can't wait any longer.

She wants to be in my lap or hugging me and that doesn't work very well when I am the one taking her pictures. Needless to say out of 50 shots I got one decent face shot and two really cute detail shots. That's all.

I might try again later if her mood improves.. oh well! She's still my little cutie!

Life is Great!

You are probably wondering what has come over me!?

Nothing really.. I'm just excited that Christmas is around the corner.. literally.

Although, I've done NO shopping.. None. Zip. Zero.

I'm MOST excited that having switching to a new doctor, we may be taking a turn in the right direction with Kaydence's health.

I ANXIOUSLY awaiting my new camera! Let me tell you, I'm not a patient person and of course it's in such high demand that I might not even have it before Christmas, although I am praying really hard!! I'll blog more about that when I get it and test it out!

I'm excited because I'm finishing up editing on my last few weddings and will be blogging them soon.

I'm SUPER excited about all the new changes coming to Leslie Roark Photography!

All in all......LIFE IS GREAT!!!!!!!!

Thank you for letting me share this great life with you!

And now.. here are two photographs, each from recent weddings.. I know these two are anxious awaiting at least a sneak.. so here they are!

Networking

In today's wedding industry it is very important to network. I could go on and on about why it's so important but most wedding professionals know why.

A few weeks ago, Samantha of Samantha Jackson Weddings, hosted a wonderful meeting at 600 South in the New World Landing in Pensacola, FL.

There was a fantastic turnout with over 50 area vendors spanning from Destin to Perdido Key.

Caterers, photographers, calligraphy artists, an ice sculptor, wedding planners, DJs and cake makers alike attended!

If you are a vendor that would like to attend the next meeting or a bride in need of area vendors for your wedding you can contact Samantha here for more information.

Samantha asked me if I would mind taking some pictures at the meeting so I wanted to share a few.

Finally, a picture of our hostess, Samantha Jackson and our speaker for the meeting, Ron Ralph with A DJ to Go.

A Time for Thanks..

So often I get frustrated because my precious little girl, whom I love with all my heart and soul, stays SO sick. I am always behind on editing because she is home sick with me. I find myself easily irritated when she is whining and constantly wants to be in my lap. I mean I'm not kidding.. I get NOTHING accomplished.

At the end of October while in Virginia shooting a wedding with Jason Lanier Productions, Don, another photographer on the team gave me a different perspective to look at. As we sat at the table, I believe we were eating breakfast, one of the team members asked me if I was going to have more children. My response was.. "Are you kidding?! I'm so frustrated that Kaydence stays so sick I couldn't possibly want more children! I couldn't handle it!!"

That's when Don said something that nearly made me cry. His response was, "Instead of being upset and frustrated that she is sick all the time, maybe you should be thankful that God felt you could handle taking care of a special little girl with such high needs." I honestly said, "WOW! I've never even thought of that."

Don's sentence is so true. So often we dwell on the problems and frustrations that we have but we never stop to think that these problems and frustrations are teaching us valuable lessons and making us stronger individuals. I personally often forget that although Kaydence is sick all the time, there are plenty of couples that would give anything to be able to have even a sick child.

So this year, as I sit down to break bread with my husbands family, instead of being sad that I can't visit my mom and the rest of my family.. instead of being upset that Kaydence is already sick again, I will be thankful that at least I have them as a part of my life and thankful that God gave me such a great family and trusted me with a child as precious as Kaydence!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Photo above courtesy of Melissa Scott during her visit to Fort Walton Beach last month!

Happy Halloween! (A few days late)

I hope everyone had a wonderful Halloween!

We went back to my hometown of DeFuniak Springs for Halloween again this year. Kaydence and her cousins went as the gang from Grease!

Aside from the normal "too much going on" behavior (You moms know what I mean) .. overall they did GREAT!

Here are a few pictures for you to enjoy! Keep watch this week.. I have A TON to blog about!

Kaydence

Jadyn

Warren

Haiden

Dawson

I put the "T" BIRDS on the back of his jacket! I was crafty for the second time in my life!!!

My baby girl and I.. that was a green sour apple sucker!



A full view.. (with a green mouth)

Kaydence won 3rd place in here age division in the costume contest!!!