real.  natural. true.  A little peek at a wonderful newborn session I did yesterday.  

Finally getting around to posting this wonderful Imagination session I did in the fall.  These two, R and J, were incredible to work with.  She is an artist with a twinge of a dark side (LOVE that) and one of her signature pieces is of an owl.  For her portrait, she wanted to be in the midst of a great storm, her owl perched strongly on her arm.  J wanted to be in outer space and took great care with his renderings of the planets.  They were creative, fun to work with, and delightfully engaged in the project.  They remind me why I love to make these portraits!!

As a photographer, I love making portraits. It's a wonderful challenge to find beautiful locations, set up sessions and plan out what I might want to capture.  It's just as wonderful (and much preferred by me) however, to just throw out any formality and just shoot.  Sometimes, something as simple as kids playing outside on a couple of beautiful fall evenings...right in our own little yard, makes for the most cherished of images.

My daughter, my muse.  She is growing up faster than I can stand and remains one of my favorite (and most difficult!) subjects to photograph.  I don't normally process a whole session in one tone but as I went through these images, the look and feel of this particular black and white really spoke to me.  

I love newborn sessions and my time with baby E was no exception. There's something about capturing this time that draws me in; the newness of this little person, their soft, tiny bodies, their sweet little sounds, the way their parents look at them as they start to get to know each and fall in love.  It's a part of life that I feel privileged to be asked to capture.  Thank you S family, for a wonderful session.

Finally, after three weekends of rain, a perfect evening for my session with these four gorgeous kids.  We had a blast!  Mom and dad took advantage of the beautiful grounds at one of my favorite locations and took a walk while the kids and I stopped here and there to shoot away.  These kids were AMAZING subjects; they were happy, sweet with each other, excited about the session, full of great pose ideas, and as respectful and polite as you can possibly imagine.  I love the images we ended up with and hope to work with this wonderful family again and again!!  Many thanks for such a fun session Z family!

You've asked, and I've listened!  I'm proud and excited to introduce my new Portrait Collections!  With three types to choose from, there's sure to be a collection that will be perfect for both your portrait needs as well as your budget.  My collections are a wonderful way to satisfy the "I love them ALL!!" dilemma that so often happens after a session, while still providing you with the same luxury quality and customer service that I'm so proud to offer each and every one of my clients.  With the gorgeous spring weather fast approaching, now is the PERFECT TIME to schedule your portrait session.

PLUS

Schedule your spring session (April through June) before April 31st and receive a 3x3 mini accordion album with any Portrait Collection order!  These fun little albums are a perfect way to show off up to 12 of your favorite images from our session and makes a cherished gift for someone special.

Portrait Collections begin at $630.  Please contact me for detailed pricing information and to schedule your session.

It's that time of year again; shining sun, singing birds, a hint of green...spring is in the air.  It's a time for warmer winds and soaring imaginations!  Now is a perfect time to book your Imagination Portrait session; the season for making these amazing art pieces is upon us and before we know it, the time will come to put our chalk away again until next spring. 

During an Imagination session, your child is fully immersed in the experience; laughing, creating, dreaming, and becoming part of their own art as well as mine.  Each resulting image is met with wonder, pride, and, on many occasion, a resounding "This is the COOLEST thing I've EVER seen!!".  The ultimate compliment.

Here are a few Imagination sessions I did at the end of last season; Flower Fairy, Explorers, and Dragon Slayer.  Contact me, or visit my Imagination Portrait website (link in the menu to the right) to book your session; it will likely be the coolest thing you ever did...  :)

I had a different plan for this week's image but plans changed when my little one contracted RSV. I figured that this project can be filled with both creative challenges and life chronicles and this needed to be chronicled.

She has come through it really well but spending two full days watching her labored breath, listening to the constant crackling sound coming from her little lungs, and being on ER alert was rather unsettling. It made me think about all of the parents that deal with disease and illness on a daily basis; whose children don't get to come though things so quickly. Giving thanks that my children are otherwise healthy and lifting up prayers for those whose children are not.

I couldn't help but capture her here; in a rare moment of rest during this time and with her faithful little companion "finja".

For one of my creativity assignments this week, we were simply given the words "express yourself".  I don't know anyone more expressive than my middle child.  He exudes joy and can never, ever contain his excitement or happiness and absolutely loves to dance.  He was excited about being featured in my weekly image and had little reservation about busting out some of his best moves.  The only catch was that he felt shy in front of the camera so I had to do this session with my back to him (again...LOVE my remote!).  I love what we captured and he had a hand in choosing which moves made it to this composite. 

My favorite moment though, was when he turned down the offer to use my ipod/headphones; he didn't want any music.  When I asked him how he could dance without music, he told me, "mom, there's always music in my mind!". 

So here he is, my beloved boy, dancing to the music in his head... <3

I had to add this...taken right after I told him that because he had been such a good sport, we would go home, get his brother and sister, and come back to play at the playground.

See what I mean?  :)