I love Baltimore | Maryland photographer

I’ve been working with this amazing non-profit called Vision Workshops for about 6 years. Vision workshops runs workshops and camps locally (Crossing Borders) and internationally (Photo Camps). I have been lucky to work with several of the local workshops, working with kids at Bates Middle School in Annapolis that have immigrated from El Salvador and Mexico, working with teens in the Drug Court program and now working with Refugee teens in the City of Baltimore.

My good friend and leader of this camp, Piper Watson put together an amazing weekend of shooting and learning for these refugee kids from Iraq, Bhutan, Nepal, and Eritrea who now attend Paterson High School.
We met the kids at Paterson HS last Thursday where we passed out the cameras and went over the weeks agenda. That first day meeting them brought some excitement to this workshop…these kids were eager and ready to shoot.

We started the shooting portion of the workshop this past Saturday. Meeting at Walters Art Museum (they were a big supporter in this workshop as well at The Refugee Youth Project), we spent some time talking about technique and story telling as it related to this weekend’s focus-Baltimore.

Many of these kids have never been downtown to experience Baltimore, so Piper arranged to show them some very interesting and fun sides of this very cool city. We started at the Cross Street Market in Federal Hill. The kids got to have some lunch and then we let them loose to begin the photojournalistic process of telling the story of Baltimore today. It was amazing to me how recpetive this group was to what we were teaching them…shooting at different angles, holding the camera a certain way to keep it stable in low light and talking to the people you are photographing to find out more about their individual stories. I became giddy as I watched them approach complete strangers and ask them if they could take their portrait…not one kid held back and almost everyone they asked said yes. Because of their confidence and wonderful personalies, they ended up starting converstations with many of the stall owners at the market. The coolest moment was when they met a husband and wife who ran the bakery…they asked where the students were from (this particular group was from Ethiopia) and a connection was made. They too were from Africa, but were Indian born and they started an exchange with the students that I could never have imagined. They even sent a box of cookies with the students…so nice! Plus the students made some amazing portraits of the couple at their bakery stall.

We then took the water taxi from Federal Hill across the harbor to Fells Point where a Christmas festival was going on in the square. Live music, food and craft stands, a balloon artist and lots of neighborhood people all had come together on a very cold day. The kids got right to shooting as they ran around capturing the spirit of this neigbohood, snapping shots of little kids dancing in front of the stage, people selling their wares, and locals in conversation with eachother. They didn’t hold back one bit. It was thriling to watch. Again, they struck up conversations with locals and met some awesome people.

As the sun started to set, I grabbed my group of five students and took them over to the docks where we could have a little lesson on self portraits. I taught them about using the golden light at that hour to make a beautiful photograph and how to show who they were to the rest of the world in a portrait. They did a fantastic job and produced some absolutely beautiful images of themselves….I was bit jealous!

After a very long Saturday, Sunday arrived a bit too fast, but we met the kids at 8:30 to begin the next day of shooting in Baltimore. We started again at The Walters, went over some of the work from the day before and talked about how to make certain photos even better. After the lecture, we were taken into the museum to see the Walter Wick exhibit that is one display until the end of the year. It is such a great exhibit to see…Walter is a model maker, photographer and children’s book author. He created the “I Spy” series of children’s books where kids can pick out objects out of photographs that he creates. The photographs are taken from very intricate models that he makes…it’s quite an intricate process and very cool to see.

After the exhibit, we chowed down on some pizza and then loaded up the bus to head to Hamden for the annual Mayor’s Christmas parade. Now, I don’t know if any of you remember just how cold it was on Sunday…but IT WAS COLD! The group braved the cold though and we took them to the parking lot were the floats, cars, dance troupes, and bands were lining up and getting ready to march down the street.
The students scrambled around taking shots of bands warming up, little girls bouncing up and down in their dance costumes to stay warm, men wearing sequined costumes & animals of all shapes and sizes. Many of the students didn’t understand what the heck a parade was all about or even who the heck Santa was, so it was fun to try to explain our culture to them.

We have two more classroom days with these students to go through images and work on the final presentation, which will be exhibited at The Walters. As I sit here and think of the weekend and these awesome students I am realizing that I learned alot this weekend.

1. We need to approach life the way that these students do….by jumping right in to new experiences. They have overcome so much already in their young lives, yet have an enthusiam unlike many American students who take for granted all of the awesome culture around us and the opportunities that they have in their own backyards.

2. Baltimore is truely a melting pot of people with interesting stories to tell. The city gets such negative press all the time that we forget that it is a great city full of crazy traditions and caring individuals who want to keep the city’s spirit alive.

3. Talk to strangers! We all walk around minding our own business way too much. There needs to be more interaction in this world. We have so much to learn from eachother.

4. Finally…stop complaining 🙂 We pushed the students alot this weekend. They photographed for two pretty long days in the freezing cold. Rarely did they complain. I have alot of colleagues that would have started complaining as soon as they became chilly…and yes, I have been guilty of this. We photographers need to realize just how lucky we are to do what we do and that sometimes, the situations that we are put in are uncomfortable, but we are there at that moment documenting a slice of life and that’s pretty special if you ask me.

Our fearless leader, Piper.

cute cute cute | Pennsylvania and Maryland photographer

July 20-28th:

I’m overlapping my weeks a bit to keep this blog up to date…I’ve had a whirlwind of shoots in the past week and I’m going to wrap them all into one big post of photos. It all starts in New Oxford, PA, my hometown where I find myself going back to more and more to photograph old friends and their families. It’s always nice to go home, even for just one day. This particular time, I spent an evening with Karen and Chad and their two sweet little girls, Emery & Vivian. We had a nice time down by the stream just about a 1/4 miles from their great farm house. Vivian had started walking recently, so I was sure to grab a few shots of her stumbling around the grass…so cute!

Next up was a weekend trip up to my favorite place, Philadelphia. I went to college there and lived there for 5 years, many of my closest friends still live there, so any time I have a chance to get away for a weekend, I head straight there. I spent the first night with some old friends from my youth and their little baby, unfortunately I was so exhausted from a very long workday and drive that day that the camera never came out, but I didn’t feel too bad about it because they have a few amazing photographers who are friends or family who are always taking photos of their little guy, so there is no shortage of footage for him. Then, I drove downtown to Northern Liberties to visit my college buddy Dan and his wife Amanda and baby Charley. I always have such a good time with these guys and Charley has the most easy-going personality any kid could have, so photographing her is pure pleasure. We had a great day of killer burgers and drinks & watching Charley beat the heat by splashing in her baby pool.

I hated to have to leave Dan and his family, but I was excited for my last stop on Sunday morning to see my old school friend Heather (we’ve been friends since 5th grade!). She and her husband Craig were having Abbey, their adorable little one, baptised at the Methodist Church where they attend. Heather had asked me to be there to photograph the ceremony and then to stay to document the BBQ they had back at their home with most of Heather’s family, lots of nieces and a nephew and part of Craig’s family and his niece. There was no shortage of kids on this hot summer day, so being the smart people they are, they had 3 kiddie pools set up in the backyard for the kids to splash around in. It was a great day, I got to catch up with Heather and her family and enjoyed being a part of Abbey’s special day.

Lastly, I had an engagement shoot with the cutest couple, Courtney and Nick. We met at 49 West and walked around the neighborhood on a very pleasant evening. I was so happy the heat wave had passed and that we could enjoy the night without sweating like crazy through the shoot. Unfortunately the bugs were still around and poor Courtney got a nice bite during the shoot…sorry! I had such a fun time with this couple. They were so natural in front of the camera, I didn’t have to tell them to do much…they just did it! I also appreciated that they were willing to be a bit creative for me…which I noticed right away when I saw her holding two big black and pink pinwheels that they had made for the photo shoot (their wedding theme will have pinwheels in it). Thanks guys for being so patient with me!! See you Saturday night at the wedding I’ll be shooting for Nick’s cousin!

I love my little town | Annapolis, Maryland Photographer

July 3-12th:

This past week has been pretty awesome, had some nice time off and got to spend some good quality time with my friends and loved ones. I’ve gone biking, boating, ate some amazing food, listened to fabulous music, and finally got out to start shooting some personal projects of my own. l don’t have alot more to say about this week, so I’m going to talk about four businesses that I support and am currently involved with. I think everyone needs to know about them.

1: Crystalooney’s Creative Arts: A few years ago when worked for The Capital Newspaper in Annapolis and was out looking for some nice “wild art” I stepped into B.B. Bistro in West Annapolis and saw this energetic Aussie entertaining kids during one of her afternoon programs where she read stories and painted faces for the kids. I took a few photos and moved on my way, but Christalene also was in my memory…what a fun person I thought. Fast forward a year and I officially met Christalene at a birthday party that I was hired to photograph…we talked about our businesses and then went our separate ways once again. Then some time later, we met again at another event and the little cogs in our brains started turning…we were at the same events doing our thing time and time again…why not begin to collaborate and do some of these gigs as a team. About 6 months ago we did our first birthday party together for a mutual friend’s kiddo. It was a blast, I documented the party and she painted all the kids faces, had a story time and gave the birthday girl a little princess makeover. The album I made for the family was awesome and something they will have for years and years to remember when their little one was just 4 years old.

I’ve continued to work with her photographing a couple body painting demonstrations, which I was blown away by, she can transform someone into the most amazing body of art! A few weeks ago I photographed a belly henna that she did for an expecting mother. Photographing the human body form is always a beautiful experience for me, but seeing a gorgeous pregnant belly with an intricate henna design on it made it even more wonderful.

When I photograph her artwork, I become more inspired and I am pushed to new limits. I encourage you all to check out her work and consider hiring her for your child’s next birthday party, friend’s bridal shower, or give a gift of a belly henna at your next baby shower. Henna and face painting is not just for kids…it’s a fun way to express yourself, even if it’s just for one day. www.crystalooneys.com

2: Already Artists: I’ve been working at this awesome little art studio on Maryland Avenue for just about three years. Again, it’s thanks to my time at The Capital newspaper that I even found this place. I was sent on an assignment over 5 years ago to photograph at the studio and as soon as I walked and saw all these little artists learning and doing such advanced artwork, I was hooked. When the time was right, I talked to Stacey (the owner) about working with her and I soon started. I just love this place, from teaching the kids everything from the most successful artists in history such as Monet and Van Gogh, to learning about our contemporary street/outsider artists that do graffiti in the streets of their towns, the kids really do get a well rounded art experience. We work with all kinds of fun materials too. We’ve been know to even use trash as a medium…and wow the people who walk by our little window on Maryland Ave. each week. So, if you have kids under the age of 13, check it out…we’d love to have you join our fall classes! www.alreadyartists.com

3: 49 West Coffeehouse and Winebar: I’ve been hanging out and frequenting this place for quite some time now, so it was inevitable that when I realized it would be nice to make a little extra money to buy some more equipment (because a photographer always is looking to buy some new equipment), I chose 49 West as my place for secondary employment. It’s an awesome place, I can’t say enough good about it. The food rocks (I recommend the salmon bagel for breakfast & the chicken salad or one of their ever changing specials for lunch), the people are great, and they are great supporters of the local businesses (they serve Cafe Pronto coffee…a local favorite)…Being a regular there is like being part of a little family, I guess you could say it’s my <a href="“>Cheers…where everyone knows my name. The best part is the back room where some very talented musicians play on a nightly schedule. This is my favorite place in Annapolis for live music. Nowhere else in this city can you get such an intimate show without spending a ton (unlike the place I won’t mention just a few doors down). The wine and dessert selection is always a nice treat at the end of long day and they have my favorite beer (Guinness) so I can’t complain one bit. If you’ve never checked out this place, mosey on down and see a show and have some lunch or dinner…it’s the place to be!

4: The Annapolis Sound: I recently started working with/contributing to the area’s newest media group, The Annapolis Sound. I am so excited about this opportunity because I really respect what it is that they are doing as a media group in today’s crazy fast paced world with news exploding all around you. They are taking Annapolis and really showing the different angles that this city has…not just sailing and crab cakes, they are digging a bit deeper and telling good stories about our area. Unlike the local paper, which is good for it’s own reasons, The Sound has the time to really sit with a story (without the demanding deadlines that the daily paper has). They focus on interesting topics and cover them in an interesting way, such as multimedia, staff roundtable discussions (podcasts), and photo essays. It’s nice to read about your town and peel away the layers to see what’s really going on around you. My favorite segment that they do is called “Six Degrees of Sound”
where they interview a local person asking them six questions about their life, with on of the questions being, “who or what do you want to know more about?” It’s very interesting to see what the average person in this area is interested in, and a lot of time, it’s something I want to know about to. Enough about The Sound….go read it for yourself and check out some of my photos while you are there!

Another 1st birthday! Happy Happy to Lexi! | Annapolis, MD birthday photographer

I just wrapped up my first “year in the life” package with some really wonderful clients. It was a great thing to be able to witness the stages a newborn goes through in their first year and even more wonderful that the family was a pleasure to work with and the baby, Lexi, was cute as can be. This final shoot took place on her first birthday.

I am always amazed that in just a short year, the baby goes from a little newborn all curled up in their crib to a babbling little one with a personality. Lexi was just this. Her personality cracks me up! From the little dances she does when music is played on her toys to the shaking of her head and laughing to herself as if someone just told the funniest joke in the world. I just couldn’t get enough of her…and thinking about her silliness made me smile the rest of the day.

We started the shoot with an hour session of just Lexi to document how much she’s changed since the last shoot. Then it was par-tay time! From her first cake eating to decorating cookies to opening presents, Lexi partied like a pro…even missing a nap! It was an awesome afternoon! I can’t wait to begin designing the album from all the shoots this year!

Thanks to Jen and Chad for being so welcoming every time I am in your home. Jen, you did such a fabulous job decorating for the party…I loved the lady bug theme and the red balloons!

Happy First Birthday Ethan! | Annapolis,MD newborn and baby photographer

Aren’t first birthdays the greatest?! I think so! You might remember little Ethan’s newborn shoot that I posted almost a year ago…he was so tiny! Last Saturday I got to go back to Alexandria, VA to follow up with the family and document his first birthday. I showed up before the party because the family chose to do a standard shoot instead of the birthday party shoot. It was a beautiful day along the water in Alexandria as we walked around and looked for some fun places to shoot as well as grab a few candid moments. Ethan was a good sport, thanks to a bowl of Cheerios…I’m starting to think I should always keep a supply of these tasty treats in my bag for those moments when the kid wants nothing to do with sitting still 🙂 Then we went back to the house where I grabbed some beautiful shots in the main bedroom (thanks to the amazing light that was coming in the windows).
Lauren and Brad…thank you so much for having me back! It’s so wonderful to get to follow up after a newborn shoot and see just how quickly these little ones grow! Enjoy your little man!

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Mother’s Day is just around the corner | Annapolis child photographer

Don’t forget about your momma or a soon-to-be momma! Their big day is coming up in May and Freckle Photography is a great place to get that special gift. We have lots of great packages that you could buy a gift certificate for OR if you have recently had a shoot with Freckle Photography, why not buy some prints, a wall canvas or an album. If honor of all the wonderful moms, mention that you are purchasing a gift certificate for Mother’s Day and we will take 15% off all standard packages (normally $250).

4th Birthday Imagination Party|Annapolis, MD Children’s Birthday Photographer

Enjoy these photos from my first ever Imagination Birthday Party. Crystalooney’s Creative Arts provided face painting, story time, lots of glitter and fun for a 4th birthday celebration.

Support you local photographers|newborn, baby, child photography Annapolis ,Maryland

Recently I became aware that a national photography company had signed a contract with our local hospital to provide a photo service to new parents. Basically what they do is have a photographer that is contracted by their company “on call” at the hospital so that when you have your baby, they ask you if you would like to have a photo session and then that photographer does a little photo shoot for you. They say on their website that they use local photographers and that the setting is comfortable. Now, don’t get me wrong…I think this is a great idea to have photographs taken of your newborn. But I have a few gripes with this whole arrangement. After being asked to interview to be one of their photographers, I looked into the company and came up with some conclusions of my own…

So, I want to make a few points why you should support your local photographers who are doing this very thing for their clients on a much more personal level and creating relationships that last a life time instead of some large company who is looking at the quantity over quality aspect of one of the most important moments in your life:

1. The photographers that are hired to do the shoots for the family through this company are not paid for their time, they have to use their own equipment and only make 40% from any items that are sold. This makes me sick as a business owner who has worked so hard to create relationships, build a great business and provide great product to my clients. The amount of money we spend on our equipment and the time it takes to really perfect your style is just looked over here. All this company cares about is selling product.

2. The company says that photos are ready to view  just minutes after your session. This is rushing a craft that should be treated with care. Photography is an art form and to just take a bunch of photos in a mini session and throw them up into a gallery is wrong. All the professionals I know in this business put lots of time and love into editing their photos for their clients, giving them an amazing product that they are proud to call their work.

3. The company says that they provide this service in the comfort of your hospital room. I don’t know about you, but last time I was in a hospital, “comfort” was not the word that came to mind while sitting in a room. I recently shot a birth a local birthing center, which was an amazing experience that I would love to do again. This kind of shoot is for a certain kind of client that wants that documentary experience of the birth of their child. When it comes to a newborn photo shoot with photos that you will want for life, birth announcements and gifts why wouldn’t you take the time and schedule someone to come to the comfort of your own home?

4. There are many different photographers contracted through this company. You never know you will are going to get. It could be an amazing photographer, but it could be someone whose style and vision doesn’t quite fit with yours. Why not do a little research prior to the birth and schedule a local photographer whose work you love and admire?

5.In today’s world of big box companies constantly coming into our towns and taking over all the small businesses that pride themselves on great customer service and quality product, we need to stand up to these big companies who come in and take advantage of the little guys who have put in all the hard work to get where they are.

So, before you give in to the convenience of having a stranger come into your hospital room to photograph you and your bundle of joy, think about the things that I have mentioned.  This is not just in the photography world where this is happening, it’s happening in every industry around us. Take note of your local businesses and support them….you will be so glad you did!

BUY LOCAL!

The smiles never stop | Maryland baby photographer

I spent Sunday afternoon with baby Lexi for her 2nd of 4 shoots as part of the “Baby’s First Year” package. Last time I was there, Lexi was about 3 months old, this time she was 7 months…I was thrilled to see that she was still full of big smiles and sparkling blue eyes. Lexi is such a pleasure to photograph…it’s not often that I get a baby who is happy for the entire hour that I am photographing them!

The weather was so beautiful on Sunday that Jen and I  immediately went outside where her husband Chad and his two twin girls Sara and Kayla were playing ball. Lexi loved watching the two girls throw the ball around but she loved the leaves on the ground even more…which made for some great shots!

Then we moved indoors to the new nursery (they just moved into a new home) where I took advantage of the cool fabrics in Lexi’s crib for some detail shots and then moved on to the “scale” shots to show just how much she has grown…I can’t wait to compare the last shoot with this one!

While Lexi had a little snack, the twins got a quick photo session sitting on their fun bunk beds and playing around with their build-a-bear creations. After that, I grabbed a few quick shots of Chad feed Lexi and then it was time for my favorite outfit that Jen had planned for the shoot…a little pink tutu. There is something so cute about a little one in a tutu…

Jen and Chad thanks again for having me document Lexi’s first year…I’m looking forward to round three!

Enjoy your photos!

a princess who wears sunglasses | Maryland family photographer

One of the packages that I offer is the “Day in the Life” shoot. It’s one of my favorites because I get to spend three whole hours with a family and can take my time documenting them. It’s so fun to get to know a family so well…such was the case this weekend when I got to spend time with Jen & Amy and their adorable little family.  Jen and Amy have an energetic and very silly 3 year old named Gracie and two very cute new additions, a set of 2 1/2 month old twins named Dory and Luke. Needless to say, Jen and Amy have their hands full but I don’t think they ever missed a beat the whole time I was there. For having three kids under age three, I was very impressed as to how smoothly the shoot went. Nice work ladies!

We started the shoot in the downstairs playroom where Gracie entertained me on her new drum set that she just got for her birthday, dressed up in a princess outfit complete with tiara, sunglasses and heels and played with some of her favorite toys. Then we moved upstairs to begin photographing the twins. They were so very cute and had such a cool little bond…one of my favorite shots is of the two of them holding hands…priceless! I spent the next hour bouncing back and forth between the twins nursery and Gracie’s purple room while Amy and Jen remained calm feeding the twins and reading to Gracie. Our last little adventure was a chilly walk down to the playground where Gracie finally got to let out some of her energy and enjoyed running around for a bit. At the end, we took advantage of the beautiful weather (even though it was chilly) and got some nice photos with the fall colors.

Thanks Jen and Amy for inviting me into your home to document your family! You are both so lucky to have such wonderful kiddos! Hope to see you again when the babies get older…I think a first birthday party shoot would be fun! Double the cake, double the mess!

Sunday funday | Philadelphia family photographer

The next day in Philadelphia, I had a meeting with an old friend whose son’s bar mitzvah I will be photographing in February (which I am super excited about). Then it was off to the Art Museum to meet up with my college buddy Adam and his wife Jeanette along with the two kiddos Chase and Kellen. It’s still funny for me to think of my college buddies having kids…I still remember all the crazy antics from Philly U so it’s funny and wonderful in the same breath to see them “all grown up”. Adam makes a wonderful Dad…which I always knew he would be…he comes from a large family and had his fair share of nieces and nephews before having his two kids, so to say he had plenty of practice is an understatement 🙂

The weather was amazing that day…it was actually a bit hot! The sun was shining brightly…which I’m not a big fan of for photo shoots, so I stuggled a bit with the light. We spent just over an hour shooting at the park behind the museum while doing our best to keep the kids happy and entertained.

Then, a short trip over the bridge to NJ to their home in Cherry Hill where I took some more photos of the kids…this time in their world, which they seemed to like alot better 🙂

Adam and Jeanette…it was fun hanging out Sunday-wish we could have had a chance to talk…seems like I got a bit distracted with picture taking that I forgot to socialize! I’ll be back in a month or two, so pencil me in for some hang time!!

Happy First Birthday Emilie | Maryland Birthday Party Photographer

I had the best time last Saturday. I got to hang out with a wonderful family from Ellicott City and take pictures! Lora (the mom) hired me to do some family candids since she is usually the one behind the camera…Lora takes great photos of her kids but there are none with her in them, so I was honored to be chosen to be their photographer for the day. It was a pretty blah day weather wise, lots of rain in the forcast. As I drove to Ellicott City, the rain was coming down in bursts and I was wracking my brain trying to come up with an alternate plan. When I arrived, I checked my radar on my iphone and saw that we had about a 20 minute window of no rain, so we hurried outside across the street where some beautiful trees were showing their best fall colors. The session was very candid….as most sessions with two little ones are…but we made the most of it and I got some really fun shots of the family just having fun together. 3 year old Lily is great in front of the camera…she is so adorable and giggled almost the whole time.  Emilie, who was turning 1 the next day, was such a joker…she has the funniest personality I’ve ever seen someone that young have…I just loved it!

After our quick outdoor adventure, we went inside and took a few more shots and then it was…..BIRTHDAY TIME! Lora and her husband Seth were having a group of friends and family over for Emilie’s 1st Birthday party, which I was also hired to shoot. There is so much cool stuff to write about that I think I will just do a top 10 list of the party, so here it goes.

Top 10 things that rocked at Emilie’s Birthday party:

1. face painter-almost all the kids (and one adult) got their faces painted with bright colors and fun designs
2. amazingly cute kids in attendance-the photos will tell you that!
3. those amazingly cute kids were also VERY well behaved…way to go parents!
4. “Where the Wild Things Are” monster craft station created by Lora
5. Emilie’s “Max” costume that Lora bought on Etsy….so freakin’ adorable!!!
6. PIZZA and more! Seth owns a pizza shop in Ellicott City so they had quite the spread…all the food party foods…wings, pasta, pizza, shrimp…..
7. Lily being an awesome big sister and helping Emilie open her first present
8. A fun “Where the Wild Things are Cake” made by Emilie’s aunt
9. Emilie’s silly cake eating style…at first she wasn’t so into it, but then began smashing her face into the Max cake and licking off the icing….priceless.
10. Lora and Seth…being the awesome parents they are….great job guys!

Thanks Seth and Lora for letting me be a part of the fun and thank you for the food, it was exactly what I needed when I got home!

Enjoy the photos!!

Nice to go home…

It’s always nice when I get to go home to Pennsylvania for a photo shoot. Especially when it’s for an old friend.  Since leaving my hometown in PA 13 years ago, I haven’t seen many of the people that were part of my family’s circle of friends. We’ve kept in touch…thanks to facebook and our parents talking when they see each other around town, but other than that, it’s hard to keep track of everyone back home.

This past weekend I got to spend a Sunday morning with Nicki and her husband Dusty and their two adorable kids Lexi and Mason. I’ve seen photos of the kids as they were growing up, but haven’t had the pleasure of officially meeting them until now. We got super lucky on Sunday as the rain stopped just in time for our hour long shoot outdoors…which was a blessing because the house (her in laws) that Nicki had me meet them at was a perfect setting for a photo shoot…I just wished it was my yard!

Lexi was cute as can be all dressed up and ready to be photographed. Mason was just as cute, but ready to run around the yard and not be photographed…which offered some comic relief to the morning. I couldn’t believe how much Lexi looked like Nicki (who is quite beautiful herself)…she is going to grow up to be quite a stunning woman…watch out Nicki, you’ll have your hands full 🙂

I had so much fun with the kids that I forgot to have an adult conversation with Nicki…this happens when I start shooting…I go into a zone. So, I apologize Nicki for not catching up and visiting a bit more. I hope you guys enjoy your photos! (especially this first one…it really cracks me up!!)

An evening on the beach

Yesterday evening was wonderful….I got to put my toes and the sand and I got photograph some wonderful people.
I met up with Amanda and her sister Sam and Sam’s adorable little girl Emma at my home in Eastport. We took a short little walk over to a great spot right by my house and had a wonderful photo session with some amazing light. Emma was too cute as she ran up and down the dock and played with her new dolphin friend “Daisy” that she got at the Baltimore Aquarium the day before. Sam and Emma were in town from Alabama to visit Amanda who is now living in Annapolis…so they took the opportunity to get some awesome photos taken of the three of them for their mother who lives in their home state of Oregon.  I can’t imagine how hard it is to be so far away from your kids and grandkids, so I am very happy that I was chosen to capture this fun moment in time when all three of them were together.

After a little session at the first spot, we ran back to the house to do a quick change (and visit my turtle Sebastian). When little Emma came out of the bathroom in her next outfit, I immediately thought about Shirley Temple singing “on the good ship, lollipop….”. The girls then informed me that they had both worn that dress when they were her age…very cool!

We took a quick drive a few blocks down the street to another little beach and took a bunch more photos before the sun was setting…it was such a beautiful night.

Thanks girls for a great session and THANK YOU EMMA for being such a GREAT KID!!! 

Enjoy your photos!

Happy Birthday Fionn!

Every once in a while I donate a gift certificate for a photo session with me to a local school for their fundraising silent auction. I always look forward to these shoots because I am so curious who won 🙂 This time was a lovely mom, Gwyneth, from Chesapeake Montessori School in Annapolis. Thanks Gwyneth for bidding on my item!! Glad to be a part of the fundraiser!

I had a super fun time (minus the humidity) on Saturday morning with Zack, his brother Fionn and their cousin Saoirse who was visiting from Ireland. It was Fionn’s 4th birthday that day, so we did an early morning session in their backyard and a local park so that he could have his party later on that day. We had alot of fun running, jumping, feeding the ducks and kicking the soccer ball around a bit.  Gwyneth, you have two beautiful boys and one beautiful niece and it was a pleasure to photograph them! 

I’m sorry, but I had to throw in the last photo for some laughs. I don’t blame Fionn for crying one bit….it’s his party, and he’ll cry if he wants to! 🙂 Again….HAPPY BRITHDAY FIONN…hope you enjoyed your party!!

Happy Birthday Anna!

I have one of the greatest jobs in the world…I get to document awesome moments in other people’s lives…my part time job is a very close runner up…I help teach art at Already Artists in Annapolis and get to watch children create. I couldn’t be happier!

One of our long time students at Already Artists, Anna, just turned 9 years old and I got to go document her ‘Girls Night’ themed birthday party tonight. I have to say…when I walked in the finished basement of her home, I was so impressed (and a bit jealous that I wasn’t 9 again) at what her parents put together for her party. Crystalooney was there to paint some beautiful little faces, there was a make your own t-shirt station, painted frames on the wall where each kid could create their own masterpiece,a karaoke machine, pizza, cookie cake and finally, the showing of “Bolt” on a nice big Tv. Wow were these little girls ever lucky!

Here are some photos of the party!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANNA! THANKS FOR LETTING ME BE A PART OF YOUR SPECIAL DAY!!

Baby Bob!

I just spent an hour this morning with a very cute blue eyed baby named Bob and his mom Emily. The moment I walked in the door, there was Bob sitting on the floor dancing around with a giant smile from ear to ear…it was love at first sight! We did most of the shoot in his room where the window light was great and he had plenty of toys and books around him to keep him entertained. Emily was a great sport during the shoot as she sang songs to him to keep his attention and the smiles coming. It wasn’t until the very end of the hour that Bob started to get fussy…I would too if there was a strange person with a camera in my face for that long 🙂 All he needed was his bottle…which became another great opportunity for me to make some nice photographs.

Bob is 9 months old, I’m starting to realize that this is one of my favorite ages to photograph little ones. They are so curious about the world around them, crawling around, pulling themselves up and discovering…it’s thrilling to witness and to  document!

I realized during the shoot that Bob was a very expressive baby. Not until I got home and looked through the photos did I really understand what a character Bob is…Emily, you and your husband are very lucky parents! Thanks Emily and Bob for putting a smile on my face this morning and probably the rest of the day! Bob’s funny faces and genius hand gestures are great images to have in my head today 🙂 

Have a wonderful trip to PA!

Here’s a little taste of the shoot so you all can enjoy his little personality:

 

Cassidy and Harper

I had the pleasure of photographing my long time friends’ newest addition to their family. Harper is just two weeks old and already looking like her big sister Cassidy. The coolest thing about Harper and Cassidy is that they share the same birthday! Cassidy turned 3 years old the day Harper was born…what a brithday present!

I’ve been friends with Harper and Cassidy’s Dad Jared since elementary school, so it’s so fun watching he and his wife Christine as they grow from three to four! Jared and Christine have been some of the greatest friends to have and I am so happy to have them now living in Annapolis so I can visit their cutie pie kids whenever I want!

We had a nice little photo shoot between naps and feedings the other day. Not having any kids myself, I am always impressed by how a new mother juggles all the daily duties involved with a new baby (and a three year old!) Way to go Christine! 

I’m looking forward to seeing them again very soon and spending some one on one time with Cassidy-she is so full of energy and such a joy to be around!