We started out inside…

…on dry land. And these two (three) are beautiful. So beautiful together. But the real fun came when we took it underwater…

Underwater photography is extremely challenging, but I LOVE the freedom of creation it allows…unusual compostions and happy mistakes. I definitely look forward to more underwater shoots…clients if you have session coming up with me in the next few weeks (well…except newborns 😉 or if you’re thinking about booking one for next summer, consider some underwater work…especially if you have a pool (or access to one). We could do something very cool and unusual for you!!!

G & K…it was SO great to see you guys again and I am just thrilled for you guys. Can’t wait to meet baby brother this fall!

I feel like this family is my family. We’ve been working together since before big sis was even born. I remember each session vividly. Baby sister’s newborn session, however, has been my fav so far. It was so relaxed. Mom and dad have settled into parenthood so gracefully…with so much love. It just radiates in this family. It’s obvious that mom and dad have been wonderful role models because big sis completely adores her little sister. (My personal fav from this newborn session is HERE).

Very soon after our photo session, big sis got very, very sick.  It broke my heart to read about her hospital stay…thinking about how her mommy must have felt caring for a newborn and worrying so much for her eldest daughter…thinking about how her daddy had to stay by her side in the hospital and keep everything together for his family. She is fully recovered now and they are finally all back together under one roof. I hope I know they are all very much cherishing their time together right now.

I never got a chance to blog their maternity session…a time before they even knew they were having another little girl (I envy families that can keep it a surprise until birth). Oh, this morning was soooooooo hot and muggy, but I’ll take that beautiful light any day…

(My personal fav from their maternity session is HERE.)

Love, love, loved that they wore this traditional dress for their baby boy’s nine month session. LOVE!

I probably get more nervous when I photograph a repeat family…repeatedly (I can’t find the links to all of the sessions right now, but I think this makes 5). I tend to put a lot of pressure on myself to come up with something new and innovative and exciting and different. What I tend to forget is that families are constantly changing and therefore, any session with them is going to be new and exciting and different by the very nature of it. This is one of those sessions that will go down in my memory as perfect.

The children were perfect, mom and dad were perfectly happy, the weather was amazing, and everyone seemed to fall into the good light without even trying. My favorite part of this session, though, was not captured “on film.” It was the 30 min. or so I stayed after we had finished taking pictures to listen to the oh-so-amusing story of how these two met and fell in love. I think I could have stayed all morning just listening to the two of them reminisce and watching their eyes sparkle as they told their stories. Thank you for that moment, guys. It was a wonderful memory for me.

P.S. Those little toes you see peeking out from behind mom/dad’s arms w/ the peach stripe shirt on my home page slideshow? Those are his. 😉

P.P.S. My personal fav HERE.

The way the water was sparkling in the creek that day was incredible and while it was a wee bit humid that day, we were lucky enough to get a little breeze. This mommy said she used to do yoga classes at sunrise out here by this creek. Wow…what a great place to do yoga. If I lived closer to it, this would become one of my favorite hangouts for my own children. About the ducky…we had given it to little man to play with while we were taking pictures, but just like any normal toddler, the second he got hold of it, he chucked it right into the creek! Fortunately, a family friend was with us and spotted in the creek…this pic was her idea. Glad we got it! And oh yes…my personal fav from this session can be found HERE.

Note: Just 4 more openings left for the Back-t0-School mini sessions (Friday Aug 17th in the p.m. at my studio)!

Goodness gracious, these two are going to have a BEAUTIFUL baby! I mean, look at Miss “Angelina Jolie’s” eyes and lips for goodness sake? The thing that really struck me about their maternity session was how connected and in love these two were. Everywhere we walked, they were hand in hand. Sometimes I felt like I was peering in on their private little world. Thank you two for letting me peer in and I just can’t wait to meet this little baby of yours!

Side note #1 (for photogs): While I actually do about 95% of my photo processing in Lightroom (thanks to Photography Concentrate’s amazing tutorials…they’re having a sale, btw), lately, I’ve been loving my friend Leah Cook’s Matte Black and White action. Thought it would be fun to see this post in color and in Matte Black and White:

It’s so cool how her eyes pop both in color and in black and white!

 Side note #2: Literally just a handful of openings left for the Back-to-School mini sessions.

Side note #3: My friend Leah, whom I mentioned above, is single-handedly responsible for convincing me to give in to my latest obsession that is Instagram. If you’ve follow me  (pinkletoesoriginal), you will see that I’ve been getting a bit experimental with my newfound art medium. I’ve got a little something special in the works that I will introduce soon…I’m quite excited about this new project. At any rate, thanks, Leah, for giving me something else to do with my “spare” time ;-).

Side note #4: I didn’t show you my favorite image from this session up there ;-).

I was more than just a little thrilled when I happened to drive by this super cool spot on my way home one day. I’d been trying to think of the PERFECT location for this family with two active little boys and wouldn’t you know it, this place had it all! Trucks, a school bus,…a dinosaur. Yeah. We were all a bit giddy…

…your idea is bad ass.  Love it.  Let’s light this candle.

That note from dad had me laughing until I cried. I knew this was going to be a killer session!

But wouldn’t you know it, the kids weren’t nearly as excited about the dinosaur as we were. In fact, they were pretty much terrified and we could barely get them to go near it. We tried and tried and tried, but we only managed a couple of shots. After all my years of doing this AND as a mom, you would think I would understand Murphy’s Law is king when it comes to the wee ones ;-). So, I let my dino dreams sour and we opted instead for drawing, playing on the playground, making music, trucks, bike riding, and just exploring the area. I happen to LOVE those images so much more than anything I was imagining with the dino. He was silly looking anyway 😉

[Wanna see my personal FAV from this session and some amazing eyes? Click HERE.]

The first time I hung out with this family was last Christmas and that baby girl was just a wee baby. How cool to see her again all sitting up pretty on her own and constantly cracking up at her big sister! I adored getting to photograph them in their home…their environment…where they were comfortable and relaxed. Those are the best times!