These are my favorite 100 photos of 2007. That I took, anyway.

They’re not really in a particular order. That was far more complex than I could fathom creating! Enjoy.

Gotta love that slow shutter speed!

Up, up and away!

Can you tell it was a windy day at Greenlake?

I’ve been really loving the opportunities I’ve had lately to photograph families (and people) with their pets! I really hope more of my clients decide to include pets in their photos! (Hint, hint!) Shaq certainly enjoyed himself…

This was my first time photographing a family at Greenlake, and I’m SO glad that Leslie suggested the location. There were lots of little picturesque spots to take photos; I’ll definitely be keeping this one in mine for future photos. I’d stayed away from it in the past because it’s often so crowded, but once you move off the trail it’s very open.

This girl should go into modeling. Seriously! Talk about adorable.

Okay, let’s be honest…this whole FAMILY should go into modeling!

Favorite!

No, wait, maybe this is my favorite…

No, this one! This one is definitely my favorite…

Alright, fine, they’re all my favorites. How on earth am I supposed to pick ONE?

Seattle, WA: Leslie is one of my girlfriend’s co-workers, and immediately thought of me when it was time for their family photos this year. She really wanted some photos with the family dog (Shaq), because he’s getting up there in dog years…though from his energy, you would never guess it! Shaq kept us on our toes all afternoon. Leslie suggested Greenlake Park, and I’ll admit—I was a little nervous about the location at first because Greenlake is usually SO busy. It was a pretty chilly day when we were there, though, so we lucked out! Leslie, Lamar and Linai were an incredibly fun family to photograph, coming up with ideas like climbing trees for their pictures! How much fun is that? The whole family is very active; Linai (the daughter) just finished her first 5K walk last weekend. Talk about impressive! Shaq wasn’t the only one keeping ME on my toes.

Leslie, Lamar and Linai—thanks for such a fun afternoon!

Click here for the slideshow

Click here for the online proofing/ordering gallery

Happy Black Friday, everyone! In honor of today’s unapologetic consumerism, I’m posting my list of recommended gifts for the people on your list this year. Happy shopping!

Anyone who has blog-stalked me for any length of time will find the faces from this family portrait session familiar…

Craven Farm (the farm where we went for the Bancroft/Brickner family photo session) made pumpkins into costumes and set them up in little scenes around the farm. My favorite was, of course, Harry Potter!

No family photo session of these kids would be complete without Ari climbing on SOMETHING. I swear, this kid is half monkey!

Okay, I’m going to divulge something that I probably shouldn’t…but I’m kinda proud of it, so I can’t help myself! This next image is actually a composite image, which means it was originally two (or three, or four…) images that have been combined to make one. In this case, it was two images taken in succession, and neither really worked on its own. In image #1, Archer’s head was cut half off, and in image #2, the pumpkin was out of the frame. Photoshop to the rescue! I probably spent an hour compositing the two images so that they worked seamlessly to create one image without you being able to tell that any work had been done. I guess I’m spoiling the secret by telling you…then again, I’m not divulging any of my secret Photoshop techniques, either! I just had to brag a little because I’m pretty sure you can’t tell where the compositing was done…unless (ahem, ANNE) you’re a pro and know where to look for clues!

Brenda had her own ideas about what to do with a pumpkin…

Aaah, brotherly love!

Puddle jumping!

The farm had a very muddy (and very fun) tractor ride through the corn field…

I understand there’s been some debate recently in the Bancroft/Brickner world about which child is more of a mama’s boy…I think it’s clearly Archer…

…though it looks like he may disagree!

Ari was fascinated by our friend Tamara’s face painting:

Later, back at the Bancroft/Brickner “ranch”, Brenda spills her guts…

…while Archer shows me his scariest Halloween face!

And we finished off the day with a beautifully-carved pumpkin, thanks to Pete!

Snohomish, WA—As I mentioned above, anyone who has blog-stalked me for any length of time will recognize these faces as those of the Bancroft/Brickner family! I have captured more than 5,000 images of this family in the year and a half that I’ve known them, and honestly, who could blame me? Archer and Ari are so adorable that my camera practically flies out of my Shootsac whenever I’m around them, and Brenda and Pete are such amazing and wonderful parents that it’s a joy to capture them interacting as a family. I feel really blessed to be their family photographer. As I went through these images to select some for the blog, it really hit home for me how meaningful it is to capture a family’s memories. When Archer and Ari grow up and fall in love, these images will be shared with their sweethearts and may even be displayed at their weddings. I know that I’ll be there for all of their important life events, because I’ve come to love these kids as though they’re my own family! I hope I do their memories justice.

Here’s the slideshow:

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Take me to the online proofing/ordering website!

For Kat & Rowan’s relaxed family portraits, we started the day off at their house in Federal Way with the two of them playing Cadoo:

Their dog, Tikka, wanted in on the action!

After Cadoo, we headed out to the back balcony for some more photos…

Favorite:

…and then we went into the basement where they had a POOL TABLE! How awesome is that? I was jealous. Of course, I don’t know how to play pool, so they showed me how it’s done…

I’ve been experimenting with textures lately…what do you think?

After pool, we went to a local park to take advantage of the sun…

Okay, I’ll be honest…I have no idea what Rowan is doing here! But I thought it made a nice series anyway.

Who can resist a bright red slide?!

I see you!

Federal Way, WA: Kat contacted me for some family photos of she and her son, Rowan. Our mutual friend, Brenda, (family photos coming soooooooon!) recommended me to her, and I’m SO GLAD she did! Kat is an amazing person with an awesome sense of humor, and Rowan definitely takes after her. Rowan kept me on my toes all day, showing me around their house and coming up with ideas for photos. I could use someone like him as an assistant! Seriously!

Here’s Kat & Rowan’s slideshow:

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Take me to the online proofing/ordering website!

If last week was a whirlwind of image editing, this week is the same thing for business development! I’m deep into research mode for adding new products and services to my 2008 catalog and I can’t wait to see some of these ideas in action in the new year. I’m looking at expanding the options for coffee table books and adding some more album options for family photo sessions (and budget-conscious wedding couples!). I’m also planning to add a complimentary in-home consultation with some of my packages, to help you plan for the final display of your photographs in your home. I can’t wait to share these developments with you as they happen.

In the short-term, though, I’m very pleased to announce that I am offering customized holiday card designs for family photos this year! I have six fun, elegant and dramatic holiday card templates from which to choose, and I may be adding more by next week. Here’s just a few of the card fronts that I’ll be offering:

I’ll be scheduling follow-up sessions with everyone this year so we can get your cards, prints and gifts perfected and ordered, and I’ll bring some samples of these cards for you to view. I’m so excited to see your families on these cards this year! If you haven’t scheduled your family session yet—DO IT NOW! I have very few spots left!

Speaking of holidays—I have to be honest, I’m not a big fan of holidays in general, but I have found one thing to love in the last few years…it may sound weird, but I love Tofurkey! I was never big on turkey as a kid, and then I became a vegetarian in my early-mid 20’s…well, I’m not a vegetarian anymore, but Tofurkey is one (new) holiday tradition that I won’t be giving up! My other favorite tradition is going to the movies on Thanksgiving and Christmas. So that brings me to my question—what’s your favorite holiday tradition and why? It can be any holiday! Leave it in the comments, or drop me an email by this Friday (10/12) and I’ll announce the winner with the best answer next week!  Winner receives a $10 gift card toward your next print order, or a free 8×10 print of your choice.

Here’s a list of my currently-available photo session dates. This list is for weekends only—as those are the dates for which I get the most requests—but weekday evenings are also a possibility. Please email me (mcb@mollybennett.com) to schedule your photos for 2008!

Summer 2008 availability:

• 6/8
• 6/14
• 6/15
• 6/28
• 6/29
• 7/5
• 7/6
• 8/23
• 8/24
• 8/30
• 9/13
• 9/14
• 9/20
• 9/21

I was looking through some of my photos from last year, and came across these two of my friend Ari. I took these last summer, shortly after I met his mom through FreeCycle. I’m pretty sure these two images never saw the light of day, probably because they got lost among the 3,256 I’ve taken of this family in the last year…