baby

liam is one!

looking back on this session, that was the whole point. i really love being able to work with young families and capture all the excitement of the new adventure. be it with newborns or toddlers, i really value the clients who understand the importance of stealing these memories and keep them safe for years to come. all too often i think we rely on remembering on our own or having a cell phone photo here or there. this is all great on a daily basis, i do this myself too, but i have always believed in taking the time and investing in remembering your past so it can hold it’s place in your present.

anyway, this adorable little family and i met up for a fun day of liam exploring mountains, grass, giant slides, slytherin cupcakes, and anything else the day threw our way. watching his face as he tried to bit into the frosting was way too cute but what almost killed me from cuteness overload was when he started swinging the harry potter wand around, right before he decided that chewing it was equally entertaining…

liam is two now, and a whole year has passed since we tried to convince him of the awesomeness that is harry potter, and me insisting that he’s not evil enough to belong to slytherin. it all takes me back ti my original point… looking back was the whole point. i can’t wait to work with these guys again and see what craziness we can come up with for his next session.

hello khumba!

death by cutie. that’s how i feel when i see all of these photos from little rhumba’s session. her mom wanted to try on a million little outfits, and i have to say that for a toddler she did amazing. it took a lot of running around and calling her name, but when it’s all said and done, like i said… death by cutie!

mays +1!

thunderstorms. that’s what we kept seeing when we checked for the weather that day. dreadful. scary. lightning. russ, his wife sarah, and i kind of decided to give it a go anyway and we went to the lake house to try to capture the emotion during this special day. i can see how to the average bystander it would have seemed like any other rainy summer day, but to them it was a milestone. not only was it their 7th wedding anniversary. not only where they celebrating the life of their toddler and a baby girl on the way. no. they were also celebrating 15 years together. yes, they are one of those lucky couples who found each other as early as high school, fought to make things work during the college years, and now can reap the benefits. it’s a bit odd to think of having spent half of their lives together, but for them? They wouldn’t have it any other day. they make it look easy. so with all of that in mind, and scattered showers here and there, we were able to get enough of a break from the rain to do a session and enough rain to break the session into little manageable stress-free chunks. so next time they’re calling for rain and i?m around? i think I’ll just pull out my camera and start all over again.

emma is one!

emma is one. i remember doing the photo shoot for this little nugget when she was just born. i remember her thick dark hair and her gorgeous blue eyes. but most of all i remember seeing elisa and victor’s glowing faces and seeing how happily they had transitioned into parenthood. it was beautiful. we got back together a year later to make some memories of emma’s first birthday. she is such an explorer! she wants to see and touch everything, mesmerized with the decorations and even with the tall grass tickling her. the cake? not so much. but alas, she will have her whole life to get used to cake. there’s no rush.

hello urko!

Welcome. That was my first thought when I first laid eyes on Urko and the rest of the growing family. Their faces glowing just from holding him and watching him sleep. And what a sleeper! He was an absolute angel and didn’t mind is trying different props and poses. I can’t help but smile when I see the resulting images and think of how they will cherish them for years to come. When he is older and sees these as his first days on earth. But for that, well, I guess they will have to wait some more!

hello jon!

the first. that’s the first thing that came to mind when i met jon, my first nephew. i honestly have been thinking about what to say for the longest time, and i’m having a hard time putting into words. it’s so strange to see my brother, the one who i would equally look up to and fight with as a kid, suddenly being someone’s father. i guess maybe i’m just getting old, but it’s a bit mind-blowing. as is just looking at and holding this little man, with his teeny-tiny hands and his incredibly large-for-his-size feet. i also have to send a huge shoutout to my sister-in-law for braving through a not-so-smooth pregnancy. i remember cancelling several plans because she wasn’t feeling so great. nonetheless, i think that it’s clear as day that it was all worth it. incredibly worth it.

leire +1

only the sun fell at the skatepark that day. it gave way to the beautiful “golden hour” making everything around us look magnificent. leire and kevin were, admittedly, nervously waiting for their maternity session to start. we thought the skatepark would be a perfect setting to show off their fun nature and rebellious spirit. not sure kids waiting to have a turn were quite on board, but that’s another story! haha. we had fun doing some jumps and dramatic posing, and just so you know, that’s a photoshop composite. in case you were wondering, no, I won’t actually let someone jump over a pregnant woman on my watch. it was a quick session for sure, but I loved the lighting, the vibe, and just being able to capture these moments of genuine nervousness and excitement. when we were done all that was left to do was enjoy the sunset, and wait…