Alessandra and Family

This extended family of siblings, their spouses, and kids got together during the spring, as many families do, and wanted to capture their time together.  They’re planning to gift the images to their parents. We met at the park and relaxed in the shade of a big tree and captured the love and bonds of this group of brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, and cousins!

Shaina, Seth, Ross, and Ilan are almost 5!

I have known this mama since Elementary School, and she’s been one of my best friends since High School.  We’ve had a lot of fun adventures together through the years, of course pregnancy and parenthood being one.  As she’s due to have this baby any day now, I encouraged her to capture her bump and her last few days as a family of four.  She willingly obliged, and chose to conduct this capture at the carousel as a way to keep her boys engaged.  We also played in the nature at the park, capturing some ‘So You’ moments for this family, and freezing these special moments in time!  I can’t wait to meet your new little bundle of joy!

Family Painting Session at the Beach!

This family is friends with the family who participated in my last paint fight session, and loved the photos so much, they wanted to schedule one of their own.  That’s where the similarities end.  This mom had a beachy vision, and we went back and forth on phone and text as she described how she was mixing paints to create different shades of blue.  I think the colors came out fantastic, and look great in the mason jars so the color can be seen (note:  we figured this was safe because we were on the sand and a dropped bottle would have plenty of cushion, luckily we did not test this theory).  I also love how mom went for a more dressy yet casual styling for the family and wasn’t afraid to get a pretty dress dirty!  I am happy to report that after some scrubbing, the kids’ clothes are paint-free! 

I love a good posed family portrait, but I really love a session with some sort of activity that allows me to capture a family’s interaction, and this one had plenty!  It was especially meaningful for me as a photographer to know that these little beauties model.  They have tons of gorgeous photos, and have worked with many photographers, and chose me for this session.  That was both humbling and motivating, and I did not take lightly the opportunity to work with them to bring out their natural family moments.  It was a pleasure working with you ‘A’ family, and I hope to get you in front of my camera again soon!

Harry Potter Bookstore Session!

I first met the youngest in the group for his Valentine’s day session this past February.  He had brought a Harry Potter broom with him, and his mom and I got to talking about how he and his other siblings are huge Harry Potter fans, and wouldn’t it be fun to do a Harry Potter themed session.  Yesterday, we brought that vision to life.  I recently discovered the Second Edition Book Shop, which has been named multiple times as the best in our county, and have been waiting for the perfect book-loving family to photograph here.  Thank you so much to Danielle for sharing your lovely space with us, and we were so excited to have The Great Catsby (who bears a striking resemblance to Hermione’s cat Crookshanks) join us for our first shot!

Based on this inspiring session, the kids started off in their regular clothes, hanging out and reading Harry Potter books.  They climbed the ladder to get their Olivander’s wands, and then it was like their imaginations came to life, as they donned their Hogwarts cloaks in the bookstore, and then in the woods.  They cast a spell on Scabbers the rat, hung out with Hedwig the owl, Fawkes the Phoenix, and Norbert the dragon, reached for the golden snitch, and made their Firebolt rise “up”. I’m typically not one for Photoshop, but the eldest sister and I set up some great action shots that demanded it, so I obliged and was able to arrange a chase by a Hungarian Horntail dragon, a mermaid in the lake, and a meeting with Buckbeak the Hippogriff.  We all had a great time.  Who wants to bring their favorite literary characters to life next?!  I’d love to do this again!