One Big Happy Family {Phoenix Family Photographer}

This family was so much fun to be around I think I forgot I was taking their holiday photos for a minute.  It was hard to keep my camera from shaking up and down they had me laughing so hard.  Alyssa has the kind of family that is very close knit, and it was so much fun for me to capture that, especially since she is about to bring the family's first grandchild into the mix!  Here are a few pictures from their session...

Alyssa and her husband Paul with Alyssa's brothers and sisters...

Alyssa and Paul together.  This couple really knows how to make each other (and me!) laugh.

The ladies...

And I just had to pick this one to share of the men.  They have the good ones but this pretty much describes what was going on for most of the shoot :)

Thanks for a fun afternoon and happy holidays.  Best of luck with your baby, I can't wait to meet him!

Two Peas in a Pod {Phoenix Family Photographer}

I am all finished my holiday work, except for one shoot, and since my own holiday cards are addressed and only need to be stuffed and stamped I thought I'd begin posting some of the holiday sessions.  Tomorrow I am attempting to "bake" for my friends and will be making jarred apple-pear butter. I hope I can pull it off, but honestly it just involves a slow cooker so I don't think I can really mess it up. It's just like this shoot really, if you have good ingredients like my friend Claudia and her daughter Lorena it's pretty hard to mess it up!

Here is Lorena, one of the most witty and smart little girls I've ever met - and if you know her you will surely agree.  I love that this girl knows how to have fun!

And she is so sweet at the same time...

I love this one.  I know you are all wondering what Claudia is telling Lorena to get that great reaction.  Well I do know what it is but I'll keep that a secret for now! 

And here is Lorena with her beautiful and lovely mommy Claudia.  I want your hair, Claudia!  I am taking this picture with me the next time I go get my hair cut :)

Thanks for the afternoon exploring the lake, rocks and all! Love you girls, Anne

California Dreamin'

I'm editing an extended family session from Thanksgiving weekend and had to share these pictures of two adorable sisters from California.  They were so much fun to take pictures of and did a great job despite the chilly AZ morning!

I mean really, the cuteness factor here is off the charts!

with Mom and Dad... 

Ladies, I hope you and your parents had as much fun getting your pictures taken as I had taking them.  More from this extended session to follow!

Hello!  'Tis the season, the busy season that is!  I am going to make every attempt to keep up with my blogging through the holidays, and I assure you I haven't gone anywhere.  I want to make sure I finish all of your holiday photos in time for your cards this year and then I will get to bragging about you :)

Down on the Farm {Harford County, Maryland Photographer}

During my Maryland sessions I lucked out and had great weather except for one shoot.  Erin and I went back and forth all day trying to decide if we should go for it or not, then finally decided to reschedule.  We needed a new location too since we were going to shoot in the morning rather than the evening, and I called on my neighbor to see if she would let us shoot at her farm.  Yes, by now you all know what a great neighbor I have and how supportive she has been, and she said yes with no hesitation.  It turns out that changing locations was a blessing because we were able to get some amazing and unique photos of Erin and her husband Rich and daughter Nola.

Nola was right at home right away.  She starting exploring and fell (almost instantly) in love with some wooden cows my neighbor had leaning up against her barn.  She loved them so much there was no getting her to look my way!  Granted, these cows were much more interesting than little old me, but I did need to have her look at the camera for at least some shots.  We needed a Plan B quick, because sometimes you have to punt!  I wish you could have seen us out there.  Rich grabbed the baby cow and took it behind me and voila, she was looking my way!  For ten minutes Rich played with that wooden cow with Erin cheering him on, all of us laughing at ourselves, and getting great pictures of Nola.  I don't think I'll ever forget that moment.

Here are some pictures from down on the farm...

Here's Nola practicing "big sister"...

Nola is so young, but she has such a depth of personality.  I really like this next shot because she showed me something sweet and classic after the excitement wore off.

Erin and Rich...

And some goofing off...

Nola was also my Happy Halloween model, and you can see more pictures of her here.  Erin and Rich, thanks for a great morning.  Here's to hoping your next one is as amazing as your first!

New Arrival - Right on Time {Harford County, Maryland Newborn Photographer}

It's always exciting to do a return shoot, and in this case it was for two of the nicest people - well make it three this time!  When I was visiting Maryland in July I had the pleasure of meeting John and Kelly to take their maternity photos.  We all hoped I would be in Maryland during the right time for newborn photos, but you never do know when those little babies will decide it's the right time.  I planned my trip around a friend's wedding and Kelly's due date, and we all just crossed our fingers.  Little baby "D" must have heard the big plans because she arrived right on time!  I was so excited and happy for Kelly and John, and of course that I got to see the baby and take pictures, too.  And just wait until you see her, she's so adorable!

I also want to give a big huge thanks to my neighbor who let me come and borrow anything I wanted from her house for this shoot.

I have to tell you all that I have come down with a serious case of baby fever after gazing at baby "D" in post processing all these hours. Here she is!

By the window in her room (and yes Mommy was standing very close by!).

Here she is in her room...

Well by now you know how I am about little feet and hands.  Luckily this little one has a nice strong big toe!

Here she is snuggled up in her blanket and nestled an old egg basket my neighbor let me borrow.

We wrapped her up in one of my old maternity sweaters (Kelly was pregnant in summer and one of those lucky gals that didn't have to buy too many maternity clothes).  I like this sweater because of the great texture.  We placed it on a chair my neighbor lent me and snapped away.  Here is one of my favorites.

Kelly and John, I had a fantastic morning with you and baby "D".  You two are amazing parents.  Thank you so much for everything, and I can't wait to see her as she grows.

Do you know Kelly and John?  Please feel free to leave them a comment and let them know how cute their new baby is and if you now have baby fever too :)

One Year Old Wonder {Harford County, Maryland Family Photographer}

I met up with Tracy and Ian the other day and they introduced me to their son, Ryan, who was just about to turn one.  Ryan was adorable, and as soon as I got to spend time with him I discovered he was charming, too!  As soon as we got him used to the camera all of the personality starting pouring out.  Tracy and Ian are such great parents, and they really knew how to get Ryan smiling.

Here's Ryan Getting a little love from Mommy and Daddy...

Then we goofed off a little.  Ryan knows what is fun!

 My parents neighbor was kind enough to let me borrow this chair for the shoot.  I wanted something with a weathered, aged feel that would make Ryan look that much softer.  Then I aged the whole photo during editing.  He did so wonderful while he was in this chair, but my favorite moment is when he didn't think I was taking a picture and stopped to examine his shoes.

Here are Daddy and Ryan having some more fun...

 And Ryan with his Mommy, Tracy.  I just love this one!

This was on a little bridge we just happened across...

One last one.  I'll explain what I did to give you an idea of my thought process.  I wanted to capture the scope of our surroundings during a classic family moment.  By including the entire building I could show just how tiny little Ryan is at this moment in life.  I then aged it in a newsprint style to create a feeling of reminiscing.

Tracy and Ian, I had a great afternoon with you and little Ryan.  Congratulations on making it through the first year, I think that milestone is just as big for parents as it is for their children.  I can't wait to watch Ryan grow.

Do you know Tracy, Ian, and Ryan?  Feel free to leave them a comment and let them know how cute they are!

Built to Last {Harford County, Maryland Family Photographer}

I recently got to photograph a truly unique family in Fallston.  They wanted to do the session at their home, and I love that because I think when photographs are more personal they are more meaningful.  I did not really know what I was in store for though, because when I got there they told me that dad J.D. had built the house himself!  When he told me that hardest part was clearing out the woods I was blown away at what a labor of love this was.  Every detail of this home inside and out is carefully crafted, and it goes together as well as this family.

Ashley is one of those moms that really knows what she's doing, and makes raising three kiddos look not only effortless, but fun!  Harper and Caleb, or "Bub" as Harper calls him (are you loving that as much as I do?!) are quite literally best friends, and little Iley is a sweetie who fits in perfectly.  Here they are at home...

Hanging out on the front porch for awhile... 

 The kids swarmed super-daddy!  Seriously I think everyone laughed the whole time, it was great.

Here's Ashley playing with little Iley...

And one of each cute kiddo!  Harper has some of the most striking blue eyes...

Caleb, well look at this little guy, he's quite the natural!  Too cute!

Here is Iley out front.  Ashley and J.D. mentioned he can be a tad bit moody sometimes, but look at this face, could you believe it? :)  Of course he was an angel the whole time I was there.

Ashley and J.D., thank you for having me to (and into!) your home.  I had a great time meeting your kiddos, and loved spending time watching you be amazing parents.  

Do you know Ashley and J.D.?  Leave them a comment and let them know how crazy adorable their kids are! :)

2010 Holiday Photo Package is here!

Dance and Dash {Harford County, Maryland Family Photographer}

  The other day I photographed Suzanne and Mike's family and we could not have had better weather.  There was a crisp fall feel to the air, but it was still warm enough to play around and have lots of fun, which is what we did!  Suzanne and Mike have two cute little kids, Cameron and Kieran, that both look so much like their daddy.  Cameron is one of those little girls that will win your heart over before you really know what happened.  Suzanne brought the cutest little tutu for her.  She could be a future dancer!  Here she is playing in some of the warm sunshine we had.

Here is Kieran with his family, full of energy and life.

I love this picture.  Kieran was so interested to see what was in this shed.  Daddy picked him up and he rubbed the window to see if Santa had hidden some toys inside!

Cameron is so close to walking.  This is one of those moments that won't happen for too much longer because she's almost ready to take off.

Kieran was so busy, as almost all children are.  He literally would dash from one spot to the next, examining everything!  When he saw these flowers he just lit up, and stopped everything to enjoy them.

Suzanne and Mike, I had a fantastic morning with you and your children, thanks again!

Happy Halloween! {Maryland Children's Photographer}

I have an adorable little future model (or soccer player!) here to wish you all Happy Halloween and officially kick off the holiday season.  She will also be featured in a future blog for her family session, but I had to post a few of these in time for trick or treating!

Hope you all have a fun filled, spooktacular Halloween!

Also, a reminder that if you are planning on booking a session and plan to use some of the photos for holiday cards, now is the time to schedule so that you can receive your disc in enough time to order and send your cards.  

Quack quack! {Howard County, Maryland Family Photographer}

The other day I met up with Jessica and Sean and their two boys Carter and Payton for a photo session at Centennial Park in Howard County.  It's always a little game to figure out what makes children happy and comfortable enough to express themselves genuinely to me and my camera, and this session left me with a whole new trick up my sleeve - ducks!  Little Carter was great during the shoot, but when two very well fed ducks came over to see what we were up to he just lit up.

We walked down to the docks and the ducks came too.  I just kept taking pictures until the ducks started waddling my way.  Then I started to get nervous because I've seen America's Funniest Home Videos people, I know what happens next!  Carter did take a quick break from the ducks to give daddy some love.

As some of you know already, I absolutely love photographing little baby feet and hands.  Each little one  folds up so differently, and they just come the way they come.  You can tell how they were carried in utero and that just will never stop amazing me.  Here are little Payton's tiny feet and adorable little fingers.

Another shot at the docks.  I added a few antique textural overlays to this one to give the picture a classic and timeless feel.  Carter was doing something that little boys have done for hundreds of years and always will, and I wanted the picture to reflect that.

One final shot of this gorgeous and fun family...

Thank you Jessica and Sean for a great evening at the park!