Viewing archive: April 2010 - View all recent posts
Ella - Wayne, PA Toddler Portraits |
E lla's portrait session yesterday in Wayne was supposed to be all about her, but I (admittedly) like to capture relationships within a family instead of just how pretty a child is... so... it was my goal to grab a few of this lil tot with her parents. Well, as all mothers and fathers with kids over the age of walking know, this task is easier said than done, but all it takes is encouraging parents to play with their kid... and usually, I grab something/s worth looking at of all the parties. So, with that said, happy viewing, friends!
I decided we should try right off the bat to get one of all three... Ella thought that was a pretty funny idea. (timing FAIL for this session- haha!) |
| but... this worked nicely... how beautiful is this lil girl! seriously?! |
| i know this is not the happiest of faces (she was literally trying to figure out what in the world I was doing), but Ella's mom pointed out to me that she makes a serious face often... it should be captured. :-) |
| ... or not? (it wasn't working too well, but Ella loved the wand anyhow). |
| dads are the best at playing! |
| mid-getting-down, but still sweet nonetheless. |
| as a mom of a toddler, i fully appreciate the cuteness of baby shoes and watching a little one walking in them. |
| I love the way little toddlers squat to do things on the ground... such as drawing with sidewalk chalk. |
| Ella and I were playing with the "helicopters." |
| every mom needs an image like this with her children. |
| thanks so much, Ella! you are a beautiful lil model, and I look forward to more sessions as you grow! |
Brown Paper Packages... My Favorite Things! |
T his isn't going to be wordy, though I could go on and on and on about how much I LOVE getting packages delivered FILLED with albums! I received two such packages this week. One from Cypress Albums: this was filled with TWO copies of Baby Sophie's First Year Album (one for me and one for Sophie!)... and another box from La-Vie Custom Albums filled with Rachelle & Thomas' wedding album and Maureen & Rob's wedding album. I have been so giddy looking through them all, I had to share! Happy viewing, friends!
LOVE Cypress bows! |
| (the top one showing is my copy) |
| Rachelle & Thomas' wedding album! |
| they wanted to use their favorite image on the outside and inside (not uncommon)... i love the "peek-a-boo" pages in La-Vie! |
| the textures of the papers used are out of this world... truly set them apart from other companies. |
| Maureen & Rob's album... love their cover! |
| look hard at the next two images to see... love the window! |
| Sadly... I have to ship these all out... :-( Except for ONE! |
my greatest challenge... and joy |
I know some photographers struggle with getting too comfortable or cocky in their work and thus landing in mediocrity or bitterness, and while I can't say I haven't had a few moments like that, I often struggle on the other end... leaving a shoot nervous that I may not have captured anything new, fresh and great. Not that I am insecure, mind you... I am confident that I know what I am doing and that I will be able to satisfy my clients; it is just the creative-side of me that struggles with wondering if I got anything new and unique, anything "wow"-worthy. I am easily my toughest critic.
So, this was my preface... preface to a little mini-shoot I had on Sunday with my favorite, and now TOUGHEST, subject... my lil Claire. Now, I have photographed my fair share of toddlers, and I am not going to pretend that my daughter is more rowdy than other toddlers because she isn't, not at all actually. I think, for a toddler anyway, she is pretty independent and cautious. But, she is quite used to my camera, and thus not at all fascinated by it (which I kind of bank on with other toddlers). She started walking a month or so ago, and now, she is trying running (throwing much of her caution to the wind). And, again, I LOVE to photograph toddlers. But, because she is my daughter, the one I spend MOST of my time with, the one I see all-the-time... the one toddler I can photograph whenever I please... because of these things, I didn't photograph her as I normally would. I forgot my running shoes. I forgot daddy to help get her attention (he was on a run). And, I threw perfect light and perfect moods out the window, while I was at it. So, all this to say, we may have to redo her 15 month portraits. But, I thought I should share anyway. I should add, also, the pink tutu was my idea (one that she LOVED oh so much!), but much of the rest of the outfit, shoes in particular, were chosen by Claire. She is super girly, as you will see. Happy viewing, friends!
one of my fave Claire faces... the pouting of the lips. She was THINKING about smelling the dandelion again (note: she carried this thing around for a WHILE and smelled the icky thing multiple times). |
| not sure which face makes me laugh more... |
| this might be my fave. i got a lot of pics of her walking away (even though I rallied help from Chris' mom to get her attention). |
| i love this lil BIG bow. it came from the South, of course. Claire loves it, too. Though she isn't always in the mood to wear it, she will try to put it on her head. |
| Baxter is FINALLY starting to want to play with Claire. She usually gets so giddy by this that she freezes and giggles. |
| I think my mom told me that you just have to let them eat dirt once for them not to do it again. not true. Claire LOVES to eat dirt. I stopped her this time. |
| oh man, i love that view. :-) |
| "how big is Claire?!" (mid-walking, she raises her hands, doesn't even stop). SOOOOO big! |
| oh, melt my heart. this is the smile (almost) that I wanted to see... that lil smirk she gets when she comes to me. love her! |
| oh, i love this sweet one, too. |
Mackenzie - Main Line Senior Portraits |
M ackenzie is our second senior rep for the Class of 2011 (we still have room for more at other schools, but it has to happen in the next few weeks!). Unlike our first one, I had not met Mackenzie in person yet. But, we had some mutual friends through Young Life, so I had a solid feeling this was going to be a good shoot. Once I walked onto this spot in Bryn Mawr and clicked a few, I knew I was going to LOVE this session! Mackenzie is super sweet, and she didn't seem to be bothered too much by the VERY chilly temps outside (i think the high was 50)... to top it off, it was super windy, which ended up producing some of my favorite images. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this sweet rising senior as much as I did. Happy viewing, friends! |
| thanks to the wind, the flower petals from the trees were all over the ground. loved the look, though! |
| something about this one reminds me of Natalie Portman... beautiful! |
| okay, the major winds kicked in... this first one is my fave... |
| ... this second one is my husband's fave... |
| then, i found a nook, where it was calm... love the deep rich colors here! |
| it looks like a warm, pretty spring day, right? |
| not many people look great with a straight-on angle. Mackenzie is the rare person that does. how fab is she? LOVE the textures of the doors in the back, too! |
| YAY! we got some sun just as we were about to wrap it up! |
| one last one on a gnarly tree. thanks so much, Mackenzie! |
T his past Saturday, my dear dear friend Katie married the love of her life Ryan in Tallahassee, Florida. (You may remember them from their engagement pics this past August) AND, I was a BRIDESMAID!! Anyhow... it was a perfect long weekend, and I could not be happier for my friend and her new husband! They both come from amazing families, full of love, and I was overwhelmed all weekend long by the support they have behind them as they have entered into a marriage. And, of course, it was so great to spend time with my college girlfriends (3 of which were also bridesmaids and 2 were greeters).
Side note: I am so honored that I was a bridesmaid for Katie... not only was it such a joy to stand up with her as she said her vows to her husband, but it was also such a fun thing to be a part of every event of the long weekend... from the bachelorette on Thursday night to the bridesmaids luncheon and rehearsal, and then the wedding!! This was the first "traditional" wedding that I have asked to be in, and (to be bluntly honest) having photographed almost 80 weddings in the past 5 years, I kind of have itched to have such an honor. No lie, I kind of relished in having to buy an expensive dress I may never wear again, especially since I witness girls sacrificing time, energy and money every weekend for their girlfriend brides.
Alright... I digress... but before I share the images Chris and I caught in between our fun, I have to share the speech I would've told if I didn't ALWAYS cry the second I speak or sing anything emotionally charged in front of a group of people. I literally would not have made it through this at the rehearsal dinner. So, if you do not know Katie or Ryan or don't want to read any more gibber-gabber, then move along to the pretty pictures... ;-)
Katie, I knew you were going to be one of my best friends almost immediately after meeting you, but the times that most stick out to me were the times during the summer we house-sat together in the INFESTED house. I am pretty sure they had every major group of critter or crawler in that house over a short span of time... from FLYING cockroaches and swarms of mites to dead moles and one stinky creeping opossum. I have NEVER laughed so hard in my life. At times, when I am sure most people would flee the house and head for the hills, you not only kept laughing but you quickly figured out how we could work together to take care of the situations at hand so that we could sleep at night (albeit with one eye open). I have to believe that this mutual experience equipped us both with all that we need to make it through many happy years of marriage to our men. While I am sure that we will gladly let our husbands take care of any future critters that creep into our paths, I am also confident you will have the perseverance to make it through anything together. Ryan, you have a gem of a wife. I know you know you are blessed, but consider yourself reminded of this.
Katie, you were the most beautiful I have ever seen you! Just stunning! And with all of that said... happy viewing, friends!!
(one Chris snagged at the rehearsal dinner) |
a little detail shot Chris also snagged at the rehearsal dinner, while I was busy gabbing! :-)
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The dress Katie wore was originally worn by her grandmother, then her mother... the top has been updated (by her grandmother, no less). That is part of why this next image touches my heart...
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| something about this one... |
| seriously, how stunning is she?! |
| one, two, skip a few... they are married!! as a bridesmaid, I didn't want to be carrying around my camera everywhere, nor did I want to get in the way of the professionals Katie & Ryan hired, but Katie wanted me to grab just a few... so I picked my favorite tree at the estate where their reception was held. |
| the cake cutting/toast... couldn't decide if I should just put the second one up or not... i love this first one! |
| but this is also great (I was hiding from the hired pros- who were to my right). |
| one of the beautiful sunset (oh and me & Chris). :-) |
| and they're off! (Chris got this one, too- I am the one in bright pink in the front on the right). ;-) |
| Many blessings to Mr. & Mrs. LaRue! |
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