Cousins... friends

I could just tell that these lovely young ladies have a great time when they get together!  There was lots of silliness in the studio the day they came in.  

Happy little guy!

He is at such a fun stage when it takes very little to make him smile and everything around him is simply amazing, especially his toes- when he can reach them.  Just adore those chubby little thighs!

Perfect little beauty!

It is pretty exciting to me when a new baby comes into the studio, even more so when it is some one I know bringing that baby to me!  Back in my wedding coordinator days I coordinated the wedding for this little one's mom & dad and it was such a pleasure to share this special moment with them as well!

Little Miss is simply perfect!  She decided to stay awake for awhile after her tummy was full but it didn't take long for her to be coaxed into dream land and wasn't at all bothered by my moving her all over- which you can see by some of these adorable expressions!

Welcome to parenthood!  She is such a doll!

Busy little man...

This little guy was in the studio last week and then we braved the heat in Marion Square Park.  It took him a bit to get back in the mood to be in front of the camera but once we started climbing around and jumping off things he was all about it.  Needless to say the images we got were a little more impromptu than what I had envisioned in the planning stage but I love them just the same because of the fun we had creating them.

Little Miss Sassy...

Full of spunk and brimming with cuteness!  I actually saw this beauty twice last week, first just her in Amana and then in the studio with her cousins (sneak peek coming next week).  It has been a busy week here and I've gotten a little behind on the teasers so I won't keep Mom & Grandma waiting any longer, I know they are anxious to see how they turned out:

I also have to thank a client for the lovely gift she gave me at my grand opening- this little tutu dress and headband are just too precious!  I'm sure I'll get good use out of it.  Thank you so much Stephanie!

Boys of Summer Sessions...

I don't usually do sports photos but when I was in a workshop last month I was struck by inspiration.  We learned how to use small flashes off camera to create dramatic light and vibrant, saturated colors at less than ideal times of day when the sun is blaring and harsh.  Before I even left the workshop I put out a call for some models and one that I wanted to try my hand at was a baseball player.  My cousin's son was perfect for this personal project!  He loves the game and as hard as he tried not to enjoy being doted on, I think he got a bit of pleasure out of it.

While it was a shaky start to the session (when the flash doesn't fire, make sure the power is ON and the transmitter is in place) I feel like I grew in my skills and really played with the light in ways I'd only done in class.

I LOVE photographing kids doing they love to do!  And now I can do it with some drama.  If you'd like to book a "Boys of Summer" or other session for your young athletes, contact me soon- school starts in one month!

Down town fun...

In spite of the heat we walked around down town this weekend to get some fun portraits of this family, and actually- it wasn't all that bad with the breeze coming off the river.  The kids were surprisingly cooperative for a long time (Mom must have bribed them with something amazing :o).  As a mom of multiples, I know quite a few other MOMs and it is always a pleasure to have sessions with them.  This mom & I were part of the same mothers of multiples club and although I didn't renew my membership this year, I still hold the friendships I made very near and dear to my heart and this family is certainly no exception!  Thanks for braving the elements and being so up to trying some new things and locations, it was a great time & I absolutely love the images we created, I hope you do too!

Introducing the class of 2012...

Here is the first of many senior posts this season.  This is a family friend who was so good about letting me try a few new things and locations.  I'm so excited about how they turned out!  And he is as charming as he looks.  It is a pleasure to know this gentleman and to have photographed him.

Guess who this little guy visited last month...

Yep!  Just got back from Disney World in FL and brought his new little friend in for his 18 month pictures.  I know his family pretty well so usually he is all smiles for me but he has entered into a "just want to snuggle Mommy" stage and it is the first time I've made portraits of him so it took a little coaxing (and, of course- Smarties) to loosen him up.  Isn't he such a cutie?  I just wanted to sit and play all morning with him.  Thanks for bringing him in, Mom & Dad!  Looking forward to seeing Big Brother (and perhaps the family?) in the fall!

Hoo Boy!

As moms, we love portraits of our kids and when we start to plan a session we have these visions of perfectly behaved children sitting exactly they way they are asked and smiling so sweetly.  The truth is that is not the norm- kids have their own agenda (playing) and portraits are work, who wants to work on such a beautiful (hot) day?  This pair of twinkies were not so much into having traditional portraits made of them last weekend (a familiar scenario to me since my own twins RARELY want to be in front of my camera).  But once we got to the park, they were having fun exploring the garden and I got to capture that.  They still made me work for it- my stash of Smarties is greatly depleted, I got a little very sweaty and there are lots of out takes.  But then there were moments like these:

Take me out to the ball game

Remember back in May when we did the book-a-session-give-a-session benefit for Aid To Women?  Well, this is the final booked session that allowed me to give 10 sessions to moms from ATW.  We did one with this little guy and his mom in May and they knew they wanted to do a baseball one with Dad once summer arrived.  Thank you to all who booked sessions and helped out with this amazing project!  The moms were so touched by your kindness and generosity for them and they are loving their portraits!  It inspired me to put a portion of all session fees aside so I can do more project like it through out the year.

Too Sweet!

All the babies that appeared on the blog over the winter are coming back in for their Grins & Giggles sessions.  It is just such a fun stage when they've gained enough coordination over their hands to grab hold of their little feet.  This little bug and I played quite a bit while mom and big sister read books across the room before we got Sis in on a few shots too.  She was such a little sweetie, so engaging and expressive.  It was hard not to want to pick her up all the time.

Charming!

Ok, so I'm a bit of a sucker for brown eyed little guys with squishy cheeks.  But you have to admit that this little guy is A-D-O-R-A-B-L-E!