Gennaro Family Photos

I recently had the privilege of spending the evening with a sweet mama and her family, who is about to embark on a journey I know quite well. She's got an adorable 9 month old, and is just a few months shy of having her second baby! The 13 months apart club is pretty exclusive... and in my case, was not planned! However, it is one of the most amazing challenges God has ever given me, and having babies 13 months apart was probably the biggest blessing I have ever received. I know Melissa will be able to handle this challenge with poise and grace, because she's just that kind of woman! I had a fantastic time getting to know this sweet family! 

Kanowitz Family

These kids are some of the most fun I've ever been around. Spirits that are matched by none other. Just fun and crazy and want things on their terms. I can work with that! I also am a tad biased as I teach Declan teakwood twice a week. Megan and Kevin sure have some fun years ahead of them with these two!

The Decker Life

This family, I can't even begin to say enough about them. Adorable comes to mind first, though. They were an absolute dream to work with! Hoping I will see them again soon! 

I can't handle all the cute! I just can't take it!! I just love this sweet little family!

Duke Family

Oh the Duke family! They chose a pretty popular spot to have their photos done. Once you see these you'll understand why!

Mommy + Me

I was able to do an adorable mommy and me session! I just love how these turned out. One of my favorite sessions!

Hanson Family Photos

One of my favorite families of people. Seriously. Just love them. Stephanie had picked one location for her photos, but then changed her mind once she saw a location I did some test photos at. And their family photos turned out incredible! Just gorgeous light, beautiful sunset, pretty sky... Doesn't hurt that they are just an adorable family. 

Halloween Mini Sessions

A few of my favorites from the Halloween Mini's I did! The location was absolutely PERFECT!

Christin & Matthias & Germany

Have you ever been there? I haven't. I know my grandmother was German and her parents were as well... I hear it's a lovely place to go. I met my first international couple who hail from Germany last week! They are a charming couple of newly weds who love to travel. Christin contacted me right before their trip out here, asking if I would do a couples session with them. Of course! They were so lovely. I can't even describe how wonderful they were. We discovered over our time together that we have quite a bit in common! I'm so excited to show you some of my favorites from this shoot. I feel like I grew so much as an artist with them, they helped me be comfortable, and really just let me do what I wanted. Didn't question a thing, just went with it. It didn't hurt that they were absolutely some of the most natural people in front of the camera ever. I don't have enough space to write all the nice things I want to about them... so I'll just let the photos speak for themselves.

Back To School Minis

September marks back to school... Backpacks, lunch pails, and school supplies start filling the shelves as early as the end of July to remind us parents that it is COMING! My husband got me this adorable antique school desk for my birthday earlier this year. I had found it in a local antique shop and really wanted it to do our kids' back to school photos. He surprised me on my birthday with it! that was back in March, I had to wait all these months to use it! 

I had a fabulous time doing these. All these kids are so darn adorable! And now, I don't have those boring photos where my kids hair is all messed up and he has smudged dirt on his face from recess hanging on my wall. I have some of these beauties! And so do my clients. That is what makes my heart happy. 

AJ & Rico - 2014

Is it just me? Or do some photos tell a better story in black and white? I'm a firm believer that certain photos just move you to a place you weren't previously when you view them in black and white. AJ is a long time family friend. I first met his brother, Chris, in high school. I quickly was attached to his family as they are amazing people. AJ began taking Taekwodo lessons at the martial arts studio I worked at, and he quickly excelled to earn his black belt. Years later, he has found the love of his life, and I was so honored to capture these sweet moments. There are SO MANY photos from this night. It was quite difficult to narrow it down! Here are just a few of my favorites, though. 

The  next few images were from the toasts. There was quite a bit of laughing during the 10-15 minutes these toasts were going on!

The sand ceremony was conducted by AJ's dad, Dan. He loves his boys with everything in him. I've always looked up to him a great deal.

Congratulations to you two! Thank you for letting me be part of this special occasion for your friends and family in Las Vegas!

Scarlet - 1 Yr Old Cake Smash

Oh Scarlet, she's one of the most lovable little girls. I've been shooting her since she was a tiny little thing. I have to say, I've come quite a long way since I first started shooting her, and so has she! 

Alexia - 1yr old cake smash session

Alexia was one of those bookings where mom and dad needed her photos done YESTERDAY! Her first birthday was approaching the next week and mom had been searching for a photographer with her same style and vision. We met 24 hours after speaking and had this adorable and fun session. Alexia was a trooper! Not short on smiles and happy to change outfits (a few times!), she just went with the flow! It was SO HARD for me to pick out favs from the shoot. So here's a handful!

Beautiful evening to do a shoot! What a sweet heart this little one is!

Tiffany & Luke Maternity

 I got to shoot my first maternity shoot where the parents had no previous children. They were about to embark on this brand new journey that they had NO idea what they are getting in to. Oh, the sweet joy on their faces... it was almost too much to handle. I may or may not have had a small obsession with black and white photos for this shoot... Don't worry, they got all their images in color as well, I just couldn't help myself, as they just screamed 'put me in black and white!!!'. 

2013 Senior!

At the end of last school year I was asked to do senior photos of a boy I met when he was about 7 or 8. He was graduating! Wow, time sure flies. I have been close to this family since I was a teen, and it is amazing to go from being a teenager to an adult, and watching these kids grow up! 

Makayla 1st Birthday Photos

Man, these babies are growing up left and right! Here's Makayla and her beautiful little dress for her birthday. 

More Babies!

Not in my house, but our old neighbors recently had a baby! Liz and Joe are some of the nicest most genuine people you will ever meet. They now have a family of 5 children! God Bless them. They are great parents, and can totally handle all these awesome little people. I was able to go visit after their newest one was born and capture some sweet moments. Take a look!

Cowboy 1st Birthday!

I had the pleasure of photographing this sweet little (almost) 1 year old boy back in the beginning of the summer. His mommy was doing a cowboy theme, so we did some fun rustic looking photos for him with this adorable cowboy hat! 

Lemonade Stand Mini-Session Part 2

I can't get over how fun these little mini sessions were! I'm just in love with how they turned out. Here's a few from day 3. 

Great time with these kids. I work with children every day, but at our taekwondo school, I know what I'm getting into. I know the kids and see them on a regular basis so I know what to expect. With mini sessions I get this excited yet anxious feeling right before they show up, because I never know what to expect! This was such a great experience though, and I'm really happy that I got to put some of my 'instructor skills' to work when dealing with different children and how they all respond differently to things. can't wait for my next set of mini sessions. This is just too fun to never do again. I'll be doing back to school photos in the next week!

Playing Catch Up...

Wow, well, since my end of summer mini sessions I feel like things haven't slowed down! I had SO MUCH FUN doing that styled session, I'm working on a back to school one now! I'll be announcing dates soon. I'm also working on how to include prints, and keep the prices low enough that parents aren't breaking the bank on back to school photos. More on that to come! Promise!

In the mean time, I've had some 1 year old cake smash sessions, a couple of WEDDINGS (Ahh!!!) and some family shoots that I'm dying to share with you. 

Everything has been a tad bit on hold because my husband and I recently celebrated our 5 year anniversary! We did so by renewing our vows. I'm a serious DIYer who LOVES to create, so of course, the whole thing was DIY. It was a MAGICAL day. Absolutely beautiful! So this week has been filled with playing catch up with my sessions, my etsy shop, and life in general! I should have a few blog posts go up in the next few days...

Lemonade Stand Mini-Session Part 1

What a crazy week it has been! I did 3 days straight of lemonade stand mini sessions! I'm just diving into the editing and have a few of the sessions completed already (that's what happens when you don't sleep... I get too antsy!). I wanted to share some here. My second day's last session was rained out, unfortunately. The clouds were brewing all afternoon, the wind kicked up, then the raindrops came pouring down. Despite the rain (and thankfully it held out to only upset one of my 12 sessions I booked!) the sessions went fabulously! Here's a sneak peek at a few photos. I'll be posting a part 2 (and maybe 3!) in the coming days! 

All the sibling shoots were an absolute treat. I love seeing other children loving on and interacting with their brother or sister. Until the next round, I hope you enjoy these little gems!