Category Archives: RLP

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Growing

I can’t believe that it’s been just over a month since my sweet baby boy made his appearance…time feels like it’s slipping by so incredibly fast right now, I wish I could pause life right now (or have the ability to rewind back to these days two years from now when we’re in the midst of the wonderful twos! LOL). I’ve been busy trying to enjoy every moment and taking advantage of lots of cuddling time with my little guy. Or as the case may be, not so little. Last week at 4 weeks old he was 11lbs 5oz!

Seeing as I’ve had a few requests, especially since I shared some pictures of another baby, I thought I should post some of Hudson too. :)

Four days old:

Six days old…and he was definitely smiling for me. As soon as I would start talking to and kissing him he’d start grinning. Love that I was able to get a few shots in, and catch his dimple too:

Nine days old:

I love bellybuttons (and a sneak peek at a new backdrop!) :)

2 1/2 weeks old (Karin…thanks for the use of your adorable baby wrap!):

Showing off some muscles :)

By baby standards he’s not super short…but he most definitely falls into the sweet category, especially when he’s sleeping!:

3 1/2 weeks old:

Four weeks old, and definitely more and more alert. He’s starting to track items and make eye contact. And as of Saturday, he’s officially doing real smiles!

Announcing Hudson James

So many of you may know that I was anxiously awaiting the arrival of number three to our family, and he’s finally here!

Hudson James Ludwig was born on October 15th at 6:20AM weighing in at 9lbs and 21.5in long.

I am going to be out of commission for the next week or two as we settle in…I will catch up on outstanding emails etc, as soon as I can.

And because I can’t resist, here are a few of my favorite images from the last two days:

He loves having his hands near his face. I think he’s going to be a thumb sucker like my other two.

Yes, he definitely has some chub on him!

A tiny little grin :)

Some new baby prop stuff for shoots…had to test them out with my own little guy first.

Big yawn:

Getting to know Dad:

I couldn’t resist posting this one, it cracks me up :)

A little bit of this and a little bit of that

This is a bit of this and that kind of post…the first days of school, momentous teeth occasions, and the last few days of summer all documented with a few photos (and lots of jabbering from me, which you are most welcome to ignore. I can get a little verbose when it comes to my kiddos!).

It’s been a super busy few weeks as I’m wrapping up my final shoots before my maternity leave. Today I did a commercial shoot for Vanderpol’s Eggs, tomorrow is my last (but certainly not least!) wedding of the season for Darlene & Larry, and on Monday I’m going to be doing a shoot involving some horses and their owners at Campbell Valley Park. Add into that portrait orders, assembling albums, answering emails, lots of editing, and more…it’s been busy. But I’m loving (almost!) every moment of it, and I know I’m going to miss it when I’m in the middle of kid and babyland in the next few months.

Amidst the busy-ness, I still try to take the time to pull out my camera to capture my family and the every day stuff that happens around here. Sometimes I go into photo session mode trying to get the ‘perfect’ shot, but I usually try to let the perfectionist side of me go and just grab some fun shots. That in the end turn out to be perfect in their own way because they capture a slice of our life.

So here’s a few from my son Ethan’s first day of school, losing his top two front teeth, and an afternoon spent outside with Arden picking blackberries and lounging on the grass.

First day of Grade 1 (where did my little boy go??). A little apprehensive, but excited too…he settled right in when he found the place to hang his backpack and his desk all set up with a little project to start the day:

From the first day of school too. He had just lost one of his very very loose top teeth, and after the blood and tears were over, he was pretty darn proud of it (and mom was excited that he was going to have a missing tooth for his Grade One school pictures!).

The second one was just hanging there by a thread, so we finally convinced him it needed a little more encouragement to come out. Let’s just say he was excited after it was out. Most certainly not during what he deemed to be a harrowing dental procedure.

We’ve been enjoying the nice weather the last few days…I’d be quite happy if the warmth and sunshine continued all the way until October (even though my swollen feet might not be so keen on that idea)! So Arden and I headed outside to see if we can find a few blackberries. Yum!

“Six for me, one for you mom! Hey, stop taking my picture and eat! Eat, eat EAT Mom!” (ok, that was a translation of what she would be saying if she was fully verbal at this point, which she’s not yet, but the Eat, eat EAT part was! LOL). And yes, it’s quite common for her to be this dirty…she just happens to be a total dirt magnet.

This girl pulls the craziest faces. She was having fun trying to run away from me as I tried to keep her close with my feet and snap a few shots. She thinks exercises like these are a ton of fun, and they generally result in about 47 blurry shots, and one keeper. And the one keeper was most definitely worth it, as was hearing the giggles that resulted from our little game. (oh, and those are blackberry seeds in her teeth, not cavities or fillings!)

I’ll be back next week with some sneak peeks. Stay tuned!

Just a heads up

I just wanted to let my clients know that right now I have limited access to email. My 6-year-old son Ethan picked up an infection in his foot that has required IV therapy at the hospital 2x’s/day. We have been going back and forth for treatment and tomorrow he also has to be reassessed through the ER in addition to the IV therapy (which hopefully won’t take as long as the original 5-hour ER visit!). I’m hoping that he’ll get the all clear tomorrow and I’ll be able to catch up again this weekend on my inbox and to-do list. Thanks for understanding!

A few updates

Just wanted to mention a few things:

* I just received a big shipment from my lab with lots and lots of prints…it’s always so fun to see the images in person and I’m super impatient for my clients to see them too! I’m going to be packaging orders and assembling albums this week. If you’re waiting for your order, I will be contacting local customers for pick-up, and shipping the out of town orders, hopefully by the end of this week.

* I’m super excited to have my online shopping cart all set up (notice the link up above called Client Login). I will now be offering this as the primary method for client orders, but am also happy to provide an in-person ordering session if you prefer. I have a few other changes that will be coming to this site over the next few months, and I can’t wait! I’ll be sure to post when things are up and running.

* As my due date approaches (mid October, although based on the early arrivals of my first two, I think baby could make his/her arrival sometime in the first part of October), I am busily trying to wrap things up. For any outstanding portrait orders (does not apply to my wedding clients), please submit them as soon as possible so I can send on to my lab and get your portraits to you prior to baby’s arrival. Deadline for orders is September 12th.

* And speaking of baby, I am hoping to take a few months off to settle into life with three kids. I am currently completely booked and will not be accepting anymore sessions until 2009. As it stands right now, I anticipate that I will start accepting bookings again in January. If you want to be put on the wait list for sessions in the early part of 2009, please pop me an email.

* Please note that there will be some changes to my portrait pricing structure…nothing too drastic, but the new pricing will apply to all new sessions booked. I’ve also finalized my 2009 wedding pricing, so if you are getting married in June-December of 2009, please contact me so I can provide that information.

I think that about covers it! If you have any questions on the above (or anything else for that matter) please send me an e-mail at info@rachelludwigphotography.com.

Welcome!

After a month or two of hard work and a lot of help from my friends, this blog and my new logo are finally here, and I’m rather giddy about it all. :) I’m super excited to have an updated look and feel that more closely represents what my photography style has evolved into. In the next few months this site will also become my main site and will replace my current website. Keep your eyes peeled for changes! I’m looking forward to having everything together in one location.

Please bookmark this site as my Typepad blog will no longer be updated.

Feel free to leave a comment with feedback on my new blog and logo or just to say hi. So glad you stopped by!

*** I will be out of town from July 12-19th with limited access to email. Thank you to my clients for their patience as I’ve had a super crazy week while battling a nasty and painful sinus infection. I can’t wait to come back recharged and ready to get all caught up again!

Upcoming schedule

Just a heads up to all my clients…my schedule is very rapidly filling up, and I am currently booked until the end of June for portraits (and completely booked for weddings for 2008, but I will be accepting a limited number of bookings for the last half of 2009 soon). Plus, with the arrival of our new baby this October, I will be taking maternity leave from Mid-September until sometime early next year. I will probably start taking 2009 portrait bookings for February or March at the beginning of the year, so if you want to be put on a waiting list at that point, just let me know.

So…If you are wanting to have a portrait shoot before mid-September, please contact me as soon as possible to reserve a date for July or August. The best part about summer is the long days, which gives flexibility for evening shoots (typically starting at 6 or 6:30PM and completed by 8PM). Also, I always try squeeze in maternities and newborns, so contact me if you are looking for one of those sessions, and I’ll do my best to fit you in.

Email me at any time if you have questions or want to book a session. Thanks!

So there’s a reason I’ve been MIA…

I’m sure a few of you have been wondering why my blog is so quiet…it’s not been for lack of photoshoots, but rather due to a new member who will be joining our family this fall. Yes, I’m pregnant with # Last (as I like to call him or her), otherwise known as Baby #3, who is due to arrive sometime in October of this year. In usual form, pregnancy has left it’s rather unpleasant mark, and I’ve been feeling under the weather and super super tired.

A big thank you to all of my clients who have been so patient during this time. I’m now 13 weeks and hoping to be feeling better soon and to have some more energy so I can get caught up again. I have a few mini sneak peeks that will be posted in the next few weeks, so keep your eyes peeled. :)

Don’t be shy…

C’mon in and say hi! I see lots of hits coming through this blog, and curiosity is getting the better of me. I’d love to hear from you…and I have to admit I’m dying to know who’s from Kalamazoo, Michigan. I get a little kick out of it everytime I see that location pop up in my stats. :)

So, you can either leave a comment here, or there’s a little poll on the right hand side of the blog that’s just point and click and you can add your name/location there if you’d like.

Thanks, I’m looking forward to hearing from you all.

Happy New Year!

A very Happy New Year (and a belated Merry Christmas) to you all! I hope that you were all able to enjoy a wonderful holiday time with family and friends.

2007 was such an incredible year as I launched my business, and I owe a very special thank-you to all of you: my clients, my family, and my friends. You have all been so amazing, and I’m feeling very thankful and blessed as I reflect on the past year and look forward to the year ahead. I have some exciting things in the works, including a new logo, a new website and more. I’ll be sure to post updates as things progress :)

I’m just starting to resurface from a very busy Christmas. We had a fabulous time with family and friends, and things are just starting to settle back into normal after the fun and craziness of it all, and being sick (my voice is finally starting to return, thank goodness!). I am behind on emails, and I know some of you are patiently waiting for your session sneak peek…I promise I’ll be catching up on everything over the next few days. Thanks for your patience!