Afternoon Park Playdate

I see these beautiful kiddos every year, and Lauren and Cole were about their little sister's age when we started our adventures in photo shooting. This year, we met for an afternoon playdate at the park in their neighborhood, and the older two greeted me happily and then proceeded to look out for little Charlotte for the duration of the session. To say these three adore each other is an understatement (though I'm sure they have their moments). We played and laughed and interacted, and the end result was a bright collection of photographs illustrative of their bond. It's a joy to witness.

Reasons Why

One of the privileges of meeting a new family is getting to hear pieces of their story and then getting to see the page that story is on as we engage during their session. This session took a couple of years of correspondence to actually get on the books, as my travels to Massachusetts are limited, and their two-kid, two-job routine keeps life moving. When our schedules aligned, I got to watch conversation and jokes followed by giggles. I saw big gestures, small smirks and easy conversation. It's the stuff of daily life that I imagine parents reflect on when days feel too busy or the kids can't quite seem to keep their acts together. I love taking family portraits because it creates a visual reminder of the good and the beautiful that looks unique on any given family. I think it matters. In this particular set, I love that you can see one little boy's vibrance, his eagerness to befriend me and his joy. I love that you can see his sister's calm, her steadiness and her warmth. Here are siblings making each other laugh. Here are two parents surrounding their children with love. Here is a family being themselves. It never gets old, getting to see the reasons why a family works and getting to create photographs with them so that they can see the way they fit just so.

Home, Life Happens Here

Spending an afternoon with these two was refreshing and calm. Their home is a beautiful space, and we did most of the session in the backyard and garden, with much loved four-legged family members making appearances here and there. Seeing the interaction between mother and son through my lens put a smile on my face. Melissa is intent on investing in Zach's interests, from the animals to surfing and snowboarding. Her son comes alive when he talks about and does the things he loves. That she knows that, that she celebrates that, this is how a parent comes alongside a child. She is raising him to be a good man. A whole lot of life and a whole lot of love builds the constructs of their home.

The Happiest Session in the Public Garden

Of this crew I knew we'd have lots of fun, because last year it rained (and by rained I mean poured), and we had a blast...This year, though, we had a beautiful Sunday morning. I love the big grins the kids got out of each other when we did their photos together. They made my job easy! These guys love and live well, and it was the perfect kickoff to my Massachusetts sessions this year to hang out with them in the Public Garden in Boston. They live in Bean Town, so shooting in the city was perfect. I had a hard time narrowing photos to share for the blog. This was truly one of the happiest sessions I've ever photographed.

Doubly Sweet

I loved meeting these sweet babies, two months into their story. They were wide-eyed and sleepy, in rotation, and they seemed pretty enchanted by their big sister. She in turn is pretty enthralled with the girls. We spent a couple of hours in the studio capturing these photographs, and I love that you can see three distinct beauties in the collection of images.

A New Sister Makes A Big Brother

A couple of weeks ago, I met week-old Lucia for her newborn session and returned over the weekend to take some family photos. That meant I got to see Lucia's proud big brother Luigi dote on his sister. Luigi is a super high energy guy, and he made it very clear to me that he loves his sister. He was eager to snuggle up beside her and as gentle as a four-year-old can be when he kissed her. I never tire of seeing the interaction between siblings, and this session did not disappoint. Luigi and I spent a few minutes playing outside as well, and pretty much all this kid wanted to do was laugh. I'm a fan of little ones who think I'm hilarious, so that worked out well. I think photos are so valuable, as they provide a tangible reminder of what a family looks like loving one another. I recognize that having a newborn is busy and demanding, and coupling that with a busy preschooler means life is very full for parents who might be low on sleep and high on tasks. That said, I look at these photos and see love and joy and what is beautiful about this family. I hope you see that too. I consider it a privilege every time a family lets me catch a glimpse of who they are together. I look forward to seeing how Miss Lucia grows and changes in the coming months and how Luigi continues to own his role as big brother. The future is bright for this family.

Savannah is 1!

For Savannah's one-year photos, she came to the studio. From the get-go it was obvious Savannah's first choice for in-studio activities was running back and forth. She ran and ran and ran some more. I love her sweet spirit and zeal for life. She didn't seem phased by the fact that I, a new adult, was there and kept shifting her back to where the light was best. She just wanted to keep moving, and enthusiastically. When we pulled her big brother in for a few photographs, I loved his expressions and toddler conversation skills. The two were less interested in interacting with each other than with me, but I thought that made for some really fun shots, true to life with a pair of littles so young. It was a great way to spend the morning, and it made me excited to do family photos for this crew later in the fall. A quick sneak peek here, and if you're interested in a studio session, I have limited availability remaining for September and some openings in October and November. I'd love to hear from you!

Three!

These little guys came to visit the studio last week, and each came with his own ideas about how they wanted photos to go. Their mom wondered if three-year-old twins would cooperate to get great photographs, so she booked a studio session to contain the boys so we could capture each little gent and the two together. We considered how busy they are and planned accordingly, but with a little pep talk prior to the session, these two showed up like rockstars. Both boys gave me their full attention when for their individual photos and interacted wonderfully during the photos we took of the two together. I love seeing how much they've grown since last year and can't wait to update family photos later this fall. In the meantime, I think you see two distinct personalities emerge in this set. When photographing multiples, that almost always comes through and makes me smile.

The Day Before Turning Three

The day before little Hailey turned three, her mama and I did a mini-workshop in their home, and we followed that time with a photo session. We updated family photos while doing Hailey's three-year photos. Three is a great age, and baby James, age five months, is also in quite an adorable stage. I loved the backyard light and the easy interactions. Hailey was hesitant to put her mermaids away (what wee girl isn't?), so we started the session with figurines in hand but transitioned to them "helping" me take photographs. That led to giggles from Hailey and grins from James. Taking a family's photos allows me a glimpse into who they are, and the glimpse I caught on that Monday night was of a family that is really good at being family. Mom and Dad naturally passed the kids back and forth, wiping noses and tickling tummies. Hailey showed off her baby brother with pride. James cooed and drooled and demonstrated his rolling over skills. It was a delightful evening, and the captures illustrate love and connection. They make me smile.

The Sweet Side of Sisterhood

These little ladies belong to my boyfriend's sister, so over the 4th of July we grabbed a few minutes at the lake to capture some photographs in a place that has significance for their family. Because I grew up with sisters who are some of my best friends, it always makes me happy to do sister photos. These girls have big, bright personalities and truly compliment each other. It's not that these girls always get along...several years between and two distinct personalities tend to lead to some definite differences. But there's that sister thing; I love photographing that. They know how to make each other laugh just as well as they know how to push each other's buttons. They look out for each other. They share not just toys and parents but this story: they are sisters, and they are friends. I anticipate on their behalf just how sweet that friendship can one day be as they grow up, and I hope these photos illustrate a bit of that sweetness today.

Beautiful Bellingham and My Bestie's Crew

The Pacific Northwest is my favorite part of the US, and some of my favorite people happen to live there. It had been a couple of years since I visited, so once the trip was scheduled, one of the first things to be planned was photographs of my best friend's family. We took a few photos of our various adventures, and I blogged a few photos of the trip as a whole. I'm excited to finally be sharing a few more photos of the littles and of Carla's session. Carla is one of those rare friends who came into life unexpectedly and promptly became one of my people. We have never lived in the same place, but we've had international adventures as well as cross country visits. I love that her kids call me auntie and that her husband doesn't mind if I sleep on the couch for days at a time. We've weathered hard things and witnessed beautiful things. I can't imagine my life without my bestie and her people. They're pretty spectacular, and I hope that shows in these photographs.

The Annual Uncle Erin Session

When I first did photos for my original Kentucky clients, then-two-year-old Leslie called me Uncle Erin. She already had an Aunt Erin, her dad's sister, and I was a family friend who came with my-sister-who-is-her-mom's-best-friend-and-therefore-aunt. Calling me uncle just made good toddler sense. The name and the family photos stuck. This is a family I've known and become close to through good times and bad. I've seen their big love, heard their kind words, witnessed so many moments of hugs and kisses and dance parties and late night movies... They know what it means to be family. I am honored to get to document a few memories each year to time capsule the moments of a given day. I love the feel of these photos, but more than that, I love my dear friends. The girls cheer-led me from the sidelines of the marathon I ran in May. We FaceTime occasionally, and Kara and I have processed the stuff of life on many a long phone conversation. I love to eat at their table and to sleep in their guest room. I hope these photographs give you a sneak peek of the beauty and wonder of the love that is uniquely theirs.

Reconnecting is Rich

This was another rainy-day-Kentucky-reuion-with-a-high-school-friend session. Bridget was one of the first friends I made when my family moved to Kentucky midway through my high school career. We took a lot of classes together, car-pooled (in her miles-long Cadillac), giggled about crushes and graduated. We started college at the same university, but I transferred to Texas. We lost touch. We reconnected on Facebook, and she booked me to photograph her littles last month. I loved getting to meet them. Avery sized me up the entire session; she's precocious and smart and sweet. Grant is a chatterbox and busy, and I loved hearing his big thoughts and dreams. Our time passed quickly, and I love the Kentucky-ness of the old barn and the horses. Really, though, I love that my work opened a door for me to have a good visit with an old friend and her family. It had been 14 years. We surely won't wait that long to get together, whether for more photos or for lunch (which followed our session, of course). The time was too rich.

Brothers. Buddies. Best.

I spent a week in Lexington in June for a Honey and Salt wedding and got to photograph several families as well. The bad news is it rained the entire trip. The good news is this family did not mind one little bit. The boys' interactions illustrated that having a brother as a buddy is the best thing ever. It mattered not that midway through the session the aforementioned rain came down, in spite of sunny skies, and when it rained, it poured. Everyone brought their best selves: big smiles and willingness to play and plenty of interaction. We continued on, and I am so excited to share this sneak peek. I am loving these photographs!

Introducing Holden

Here are some things about Holden's newborn session that make me smile as I blog these photos: first of all, baby Holden himself seemed to think a photo session meant extra time to snuggle with his family and to stare and sleep and be all around precious. Then there was his mom whose gentleness and tenderness with her tiny son demonstrated the amazing way a heart instantly expands to love new life. And his dad was similar but as he followed his toddler daughter around (you can't leave a two-year-old untended!) turned to me and said, "I just love my little girl." We wondered at the maternity session how Lauren would adjust to a newborn in the mix. She's precocious and busy and, well, two. The answer (and this is what I loved seeing the most): she adores him. Here's a sneak peek of Holden's session so that you can see for yourself.

The Raleigh Extension

Most of the Blinns live in Texas, and those who don't give me excuses to explore other parts of the country in work-play mixes. I love that my job has given me the ability to work where the people I love are. A wedding and some photo sessions meant I got to spend a few days with my sister and her crew. This trip allowed me to capture each of the kids exactly as they are, personality-wise, so these photographs make me smile.

All Boy Boys!

Prior to our session, Francie posted on her Facebook page that on a recent morning they found their boys, 5 and 7, perched on the front porch of the house for sale across the street from their house, bags packed and ready to move in. Their concern was not that they hadn't told their parents where they were going. Rather, they were concerned they didn't have any dollars in their wallet with which to buy the house. Independent much? I knew then that I'd like little adventurers who want to go, go, go. And go, go, go they did. We explored the park in fast motion, with photo bombs any time I tried to get a photograph of either boy solo. And they laughed and wrestled, hugged and threw *friendly* punches and reminded me of what it was like to grow up in a house with all boy boys. I think we captured just what family looks like for a family with boys, 5 and 7. And it looks like the loud kind of love that makes me smile.

Room For One More

This California crew headed to North Carolina for a family wedding (which will be blogged on Honey and Salt soon, and I got to connect with them to do a family session the day before. We let the boys play and set the pace, and that was just right for these two busy little guys (who will be joined by a third brother in the fall). I love their expressiveness and the fun interactions we were able to capture. This is a beautiful family, and I can't wait to see what a third little adds to their mix.

Birthday Buddy and a New Baby Brother

On our shared birthday, Nicholas' 2nd and my perpetual 25th, I took photographs of big Nick and his (8-days-new) little brother Evan. It is such a treat for me to work with families on an ongoing basis to update the stories of their family as tiny babies turn into precocious boys and especially when a new addition arrives. Nick wasn't sure he wanted to actually be in photographs with Evan, but he was happy enough to play and engage as long as we didn't push him. And Evan was so precious, cuddly and content. He had a lot of smiles and smirks for such a brand new guy. I love that we got to use the "life is beauty full" hanging, a tradition we started with Nick's six-month session. Seeing the beauty fullness of new life alongside a growing boy is as good as it gets.

A Castle and Books and a Field and...

These two sweet girls belong to dear friends of mine, and I've had the privilege of watching them grow up through my lens. For this session, I stood back and mostly just let them be. Everyone had had a long day, and that was just the right thing to capture the spirits of two vibrant, beautiful, happy girls. Jenna and Rob love their girls so much, and it shows... and I don't just mean in photographs. It showed in the giggles the girls shared and the way they ran and danced and played their way through the session. I have been doing photos with them since Francie was born, and these are my favorite photographs to date.