Meet Emery Grace {sneak peek}

This sweet little peanut was such a good sport this morning!  A sleepy baby is a bit easier to photograph at this age, but she was determined to stay up and take in all the action :-)  She's just 12 days old today - isn't she gorgeous?

I had a little helper during this shoot - Emery's big sister. I'll bet you can't guess how old she is ;-)

Portrait Painting

Oh boy, I've found a new obsession!  I recently captured this portrait of a beautiful little 6 month old little girl:

Today, I gave it a painted look, and it just took on a whole new life!  I can just see this printed up on a 16x20" canvas:

Addie {6 months}

Do you remember little Miss Addison?  I've had the honor of photographing her since she was just a couple of weeks old.

It was easy to see that she'd  be a beauty from day one.  And then, at 3 months, she wowed me with her sparkly eyed smile.  But now...oh, NOW...she's chatting at sitting up and being all sort of little-lady-ish.  What a doll!

I can't wait to see you in another few months, Addie!

Summer

Oh, Baby!

I mean, really.  Can a little girl get cuter?!

B&W Mini-Shoot

I did a shoot yesterday with a simple black background. When I was done, the kiddos had fun taking turns on the stool. What fun! (gotta get my boys up next)

Precious Addison {Sneak Peek}

Oh.

I can hardly stand to even look at these amazing photos! They tug at my heartstrings so....it's almost painful! Have you ever seen anything so beautiful? Just look at those lips!

I was blessed with the opportunity to photography beautiful little Addie. She's an adored (and rightly so) first child. How do I know she's adored? I offered many times to just take her home with me, but they were adamant...they're keeping her. Hey, it doesn't hurt to ask ;-)

That, and the look on this beautiful mama's face. Can you just see it in her eyes? Joy - peace - contentment...adoration.

(I also got some sweet shots of Addison's Daddy holding her, but he struck me as a fairly private man, so I'm reserving the shots with him for their private gallery. Sorry! Trust me....his eyes...they melt when they gaze on his baby girl.)

I had fun playing with various finishes on this next shot - I settled on this "aged photo" look. It's so soft and sweet. It seems a perfect compliment to how sentimental this shot is. Addie is resting on a blanket that was her Daddy's blanket when he was a child, and she's covered with a gorgeous blanket knitted just for her by her grandma.

And finally, the toes. It's so amazing how uniquely expressive a baby's hands and feet are. I love 'em.

Thank you, wonderful and beautiful family! I loved spending time with you and snuggling your sweet little blessing. Stay tuned - I'll get your full gallery up in about a week.

Baby Fever {Sneak Peek}

I did a photo shoot yesterday with one of the sweetest and most beautiful families I've ever met! I knew it was going to be fun, when I was met at the door by these amazing little eyes:

I wasn't mistaken either - walking in to their gorgeous home made me feel as if I was stepping into the studio of my dreams with it's rich colors, fun patterns and accessories, and loads of natural light (when I build my first studio, I'm totally calling you Jessica...for your help and a list of stores where you shop!). I said a quiet prayer of thanks as I looked around.

The home was beautiful and peaceful, which was a perfect reflection of the amazing family who lives there:

This little angel stole my heart with his tiny fingers and perfect mouth. He was such a good sport to model so sweetly for me.

As I processed this shot, I just kept thinking "texture". I love the smooth clean and

crisp lines of the un-textured piece, but how cool does this texture look?! :

Thank you for your patience and for blessing me with your business, wonderful family!

Stay tuned for the rest of your gallery in the next week or so.

:: Miss Emma ::

Take one beautiful little girl, a handful of adorable clothes, a pinch of a fun location, and add a photographer who feels so blessed. What do you get? Well, see for yourself...

I just love the sweet far-away look she has in this one:

Oh boy, can you believe how CUTE this outfit is? As you can see, I had fun playing with different finishes with her photos.

As you probably know by now, I can't resist getting creative with great photos. I love this collage. I can just see it in a big 30x30 canvas!

As we were shooting, we saw plenty of wonderful little girl spunk. Her mom mentioned doing a "naughty & nice" Christmas card...what a perfect use for silly faces! I loved designing this card for her. She ordered it in a gorgeous, rich pearl finish. It turned out amazing!

(I think you can click on the image to see it larger)

Country Kids

Well, howdy pardner!

Are these some of the most beautiful kids on the planet, or what?!

Beautiful Red-Headed Babies

Remember this wonderful family? Well, don't they just have the most beautiful babies ever?! I think so :-)

First Comes Love, Then Comes Marriage...{Sneak Peek}

I had the time of my life shooting this beautiful little family this past weekend. The good times started when this sweet family stepped out of their car and I saw all these gorgeous sparking eyes, red heads, and adorable clothes (not to mention those delicious baby cheeks!).

They were all such great sports. Patient, cheerful...just good kids all around!

We took lots and lots of pictures (more to come shortly), but some of my personal favorites were those of the parents together.

Is it me, or does it seem like you can almost read this man's mind in this shot? I look at those eyes and I hear "I am crazy in love with this woman."

They are a beautiful couple...and not just on the outside. Being around them made me feel like going home and squeezing my hubby ♥.

Thank you, wonderful and beautiful family! I can't wait to show you more...

Brothers {Sneak Peek}

Sometimes, when I look into a little boy's eyes, I just see the future.  Boys can be so rough and tumble...dirty and rambunctious...goofy and fun.  And then they *pause* for just a second, look me in the eye and I see a flash of what's to come.  I see the young man in him for just a moment, and I think "Wow, little man.  The whole future

 is yours.  Go big."

That's the moment I try to capture with my camera.  Document the little boy that he is today...but grab that LOOK.  The look of peace and contentment and quiet strength that's buried way down deep in a well-loved boy's soul.  

I had the [FUN] privilege of playing with these little boys a few days ago.  We ran around and jumped and threw leaves and sang songs.  And somehow in there...we got some great pictures too :-)

There's Nothing Much Better...

...Than watching your joyful little girl playing in the crisp fall leaves.  Life is sweet.

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down

from the Father of the heavenly lights, who

does not change like shifting shadows.

James 1:17

My Favorite Military Family

I had the wonderful experience of taking family portraits for this family a couple of weeks ago. Remember their sneak peek?

Well, I finally made my way through the rest of their shots, and got their gallery up. It's always such a relief when the client tells me that they love what we captured. I wonder if I'll ever be 100% confident in my abilities to do this? :-)

Before we met, I had a vision for a shot I wanted to do of their family. Dad is often off fighting for our country, and I wanted to take a shot that represented what he does and what this family is about. I took this shot (top shot in the following collage)...Dad in uniform, Mom and kids playing together, Dad standing off to the side and out of focus...sort of a "there but not there" feel to it.

And then I snapped a shot of the kids doing a spontaneous pledge to our flag, and this collage was born (the flag in the background is the flag in the park that day):

We had lots of romp-around fun and silliness in the park with these boys. What great little buddies they are!

Clara Rose

Baby Daniel

s it just me, or do these photos almost enable you to smell this little angel's sweet head...to feel his soft cheek against yours...to hear his soft "cooo" when he smiles? (or do I have a serious case of baby fever?)