Alex

Back in the day she was Jill, or "Jilly Bean" as we sometimes called her. She was a friend of from wayyyy back in the high school days and even back then we all knew Jill would go far. These days she's got a great career, is an avid rugby player, a coach, a wife and as of a few months ago she can now add "Mom" to her resume as well. While Jill was in town a few weeks ago, she invited me to her parents' house to photograph her adorable little boy, Alex. It was a great morning...and kind of a reunion getting to see Jill and her family again after so many years!

Jill's a photographer too, so little Alex was already a natural in front of the camera...

I love photos that show children intently focused on something as simple as a blade of grass. Their little minds are so incredible and it's amazing to watch what they learn and how they learn it...

A family portrait...

Click below for the slideshow of even more photos... Jill, Andy, Alex and family...thank you all so much for having me out to commemorate such a special little guy and the wonderful family he's been blessed to be born into!

Landen and The Girls

Remember Landen? Well, he's all grown up now! Okay, not all grown up...but he's inching closer and closer to that One Year mark and he's just adorable! His Mom and Dad invited me back out to get some shots of little Landen with his sister and cousins... here are a few favorites!

Here's Landen with his big sis, Kayleigh...




Cousins, Sydney and Ainsley...



The big boy all by himself...



And one with Grandpa...




Thanks so much to Landen, the girls and the rest of his wonderful family for having me back to capture more memories! It was a pleasure! Don't forget to check out the slideshow below for even more pics!

Fun With Engagement Photos, Part 2

If table numbers aren't your thing, but you still want to have some fun with your Engagement photos, you may want to think about a custom-designed guest book! These books are a new twist on the old-fashioned guest book, but instead of guests simply signing their names on a dotted line they can leave a little message for you to cherish forever!
Check out Sara and Chuck's book...
They chose a custom wraparound dust jacket...
You choose the photos you want on the pages...one like this shot on the right can be done with reduced opacity so guests can write right on the photo...

Or in the whitespace provided on each page...

And each book is made with hinged paper, so the pages lay flat when open...

The possibilities are endless!

Shooting with Chantal, Part 2

Two weekends in a row I had the honor of second shooting with the fabulous Chantal Stone! First, it was Theresa and Reggie in Akron, then it was Jazmin and Eric at Pinnacle right here, in Grove City!

Jazmin and Eric are a stunning couple and they opted to see each other before the ceremony to allow plenty of time for the photos...

Some detail from the candy bar set up inside...

And check out these flowers... Don't forget to click on over to Chantal's blog to see even more photos from their amazing day!

Jazmin, Eric and Chantal...thank you all for the opportunity to help document such a beautiful day! Congratulations!

Pets are Family Too!

Amy and Ray were married last October under the clear blue skies at Franklin Park Conservatory. Their wedding day was perfect, but one thing was missing...their pets! So Amy e-mailed me a couple weeks ago to set up a shoot with her extended family and all their adorable pets!

Here's Amy, Ray and their dog, Frodo. I told Frodo what a great job he was doing and Ray deemed him "Frodo-genic"! He certainly is!

Amy's mother's dog, Buster...

The cats, Tux and Callie didn't have individual portraits taken, but they were there for the group shots in the slideshow. After some casual portraits, the whole gang changed into Buckeye Gear for some fun stuff...

Ray, Amy and gang...thanks so much for having me out to capture all the fun!

Emily and Dave..Anytime!

It had been a while since Emily and Dave had photographs taken of just the two of them. Six years, really..since their wedding! So Emily, who I had originally met while photographing her sister's wedding, called me up and we arranged for a shoot at their home.

We took about an hour and shot everywhere we could on their beautiful property, starting out on their porch swing with their pooch, Bentley...



This one, I think is my favorite of the day...

Hmmm..maybe this one was... Sidenote: There aren't many girls out there who would be willing to climb a tree in heels for a shot. Emily rocked it though!

Another favorite...

Dave, Emily...I can't thank you enough for having me capture the two of you on film! Okay, it's not film...but saying "capture you on memory card" just doesn't have the same ring to it)! Thank you...and Bentley too!

Heather and John, A Royal Wedding...

I don't normally post clients' last names to my blog posts, so let's just say that both Heather and John's last names were truly noble so that made their wedding a Royal event!

From their ceremony at Pinnacle Golf and Country Club to the one-of-a-kind reception at White Star Farm...every little detail of the day had their fingerprints on it!

Congratulations, Heather and John! And thank you both for having me along to document your lovely day!

A Very Special Blog Post...

I often think that all my life I've wanted to be a photographer, but that's not entirely true. Earlier on, before I knew that there was any other possibility I knew I wanted to be a mother. It must have come from playing with my dolls, and having a chance to pretend to care for one so small, so dependent...or maybe it came from watching my own mother dote on my baby brother. I pushed strollers around the neighborhood, insisted on bringing my dolls' car seats wherever we went, and tucked them in at night. I dreamed of having my own family one day, and tried to envision what my children might look like.

It's been seven and a half years now since I became a mother to my son, and five years ago today that I became a mother to a daughter. Yes, my baby turns five today. She pushes her dolls in a stroller through the neighborhood, makes sure they have bottles when we go to the playground, and kisses their boo-boos when they fall off the swing at the park. I watch her and I can't help but be so very proud of the little lady she's becoming...and the mom she'll someday be. One day, I'm certain her daughter will make her as happy as she makes me.

Even though both kids get "official" school portraits these days, I still get to shoot them to commemorate their birthdays. Yesterday afternoon, we took a walk through Schiller Park to grab a few shots of Emma being Emma... Here are a few of my favorites!

Happy Birthday Emma!

Shooting with Chantal, Part I

A few weeks ago I had the awesome opportunity to shoot a wedding in Akron with my friend, the amazingly talented Chantal Stone!

Theresa and Reggie were married at St. Bernard's church with a reception following at the Rosemont Country Club...check out these details from the day then click on over to Chantal's blog for more!

Wedding Bee

Congratulations to Amanda!

You may remember Amanda from her April wedding to Jonathan. She did an amazing job planning her wedding and even did her own floral design! Now, her bouquet is featured on the DIY planning site, WeddingBee.com!

Check it (and other great DIY ideas) out here!

Fun With Engagement Photos, Part I

Engagement sessions are great! While they may not be a requirement for every couple I work with, I highly recommend them...and here's why: They allow me to see how a couple interacts together, they allow the couple to see how I work and gets them comfortable in front of the camera. A session takes about an hour and it's really just a fun time for me to get to know you. And when we're done we have some terrific images to document the experience!

Years ago, the photos were great to hang on a wall or slip into an album never to be seen again, but now the possibilities are endless! Take Katie and Eric's session, for example...they are using their engagement photos in their tables number cards!



There are loads of other ideas too, stay tuned for more!