September is only a week away and that means it is time for my annual holiday mini sessions. I recently announced this year's family campfire sessions and now it is time for me to reveal this year's beach holiday session. I am thrilled to finally be able to share the details of this year's holiday theme and I think you are all going to love it as much as I do.  

Last year, we built a sand snowman together on the beach and this year, I invite your child to set sail with me into the holiday season with my nautical themed holiday session. Your child will board my handmade driftwood sailboat, which will be decorated with subtle holiday decorations and a strand of globe lights.  The boat will be placed along the shoreline to give the appearance that it is about to set sail.  Your child will even be able to hoist the sail of the boat!  

With the exception of the Winter months, I always encourage my clients to schedule their child's first birthday session outdoors. There is nothing more beautiful than using nature as a backdrop and photographing outdoors allows me to capture your child exploring the world in a natural way.

To capture that soft and gorgeous golden light, I only schedule beach photos at sunset. I have recently been photographing families who have young children at sunrise. Because sunset is so late in the summer, this time of day seems to work better for toddlers. I will be the first to admit that getting up early enough to catch a sunrise at around 6 am is very difficult; however, the light at this time of day is absolutely breathtaking and I can't think of a better way to start your day than watching your child frolic and play in the sand while the sun is rising.   

he holidays have come and gone and although we are in the dead of winter,  Communion season is almost here and now is the time to book your photographer.   Communion Mini Sessions are the perfect way to document this milestone in your child's life.  A mini session can be scheduled anytime before the actual communion date.  Taking those photos before the communion day ensures that you capture beautiful portraits of your child in a natural and relaxed way, without the stress of rushing around on the day of the ceremony.

I am excited to announce my winter limited edition indoor sessions. Although it is freezing outside, my winter session has the look and feel of a Spring day.  This is not a standard mini session, but rather a special and limited session that I will offer on select days this winter.  The set is a gorgeous glowing white set with a beautiful canopy tent adorned with pretty cherry blossoms and floral vines. When I originally came up with this idea for the set, I had the idea of offering it as an opportunity for moms to get pictures of themselves with their children and offering it only as a  mommy and me session; however, once I built the set, I realized this would work for a mini birthday session, a six month sitter session, Valentine's Day photos, or even for beautiful and natural maternity photos. Like most of my studio work, the set has a very natural, classic, and simple look, which will allow me to create timeless images that capture your relationship with your children and your natural beauty. 

Even though I love working with newborns and toddlers, a huge part of me is still connected to my career as a high school teacher and I truly miss working with my students; so, whenever I work with teens, I feel like I get a small part of that life back. Plus, I love that you can really get creative with these types of sessions and customize them to match the client's personality.  

Equestrian Portrait Session

The vintage bed session is a great choice for children of all ages.  It has a classic and timeless look and features a beautiful authentic antique Jenny Lind bed, Anthropologie style bedding, and rustic holiday decor.  

As a children's holiday portrait photographer, I love to approach my sessions with the goal of capturing natural photos of children rather than stiff and posed images.    I love to capture a child's free spirited and inquisitive nature, so I knew I wanted to create a holiday mini session that would get the children involved in an activity.  One day while sitting at the beach watching my girls playing in the sand, I got the idea for a mini session involving a sand snowman that children could decorate.

It has been a very rainy June; however, on the day I photographed these siblings for their birthday photos, it was close to 100 degrees out.  These two little ones are amongst the cutest and sweetest children I  know. Of course, I am slightly biased because they happen to be my goddaughter and nephew. Regardless, it is always a pleasure to photograph them and to spend extra time with them.   Here are a few of my favorites from the session.  

If you are anything like me, you are elated that the warm Spring weather is finally here;   I feel completely rejuvenated and have been spending as much time outside as possible, which includes photographing gorgeous families outdoors again.  Recently, I have been busy photographing moms and their babies for their Mother and Child Sessions.  I love these sessions so much because there is nothing more beautiful than the bond between a mother and her child and I think every mom deserves to have her photographs taken with her babies.   Because no two families have the same energy and dynamic, each of these sessions has been unique and exciting for me and I love learning about each of the families I photograph.