I've moved the blog to a new neighborhood

Yes, it's true, I've moved but not far! Here's my new blog - http://robinmcquayandersonphotography.wordpress.com/

There's more information and a slicker format - check it out!

See you around the neighborhood...

Robin

The I Heart Faces Pet Photo Contest!

Fast - very fast.Loving - very loving.Grateful - very grateful.
Meet Star, our rescue Greyhound. He's funny, he's enthusiastic, and he lives for walks. He loves to be with people, preferring to be on the couch with anyone and everyone who allows it. He is my entry in this week's Pet Pictures Photo Contest at I Heart Faces.
Check out his eyes and savor the soul!

Enjoy our pup...Robin

An Angel Lives Next Door

Childhood is the most beautiful of all life's seasons.
~Author Unknown

"I don't like snakes," she stated without hesitation. Madison made it quite clear that no pictures were to be taken in the tall grass! No problem - I don't like snakes either! Even with this rule in place, I still had a great time shooting images of Madison and her three siblings.

Quite simply, this delightful little girl never stops smiling! Her moments were spent running, playing, and climbing trees, and boy we have fun! With an older brother and sister, Madison makes sure she is never left behind.

But, for the briefest of time she turned her 100 watt smile in my direction and lit up the world. The sun made a halo out of her blond curls and all was perfect!

Thanks Madison - you were giggly, charming, and totally sweet - all the things little girls should be!

Enjoy....Robin

I Heart Faces Contest - "Tooshies"

On the IHeartFaces blog, the photo contest this week is "Tooshies" - wow, that's different! I've never really focused (how 'bout that pun!) on tooshies before but this shot popped into my mind. It was taken of sweet little Kylie wearing one of the tutus her mom makes. I loved the way she would bend down to look at the shells - totally flexible with her little *bum* in the air.

Wish me luck....Robin

The Wedding of Trish and Dan

The highest happiness on earth is marriage.
~William Lyon Phelps

She was smiling from the moment she stepped out of her car. Trish was every inch the radiant and glamorous bride and she was heading to the altar to marry her prince. She knew Dan was her soulmate - afterall, he taught her to believe in fairy tales again - and this one has a happy ending.

They married over looking the beach where they met - the same beach where Dan proposed - the same beach where Trish said yes. And standing at the altar with them were his and her children - joining together with their parents in creating a new family.

There were toasts and dances; laughter and hugs - but mostly, there was Trish and Dan, never away from each other's side, never without the twinkle in their eyes. One only had to watch them for a moment to know they had found a rare and wonderful love - one made from the stuff of fairy tales.

Thank you for the opportunity to shoot your wedding Trish and Dan! It was an honor to share that time with you.

Enjoy.... Robin

Me and My Nana

Everyone is the age of their heart.

~Guatamalan Proverb

My Nana lives in a lovely sunny nursing facility in Florida – yep, I still have a Nana. At 94 years old, she still rises each day and dresses as if company is expected complete with earrings, necklace, bracelets, and rings. Her blue eyes still sparkle and her skin has the soft glow of one who never sat in the sun.

I surprised her with a visit this past Thanksgiving, watching her eyes light up at the recognition of my face – if not my name. She clapped her hands and held them out like a child longing for a hug.

My Nana has, in gentle terms, lost much of her memory. In nursing home terms, she has profound senile dementia.

I keep my visits on the short side as she fatigues quickly and conversation is not always fluid and easy. On this day, however, she was cheerful and eager to talk. After pleasant conversation about the weather, the quality of the food, and the lovely view from her window, I gingerly began to explore what tidbits of her memory still remained. I told her that my birthday was two days earlier and asked, “Nana, do you know how old I turned?” After the briefest perplexity crossed her brow, she excitedly shouted, “You turned 21!!”

Cute Nana, very cute.

But, seriously, that’s what she believed and that’s what she saw in her mind – a mind that lives somewhere between 1950 and 1985. There’s something quite sweet about a grandmother that still sees me as young woman just beginning her adult life. For a fraction of a second I could share a distant past with her and laugh as if I truly were 21 again.

Now, if only my bathroom mirror could develop a little senile dementia and show me the face of 21 year old!

The rest of the visit showed me a Nana that confused me with my mother and my own grown daughter, Connor. But in the end, isn’t that what I truly am? I have a bit of my grandmother, a bit of my mother, a good dose of me, and even a smidge of my daughters. I am all the women before me just as my daughters will be. To my Nana, that is enough to know us all by face if not by name.

Yes, maybe Nana has the way of it after all...

Robin

Friends...

A friend is one of the nicest things you can have, and one of the best things you can be.

~ Douglas Pagels

When Katie knocked at the door, Lauren excitedly shouted, "It's Katie, my best friend in the whole world."

Suddenly, her brother Nicholas' birthday party paled in comparison to spending several hours with her delightful friend. The two girls ran inseperably inside and out, giggling non-stop.

Thank you little ones, for letting me peek into your playtime for just a few minutes - capturing great images and perfect smiles.

Enjoy... Robin

Lauren at the top and Katie on the bottom.

No matter what the excitement around him, Nicholas found the ice chest to be one of the best features of his birthday party.

Nicholas Turns One!

I have two lovely friends, Frank and Heather, who are the proud parents of charming Nicholas.

Today was his first birthday party. He was sweet and animated as he crawled and toddled among the guests; smiling and giving us samples of his booming calls for attention. From diving his hands into the ice chest to devouring his chocolate cake, everything was a joy to this wonderful little boy.

As he totally enjoyed his party, I quickly captured the fleeting glances and soulful eyes he flashed in my direction. Someday Nicholas, you will make many little girls swoon with your long lashes and adorable smile. In the meantime, I'm delighted to photograph your tender innocence.

Next post - Nicholas' big sister and best friend.

Enjoy... Robin

A Short and Sweet Posting

I spent the weekend in South Florida because it was finally my daughter's baby shower weekend! Driving down with my great friend Debbie, from Savannah, we excitedly chatted over how much fun it would be to see little Connor sporting such a big belly! With one month to go, Connor is feeling pretty cumbersome.

Oh you can believe I took a whole lot of pictures too - but much to my disappointment, she said "don't post!" What? But...that's my role as your mother/photographer/blogger!! Well, she's not too happy with her "bigness" these days so no pictures of her at 8 months preggars shall be posted - but - I can post the photos of her at 7 months...so here goes!!

Also posted is granddaughter #2 - Sweet Lilly Margaret. (She came to the shower too but she slept through most of it.)

Any week now I will be driving down to SoFla again - only this time to photograph the newborn babe. Then I will have so many images to post that I'll probably explode from excitement!

In the meantime, I'm looking forward to shooting a few new clients in the coming week. It's Christmas card time!

Enjoy the Sweetness of New Life.... Robin

Walking On Air Ya'll...!!!

Wow, this is an exciting post and one with big news! Those who have been reading my blog will remember a recent post showing some images and the video of our church's Feeding Bodies, Feeding Souls outreach ministry. I wanted the message that those images convey to reach an even broader audience, so when I saw a national photography contest featuring books on Faces, I jumped at the chance to enter it. I had 5 days of create and enter a book on faces - any faces. The book had to be built using Shutterfly's website and entered through a sharing site run by Ree Drummond from The Pioneer Woman...okay, no problem. One day later, and 3 days before the deadline I entered my book entitled Portraits of Hope, Hunger, and Homelessness.

There were over 1000 entries and all featured the charming faces of babies, children, dogs, cats, and even birds. Would my book of faces have a chance? Faces that showed pain, despair, hunger, and yes - even a bit of hope and joy? YES, I had a chance!! My book was listed on the top of the list of 2nd place finishers!

I am humbled and thrilled that that message of hope and giving to the less fortunate was recognized, acknowledged and commented on by a growing number of visitors to Shutterfly's website.

Thank you Ree Drummond! I am honored.

Please visit these websites to see my book and the other entries that were also selected.

http://pioneerwomanfaces.shutterfly.com/3637 Here's the preview of my book on Sutterfly.

http://thepioneerwoman.com/photography/ Here's the contest website with all the winners.

Enjoy...and spread the spirit of giving...
Robin

{Solo Deo Gloria}

One Last Look

Here's one last look at Joey and Julia as they both share their good natured selves to the camera. You guys rocked the shoot!

And now my garden is calling me to come and shoot the last of its blooms; the roses, the cheerful yellow daisies, and the token red leaves of the crepe myrtle. I hear you garden and I'm on my way out now. Your last few precious bursts of color will be in my next post.

Enjoy...Robin

Signs of Fall - The Subtle and Simple Things

Here in north Florida the signs of fall are so subtle and simple. No wildly colored crimson and gold leaves for us! No, we measure seasons more accurately by whats comes into bloom and what quietly slips away for a time.

Yes, our air gets a little cooler, but this fall the humidity and the sun's warmth is still seeping in the house. I'm more than ready to shake out a few sweaters and find the socks that have slipped to the very back of the undies drawer.

Taking a break from photographing children and families, I slip now and then into the garden with my camera. At present, the roses are blooming one last time before Christmas, and the few leaves left on the Crepe Myrtle are a gorgeous funny shade of brick red. Flowers that I've long since forgotten the names of struggle to produce a few flowers here and there. But, even if their colors have faded and their leaves are less than a spring-time shade of green, I still love my plants and the seasons they reflect.

Check out the Pampas grass photo as it bends to the breezes left behind by Tropical Storm Ida. It's tall and stately, soft and hardy. And, it only blooms as fall approaches - not a peep in the summer. It's one of the beauties of autumn here in northern Florida.

So here are few of my garden's last flowers. Until spring arrives, these cute little blooms will be all that remains.

Enjoy...Robin

Charming Joey

When I photographed Joey's sweet little sister, Julia, I wondered if Joey would be as easy going when it was his turn in front of the camera. It turned out I had nothing to worry about. These siblings were two peas in a pod - well behaved and so pleasant to work with.

Charming Joey owns a future lady killer smile and he turned it on when ever I pointed my camera in his direction...nothing bashful about this confident young man!

Thanks Joey - you were great and I enjoyed every moment of our shoot out at Alpine Grove Park.

Next post - Joey and Julia together.

Enjoy...Robin

Walking Softly With Julia

I've been so fortunate this year to have photographed some wonderful children and fun families. Each week I'm going to post a few of those images in order for my blog to catch up to my recent shoots - giving me and you an online portfolio of images. Some readers may have seen them posted on my Facebook fan page, others will be seeing them for the first time.

I'm starting with Julia - a sweet and soft spoken young lady who was so eager to please. As we walked around Alpine Grove Park and selected places to stand or sit, she instinctively gazed into my lens and just lit up. Her beautiful soul was truly shining in her eyes in every shot. Thanks Julia - you were a pleasure to spend time with!

I'll feature her equally fabulous brother, Joey, in my next post.

Enjoy.....Robin

Yesterday's post included a YouTube link to the video of still images that I shot to bring attention to the feeding of the homeless in St. Augustine, FL. That video lost its audio track so I'm re-posting again with the audio in place. You will have to cut and paste (sorry).

Enjoy...

http://www.tangle.com/view_video?viewkey=fda104d395d5cc2d7acb

Feeding Bodies, Feeding Souls -- A Personal Project and a Brand New Journey

For a month this fall I photographed an outreach ministry within our church called Feeding Bodies, Feeding Souls 

A small but dedicated group from Resurrection Protestant Episcopal Church cooked, transported, and served food to the homeless and working poor in St. Augustine, FL. We have met many, learned much, and prayed a lot; all because our Lord asked us to.

My husband, Ian - the Bishop of the Diocese - edited my images together, along with a powerful soundtrack. This was truly a labor of the heart and soul. Please be uplifted as you see the work of a small but detirmined group of people making a big difference in the lives of the poor in St. Johns County, FL.

Blessings...     
The Video:http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=jVNAaqxHg9U

A Few Sample Images Below: