Here’s a link to “The Doctors” video that featured the maternity photography that I created for them.

Congratulations to the Dahm Triplets and your husbands for your little girls and the new lives you’ll be leading. The only thing that tops being pregnant is holding your little one in your arms.

It is very beautiful and rare for sisters to be expecting mothers together and the type of emotional moment that I love capturing. But Erica, Jaclyn, and Nicole are not just sisters; they are identical triplets! Wow! I am the mother of twins, so I have a great understanding of the unique bond that forms between these special siblings and the whirlwind that they create. And a whirlwind they are! So, needless to say, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to photograph such an unusual moment.

In December, I took maternity portraits of the three gorgeous Dahm Triplets together, who were roughly a month apart in getting pregnant, and have since photographed each of them with their husbands in individual maternity sessions at two of my portrait studios. Next, we can’t wait to get all of their beautiful daughters in the studio together for newborn portraits! Nicole delivered her daughter, Charlie, in January. Jaclyn’s little girl, Chanel, arrived last week. And, Erica’s little bundle of joy will be joining the pink party in the next few weeks!

It has been such a pleasure to work with these amazing women and watch their family grow. I am proud to be their personal photographer. Be sure to watch “The Doctors” tomorrow to hear about their experiences and see the maternity photography that I created for them!

Public Speaking has been something that has been a nerve-wracking thing for me in the past as my face would turn red, I would shake, and I would stammer and then not get to the point. I say “past” because I have been working hard this last year in my local Toastmasters on my public speaking abilities, and it is improving. I actually was able to speak to over two hundred people with a 1 minute notice at the Healing opening this last fall without making a fool of myself (or so they say).

I am very hard on myself and so my self-perception is altered by my critical nature. I see that in many of my female clients too. We women have a tendency to put our appearances down and not accept our faults, blowing them way out of proportion. I often will remind a woman when she’s pregnant that she’s supposed to be carrying extra weight. The world forgives you, but we don’t forgive ourselves.

I joined Toastmasters to overcome my shyness when the world watches me, but also to stop the self-judging. I also figured that since I have been asked to be on TV several times and to speak to several organizations, I had better get comfortable being in front of an audience. I am getting better. We photographers usually choose this profession because hiding behind a black box is very comfortable for us. When I was a model I made an effort to figure out how to look natural in front of the camera, and so I thought, I could figure out how to speak to an audience without falling apart.

I spoke to an audience in Northern California a couple of years ago, and last year a young man approached me at one of the national conventions I attended. He asked, “Are you Linnea Lenkus?” “Yes,” I replied. “I saw you speak in Oakland,” he said. I wanted to crawl in a hole at that moment. All I could think to say was, “Oh, you poor thing. I know I was horrible.” “No,” he said, “That was the most inspiring speech I’ve ever heard.” “You’re just saying that,” I said. And he went on and on to tell me that I was actually really good. Wow!

I hope to see you in San Diego this Tuesday, February 9th, 2010 at the Holiday Inn at 3805 Murphy Canyon Road. You won’t see me shake so much and I hope to be inspiring, but I can’t guarantee that.

This year my three children turned a wonderful corner. They became much more independent and I took a great sigh. I sat back and looked at them proudly one day and realized that my best work was done. I knew then that it was time for the next chapter, to give back, because I am so grateful for having a wonderful husband and three children who are healthy.

I started looking for a project to take on so that I could give back to my community, one that would blend the three great concepts in my life: family, art and charity. When I found the Stramski Center in Long Beach, California I knew that I had found a perfect match, a project that would resonate with me. The Stramski Center is an amazing clinic of Miller’s Children’s Hospital. They are great healers to many children of special needs and their families.

When we showed the portraits that I created to the Long Beach Arts Council, they placed it in the G.L.O.B.A.L. project for October’s art’s initiative with Phantom Galleries LA.

Above is a sample of the photography project that I created. I invite you to come on October 10th at 3rd and Elm in Downtown Long Beach to see the rest of the art project.

What began as a way to show my children the beauty of light and form in the garden as they were looking at our array of strange looking garden bugs became my creative release and obsession and now, to my surprise and delight, is being welcomed into art galleries.

I continued past the teaching phase with my children and starting going into the garden alone, amassing thousands of images from my garden, my friend’s gardens, my neighbor’s gardens and on our nature walks. My family is patient with my constant sidetracking so much that the kids now know that if mommy is not with them, I’m photographing one of the beautiful blooms that evolve over the seasons, obsessed with getting the right portrait of a flower, with the same determination that I use in my portrait sessions. So now I can say I join the minions of flower photographers, but I tend to think of my self as a flower portrait photographer.

I hope you join us tomorrow night, August 6, 2009 as my biggest showing of my flower portraits will take place. I share Gallery 741 with two other nature artists. Thank you Gallery 741 for asking me to be a part of the show.

The exhibition, titled En Plein Air, is comprised of still life and landscapes carefully selected to celebrate the beauty and form of the outdoor environment. In the tradition of the “plein air” movement, the artists have stepped out of the studio to create each piece using natural light. While the subject matter of the artwork ranges from flowers to seascapes, the unifying theme is the glory of the world around us.

Please join us for the opening reception of En Plein Air during San Pedro’s famous First Thursday Art Walks:

Thursday, August 6th, 2009
6:00PM – 9:00PM
Gallery 741
741 S. Pacific Ave, San Pedro CA 90731

I photograph lots of families. And of course, pets are a part of every growing family. For some reason dogs just love me. Maybe it’s because I’m a giant kid. Maybe because the feeling is mutual. And so, pet photography is just a natural extension of family photography. I’m really excited because of a special promotion and fundraiser that we are going to do.

The sounds of barking dogs will be bellowing from our Pasadena studio on August 8th as we hold our first “Dog Days of Summer” fundraising event for the Pasadena Humane Society. Bring in a large bag of dog or cat food and you’ll receive a free 15-minute session and 5×7 portrait of your furry friend. It’s going to be a howling good time!

WHO: Linnea Lenkus Fine Art Portrait Studios, by appointment only so PLEASE CALL

WHAT: Dog Days of Summer

WHERE: 545 S. Raymond Ave., Pasadena, 91105 (corner of California Blvd.)

WHEN: Saturday, August 8, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

WHY: To raise donations for the Pasadena Humane Society

By appointment only. Please call 626-744-9104. I hope to see you there!