Tradition

We all have family traditions that we hold onto as we have grown older. Sometimes they are passed down from generation to generation, other times we remember where they started, and other times, they just insert themselves into our lives. Jason and I have tried to create some traditions of our own for our family. It isn't surprising something born out of necessity became a much loved tradition for us.

Gwen has always been a saver- paper, letters, cards, happy meal toys, once it is in, it is so hard to get out of the house. I think she was six years old. She worked hard on carving her pumpkin just so. It was great. The problem arose when it was time to get rid of said pumpkin. We asked. We told. We got tears. So, we decided to make it fun. Pumpkin bowling was born.

Above, you can see this years victims. This years participants. Elliot started asking on Halloween when we could bowl the pumpkins. Truth is, the older and mushier, the more fun they are, so we made the poor kid wait a couple of weeks.
J's Vannah White pose.
I cracked up at the full on bowling stance above! I won't be surprised if he carves in finger holes next year. The toss
The next toss... And, well, a roll. His pumpkin was huge and though he tried to lift the sucker, it just wasn't happening. Interestingly, his went the farthest on the first shove. He may be onto something here. Directing the pulverized pumpkins to their final resting spot on top of the compost pile...

See the little pieces in the leaves (that I am pretending are going to disappear over the winter. Let me have my delusions.)? The kids favorite part is watching them break up and fall apart as they go.

The final resting spot. The deer and other critters will be quite happy to stop and munch on them. One of the rites of spring is checking out what happened to them over the winter.

There are already whispers of plans in the works for pumpkin bowl 2010. I am a bit nervous...

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Capturing the Moment- Maine Family Photographer

I continued to take advantage of the gorgeous weather last weekend to meet up with the Spiller family at their beautiful home for some fall family photos (say that 10 times fast!). I was welcomed with open arms and was immediately put at ease by Gary's easy going demeanor and sense of humor. If nothing else, a sense of humor is a must when trucking through wet fields, straddling rotting logs and moving lawn equipment so it doesn't show in a shot!

This is Sophie. I plan to share a few more shots of this gorgeous young woman in a later blog post but I really wanted to share this shot right away. As we were getting ready to head outside, Sophie was texting with her friends (and making me realize just how slow I am at texting). She was reminded to leave the phone inside, but I can't resist the chance to use items that are important in everyday life in shots. Thanks for humoring me Sophie!

This is Cameron. I won't call him handsome because I am sure that would embarrass him, but I will say he has killer eyes. Thanks for tolerating me Cameron!

As Cheryl and I discussed times and location, she shared with me that while she has lots of pictures of the kids, they don't have many photos as a family. I find that so often we focus on capturing the moments with the kids as they grow and we (myself included) figure we will jump in the picture at some point or when we lose that ten pounds or have our hair done or a million other reasons. All of a sudden the kids senior photos are getting set up and we find ourselves missing from all of those years. I treasure the few pictures I have with my parents growing up so very much. We are who we are in the moment and every person is beautiful exactly as they are in that same moment. That is what I hope to capture.

Cheryl, I hope you don't mind me saying so, but you are one hot mama! Next year, break out the ocelot print, you know you want to!

I got a very quizzical look from Gary when I asked them to lay down with their heads together, but these guys were such good sports. I have a ton of outtakes from this shot because they had me laughing

Thank you for allowing me to visit with you and get to know your family. I hope these family shots can live up to what you hoped for and there are many more to come. I will let you know as soon as your gallery is ready!

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Sisters- Maine Children's Photographer

Sunday morning bright and early found me on the doorstep of the C family to meet Sam and Lila. Sam was all about having her picture taken and was excited to get going. She had great ideas of where to go and how to stand. Lila on the other hand wasn't too sure of me or having her picture taken, but she went along with us. Both of these girls are beautiful, loving, and funny and a total delight to photograph.

The girls were rooting for me to fall into the frog pond as I kept backing up to get the shot I wanted above , but for once my clumsy genes managed to stay away.


Sam, you are a stunning young woman. I am impressed by how comfortable you are in front of the camera and it shows!
Their adorable 12 week old chocolate lab puppy Willie joined us for a few shots but the stick that was four times his size was too much to resist.

Oh Miss Lila! The big soulful eyes just kill me. Even though I knew we had a on again off again little friendship going on, I knew we were all good because when it was time for me to leave I was surprised by a huge hug.

Thank you for letting me photograph your wonderful family and showing me all the good climbing spots! There are many more photos to come, I will let you know soon when your gallery is up.

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Breaking my own rules

I try to share pieces of my life and let people get to know a bit about me through my blog but I have been very careful to stay away from politics. Today, I have to break the second part of that rule because of the first.

I was maybe 10 years old. I was obsessed with horses and I had to have one. My mother and step father didn’t buy that one. As a compromise, my parents found friends who were willing to let me ride their horses if I did a little stable work for them on the weekend. I can picture it all in my head. After riding, the wife was helping me take the saddle off and get the horse cleaned up. She asked the usual question- “Is your father remarried?” Oh how I hated that question. Usually I just said no and changed the subject quickly. That day, she didn’t take no for an answer. She wanted to know if he was dating or what. I finally answered the truth. My father wouldn’t be remarrying because he was gay.

I remember the look on her face, but I still couldn’t tell you if it was fear or horror or shame or just stunned to hear these words from a young girl in the middle of no where Maine. The words she said next have hung with me every day since then. “That is just terrible. You should never ever tell anyone that again.” I think there was more after that, but that is all I heard. I was beyond devastated. Why should I be ashamed? What was wrong with my family? For years, I never told anyone else. I lived every day terrified someone would find out. I knew my world would crumble down and no one would want anything to do with me.

When I was in 8th grade, I was at summer camp and all the girls in my cabin were sitting around talking about the secrets and the hard stuff in our lives. I remember bursting out in tears. I wanted so badly to tell someone my big secret, but I was scared of what would happen. By the time I finally blurted it out, I was hysterical. No one gasped. No one ran. No one declared their devout hatred of me and my family. I was shocked. For the first time in years I could breathe, even for just a short time.

During my high school years, I was much more open about my father to the point of being in your face and abrasive about it. I figured if I took that approach, no one could hurt me. I didn’t realize until years later it also succeeded in keeping some amazing people away too.

My freshman year of college, I met someone else, a woman from New York who had a gay father too. I was giddy with joy, because for once, I wasn’t alone, there was someone else who understood the fear and the pain and the ups and downs that went with this little piece of ourselves we kept hidden from the world.

I have watch the world change, politics go left and right, changing of popes and the deaths of a fairy tale princess. I have brought two children into this world who have taught me more about the world and love than any education ever could. I hope and pray every single day to be able to give them a happier better life with out as many struggles as I have had. I struggle to teach them love and tolerance and right and wrong. I want the world for them. Part of that is watching them grow and evolve into adults and start lives of their own. I look forward to watching them fall in love and make mistakes and find the person that completes them. If they choose to get married and commit, great, I look forward to celebrating that with them.

Yesterday the people of Maine voted by a very small margin to repeal the law allowing same sex couples to marry. I am heartbroken and disappointed like so many people today. I had hoped for a different result. The hurt in my daughters eyes this morning when she heard the results broke my heart.

I have spent the day today thinking about my feelings, trying to put them in order and make sense of them. Unfortunately, people from both sides have resorted to calling names today in frustration and hurt. It doesn’t help either sides cause.

While I am disappointed with the outcome, I keep going back to that day, standing by the horses listening to a woman tell me my life and family is wrong. I remind myself that this question we voted on yesterday was not even something that would have been discussed then. Ten years ago, it may have been talked about a bit, but never made it to the ballot. Today, the right of same sex couples to marry was repealed by only a few thousand votes.

I am not ashamed to be from Maine today. I am proud of how far Maine has come in 25 years. I can only hope that in another year, or two or five, the tide will change and it will come to pass. There won’t be some 10 year old hiding and living in terror of being found out. That families will be free to make the choices that are right for them.

I have to hold onto that today. I share this not to start a debate, not to talk right or wrong, or get into religion. I share this to put a face on this, to share one more story about how these choices make all of the difference in the world to people you may never know. I hope you might remember me the next time you are faced with this question.

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Miss J's Mini-shoot- Maine Children's Photography

As the sun came up Sunday morning, the fog rose and hovered among the treetops. The colors of the leaves seemed brighter after a washing from Saturday's rains and the puddles began to recede. It was a chilly, beautiful fall morning in Maine as I drove to Cumston Hall in Monmouth to meet Miss J and her mother for a mini shoot. Their family chose to forgo the usual cookie cutter school pictures and have some more personal, fun and comfortable pictures taken instead. We managed to avoid capturing the shivering of the morning and capture her amazing eyes and smile.
Thanks for joining me guys! I hope you enjoy your peek, the rest will be ready very shortly!

If you are interested in a mini session, please contact me at (207)522-9742 or alisondouglassphotography@gmail.com for more details

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A moment to breathe

I was driving home from work when I finally noticed the vibrant colors of the leaves. I have been running non- stop for a while between my every day job, Gwen cheering, Elliot in soccer, a month packed with photo shoots (and reschedules, thank you mother nature) and all of the every day stuff that is a part of life. I realized I had spent so much time on all of the other parts of my life, I hadn't stopped to appreciate the simple and most important things.


Over the weekend, the kids were out playing in a pile of leaves at the bottom of their slide. I grabbed my camera and went to join them. We giggled and talked and jumped and made faces (I now have solid bribery photos of Gwen for her teenage years). I just enjoyed some time with them and captured a few shots. As I played with these the other night, I was struck again at how grown up they both have become. There isn't any hint of the little girl left in Gwen. I find her shockingly mature and often remind her she is only a kid (much to her dismay). Elliot is still a goofball, which I hope doesn't change any time soon. The start of kindergarten has begun to erase the little boy side of him as well.

I have the vain hopes of sharing these in Christmas cards this year, but last year they never made it out of the house!

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Sneak Peek- Deb's Secret Trash The Dress Session

First and most important: If you know Deb's husband, do NOT mention these pictures to him! Deb has given me the green light to blog these because he doesn't spend time online or even have a Facebook account, so as long as no one points him this way, they will remain a surprise for their upcoming anniversary. Which is good because it would have killed me to not be able to share these!

Second, no dresses were harmed (beyond what a dry cleaning can fix) in the course of this shoot!

I realized while I was waiting for Deb that I had never seen her out of pants and a ponytail. I was blown away with how gorgeous she was when she arrived. Deb is a fellow photographer (Whitaker Imagery) so she gets it when I get something stuck in my head. The abandoned gas station near my house had been stuck in my mind for quite some time. Off hand I suggested it as we talked about ideas. Deb's response was "Whatever you want, I will do." Those are the magic words!
Deb and I had a great time together, made some new friends, and she even climbed in the river. Yes, I said in the river. In October. Willingly. Did I loved shooting with her?
Sometimes it is best to let photos speak for themselves. This is one of those times.

Deb, thank you for allowing me to shot these photos. You are stunning. I so appreciate the sacrifices you and your family have made as Artie serves our country. I can only hope he enjoys these!

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