Kim, Clint and Natalie + 1 | Hartwell, GA Family Photographer

Radiant!!  I cannot get over how much Kim glows!  She's bubbly and sweet and super hip - in short, she's the kind of person one could photograph every day without getting tired of it.  She put serious planning into our session - she chose a wonderful location, fun outfits and had all sorts of ideas.  Before you ask, I'll say we did not ask the 35-week pregnant lady to do handstands - but as soon as Kim said it, well, that was it!  By the end of the session the sun was setting and we ran out of light, but it was a super way to spend a summery Sunday afternoon.  Kim, Clint and Natalie, thank you for letting us make your pictures.  We're looking forward to Bentley's arrival next month! 

 

We're baaaaaaack!

What have we been up to for the past few months?  We've been eyeballs deep in our 365 project.  As I posted in January, we're making one photo each day for a year.  They're all on our 365 Blog.  I won't lie, it's been hard!  Some days, sure, something the kids do lends itself to a photo.  Or the weather is beautiful... or we have a session.  Then, some days... nothing happens.  Nothing jumps out, nothing looks amazing and one of us has to find a way to make a photo happen.  Our kids have been great - they're always up for this or that, and one day Emily took the photo herself.  We've definitely had fun with the project, and two full months in we're both glad we started it. 

In other news, we took the plunge and bought a second camera.  Woot!  Dave fell in love with this particular camera last fall when it was introduced in October 2010.  We had to wait and wait and wait for it to become available, but on President's Day it was there online for the first time and a shopping frenzy ensued.  We are smitten with it.  Dave picked out a snazzy new lens to go with it and I have completely loved downloading the camera each day to see what magic he has created.  We'll both be photographing at weddings from this point on - an in-house second shooter.  Literally.  ;) 

The boudoir sessions were wonderful - sexy and fun.  The MCP Project 52 that I'm moderating has grown by leaps and bounds and inspires me each week. 

On scheduling: wedding season is rapidly approaching.  Like most other photographers, we have found ourselves overrun with wedding inquiries since the first of the year.  It's a wonderful compliment to our work and since we *love* photographing weddings, we're thrilled.  However, it dramtically impacts our schedule as far as family, infant and maternity sessions and we're finding ourselves booked for weeks/months at a time.  If you're thinking about scheduling a session, please get in touch with us so we have you on our radar and are absolutely sure to find you a day and time.  We have a humongous calendar hanging on the wall in the kitchen just for photography.  Even if you're not sure about a specific date - please, please, please call us or send an email with your thoughts.  We'd love to hear from you. 

Looking ahead, lots of work ought to be hitting the blog and, of course, our Facebook page.  I expect to be uploading Tripp's newborn photos and the Hagood Family in the next day or two.  I do plan to be a little better about updating this poor, neglected blog - I have even installed the Blogger App to my Android Phone... I'm hopeful.  ;)

The Gersch Family | Clemson, SC Family Photographer

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The Smith Girls | Hartwell, Georgia Photographer

These gorgeous girls hired us to have their photos made as a gift to their parents, on their twentieth wedding anniversary.  As sweet, kind and genuine as they are striking, Whitney, Madison and Grace were a pleasure to photograph. 

The (whole) Carter Family | Hartwell, Georgia Family Photographer

If it seems as if we've done several sessions in short succession with this family it's most definitely because we have!

When Levi was born, Lucy contacted us about doing a family session with wee Levi.  However, our schedules and their schedules didn't synch.  Newborns change so, so fast (I see you mommies out there, nodding your heads) that waiting until he was three and a half weeks old was out of the question.  So we shot Levi's newborn photos on August 9th.  Finally, on Saturday the 21st, we were able meet up with the whole Carter family for a session.  The rain scratched all plans of some sun-kissed-sprawled-out-in-the-grass photos; never fear, Curt and Lucy were all set up for indoor photographs.  Sara Beth was a doll, but that's not a surprise to anyone who knows her.  Levi was once again a cooperative model, but managed to pee on both his father and mother in a ten minute period. 

In case you're wondering, there's no particular reason why some photos are color, some are black and white and some are both.  Sometimes it's done at the client's request, but most of the time it's just a 'feel' thing.  I go by the emotion I want to evoke and the reaction I hope the viewer will have. 

The full Carter family album is showcased here, along with Levi's newborn photographs. 

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Carter Family, take three! | Hartwell, GA Family Photographer

A Saturday morning well spent...........

What I Did on My Summer Vacation

Saltwater Taffy.  Ocean.  Lobster.  Fried Clams.  Carousel.  Skee-ball.  Walking.  Petting zoo.  Iced coffee.  Playgrounds.  Grammy.  Grandpie.  Road trip.  Boston.  More walking.  Red Sox.  Movies.  Pizza.  More Carousel.  Salem Willows.  Brighton.  Allston.  MBTA.  Charles River.  Alewife.  Family.  99.  Old friends.  New friends.  Cousins galore.  Family sandwiches.  Rain.  Heat Wave.  Chang An.  Sorrento's.  Laughed.  Lived.

It always amazes me how quickly vacations go by. They're here, just beginning and full of promise - then suddenly the end is drawing near and we wonder, "Where did the time go?". For us, this summer vacation included a 12-day trip back home to New England. We ended up working with several families during out trip and truly enjoyed it - but business before pleasure... When we returned home we went through client work, then dove into Brian and Heather's wedding. Our little family image catalogs have been hiding deep on the hard drive. I took some time to poke through our family photos today and it's been like Christmas morning! So many photos made and forgotten about, just waiting to be brought out into the light.

The Del Llano Family

I met Jess on the tire swings at Harrington Elementary School.  She had a ponytail all the way down her back, mischievous eyes and a rock star personality.  That was in 198.....6?  These days her hair is shorter, I know how mischievous she can be (oh, the stories I could tell) and she is a major Boston radio personality - she's quite fabulous!  Brian is clearly the cheese to her macaroni and Miss Sara, well, she's just like her mother, right down to those gorgeous, twinkling eyes. 

The Ruyffelaert Family!

One of the wonderful things about going "home" on vacation is the opportunity to reconnect with people ...  Tracy asked that we meet up to photography Miss Fiona (8 months of adorable), as well as her and Shawn.  We had this date planned for months.  Tracy picked out Great Brook Farm in Carlisle, MA (our old stomping grounds) for the session.  We were eager, we were ready -

And it rained. 

Fortunately, Shawn, Tracy and Fiona are amazingly flexible people who happen to love the outdoors - they were calm and cool and rolled right along with it.

Click to view the full Ruyffelaert family session.

The Mayes Family

This was a busy week - on Thursday morning we met the Mayes Family for some pictures of Miss Brenlee, who will be turning two shortly. Kelli and John Bruce clearly adore Brenlee - photographing them together was heartwarming.

  

 We had this idea to make cupcake pictures - two giant, gooey cupcakes and a cutie pie - what could be more fun?  Unfortunately, these things are hard to come by in this area on very very short notice. Super creative Kelli came though, she fashioned up some perfectly pink cupcakes in no time and we were able to make these silly pictures. 

You can see all the fabulous Mayes family pictures right over here.