: people and places dear to the heart :

Photographs are sacred. They record history with light.

Latest

Bowen: Child Portrait by Shelli Pabis Photography

I can’t tell you how much fun I had photographing Bowen.  She’s as sweet as she is beautiful!  She needed some images for her agent, and I was happy to help out.  She’s so photogenic that there were many good ones, but I think these five are my favorite.  What do you think?

I’ll be sharing more products, portrait photography and my art work in upcoming posts.  Please subscribe to my blog by e-mail at the bottom of this page, or sign up for the RSS feed by clicking here.  In my e-newsletter, you can get a behind-the-scenes look into my life and tips on photography.  Check out my website and prices at www.shellipabisphotography.com

The Merry Toymaker

As promised, here are more photos from the morning I spent with Mr. Jack Dohany, a retired toymaker.  He allowed me to interview him for a column I wrote about him, and I photographed him and some of his toys too.  My boys had fun playing with them!  If you’d like to read my column, click here.

Demonstrating the one hand top…

…and the two-hand top.

I was enchanted with this little game. The objective is to get the wooden dolls to trade places, but you can only jump over one at a time or something like that.

An Egyptian squeeze acrobat.

My little builder.

The first toy Mr. Dohany ever made. A train engine with removable parts.  He said that parents convinced him children would lose all the parts, so he stopped making them that way.

The second toy Mr. Dohany ever made.

Musical Tumble Ladder

Wind-up Music Box. Elements turn.

Music box with crank.

What toys do you remember fondly from your childhood?

Sneak Preview…The Merry Toymaker

 

I had the pleasure last week of photographing a friend of mine for an upcoming column I’m writing for the Barrow Journal.  Jack Dohany is a retired toymaker, and he honored me by letting me interview and photograph him.  The column will appear in the Barrow Journal this Wednesday, April 18th, and I’ll share more photos of Jack and his toys later in the week.

And Now It’s Spring…

As you can see from my absence on this blog, I’ve been taking some time off from photography.  I’m in a season of my life that requires my focus to be elsewhere.  My boys are growing, and we are homeschooling, and it takes a lot of my energy.  But nothing can keep me away from my camera for very long.  If nothing else, I can’t neglect to record the boys’ growth, their projects, and their everyday life.  But lately my camera has been calling me to look beyond my chaotic life, and I’ve been happy to listen.

And though I’m quiet on this blog, I still have some projects brewing.  I was happy to do some extra work for a client recently, and I have some future work to look forward to too.  I know that when this season of my life passes, I’ll be able to look back and see that I cultivated my photography and have a body of work to be proud of.  And I’ll be ready to produce more of it.

We’ve had a long, beautiful spring in Georgia this year.  I hope wherever you are, you’re enjoying some sunshine and flowers too.

The Beauty of Early Winter in Georgia

I felt I should title this post “early winter in Georgia” because our winters are much different than our northern neighbors, aren’t they?  While an early winter in the north might yield several inches of snow, we’re still basking in sunshine and enjoying the on again, off again warm days that usually pepper our colder months.  This December has been no exception, and my family has been taking advantage of it.  My husband recently said that we need to start hiking again now that the boys are getting a little older. (Yahoo!)  So far we have “hiked” Ft. Yargo and the botanical garden.  (With a 5 and 2 year old, you gotta start easy.)

Unfortunately, our sojourns are usually in the middle of the afternoon, which is a good time for the kids but a not good time for photography.  The harsh sunlight in mid-day can produce horrible photos.  Overexposed skin and dark patches of shadow.  I don’t expect to take many portraits during this time of day without extra equipment, although I will snap away at my children under any conditions.  These “snapshots” are priceless even if they are not quality images.

But I still can’t help but try to take some good photos, and the key, I think is understanding light and how to use it.  Even in the harsh light, you can find beauty, especially if you take time to see the tiny details.

Celebrate the beauty of the season when everything turns brown.  Find light on the delicate, enchanting lines and contours of bare branches, dried weeds, seeds, and crunchy leaves.

All of these photos were taken at Ft. Yargo State Park.  What is your favorite part of winter?

Autumn at the William Harris Homestead

I had been itching to go to back to a place very dear to my heart – the William Harris Homestead in Monroe, Georgia.  This year the autumn foliage in Georgia has been gorgeous, so I wanted to photograph the Homestead during this time of year.  Having an out-of-town guest and nursing the colds my boys, husband and I got set me back a bit, but I did get out there before all the leaves disappeared.  My boys went with me, and this time they were golden – there’s a lot for little boys to do at the Homestead while their mama takes photographs!

I hope you’ll enjoy these images and then pop over to my gallery with all my photos from the Homestead.  I’ve added most of these to it, and in the future I’m sure I’ll add more because we love the Homestead, and I love taking photos.

When I grow up I want to be a little boy. ~ Joseph Heller

Please sign up for my e-newsletter and RSS feed so that you won’t miss upcoming photos and promotions.  Thank you so much for your support of my small business.  I can’t do it without you.

Cosmos

Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.  ~Lao Tzu

Edisto Island, South Carolina

Recently I had the pleasure of taking my boys to the beach for a few days with their grandparents.

We made lots of exciting discoveries, and it gave me a chance to have fun with my camera, which I don’t often get to do these days.

Staying home with two boys is more than a full-time job, but I know this time is fleeting, so I’m enjoying it all I can.

Hoping you’re having a wonderful autumn and taking lots of photos of those People Dear to Your Heart!

Custom Photo Book: The William Harris Homestead

A photo book is a beautiful way to commemorate the special images that you want to showcase and share with friends and family.  This is a photo book that I created with images from The William Harris Homestead, a place near and dear to my heart.

Every book I create is custom-made and professionally bound with a wrap-around dust jacket. This particular book has 20 pages, but more pages can easily be added.

If you are interested in purchasing this book or want me to create a book with your special images, just e-mail me at shelli (at) shellipabisphotography (dot) com.  And I hope you’ll come out to Heritage Day at the William Harris Homestead this Saturday, September 24th.  This book and some of my prints will be available for purchase in the gift shop.

The William Harris Homestead in Monroe, Georgia

I took my boys for a picnic the other day at the William Harris Homestead in Monroe, Georgia.  When I’m with my boys, who are ages 4 and 1, I don’t get a chance to take photos the way I’d like to, but I managed to create a few images that I’m pleased with.  I hope you’ll enjoy them too.  I did a photographic project at the Homestead a few years ago, and you can view those photos here.  I am hankering to get out there and do it all again with my new camera!

If you live around here and wish to visit the Homestead, it’s open every 1st and 3rd Saturday of the month from 10-2p.m.

Please be sure to sign up for my RSS feed and my e-newsletter so that you can receive updates on Shelli Pabis Photography!  Thank you so much for your support of my small business.

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.