Featured Senior - Preston South

Walter South came to see me a few months before Preston came for his senior portrait session to discuss all that we wanted to accomplish. By the time he left, ideas were spinning in my head - I knew the basketball shot I wanted to try - and I had the perfect model for it coming in!
When Preston came in for his session, his clothes were perfectly pressed, very stylish and of his own choosing - this guy likes to look good. He even knows how to pick out the right tie - impressive.  He should fit in well with the other Electrical Engineering majors at the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith campus. I am proud to say that the Hardgrave Photography $500 Scholarship will be helping Preston out a little with his college expenses.
It was obvious he and his dad were close when we did his session. I asked him about this and he said "My father inspires me the most, he has taught me everything I know from basketball to school to the littlest things about life."
Another man that has taught Preston a lot is his teacher Mr. Spillers. He said " He is a great teacher and is always willing to go the extra step to make sure you now how to do it."  Every one of our students should have at least one teacher like Mr. Spillers.

This senior year has been pretty exciting for Preston. He, along with the other Clarksville Panther Basketball team won the State Championship for the second year in a row. He said " I couldn't ask for a better way to end the season and the group of guys that helped achieve this goal will always be my brothers."
When asked about traveling abroad, touring Germany  with his "brothers" Dale Peterson, Zac Stumbaugh, Trey Norris, and Dustin McKinney -would be his first pick

Down By the Creek

I was a country kid for sure. We had a creek that run through my parents farm and emptied into the pond, and then started back up again at the run off. That is the creek where my older brothers put me in a wash tub and played "Baby Moses" with me when I was much too young to be playing "Baby Moses". It was where I learned to catch crawdads, and went barefoot with my pants rolled up to my knees.

When we bought our home, I was so pleased it had a creek running through it. I was pregnant when we moved in, and knew my own kid would love playing there one day.
Now, once a year, we open the creek up for a special "Down By the Creek" portrait promotion, so lots of kids can enjoy playing in the creek, getting muddy, and I get the opportunity to capture those sweet childhood images for beautiful prints.

 This year DBTC will be April 27 and 28th. Call to reserve you session time. Dig out the denim overalls, or jeans and plain T - Shirt, and also bring a clean DRY set of clothes to change into. Yes - THERE WILL BE MUD!  479-885-3835

Featured 2012 Senior - Tayler Scott

I first met Tayler when she came in the eighth grade to job shadow me, then I got to photograph her sister for senior portraits. Tayler was full of questions - which I love!  I hate it when I have to drag a conversation out of someone, no worry about that with Tayler.
As always happens when I don't see a girl for a few years, I am a little surprised that as seniors, they really are women, not little girls anymore. I was impressed that Tayler worked so hard at getting in college classes and really making every bit of that opportunity count. She will be entering University of Arkansas - Fort Smith in the fall with college credits already toward her degree in Business Administration. She will also be serving our country - she enlisted into the Army National Gaurd, was sworn in on October 13th and will be spending her summer at Basic Training at Ft. Lenarwood, Missouri.
As I mentioned, I also photographed Megan, Tayler's older sister that is a huge inspiration for her. Tayler said " She is a great mother, a student at UAFS, and works full time at Yeager's. I can't imagine show she does it all." 
For Tayler, Mrs. Blackmon has been "that" inspiring teacher that will go out of her way to help anyone. I think Tayler has learned from that too. I asked her if she could take a trip to anywhere, where would that be? She immediately included her friends Jackie Gray, Andrea Mefford, Abby Bryant, and Tiffany Austin to go to Italy with her to see the beautiful landscapes and get a feel for the whole Tuscan way of life.
Tayler was crowned Miss. Westside High School, which added to the excitement of these last few months of her senior year.

Featured 2012 Senior - Andrea Mefford

There is nothing that gets me more excited about a portrait session than an excited model - especially if they come to visit me before the session ever happens. After Andrea Mefford and her Grandma came to the studio to visit with me about her senior session, I was looking forward to working on all the things we talked about doing.  She left me with some ideas, and I sent her home with some things to think about too.

Andrea had gone to Westside, moved away, and came back to finish her senior year, even though that meant moving away from the two people in her family that has inspired her most - her mom Penny and her step dad Jason.  It has been a three hour drive between them this senior year, but they have made it to games to watch Andrea cheer the Rebels on.

Mr. Steve Golden has been such a big help to Andrea as a teacher. She is planning on attending the Physical Therapy Assistant Program at Arkansas Tech University - Ozark Campus.

I asked Andrea about her desires to travel and she said "If I could go anywhere, it would be to Greece."

Featured Senior - Kori Doss

I wanted to share a little bit about Kori Doss. Kori is just such a happy person and makes me smile everytime I see her. I have seen  her grow up in the same class as my daughter, watched her on the ball field for years, but was a surprised when she came in for her senior portraits, all grown up. 

I had such a great time photographing her in the fall, that when I came up with a special project just to spark my own creative juices - I knew exactly who I wanted to model for me.  We set an appointment over Christmas break when she was not busy with school, family, her dog, or her job. She arranged to get all her softball gear and spent an hour diving onto an air mattress to make sure I could get the shot I wanted. This was the result.

I know Kori loves her family, so I asked her who in her family inspired her most. " My Aunt Chanda inspires me the most; she is the strongest person I know.

If you are lucky in your high school, there is always one teacher that helps you grow into an adult.  For Kori it isMrs. Frizzell. "She has helped me the most through out high school and life as a teenager.'

Kori will be attending Arkansas Tech University and majoring in nursing.

Her dream travel plans would include Greece with friends, Daniel Payton, Brook Wilkins, Kaity Hale, and Kazoua Her.

Kori is looking forward to the senior class trip and graduating from Lamar High School.

Healing Water - Easter Portrait Special

It is a rare occasion that I do Easter pictures. But this year is different. We are setting up a cute outdoor tented scene in the flowers to create some beautiful images. Session fee is $30 or $20 and a box of single serve powdered drink mix.
But wait, what is different? This year, Easter portraits session fees and portrait sales will go toward buying supplies for Natalia and I to hand out when we make our journey to Tanzania, Africa in exactly two months.
Last week, I spoke with my dear friend, Dena Moore (http://denamoore.wordpress.com/), who is a missionary there. She had sent out a prayer request for her team and her staff. Many of them had been very sick from easily preventable diseases. Dena starting investigating what could be done about it.  What she found out is that although some of them were using water gaurd tablets for drinking water - they could not afford to use it for the water they used to clean their vegetables. So that is a problem we can help with! The transfoming power of clean water is life sustaining.


photo courtesy of Dena Moore



When we arrive in Africa, we will use the Easter Portrait proceeds to go buy basins to wash food in, cups for each person in a family, soap for food washing, water bottles, purification tablets, and water filters.  Each child photographed here will be asked to color a greeting card for a child we are going to meet, and will recieve a photograph from our trip.

So why the drink mixes? Simple - it makes the water taste better. We know kids are kids are kids, and when something tastes better, or "special" they like it more. Dehydration for any child is a dangerous, life threatning problem. And the best part is YOU can help provide these healing waters, and get beautiful portraits of your own healthy and precious child.

Featured Senior - Hali Poplin

Over the next few months, I am going to be featuring some of the seniors of 2012 that have really inspired me as a person and/or as an artist.
Hali Poplin has to be first. The minute she came into the studio, we connected. Hali came to see me several weeks before her session and we talked about some ideas she wanted to make sure and use to portray her story.

Hali lives with her Grandmother.  Hali told me "She has had really hard times all her life, but has always persevered. She puts God and family first and has taught us all how to love."  Her Grandmother is also a breast cancer survivor. We surprised her by photographing the two of them together with a pink ribbon binding their hands together. Yes, we were all crying when we saw the image.
I asked Hali which teacher of all your schooling so far has helped you the most? "That's a hard one. I'd have to probably say Mr. Gamble for helping me realize my love for acting, managing, and the stage! He's deff helped me come out of my shell and be able to express myself clearer (without as hick of a voice haha. I can actually say a few more words correctly thanks to him)"
Hali is planning on going to BHSLR. (Baptist Hospitals School Little Rock) She is planning on majoring in Nursing. I'm going to go to BHSLR for my RN degree then transfer for another year to receive my BSN. She has such a loving spirit about her, I think she will make a great nurse.
We talked alot about travel and I asked her if you could travel to any country in the world, where would it be? "Hum..that's hard, I'd like to travel everywhere. I'd narrow it down to Europe, I know that’s not a country but oh well, because I love the history and culture, but I'd love to go to Africa, again I know that’s not a country, I’m to indecisive for this question, and do missionary work. My hopeful plan is to be a nurse and when I go over to Africa be able to help people that way." Her four friends she would take with her would be  Hunter, Jordan, Laura V., and Alex. "Hunter and Alex are almost like my kids in advisory (homeroom) and Jordan I’ve known for a few years and I know they’d make it a blast! Laura has my attitude, I’d need help dealing with the boys, and loves culture and history like I do. We’d have so much fun traveling together."

What was the most exciting thing about her Senior Year? "Wow, that's a hard one. I've loved my senior year. I guess it'll probably be graduating because that is what I've worked for for 13 years to complete and I'm finally going to! It's a bitter sweet moment, happy that I'm graduating and moving on, but the regular routine you’re used to is gone and you’re moving on to the next chapter of your life."