Archive | February, 2012

Let’s Get Personal | Southern Utah Lifestyle Photographer

By Cass Miller on February 28, 2012 in Family, Lifestyle, Maternity

So, things are changing here at cassidymillerphotography, or cassmillerphoto, rather.. whichever you prefer.
You see, last year when I started this blog I had a dream. A dream to create art, to shoot people and families and birth. To book clients on a regular basis and do what I LOVE to do, because I do. I love it. Like wrap-my-arms-around-it-and-give-it-a-big-smooch-on-the-mouth kind of love it. I don’t think I should have to play all coy, like “oh yeah, I’m a birth photographer, what?” I think I should be able to say, “I’m a birth photographer and I am the luckiest person in the world. I could do cartwheels right now just telling you what I do.” (except I can’t really do cartwheels, let’s just be real here) Because that’s more what I feel like.
So, back to last year. I made some goals and dreams and wouldn’t you know? They came true. They came true in ways I could have never imagined. I had people willing to share their most intimate moments with me. I had clients that wanted ME to document their family. I had wonderful artists that were giving me credit for MY ART. I was featured on blogs that I once scrolled through imagining my photos on the pages. I was contacted and hired by the OWN network for crying out loud! (more on that later) And I’m proud, and I’m happy and I’m so blessed to be able to make this little dream of mine a reality.
But that begs the question, what now?
Well, 2012 has got me thinking. I took the month off in January (I’m going to be honest again and tell you that I was feeling really burned out, like my work was getting flat, and I was sick of living behind my camera) and that time off helped me to really re-vamp my thought process. I also attended WPPI this year for the first time ever, and left feeling so inspired, so excited, and so in love with photography all over again. I’ve kept replaying Becky Earl’s question to me last March, “Cass, what do you love to shoot?” and I love to shoot families and birth. But what I love about families is not the best location that they choose, and not the snazzy, matching outfits that they wear, or how pretty they are. While that’s all great and golden, it’s the connection for me that is so intriguing. It’s capturing the personalities that’s the exciting challenge. It’s showing the family, this is how you love eachother. isn’t it magnificent?! that gives me goose bumps and keeps me warm at night. (okay, maybe that’s the Mr. keeping me warm, but I feel like the client thing helps, too)
So this year, I am asking you to open up to me. To get really personal, and let me document you. The real you. The kind of you that snuggles with your kids when they wake up from their naps, and greets your husband at the door. The kind of you that nurses your baby. The kind of you that plays with your kids. The kind of you that can say, this is my family and we’re so perfect for each other.

Too much to ask? Well, I hope you’ll consider it anyway.

I got into this business because I wanted to document other families in the way I wanted my own family documented, and that’s still what motivates me as I document the beautiful families that grace this blog, and grace my life.

So if you’ve made it this far (I clearly had a lot to get off my chest today, didn’t I?!) I hope that you will enjoy this session of Jessica and Drake in the perfect way they love.

Did I really suggest a 9 month pregnant person to get on a trampoline? Yes… but I fed her ice cream afterwords, so it’s all good.

xo, C

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Perfect | Saint George Photographer

By Cass Miller on February 26, 2012 in Birth, Couples, Maternity

Yep, this weekend was pretty much picture perfect. (pun intended)

I hung out with this gorgeous couple all morning,

And helped welcome this little guy into the world all afternoon.

This is going to be a great week!

xo, C

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The things I hear throughout the day.

By Cass Miller on February 17, 2012 in Uncategorized

There is so much I love about my life. I am a very blessed woman. It’s hard for me to pin-point my exact favorite part with all the choices I have, Mr. Miller, two darling daughters, a cozy little home… but among my favorite things about my life is the things I hear throughout the day.

Today as my girls were eating blueberries, toast and yogurt for breakfast, I hear Harlo say, “Oh my goodness Grace! (looks to me) Stella dipped her bread in her yogurt! (looks to Stella) You silly little ‘fing’!”

After they got down from the table and I was cleaning up our breakfast mess, I hear from the next room, “You just come right over here and give me a little kiss!” followed by a “mmmmuah! thank you!”

As we were driving to our Thursdays girl’s lunch, I hear from the backseat, “say ‘car!’… ‘caw’.. hehehe! say ‘mountain’!… ‘mou-tn’… good job! hehehe, say ‘rock’… ‘wock’… hehehe say ‘princess castle’!…. “cass-ul”… “good job! did you ear that, mom? Stella said “Cass-ul”!”

As I went the long way past the “princess castle” (the LDS temple) Harlo says, “Is Jesus working today?” (there’s a statue of Jesus in the visitors center that you can usually see through the windows as you drive by) we drove past and the shades were drawn and I said, “nope.. we can’t see him right now. We’ll have to try again later.” and Harlo looks to Stella and says, “I’m sorry, sweetheart! Jesus isn’t working today… we’ll have to see him later, okay?”

When we got to our destination, and were eating our breadsticks dipped in soup Harlo says without even looking up from her meal, “mom, I love you so much.” I said, “harlo, I love you so much!” and she gives me a little half-giggle as a sign of her satisfaction.

We we arrived home from our outing, and while I prepared the milk for my little babe, I overhear my 3 year old telling her baby sister, “Okay, Stel.. it’s that time. It’s nap time! You gotta be a good girl for mama, okay? I’ll be right here when you wake up.” followed by a “nooooo!…’ ‘yes.’ ‘noooo!….’ ‘Stella, yes.’ ‘ Nooooooo!!!”, “mom! Stella said no for me.”

After I got that little dispute settled, I settled into the rocking chair with my baby in tow and began to sing her usual afternoon lullaby, and over my own voice I hear Harlo singing right along with me, rocking her baby in the other rocking chair.
As I walked Stella to her room, I listened to her sweet humming — her usual sleepy time routine.

It really is the simple things, isn’t it? We live such a simple life, and it really is the most beautiful thing I could have ever imagined.

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Happy Valentines Day!

By Cass Miller on February 14, 2012 in Uncategorized

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Stella Tidbits

By Cass Miller on February 11, 2012 in Uncategorized

.eighteen months.

:: stats ::
25 lbs | 65 %
33 inches | 87 %

Oh, my lovey little babe.

She’s sweet as can be,

….with a whole lotta drama!

Oh my little Stelly babe.
Where to even begin?
She is so full of personality, I often wonder how she contains it into that little body of hers.
She has the most scrumptious round belly and squishiest legs and cheeks.
She is the stuff only heaven could create.
We had her 18 month well check last week and she is doing just fabulously.
Dr. Marsden congratulated me on a job well done with feeding the child.
He was also amazed at how well she could talk and how active she was.
Always good visits with Dr. M.
I had brought up that I was semi-concerned about her sleeping patterns. She likes to go to bed somewhere around 7:30 and will usually sleep in until 11am if I let her… then she’s ready for a nap again between 1-2.
He assured me that there is nothing to worry about and probably not to mention it to a lot of other moms who are having the exact opposite problem. (sorry, moms!)
He said as long as she is growing and developing on track (which she definitely is) that much sleep is just fine.
She was a total charmer with him and didn’t give him the slightest bit of grief… until it was time for shots.
*a little side note.. this is the FIRST doctors appointment Brady has missed with our girls.. and it was a shots appointment that I couldn’t really push back since I didn’t start her shots until she was a lot older and space them out so much. I think it was harder on Brady to miss it than it was for me to endure it alone… shots are NOT my thing. I am at a constant war with myself on even doing them at all. BUT we got through it with a few tears (on both my part, and Stella’s) It seems like it was a lot worse than it was, but realistically I think she only cried for about 30 seconds, although she did have to remind me about it a few times before we left the building. That’s always the worst for me.
She did okay with shots this time. Woke up the next morning a little warm but seemed overall okay with the whole process after that.
She also just popped up 2 of her top molars with her 2 bottom ones right behind.
It’s been a rough week for the little bean.
With all that craziness going on, though, you wouldn’t ever know it based on her attitude.
She is such a fun and funny baby.

She is very independent these days.
Always wants to walk or do it herself everywhere we go.
She’s not the most obedient baby, though, so this creates a bit of a hassle on my part.
Luckily I have Harlo there to always lend a helping hand. My goodness, she’s a good sister.
She loves the storytime songs, throw your teddy bear, hokey-pokey and happy and you know it.
She’s also taken a sudden interest in reading books.
She’ll climb up on the rocking chairs all throughout the day and flip through some books.
She’ll also play really well with Harlo now.

They’ll play babies or barbies together for a good half hour without needing me.
It always amazes me how much of an imagination she has at this age.
She’ll make crying noises for her baby, then calm it down, then wrap it up and put it to sleep and she’ll tell me to “shhh!” to not wake her baby.
I’m sure having a 3 year old sister helps in that department.
Her hair continues to just pile in.
She’s got a definite mullet right now.
Not quite sure what to do about the situation, but for now, she’s rockin’ it.
She has just enough hair on top now to clip a small bow in it.. but she immediately rips it out so we still resort to headbands a lot.
I’ll take what I can get.
She’s obsessed with brushing her teeth.
If she spots a tooth brush anywhere, she demands to brush her teeth.
She is still painfully addicted to her “boo”.
We forgot it today at home while we went to brunch, and I’m pretty sure that wont happen again for a long time.
She’s a disaster without it.
I asked Dr. Marsden when I should take the girls blankies away and he said, “never.”
Whew! I was starting to get worried.
She is such a funny little girl.
She thinks it’s so funny to give you a super dirty look, but it’s always followed by a toothy little grin.
She has such a quirky little sense of humor.

Her 3 bottom teeth continue to be the highlight of my life.
She keeps us laughing all. day. long.
We couldn’t imagine our life without her.
She is such a little bundle of sunshine.

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Meet the Brinkerhoffs | Southern Utah Family Photographer

By Cass Miller on February 9, 2012 in Family, Maternity

I love my job. I love it so much, it sounds a little strange to call it a “job”. To have the opportunity to share such special moments with these families, all the while being able to document them in my own artistic style is beyond what I could have ever imagined doing for a living. My work for me is very personal. My clients become close friends and I enjoy so much watching their children grow.

Juanita is an amazing photographer here in St. George. While it is always nerve-wracking for me to photograph another photographer, the challenge and artistic collaboration is always refreshing and inspiring. Juanita really respected my personal style and let me choose every detail of the session. I had an idea to shoot at a more desert-y location, so we finished up our session out there. I’m so glad Juanita trusted me with it because they are probably my favorite shots of the session. What a beautiful family they are! I can’t wait to meet that new little baby sister she’s got hiding in that tiny belly of hers.

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Only us.

By Cass Miller on February 8, 2012 in Uncategorized

Tonight I put you to bed after a long, noisey, eventful day. I get about three steps from the door before you start stirring in protest. I try to sneak away quietly and try to stay very calm so that you may pick up on it and calm down into sleep. A few minutes go by before the crying begins and I am forced to come to terms with the fact that my night is not quiteover. Your dad beats me to the door and I hear that you have a lot on your mind. Much you need to discuss. I let your father have his moment and the longing for you has already begun.

In a few minutes, he brings you to me, asking if I want a turn and already knowing I do. Before I can even answer, you’re already requesting me.
You latch to my body like it’s the most familiar thing you know. You rest your head on the familiar place above my breast, our first meeting place, and my favorite. I immediately want to put into words the feeling I feel, but no one could ever have this moment with you. No one is us and no one will ever know the complexity of our relationship.
I sit into our chair. We sit in silence for a few minutes, just the sound of my heart to your head and the slight scratching of your fingers caressing my skin. I strive to put this feeling into words. But no word could be worthy enough of this divine union. I think to myself how I hope you’ll have a baby some day, because only then could you understand what this means to me.
You sit in the quiet for as long as you can stand before you have to start our familiar banter. You make a grunt and a giggle and only I could ever know what you’re referring to. I respond in the way I know you’re hoping for and I feel your face change shapes and I know the exact expression you have without ever needing to look. I am reminded again how no one will ever know you the way I know you. How magnificently complex our relationship is. I think to my spirit how unbelievably blessed I am and the grand thought makes my quiet breath slip away.
Our conversation continues in your fluent tongue as you observe every mark on my chest. You’ve studied this place intently. You know every freckle, every wrinkle, every bone.

I think to myself how only God could give me these moments. These sacred moments with you that are unlike any other encounter. Only when our busy world slows and familiar humming of our home surrounds us, can we have these moments.
As it becomes apparent that our soiree is nearing it’s end. I pull you into my arms and you accept my offer. I lap around the living room, pausing slightly at the things only I could know you would want to observe. We easily slide into our nightly routine and even though he’s been in the other room, Daddy is already coming out for his affectionate good nights. I walk you to your room as we both whisper “shh, shh, shh…” to each other, and I realize you’re the only one who will ever share this familiar waltz with me.

I almost hesitantly lay you into your bed, and place your blankets how only I know you prefer them. I continue my soft, airy humming as I quietly close the door. I get three steps out your door before I pause. I hear only silence and I know you’re drifting off into sleep. I feel gratefulness wash over me. How I love being your mom.

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My Little Tiny Baby

By Cass Miller on February 4, 2012 in Uncategorized

My baby turned 18 months yesterday and this is exactly how I feel about it….

but despite the sad face, she’s rather happy about the occasion! Her full 18 month post to come.. stay tuned!

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Our DIY Chevron Headboard

By Cass Miller on February 3, 2012 in Our Home, Uncategorized

After many comments on our headboard, I thought I’d show how we did it..

Our headboard was probably my favorite project, and now my favorite item in our whole house. I’ve had the idea for a while, but it was just a matter of executing it. At Lowes and Home Depot, you can buy big sheets of wood in all different thicknesses and materials. I had told Brady I wanted to just paint one of those and hang it above our bed like a headboard, but he thought it was going to look weird, so we practiced and did a chalkboard out of one first. It worked so well and was SO cheap (somewhere around $10-$15 for the wood, depending on which one you get). When we re-did our dressers, I knew I wanted the headboard, and I knew Chevron was the choice. (after bouncing around a few different ideas.. the possibilities are endless!)
So, we went to pick up our wood, and lucky for me there was one that was already white! So that would cut half of our painting out. (I originally just planned on painting it all white then going back through and doing the chevron stripes in grey.) As far as which wood to choose, I have no idea about the technical side, but I just chose one that was thick enough to now bow out when it got on the wall, but thin enough that it wasn’t super heavy. We had pre-measured our bed so we had them cut it just exactly that size, which they do for free! We got our wood, our paint, some Frog Tape and rollers and checked out for under $30.

Then the tricky part began.. I didn’t realize how complicated it would be to paint some zig-zags across a board. After doing a little internet research, and being warned everywhere that this was no beginners design, we went ahead and braved it. I’m so glad I have Mr. Miller, the genius, to help me with this kind of stuff because I probably would have given up after about 5 minutes and done plain ol’ stripes. (which would look fab as well, I think) but the Mr. was determined and so we made a few rough drafts on paper and then made our marks and started taping.

If you’re going to brave the Chevon, here is how to do it… put it on paper before you mark up your board, it’s way easier to visualize.

Then, we just taped it off and started painting.

Of course we had Itty for moral support!

When it was all finished, we secured it to the wall with 4 screws. Easy Peasy.

And TA-DA! Totally made the room.

And here is how we decorated our entire bedroom for a bargain..

DIY Chevron headboard, about $25

Dressers – free.. paint and brush cost- $11, new hardware, $15 total = $26

Black mirror- yard sale $3, shiny black spray paint $2 total = $5

White duvet cover (not totally necessary) found on sale at Target with two pillow shams – $13

Green rug, found on clearance in the outdoor section of Walmart – $20.

Night stands, old red dresser and TV stand that was given to us a few years ago that we had lying around for a while – FREE
Lamps – D.I, 2 for $2.
Curtain – again on sale at Target- $9 for the pair.

All added up, equals EXACTLY $100.

(but didn’t seem like even that much at the time because it was all done in $10-$20 purchases here and there)

We LOVE our new room. The master bedroom is the easiest room to ignore because no one really sees it.. it drops the end of the priority list, but DON’T LET IT. I can’t tell you how magical it is to have our own little slice of heaven in the house… And one that we dreamed up from start to finish. (I was so proud that I DIDN’T get the idea off Pinterest! lol) It was such a fun project to do together and every single day we see how our work paid off.

Our entire room, completely decorated for $100.. Not bad, eh?

If any of you try this, or any variation of this, make sure to share it with me! I’d love to see it.

Get creative! Check out this cool fabric headboard at allthingsthrifty.com

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Meet the Noah Family | Southern Utah Family Photographer

By Cass Miller on February 3, 2012 in Family, Kids, Lifestyle

Hello dear friends, I hope you all had a fabulous January! I took almost the whole month off to be totally and completely with my family. We went on all sorts of adventures and got all kinds of things done and it was really nice. Nothing makes me feel more creative and excited about photography than taking some time away from it. After the busy holiday season I was definitely sick of sitting in front of my computer editing for hours on end, so it was nice to get AWAY for a bit. And wouldn’t you know? I have all sorts of new, fun, exciting projects coming up this Spring. Like, BIG projects. I am so stoked about it all. I also have a few projects I’m working on that I will be needing models for, so stay tuned for my model search on the blog.
My Spring is starting to book up rather quickly, so if you have been dying to get a lovely Spring session in, don’t hesitate! I love Spring sessions and I am so looking forward to them this year.

Also, are you in Salt Lake City or Southern California? I will be coming to YOU. If you’re interested in booking a session, please email me, cassmillerphoto{at}gmail.com. Can’t wait!

And where would you be if I wasn’t leaving you with a very lovely little family? Not at cassidymillerphotography.com!

So, without further adieu, meet the Noah’s.

xo - C

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FEBRUARY

By Cass Miller on February 2, 2012 in Uncategorized

February is a very special month around here..

It is the month that has those first promises of Spring (at least if you live in the desert)
It is the month where we celebrate LOVE, and isn’t that something to celebrate? I think so.
It is the month where we celebrate the mother of this house hold (ahem) because it is also my Birth Month.

Hip! Hip!

And if you’re thinking, “don’t you mean birthDAY?” No, I mean Birth Month. Because it would be a crying shame to only celebrate yourself for ONE DAY. What if it rains on that day? What if your best friend is out of town? What if you are out of town? What if you have a bad hair day on that day? What if you have a pimple? That’s why it’s always a good idea to celebrate all month.. it takes the pressure off the day. So, that’s what we (I) do.
Every February I like to look back to what I was doing this time last year, and make new plans and goals for this year.

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