Viewing archive: December 2009 - View all recent posts
Maureen & Chandler - Newlyweds! |
W e are ending the year with a bang! I am sure you all remember Maureen & Chandler... they were the last wedding we photographed this year. Well, if you do remember them, you remember that their wedding day could not have been more wet. We had high hopes of all of these outdoor portraits of the two of them and the wedding party, but sadly, we didn't get much of that. I always feel a little bad when couples don't get my signature sunny looks in their images, so I offered all of our rainy-wedding-day clients a second chance. Maureen & Chandler didn't even stop to think of whether or not they would do it. They were all over this idea! So, we met up yesterday to do some newlywed portraits. We didn't trash the dress, and it wasn't the day after... so, I am officially calling it "Newlywed Portraits." This name suits them so well because we met up in their first home together... took some there, and then we explored the town where they are spending their newlywed year/s. I absolutely LOVE this shoot, and I hope to do many more like this in the coming year. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. Happy viewing, friends!
we started in their room... nothing scandalous, just hanging out in the GREAT light! :-) (i couldn't decide between these first two- they were taken only seconds apart) |
| i love the ballerina feel to this one. |
| LOVE the light in this one! |
| we were about to head out the door, and they went in the kitchen to get some flowers... i snuck a few shots, but nothing fabulous... so, i asked them to cuddle in real quick. love it! |
| then we headed out around the town... LOVE that I can hear them laughing in this one! |
| this is another favorite. love it! |
| some bright colors... maybe Christmas joy? |
| Maureen chose all the spots we went since I was not familiar with the area... this was a great spot with a great view of the town! |
| umm... this could easily be my favorite! L-O-V-E!!! and I have to give major props to Maureen for laying down on this merry-go-round. it was FREEZING! literally, it was about 34 out, and this was metal. She's hard core. :-) |
| this was (admittedly) one of those mistake shots where the flash didn't fire, but I really still love the feel of it. |
| i was going to leave this one out since it would be two headless shots in a post, BUT... i couldn't pass the sunny backglow of this one. we definitely didn't get this on the wedding say. |
| more great light on the street where they live! Thanks so much, guys! I had a blast! |
Benjamin - 6 Month Portraits |
I do believe that the Smaldones are officially my most photographed clients now. It started with their engagement portraits in March of 2007, then the wedding (part 1 and part 2), then she volunteered to trash the dress... last spring, we did her maternity portraits, then Ben's newborn portraits and now these! We are doing Baby's First Year with Benjamin, so we have one more session to go this year! And, after this one, I can't wait! Benjamin is such a big healthy boy! He is easily 4-5 pounds heavier than our Claire (who is, yes, 5 months older than he is), and he has been crawling for a while. Sure to be a great athlete, I think! Anyway, he was so fun, and even though traffic was insane to and from their home, I am so glad that I was able to get his portraits taken there. There is nothing like having natural portraits! Happy viewing, friends!
starting with Chris' fave.
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| ... now... one of my top faves. love getting flare even inside! and look how strong this boy is! |
| i love this next series. and, i have to add one little note... you know when you walk into someone's house and they have pictures in frames of you? you know that warming feeling you get? well, i get that feeling when I walk into my clients' homes and see photos I have taken up on the walls or in the frames. aaaannnddd... I am pretty sure about 80% of the prints in the Smaldone's house are ones that I have taken. it felt good. the one in the background of this next image is a canvas I had hanging in my studio forever. i love seeing it in their room! |
| this next one is just so sweet to me. i know this moment. i have lived it many many mornings... |
| also love this next moment. maybe it is because I am a mom, and I love watching my husband take care of our daughter... or maybe it is because Ben is actually enjoying this moment on the changing table. |
| i loved their nursery, especially the letters for Benjamin's name... i HAD to get these next two shots! |
| and then outside we went... cutie! |
| one happy family! love it! |
| one last one for mommy. thanks guys! can't wait for the one year! |
I know it has been a dry month on the blogsite, but that is about to change... we have three shoots on the schedule this week, starting with the McGlinchey family in Oreland, PA. We've been wanting to this shoot for over four months now, since the birth of their daughter Tabitha! And, it was well worth the wait. Since it was pretty muddy outside from the constant rain this weekend, we did 99% of the shoot inside their home. Thank God for sunny days and windows! This shoot was so fun! I love taking these types of pics... casual images just around the house. It is one of those shoots where I know the parents may wonder if I am getting anything good, but it is also one of those shoots that makes me wish this type of photography was around when I was a kid... that I had pics of me playing around the house I grew up in. What a treat! I had a great time with Jake and Tabitha... and of course, mom and dad. :-) I hope you enjoy the preview. Happy viewing, friends!
we started in Tabitha's room while mom and dad were getting dressed. |
| i LOVE Tabitha's room! also love that Jake was reading to her. |
| seriously... how beautiful are Jake's eyes?! i really love this one, too. |
| i couldn't get enough of the great light in here! |
| Jake LOVES his little sister. a lot. |
| everyone is engrossed in the book. |
| a quick family portrait on the front step. |
| .... and... we are spent! Thanks so much, guys! I am looking forward to next time! |
Claire Anna at Eleven Months |
S econd to last monthly portrait session with Claire... I am not sure where this year went! I can hardly believe that we are already planning her first birthday party! She's changing at such a rapid pace! Of course, that's how the entire first year has been, which has made me want to really reach out to new moms or pregnant ladies to get a baby's first year package. I never thought of offering a monthly package until I started noticing how quickly things change with Claire... little facial expressions or motions that she may only do for a few weeks. My little sweetie is changing from a baby to a toddler! She now hates the bottle (though still pretty fond of her mom's direct source morning and night)... she's even starting to dislike "baby" food. She wants to feed herself and eat what we are eating. We've been pretty conservative with what we've fed her (met with much opposition, but we've held strong)... no wheat, dairy, refined sugar, eggs, berries, citrus, corn, soy... and of course, nuts, fish & honey are out for a while. But, that changed this month (or really just the past few weeks)... eggs are her favorite... oranges & LEMONS! ... corn... and we just tried wheat this weekend (due to her refusal to take baby food and our need to move her towards OUR food). Sugar... we are waiting for that delicious birthday cake! Anyway, non-parents are probably bored by this post already, so moving along to our sweet little Claire Anna! Happy viewing, friends!
she's a peanut. Chris' aunt gave us this snow suit last winter, and I though... gosh, there is no way our baby will fit in that when it is cold out (size 6-9 mo). Oh, but she does! Sure, the length is a little snug, but the width eats her whole! |
| Claire loves all things cold. she likes her food cold or room temperature... she likes to hold ice and snow... or to eat it! So, placing her in the snow on a day where it barely got above 0 was ok by her. |
| ... in fact, she wanted to get her hands out to play with it! |
anyway... due to all of our crazy travel schedules this month, we didn't decorate for Christmas. It feels weird. I actually hate that we didn't do it, but I have no idea when we would've had the time and energy to do so... But, I wanted Claire's pics in front of a tree. So, we went over to our friend's house...
this first one is Claire's first reaction to me trying to put her shoes on her. |
| now you see why I wanted a lit tree? mmm! love it! |
| it worked out perfectly that Marshall has red walls and a dark leather chair. pretty perfect. |
| sweet girl is so happy (note: no shoes on) |
| but, i wanted her pretty red shoes on her... the top pics are of her trying to kick them off (miraculously they didn't come off, this time)... the bottom is her giving up. :-) |
| i could just eat that bottom lip! |
| so... Marshall has a dog Major. Claire LOVES dogs. I locked him up for most of the shoot, but he wanted out. So... I got a few of them together. |
| Major kept trying to get the bow off of Claire's head, which made it loose... so, Claire grabbed it off her head and gave it to him. (don't worry, I saved it!) |
| one last inspection of those dreaded shoes... |
| Merry Christmas and Happy New Years to you all! I hope your holiday season is a blessed and joy-filled one!! |
I am not afraid to shamelessly tell the world how much I adore my husband. He is the such a blessing to me, and one day, Claire will realize that she just straight up has it made with a dad like Chris. I didn't write a post on his birthday this year (partly because he doesn't like how the numbers keep creeping closer to 30), so I just thought I should take a little moment and brag on him and his most recent accomplishment... a life goal of running a marathon. He did it! And not only did he do it, but he did it well... and he did it with a bunch of friends, too. Last weekend, we all went down to Charlotte, NC to be a part of this. There was a question of whether Claire and I were going to make it... partly due to the cost of flights (and the fact that Claire doesn't ride in a car well when she is awake), but also due to the craziness that December is for work for me. But, we made it happen in both arenas, and I am SO glad I didn't miss this life moment. I am so proud of my love and our friends! I just thought I should share a few pics... keep in mind that I am NOT a sports photographer, and most of these are straight out of camera with some cropping. Anyway... Happy viewing, friends!
pre-race. all smiles! |
| Queens is such a beautiful street! My dad and step-mom live just a few blocks from the mile 10 aid station, so we walked over. |
| dang, my husband is hot. ;-) |
| do you guys remember my (single) brother-in-law Tim? yeah, he's a goof. high spirits at mile 17! |
| the love of my life at the finish! i was all teary... filled with pride for my love! |
| even though i got some great pics where i was, i wanted nothing more than to be on the other end of the finish line to give him a huge hug and kiss. (his actual time was better than this by a few minutes) |
| okay, don't kill me, Marsh... I HAD to post this because it was another moment that made me teary. Marshall was in a lot of pain, and our friend Chris was right there to drag him to the finish. :-) |
| 26.2 miles ain't nothin' for Timmy! |
| ... or is it? Tim finished a few minutes behind everyone else, so he had JUST finished when I took this parting shot... he didn't see the need to stop chewing for the pic. :-) |
| Congrats, again, guys! You all made me very proud. And, Chris, love, I am so honored to be your wife. You are such an amazing man, and you prove that day after day. I love you! |
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