From 7 to 17

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 This is a senior photoshoot which is 10 years in the making.  In fact when I first meet this senior I wasn’t even a photograph and had no idea someday I would be taking her senior photos.

Sometimes a person comes into your life that touches your soul on an explainable level.  What surprised me the most is that it happened with Codi and Me when she was only 7 years old.  I moved into Codi’s neighbor hood when she was just 7 years old.  Codi, her mom Bunni and me started spending time together when I asked if Codi could be a model for me to paint pictures from.  At the time I was making a portion of my art income from painting fairy images.  Codi looked like a real life pixie to me and I knew she would make the perfect model for my paintings.

 Codi would come over and play with my puppy Woolfgang, make up a little bed of blankets and pillows for me and call it my nest.  This and the Peter Pan movie is how Codi and Bunni started to refer to me as “Wendy  Bird” a name they still call me to this day.

When I had my first son Kaleb, Codi would come over to help feed him, dress him up in his cute little outfits and play with him.  When Codi would hold him I saw my next painting waiting to come out.  The two of them looked like a mommy and baby pixie.  The above photograph is the photo I took of Codi and Kaleb. ( Don’t mind how bad that photograph was because at the time I was not a photographer and had no idea I would ever become one).  Jump to the photograph next to it taken today.  Codi asked to see my boys, so I brought them after the shoot. Codi right away picked up my youngest son Kyllian and loved on him.  I was shocked how she naturally fell into the almost exact same pose as she had 10 years earlier with Kaleb.  



Over the years, Codi would become the main figure in many of my fairy paintings.  A company even turned one of the paintings of Codi into porcelain statues sold throughout the world. 

My dear sweet little Codi.  Your beautiful heart of giving and caring has only grown over the years.  Your beauty has bloomed from my little pixie baby into a stunning young woman.  It’s been a magical journey.  Your joy and beauty has always lit up my camera, even before I knew how to take photographs.  I am a better person for having you in my life.

2015 is your year!!!!!!!!!!!!


Codi with her mommy Bunni
Codi and my youngest son Kyllian

Codi with Kaleb 10 years later