We all know that texting while driving is bad. We KNOW its dangerous. We’ve seen the commercials, heard the horror stories, and there is NO DOUBT in anyone’s mind that it should never, ever be done.

Yet…most of us admit to doing it, at least occasionally.

Nearly half of commuters self-reported texting while driving in a recent poll¹, and 43% of those who did called it a “habit.” Commuters are texting and driving even more than teens – 49%¹, compared to 43%².  And the problem has gotten worse.  Six in 10 commuters say they never texted while driving three years ago.

It is REALLY hard to resist that temptation when you hear that “ping”. I have trouble doing it (I now turn my phone OFF when in the car) but I know that a teenager often feels indestructible and perfectly capable of managing it.

I found this new device on the internet that I would most certainly purchase if I still had teenagers (or if I knew that me, my spouse, or one of my children had trouble with this issue):

How the ORIGOSafe™ works:

• Prevents the driver from holding the phone, allowing the driver to remain fully focused on the road.
• Allows the driver to stay connected and productive through use of Bluetooth.
• Reduces the risk of accidents and injuries from distracted driving due to handheld cell phone use.
• Provides parents with peace of mind knowing that their driver is protected.
• Allows use with unlimited phones per vehicle. Great for family use!
• Models good behavior for your family.                                           
• Easy to install and use – simple, one time set up.
• Charges the phone while it rests in the docking station.

Seriously a GREAT find – it’s like Photoshop in a bottle!!!! about $20 and so worth it!

It’s no secret that I love, love, LOVE photographing high school seniors! They are so fresh faced and gorgeous and full of life and excitement that it never fails to make me happy just being around them. My vision and style  for photographing seniors is a little different from other area photographers, though…I photograph them as a Mom. I am not interested in making them feel like something that they aren’t (“supermodel” “glamour”"wet look” images come to mind), but completely on board with capturing who they are – which is everything in my second sentence

They are on the brink of heading out into the big world. It’s going to change them, a lot, and in a myriad of ways. I want to capture the essence of who they are TODAY, before that happens, because IT CAN NEVER BE REPLACED.

I’m also a big fan of simple and timeless imagery, because I think natural beauty is the best kind. I’m not a fan of trends or overdone props, which date an image quickly – TIMELESS is what is important here. The images aren’t meant just to be enjoyed today, and shown off in graduation announcements and yearbooks and Facebook. They are also meant to be enjoyed in the future – way, way down the road.

When the senior in the photo is standing at a career crossroads in their 30′s, and looks back at their 18 year old self in the photo, remembering the dreams and drive they once had. When they have a high school senior of their own, and giggle over Mom’s yearbook.When they become grandparents, and everyone remarks how much the grandchildren resemble them.

This is a session that I pulled from 2007. You seriously would not know it – no vintage faded color or sun-flare or trendy clothing that is now out of favor – just classic, timeless, beauty.

(Washington PA Trinity High School Senior photographer, Peters Township High School Photographer, Wash High PA senior photography, Bridgeville PA photographer, South Fayette High School photographer, Canon McMillan High School photography, Fort Cherry High School photographer)

We all know that Spring is dragging her feet to get here – a few inches of snow are on the ground YET AGAIN back in my hometown in PA. And I’m sure all of you bought or made gorgeous Easter dresses for your girls, who will likely need sweaters or coats to cover them and stay warm if it doesn’t warm up soon. Here’s a perfect opportunity to get that extra value out of that dress – pair it with my floral head wreath for a simple but timeless accent in images that you will love forever!

(natural light children, family, and senior photography sessions in the upstate region of SC and southwestern PA, Mingo Park photography minisessions, professional outdoor photography sessions Greenville Sc and Clemson SC, Venetia PA and McMurray PA photographer)

My friend Julie Tauro wrote an amazing story on her Blog recently recounting the discovery of a few trays of old slide film, when she and her mom were cleaning out her grandparents’ house. Turns out that a lot of them were images that her mom had NEVER seen. Just think about that…images from her prom, wedding, first baby, young parents, family cottage…NEVER.SEEN.

They had the joy of carefully examining these images and memories, seeing familiar loved faces from a time when life was simpler but from a whole new perspective. How powerful to see your parents and grandparents when they were young and actively living life just as you do now – because instead of seeing them from your memories of that same period as a child, you are now seeing them at that time as an adult, perhaps even OLDER now than they were in the pictures!

Just think about it – what if all of your photos that are on your phone or computer or on a cd somewhere disappear tomorrow? Your phone gets lost or broken, someone steals your laptop, your computer crashes, your cd becomes unusable or obsolete? What if your kids never get to have this pleasure?

And here’s another thing that I thought of as I looked at the pictures that Julie posted from those slides: no one is looking at those images and thinking about how their mom/grandma/poppy is fashionable or not, or heavy or not, or if they have makeup on. All you see is THEM. Young, happy, living. Looking WONDERFUL. All you feel is the love.

Lessons? Let people take photos of you instead of hiding from the camera. If you are uncomfortable about it, get a pro who will help you look and feel your best. Do it for your kids, grandchildren, great-grandchildren so they can feel their love and connection with you when they most need it (even if it’s when they are 70 years old themselves). And PRINT THOSE PICTURES!

Here’s a link to Julie’s blog post – she shares some of the photos and they are FASCINATING and so worth the read! Slide Film and Digital Files – why 40 years later, my mom has photos she never knew existed

(Clemson SC child, senior, and family photographer, Greenville SC family photographer, McMurray PA photographer, Venetia PA photographer, Washington PA child and family photographer; Olney MD Child and family photographer)

I had a really good two days of healthy eating, until it came time to make dinner last night and I needed to use up some leftovers. I was delighted to use up every last bit of the pulled pork, cilantro, red onion, corn, etc in this, but I totally pigged out on the result. Oh, well.  Iphone photo:

NACHOS:

1/2 bag tortilla chips in bottom of 13×9 baking pan – top with pulled barbeque pork (or beef, or chicken; you can use store bought easily), shredded cheese,  a small can of corn or even sprinkle some frozen corn on it like I did, and 1/2 cup chopped red onion. Bake for 15-20 minutes at 350. Remove and drizzle with Ranch dressing and sprinkle with fresh chopped cilantro. YUM!

I’m so sorry that I’m a little behind (okay, a LOT behind!) on blogging the tons of sessions from the fall that I captured, but a computer hard drive crash sucked up a lot of my time and attention this winter (don’t worry, all of your images were safely backed up in three different places, so that’s all good!). I posted a few of these images on Facebook but I just wanted to show off a few more here…perfect example of Mom holding her breath because she knows exactly how active & unpredictable little ones are, but then being delighted that our images showed off just how ADORABLE they are! I just can’t wait to see these children grow; they keep their parents kinda busy, but I know they are going to be even more fun to photograph as the years go by!

Our youngest daughter Allison got engaged to Josh this winter, and since their wedding is at the end of this summer, we wanted to get some engagement photos done while they were here visiting in January. It was sunny but WINDY and pretty cold, in the 30′s; not ideal but we didn’t really have much choice. Fortunately these two don’t mind being outdoors, so we hit some fun spots around Lake Keowee and went for it. We drove up to Stumphouse Tunnel and Issaqueena Falls as well, which involved a little hiking to get to the falls…but the results were oh so worth it!

I’ve been photographing them forever, and they just keep getting more beautiful….

(family portraits in Mingo Creek Park near Washington, PA by Pam Nafziger of Casual Moments Photography)

One of the many, many reasons that I love my job is that I get to meet so many wonderful people through it. Of course, we usually have a few things in common – family is important, our children are treasured, and we LOVE quality photography as art. Every once in a while I also really click with someone and they go beyond “client” to friend.

Elissa is like that. We were strangers when we met years ago, when she first hired me to photograph her children, but as she returned again and again as they grew (and through the power of the internet and Facebook!) I got to know her better. I knew she was a very special woman and a fabulous wife and mother, but last year I got to know her even better.

She went in for her very first routine, screening mammogram…and got the call that every woman dreads. Thankfully, it was detected early and she was able to avoid chemotherapy and be treated with 33 days of radiation therapy;  still a scary & daunting challenge.  But, in typical Elissa fashion, not only did she face her treatments with dignity and grace – she used them as a reason to celebrate the beauty of everyday life. She made a plan to wear a DRESS to each treatment. Why, after all, do we  “save” our nice things for SOMEDAY? So, she rummaged through her closet (and some vintage and thrift shops, and some friends closets, and did a little shopping) for 33 dresses and wore one to every. single. treatment.

She had so much support from her friends and family that she started a 33 dresses blog to have a place where they could all follow her journey. Lots of people joined her and wore 33 dresses themselves, right along with her. Others joined in other ways, like using the good china for a weeknight meal or fun jewelry. And she wrote about her treatments and life in such a profoundly personal way, sharing her own fears and triumphs with such clarity and openness, that you couldn’t help but feel that you had known her forever. Click on the link and drop by to read a little of it, and I know that you will feel that way about her too!

And, of course, family photos remain at the top of her priority list.  We met at Cecil Park this fall for a quick min-session for some updated family pics, and of course it was unseasonably cold for the clothing she had selected earlier. Didn’t matter at all – they snuggled under a blanket for this fun image. As she taught me, it’s ALL special.