I can make these for your kids. After your session just tell me your interested in getting one made.


To see a bigger view check out my website:http://lesliestyler.com/children.html

CHRISTMAS CARDS!

Christmas is just around the corner and it's almost time to send out Christmas cards.
My schedule is booking fast for Christmas photos now. Last year I was booked everyday from Thanksgiving till Christmas and after. This year I am mostly only booking on the weekends.

So if I were you I would book soon if you would like to get your family photos done for Christmas. DON'T PROCRASTINATE about this and wait till the last minute. Last year I had to turn a lot of people down because they waited to long and I was booked solid. I felt really bad too.

I still have openings till then. You may be thinking it's way to early for that but time flies this time of year because the holidays are really close together and by December you will be too busy 1. decorating your house, your tree
2. buying Christmas presents,
3. going to Christmas parties.
4. shopping
5. baking and cooking for the holiday
My advice is to schedule something in either October or November. Trust me it's my business.

If you would like to schedule an appointment call 480-254-4595 or email me: Leslie@Lesliestyler.com

Here is a few cute Christmas cards I can order also, click to view bigger

I just got done watching Evelyn the movie.



It was about a Father who's wife leaves him with 3 children while he can't get a job. The state takes his children and it is very sad. The children are so very young and to lose their Father is heartbreaking. He goes against the courts and tries to fight to get them back. It is a very touching story. There is nothing like a Father's strong arms to make you feel safe and comforted when times are scary.
But it really touched me in a special way. My Father left when I was 5 so I never got to feel a love and devotion such as this. I know there are Father's out there who dearly love their children I meet them all the time and have a husband who feels this way as well.

I can't imagine having a Father who would fight a hard fight and change his life just to have his children live with him again and back in his arms. I know God has always shown me this strong devotional love though. Without the love of my Father Lord Jesus I would have never known true love. I must say my Father screwed up a ton and hasn't really been there for me. Honestly he calls every few months. I can't imagine what life was suppose to be like to know when times get tough you can run to your Father's loving arms and know you are comforted. To feel that safety and security seems like a dream. Father's are so special, their place in their child's life. I dont know if men understand how truly important they are to their children.

But God through the the years has shown me a special deeper love that no one could ever on earth.
When everyone else fails me and hurts me. Just as normal life goes, God has always been tender , loving and kind to my hurt heart. His love warms me when the earth is crashing down around me. He gave us His one and only son just to save you and me. This to me is the biggest devotion anyone could ever ask for. This shows the strongest of all loves.
I just can't imagine my life without this sweet and loyal love.

Heather and her family met me at a little park near these beautiful lakes. They brought their sweet newborn who was just born a month before the session.
They are a young cute couple that live pretty close to where I live. They were so easy going and laid back to take photos of. There little girl was so tiny and sweet. The outdoor light kinda bothered her tiny little eyes a little. Her photos turned out really cute despite the lighting.
My favorite newborn shoots are the ones when they are sleeping. They are much easier to position them in ways that when they are awake the may not care for. But lately the babies I keep getting are all awake. Which is no problem we just have to try and work around it. Thank you again being so easy to work with and for your patience.

Kim hired me to take her maternity photos and we shot some at their home and by the lakes near their house. I believe she said she was 39 weeks. I said, "I hope you don't go into labor!!" I was a little nervous cause that is really close. She delivered a few days after the shoot.


They had a beautiful baby girl!!!! You know I am in the girl mood since I am having one too!! LOL

Kim and Tony where such nice people, I enjoyed spending time with them. They are both dentists so that was really cute I thought. They met in back in college I believe she said and Kim is from Ohio. Since I am from Pittsburgh as some of you may know, I enjoy meeting people from back home.

We did all kinds of maternity poses some indoor, some outdoor. Mostly ones of her and her belly. They turned out gorgeous! but they are are for their eyes only.. sadly to say. I posted a few of the outdoor ones. Kim saw a photo in a magazine and it was her dream to recreate that of her being pregnant. It is the one with the husband reading a book. I absolutely LOVED it! How creative of an idea! Love magazines myself.

Please take a moment to look through this handsome couples photos below.

THE WINNER IS..............................................................................
Janelle King...
She was the 35th person and guessed a GIRL!!!!!!!


Come back for my future contests prizes.
I will be giving more photo session discounts in the future!!!!


I just want to say thank you to everyone that entered and congratulated us. We are super excited and glad we can share this excitement with you all!!!

I am running a portrait contest for the 35th person to email me your guess of the sex of our new baby!! I thought it would be fun to give a free photo shoot away for fun. I would love to bring some joy into your lives. This is a celebration of life we are having.


What you have to do:
Email: Leslie@Lesliestyler.com
Answer: Boy or Girl

Tell all your friends and family to send in a guess too!!!!
Whenever the 35th person emails me I will post the WINNER and results of what the answer is on my blog.

Rules:
* The photos that are from my silver package details...www.lesliestyler.com
* only one vote per family house hold.
* The photos need to be taken in either the East Valley, Scottsdale, Tempe or Mesa.


STAY TUNED FOR MY NEXT CONTEST!!!!

I was a stay at home Mom. In the past I had worked 10-12 hours a days for years, at a job which was more like problem solving all day long. I LOVED my job, working in 3D was a dream come true. It was mentally challenging and I LOVED it but there was one thing missing and I felt it every day. I couldnt be creative like I needed to be. I didn't have the freedom of using my creativity and it wore on me as an artist.
I did computer animation for feature films like The Polar Express, Scooby Doo 2, Garfield, Sky High etc..

When I was at home with my son watching my first baby grow it was the neatest thing ever. I adored every moment but it was so hard to not want to work and keep my mind busy. I am a thinker, I love a challenge!!

I was reading this book called, "The Cure for the Common life" by Max Lucado (my favorite author). He was talking about your gifts and talents God equipped you with for a purpose. I searched my mind trying to think of things I could do to glorify God. I am artist, sculpt, paint, draw etc. I actually was a mural painter for kids rooms before I got pregnant.



But my true love and passion was always photography. I had practiced a ton every single day on my son and then people started talking to me about how I should start charging people. I didn't think I was good enough yet. I saw my work getting better as time went on. My Mother in-law also talked me into as well. I had to taken photography classes in high school but it was so long ago. I bought books and read up on everything I could, which did help me. Also I went to College for Art and drawing for 4 years so I definately think this helped to train my eye better for perspective and composition.

Then I had the chance to shoot my sisters wedding and then I fell in love and realized at that point I felt confident to charge people. Luckly I knew a ton of Photoshop (editing program) to help me out.



So on Thanksgiving of last year I started. I was booked almost every day till Christmas and after. The rest is history, as time went on I only got more busy. I love my work.
I love being able to bring joy into people's homes and happiness. To capture those few moments that just go by so fast. It is a really a pleasure I could never have dreamed of myself but know God's hand is through it from how many clients I get, to who my clients are. I have been so blessed to meet the nicest people. I couldn't pick better people to shoot their family portraits.
I am a full time Mom and love it and work part time. When my kids get older I would like to focus more attention on shooting weddings.
That is my story thanks for reading!!!

I learned what that meant this year when my husband drove himself to the hospital after work one night earlier this year. He felt like he was having symptoms of a heart attack. They tested his blood and found out that he had protein in his blood which meant that he either had one or was going to have one. So they admitted him. It was a very scary time for me. I didn't know if I was going to lose him that night or the next 4 days while he was in there. The next day they did an angioplasty and looked at his heart. Well they tell us this test could kill him. Which was frightening itself. I was crying and my family was back in Pittsburgh (where I am from).
Our pastor came in to visit him one day and I broke down and cried. I said I have been a christian since I was young and had faith. But you get to the point that you don't know what to think of feel. You are just scared. Everyone told me that God was still in control, which didn't really help. I already knew that. So I searched scriptures and prayed constantly. Till I came to the point where I learned that God was testing my faith. Maybe he was testing me to see how far I could stretch my faith. I kept thinking but God has His own timing when it comes to when it's time for someone's death. It was ultimately up to Him. I thought of my husband's best friend who died a few years ago who was youth Pastor and had a wife and a 3 year old. He died of getting a 3rd kidney during surgery.
In the end the doctors released my husband and said they thought it was a virus that went to his heart. Wow what a scary thing to happened. But now I know what God testing your faith means.

PREGNANT AGAIN!!!
We have news, I am 12 weeks pregnant!!! Last time we had a surprise this time my husband wants to know because of clothes. My Mother in-law came with us when we could find out what the baby was the last time. So she told my Mom who told me sister and then our whole family found out. This time I want them to have a surprise and just my husband I know. hehe
Our baby was suppose to be on St. Patrick's Day but they changed it to a few days earlier because of my last ultrasound.
I had horrible morning sickness the 1st trimester but thank the Lord it is tapering off.
To all you pregnant Mom's out there, I want to say a BIG congratulations to you!!!

At the beginning of the year I was trying to think of ways I could serve God with my talent. I came up with idea that if I could get other photographers around the world to come together and donate their time to take photos of soldiers families while they were away. This way they would feel a little closer to them. But I just found out that there already is a website and such a thing now.
So all I could do was donate my time. I am very happy to hear that it was invented.
Here is the website for all you other photographers that might be interested in donating your time.
http://www.pmdaportraitsoflove.com/