Good times with old friends

Loving life in a small town may seem strange to some, but for me it's peaceful and fun.  Little added bonuses exist, like remaining friends with people you went to high school with.  I had the opportunity today to photograph Lola, a beautiful 5 week old little princess.  Her Mom Jana and her Aunt Joy were two of those great friends in high school.  Though we might not see each other often in the course of our busy lives, I am thankful that old friendships can be picked up at any time.  We had a wonderful morning hanging out at Jana and Emory's house and taking Lola's newborn portraits.  Proud big brother Gavin, a second grader with an impressive curiosity about camera equipment, helped me out by keeping track of my lenses and occasionally joining the family for a few pictures.  Dad Emory even stopped by for a few minutes in the middle of his busy day to join in for a family shot and some sweet Daddy/Daughter moments.  Hope you enjoy these images as much as I enjoyed creating them.

Kelsey's Trash the Dress

Kelsey Brown McCormick and I set out this afternoon to "trash" her gorgeous wedding gown.  In case you're not familiar with the concept of a Trash the Dress session, it stems from the idea that a wedding gown is unique to one owner.  After the Big Day, it is destined to a life of being shoved to the back of the closet, because - let's face it - who is actually going to get her daughter to wear her wedding gown? 

Trash the Dress sessions spot light the bride doing something that is totally her own.  It's away from the festivities of the wedding day, another chance to wear The Dress and show off the young and in love beauty of a bride.  Kelsey was no exception.

We didn't really get around to trashing it, but the images we captured today really show who Kelsey is.   Riding around on her new husband Brady's horse, Earnhardt, is a common thing for Kelsey.  She incorporated her favorite wedding centerpiece and even her little dog, Gus.

It was a great afternoon of fun and laughter, and I look forward to sharing these images with you.  Enjoy!

Outdoor Portrait Lighting Workshop

Last weekend, I was fortunate to be able to attend an outdoor portrait lighting workshop that was led by a fellow Branford High School graduate, and fellow photographer.  Jennnifer Kelley Lublin Photography (http://www.jennkl.com/) specializes in natural lighting of images, so I was excited to get to work with Jenn and learn some of her tricks.  I was so pleased with the way my images turned out from the workshop!  Better yet that a couple more old friend, Jay and Gracelynn and their adorable little ones, Callie and Ella were our subjects that day.  Here are some of the images I captured of their family.  Enjoy!

Wade, Nichol, Mackenzie, Kelsey, Breanna, Dalton, Drew, and Cameron

Another new family of "mine" and precious addition to the Baby Steps Program is Mr. Joey Cameron "Cam" Rich and his people: Wade, Nichol, Mackenzie, Kelsey, Breanna, Dalton, and Drew.  This big family is so full of fun and love!  I had a great time at their first session, Nichol's maternity session, where we captured images of Nichol and Wade, and all sorts of combinations of this wonderful family.  Then, I got to meet Cam when he was 14 days old, and captured some priceless images of his tiny little self.  Enjoy!

Traci and Lacey

Traci is a young lady I met a few years ago when she first came with her high school cheerleading squad to the studio for their team and individual cheerleading pictures.  Her mom recently contacted me about doing some location portraits of Traci and her horse, Lacey.  I had a great time meeting Lacey and capturing her in portraits with Traci, then Traci and I headed just a few miles away from their home to the Santa Fe river where we got a few more great images.