Mini session with two sweet munchkins...

I recently posted an outdoor family session with these two cuties, Miss A and Mr. N and their parents. They also came in last week for my Holiday Card Mini Session to get some of the children together in the studio.

Miss A is 2 1/2, very independent and full of spunk!! She took some convincing (translate: bribing with Smarties and Halloween fruit snacks!) to stop hiding behind the chair and pose for pictures with her brother, but eventually we succeeded and got some good ones!

While she wasn't too excited about taking pics together, she was more than willing to model for me while baby brother needed a bottle...

And Mr. N was sweet beyond words... I could have sat here and held him all day (he was such a good boy AND he still has that new baby smell)!!

I was happy to have another opportunity to work with these two, and hope to see them back again someday! They're just too cute!!

What happens when you're in the park at closing time?

They sic the law on you!!! Lesson #1... When the "hours" sign posted at this particular park says 5 pm, they mean 5 pm!! This was the first time I had done a session here so close to closing during the park's winter hours, and we weren't sure what would happen at 5pm.

We had been shooting for over an hour, and the kids had about had it with me and my camera, when we heard a siren coming towards us and stop at the top of the (VERY STEEP) hill... and then a voice coming over a loudspeaker telling us all to return to our vehicles!!



I was rather mortified, but luckily I have known the client for a few years, so she and her family just laughed as we sprinted (OK, speed walked) up the hill (note to self: excercise would be helpful)... Then the officer "escorted" all our vehicles out of the park with his lights on, no less!!!



Not to worry...we did get some good shots in before being so rudely chased away!! I love this one of T and C... T is a good friend of my daughter's, and I know I can always count on these two to be laughing and smiling!

This was their cousin, Miss P... isn't she a cutie! She was trying to add some fiber to her diet by eating as many leaves as possible :)

Here's a shot of all the cousins together... look at Miss P laughing... I love it!

And the last shot of the day... a bit of an outtake!! You can see that little Mr. K had had enough, and the other boys are all looking away trying to figure out what that siren was all about... You can't get a clearer sign that it's time to end the photo session!!

Hope you enjoy your sneak peek... I'll have the full session to come soon!

What a sweet shy smile...

This little cutie is a friend of ours... her oldest sister is in the same grade as my daughter, and her middle sister is in the same class as my son. Little Miss M is the youngest, and she loves to follow them all around... and my kids and I just think she's the sweetest thing ever!

I took the fall photos at her preschool and she was sick that day, so we did a quick mini-session at my home studio instead. I'm so glad I was able to get her to relax a little, because she is just adorable!

I just love this photo... I think it's one of my new faves!

Sweet snuggly, sleepy newborn boy!

I just love referrals - thanks A!! I was so excited to get the email that someone had seen my work and wanted me to take newborn photos of her soon-t0-be born grandchild! And they wanted me to do them in the baby's first week (yay)! Babies are so much easier to position in the first week, as they're still bendy and foldable and will usually stay where you place them once asleep :)

This family was great... they cranked up their heat and let me work with their naked, sleepy baby boy for over 2 hours to get SO many adorable shots!! Mr. M was the tiniest, sweetest little peanut... I wish they were all that easy!

Mom and dad really wanted one with big brother Z, who wasn't all that interested in getting his pic taken! So we just snapped a few, and came away with this gem :) Isn't it perfect?

So thank you, K family, for letting me meet your new darling boy! I hope you enjoy your sneak peek... I'll get the full gallery to you soon!

Cloudy day... sweet family!

Well, the weather wasn't on our side for this session last Friday... it was very cloudy, chilly, and it actually started sprinkling before we were done. But we were bound and determined to get this family session done!

Little"Miss A" fell asleep on the way there and the poor sweetie really wasn't sure she wanted much to do with me, but she finally came around (treats in the camera bag work wonders)!

And baby "N" was all curious and happy... a little cutie :) He did have a little habit of spitting up... in large volumes... Outfit #1 was done before he even got out of the car LOL! But one thing I've learned, both as a mother and a photographer of babies, is that you've got to be prepared for anything to happen and just roll with it :)

Here is one with N and his daddy...

And then a family photo... there was a whole flock of geese on the lake near us, and Miss A was very intent on talking to them and trying to convince them to come closer to us... very cute :)

And one more... I felt bad b/c the ground was damp so everyone was wet when we were done, but they were all such good sports! This is about the time it started sprinkling too...

Enjoy your preview - this was one of those sessions that was short but sweet!

Another fun family...

I had such a fun time with this family on Sunday! They requested a park I'd never been to before, and I definitely would go back here again. There were so many great spots for photos... great call, "O" family!

Their daughter, who is the same age as my son, was having a lot of fun helping me pick out locations and suggesting poses. She said she likes being artistic, and I could tell. Thanks for some great posing ideas, Miss M!

Little J was too sweet... he went from being shy to big tackling hugs in no time! His big brother and sister were great with him... you can just see how much fun they all have together.

And I have to say, these were some of the most easy-going parents EVER! They would walk away and let me work with the kids on my own without me even asking... and that really does make a difference. Kids don't want mom and dad breathing down their neck the whole time... they want to have fun! They want to try to startle the photographer by telling her there is a huge dinosaur... or more believably, a raccoon or a weird bird, right behind her... oh wait, no, not really... Yeah, big brother X was doing his best to trick me!

But seriously, these parents were up for anything. When I asked them to lay on the ground with the kids piled on top, no problem!

When I said, OK, now kids tickle your parents and it turned into a big crazy laugh-fest... that's fine too! This session was truly a reminder of how lucky I am to have such a fun job...

Energy... pure energy...

I had a session with Miss N last Friday - she's soon to turn 4 and full of energy! I don't need to join a gym... I just need to have more photo sessions with kids in the 2-4 age range :)

She was lots of fun, and we got some great smiles! The leaves are starting to change, and I loved capturing the fall leaves, green grass, and her brown shirt... a perfect fall photo!

She enjoyed splashing in the water... luckily it was an unseasonably warm day in October! I felt so bad about the mosquitoes though... she got one nasty bite right between her eyes, poor thing. Luckily, it didn't seem to bother her a whole lot... Miss N was much more excited to hear that I have a secret stash of treats for good kids in my camera bag!!

I had a great time with the whole family... I hope you enjoyed your little preview!

Urban session with a teenage girl

I can't believe it's been a month since I added anything new... time has just gotten away from me and I apologize to anyone who's been waiting!

My 14-yr old neighbor "K" wanted to model for me, so we tried out some "urban" shots and it was really fun!! I took these a little late in the day (plus it had been raining off and on all day), so some turned out a bit darker than I was hoping... guess I'll know better for next time!

This one is "K's" fave... the little sign says "Heater Perfection"! We didn't know what that meant, but thought it was interesting enough to include in the picture :)

And mine... :)

And a fun one from earlier in the day with little Ollie...

I definitely like these locations and you will see them again! I think "K" had a good time modeling, too...