I met up with these two guys recently for a day in the park and they were little balls of energy! A quick preview:

Yesterday afternoon I got to hang out with little Dylan and his mommy again. I hadn’t seen them since our Newborn and Maternity sessions this last winter, and Dylan has grown so much (check out those cheeks!)…He’s turned into such a jolly little guy and it was fun to hang out and play for the afternoon. A few of my faves:

Photoshoots can be such hard work…

My favorite shot of the day:

This week I had my last photoshoot with little Ella, who just celebrated her 1st birthday. Over the past year, I’ve worked with Ella three times - at 6, 9, and 12 months - and I’m amazed by how much she has grown and changed since her first session last May. It seems that things change so quickly in those first months of a baby’s life and photographs can be such a great way to capture and relive moments that might otherwise be very fleeting.

Inspired by the time I’ve spent with Ella, I am introducing a special package in 2008 for new parents that will include several sessions spread out over baby’s first year, with images bound into a beautiful keepsake album. More info on this will be coming soon!

In the meantime, here are a few of my favorite shots from this past year:
(Click on image to view full size)

I find myself thinking often about what makes a great photograph - the right light, the perfect setting, an engaging subject….these things all seem to play an important role, but there is a certain unexplainable quality about an image that can draw you in and make you wonder about the people or places that are in it.

What is it that draws us to a particular photograph?

For me, it’s the ability to see and feel an honest moment. As a portrait photographer, these are the moments when the distance between you and your subject disappears and their true nature comes out…when the camera disappears, even for a moment, and you glimpse the true essence of who someone is.

This is something that happens most often when working with young children. It seems to be a mixture of that fact that they haven’t yet learned to be self-concious in front of the camera and their intense need to explore the many exciting things the world has to offer - the photographer in front of them being just another in a long list of curiousities. This can lead to very candid and unexpected images.

For these reasons, I love working with children. Through casual and playful sessions, I try to capture a piece of the messy, energetic, unpredictable and mysterious adventure that is childhood. No bright flashing lights, fake backgrounds and satin bows allowed. By working with children in their own element and getting down to their level (so to speak), I try to make them feel a part of the process and create beautiful images that will remind those that love them of that special time in their life for years to come.

As I’ve begun to book more children’s sessions over the coming months, I’ve also updated the children’s gallery on the website with some of my favorite images from past sessions. Please take a moment to check it out here.

And if you feel like it, leave me your thoughts - what is it that draws you to a particular photograph?

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Children’s Portrait Session
$250 / Includes on-location session and your proofs set in a beautiful cloth album.
Gift Certificates available for the holidays.

Please contact me for more information or to reserve your session.

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This is Claire and she’s two. We chatted for a bit on the walk home the other day while she was fixing her bike.

Couldn’t resist posting this shot from Phil and Jamie’s rehearsal the night before the wedding - love the opposite expressions on each of the girl’s faces…

The flowergirls from last Sunday’s wedding were so adorable that I couldn’t resist posting a couple more shots…

At the rehearsal dinner the night before the wedding:

An older one, but a favorite…

Yesterday I took photos of beautiful little Ella who just turned six months old. To chronicle her first year in photographs, she wll be having her picture taken again at 9 and 12 months. Ella was a great sport and a natural in front of the camera. I can’t wait to see her in three months.