On October 11th and 12th we are having a fall special in our beautiful new gardens. We still have some opening for this great special. Call and make your reservation.

I have written in the past about my journey to losing weight and getting fit. For those that don’t know me, I have been a couch potatoe my whole life. I was getting tired of being very overweight and not being able to move. Last March I found this amazing personal trainer. Tonie Covelli. Her small studio, Creative Fitness Solutions is on Manchester in Rock Hill. She has me doing crunches, push ups, lunges, weight lifting and lots of cardio. We have trained on the bike and row machines. She started me out slow and now we are training for a 5K. I will admit - I love working out. I have lost 21 pounds and am down 3 sizes. The best thing is my stamina during a photo shoot. I can get up and down much easier and quicker. If anyone is interested in getting into shape, Tonie’s phone number is 314 971-3597.

Our newest grandchild has arrived. Hadley Alexandra was born on Monday, September 15th at 7:30 pm. She weighed in at 7lbs 9oz and 22 inches long. Of course she is the most beautiful child ever to be born (excluding our other 2 grandchildren). Hadley is our 1st grandaughter. She is Kevin and Jackie’s first child. In the photos below she is 17 hours old here.

Tiny Toes with Dad’s big hands.

We are definitely proud grandparents!

I wanted to shared a great session I had with Samantha last week. We had so much fun. This session was at our Bluffs location. We are still accepting after school sessions at the Bluffs

3 wonderful seniors came to our Bluffs studio to have fun in the sun and water. They joined in a Trash the Dress session and an Underwater session. I had so much fun with these 3 beautiful girls. Thank you Ali, Tori and Erica.
Here are two images of Tori underwater.


Erica took a turn underwater.


Out at the pond.





Ali jumping in before her underwater shoot.

Erica ending the session with the hair swish.

This past Saturday Jim and Debbie Kiske were kind enough to take me on a boat cruise at their lake. Emily and Jeffrey Kiske were game to let me use them as “senior models” for a new fun session. We are introducing a new “life” session that would include something you love to do. Emily and Jeffrey are great skiers. We had a great time.
Here is Jeffrey showing off his skills. I love his suit coat.


Emily was a little more understated with her black dress.

And Connor the family puppy led us on this wonderful morning.

John and I had a great weekend last week. It was filled with activity with Kevin and Jackie’s baby shower and an overnight visit with our grandchildren. Cameron was helping me master some new techniques with underwater photography and Timothy was busy telling us what to do.

Don’t you hate to hear and see friends and families vacation photos? I am with all of you who hate these photos but I just had to share with all of you my vacation. John and I, our daughter Maria and her husband Brian and children and our son Timothy all trecked to Grand Lake, Colorado for a wonderful week of vacation. Our niece Sarah got married in the mountains (images to follow) which brought us to Colorado. It was a great vacation - very relaxing. The scenery was absolutely breath taking. We had a cabin overlooking Shadow Mountain Lake and the Rocky Mountains.
Two mornings I had the priviledge of babysitting my grandsons. We were recreating images of “OH NO! MR. BILL!!!!

Our son Timothy had a great time sailing. He hauled his boat from St. Louis.

We went for a hike in the Rocky Mountains and came across a lot of wild life.

We went for a drive in the Rocky Mountains and the view was amazing.

And the worst day ever. Everyone decided to go horseback riding. I really did not want to go but I did not want to be a party pooper. I should have gone with my gut feeling and stay at home, on the couch, a cup of coffee, reading a good book. But OH NO!!!! I had to go. And I will say it was the worst experience of my life. The ranch handlers (I will say they were all very good looking) got me up - finally - on the horse. The moment I got up, I knew this was a BIG mistake. I WAS TERRIFIED. The horse I was on was VERY wide. My legs don’t even go in that direction. But being the trooper I am, I continued on. Do you know the power of prayer? I prayed several rosaries on this miserable ride. I was in extreme pain and kept thinking I should have worn a helmet. What if I fell? Would I ever be able to photograph again? The prayers helped and I did calm down. And then, I had to get off the horse. My legs were frozen in the one position. WIDE. Through my tears, I said to the rancher I could not get off the horse. I begged John (my husband) to please come and help me. The adorable rancher said “just fall into my arms”. GLADLY!!! So he and John caught me as I fell off the horse. My legs (again I reiterate do not stretch in that direction) hurt for the rest of the vacation. But - you can’t call me a party pooper!

I was recently asked to participate as a photographer in the 2008 Missouri Adoption Heart Gallery. The Heart Gallery was founded by the New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department in 2001 as a unique way to help children in foster care who are waiting for adoptive families step from the shadows into the light. Missouri is now one of 8 states that participate in this endeavor. Stirring portraits, which reveal the children’s amazing spirits and individuality, have helped many find permanent, loving homes.

For more information about the Missouri Adoption Heart Gallery please click here to take you to the website.

Congratulations to Kimaya Black. She is our 2nd Class of 2009 $100 winner for points she has earned sending referrals and being a terrific spokesperson and model. Here she is featuring our newest addition to our studio. “THE GARDENS AT NORDMANN PHOTOGRAPHY”. We are offering a SUMMER SPECIAL in our gardens with a FREE SESSION (10 am and 4pm sessions only) through August 29th.