The Blustery Day

I met this delightful family out at McMenimins in Edgefield. I've been there quite often this year and love the place. I haven't been there at the end of November, though. The leaves were gone from the green "mushroom" tree, the flowers had faded and were trimmed back and the wind was so wicked, I thought it might blow us away!

This family was in such great spirits, they didn't mind having their hair blowing every which way! I had them sitting on wet grass and they look just perfect! The bare "mushroom" tree was actually ideal because the kids were able to climb the branches and hang upside down! We ran all over the place just enjoying every nook and cranny. They had brought a football along and we grabbed some photos of them playing on the sun-streaked green grass. As you can see, they thoroughly enjoy being together. It was such a treat to watch them interact.

When I arrived, I realized that I had forgotten my petticoats, which was a complete tragedy, so we decided that they would come over to my studio for some non-windy shots! The girls are beautiful as well as their gorgeous mother! They were having a lot of fun coming up with different color combinations with my overstocked supply of petticoats! They look completely adorable!

All and all, a completely wonderful time! Here you go "H" family! I had a "blast" with you!

Beautiful Family of Five

This family came to visit me in my studio. They were dressed in black which looked great with my brick wall and green couch! I made them take off their shoes, no big surprise there! We had fun trying out all sorts of poses of their family. I personally love the shot of them all pulling funny faces, but that's is my childish sense of humor talking!

The children were wonderful to work with. One never knows when the older children will want to cooperate, (Heaven knows MY children are horrible for me!) but these kids were wonderful! We played with hats and trucks and a bright red petticoat! The boys both look so handsome and little Miss looks stunning! Her curly golden hair hiding under that purple hat just shines!

As always, I made Mom and Dad make out for me! You know, I have never had a husband refuse to do this difficult task! We were kind of in a hurry at the end because Mom was planning on attending the opening day movie of Twilight with her friends! She'll need to always remember that Twilight came out when these photos were taken!

Here is the "J" family. Thoroughly delightful and a pleasure to work with!

Four Petticoats and a Little Gentleman

This family came to visit me before we had our Photo Experience. When they walked into my home, I was struck by how beautiful they all were! This sweet family has four big sisters and one adorable younger brother. I pulled out my petticoats and they ran to try them on trading with each other to pick their favorite colors. This was one time my overstocked supply of petticoats came in handy!

We met on a cold November morning and went to a park in Ridgefield. The vivid fall colors were fabulous! They were all giggly and completely delightful to work with! They brought two separate outfit themes, one more casual and another more dressy and they looked wonderful in both! I could tell Mom put a lot of thought into what they wore.

I thoroughly enjoyed myself while I was able to work with each individual child. They each had their own distinct personality and I loved being able to capture them! After we had been at it for awhile, our little one had a bit of a melt down. You would never know it from the incredible shots we were able to grab. I just love being able to catch that illusive smile right after the tears! His mommy had him dressed in the most adorable coat and tie! I love the shots of him in the orange leaves.

I also love the shots on that bridge! The vivid color of the wood and the decaying leaves were so picturesque! I especially love the photos of them dressed in the turquoise and brown outfits. The colors just sing! And then there are the incredible shots of the girls in their fluff on the playground bridge. I took way too many of those, but I just loved watching them interact. Mom was below, grabbing their toes and making them giggle!

Here is the "M" family! You are all beautiful and thoroughly delightful!

Uncontrollable Silliness!

I have had the pleasure of photographing these two adorable boys for a few years now. We started with Portrait Parties. Way back then, I was tickled by their reactions to all of my silliness! Whenever I know they are coming over to play, I get butterflies in my stomach. They are definitely a bright spot in my harried world! I absolutely love their mom and dad and so we all have a lot of fun in my studio. Mom is the incredibly talented woman who knits all of my amazing hats and newborn snuggles. She definitely has a gift!

As they are getting older, though, my silliness has had to take on a more sophisticated tone. They no longer giggle at some of my old standbys - rude and unacceptable noises - so I have to get even more creative. As you can see from their photos, they are completely delightful! Mom was expecting a new arrival of a little brother, so we just did a mini session for Christmas photos and made plans to have them all come back with the new little bundle. (I have already seen and photographed this beautiful boy and will be posting his photos soon!)

I love their hats and high tops, but most of all I adore their smiles and their sweet faces! I have become very attached to them and hope to have them over often!

Mom had designed a few Christmas hats so we asked the boys to be the models. They chose many of their own expressions and I'm sure you will agree that they have quite wonderfully playful personalities! I giggled when I took their photos and then again when I worked on them. They definitely made my day!

Here you go "J" family! I love you guys!

Christmas Lights

Here are the wonderful "S" twins again! I was afraid that after they turned one, I may not be able to see them as often, but I was reassured when they came to play for some Christmas Photos! Their parents brought some Christmas Lights and they look so bright and colorful on my black background. Little Miss "K" and little Mr. "W" looked adorable in their plaid outfits and pajamas! They were fascinated by the lights, and tried to eat them on many occasions! They brought the wooden sleigh in which I took their infant photos. I can't believe how fast these little ones grow!

As always, it was a supreme pleasure working with their sweet parents. I have such warm and tender feelings about them as I get to know them more and more. They are gracious, kind and so easy to work with. Photographing twins is definitely not for the faint of heart and we are all sweating profusely when we're done.

I was able to get some photos out to them in time for Christmas but now they can see the rest of them! I'm so mortified that they are getting their Christmas photos in February! I promise that I won't get that bogged down again!

Thank you for your kind patience "R" and "L"! Your little ones are truly precious!

Time for a Visit

I met this lovely family a year ago last summer when their extended family was here for a visit. For those of you who have followed this blog that long, this was the family where they broke into wrestling at the end! The girls joined the big burly guys and I was expecting some blood and tragedy, but they all came out of it quite nicely.

When I got a phone call this summer from this family to come for a visit, I was excited! She was expecting her 2nd child, a little girl, and she wanted some maternity photos as well as family shots and plenty of photos of her darling boy, little "R". She then told me that they were going to be moving to Idaho. I was saddened by the news, but honored that I was going to be able to capture their last memories in their Portland home.

We began with the entire family. It was much too easy to get giggles from "R" and his mom and dad followed right along! They have this tired old dog which just had to be in their photos. He (I think) was slow and half blind, but completely wonderful. I love the shots of them on the stone steps with their faithful companion.

We went inside to take some photos of mom in her beautiful living room. She has the most incredible sofa! I wanted to take it home with me! The photos of her and the "boys" are breath-taking! As I was working on these photos, I had to exclaim out loud with the beauty in front of me. They are so intimate and tender. I felt privileged to be able to capture them.

Dad had to leave, but we were able to grab a few quick head shots for him in his suit. He has such an easy smile and manner. As you can see from the shots of "R" kissing his dad, he is very loved in that home. We then ventured into little "R's" bedroom and played with his amazing collection of Thomas the Tank Engine trains. He was so scrumptious, I just wanted to eat him up!

We ended with a plain black backdrop and two lights. Mom had some beautiful draping fabric which we pinned and played with until she was all tucked in! She is such a stunning woman and just as beautiful while she was expecting. It was dark and quiet and I enjoyed the peacefulness as we worked together to create some artistic poses.

I had a wonderful time, as you can probably guess, and I was so sorry to see them go. I hope they will come back for another visit and bring their new little girl with them!

Here is the "F" family. Thank you for sharing yourselves with me!

A Tutu, A Guitar, and Lots of Laughter!

I had such a delightful time with this family in my studio! Everyone was in great spirits and were incredibly easy to work with. "D" is a complete ham, as you will see in his "George Costanza" pose! I can't take credit for his poses because he thought of those all by himself! I just stood there clicking and laughing. "L" is such a beautiful woman! While I was working on these photos, her hair fascinated me! I'm a little partial to redheads as a rule, but her hair color, blue eyes, and porcelain skin are amazing! When I had "D" and "L" snuggle for their shots, "D" pretty much enjoyed every minute of it! When men come to have their photos taken, they don't expect to have some time making out with their wives, so they are pleasantly surprised when I have them "Go For It"!

When I got brother and sister together, they inevitably began sparring! It was so much fun watching them interact! "D" had his guitar and I got some pretty incredible photos of him - looking like a rock star! He has a winning smile and wonderful eyes. "K" put on a wine-colored tutu and we were able to grab some gorgeous photos of her! She is a talented dancer and I had fun trying out different poses of her. We grabbed some shots at the end with her favorite book and purple lace top. I even played around with one of her photos, so her skin and lips look a little bit like the "Vampire" from the book she loves to read.

Here you go "K" family. I had a wonderful time getting to know you and loved laughing with you!