An American Girl Adventure!

Over the river and through the woods to Chicago we went!  Okay so actually it was more like over some frozen highways, through a blizzard, and to the American Girl doll store we went.  All for our little love.  She really wanted an American Girl doll and, since she's been especially good lately (gee, I wonder why...), we decided to go on a short family getaway weekend trip.

Of course, on the way to any other trip, we would stop a zillion times for potty breaks and snacks.  Not this trip.  She didn't want us to even stop for lunch!  For lunch!  Seriously.  So, we made one very quick pit stop and did not pass go or collect $200 on our way to the store.  But we did stop for a quick picture with Daddy and she actually managed to give me a real smile before pleading with me to move faster down the street!

"Stop taking pictures, and COME ON, MOM!!!"

Forced to take a picture at the top of the escalator, since I refused to take the stairs two at a time.  See the fists?  Those are shopping fists.

Getting her picture taken with Julie, our new "family member" as she put it.  I'm not sure I was supposed to take this picture, but the door was cracked open and I couldn't resist.

After her picture was taken, it was plastered on the screens for everyone in the store to see.  She was so proud and felt like a super star.

Showing off her magazine.  "I'm on the cover, Mom!  The cover!!!"

After American Girl, we saw the sights of Chicago, despite the snow storm.  We walked a lot and visited both the aquarium and museum.  

Why the face in this next photo?  Because Daddy is explaining just how big the dinosaur is and I'm sure also making up some story about how they eat little girls.  Thanks, Dad...

Engaged!!!

Well if these two aren't the "perfect picture" of happiness, I don't know what is!  Happiness just radiated from them and yes, they had the most behaved and poised dog I've ever worked with.  I am so happy for these two, who I met in 2012 when I photographed his sister's wedding.  They are so sweet and I wish them a lifetime of happiness!

So, let's start with the photo that had me actually saying "yowza!" out loud, when I first dumped these onto my computer.  Say it with me - yowza!  Yup - that's passionate love!

Like I said, their dog made his way into just about every photo he could...he was quite a ham!

This next one is I think my favorite...hard to pick, but I think this one is it.  She's so stunning, he's incredibly devoted, and their dog could star in movies.  I think this photo sums up this family.

I shot this a few different ways - alternating between making them the feature and making the dog the star.  Ultimately, I think all three of them shine in this one, despite the focus on the dog.

Yep - he really is that adorable in person, too!

Did I mention the bridge kiss?  No?  Well check it out - did they rock it or what????

Last, but not least, a quiet moment.

Amazing kids!

Whenever I talk to a mom and learn that I'm going to be photographing more than two kids, I must admit that my heart skips just one beat.  I love photographing big families and spending time with the little kids, but here's the thing to know about my photography "brain"...

When I am going to photograph one kid, I think, "one hand for the camera, one hand for the child, props, etc".  One child means I can focus all of my energy on one individual, trying to get the best and most natural expressions from them.  Yet, I won't have any help from other kiddos and, as it usually goes, when you add a second child, you add a buddy to play with during the photo shoot.  Adding a pal makes it more fun for child #1.  Yes, photographing two children can be somewhat of a wild card because if one mood goes south the other will probably go in the same direction, but it's often not the case.

Now photographing three children is entirely different.  At any given time, they may all run off in different directions, have three different moods, and they most certainly will not all respond to the same tactics to elicit laughter and a genuine response.  And, since I'm not into the whole posy-posy thing, I often burn more calories during my more-than-one-kid photo shoots than any Zumba class I've ever taken.  Trust me.  I have a Body Bugg to prove it.

So, as you can imagine, talking to this mama on the phone, I asked a lot of questions about her little ones.  The more I know about what makes them tick, the better the photo shoot will be.  And I can tell you with 100% certainty that these kids are ah-ma-zing!  Yes, I was sweating by the end of our fall session, but my cheeks and tummy hurt from laughing, too.

Seniors!!!

In high school, what do most teens wait to shout?  "Seniors! Seniors! Seniors!"  

Each year, I'm happy to photograph several seniors as they ponder their next move - college? career? military service?

It's a really wonderful time and a fun one to capture as a photographer.  It's neat to see the adult they're becoming and the kid spark still alive.  Not to mention the creativity!!!  I can tell you, from my experience photographing high school seniors, the future is bright.  We're in good hands with these young adults!

Now, meet Curtis, one of the many talented seniors I've had the opportunity to work with.  Congrats, Curtis!

Familiar Faces

I really enjoy it when I get to see families frequently and I was lucky to see this family twice this spring/fall.  These two kids are so sweet and kind and it has been a pleasure to photograph them over the years.  I first photographed them when their son was born and have seen them regularly since then.

Especially at this age, it's interesting to see how much they change and grow in such a little time span.  A bit shy in the spring, both kiddos really opened up when we got together again in the fall.  It was a pretty cold day, but we found a huge patch of sun on a hill and the entire shoot shifted to nothing but giggles and fun!

A quiet spring day at the park:

Braving a chilly fall day...

Next is my favorite photo.  Maybe ever...

Get ready to think, "awwwww"...

Does it get any cuter than this????

Oh Rosa...

Oh Rosa, Rosa, Rosa.  You are a cutie!  When I first met this little girl in 2011, she reminded me so much of my own daughter.  Rosa is so full of life and laughter - she just giggles and beams her smile all day!

Here's a quick look back at Rosa in 2011:

Now this time, when I saw Rosa, she had a little surprise for me - a baby sister!  An adorable and fun family, we really had a blast at the park.

And yes, I developed many of the photos in color.  I'm just feeling the black and white today...

Everyday Fashion & Finance

Let's venture back in time a bit.  Not because I bought myself a fancy new time machine, but because I don't always have time to feature every shoot on the blog and this one I don't want to miss.  Shooting with Meghan, blogger for Everyday Fashion & Finance was a blast!  She asked me to photograph her in some spring looks, despite the fact that it was super cold outside.  If models can do bathing suit shoots in the middle of winter, we can certainly shoot some spring looks before spring has really sprung!

So here are a few things you need to know about Meghan: She's super fashionable and will always steer you in the right direction for any event or occasion.  She knows how to save a girl a buck and if you save a buck, you'll have it to spend later when you see a really cute pair of earrings you just have to have, right?  And she's got a cute puppy who will melt your heart.

Meet Meghan and go check out her blog, Everyday Fashion & Finance!