Stow, Ohio | Newborn | Baby love

In the five years I have been shooting professionally, I have shot precisely one newborn girl. I had two boys, and it was adorable baby boy after adorable baby boy. I LOVE me some boys...but to shoot a girl? And a first born baby girl of not one, but two of my former students? I had a lot of fun with these.

I was super excited to be able to do this little princess and the pea set up with her...little did I know apparently there were teeny tiny peas under all of my stuff this day ;)

Regardless she was absolutely adorable and boy does her Mama know accessories! 

This gorgeous headband came from this shop. The Etsy seller doesn't usually do baby items, but can do special orders :) And look! She is finally sleeping :)

Many more to come guys! She is just absolutely precious.

Cleveland, Ohio | Janie and Jack | Part IV

And here is the final set of previews and we start with a little bit of spring...

Another set of natural models. What a fun brother and sister-he said can I see the photo of me giving my sister a kiss? So very sweet :)

Sleeeeeepy baby didn't exactly love having the camera right in his face after nap time, but oh was he so sweet. And very obviously already loves that cute penguin.

I adored this little girl and her sweet little voice. Just so happy and very obviously adored by her Mama.

Sisters! I fell in love with these two. They have the most gorgeous smiles, but also their serious faces? Melt. They are just beautiful.

 This little boy was so cute-at the end of his session when I was going over paperwork he said "Wait, I didn't get to sit on the block! Can I?" And you know what, that is one of my favorite shots. Great idea!

 I was so happy that I was able to fit in this sweet girl, scheduling conflicts almost stopped us but luckily they lived close and her Mama was able to run her in. SO GLAD because sweetness. Just pure sweetness here!

And that is that! Trust me when I say it was near impossible to pick the photos for these previews because the photos were all just so cute. Cannot wait to share them all with you on Monday at the store! Thanks for sharing your loves with me!!

Cleveland, Ohio | Janie and Jack | Part III

And the previews keep on coming. 

We begin this set with chubby cheeks, a bow tie, driving cap and gorgeous blue eyes. GOOD HEAVENS I love this kid's cheeks. Got some awesome shots of him with his beautiful Mama too :)

 If I could clone this big brother I totally would. What a sweet kid. We had so much fun in our session and I could tell he will be a super fun big brother to this new itty bitty. (And yes I did share my secret of only needing to get three things done a day for at least the first six weeks and brushing your teeth counts with the new mama of two. Best advice I ever got from my older sister :)

Are you kidding me with these adorable clothes?? And these adorable boys. And I love how he got super comfortable in my chair :)

 If ever there were a sweet princess, this girl is it. I never posed a single shot, she just knew exactly what to do. Smile sweetly, kiss baby brother. Repeat ;)

More to come soon!

Cleveland, Ohio | Janie and Jack | Part II

Janie and Jack-Part Deux.

I loved this kid. He was a little shy at first but then decided that he liked me and sat right down on my lap. We took a couple shots together so he could play photographer for a bit then he turned into a fabulous model. So much fun.

I LOVE when I can get Mamas in the shot. As the one who is always behind the camera, I really do not have enough real shots of me and the kids. They don't care if you aren't always camera ready, they will look back and say oh wow look how my mom looked at me. Look how young she was. Look how beautiful. That said, look how gorgeous this Mama is :)

First client of the day and I immediately knew this day was just going to completely rock. She loved my bear and gave me so many different looks...all adorable.

And speaking of adorable. OHMYGOODNESS. So this adorable boy started off just not feeling it. Up! he said to his Mama. But after having him sit on Mama's lap, he warmed up. Goodness gracious I want to squeeze him. Those lips. Oh those lips.

Don't go away yet! Another set of previews coming soon :)

Cleveland, Ohio | Janie and Jack | Part I

A few weeks ago I got a very exciting email from a photography company all the way out in Washington called Precious Time Photography. Their job is to find photographers for Pottery Barn Kids and Janie and Jack stores for a special promotion for customers. She said she liked my style and how kids were real and looked like they were having fun. As this is my goal when photographing kids, I was thrilled. So a few weeks ago I spent the day in the Legacy Village Janie and Jack store-seriously one of the most fun days I have ever had. I LOVED the staff there and the kids were all so much fun. The shy ones, the babies, the new big brothers and sisters, everyone had their own personality and it was amazing to bring it out in them. The reason why I do this. Capturing moments as they are...because wow do they not stay that little for long! So here we go...previews of these adorable kids-part 1. 

This girl was a NATURAL. The curls and those gorgeous eyes don't hurt either. :)

This kiss was completely unprompted. I think this new big brother just really loves his baby sister :)

This dapper man was SO funny-the second I put the camera up to my face I would get this cheeseburger smile. But don't worry, I got a lot of real ones too :)

Pink! Bow! Fur cuffs! Wow do I miss having a little baby girl in the house. She was just so sweet!

Don't fret! More to come :)

Cleveland, Ohio | Botanical Garden | Family

I have mentioned many times here and there that I love what I do. But I never really explained why. This family here, this is why. 

You don't see it here, but that beautiful mom has a fight ahead of her. She is fighting Ovarian Cancer. I know it is going to be a very long and hard fight for her. There will be triumphs and set backs. It will be hard. But let me tell you there was not a moments thought of that today. This is a family with a very happy little boy. 

He has a great smile and a bunch of personality. As a Mama of two boys with personality, I loved all of his playfulness and silliness. It is so much fun to take photos of a smiling happy boy. Who loves his Mama.

 

And also loves his Daddy. 

He also knew exactly what to do in photos. Look at the camera... 

Lean to Mama...

Then lean to Daddy...

I actually think the hardest part of this shoot was getting just Mom and Dad. We had a little photobomber on our hands.

He did not want to spend a moment away from his parents. Always reaching for their hands or giving a hug. Exploring but never too far away.

So yes, she has a fight. A big one, but she also has two boys very much in her corner.

And I could truly see how much they both adored her. And how much she adored them. 

And despite the cancer and the battle she has, there is a boy that needs to be a boy. And they are amazing making sure he is. A happy, loved, cared for, adored little five year old boy.

I did finally get that shot-of just the two of them (although I perhaps had to trick that little boy ;)

I have to share part of an email I received from Tony...
"Despite the challenges of what a blustery winter's day might represent to taking photos, the Colello family found it important to capture this point in time as relevant to their lives. We all face challenges, personal, medical and hopefully never professional. What we do about those challenges is our choice sharing in ways to help others is what we do that defines as human beings. The Colello family would tell you, knowing something is different then experiencing it. Asking how you can help is different that doing helping without being asked to."

I really couldn't have said it better. Thank you very much for sharing your afternoon with me. I will forever keep your family in my heart, thoughts and prayers.

Solon, Ohio | Family Celebration | Funny, very funny

Before photography and kids, my life was music. I majored in music in college, ending up with a Masters in Music Education. I had thousands of memories during those college years, and this guy was part of many of them.

 In fact when I walked in he showed me a bunch of photos from A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, which we were both in, and I was immediately transported back. SUCH a fun time. So when he called saying his whole family would be in town for his FIFTIETH birthday, I was pretty excited to meet some of the family I had heard so much about all these years.

 Somehow he failed to mention just how awesome his mom is. 

 

Because really, she is AWESOME. 

 

And now I can see where he got his love of laughter and his ability to make people laugh. What a wonderful gift. 

And do you know what else is a wonderful gift? Twenty years. Here's to 20+ more, Mark and Jim. Happy Anniversary (and Happy Birthday Mark!!)