Turtle

I FINALLY got around to taking new pictures of these adorable little hams!  Sorry it took so long!  Summers force me to be flexible and spontaneous which is something that I typically fight against happening because I love my routine and schedules.   I was out of town for one week with the youth at my church working in Flint, MI with an organization called Flint Mission Project which focuses on providing help such as new roof, painting, yard work, etc to those who can't afford it.  It was a lot of hard work, but it was so awesome!  I was also in Townsend, TN for a week with my family.  The 16 of us who were able to make it were all in one rustic, but beautiful cabin with the most gorgeous view you could imagine!  We all had a lot of fun and no one got killed so that's a bonus.  Hahaha!  

I always think Nenya looks so dreamy, like a little cloud.  She's just so cute!

So, summer is winding down for me which has helped me get back into at least some of my old routines, including taking pictures of the hams.  This tiny turtle that they are all posing with is one of the souvenirs that I got from our vacation.  I picked him up at Ripley's Aquarium.  I fell in love with him because we saw a real sea turtle in the aquarium.  Honestly, it was so incredible and I'll never forget it!!

Narya is seriously so pretty and just so calm and sweet!  I call her my fav, but that title changes as soon as I pick up one of the other hams.  Haha!

Vilya holds a special place in my heart because he not only looks like my beloved Tarcil, but he acts the most like him compared to the other hams.  He always seems to have the biggest smile and brings so much joy to my life!

Hamster Prints and Products

I just wanted to remind you all that you can get prints and products of some of my favorite pictures of Tarcil! I will also be adding in pictures of my new hammies if you are interested! These make great gifts! I love my calendar of Tarcil. It's so cute and reminds me of the wonderful little guy that he was. :)

This gallery might be my favorite! Within this gallery you will find the results of what started as more of a hobby for me and then become so much more! I have over a thousand pictures of my hamster, Tarcil, so it was difficult to narrow it down to my favorite, but you can see them here!

Thank you all for your support! :)

Succulents

I took these pictures at the same time as the ivy pictures.  All the hams did so well in the ivy, but when it came time to pose with the succulents, they all needed food to bribe them into holding still for these pictures.  The results are still just as cute!

Nenya never hesitates to shove food into her cheek.  It doesn't matter how big the piece of food is.  She always tries to stuff it in her cheek and then if it doesn't fit, she pulls it back out and breaks it into smaller pieces that will fit.  This walnut fit in the first try so it disappeared quickly!  She cleaned her face up after that little talent show.  

I thought Narya would be fine without any food bribes, but she seemed like she wanted to eat the succulent, so I gave her a walnut which she stuffed into her cheek right away.  She looked incredibly lopsided after that.  

Vilya was a little slower with his walnut.  He likes to take a bite or two before saving the rest for later by sticking it in his cheek.  Also, I have to point out that he always looks just so happy!  

Ivy Plants

I really loved this little photo session with the hams and I especially loved the results!  

Doesn't Nenya look so dreamy among all that green ivy?!  She's seriously so cute!

Narya is seriously so good at posing for pictures.  She's so cute!

Vilya thought he could hide, but then he decided he would show everyone how cute he is.  

Mini Buckets

Trying new things with hamsters generally mean that lots of food needs to be involved.  In this case, it took a bucketful.  With the help of the mini buckets, the hams were all fairly patient with me while I played around with a new light set up.  The lighting makes it look so dramatic which created a very different look than most of my work.  I think overall this little photo shoot turned out pretty cute! 

More and more I am realizing that Nenya's ability to hold still for even a split second was apparently just a phase she went through because she never holds still anymore.  Nenya is still the most interested in food which can help, but she just shoves it all so quickly into her cheeks, that I still have trouble getting pictures of her.  Oh well.  She's cute so its alright.  :) 

My tiny Narya is so happy to sit still for pictures.  She is showing more interest in food outside her cage, but she's still kinda picky.  I don't mind though, because even when the food is gone, she happily sits until I get the pictures I want.  She's such a good little girl!

I think Narya gets her talent for posing from her dad, Vilya.  He definitely has the ability to do well, especially when he is bribed with food.  In general, even if he isn't interested in staying in one place and wants to explore, he tends to be fairly causal and slower about it, so I can generally still get action shots of him that are in focus.  He is seriously such a big sweetheart just like my Tarcil was.

Mini Pet Bed

So, I got this adorable mini pet bed that is the perfect size for my fat hammies!  Be prepared to see me use this in sooo many photo shoots!  Hahaha!  Also be prepared to see some different photos from me.  I have been playing around with different equipment and set-ups.  I have been trying new things recently which has been both exciting and some times disappointing.  But hey, it's good to try and learn no matter what the results are.  These hamsters can actually be fairly hard to photograph at times which makes them good for practicing. 

Nenya really did not want to stay in this bed.  She was sure that everything outside of the bed was more exciting and needed to be seen close up instead of watching it in a comfy bed from a distance.  She also practically blends into this bed.

Narya seemed to like this little bed the most.  She is the tiniest, so it was big enough that she still had plenty of space to move around and snuggle in.  But even her curiosity got the best of her and she had to venture out to see more of her surroundings.  

Vilya stayed in the bed for the food he got and then to sniff it because he could smell the other hammies had been there first.  But once he realized they were long gone, he didn't have any interest in staying in the bed.  I have to point out how similar Vilya and Narya look in their last pictures.  They both have the same little smile.  I guess it runs in the family.  :)

Gorgeous Flowers!

I didn't get a chance to post these sooner, so they are now like a month old, but I am glad I can get the chance to share them now!  I have a schedule I use each week, but things outside my control keep forcing me to change my schedule.  I appreciate that I have a schedule that allows for flexibility, but I am definitely wanting to get back to my routine, especially since taking and posting pictures of my furbabies is usually the first thing that gets tossed out of my schedule when changes need to happen.  

Due to the craziness of the last month, I managed to miss celebrating the day I adopted Nenya.  :(  Since I don't know when her birthday actually is, I count her adoption day, which was April 2nd, as the day to celebrate her.  So, here's to celebrating a year with my fluffy fatty as I affectionately call her.  :)  I was surprised she didn't immediately stuff that broccoli in her mouth, because she normally eats everything in her path.  Haha!  :)

So not only did I miss Nenya's adoption day, but I missed Narya's birthday on April 9th.  :(  Truly this was a double failure on my part.  I can't believe my tiny babe is a year old!  She's definitely grown since I adopted her, but she's still tiny and just the sweetest little girl ever!  

Vilya was definitely happy that despite the fact that I missed two reasons to celebrate, I did still have yummy food for him to snack on.  He happily stuffed it away and cleaned himself up.  :)