Yes, usually my blog post for a session occurs [way too many] months after the actual session.  But in an attempt to get things back on track,  I am going to try to start blogging each session RIGHT after I finish editing the session.  So my blogging is definitely not going to be in chronological order of sessions.  Oh well, I guess it is my blog and I can make my own rules!  Right?

This family is originally from the Oil City area, but now live in Pittsburgh.  They still have a cottage by the river though and they really wanted to get some fun family photos in a place that has lots of meaning to them.  And, interestingly enough, not only do they love this area because of their river cottage, but also because it was where they got married!!!!  How sweet is that?????

We had to reschedule this session due to weather, and BOY did we luck out with a new date!  It was a gorgeous Sunday morning.  Not to hot, not too cold, JUST right.

This family really wanted lots of fun and candid shots.  And we got LOTS.  In fact, I had so many fun shots I really had a hard time narrowing my final picks down.  I ended up with a few more than usual!

Here are some of my [many]  favorites of the day.  What an amazingly cute family!!!!  So sweet, and I loved them with all their very different personalities – from the beautiful teenager, the cute and oh-so-sweet pre-teen, the rough-housing boy and the crazy and adorable ” baby” sister!  I know sometimes mom and dad get frustrated when the kids don’t seem to be cooperating, but to be honest, I love when I can capture photos that capture exactly who the kids are right now.  No worries!

Now, onto the photos!!!!!

Thank you all so much!!!!  It was SUCH a pleasure spending a Sunday morning with you all!!!!

Until next time!!!  XOXOXO!!!!

All of Meredith’s family was so kind and fun to work with. I took photos all throughout their home – including the bathroom! -  and we ended the session with some photos at a nearby park.

Here are just a few of my favorites – it was so hard to choose!!!!  I just loved them all!!!!!

Thank you all so much!  It was such a pleasure working with you!!!!

What a wonderful month of April it was.  Well, yes, other than the fact that it rained about 99.99% of the month.  And the fact that many of us were considering stocking up on supplies to start building our arks.  But as they say “April showers bring May flowers”.  And the rain finally did stop and wasn’t May really was an insanely gorgeous month?  My flowers never looked more amazing than they did this season.

This April was also the first time I offered “Mommy and Me” mini sessions.  I know, as a mom, how few pictures I am actually in.  So, in honor of the upcoming Mother’s Day, and in an attempt to encourage more moms to stop making excuses and jump in FRONT of the camera for a change, I set up a day dedicated just to moms and their little (or bigger!) ones.

I was a little nervous after I scheduled the day, as the weather was just so cold and rainy all month and I thought for sure we would be rained out.  And due to a few scheduling difficulties, I ended up scheduling the mini sessions on four separate days.  Interestingly enough…..those four separate days of sessions all ended up being during the few short hours of beautiful weather we actually had in April!!!!  Coincidence?   I would like to think it was the “luck of Irene”, but most likely not.

I had such a great time with all the moms and their little ones.  I had some moms with little ones, some with bigger ones and even one group with 3 generations of moms!!!  I enjoyed meeting everyone and loved all the amazing “mommy and me” moments that I was able to capture.  Now I need to heed my own advice get out from behind my camera!!

Onto some of the many beautiful pictures!!!!

Thank you all so much!!!!!  And yes, I will (God willing) be doing this again next year!

**** 5.10.11 update:  I had such a wonderful time during my Mommy and Me sessions that I am extending this offer for a limited time.   The sessions will be held at Hasson Park, but will be scheduled individually.

If you are interested in scheduling a session with your kiddos (or maybe still looking for a belated Mother’s Day gift for that special mom (or wife) in your life?) – then please contact me soon!

I have been thinking about doing some type of spring mini session for a while.  But, to be honest, the typical spring/Easter sessions with bunnies and chicks are just not my style.  I much prefer natural surroundings, beautiful moments and honest smiles.

So, as I hemmed and hawed over what I should do, I read, yet another, article about how important it is for YOU (as a parent, grandparent) to get in more photos with your children (and grandchildren).   So many moms don’t want to be in photos because they aren’t thrilled with the way [they think] they look.  They think they need to lose weight, get in shape, change their hair.  Or they claim “I take horrible photos!”.

What we neglect to take into consideration is that our kids love us completely unconditionally.  And when we are gone, our children and grandchildren are going to treasure those photos.  Yes, they will also love the photos of themselves as they were children, but don’t we all just love seeing photos of ourselves as kids (or even adults) WITH our parents???  And do we look at those photos and think, I wish mom wasn’t in the photo because she needed to lose weight?  Absolutely NOT.

So, in honor of Mother’s Day, and in an effort to encourage ALL moms (or grandmothers) to stop worrying about whether they look good in photos and to get in front of the camera  – I am offering “Mommy and Me Mini Sessions!”

I really would be honored for an opportunity to capture some cherished moments with your family, FOR your family.   Trust me, they will thank you.

Sessions will start at 9:00 A.M.  I will plan on Sunday, May 1st for a rain date.  And, if that doesn’t work, I will be rescheduling for the following weekend.    Payment is required to reserve your session and is non-refundable.  If we have to cancel, I will work with all families to reschedule.  A complete price list is available upon request.

And, to show you just how sweet those “Mommy and Me” moments can be….

Me and one of my own munchkins – sweet Caroline. I am not good at practicing what I preach so I am in only a handful of [my thousands of] photos.  Largely because no one else really knows how to use my camera.  But I used my self timer one evening and I love this photo.  I even blew it up big and put it on my wall. All my kids just LOVE this picture.  Although my oldest said “you look so young in that photo”.  And I am not sure if that means I usually look old….hmmmmm.

And a couple photos from past sessions:

Please contact me to reserve your session!!!!

I met the “F” family for an early fall family photo shoot.  The F family has a darling three year old girl who is full of life.  They wanted a whole medley of photos – from photos of their little girl, to photos of the family having fun, and then just some sweet photos of mom and dad.

We couldn’t have asked for a more perfect afternoon – warm and sunny, beautiful fall colors and a very sweet and enjoyable family.  I absolutely love when I can capture the honest moments between loved ones.  And this wonderful family gave me many moments to capture.   They were SO much fun!!!!  I just love my job!

On to the photos!!!

I just love this set of photos!!!   Beautiful light, beautiful colors, beautiful moments!!!!!!

And a storyboard that pretty much summed up this family and this session!

Thank you all so much.  It was such a honor to spend the afternoon with you all!!!

This year, Anna wanted to get family photos for her mom for mother’s day.  So I went back to their absolutely gorgeous home and we spent an hour or so getting some sweet family photos using the many beautiful backdrops around their home.   This first photo is probably my favorite – mom and dad holding hands, their three kids by their side and their fabulous backyard vista behind them!!  Perfect!!!!!

It was such a pleasure to work with this family again!  Thank you all SO much!!!!!

First my husband went out of town for a few days.  I hate when he is gone.  It is really hard being on your own with 3 little kids, one of which is very special needs.  I get very little time to myself. Luckily, as my kids get a bit older, it also gets a bit easier.  But we are all very happy to have him home again.

Second, I got sick.  Not flu bug/cold/infection sick, but weird, scary, “something is NOT right” sick.  Luckily I followed my gut and went to the ER.  And I was right, my iron was scarily low.  So [after a blood transfusion or two] I am popping iron pills, eating anything and everything that contains iron, and I am feeling better.  It will be a while before I am back to normal, but I am just THRILLED to be feeling close to normal.  I do have to say, when a mom gets really sick, it can really mess up the family.  And everyone is extremely happy that mom is on the mend.

Isn’t it funny how a health scare can really make you appreciate what you have?  

So onto the “C” family!

The “C” family has been a  friend of my husband’s for years.  Both guys swam on his swim team and now the older one is helping him coach.  They are a really fun group and I was so excited when they asked me to take family photos this winter. 

Yes, this WINTER.  These photos, as you can see, are a bit late in coming….

It was a snowy day, and we weren’t sure if the shoot would even take place, but the snow was light and oh-so-pretty so we went ahead.  I love snowy portraits.  As I have said before, the colors of the clothes just pop out of the white snowy backdrop.

Anyway, the “C” family are hilarious and so much fun to work with.   I really had a blast!  And I think the photos turned out pretty nice too!

And the eldest Mr. “C” with his gorgeous bride-to-be.  Yes, their family will be getting a bit bigger this year! 

Thank you all so much!!!!!! 

The ‘S’ family may look familiar to some because this was our second shoot. I originally took photos for the ‘S’ family Christmas card  a little over a year or so ago, when their little munchkin had just turned one.

Well now little miss munchkin is 2, and they wanted to get some more family photos. Our first session was bitterly cold and snowy. The second session was just a bit nicer – an absolutely gorgeous fall evening! The only “little” problem to this otherwise perfect session was that we met at a local park with a playground and, as expected, little miss munchkin had absolutely NO patience for us adults and was way more interested in the “play” portion of the evening. And, hey, I don’t blame her one tiny bit!

Luckily, with a fast camera and a faster shutter speed, I was still able to get some nice shots. I personally love these types of shoots. It is challenging, but capturing those perfect moments between a family and seeing those unique personalities are worth ALL the work.   And these genuine toddler smiles and giggles?  Absolutely priceless!!!!

Thank you all so much!  It was really fun working with you all again!

I met the “D” family on a very cold Sunday morning at a local park.  It snowed quite a bit the day before and the temps were in the teens, but the scene was oh-so- beautiful!

The ‘D’ family wanted photos of their little one and his two older cousins.  They were such a nice family and, for being so cold that morning, I was amazed at how sweet and accomodating the kids were! 

The only problem that morning was my camera started acting goofy!  It seemed to “freeze up” (no pun intended!).  I think it was the cold though, since it has been fine since then.  But I felt SO bad making the kids wait while my camera ”caught up” and was ready for the next shot!

So – on to the photos!

Thank you all so much!!!!

But all three happily trounced through the park allowing me to capture some of my favorite pictures to date.  The love and the sweetness in this family is so apparent, I was so happy to be chosen to capture it! 

 The smiles, laughs and kisses were so genuine and so sweet!  And those are always my absolute favorite types of photos!

Thank you all so much!!!