something orange...

One of my online forums for photographers, ROCK THE SHOT, is running a contest this month and the theme is "Something Orange."  I'm getting an itch that this image fits the description perfectly!

This was one of my favorite shoots EVER!  Not to mention, the most calorie-burning shoots!  This senior loves to hike and has a favorite area where she hikes, and we found it appropriate to of course shoot her senior pictures, that are suppose to be all about her, in her little piece of heaven on earth.  So off we went, fall colors at their best along with her amazing hair color to set it off.  She has that "look" that made capturing all her beauty with its surroundings so easy.  I haven't been hiking in many years, but now I know why she loves to hike this trailhead, and I too, felt the peace that this area offers.  Thanks, Alaynia, for an amazing afternoon!

aaliyah's baptism...

My 12 year old daughter, Aaliyah, is absolutely amazing!  She's so smart, bright, creative, and just a character of her own!  On the 21st of July, she got baptized.  This was a choice that she completely made all on her own.  My husband and I try to lead our children onto the straight and narrow path but we also allow them some room to think on their own - and getting baptized is one of the those things that I feel that should be chosen and not forced, and not until you fully understand the true meaning of baptism and have gained a testimony in what you believe.  Sitting with Aaliyah as she went through the discussions, I knew that she was absorbing everything that she was being taught, and that she truly understood it and also believed it.  During her first discussion as the missionaries gave a quick explanation of how it would work and what the meaning of faith was, there was a moment of silence, and then she pointed at the poor innocent boys sitting on our couch and said, "I've got faith in you guys, so you better not lie to me!"  DONE DEAL! The meaning of faith was fully understood by her!  I quickly laughed so that they could put their eyeballs back in their heads and laugh with me.

One of the most special things about her baptism is that my brother, Brady, baptized her and he and his family drove all the way from Montana to be here.  She chose my brother, Carter, to confirm her, and he and his family came from my hometown in Idaho.  And of course my mom was here, and we even left a seat open between me and Aaliyah for my dad.  It's been a long time since we have all been together as a family and have been able to sit around a table and talk and laugh and even tear up - that day after the baptism we were able to do just that at my house.  I never wanted the day to end.  It was an amazing day, for all of us.  We have so many wonderful friends and neighbors who gave Aaliyah so much support and love.

The night before the baptism, we scurried off and took her "baptism pictures."  Here are a few of my favorite, but you can see the rest of them on my Facebook page.

I'm so proud of you Aaliyah, and love you so very much!

my collection of dimes...

Most know that I lost my dad close to 4 years ago but not everyone knows about my dimes, I do mention the story from time to time and those of you who do know the story also know just how much it means to me and how much faith I have in my dimes.

So real quickly - here's my story of where dimes started to play a significant part in my life.

First off, I had a friend who had lost her dad and when we knew that we were losing my dad, she said, "TELL HIM TO LEAVE YOU DIMES!"  Of course my reaction was one that closely resembled a bitter-beer face because I simply just didn't get it. So she told me her story of asking her dad to leave her dimes right before he passed away, and sure enough, since his passing, she consistently finds dimes.  It sounded a little far-fetched but her story was amazing, but I was thinking to myself, "Screw that! I'm gonna ask my dad to leave me quarters, maybe even Sacajewea coins!"

So the time came, I had come from Utah to Idaho to spend the last moments of my dad's life here on earth with him.  I would have given anything in the world for the weekend to have never ended and to be able to lay by him in bed holding his hand with my head on his fragile shoulder for at least another trillion hours.  Of course that wasn't possible.  So when we were leaving that night and were saying our byes (I never say goodbyes - that means it's forever), I looked him right in the eye and said, "Dad, please leave me dimes."  And for anyone that knew my dad, you can imagine the look on his face, since he was never one to believe in silly little meaningful things like that.  And he said, "what?"  I said, "dimes - please leave me a dime when I need you most, when I'm having a bad day or just when I know that you've stopped by to check on me."  He gave me a questionable "ok."  According to the doctors, he still should've had another 2 weeks to live, but 2 days later we lost him.  When we did, I was in the middle of moving, cleaning out cupboards and drawers, and that week before his funeral, of course I found tacks and screws and broken crayons and stale cheerios but I also found dimes tucked far back in a corner of a drawer in a dark cupboard.  Sure, they could've been dimes of ours that we'd dropped but I chose (and still do) to believe they were the dimes that my dad was leaving me.  He got it!  As stupid as the idea was - he got it!  And he quickly came to my rescue and helped me build faith in something and to know that he really was there.

Since then, I find dimes in the most random places and at the most random times.  As for around my house, when I find them I leave them there as long as they're in a spot where they're safe.  But I also have my collection (but it's not all of them).  I nearly have a dime in every room of my house!

This dime is in the window seal in my dining room.  A couple of months ago I found it in the corner of my dining room below this window, instead of picking it up and putting it in my pocket I decided to place it in that window since I go there so often to open the window.

This dime is in between my washer and dryer. Yes, the floor is filthy between there but so is yours! Is it really possible to ever keep that area clean??

This dime is inside of my washer.  Yes, chances are that it fell out of a pocket when I was doing laundry, but it was there, all by itself, and that's where it's going to remain.

And here's another one stuck under my Bounce bar inside the dryer....

I don't remember where I found these 2, but they've been sitting in this little bowl on our bedroom desk for at least 6 months.

I can't remember where I found this one either but I do remember that I had put it in my pocket and then put it in this candle that's also on my desk.

Here's a small collection that I've put in my jewelry box.

This dime is recent and sits atop of a little cupboard.  I found it when I was cleaning one day, quickly set it there, but have decided to let it stay there.

I know to some, this is strange and maybe even a little unrealistic, but to me it's very real.  Most people find pennies laying around, not me - I find dimes!

{ i've gone crazy }

Yep!  You read it right!  From today thru

the 31st of July, family sessions are 50% OFF!  

Of course there's always the small print with additional details & restrictions, so here they are:

Offer cannot be combined with any other offer, promotion, or gift certificate.  Offer only good towards  sessions of immediate family, not extended family.  The discount is good towards the price of the first 4 people and does not apply towards the charge for additional family members.  Offer valid in Salt Lake and Utah counties only.

For anyone who would like to purchase the session, I will allow it, but the session must be held no later than August 31st, 2012.

For session pricing CLICK HERE.  If you have additional questions or would like to take advantage of this fabulous offer, either call me at (801) 651-6990 or email me at micah@icandymadeyousmile.com.

Become a Class of 2013 Senior Rep!

Up and coming Class of 2013 - how does getting your Senior Photo Session for FREE sound?  And who DOESN'T want to earn CASH, plus earn discounts towards your prints?  If  I've caught your attention and you're a student at LONE PEAK, AMERICAN FORK, PLEASANT GROVE, OR LEHI HIGH SCHOOLS, then CLICK HERE to get all the information you need about becoming & applying to be a Senior Rep for iCandy Photography!

Applications will be accepted from July 9 through July 31!  Don't miss out on your chance to get AMAZING senior photos for FREE plus earn CASH for each and every person you refer to iCandy Photography through April 30, 2013!

Get all your DETAILS HERE and then APPLY HERE!

I'm truly excited to hear what you have to say about why you think you should be selected to be an iCandy Photography Senior Rep!

{ cody } aka mr. photogenic

Meet Cody!  One of the most photogenic people I have ran across, especially for a teenage boy!  He's cute, funny, whitty, and a complete charmer.

When we moved to Alpine, I kept hearing about another lady that was also from Blackfoot, Idaho and finally I found out who it was...  It was Cody's mom, Jennifer!  I did know her, but she was closer to my brother's age, so I didn't know her "personally," but since then, I've been so lucky to have gotten to know her as well as form a bond and friendship with her.  So Jennifer called me just needing a "couple shots" of Cody for his announcements.  Well, once I started going through the pictures, I found it extremely hard to narrow down to just a few - he has such a natural yet eye-catching look to him.  None-the-less, we had fun and he made me laugh.  Once again.... another moment of me lucking out with a fabulous person on the other end of my lens!

Thanks, Jennifer and Cody!

{ stacy } | the not-so-naughty nurse!

Congratulations, Stacy!  She's graduating college next month and she'll be off to take care of her patients!  This chick is tough stuff, an amazing mother, and an inspirational soul.  She's worked hard to get where she is and I'm so proud of her.

Of course she wanted a few shots of herself to celebrate her accomplishment and I was so happy to be the one to do it for her!

Once again, congratulations, Stacy. The world is yours!

{ 1 year down } let's celebrate!

Well it's officially been 1 year since I left the world of going to an office for 40 hours a week and decided to be a stay-at-home mom and tackle my dream of photography.  In that year, I've learned SO much... not just about being a photographer, but also about being home daily taking care of my family and being my own boss (other than getting bossed around by my family!) I've had amazing clients and lots of trials and errors through my journey of being a self-taught photographer (but also with the help of my amazing photographer sister-in-law, Ang). In celebration, I'm giving away one family session to the most deserving family.

Everyone would love a free session, but this time I want this session to go to a family who could really use and deserves it.  A family who's been going through some struggles, either financially, because of health, or maybe even tragedy.

So what I need from you guys is to let me know what family out there deserves this free session.  But I don't just want some names thrown at me, I want to hear all about it... and yes, in the form of an essay, so to speak.  Please email me letting me know all the details.  After I've received these emails, I will go over each and every one of them very closely, and with the help of others, I will choose the family who I will give this free session to.

Beginning today, April 18th, I will start accepting emails.  You'll have through May 2nd to tell me their story and then the winner will be announced Saturday, May 5th.

Please limit the family to either the Southeast Idaho or Salt Lake Valley area (including Utah county).

If you have any additional questions, please feel free to contact me - phone, email, or Facebook.

Here's the email address to send your nominations:  micah@icandymadeyousmile.com

Thank you to everyone for your continued support and all the kind words and compliments that you've given me throughout my first year in business.  Here's to many, many more years to come!

{ elyn } | historic townsite senior shoot

I got to spend a very windy afternoon with this high school senior, Elyn - what a doll!

The day didn't start off so swell because I misjudged my driving time to Bancroft, ID and really had no idea that it was literally in the middle of nowhere!  So I was late and then to top it off, the wind blows really hard in the middle of nowhere!  We definitely got our exercise in for the day running around from building to building trying to get away from the shifting wind!  Elyn chose to have her session in the Chesterfield Historic Town Site and it was an absolutely amazing place - I did a little rummaging & found some pretty cool stuff!

Check out all this cool stuff that was inside one old shed

(plus the pretty girl sittin' in the middle of it all).

The old sheds & buildings were endless & on each side of them was something new - like this wagon - I was STOKED when I came around the corner and laid my eyes on it!

And then this one had these fun, bright colors on the doors and windows,

and Elyn really brought the best out in them.

Rickety fences are one of my most favorite things!

And by Elyn's special request.....

She's a basketball chick & wanted a picture like this done.

I LOVE it when by clients have a cool idea!

Thanks, Elyn, for choosing me to make memories of your senior year!!

{ chelsea & nassri } ...gone fishin'

MEET CHELSEA & NASSRI!

Cute, huh?  I've known Chelsea since she was just a little tyke!  I absolutely adore she & her family!  Well I guess that even lil' tykes grow up and she has and now she's getting married!  The lucky man is Nassri, who is just an absolute hoot! He'd been sick for a couple of weeks but was a pretty stinkin' good sport during this shoot - even at the end of the shoot when he got a ticket from the good ol' fish and game for having live bait on his hook (restricted in this area) even though he was fake fishing just for the shoot!  Grrrrr......  

Chelsea comes from a "fishing" family & Nas loves it too, so they wanted to do their shoot on the dock below the American Falls dam, which happens to be one of their fishin' spots.

And of course we couldn't leave out their "babies," their loyal dogs!

Lots of love goin' on here!

I really do believe that I captured their true selves & the fun they have together, even though throughout the shoot I made fun of them, teasing that they act like an old married couple!

But there was no doubt in my mind that what they share together is something true & something beautiful & something that we all try to accomplish in our own relationships.

Chelsea had this fabulous idea to hang her ring from a fishin' hook, so she & I took off to the edge of the water (while the fish 'n game guy wrote Nas a citation) and put her idea into play.  I think we accomplished it!

Thanks, guys, for choosing ME to be your photographer!

I'm truly honored and also very excited for you guys!

{ a day with the girls } Aaliyah's Birthday Party

This past Sunday, the 18th of March, my oldest daughter, Aaliyah, turned 12 which I'm stilling trying to grasp onto.  The day before, we had her birthday party at our house, and I'm so blessed to be sitting here today, because it really did cross my mind that I just might not survive the day - but we had a blast, and every single one of her friends are absolutely fabulous & sweet!

We've had so much going on in our lives the past month or so that all of a sudden it was the Tuesday before her birthday and not only had I not started birthday shopping for her I hadn't started to even THINK about a birthday party and now I was going to have to throw all of this together in just 4 days!  Knowing that Aaliyah is pretty darn girly, I knew that all of her friends had to be pretty close to the same way so I decided to totally take advantage of all that girlyness (this word is not in the dictionary) and do girly things.  So I threw out the whole spa day idea to Aaliyah and she approved (yay!) and then we decided to twist it a little and have them come in their pj's (why not add relaxation to relaxation??) & then we also decided to let them get all goofy at the end for the camera.

First, the 30-minute invite:

Party day!  Had to bust out the Spring & Easter decorations!

And just who doesn't LOVE chocolate-dipped strawberries, popcorn,

cheesepuffs & lots of goodies?

FACIALS!

FOOT MASSAGES & MINI PEDIS!

 SOAK THOSE PIGGIES! (On the right is Aaliyah applying their make-up)

We were having cucumber issues, they weren't wanting to stay on the eyelids, so we cut 'em in half and put 'em below the eyes!

Chevee in awe. She had lots of fun watching & getting passed around from girl to girl, but even she got worn out!

Next was our photo shoot, and let me tell ya - these group of girls are just plain crazy, cute, fun, & wild!  I've posted the pictures on my Facebook page - CLICK HERE to see all the fun we had & to look at these gorgeous girls!

Time for cake!  Hope she wished for something good!

The Baldwin home was definitely no 5-star spa, but I think the party was a success!  The birthday girl helped do all the work & pampered her friends, so the next day she got to relax and soak her feet, get her hands & feet massaged & have her very own facial.  It's so hard being a girl and it never does get easier, so why not just have fun being one and make the very best of it!

Last but not least, group pic of the party girls being a bunch of Charlie's Angels!