Was that a sigh of relief I just heard?

Doing large group family portraits with young kids is unpredictable at best. Literally, you've probably only got the first 5 minutes for their cooperation, and anything beyond that is just borrowed time. (This is also true for most of the men involved in the session, too. :)

I have a slight feeling at the end of the session that the person who organized it wasn't quite sure if it was successful or not, but I'm hoping she'll be relieved when she sees these three. While I feel a great sense of accomplishment getting those traditional, everyone-looking-straight-at-the-camera shots, I truly love family images that capture interactions and relationships so much more (and really, I think they're almost more challenging to get).

Meet the most daring couple in the world...

Because they hired me--yes me--to shoot their wedding. Really, I couldn't feel more honored that they asked me in the first place, but, honestly, I gotta tell you that despite my nerves at going into unchartered waters, they're so much fun (and really, so cute together) that I think they're going to make me feel quite at ease and make my job quite easy.

Look for more of them on their big day a mere 8 weeks away (and if you could spare a prayer for perfect wedding and photography weather, that would be awesome...:)

Just a few I enjoyed from today's impromptu mini e-session. (That's photographer speak for engagement. Not something I talk about much here primarily shooting 2 year olds. ;)

Perfection in Pink

Oh, it's torture living next door to a baby so sweet and just so perfect.

(There's two neighbor babies coming in the next month, too. Apparently, my husband unknowingly installed a water filter to prevent whatever was in my cul-de-sac's water from making it to our faucet. Perhaps three fresh babies in the neighborhood will change his mind. I mean, seeing her, how could resist? :)

Jet and a GMC

Requests for sessions with family animals are pretty commonplace for me, but I've been dying to do a session with a girl and her horse. While there's lots of things that I drive past on a regular basis wishing I had my camera (really, it's time I get a small one that can be dropped in my purse), I gotta tell you that, other than people, nothing draws me more to grab my camera more than driving by fields of horses. So when I had the opportunity to photograph this teen and her horse, Jet, I completely jumped at the chance.

(Though I must admit that the old GMC parked by the barn had me equally as excited. Funny how the older, more beat up, textured and weathered the item is, the more I know it's going to be fabulous in pictures. ;)

Returns

My dear friend from college, whom I haven't seen in four long years, returned home to visit this week, bringing the warm weather from North Carolina and her first born with her. I've been dying to get most adorable little "Mouse" in my arms and in my lens since her birth, though I'm not too sure she was as thrilled with me holding her (though she looks like her daddy, she is certainly her momma's girl), nor maybe photographing her as she certainly showed me her more serious side today. Still, I was thrilled that J and I persevered in finding a patch of yellow flowers somewhere--anywhere--in Berks County today to place Mouse in. Ah, spring has returned, too.

Much love, and many thanks, J&P. What an amazing and beautiful little girl you have.

Anticipation

I often don't get asked often by friends to photograph their bellies during their pregnancies. So when my friend and neighbor told me she was expecting last year, I must admit that I sincerely hoped she'd ask me to photograph her pregnancy. Certainly, every pregnancy is miraculous, but some are just moreso than others. Hers is one of those: took a long time to happen, and then was difficult not only in the beginning, but also in the middle. Seeing her and her family touch her now full-term belly today, you just knew that they're not only anxiously awaiting soon meeting their baby, but that they're also feeling a well-deserved sense of accomplishment that they've finally made it.

Portraits in the Park

It's a little last minute, but a few of you asked if I'd be offering this event again this year...



The end of April is one of the prettiest times of the year as the flowering trees will be in bloom, and the leaves on the trees will be starting to bud. And as hard as it it to believe as we sit shivering in today's rainy 47° weather, last year's sessions were gorgeous and mild with girls dressed in sundresses and boys in polos and shorts. (Psst: These make great First Holy Communion sessions, too!)

As always, appointments will be limited. Due to the nature and length of these sessions, there may be some restrictions with my travel, type of session, number of people photographed, etc. Please inquire for details.

Huddling for warmth

I was a bit nervous leaving my house this morning. I had about an hour drive to West Chester, and despite the forecast predicting a nice spring day in the 50s, as I grabbed my keys, camera and coffee to go, and flung my coat over my arm, I opened my door and a blast of cold air hit me in the face. Turning on my car, a mere 32° displayed on my car's temperature gauge. Yikes. Not good.

Thankfully, it did warm up a bit by the time we actually started the session (not that it was exactly toasty outside), but hey, a little cold sometimes makes for a perfect picture as a family huddles trying to get warm.

Vintage inspired

According to a photographer friend of mine who works in Virginia, if I lived a mere 3 hours south, I'd probably be photographing little girls in smocking and bows and boys in John-Johns everyday. But here in Pennsylvania, it's rare that parents break out the Strasburg Children or the like for photo sessions. Because I remember wearing a smocked dress for every special occasion and everytime my picture was professionally taken--trust me, I was shocked my mom didn't insist upon buying me a smocked wedding dress--I just couldn't help but give Miss C's photo from this morning a little vintage treatment to fondly remember my youth.

Collecting sticks--and smiles

Three year olds--well, she's almost four--are the funniest little people. Really, they're one of my favorite age groups to work with. Besides the fact that their language skills are blossoming and their personalities as the people they'll grow up to be are blooming, they are just filled with cutest little idiosyncracies that I always find out about, oh, about 15 minutes into the session.

Hers? It's collecting things. Doesn't matter what, I don't think, but during our session it was these gigantic sticks. Huge. I mean, bigger than me. All which she adeptly dragged into a nice pile, while allowing me to collect smiles on my camera.