Yep. Two teeth! Harper is a whole four months old now, but she’s been on the blog before. You can see her newborn photos here and here!

Beautiful eyes and beautiful smile!

It’s always a blast to hang with Harper and big brother Jack! GREEN CHEESE! EEEWWWW! (Thanks guys!)

Just checking in with an update on session availability! Anyone who knows me will tell you that I am a serious planner by nature. As always, I have left room for newborns. If you are expecting, contact me right away to have your due date penciled onto the calendar!

August ~ 2 spots

September ~ 1 spot

October ~ BOOKED

Don’t forget about our current promotion!

Connor is three months old and happy about it! He was such a good little boy during our shoot, and I look forward to watching him grow over the next year!

You know how I love me some baby toes!

Such a strong boy!

Brandon is such a curious little guy! He was so fascinated by the world around him…my camera, a dog barking in the distance, a pine needle on the ground. He was so focused on everything new around him, he hardly noticed his parents acting crazy behind me trying to get him to smile! These turned out to be some of my favorites ever!

Love the drool!

I photographed Ella this past Saturday, and Sunday morning I was lucky enough to meet up with her whole extended family!

All of the cousins

And one last one that I loved of Dalton and Lindsay!

Thanks again, guys! I’ll be seeing you again before too long!

1. Macy, Claire and I went home to visit my parents this past weekend. I almost spit out my yogurt Saturday morning when Macy exclaimed, “We’re going to see Nana and her friend! His name is PopPop!” God, that kid cracks me up.

2. Isn’t it funny that I’m 35 29 and still refer to my parents’ house as home? Mike and I have been married for 5 years, living in this house for 3 years and have 2 kids. I guess wherever Mom and Dad are will always feel like home, even if they move again. Which they should. Move, that is. To Raleigh. (That, my friends, is the art of the subtle hint.)

3. So while I was at “home” this weekend, I was thrust into sorting through five boxes of old, old crap junk memorabilia that had been collecting dust in the attic for years. We’re talking stuffed animals that were my mother’s! Cabbage Patch kids! Old softball trophies. And middle school yearbooks. Oh. My. God. Were they ever funny! The clothes, the hair. Oh, the hair. Remember The Poof?

4. I had scratched out my picture in both my 8th and 9th grade yearbooks. At first I laughed at how self-conscious teenagers are, how silly I was to think so little of myself. And about how much more confident I feel as a 35 29-year old woman now. But now as a mother, as I look at my young daughters, I feel a sadness. They too will have to endure those awful, awkward years of teendom. The braces, the breakouts, the feeling that you don’t quite belong. My heart hurts for them. God help me when they are actually out of diapers.

5. Speaking of diapers. I am holding Potty Training Bootcamp at my house beginning August 1st. We will start off with a Diaper and Pull-up Throwing Away Ceremony, and then commence with three straight days of Elmo Potty Seats, Big Girl Underwear, Princess Prizes and Lots of Paper Towels. And if we are lucky, the short one and I will emerge victorious on August 3rd.

6. I am so determined to be a better blogger that I am writing this on Monday. Yes, I know, I’m a dork and quite possibly an Overachiever Wannabe. But in my defense, I have a photo session tomorrow morning with a 9 month old, then a lunchtime seminar, then another photo session with a 3 month old, plus two client orders to deliver. So I figured if I started early on my Tuesday post that I might actually have a Tuesday post. Plus, this keeps me from doing things that I actually ought to be doing right now. I will one day teach this in my class, Master Procrastination. (Psst. Don’t wait for that one…ha ha, get it?)

7. OH! Speaking of “get it!” I could not, did not remember using the saying “Get it!” in middle school. Yet it was written all over the pages…and was so helpfully defined by the yearbook staff as kind of slang-of-the-moment. “Get it: Sure, okay.” WTF? If anyone I went to middle school with remembers this saying, PLEASE tell me what the heck we were talking about?!

8. When I went to middle school, it was called junior high. Whatever happened to junior high? Why is it called middle school now? And who decides this kind of stuff? It might be nice to meet someone who can call shots like that. Must be a pretty powerful kind of job. Hmm.

9. This is the most random, rambling Ten on Tuesday post EVER. Just sayin’.

10. I used to write. A lot. I even took a writing correspondence course when I was in middle school. (Go ahead and say it, I know you want to!) But I enjoyed it, and I’m thinking of picking it up again. And lucky you, my blog reader(s) (there is more than one of you out there, right? Right? Anyone….anyone….? Hi mom!) get to sit back and laugh! Won’t that be FUN!?

And in the spirit of 8th grade…TTFN! KIT! Smooches!

Meet Ella, who is 8 weeks old today! Her mom works with my mom, and they thought we should meet. I personally thought it was a great idea, but Ella was kind of eh about the whole thing. She would stare and stare into my eyes, but as soon as that big camera covered my face, she would look away! But we got some really cute stuff anyway. And poor baby…we wore her out! Apparently she slept HARD after I left. Modeling is such hard work!

Stay tuned for more of this little sweetheart with some of her extended family!

Yes, I know it’s 100 degrees outside. I know you’re dreaming of white sandy beaches, not white Christmases; drinking margaritas on the patio rather than eggnog by the fire. But I’m kicking off the Christy Johnson Photography holiday season with a fun promotion that you don’t want to miss!

Book your family portrait session before August 31, 2009 and you will receive a set of 25 free holiday cards! Fall sessions are already booking up, so email me right away to claim your date!

The fine print:
~Promotion includes (25) 5×5 or 5×7 flat press printed cards.
~Family sessions include up to 4 individuals in an immediate family.
~Session will take place at your home or at an outdoor location in Raleigh.
~Session must take place by November 20, 2009.
~Creative fee is required within 5 days of booking.
~Additional holiday cards are available for purchase, in sets of 25. Inquire for pricing.

Happy Holidays! (Tee hee!)

Friends and clients often ask me how to take better pictures of their children on an everyday basis, so I thought I’d do a blog post for everyone. Keep in mind these few simple tips to improve the photos you are capturing of your children!

1. Get low! Getting down on a child’s level is key. Squat down, sit on the floor, lay in the grass. The difference will be more photos of her beautiful face versus the top of his head.

2. Keep it simple! Avoid distracting backgrounds to let his star shine brightest. Bright colors or a busy background really draw the eye of the viewer away from your subject.

3. Go natural! Posing is fine, but if you’re like me, you get nothing but “say cheese!” fake smiles. Hang back and capture your child in action…running through the sprinklers, concentrating on a puzzle, giggling with her sister.

4. Be prepared! Carry your camera in your purse or diaper bag to capture the unexpected, picture-worthy moments when you’re out and about.

5. Take it easy! Picture-taking can be stressless if you stress less. So you didn’t get the perfect shot you had envisioned? Just try again tomorrow. You don’t want your child to associate the camera with feeling pressured. If it’s not fun for him,, it won’t be fun for anyone!

And a bonus tip: Hand the camera off to someone and step into the frame too! Your child doesn’t care if you are having a bad hair day or if you need to lose 20 pounds. Just get in the picture!

And just a few fun ones of my big girl Claire, since a post isn’t a post without a picture!

Tiny Samantha was only 6 days old when we met on Wednesday, so I’m guessing she won’t remember me. But the good news is that we’ll be getting to know each other well over the next year, since she’s on the Baby’s First Year plan!

You won’t believe what happened the FIRST time we tried this shot! I bet you can guess…yes, Dad got a little wet! But can you believe that she fell asleep on his hand when we tried again later?

Luckily, Dad was a really good sport about it all!

Want to see more of this sweet baby?