I have photographed Alex almost yearly (see 2009′s session here ) and every year it gets easier as he grows from a busy toddler to a handsome little boy. This year I went to his home, which is the PERFECT place for a little boy to grow up. It has a wonderful barn where his mom keeps her horses, fields to run and play in, and a delightful little pond just right for a little guy to catch fish in and play pirates on a rowboat!

This wedding forecast called for 80% chance of rain all day. The bride dashed out on the day before to get everyone umbrellas and cute rainboots just in case.  Lo and behold, despite a few scattered clouds and occasional bouts of gloominess, we had mostly sunny & spectacular weather! Which, of course, translated into spectacular images:

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Jim absolutely MUST have real butter, not margarine, on his breakfast toast that he eats every. single. day.  He can’t spread it unless it’s soft, so he used to leave it out on a plate unrefrigerated, which drove me crazy.  My friend Kelly came to the rescue and sent me this perfect little solution:

It’s called a butter bell, and it works perfectly. You pack a stick of butter into the lid/top, put cold water in the bottom, and it will keep butter safely at room temp for up to 30 days by using an airtight seal.  You can find out more & order one for you (or for gifts) here.

We had a few illness/weather issues surrounding getting this session scheduled – seemed like something unforeseen was always in our way. On the day of the session, we were racing against ominous skies! Madeline was such a trooper for such a small baby; she lasted much longer than most brand-new-to-walking one year olds!  Of course, she was surrounded by adoring parents and grandparents who were willing to do anything to help get some smiles! (ok, I won’t go into detail about those crazy dances and funny faces…!). Sharing some of my favs-

With Mom & Dad:

And a precious moment with Grandpa!

Go Tigers!

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This wedding has been on my calendar for a year and a half, and on Memorial Day weekend Jason & I started our season off with fun and style! Natalie & Ben had a GORGEOUS day for their wedding and we had so much fun capturing it for them. It was held at Heinz Chapel, with the reception at the Meadowlands Holiday Inn.  Here are just a few of what we were able to get:

Love this one of her Dad:

Leave Me from Daros Films on Vimeo.

Some of you may know that my husband’s mother passed away last week, and we had to return to PA for her funeral this past weekend. One of the things that the family did was prepare a slideshow of photos from her past which was shown to friends and family during the wake. Although it was very nice, one thing that struck me was that her one of proudest roles in life was Mother to seven children…yet there were few pictures of her with them as children. None that showed her individual relationships with them, and none that really showed the joy & love they shared. Of course, photography back then was not as accessible and inexpensive as it is now and very few families had images like that.

But WE absolutely have the means to capture those moments right now! We have the opportunity to photograph ourselves with our children and our grandchildren, hugging & kissing & loving them.  Can you imagine, as an adult, having an image of your young mom or dad holding you as a baby or small child, and SEEING just how much you were adored?

I can think of no greater legacy for a child to have.

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