Here are some pictures that I took for my mom's best friend. These are her grandkids. I felt bad that day because the older ones had to keep an eye on my little ones for me while we did the session. My daughter, at the time, and even now, doesn't like to leave my side in new locations. The only girl pictured here was a flower girl in my wedding 7 years ago. I can't believe how much she has grown!

My first try at an urban shoot.

I think that it went pretty well. I learned a few things and am looking forward to doing it again soon! Maybe with my son, we'll see! :)

The little girl was so much fun! She had a lot to say and was very clear when she felt the session was over! lol :)

This session was a change of pace for me. The complicated part was not getting my subjects to stay in one place, it was figuring out how to use the very bright sun. Even when the subjects were with their backs to the sun, the reflection from the sand (and/or my reflector/diffuser) was still very bright. Full sun photos like this remain a challenge to me. This was a great family to work with, although I felt a little clueless when it came to talking to kids whose ages are in the double digits! ;)

It makes such a huge difference to be at an outdoor location at the right time of day. I often tell clients that for an outdoor session to have the best outcome, it should be early morning or early evening. In the summer, the morning is great also because the temperature is still bearable. The main reason for this is the quality of the light. It's just perfect. This family was happy to meet me at 8am. Sounds early, but in arriving at that time, there aren't any harsh shadows on their faces and there isn't any squinting. These siblings are super sweet.

These twins gave me a run for my money! It was so hard to get them to stay together for a one-year photo. I was hoping for even better than this, but anyone who has a toddler knows how hard it is to get one to stay still, can only imagine how hard it is to get two of them to stay still! Maybe they will be easier at 18 months ... but I'm not so sure! :)

And here is the precious baby boy...

Within the last two months, two women that I have gotten to know through my MOMS Club, have had new babies. They were very kind to let me practice my photography on their babies. Both met up with me within the first 14 days of their new babies lives (the optimal time to get sleepy newborn photos). Thank you ladies.

Here is the first sweet newborn...

If you look back at my blog to last August/September, you'd see a teeny-tiny little baby girl. She was anxious to come into this world, so she arrived prematurely by about 3 months. Last week, my niece turned 8 months old. I was finally able to meet her and photograph her when I was with my family for Easter. She is the SWEETEST thing!!!! Without further ado...

Here are a few more pictures from a recent session. These brothers have a ton of energy and were so fun to be around. Who knew that the younger one would bring on the smiles when we asked him about how he brushed his teeth!! :) His parents are thrilled that I got pictures of him smiling (me too!).

I was super excited to process this photo because I just love it. The day I shot it, I knew I had it just right and I love that feeling! This is actually the last image I shot of these brothers. It was a very laid back session in our neighborhood and the boys did a great job for me. I can't wait to see what their parents think!

Just sharing a recent picture of my family. Living the dream...

A recent favorite...

Here is a 2 year old boy with lots of 2 year old boy energy! He was on the go almost from the moment we met up at our location. Mom really wanted to capture him as he is (which is good, because "fast" and "on the move" are two ways to describe two year old boys!) in an outdoor setting. We were hoping for a few of him with his big brother, but he was the focus of our session. 

It really is difficult to guarantee parents that I will get them the perfect image of young siblings together. I appreciate that all my clients thus far are understanding about this. I try my hardest - but in this type session, keeping my style in mind, you may not get the "everyone looking at the camera at the same time with a perfect smile" type shot - it's just not me (and really it isn't most children under the age of 4).  :)

I love his eyes in this first picture...