A special project

I recently met this extraordinary Mom, J., when she was expecting her 8th (no, that's NOT a typo) baby. She and her husband decided it would be a nice idea to take some maternity photos. In late May, we chose a beautiful, remote location with a recently mowed hay field at the edge of the woods. Besides the ticks who joined us for the shoot, it went very smoothly and J. was a natural in front of the camera.





After baby M.'s arrival in early June, I asked J. if she and her husband would be willing to do the same photos again, but with baby M. there greeting the world. J. graciously agreed and the photos posted are the result of the two shoots. I love the side-by-side poses of the before and after. Baby M. held up nicely for the shoot, despite the fact that she must have thought we were all insane to drag a newborn out in the middle of a hayfield for a photo shoot. She's just precious and I look forward to seeing this loving family grow up.

Thank you, J. and S., for allowing me to complete this special project and for sharing your little M. with me.

A fast-paced summer afternoon

Last Saturday afternoon I met this young family with three boys, M, C. and young C. The boys shared with me some activities they enjoy such as scootering, jumping off logs in their yard, and hanging out near their tee pee in the back yard. They are on the go all the time and I enjoyed trying to capture them doing some things they love or just hanging out in their yard. I was amazing at how young C., just 2 years old, was able to keep up with most everything his big brothers did! Mom and Dad were able to get in on some photos as well.

Thank you all for a great afternoon!

Staunton Engagement Photos

I'm back from a much-needed vacation and I am ready to post about the work I've been doing. This photo shoot with T. and C. was a new, fun experience for me. They are preparing for a July wedding and wanted to do some casual engagement photos. When I suggested that we meet in downtown Staunton for an "urban" shoot (who says Staunton isn't urban?), they were game. We met early one Saturday morning and explored downtown in search of interesting locations. Being that this was my first downtown shoot, T. and C. made sure that I didn't get run over in the middle of the road while trying to capture that perfect shot of them!

Thanks, T. and C. for sharing this special time with me. I'm terribly envious of your honeymoon location.....the land down under. Wow! Best wishes to you both!

A sunny, spring day and a gorgeous setting...

Yesterday, Memorial Day, we had a gorgeous, warm day and an equally amazing historic location for this photo shoot. T. and S. were so kind to one another during our time together and they showed me all around their grandparents' beautiful property. They even had a few secret hiding spots to share with me (hint: some very large, old boxwood trees!).

By the end of the session, T. and S. were so relaxed in front of the camera that I felt like they were old pros! These two shots truly convey their sweet relationship. I will look forward to working with them again later this summer for another portrait project.

A "grown-up" session

Who knew May could be so rainy? We've had days and days of chilly weather and I was unable to do my Saturday morning session. Bring on the sunshine!

In between the rain I met with R., a great young author who is ready to move away and enter a master's program. His Mom convinced him that she needed a nice photo of him for her walls since she had none that were recent. R. conceded and we spent some time in their gorgeous yard where I had many nice locations for photos. Thanks, R. for giving your Mom a great Mother's Day gift --- a nice photo of you! I also love the shot of R. and his Mom.

Here are my favorites from our session. I'm hoping I find one of these photos on the back of R.'s best-seller in the near future.

A new blogger

Well, I have decided that it is finally time to begin blogging! I've kicked off the spring season with several shoots this past week. Here's a few selections from them.

Little M. made time to feed her little baby during our shoot. Later, despite the rainy, windy, spring weather, we made our way into a field to pick a few wildflowers. Thanks, M. for a fun morning!

Later in the week, I headed to a local park for a session with three young sisters. The littlest sister gave me a good workout while her Mom and I chased her throughout the park! It was a gorgeous, sunny day for a shoot and the girls were so great to work with. Here are a few of my favorites.

To end my busy week I worked with some close friends and their three sweet kids. There were so many nice shots to choose from that I had a hard time decided which ones to post. L., their young son, is just learning how to play baseball. The look on his face in the shot below is priceless. What a big boy he's becoming! E. and L. enjoyed playing amongst the gorgeous spring flowers in their yard.