this. is. awesome.

How Bad Do You Want It from Greyskale Multimedia LLC on Vimeo.

One of my photographer friends shared this awhile back, and I saved the link so I could watch it whenever I need to. It never gets old.

sunday best.

For some reason I think I look like a kid in today's photo. Am I the only one? And I love the brown tones of both Max and I; totally not planned. As in, Rob picked out Max's outfit and got him dressed before even seeing what I was going to wear.

dress: Target
sweater: Old Navy
leggings: Target
shoes: Minnetonka moccasins (SO comfy)

(and please excuse my slip hanging out in this photo, Max and I did some jumping photos prior to this one and it got jostled out of place...)

oh, Ikea.

Why are you so far away?

I thought that visiting once a year would be enough, but it's not.

I miss your meatballs.

And french fries.

I miss your holiday decorations. Oh, those gorgeous decorations!

And wrapping paper.

I miss wandering your aisles for hours on end.

I miss your fabric.

And not being able to just go buy this:

since we're getting serious about this home school stuff.

I miss your fun toys.

And dropping off my child so I can shop in peace.

I miss sleek, streamlined furniture in abundance.

And all your crazy Swedish names.

I miss your food market where I can buy hazelnut chocolate and lingonberries.

I miss all your kitchen gadgets.

I miss everything about you, you wonderful, magical place.

Someday we will live close together, hopefully even neighbors.

But until then I will dream of you and make lists for that happy day when we are reunited.

Love from,
an obsessed IKEA fanatic

the house I grew up in.

Well, no Sunday best this week, sick kids kept us from church. Hopefully by this weekend they'll be over this stupid cold.

Anyway, when we talked to my parents this week they let me know our old house in Fredericksburg is up for sale. Here is the listing if you want to see where I lived for 15 years of my life. It's different from when we lived there: the kitchen was remodeled (it used to be red... and in my opinion it would look amazing if it was still red) and the walls have all been painted blah. And the current furniture is HUGE (an American trend I will never understand. Big furniture means your house looks teeny). But the only thing that bothers me is my old room is PINK. Really?



But it's an awesome house, I have so many happy memories there. Not to mention it's still the location of most of my dreams. I only wish my parents still lived there...

weekly interrogation: Shannon Mocabee!

Here with us today is the gorgeous Shannon Mocabee! We met by both attending the Film Is Not Dead workshop in San Francisco in 2009... and I love her:) She is a phenomenal photographer and amazing person (FIND wouldn't have been the same without her. Or her sense of humor). And, she also created the cutest baby alive! (I mean, just look at him)

name: Shannon Mocabee
website: shannonrenee.com, shannonrenee.com/blog

1.What do you “do”?
Photographer

2. Why do you do what you do?
OH wow… good question. Sometimes I think you have to be a little crazy to be a wedding photographer, and yet here I am. I love light, love, and art. Photography allows me to capture all of those every day.

3.Where are you from?
Sunny Southern California

4. Favorite color?
Aqua

5. Favorite food?
In N Out Cheeseburgers

6. Favorite shoes?
TOMS… absolutely… I have 5 pairs and counting. They’ve replaced all other shoes.

7. Favorite place in the whole wide world?
I would have to say Oregon… or the bathtub.

8. Favorite piece of playground equipment?
The swings… almost like flying.

9. Your funniest story?
my life in and of itself is a barrel full of hilarious twists and turns that often finds me laughing to point of ridiculousness… I’m my funniest story.

10. Mac or PC?
Mac… of course ;)

11. Manual or automatic?
Auto focus, manual exposure, auto auto-mobile, auto-pilot baby.

12. What do you consider your best asset?
I was going to say my manly arms, but my husband likes my eyes… that’s a cop out right? everyone says that one.

13. Guiltiest pleasure?
The TV show Bones… I could literally watch that show non-stop for weeks on end. Oh… it’s also pretty embarrassing that I love the Twilight series. Yup that one’s definitely more embarrassing.

14. Biggest pet peeve?
I really… REALLY hate bullies. So any condescending personalities really just make my blood curdle. I don’t like being pushed… but I hate even more seeing someone else being pushed around.

15. What do you consider priceless?
Wow there’s so much there… my son is a complete wealth of pricelessness. Every smile, every cuddle, every cute little squeak. Personal photos are also incredibly priceless to me… I want to remember every moment of all this.

16. If you could sit next to anyone on an airplane, who would it be?
Nikola Tesla, Derren Brown, Dana White, or Tony Robbins… in that order.

17. What would you choose as your last meal?
cereal… the mini frosted mini-wheats.

18. What era in time do you connect with the most?
I really love the 30's although I wouldn’t do well as a woman back then.

19. Your motto for life?
As long as I’m learning… as long as I’m growing… I’m alive.

20. Best advice you can give?
Study the masters… they got to where they are now for a reason.

Some of her work:

I love her point of view:
http://shannonrenee.com/blog/?p=1264

precious:
http://shannonrenee.com/blog/?p=1319

I love some good architectural elements:
http://shannonrenee.com/blog/?p=1402

street photography is awesome. And so is shooting with a baby strapped to you:
http://shannonrenee.com/blog/?p=1569

these are so dreamy:
http://shannonrenee.com/blog/?p=1601

I love the colors in these (gotta love film!):
http://shannonrenee.com/blog/?p=1698

again, cutest baby ever:
http://shannonrenee.com/blog/?p=1901


Awesome, huh?

If you'd like to participate, just click on the 'weekly interrogation' tab at the top and follow the instructions there. Hope to see you here!

sunday best!

I really, really love this outfit. It made me feel cute even when I was exhausted and crabby 'cause I slept through my alarm and had to get ready at lightning speed.

shirt: Bitten by SJP
sweater: Target (on clearance for $6!)
skirt: Forever 21
hose: probably Target
boots: DSW (they're Chinese Laundry)

weekly interrogation: Wendy Laurel!

May I introduce Wendy Laurel! She is a fabulous photographer in Hawaii (jealous? I know I am!), along with a slew of other things... Wendy is also co-creator of Let the Kids Dress Themselves (I wrote about it here), a breath of fresh air in the photo world:) It is plainly evident through her work and interactions with her that she is a fun, colorful, delightful person and I'm so excited to share her with you today!

(photo by Laura Reaux)

name: Wendy Laurel

website: www.wendylaurel.com

1.What do you “do”?

I am a mother of four, and a wedding and portrait photographer, a teacher, and once in a while a lawyer. I am also a blogger.... I run LettheKids.com which shows off highly original, creative, and exceptional portrait photography. So more of what I love. What don't I do?

2. Why do you do what you do?

I do what I love. My kids come first with photography coming in a close second. I teach photography so I that is a fun combination -- kids and photography. And I hardly ever work as a lawyer since thats just for the money.

3.Where are you from?
I live in Maui and Ive been in Hawaii since law school which is 17 years. Before that Berkeley, Ca.

4. Favorite color?
Blue.

5. Favorite food?
Cherries.

6. Favorite shoes?
Converse.

7. Favorite place in the whole wide world?

My favorite place is wherever my kids are.

8. Favorite piece of playground equipment?
The swings of course!

9. Your funniest story?

I am terrible at telling jokes or funny stories. It's better just to laugh at me. I don't mind.

10. Mac or PC?
Mac

11. Manual or automatic?

Automatic

12. What do you consider your best asset?
My best asset.... hmmm... probably my ability to get things done. If I say I am going to do something, its usually done by 9 a.m.

13. Guiltiest pleasure?
Guiltiest pleasure? online shopping. Thank goodness. I live on a tiny island in the middle of the Pacific with not a lot of shopping.

14. Biggest pet peeve?

obesity

15. What do you consider priceless?
The moments with my kids.

16.If you could sit next to anyone on an airplane, who would it be?

17. What would you choose as your last meal?
My last meal? I really love cherries and popsicles. Or spaghetti.

18. What era in time do you connect with the most?
I have never thought about this... but I guess I will say now because its where I am.

19. Your motto for life?
You go where you look.

20. Best advice you can give?
My best advice is do what you love and forget about the rest.


Here is some of her gorgeous work:

Um, what can get better than sunsets in Hawaii??

http://wendylaurel.blogspot.com/2011/11/maui-sunset-maui-family-photography.html

So much goodness here:
http://wendylaurel.blogspot.com/2011/10/stephanie-maui-wedding-photography.html

I LOVE her underwater shots:
http://wendylaurel.blogspot.com/2011/10/swimmingly-maui-family-photography.html

I love everything about this session:
http://wendylaurel.blogspot.com/2011/08/mangurays-maui-family-photography.html

One word: fun!
http://wendylaurel.blogspot.com/2011/09/janes-family-maui-family-photographer.html

I just love this wedding. Especially the shot of the bouquet under the shot of the rings:
http://wendylaurel.blogspot.com/2011/07/lauren-tae-maui-wedding-photography-at.html

Thanks for visiting!

If you'd like to participate, just click on the 'weekly interrogation' tab at the top and follow the instructions there. Hope to see you here!

the chase family | fort bliss portrait photographer

I had the pleasure of photographing the gorgeous Chase family on a beautiful Texas morning this past Fourth of July weekend. I can't get over the chub on the little one! Mom and dad managed to shine too; an easy feat for mom since she used to model:) After this session I no longer have any qualms about living in El Paso... I will take that gorgeous light any day!

someone is growing up WAY too fast...

I'm in denial. Nick is my baby, yet here he is turning into a little boy. And two things have happened recently to really rub that fact in.

First, he started nursery two weeks ago. (it's the children's class for 18 month to 3 year olds). If you're doing the math, yes that is a month early. I'm extremely grateful for understanding primary presidents. I teach the CTR 10 class and since Rob is gone a whole lot this means I get to wrangle a very mischievous toddler all by myself during church while still trying to fulfill my Sunday responsibilities. A few weeks ago I was in the hall with Nick during sharing time (since he was being a huge distraction) and the primary president came up and asked when he was going to nursery. I told her we still had about a month and she said "I think we can make an exception, go ahead and take him to nursery next week and I'll let the nursery leader know to expect him." And that was that. So the next week I took him, not sure if we would have a repeat of Max's experience. Yeah, I had nothing to worry about. He didn't even look back as he ran into the room. I tried to take a picture (like with Max) to commemorate the event, but all I got was this:

a blurry picture of the back of his head.

I'm so grateful he loves nursery and I don't have to worry about him for two hours of church.

And the second thing is he no longer sleeps here:

but here:

After a week of dealing with Nick waking up constantly in the night I was desperate to FIX this. I don't have any issues waking up all night with a newborn, but once we're no longer nursing I need. my. sleep. You would think the children would learn that waking mom up all night = a very grumpy mom, but no, they don't seem to get that memo. But after thinking about it I realized every time I went in to deal with Nick he was squashed up in a corner of his crib and maybe the problem was he'd outgrown it. So I asked Rob what he thought about moving him to the bottom bunk (which is on the floor so there's no worry about him falling out of bed, he'd just roll onto the floor) and he said let's give it a shot. So we did. And it worked! Nick hasn't woken up in the night since. If you look at the picture above, that is the way Nick sleeps, contorted into some weird position. So I think the bigger bed lets him roll around to his heart's desire without smashing into the sides (thus waking himself up). Although I do feel very sorry for his future wife...

But now we have those two big milestones reached, I'm content to wait a bit for the next one.

ch-ch-ch-changes!

I'm sure some of you have noticed, but for those of you who do the google reader thing the harmon squad now looks a little different! The changes started a few months ago, but I can officially say the blog is complete! So if you haven't seen it, come take a gander.

Part of these changes is the fact that this space is now the blog for my photo business too. So you'll be seeing recent sessions up here (along with pictures of my boys, as usual) and various business related stuff. Up at the top (under the header) you'll see some pages... click on Jax Harmon Photography + Design and you can read all about the business, including a link to my soon-to-be-finished website and my new pricing! There's some pretty pictures to look at too.

I'm very happy with the changes, it's so nice to simplify things. What do you guys think?

If anything doesn't work or if you have questions feel free to ask!

Oh, and if you were wondering... I'm located in El Paso Texas if you're interested in a session!

sunday best!

I think fall is my favorite season for clothes.

sweater: Forever 21
jacket: Express (but I got it at a consignment shop for $10)
skirt: Forever 21 (same as here)
stockings: I'm not sure (they're some of my oldest), but I think Target
shoes: Target (you've seen them before...)

I hope this weather continues all winter...

weekly interrogation: Jonathan Canlas!

Today I'm honored to have Jonathan Canlas! Without a doubt Jon has a personality that is bigger than life. From the moment you meet him you will swept up in his boundless energy and feel like BFFs. He is also one of the kindest, generous people you will ever meet. On top of that his family rocks, and he has the cutest kids EVER! (see below photo for proof) If you aren't aware, he is the genius behind Jonathan Canlas Photography and the Film Is Not Dead workshops and just oozes talent. That combined with the qualities listed above is a winning combination. Don't believe me? Check it out for yourself.

name: Jonathan Canlas
website: jonathancanlasphotography.com
canlasphotography.blogspot.com
filmisnotdead.blogspot.com

1.What do you “do”?
photographer i guess :). yeah, photographer. i'm a dad and husband, but i don't get paid for that...

2. Why do you do what you do?
my family. that is my main motivation. i don't know that i could hold down a "real" job. i have not been employed by anyone but myself for over a decade (and got fired from all my previous jobs). i do what i do because i love it. i'd do it if i was getting paid or not. just luckily, i do get paid to do what i do :).

3.Where are you from?
born and raised in st louis mo. lived in laie hawaii, tokyo japan, and ut since 1996.

4. Favorite color?
the ones i see, which apparently might not be much as i'm color blind.

5. Favorite food?
ASIAN. yeah, that is a food. ASIAN :). pot roast or pot stickers? pot stickers every time.

6. Favorite shoes?
asics or saucony's. i have a red/yellow/black pair of asics that my son calls my mr incredible shoes. appropriately.

7. Favorite place in the whole wide world?
a very very close tie to my home and the north shore of oahu. both are heaven on earth.

8. Favorite piece of playground equipment?
hmm, seesaw? anyone that my kids like to go on is good with me.

9. Your funniest story?
3 stories.

1. in little rock arkansas while visiting cousins, we went to some magician show. and there was a parakeet up front and the magician called me up and gave me bird seed to give to said parakeet, but i ate it instead and sat down thinking, ew, that was gross, and realized it was for the bird, not me.

2. i dated my wife's sister before i dated my wife. end of story

3.


10. Mac or PC?
mac. i have no idea how the world of pc even still exists.

11. Manual or automatic?
manual, 100% of the time.

12. What do you consider your best asset?
my brown skin. i can be a racial chameleon as needed.

13. Guiltiest pleasure?
justin bieber. if he steps foot in 5 of the surrounding states, i'm buying tickets, and the ones that cost a ton so we can be right up front. my kids love that kid and after seeing never say never, i do too :).

14. Biggest pet peeve?
being taken advantage of, even the slightest.

15. What do you consider priceless?
time with my family.

16. If you could sit next to anyone on an airplane, who would it be?
reggie watts. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgsBgwJQGnE

17. What would you choose as your last meal?
combo plate from tita's kitchenette in national city california consisting of half pork adobo, half bbq pork with rice finished off with a fried banana and a small scoop of maiz queso ice cream. actually, if i eat that, i'm positive i'd die on the spot of a stroke so it would be my last meal technically.

18. What era in time do you connect with the most?
wwii

19. Your motto for life?
do what you love and do it often

20. Best advice you can give?
don't give a crap what anyone thinks about you, EVER. do your thing and don't let anyone tell you you can't do something.


Some of my favorites:
(I could keep going all day long.. I had to force myself to stop. Basically, just go to his blog and take a gander)

Oh, and I want to point out that all of the following examples are of his personal work... Jonathan rocks everything he does, but I find myself drawn to the stuff he shoots for himself the most.

http://canlasphotography.blogspot.com/2010/10/fuji-gf670-1st-day-of-school-kodak.html

http://canlasphotography.blogspot.com/2010/10/san-francisco.html

http://canlasphotography.blogspot.com/2011/01/fuji-gf670-pearl-harbor.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzEV9tIjxYg

http://canlasphotography.blogspot.com/2011/01/fuji-gf670-oahu.html

http://canlasphotography.blogspot.com/2011/06/memphis-tn.html

http://canlasphotography.blogspot.com/2011/08/adventure-tuesdays-ogden-ut.html

http://canlasphotography.blogspot.com/2011/08/random.html

http://filmisnotdead.blogspot.com/2009/08/mission-district-san-francisco.html

Jonathan is also the mastermind behind this:







Convinced yet? Thanks for reading!

sunday best.

Woo Hoo! for some fall weather! FINALLY. This dress is one of my absolute favorites, but despite the short sleeves it feels too heavy to me for use in summer. So I was so excited to finally pull it out of the closet and wear it again. And I just have to say, you know something is cute when your husband asks if you're wearing a new dress:) (Rob didn't ask that this time, but when I first got it. Usually he doesn't notice what I wear) Oh, and this is what happens with my hair when I sleep through my alarm and have to get ready in a hurry... What can I say, I was really tired!

dress: Forever 21
stockings: Target
boots: DSW



And I didn't think it was possible, but this one just keeps getting cuter and cuter.

halloween recap

Since Rob had to work we headed to a friends house on post to trick or treat this year. And had a blast! We took it easy and only visited a couple of streets, but that was perfect for our little ones.

Here's the pictures:

Max the pirate.










Nick the cheburashka.
(Or monkey, the actual costume. I just love how he does look like cheburashka from the front)


Julian the firefighter.

Julian's mom Kimmie was brilliant and brought a wagon. The boys had a blast in it.

Ready to go!


Isabelle the ladybug.

Max remembered trick or treating from last year and was excited to do it again!

Michelle the greaser:)

Kimmie also brought glow stick for the kids, another hit.

And here is a picture Michelle took of me, wearing Max's birthday crown. (my sad attempt at dressing up.)

Now we have a bucketful of candy to get through...