First I have to say “hello” again as for about the last month this blog has been MIA.  You may have noticed some dead links if you happened upon me in a search or through Facebook…  Something went crazy with a WordPress update and next thing I know I deleted my database and all my posts were gone!  (That’s what I get for messing around with things I don’t understand!)  I had just about given up hope that it was ever going to come back when I found some advice on the Googles and I contacted my domain hosting company…  and Ta-Da!!   I’m back in business!  Lessons I learned — don’t be quick to update WordPress and figure out how to back this thing up!

So now that I’m live again we have to celebrate with a blog post!  I thought I’d pull another one of my fall mini-sessions from the archives.  This adorable family had some fun wandering around Lancaster County Park and the girls loved playing in the leaves!

I think this is one of my favorite family shots from the session.  This was actually mom’s idea.  In our email conversations prior to the session she told me she envisioned some photos of them casually walking with the sun shining through the trees…  I think we pulled it off!

These two young ladies were a joy to work with.  They were a little unsure at first, but warmed up quickly and we strutting their stuff in a matter of minutes!  Here they are being “sassy”!

You have to follow a sassy shot with a lovey, sister shot!  Doesn’t this just melt your heart! 

Of course mom and dad have to strut their stuff a little too!

Another great family shot!  Fall is such a pretty time for photos-the colors are amazing!

What a beautiful family and a fun session!  I hope to do it again this fall!

Super behind in the blogging (as usual)…  so I’m going to try and do a little catch up!

Back in October (yes, October) I had my second annual mini-session marathon.  I might continue this so keep your eyes posted come fall for this year’s location and details.  I did a couple family sessions, including these awesome people.

A little sales pitch!  Once you find a photographer you like, or shall I say that your kiddos like, then it’s important to to work with them year after year.  Children usually need time to warm up to strangers, especially in a situation where they are being told to stand still and smile on command.  If you stick with your photographer (assuming the first session went okay) each year it’ll get a little easier for your children and sessions will be less stressful for mom and dad and result in even better photos.  I’ve been told by most of my clients with children that they loved working with me, and the photos usually reflect that.

The goal to working with children is to be flexible and willing to let them be children!

Sure, mom had no intention of actually purchasing this shot, but they were thrilled that I let them do what they wanted for a few photos, makes them more willing to do what I want for a few more.

So, back to the little ladies and how they’ve grown  (mom will probably love this!)  The photo below is from our session 2009…

and from 2011…

If this doesn’t show you why you should have photos taken of your little ones regularly, then I have no idea what will!  Two years – what a difference!

This one just blows me away!  Two years ago (even last year) I had a hard time getting her to tolerate me for solo shots…  this year I could have worked with her all afternoon!

I’m sure we’ll be back later this year with more fun with Carrie and her little ladies!

This post is way over due, but I guess it’s better late then never!  This young man has already graduated high school and is enjoying his summer.  Granted, we did get together in April to capture these shots, so he was still a senior at the time!  No he’s officially a college freshman!

We spent some time wandering around his property, which was great!  I love when a client has somewhere different and fun to shoot!  I’m always open to their suggestions!

If there is a little more to the location, it’s fun to bring that into the background!  Who doesn’t love a red barn!

If you’re local, you might recognize Ben.  He’s done some pretty amazing things in his young years!  Apparently the jacket he’s wearing in this next shot is pretty hard to get!  I should have took notes on everything he’s accomplished – very impressive!

The other nice thing about shooting at your house is the ability to convince the rest of your family to gather for updated family shots.  My sessions can be pretty flexible, allowing for the addition of props or other people!  Ben’s family took advantage of the opportunity to grab a few shots together.

I thought it was awesome that they all wore their Caltech gear!  Such a great family shot to reflect this important time in their lives!  Their oldest is about to head to college and they couldn’t be prouder!  Love it!

These shots are also from my mini-session marathon a few weekends ago.  I’m posting these a little out of order because I wanted to start with some of the Halloween images before Christmas rolls around!  (and yes I know I have to get caught up!)

Two of my sessions included halloween costumes and I loved them both!  I was so glad they decided to bring them along because I think they resulted in some extra special images for the time of year.

You might remember Kayden and Kendal from previous posts as the Vest Family has graced the pages of my blog a few times!  It’s clients like them that have helped me become what I am today and what I will become in the years to come.

Of course we got a few classic family shots to update the walls before I spent some times with the girls.  Here are a few of my favorites.

Carrie is a huge fan of black & white so when I was processing I made sure to include b&w previews as well!  I believe this is one of her favorites  as well!

I love the more “casual” feel of this one.

Mom and dad took center stage for a few before the focus shifted to the girls!  Love it!

These rank amongst my favorites from the session, only because they capture the pure innocence of the girls.  It’s funny how something as simple as sticking out your tongue can results in some great reactions.

Okay, now to the real “fun”!!  A quick change and we now have Miss Kendal as a Cowgirl!

Then there’s Kayden as a kitty-cat!  Meow!

A few more random shots from the session.

Some people just can’t pull off a “serious” expression – and some…  well…  little kids and serious just don’t always work the way you’d like them to, but it’s fun to try!  This photo still cracks me up every time I look at it!  Kendal’s expression (right) kills me!  I love her serious look!

Sisters!

For those of you who don’t know – I’m currently expecting my first child.  Carrie is about as excited for the arrival of “Little D” as my mother is.  She wouldn’t leave without turning the camera on me!  It’s not very often you see the photographer on their own blog – but today you’re about to get a special treat!  Just shy of 6 months pregnant in the following photo – and one of the only photos of me thus far!  Thank you Carrie for making me pose for this and for snapping a copy with my camera as well!

I’m sure we’ll be seeing this family again in the future!  Thank you all again for allowing me to be your favorite “picture-taker”!

The Hazell family is a new client and I’m excited to think they may become repeat clients!  I love to hear my clients are thrilled with their photos, especially when there are children involved.  I recently read something on another blog about the 4 things your photographer is…  and the top two were exactly what I want my clients to understand (and I hope Mr. & Mrs. Hazell don’t mind me using their session as an example):

4 Things Your Photographer IS…

1. A Parent
Every single family photographer I know is a parent. This means we are used to the hissy fits, the tragic meltdowns and the oil-to-water like aversion your toddler has to the camera. Every time I get an uncooperative toddler the parents apologize profusely for their behavior. Don’t sweat it! It makes me feel better that my kids aren’t the only ones that think standing still for 3 seconds is akin to getting your limbs ripped off. One simple apology will do just fine.

2. Patient
Sometimes it takes 10 minutes of running around, dancing like a fool, making silly noises, and talking about crazy monkeys just to get ONE good shot. Don’t bother demanding your child to sit and smile because as I’m sure every parent knows, the harder you push a toddler, the harder they push back. And an irritated toddler doesn’t give good smiles!

Okay… I’m not 100% a parent (yet, that’s coming in February!) but I do have a background in education and I know how kids (and sometimes adults) can be.  Sure, they may not always be willing to cooperate 100%, but as long as you understand that I’m going to do the best I can to get whatever comes close to a smile and just relax we’ll be okay!  I promise we’ll capture some of the good in your unruly kiddos!

Photo proof number 1:

Now you’re probably thinking… okay – what’s the big deal?  Cute family, right?  Well – this was by no means shot number 1, nor an easy shot to get.  I’ll just say one of the four was really unwilling to smile for me, no matter what the bribe was!  A quick shutter-finger and the willingness by your photographer to just go with the flow, build poses around whatever makes someone the happiest will go a long way!  It may be 1 in 25 shots the results in four lovely smiles, but you only need one and the digital world allows us the ability to snap 24 throw-away shots for that single moment in time!

Patient is one thing my clients know I have.  Wether it’s changing clothes, running a little late, or bringing animals into the photos, I’m willing to give your group the focus needed to get the results.  As number two abouve says, silly noises, crazy monkeys or in the case of the Hazell family we had our “special words”… which changed a few times, but if saying idiot makes a kid smile – I’m all for it!

If you’d like to read the remaing two things your photographer is and the four things they are not, feel free to explore this link: http://www.clickinmoms.com/blog/?p=1044, otherwise, keep on scrolling for more  Hazell fun!

Okay – here are a few more of my favorites from the session.

Love families in black and white!

In the mix of everything there’s always time for your pose ideas.  Singles, small groupings, anything you can think of we can work into the mix!  How about just mom with the kids?  Sure!

Of course we have to do Dad too!

And you can’t forget a special moment with just Mom and Dad!

A huge thank you to the Hazell family for allowing me the opportunity to update your family photos!  Maybe we can do it again sooner than later!  It was a pleasure meeting each of you and working together to capture these moments of your life together.  I wish you all a great fall and a wonderful holiday season!

I had the honor of doing a family portrait session for some of my own family. You are about to meet Jared’s (my hubby) Aunt Lynn, Uncle John, Cousins Whiteny and Jayne and the newest additions to the family, Kyle (Jayne’s husband) and Anderson John or as we all know him, AJ. Kyle married Jayne and they just welcomed AJ to the family in August.

Here’s everone, all smiles!

Can you figure out who is who? No? Let me help you out a little… this is AJ

I actually captured this shot after we finished up and AJ was packed up and ready to go. He was having a blast playing with Jared. Okay, now here you have one very proud Aunt Whitney — that’s AJ’s Aunt and our Cousin.

AJ seems pretty proud too! He was all smiles when Whitney was holding him – I think he likes her!

We can’t forget the most important — the proud Grandparents (our Aunt and Uncle) Lynn and John. AJ is their first grandchild and you can only imagine how happy they were to have AJ around for the holiday.

Again AJ smiled for us. Not too bad for four months old! I think he has a future in pictures!

The proudest of the bunch would have to be mommy and daddy, Kyle and Jayne.

Way to go guys! AJ is precious and you are all adorable together!

Okay, here’s a few of the star of the show — Anderson John… enjoy some pure baby fun!

Thanks again to everyone for allowing me the opportunity to capture such an important time together. I hope these photos bring many happy memories! Love you all!

Yes, it’s been forever since my last post…  I’ve been working on some random things here and there, most of which will make an appearance on the blog soon.

Many of you may remember Nicole, she’s graced the pages of my blog a few times!  Well, her mom was excited to bring the four generations of her family together for an updated family shot.  I packed up my gear and headed to Mount Joy to meet the crew.  It was a lot of fun!  From the youngest great-granddaughter to great-grandmother herself there were a lot of laughs and smiles to go around.  Here are just a few of my favorites.

Here’s the whole crew

Okay, Just the boys

Now all the “Kids”

 And one more…

Thank you for the opportunity to work with everyone!  I had a blast and maybe we can do it again sometime! 

For my loyal followers, stay tuned…  there’s more fun with Nicole, some dresses and the beach - in the future…

Sunday I had the pleasure of working with some friends of ours. Matt, Jen and baby Cooper. Cooper is 6 months old and growing fast! It wasn’t too long ago Jared and I were in visiting and holding the newborn! Jen was up for some family shots and some shots of Cooper just enjoying himself. Cooper is an awesome kid… or Matt is a really good clown… Needless to say, solo shots of Cooper were not a problem as long as Matt was behind me doing what daddys do best!

Here are a few of my favorites. First some family shots…

Daddy and Me…

Mommy and Me…

Now a few of just Cooper… What a cutie!

Thanks guys for the opportunity to work with Cooper… I hope we get to do it again soon!