Snow Day!

So it wasn't a blizzard... it wasn't even really SNOW if the meteorologists are correct.. but school was closed and our yard was white.. what more do you need?

A Family Affair...

Families can be tough as a photographer... it's hard to keep your own style while still satisfying the inherent desire for a beautiful family portrait that everyone seems to need. But this family... oh how I love them! They are so close, so relaxed.. so fun! Some of the shots from last year's session are still my favorites, and so I was thrilled to see them again... and they did not disappoint!







this last one pretty much says it all.. it takes a lot for mom & dad to not only be okay with this shot, but to order it for their house! ;)

Yellow leaves & white berets

My brain is too fried to come up with anything witty to say.. so just some eye candy for today. These little darlings were just absolutely scrumptious in their white dresses & matching berets.. which I am told were custom tailored especially for their sweet little heads! :) The effort was totally worth it.. and they stood out in the fall foliage like the angels they are...

Thanks.

Amidst the madness of the season, we come to the day designated specifically for stopping, taking a moment, and giving thanks. What began over 300 years ago by pilgrims praising their survival through a long journey is just as poignant today in our modern hustle and bustle. And so, I give thanks.

I am thankful for my family; my three sweet girls who make my world go round, my husband who worships me for reasons I have yet to determine, and my parents and extended family who have been my cheerleaders, supporters, and shoulders to lean on through every high and low in my life.

I am thankful for my friends; the ones I laugh with, the ones I cry to, the ones who need me more than I need them, the ones I need more than they will ever know... every one has their place in my heart and I am eternally grateful for having them in my life.

I am thankful for my clients; without all of you my dream would still be in my head... I can claim to be a photographer all day long but until someone actually lets me take their picture I am just a girl with a camera! I am still amazed at every phone call and email, in awe that so many of you trust me with your family's memories, your beautiful children's faces.

I am thankful for the little things; the sunshine on my skin, the bubbles in my bath, the burn of my muscles when I run and the taste of a diet coke fresh out of the fridge. Alone they are just tiny moments, together they make me remember I am alive.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all, may you enjoy the day with the ones you love.

(I will be doing the same, and will be out of the office until Monday.)

I understand

Often at sessions, when parents are getting a little stressed about clothes or the kids' behavior, I tell them not to worry, but I usually get the vibe that they don't believe me. Believe me. I understand. You hunt and hunt for the perfect outfits... get everyone's hair cut and beg for loose teeth to stay in place... debate the perfect location, schedule it on a day and time when everyone will be in the best possible moods... then finally the session arrives and you cross your fingers and put yourself at the mercy of your children. And it almost always ends with beautiful, touching photographs that make the perfect holiday card... the perfect gift for family & friends... and even the perfect gift to yourself to hang in your living room for all to see.

Then again, sometimes it ends like this:


In which case you remind yourself why photographers' children are rarely photographed. :)

Good enough to eat!

Not that I have a ton of extra time right now or anything, but I spent the entire evening making dozens of pilgrim hat cookies last night. Besides a photographer, I am also a mom of three, which means three classes with three different Thanksgiving parties to attend. I've been making these cookies every year since my oldest was two, in her first preschool class, and they are as much a part of the holiday as turkey & stuffing at our house! They're super easy to make and guaranteed to get the oohs and ahhs... I would love to take the credit but I'm afraid I got them from a magazine!

Either way, they're ours now.. and we make a point to put everything (yes, client orders too.. I'm sorry!) on hold for a day when it's time to start mass production of the tiny marshmallow hats. As crazy as everything else is, sometimes it takes stepping back for a minute to clear your head and stay focused on the truly important things in life.

And now that they're done, I'll be on a sugar high for days.. so I'll have plenty of time to stay up late and get all your pictures edited! :)



If you're interested in the recipe, click here for a link to the magazine article. Happy pre-Turkey day! :)

If you're happy and you know it...

Jump for joy! :) I've always been a fan of the jumping shot.. and the more I have on my website the more I get requests for it.. always happy to oblige, I've had quite a few great jumpers lately. Some of my favorites...




And this one.. Did not think it would work at the time... 11 jumpers at once? But it did.. and the result is absolutely the kind of family picture I love to take.

Little Ladies in Red

These two were just absolutely stunning. Ridiculously polite for small children, but still totally fun and full of life. I had a blast with them.. first in their beautiful red dresses, and then back in kid clothes upstairs (as documented here).

Big sister... such a ham!


She loved the camera and was quick to come up with new poses for me!


And the little one.. complete firecracker. I told mom in this first one you can just see the sparkle in her eyes.. she's about to blow!


She was going a mile a minute from the moment I walked in the door, but the moments I could get her to pause for even just a second were completely magical.


And together? I couldn't ask for a better combination!

Busy much?

This shot pretty much says it all. Let me apologize in advance if I am slow returning calls or emails for the next two or three weeks... or if I seem a tad distracted.. or forgetful... I am more than a little overwhelmed with the holiday rush right now, and as much as I am enjoying all of my clients this year... I'm also just a little stressed!

But the good news is... just like this sweet girl who got over her confusion a few minutes into the session... it's nothing I can't handle, and the end result will be worth the chaos! :)

Change of pace...

as in.. BOYS! Yes, I get a lot of darling girls.. but I have also had my fair share of handsome little men as well! Here's a few who kept me on my toes but were worth the effort!

Ignore the temperature.. Fall is here!

Despite the highs in the upper 80s this past week, we're finally seeing signs of fall in the landscaping.. I literally caught my breath upon turning into this wooded area of the Botanic Gardens today, I was here less than a week ago and the trees were candy-apple green and lush. Today the colors are all around, and the grounds have been blanketed in the bright leaves.

Sneak peek from today's session.. enough about the leaves.. how cute is she??

More recent favorites...

No time for my usual long, rambling nonsense today... too many sessions yet to proof! For now, here's a few from the last few weeks that I am just now getting around to sharing...

More girly girls!

I don't know if it's because of how much I gush about little girls or just pure fate.. but I seem to get a lot of sweet little girls... which is perfectly fine by me! :)

These two took a bit of warming up.. but once we got out of the frilly dresses and got down to the REAL business of being a little girl they turned on the charm!

Here's a sneak peek for mom.. more to come!

Catching up

A few recent cuties to share.. total backlog of great sessions yet to be blogged.. but I promise to get to them all! :)

This sweet girl had a pumpkin patch session two years ago, so it was so fun to see how much she's grown... though still not big enough for the pumpkins she picked!


These girls are the new featured session on my slideshow page.. too many fun ones to pick a few! Here's one to start with.. then go check out the rest of the session here


Another from the darling little one I posted a week ago.. don't let this perfect pout fool you, this girl is all giggles and bounce... she just knows how to turn it on and off like a switch.. the perfect model! I pity mom & dad in the next few years... she is going to be a heartbreaker!


Finally... these four kiddos have been clients since before the youngest was born, and they never cease to entertain! It's so refreshing to see families so fun, so close... and so real! They are always a ball to photograph!


Happy Monday everyone.. be sure to check back daily as updates continue! :)

Busy as a bee...

Wow, what a weekend! Holiday Magic ended this evening and was, as far as I can tell, a huge sucess! Thanks so much to all my wonderful clients who came by to say hello.. I so wish I had remembered to take a picture with everyone who stopped by! (add that to the list for next year!) It was especially fun to see the kiddos who were featured on my big wall of fame.. and how much they have grown in the months since the photos were taken!

And of course, hello to all my new friends who I met at the fair and are visiting the blog for the first time.. I certainly hope you come back often! I was so thrilled with the response, it was wonderful to meet new faces, friends of clients, friends of friends of clients, and even the people who had no idea I was alive.. every new face is a new friend... and a new person who needs a portrait! :)

Here's a quick snapshot of my booth for those of you who weren't able to come by.. thanks so much to an especially on-the-ball client of mine for having her camera in her purse and offering to shoot this.. what does it say when the photographer forgets a camera three days in a row? Must be the holiday MADNESS setting in! :)

Holiday Magic is in the air!

The halloween candy has not even finished eating away at the enamel of my children's teeth and yet the jingle bells have begun to ring! The Junior League of Arlington's annual Holiday Magic gift market & event begins tomorrow evening and I am happy to announce I will have a booth on display! I would LOVE for all of my great clients & friends to come by for a visit.. check out the cute faces (you'd be suprised how many of your kiddos' mugs I can fit in one 10x10 space!) and say hello! And of course don't forget to get a head start on your shopping while you're there... I could barely get my booth set up, I kept stopping to check out the goodies from the other vendors!

Holiday Magic is open Friday 12-6pm and Saturday 10am-6:30pm. They'll be food & live entertainment as well as some family activities throughout the event. For more info visit The Junior League of Arlington. And don't forget to say hi to your favorite photographer! :)