Crush on Antelope Lake, CA. | Family Photographer Reno, NV

We are so grateful to our friends, the Walkers, for introducing us to this magical place three years ago.  Every year since, we have made our pilgrimage to its alpine waters to decompress, reconnect, and breathe. Our little mecca in the hills is Antelope Lake, Ca.

After packing up the camper, bikes, canoe, kids, and dog, we headed into the 100 degree desert for our annual retreat. The Dobie dog, Frida, is new to our clan. You won't see her in our 2012 blog. This is her debut.

 And then... a quick pit stop at Wiggin's to repurchase the steaks I left in the freezer at home--a must for our 4th of July cookout! Let's hear it  for middle-of-nowhere-local-trading-posts.

 Back on the road through the beautiful scenic range...

What? What's that noise? Paper flapping in the wind? A BLOWN TIRE in the middle of nowhere with no cell service and thunderous clouds rolling in overhead.  Do we have a jack?

My in-laws were joining us for this retreat and celebration until.....until the brakes went out on their truck, or more accurately, the computer that controls the brakes went out on the truck. They were going to have to pull off some magic and serious packing skills to get what they had packed into their brand new RV into their little GMC car for 5 days.

This trip was cursed. The last time Big Daddy wore that t-shirt, things felt rather hellish as well. It deserved to be sacrificed to end the curse.

 I'd say it worked as this was the beauty we relaxed to after setting up camp.

 Ruby, the best dressed in our family, writing her short story about bugs. Inspired by the children's book, The Gentlemen Bug, a story about a male ladybug.

 The Hot Tamale on the Antelope seas.

 Some good bass fishin' at Antelope....so we hear.

In lieu of a fireworks show we performed our own light show with red, white, and blue glow sticks.

 The sun bathing and swimming on the north side of the lake is nothing short of dipping in the Fountain of Youth itself.

The sun heats up the early morning cool.

Thanks for stopping by and checking out our photo diary. Before you go, where are your favorite spots to camp, travel,  rejuvenate?

Crush on 2012 | Photography Challenge

Happy New Year! 
To welcome 2012 into our lives, I want to kick-start the year with a photography challenge. The members on our Facebook page voted for SOUL to be the theme. I think this is a fitting choice for this time of renew and promise. A time to revisit ourselves deeply in order to reinvent ourselves creatively as well as to reshape our priorities and values in order to live our best possible life.  


In 2012, I will focus on our theme word {SOUL}:
- As I photograph my last family sessions in 2012. 
- As I focus on "the art of the individual" in front of my camera (afterall, my slogan has been "the art & individuality of you" for over a decade).
- As I (re)discover my growing family.
- As I help to guide and teach the children within my classrooms. 


What To Do
Email 1 or 2 {SOUL} photos to skye@skyesnyder.com. They will be posted with your name and title of your image in a Facebook album for all our members to enjoy. You must tag your image in order for the image to be considered for the grand prize.

Due Date

Images will be posted to the album as they come in until Jan 31st, 2012. The winner will be chosen Feb 1st, 2012. That should make for a nice Valentine's {soul} gift for yourself! 

How Do I Win?
This is not a "most votes = winner" type of competition. The likes and comments will help me pick the finalists, but are not necessary to be chosen as the winner. We need at least 10 participants for the contest to be open for prizes.Ultimately, the winner will be selected by me. Of course, we love lots of activity on our page, so we encourage everyone to ask your friends and family to check out our page and like your images. Leave some comments for other participants. It won't lessen your chances to win--it will make for a more soulful experience as we explore this theme together. 


What Do I Win?
You have a choice! 
1) A complimentary photography session during the April 28th mini sessions + five images on disk from our session together.
OR
2) A one-on-one mentor session with me on...
   A) How to Find the Light for natural portrait photography 
   OR
   B) A Photo 101 on how to use that new DSLR that Santa brought
      you. 
   OR
   C) A signed, unframed 16x20 Skye Snyder photographic print  
      from Skye's landscape collection.


I am so excited to see your images--your interpretation of {SOUL}.
{happiness}
skye 
This is my first soul picture of a series...
The Marley Bear

Crush on Bright and Vivid : I Heart Faces

I had a wonderful time getting to know the Bassett family this weekend. Mom requested "bold and bright". This location is in the heart of downtown Reno. A small courtyard to enjoy a cup of coffee before heading down to the Truckee River and watching waders and kayakers. Seems like a fitting image for this week's challenge over on I Heart Faces, Bright and Vivid.

Crush on Milestones

On Saturday, one Mom introduced her little baby girl to the world while another sent her baby to senior prom. Thank you both for letting me capture these beautiful milestones and moments in your lives.
jamie & olivia

jocelyn & her bestie, jessica

marcia & jocelyn

CONGRATULATIONS, MAMAS

Crush on Breathing

Maris of Maris Elhers Photography invited me to write a piece in her Motherhood series leading up to Mother's Day. Here is the link to her wonderful pictorial blog and a link to my piece with photos.

Just Breathe
I've had some unusual moments of late. Each included a surreal and unexpected moment and a calm reminder to myself, "Breathe. Just breathe."
This began when I was pregnant with our first child. We wanted to take the breathing classes together but none were offered on our days off, nor during the times we were off together. The receptionist in charge of signing us up felt this was a pre-cursor to bad parenting. If we couldn't take a simple breathing class together, how on earth would we be good parents. She also thought I had waited too long. After all, I was going to be a Mother and motherhood required a lot more advanced planning. She didn't know that my daughter would arrive via a very unexpected, unplanned, c-section a few days later.
Surgical tables are skinny and cross shaped so the surgeons don't have to stretch. My head was wrapped in warm white towels that shone under the brilliant bright surgical lights.  The anaesthesiologist whispered, "Breathe." And, our little girl inhaled for the very first time.
On our first trip to Costco, we filled our flatbed with mega-box diapers, wipes,  and a cube of post-it notes to last a lifetime. 
I have bought nine. 
I have noted, re-listed, reposted, and multi-calendared our lives with plans.  Our business bloomed and I remained at my steady, secure full time job as a sex ed teacher. We bought a house. We had a second child. I planned my days from sun up to sundown and tried to plot the future.  The receptionist would be proud--what a good mother I had become. 
I think of her as I lay on the floor of the school gymnasium. Collapsed and surrounded by medics. The bright gymnasium lights beam over me as my heart flip flops inside my chest. I hear people instructing me, "Breathe. Skye, Breathe." My plan was to kiss my daughters good night but I ran out of room on my list.

music pick for today: 

Télépopmusik - Breathe

Crush on Sun Flare & I Heart Faces

This week's challenge on i heart faces is Sun Flare. With light being at the core of what we photographers do, I would suspect most of us get a little weak at the knees when it lights up our subjects so beautifully.  I chose this photo because the light is what brings out Jessi's femininity and softness. On any other given moment, you'd catch her jumpin' sand dunes on her quad.

Crush on Kelle Hampton

You know I'm a big fan of i heart faces. The most peculiar and lovely things have happened since entering my first challenge, Vroom Vroom.  The curtains have been pulled back and I am finally remembering why I love(d) photography so much. We, photography and I, have been fighting. For two years, photography consumed me in the way a bad relationship does. I wanted to quit. Instead, I was commissioned more than all the other years...combined.  I was proud of the work I was producing but something was off.  
The photographers, story tellers, teachers, and friends of i heart faces have been my silent support;  pulling back the curtains. Many of whom have no idea how they have helped me to redefine, rework, and rekindle my love. 
Today, I "met" Kelle Hampton, a guest judge for the Innocent Wonder challenge. I've spent the morning with her stories. If you want real, make yourself a cup of coffee and sit down to a visual and written journey. Kelle is one of those virtual friends that will pull back the curtains on your dirty, dusty junk and let you figure it all out in your own time. 

thank you, Kelle.

crush on hearts

the heart photo challenge

What a topsy-turvy way to come about a photo challenge. If the process were mapped it would look something like this:

So there you have it--the January/February 2011 challenge is about the heart. Anything to do with the heart--the organ, courage, love,  that which makes your heart beat each day. Photograph what your heart desires and find your way to our Facebook wall to publish it.

how to participate

1) upload your heart inspired photo to our facebook page

2) include this link in the status of your photo upload

 http://skyesnyder.blogspot.com/2011/01/crush-on-hearts.html

3) return here and let us know you entered in the comments below

4) encourage your pals and family to participate 

5) please, only one entry per person

6) deadline to enter is jan 31st. winner will be announced feb 14th.

with love - skye {xo}

Crush on Beginnings

With 2011 fast approaching, I thought it fitting to consider a photo challenge to kick start the new photographic year. Many people, pros and hobbyists, have undertaken the Project 365- a photo a day. After 365 days of observing your world like a photographer, it starts to look different.  There are many of these 365 days of___________.  Jotting down something for which you are grateful, eating a salad every day, spending $1 less than the previous day, etc and my MUST-DO List, dare I say, resolutions have started to flood in.
1) After photographing and/or editing for 365 days x undisclosed # years = stagnant or stale
    After photographing and/or editing for 365 days x undisclosed # years =  reinvent, reinvent, reinvent.
I'm shooting for the latter.
2) After viewing the i heart faces, self-portrait challenge, I realized that I have never done this. I always thought a self-portrait was one that the artist composed of him/herself. In the challenge, it appeared there were photos taken of a photographer by someone else. Do you think this is a self-portrait? #2 on the MUST DO: A true and intentional self-portrait. They are difficult. Focusing, composition, spontaneity, the self-reflection,  and the message. Tough.

* going to take one that doesn't have a black box in my face.

* way too grundgy. definitely doesn't say anything about who i really am. this is what i look like though.

3) Film my children more. play with moving pictures more. compile a short film. for me.

4) Become a better cook. I love food photography and the artistry of cooking but I'm really no good at cooking. Our families have furnished us with all types of culinary tools. So many, a special cupboard in the garage has been given to them. Watch out basil! I intend to use you up in 2011.

5) Hopefully, that cooking will lead to lots of food photo opportunities which leads to me photographing a food spread for my beloved, Sunset Magazine.

The list is much, much longer. It has to be in order to fulfill MUST DO #1. Reinvent. #1 is being tackled early and has been underway for the last 6 months. The reveal will happen soon.

Finally - Which would you like to see turn into a 2011 Photography Contest? Children? Food? Daily Life? Goals?

Crush on Senior Portraits { High School Seniors in Reno Nevada }

One of my favorite types of sessions is the senior portrait. Every time I leave one of these sessions, I leave with a smile and think how my last couple of hours certainly didn't feel like work. Instead, I always have a great time with my seniors. I  really can't imagine ever tiring of photographing seniors. They are upbeat, willing, fun, adventurous...and just plain seem to lack the seriousness and rigidity of other types of sessions. Who would ever tire of this killer shooting combination? 
Here are a few from a session that I never had time to post. Meet Amanda and Isaac, high school sweethearts who wanted to do their sessions together.

isaac

super laid-back, genuinely sweet, all-american handsome kid

amanda

When I was photographing Amanda, I was constantly reminded of Greek sculpture. She has the same gorgeous lines as these classical works of art. In a world that's often too pumped up, make-upped, extra fluffed and fake,  I am thrilled Amanda let's her natural beauty shine through! Breathtaking girl who knows where she's headed. One day you may be staring into her eyes as she puts you into a deep sleep - a future anesthesiologist.

meet Erato the Muse of lyric poetry

  meet Urania the Muse of Astronomy

Our 2011 Senior Search will be posted soon. Follow the blog if you or someone you know would be interested in being a Skye Snyder Photography Senior Rep. Click the links below to see a Senior Rep Session sample.

jocelyn
olivia
amy