The way I see it:

one fine day...

2011-01-18T15:08:00.001-08:00

On our most recent federal holiday, us federal employees decided that an afternoon at the beach sounded great! John and Jessica met Andy and me there to play some Canasta and just enjoy the perfect weather. Jessica's goal the whole game was to pick up the discard pile and, finally, the last hand, she picked it up not once, not twice, but THREE whole times! Oh, the points that she racked up! :) It was just completely delightful.

After our card game, the breeze decided to come around which was perfect because Andy and I still had to go on our sunset run! That moment - running on the soft sand with my favorite man in the whole world, watching the sun sink lower and lower, hearing the waves crash and seeing the tide slowly rise... it was one of those that I will always remember and enjoy.

On the way home we got an iced chai tea latte to split, and my happiness meter went through the roof. :) Oh, and the gerber daisies that were on the table from Andy helped too. Wow! Thank you God, for this wonderful life.

sisters and nieces too!

2011-01-13T09:30:00.000-08:00

My little sister Annika (on the right, with bangs) and my little niece Briana (blonde, with the bow) are great friends. My mom and sister had babies within 4ish months of each other, and the result is that our growing family just fits right in with the original kids! I took these pictures when I was home for Thanksgiving, and they are SO cute that I just had to share...

I think kids are one of my favorite subjects - their personality is so real (even if it means they're just in a bad mood for the moment!) Thankfully, these girls had taken their naps so lots of fun was had by all. :)

-Abby

Wayne&Megan

2010-12-08T11:12:00.000-08:00

Andy and I drove up to Los Angeles the other day to take pictures of Wayne and Megan! Wayne is one of Andy's best friends and I've known him and Megan since last summer when we all hung out in Southern Cali... I knew when I saw them that they were perfect together, and I always LOVE it when my predictions are true. :)

This couple shares so much, besides for their adorable love for each other, they both love horses! Wayne is a trainer/jockey and Megan trains horses as well so it only seemed natural to take some engagement photos with their pretty horses in them too. I got to practice my horse whispering skills... okay, so it was more like Andy saying "hey, smokey! Smooookey... hey, hey!" while I took pictures trying to get the horses looking in the right direction.

Anyway, here are a few of my favorites from the shoot - aren't they cute? :)

And this is the end... of the beginning!

-Abigail

Sands Family

2010-09-17T13:37:00.001-07:00

Adam and Samantha brought their two children out to visit Andy and me on their road trip across the country this summer... so I took their picture. I know now where NOT to have my clients sit (on the pee stairs, thanks to the pot-smoking bums that hang around Ocean Beach, ewww!) Many thanks to Adam and Samantha for being excellent models and even more excellent friends. :)

Oh dear!

2010-09-08T11:46:00.000-07:00

So, I was all excited about posting again and (this is TRUE) my motherboard died the very next day. Well, it was a slow death... with more and more screens of black and blue and less and less booting up correctly. Sigh. Anyway, my amazing brother came for Labor Day weekend and he and Andy fixed my computer all up! And now I have Windows 7 which is pretty suh-weet, fyi. So, here we go again!

When my brother was here I took some pictures of his little family at Balboa Park... please enjoy. :)

What a wonderful family I have...

-Abigail

a very good excuse.

2010-08-04T21:46:00.000-07:00

Andy and me

Since February, I've finished my college degree (hooray for a BA in Humanities!), planned a wedding, married the man of my dreams, and moved to Southern California from Virginia.

There. That's my excuse.

It is good, isn't it?

Anyway, I'm back. Hi! Have a great night, and I'll be posting more latuh.

Love, Abigail

Briana Joy

2010-02-13T16:15:00.000-08:00

My beautiful niece Briana Joy... :)

of marshmallows and punk bands

2009-12-01T08:48:00.000-08:00

Oh look. It's me and my fearless Charis sister. We're in black and white because it's the coolest. Okay, okay, so maybe it's because the white balance was on cloudy and the kitchen wasn't cloudy that day. Anyway! We were having fun since we were FINALLY able to get our schedules synced to let us make little marshmallow men. (Back when I was a young'un of 6, I didn't have a schedule except do school, climb trees, eat cookies and go to bed.)

Here are the things. Ta-Da!! The more we looked at them the more we thought they looked like a punk boys band, and since they all have three little pretzel legs we named them the Tripods. Isn't that SO COOL?! They're coming to a kitchen near you.

Once more, my sweet sister who must've had something in her mouth or else she'd be showing off her amazing toothless grin.

I love you, Charis!

Fall in Virginia!

2009-11-21T08:41:00.000-08:00

I love photographing life as it happens and I think the best practice for that comes with my own family. Here we were, raking leaves (and MY, we had the leaves this year...) and everyone was so cute and the light was so pretty that I just *had* to take some pictures. Yep. :)

Why hello there, cutie patootie!

Mom plays with her two littlest kids... Annie and Nathaniel.

My, Annika - that leaf on your head is making such an amazing fashion statement!

I have the cutest siblings.

Life is beautiful.

-Abby

poem

2009-11-17T11:07:00.000-08:00

poem

Sometimes I feel like a poet.

Like... when I take a picture and it says everything I want to be said, and gives me this funny happy feeling way deep down inside.

[i felt like a poet]

beauty!

2009-09-28T18:23:00.000-07:00

Wow, I just LOVE this picture from Caleb and Lauren's wedding!! I think it sums up the simplicity and beauty of their day. Sigh. I like it when me and my camera come up with things like this.

IPS, Manitou Springs, Colorado

2009-09-13T21:54:00.000-07:00

we're having fun here so far... David and Julianne were just hanging out with the heads.

the days are full of cool people learning all of the technical stuff of photography, plus the creative, crazy side! :) woohoo!

ttys,
abby

Lauren, San Antonio

2009-09-01T08:38:00.001-07:00

Nice sneakers... :)

Lauren has been my friend since way back when I was 15 and she was 13. It's such an amazing privilege to be able to photograph weddings for my friends - not only to be there and participate in the celebration, but also to skip around shooting pretty pictures of it. Yep. Although when you get married outside in Texas in August, there's a little less skipping from the photographer. ;)

Coming soon: Lauren and Caleb SLIDESHOW! Woohoo! I'm excited.

-Abby

Little Annika

2009-08-30T07:26:00.000-07:00

My sweet little sister Annika loves to play on my bed with my stuffed animals (Bunny, Monkey and Bear) and I love to look back while I'm editing and see her little cheery grin. Man, isn't she the cutest??

My best friend...

2009-08-28T08:44:00.000-07:00

Kara. Girly Q, Baby Cakity Cake, Scooby... lots of nicknames for my next younger sister... she's my favorite traveling buddy, she laughs (most of the time) at my jokes, and gives AMAZING pedicures. She's incredible, hilarious and really good at kick-boxing ;) and I love her SO MUCH.

wedded bliss

2009-08-23T07:11:00.000-07:00

I took pictures for my friends Josh and Andri at their Minneapolis wedding in June... what a beautiful, wonderful day! Andri arranged to see Josh for the first time at this pretty gazebo by the lake... I thought it was a lovely spot. :)

The following are just a few more from the day - I hope you enjoy them!

One of my friends saw this picture and asked "is there a wedding makeup music app?" :P

Andri has a fabulous sense of style, and these pink shoes quite describe her personality!

I love weddings - they're the beginnings of "happily ever after" and I can't even describe how great it is to capture those moments...

-Abigail

pretty pictures

2009-05-21T19:10:00.000-07:00

I am alive! Even though the blogsphere hasn't heard from me in a few months, I am still living. :) Finishing school, prepping for a move, traveling the globe and being a big sister makes life a little busy... But yes. I'm back. Ready to play show and tell!

How have you all been?

-Abigail

life!

2009-02-04T14:56:00.000-08:00

Nothin' but blue skies...

School is nearing completion (ahahaha - YES!), family gatherings are being planned, God's mercies are new everyday, and new jobs keep popping up just like... daisies. My life has been filled with one happy little something after another, lately, and I am so grateful. So! :)

-abigail

oh yeah!

2009-01-21T21:46:00.001-08:00

This wedding was my most favorite ever.

Of course, the latest one usually is.... but it's because I'm constantly learning new things and pushing myself to reach new personal bests! I love to try to amaze myself. :P

Check this out:

www.abigailbriana.com/nickangelle

ttfn! -a

random, but cute!

2009-01-21T09:33:00.000-08:00

Annika Faith is almost 9 months old now, and helps us keep the kitchen floor clean. :) Hehe - only joking... I think we do sweep and mop quite a bit more often though, now that she's mobile!

Savannah and me: the sickly children. We got to wear these most excellent masks at a Christmas party.

A beautiful girl: Abby Hope
I got to take sr. pictures for Abby last fall, what an enjoyable experience! And I liked this one a lot, so I thought I would post it!

A beautiful woman: Sarah Edwards.
Definitely a friend to keep for a good long time.

Told you it was a random post... but I just had the itch to blog, and a few pictures to share... so I combined them. Whoohoo!

Until the next post, I remain, yours faithfully,

Abigail :)

time cherished::

2009-01-18T20:04:00.000-08:00

While house sitting this month, I got to pretend I owned a great black lab named Macy... on nice days (i.e. when it was above 10 degrees F) we would go on walks, or run around in the back fields... and this time I brought along Charis and Nathaniel to enjoy the 30* day!
Nathaniel got a little tired, good thing big sis doesn't mind carrying him, right? Charis took this picture of us... :)

Oh, they're cute.

One last photo of happiness.

The moon rise was really pretty...

And it was a great time - just thought I would share some pictures! :)

-Abigail

Angelle Missios

2008-12-16T13:44:00.000-08:00

It meant so much to be able to take pictures for Angelle, because, not only is she a fantastically talented wedding and portrait photographer herself, but she is my friend. We started our photography careers together, way back when...

And now we're all grown up and getting married! Well... she is. :)

Life is beautiful, you know? All its twists and turns... and then happily ever after.

(romantic sigh)

-Abigail

2008-12-13T18:06:00.000-08:00

Check it out...... we've got a cold front AND a blizzard warning in effect. Winter has come.

I'll be home instead of at church tomorrow, so maybe I'll find some time to share wedding pictures from the Missios wedding in New Orleans... : )

-Abigail

Venezzia, Italia

2008-12-02T16:08:00.000-08:00

And that was Venice. :) My time there was short but sweet. Mandy picked me up at the train station after I had flown in from Sevilla. Ah. God gives us good gifts when we need them. An elderly American professor was on the same bus as I was (from the airport to the train) and he told me just where to go and how to get there.

It's so nice that God takes care of me.

And after meeting up with Mandy we embarked on a whirlwind tour of Venice that included cappucino, meeting her fabulous Dad and brothers!, St. Mark's Square, a gondola ride, fruit cups on the Rialto Bridge, and... amazement at the loveliness of it all.

~Abigail

Thanksgivingness

2008-11-29T20:06:00.000-08:00

The last "cheese" for the day. Heh.

My favorite girls in the world.
From l-r: Me, Sarah and Kara

The day after Thanksgiving proved the perfect time to catch a few portraits of my crazy family... Charis, (top picture) when I asked her to pose so that I could make a portrait of her in the beautiful window light, replied "I don't have to LOOK at you anymore, Abby!" Yes... we had been busy with pictures for the last half hour... but she managed to squeak out one last "CHEESE." for me. : ) Begrudging though it may be, I still think she's one of the most charming litle sisters a girl could have. Yes indeed.

I love my family!!

this and that...

2008-11-16T23:34:00.000-08:00

check out:
www.abigailbriana.com/timothyjacquelyn

and

www.abigailbriana.com/davidmelanie

if you'd like to see a couple of slideshows from August weddings...

And:

this is how I feel.

~*abigail

Europe!!

2008-10-16T09:28:00.000-07:00

Me, Dave, Mandy, Ben (and the hand is Jonny)

So, here's a group picture of the fabulous five in Barcelona... in an elevator... yes. We love elevators. After the Day of 1000 stairs in Florence, Italy... yes. Ahem.

More stories and pictures soon to come - I'm finishing about 3 weddings this week before I'm "allowed" to post more. :)

-abi

Plaza de Espana...

2008-10-02T18:20:00.000-07:00

Johanna, Sevilla, Spain

Ahhh... another great night of shooting! I can't believe tomorrow is the last day, but am so excited about taking all I've learned and applying it when I get back. Yeah.

-Abigail

Seville, Spain!

2008-10-02T03:14:00.000-07:00

Flamenco Dancer, El Museo de Baile, Sevilla

More coming soon!! :)
- Abigail

Bridal Portraits at Garden of the Gods

2008-09-26T14:31:00.001-07:00

Jacquelyn Baumgartner, September 2008

IPS (and etc...)

2008-09-26T13:39:00.000-07:00

Yes, yes... Just a few images from this fabulous few weeks in Manitou Springs, Colorado. I really can't believe how much I've enjoyed this time. I had no idea how great it was to be able to communicate your passion to another and see their enthusiasm grow about the same thing! I love photography!! - I know that now more than ever - and I am ever grateful that God has allowed me this opportunity to pass on this excitement.

Sometimes I think I'll positively BUST because I'm so happy about life.

Yay!

memories

2008-09-06T21:45:00.000-07:00

I'm working on the presentations that I'm teaching at IPS (www.ips.iblp.org) this week, and as I'm dragging pictures into ppt I keep thinking about each picture and remembering the amazing stories that go along with them...

This one is in Guatemala City, Guatemala - Elizabeth and I went to get a chicken for lunch and this pobre pollo was quite fresh and cute, but not as cute as the little lady and her daughter who helped us... :) I can't wait to go back!!

-Abby

flowergirls

2008-08-01T21:55:00.001-07:00

Yep, they're the cutest ever...

thanks to a boyscout!

2008-07-29T22:45:00.000-07:00

Jacob must have been around 11 years old. He was visiting Mt. Rushmore with his troop from Minnesota, and we got to chatting... he loves camping and his mom, and he bought her a blue necklace from the gift shop. Good little man. I asked him if he would mind taking a picture of my friend Hannah and I, and as I showed him where to put his responsible young hands on the huge body of the Mark III, the rest of his troop began to take an interest. "That's the picture, right there," was the remark of one of the troop leaders as I was giving him his impromptu lesson. He took a couple of test clicks, and then I ran and hopped in the picture. I wish that you guys could've seen it... five of his friends got out their point and shoots and took a picture of him taking a picture of us... :) Made my day.

Thank you, Jacob.

Kalaan and Rebecca

2008-07-07T21:55:00.000-07:00

To view the slideshow, click here:

http://www.abigailbriana.com/kalaanrebecca

Briana, my little niece!

2008-07-07T21:53:00.000-07:00

Corrie and Peter E-Session - Oklahoma City

2008-06-03T14:29:00.000-07:00

(Click to see the large size)

Corrie and Peter were SO much fun. They wanted a very casual, laid back shoot and the Myriad Gardens in downtown OKC proved to be the perfect location.

More on these two cute people coming soon. :)

z slideshow!

2008-05-29T08:05:00.000-07:00

www.abigailbriana.com/mkbaumgartner

see and be astonished. :)

Mike and Kristin: Preview

2008-05-27T22:42:00.000-07:00

Mike and Kristin were married here in Edmond, Oklahoma last Saturday, and the whole day was simply beautiful, as you will see on the slideshow...

And the slideshow is coming soon, I promise. :)

Enjoy the day!

Abigail

off camera flash = LOVE

2008-03-29T14:07:00.000-07:00

What fun it was to take my older brother and younger sister out on a shoot on Easter weekend... we tried out the new transmitter so that I can use off camera flash, and BEHOLD! It is SO awesome! :) We did some goofy stuff too, just because we're sibs and cool like that... hehe.

Abigail

details, details...

2008-03-05T11:35:00.001-08:00

More coming soon... :)

2008-02-27T09:45:00.000-08:00

Pictures from my trip to California...

These are at the beach in Cayucos, with Hannah Brandau. We had much fun and chocolate gelato, too. Whoo! :)

michelle

2008-02-21T11:35:00.000-08:00

It was well below freezing, and felt like -10 with windchill, but we braved the cold and wind to take pictures of Michelle in her beloved Colorado mountains.

We had a blast. :)

3 favorites!

2008-02-06T22:20:00.000-08:00

These are three that I've taken in the last couple of months, and I submitted them to my mentor (Scott Robert Lim) for his critique. So I thought I would put them up here, too! :)

Family Portraits

2008-02-04T22:13:00.001-08:00

While in Washington D.C. I had the opportunity to get together with some old friends and take their family portrait! It was such a fun evening of playing with the kids, baking cookies (and taking BIG tasties!), and catching up on life.

I present to you a few of my favorites:

Hope you enjoyed them! :)

-Abigail

Hello, world!

2008-02-02T18:18:00.000-08:00

Here I am! Let's get this party started... :)

-abigail