I did it! I tackled one of my deepest, darkest fears...being in front of a video camera. No joke, dear readers. I was sweating, reminding myself to breath—the whole nine yards, so to speak. Silly? Yes. True? Oh, you all should know by now that I believe in keeping it real!

But several takes later I emerged triumphant with a working, albeit horribly imperfect video. Then I watched it. Oh. My. Word. I will not even discuss how many times I repeat words, or put together sentences that could lead one to believe I have had little education with the English language. Nope. Instead, I am going to focus on the fact that I simply did it. I faced a fear, and I feel brave. Ha!

In today's video I explain what real life photography means to me, how I define it, and what the purpose is. This begins a new video series, a series aimed at answering some of the many questions I get asked all the time.

Stay tuned. In the next video I shall be discussing some tips that will help you take great photographs of your family. Maybe I shall call it "How to shoot your kids and not go to jail." Or maybe not. ;)

It has been over two months in the developing, but Très Bébé now has a new look and a new structure. After poring over every detail of the site and our business, we have found it helpful to make some much needed upgrades. If you are familiar with our work from before, you will notice some changes have taken place as you poke through our new website. But don't worry, our focus is still the same. We are more dedicated then ever to creating beautiful real life portraits of your everyday moments.

Now, since I am first a mom, and since the weather has been less then desirable to outside play and we finally got some sun today, I decided to declare today a play day for my kids. After Mommy got some much needed business done this morning, we headed to the park to take in some of the delicious sunlight and just unwind. And it was good. For all of us. Somewhere between the giggles on the swings and the socializing, Emily had a scare. And big sissy Ariana was right there to lend a shoulder and some words of comfort. I love that.

And, lastly, I can't end this post without sharing with the whole internet world how awesome I think my husband is for patiently enduring my never-ending requests and building me a website that I love. Mr. Coates, you are just plain yummy.

So, please, poke around, check out the site, and if you love it be sure to tell your friends. And if you haven't become a fan of ours on Facebook yet, be sure to mosey over that way to join in on our discussion and have a chance to win a fun little family date, on us.

Happy Tuesday everyone!

We are super excited to announce that Très Bébé Photography is now offering "Mommy Mentoring 101"!

What is Mommy Mentoring 101?

It is a one-on-one mentoring session with the super talented family photographer Crystal Coates, lead photographer for Très Bébé Photography. This is your chance to ask all of your photography and camera related questions and get them answered by a pro!

Is this only available to mommies?

No. This is open to anyone who wants to learn how to take better pictures of their families, whether you are a daddy, a grandma or grandpa, or an aunt or uncle. All are welcome to take advantage of this offer.

However, this is open to non-professional photographers only, please!

The Why?

We are incredibly passionate about family and photography. Families are full of change and adventure, and photography is one of the most amazing ways to preserve those precious memories. Family life is always happening, but there isn't always going to be a professional photographer around to capture those moments. Here is where we want to help. Good photography is so much more then owning a nice camera. The camera is only a tool. Good photography is about capturing the moment and capturing it beautifully. We want to help you capture your family's moments.

The Investment?

Sessions begin at $45 per hour and are purchased on an hourly basis. Because there is such a demand for time in Crystal's schedule, mentoring sessions will only be offered twice a week at this time.

The Contest

We are so excited about this that we are giving away the very first 2 hour Mommy Mentoring 101 session! To enter, simply go to our Facebook Fan Page and submit your favorite family photo that you have taken. Then, we will let our Facebook fans pick the winner. But hurry! You must submit your entry by October 16, 2010. Good luck!

*locations outside of the Chico, California, area are subject to travel fees.

Around 6 months ago, I had an idea for what I believed would be a deeply meaningful project. The only problem was that I was already in the middle of a project, the 365 Days in the Life of a Photographer Mom project. Now that project has drawn to a close, and I am finally able to start on a project that I am super excited about: the 12:12 Project.

So, what is the 12:12 Project? The 12:12 Project is about me finding, photographing, and sharing the stories of 12 incredible families over the course of the next 12 months. That's it.

Why? One of the most significant things that inspires me is people—extraordinary people with incredible stories, to be precise, the sort of people that make you stop and do a thorough self inventory of just who you are, what you are doing, and why you are doing it. Everyone has a story—every family has a story—and I want to capture and tell a few of those stories.

I want to tell the stories of families that have faced challenges and have overcome, or are currently overcoming. I want to tell the stories of families that may have struggled to even become families, families that have suffered loss, families that have battled cancer, and families that have faced a myriad of other challenging situations that any of us could have found ourselves facing. I want to tell the stories of families that have not let their struggles in this life defeat them. I want to hear their stories. I want to share their stories. That is what this project is all about.

So, if you know of a family, or if you are one of those families that you think should be included in this project and are located in the Northern California area, then I want to hear from you. Simply drop me an email at info@tresbebe.com and entitle it "The 12:12 Project. " Will you help me spread the word? :)