Innocent Gaze

J: I love, love, LOVE this image of little J. I could just stare at it forever. A peaceful moment, frozen in time.

She's always this tranquil and contemplative, right??

The Million Dollar Question

"Did we get a cardworthy shot?" tends to be the million dollar question these days. Well, in regards to yesterday's session, my answer to that question is ... YES!

M: I know you've been anxiously awaiting your images, quietly stalking the blog and checking your inbox. :-) Well, your gallery's not quite ready yet but I hope the following images ease the wait a little. I will keep working as fast as my ten fingers (and two little boys) will allow me to so you can see all your images and move forward with your card design asap.

Here's one picture that, in my opinion, could easily grace the cover of your Christmas card:


And here's another image that struck me. It actually resonates with me more than the one above where everyone's looking at the camera. There's just something about all the connections and bonds taking place between the siblings that I love in this photo:


And lastly, here's a nice photo of the entire family. Yes, S is staring at the moon in this picture, but I still think it's pretty darn cute!

Worth the Wait

For the H Family photo session, apparently the fourth time would be the charm.

Our first session was rescheduled due to the heat wave (95 degree weather and sweaters do not make for a happy combination), the second was rescheduled as one of the boys got strep and the third session was rained out. Needless to say, when today rolled around, I was a bit nervous to find out what might be in in store for us. A tornado? A fire? Fortunately, the weather gods were kind to us and we enjoyed a great day for our photo session. Definitely worth the wait.

C, I'm excited to give you a peek of the images we captured today. They are fantastic!!! Your boys were so much fun and very loving. It was clear that they adored each other. I know you'll love these. Enjoy!




LOVING this swing for portraits ... I must have snapped a zillion here.




A few candids:



I'll leave you with this angelic looking face:

Beautiful Baby Girl

I had the pleasure of photographing this darling little cutie yesterday afternoon. Freshly rested from her afternoon nap, B was an absolute doll and definitely ready for her 10-month-old photo session.

Look at this image and just try to tell me she doesn't have the most gorgeous blue eyes.


K&D: Thanks for having me come out yesterday to capture some images of your precious little one. It was a fun time and a nice surprise when D walked into the nursery and we realized that we had previously met. Love the small world connections.

I'll email you as soon as your gallery's ready and will look forward to seeing what images you select to adorn the walls of your beautiful home. In the meantime, enjoy a little sneak peek of what's to come ...







And because I know you guys love black and white, here's one converted for you to see:

Playful Pup

In yesterday's post, I wrote about how challenged I felt photographing a family with four children. Well, as of this morning, that challenge already seems like old news to some degree. A few hours ago I had a little photo shoot with this playful guy ... and we had to work reeeeeaally hard to get that sucker to stay still. I'm happy to report that while the split seconds of calm and stillness were definitely few and far betwen, we were able to document the ones that Duke gave us.

B, enjoy your pics of your handsome pup.

Four Adorable (and active!) Children

One of the (many) reasons I am enjoying my newfound career as a children's/family photographer is that each session brings fun, new and interesting challenges for me. I had already been feeling pretty challenged shooting (photographically speaking, of course) families with three children but today's session -- with FOUR children -- definitely pushed me to an even higher level. It was tough but I was determined to capture that ever so elusive, seemingly unattainable shot with all four children looking cute in the same frame. With the help of the very patient, kind and sweet mom (and the assistance of more than a few skittles), I think we were successful! :-)

S: Your kids did fabulously today and really hung in there for us. You should be very proud of them. M and B were more cooperative than I could have ever hoped for. I just may recruit them to be my personal models as my own two sons seem to be pretty tired of my picture-taking excursions. E & T must also be commended as they did a great job hanging in there, even past naptime. Thanks for a great session!

Sisters

Today's session was modified slightly as the oldest sibling, the big brother, got sick and was unable to participate in our session. So this afternoon was all about the girls instead. We had so much fun playing hide and seek, tag, ring around the rosie ... and oh, yes, snapping a few pictures, too.

M: Your girls were absolutely adorable and so very sweet (yes, I will put that in writing!). Below are a few shots that jumped out at me from the files. Those big blue eyes of theirs just call out to me, screaming, "Look at me! I'm gorgeous!"

I'll email you when the rest of the gallery is ready. And will look forward to our next session with the rest of the family.













A sweet moment, frozen in time ... but oh, how I wish the twins had been looking at me here!


I'm not exactly sure what it is about this picture that attracts me, but for some reason, I am really drawn to this image. I love it.


We took some time to stop and smell the roses:

Beach Session at Paradise Cove

We couldn't have asked for better weather yesterday - sunny skies, seventy degree temperature and a gentle ocean breeze. The setting was perfect for a fun little photo adventure at Paradise Cove. And adventure it was! Chasing after four year old twin boys and a two year old baby girl sure is exhausting work. After all that running around, I was working up a sweat by the time we were done! :-)

S&J: thanks for meeting up with me and trusting me to take your annual family photos. I know you are very particular about your portraits; I hope I can come close to meeting your expectations. (I'm nervous about that!) You have a gorgeous family and you deserve fabulous images to reflect that beauty.

Enjoy your sneak peek below:













I know there's a police car in the frame, but I just loved J's fantastic smile in this picture so I had to post this for you:

Three Blond Boys

Yesterday's session with three little blondies and their parents was a lot of fun. Combine the family's great energy with the pefect lighting (close to sunset) and the beautiful backdrop (the family's gorgeous parklike yard) and ... Voila!! Gorgeous images in the making.

K&C: Thanks for having me come out to do your pictures. I had a great time and hope you like the pictures. From what I've seen far, I think you'll find some "cardworthy" pics in the mix. The rest of your gallery will be up later this week but hope these will tide you over until then...







This little thirteen month old was such a trooper. He got stung by a bee about thirty seconds after I arrived. Fortunately, he recovered quickly and continued on like a champ. Very impressive.


Look! All eyes on the camera. :-)


I just love this picture of your boys all snuggled up on the grass after a little wrestling-turned-snuggle-fest.