Mini Man Tie

It was in the  -20's here today, so there was no plan to step foot outside! I knew it was going to be a lazy Saturday, so I decided instead of sitting around on my laptop all day I needed a new sewing project. I saw a "pin" on Pinterest of a super cute photo of a newborn wearing a little tie. I knew I needed to have one (or two or three) for my newborn shoots! So, why not make one? If you have basic sewing skills then you can totally make this! It's pretty easy and the tutorial I found has very well put step by step instructions. The one I made is a newborn size, and this was the only "boyish" fabric I had that would work. When I was done I snapped a few photos so I could show you them on here. I wanted to see how it looked on my little man (he is by no means a newborn!) but of course he had just woken up from a nap and was in NO mood to have this foreign object around his neck, be half naked AND have pictures taken of him, but I couldn't resist! :) He was not happy with me, but some of the pictures are cute anyway. Like I said, I made the newborn size, and he is 1.5 years old, so it's probably a bit too small on him. Also, just a suggestion, next time I will make the strap a bit longer if I am making it for an older child, this one barely fit around his neck (even though it's adjustable) Here's an idea...if making this as a gift, you could iron on the letter of the child's first name on the front of the tie! That would be super cute! Also, I might be making more and adding them to my my Etsy shop, so keep an eye out!

Blessings!

~Susan

Butte

It was a clear and sunny day on my mom's second to last day of her visit to The Last Frontier. We decided we needed to do some scenic driving but were limited on time due to my son's preschool schedule. So, we headed to Butte, which is located between the Matanuska River and the Knik River, about five miles southeast of Palmer. Within a short 15-20 minute drive there was a good 10 degree difference and quite a few more inches of snow on the ground- which makes for prettier pictures :) There was a really neat lot of old cars on the side of the road piled high in snow. Not really sure what they were doing there and how long they had been there, but definitely worthy of a "Oh, let's pull over and take pictures in negative degree weather"! We also swung by the Reindeer Farm, is was so desolate compared to when my family went on Christmas Eve, Eve. But, my mom got to see the Reindeer, I mean Caribou, right Mom? And of course we snapped a few photos. We were't out of the car for more then a few minutes when neither of us could feel our fingers anymore. Kinda hard to push the shutter button, or let alone feel it when your hands are numb. We saw some pretty scenery (well, when/where do you not here in Alaska?), shot some great pics, got up and close to an animal you'd never see in Florida, and had a few laughs along the way...I'd say that makes for a good day!

Here are some photos of our short adventure to Butte. If you click on the photo, it will play as a slide show for better viewing! Enjoy God's mighty work!

Baby C.E.'s newborn shoot

Yesterday I had the opportunity to do a photo shoot of a sweet little newborn. Since he was born at 33 weeks, he was only 6 lbs at 4 weeks old! When I first got there he seemed SO tiny! I guess it's been a while since I've held a newborn, plus, all my babies were born at 9 lbs, so to me, 6 lbs is so small!!
I think the shoot went well! It took some time calming him and getting him comfortable in the positions, but he was a trooper! We had fun playing around with props, and luckily my friend's house has some awesome colored walls and a really cool backsplash in her kitchen we could utilize, what a big help that was! These were shot with all natural light and I used my 50mm 1.8/f lens. This is a new lens to me, and since it doesn't zoom, there is a lot of moving around you have to do with it, I guess it just takes time and practice. Anyways, it was a fun time and I definitely learned some things for the next newborn shoot! Can't wait! I just LOVE LOVE LOVE babies!!! Want to book a shoot? You can find my email address on my website at www.susanwetlesenphotography.zenfolio.com under contact.

Hope you enjoy some of my favorites from the shoot (If you click on the photo, it will display as a slideshow ;)

I can't believe it's mid January already, all the Christmas decorations in the stores are down and replaced with pink, red and white hearts galore. You know what this means, Valentine's Day is rapidly approaching! I saw on a friend's Facebook page and on Pinterest this super cute idea for an original and creative Valentine card for your kids to hand out to their classmates. (Also you can send them to grandma and grandpa, who you know would LOVE them!) So, I thought, hey, why not give them a try, I mean they do include a picture ;) I think they turned out really well. They are pretty simple, but what's best about them is since it's a photograph; it's an actual keepsake and not a flimsy piece of paper that will get thrown in the trash with the 30 other Valentine cards their friends get. There's a lot of ways to embellish them: your kids can sign their name, add stickers, use card stock that has patterns, stamps, glitter etc... These are the simple versions for posting purposes. When we actually make them all I'll let the kids get creative and spice them up a bit! 

                                       
                                                              Aren't they so cute?!?

If you live in the area and want these done, they are $20 for 20 cards, which include picture taken, printed, placed on card stock, and slits made for the lollipop (not included), each additional card in 50 cents. Just the picture taken in $10. Please feel free to email me at susan.wetlesen@gmail.com

"Which of my photographs is my favorite?....

....The one I'm going to take tomorrow." -Imogen Cunningham 

Hi there! My name is Susan. I am a military wife and a mother of 3. Currently we are based at Elmendorf AFB, Alaska. We live up in the Mat-Su Valley and are loving every minute of this new state-The Last Frontier- we call "home". I love cooking and trying new recipes. In my opinion, making people happy through food is one of life's simple pleasures. "Vegetables are a must on a diet. I suggest carrot cake, zucchini bread, and pumpkin pie." -Jim Davis
Sewing is fun and can be quite rewarding if your project turns out right, especially if you are giving it as a gift ;) I do know American Sign Language, as that was my major in college; I'm not sure yet what I want to do with that, but, I did meet my best friend through the program, so it's always neat when we get together and can chat in another language! Pictures and photography are one of my new favorite interests, hence, this blog!

So, enough about me, time to welcome my family, friends, readers, and fellow aspiring photographers! I've decided to start this blog for my photography in hopes it will help spread the word, get my name out there, and allow friends and family from afar to see what I've been working on. I believe Facebook is a great tool, but I feel I need to spread my wings and expand from just my "buddy list".  My goals for this blog are as follows; have a place I can display my photos in full effect (Facebook likes to change pictures to fit their format), be able to share stories, special moments, and memories from photo shoots, write about my dreams-my ups and downs as an aspiring photographer, and lastly be able to share what I've learned through my experiences so others can take from it and apply it to their journey. Don't be surprised if I slip in a post here and there of a new recipe that I just HAD to share since it was so delicious, or a craft idea I fell in love with and had to try my hand at :) I'll also try my best to share with you any recent blogs or websites I've come across that I think have great tips, tricks or ideas related to photography.

Thank you all for your support and encouragement while I venture this new business called photography! Stay tuned as I have a newborn shoot coming up this week! :) You can visit my photography website at www.susanwetlesenphotography.zenfolio.com. There you can see some of my work. It's also where I post proof albums for customers to view their final edits. If you have any questions on pricing, booking a shoot, or anything really, my email is on my website under Contact.

I hope you enjoy tagging along on this journey with me!

Thanks,

~Susan