Fall Sessions: Miss M

There is no question, I love children. I always have. My mom always told me that even when I was four years old, I wanted to be a mom. That love of children flourished when I had the pleasure of being a daycare teacher (working with toddlers) for almost six years. When I became a mom myself, I finally felt complete. I have the great opportunity to stay home with my son and teach him important values, life lessons and academics. 

I became a photographer mostly due to the fact that I wanted to capture all of those little moments of childhood. Kids have such honest views on life. They are fearless. They don't care if anyone thinks that their dancing is strange. They love picking out their own outfits however bizarre they may seem. And when it comes to taking their pictures, it can be a satisfying challenge to get those smiles that make you melt. It is my job and blessing to get those smiles for my clients. 

Be prepared to see some of the sweetest expressions ever...

Meet Meghan. She and I hit it off right away.

When I saw her Dora shirt, I knew that this was going to be a fun session. This was her first time having professional pictures done, so I'm sure she was thinking "what is that strange lady doing?" Well, one thing I pride myself on is relating to the kids(and adults too). I don't just want to be a photographer, I want to be more like a friend or family member. So naturally...I start singing Dora songs. How cool is that? I know all the Dora characters!

We talked about Dora, dance class, you know...the things buddies talk about. I asked Meghan to show me which prop she wanted to use. She took my hand and showed me the rocking chair. P.S. when a child takes your hand, doesn't that make your heart flutter? It's a little sign that they trust you.

The next two images proves just how quick moods can change. The one on the left is a mixture of apprehension and a little sadness. But then the one on the right is all silliness!

We played a lot of peek-a-boo and Red Light, Green Light. Most of my frames she ended up upside down and so was I! 

Here are some of the cutest images ever to grace my camera.

Meghan is a little girl with great ideas. She directed a lot of the shoot, which is fine by me, because it means she's comfortable and content. If she's happy, I'm happy! This last shot was at the end of our session. Again, Meghan takes my hand and says "Let's go over here". She brings me over to a little tree and climbs underneath. With apple in hand, she was poised for the perfect picture.

Thanks to Meghan and her family for a great day! Hope to see you all again soon! XOXO

Fall Sessions: The K Family

It's been a long time since I've written. From the last post (in March), I was in a different space personally. I took a step back and focused on myself and my family. I recharged, found faith and now...I'm back. So, it's only appropriate that my first post in months be all about what's close to my heart, families.

Since fall is my absolute favorite time of year, I decided to host some special family sessions at Ipswich River Park in North Reading, Ma. My first session of the day happened to be with a childhood friend and her family. I was so excited to see them, especially their beautiful little girl Alyssa. I photographed her when she was only a few months old and now she is 2! 

When I work with children, I like to give them choices, it must be the parent and former teacher in me. So, I had a few options for them to choose. A hay bale to sit on surrounded by gourds and apples, a cozy blanket with pumpkins and flowers and a rocking chair that was just the right size. Alyssa saw this and knew she wanted to try it out.

Another thing I've learned over the years with kids, food equals happy smiles! Having a 3 year old boy at home always keeps me prepared. I never leave my house without tons of snacks in the car. So for the day, I had plenty of apples as treats and even passed out Halloween pretzels for those that wanted them. Alyssa did not want to give up this yummy Cortland!

This image is so precious to me. I love the honesty in the face Alyssa is making. And how she is reaching out to her parents. It shows she feels safe and loved.

The first thing I noticed about Alyssa immediately was her beautiful hair. In my opinion, it is literally princess hair. Perfectly curled and blonde. Her hair matched with her soft voice and sweet demeanor just could make anyone melt. 

You wouldn't know it by these images, but this little one was battling a nasty cold. She was so good until, like most kids, needed to move. So we decided to just take a little walk (and swing) down the nearest path.

We wrapped up our session and were starting to walk back to our cars (I promised pumpkin and bat pretzels to Alyssa), when I noticed this gorgeous light hitting her hair. I took my lens cap off quickly to grab this. It looks like there is a halo around her. 

Thank you guys for coming out that day, with colds and all! I hope you like the images as much as I do. Lots of love to you.