Time...  You blink and lives completely change.  It seems like just yesterday that I was shooting Lanay and Brian's wedding and now this adorable little bundle of joy has completely captivated them both =)  She's precious and beautiful and has already wrapped mommy and daddy in a warm and fuzzy love blanket!  I love the feel of these first family portraits.  This moment has now past but I know that they will look back on them many times in the future and I'm sure that each and every time they will be transported back to these early days and how they instantly fell in love with their baby girl.

 

 He wraps his arms around her and she easily nestles into his comfortable embrace.  A smile slowly forms as her eyes tilt towards him.  I can't quite make out what he whispers in her ear but her smile broadens...  Just one of many moments today with Melissa and Jeremy.  Often while shooting I'm asked what do we do?  How do we stand?  Should we look at you and smile.  I respond with, do what feels natural, stand how you feel comfortable, smile if you feel like it.  The key word is FEEL.  There is a feeling that you experience when you are present.  Meaning that you are keying in to something specific like the way her hair smells or the familiarity of his gaze or how much you love the person staring back at you.  Thank you Melissa and Jeremy for being present and in the moment and not afraid to just stand how you stand, smile how you smile and share a few snuggles and laughs and kisses!  Your love for each other is so blindingly apparent =)

 

 Next to babies, E-sessions are one of my favorite types of sessions to shoot.  I just love discovering the personalities and connections between people.  Not just personalities but commitments as well.  When I casually asked Kerry and Kevin to sit in a door frame for a few shots, they were like sure,  no problem.  Come to find out that there were bees swarming around.  We took the shots and quickly left the area.  That's when Keving tells me that he's allergic to bees.  Ummm, okay, that would have been a very good reason not to get the shot!  He wasn't fazed, he didn't get stung, all was well.  I'm still amazed that he never even flinched.  This was just an E-session but I can't help to think that in the scheme of things Kevin would be unflinching in his commitment to Kerry!  I know that we will be making some beautiful images on the wedding day  =)

 

 

 There are times I find that words are just not enough.  Often I find myself making connections with clients that I am truly blessed to have made.  This completely reinforces my desire to shoot and document life.  I met Debbie and Chris  at her sister Melanie's wedding.  This was my introduction to their family.  A totally fun and loving, wacky good and overall amazing family...  Since shooting Melanie's wedding I have had the pleasure of working with Melanie on a few corporate shoots, shooting her other sister Tina's Engagement session and recent wedding (her blog images coming this week) and now the maternity session for Debbie.  Every time I get to hang out with any of them I find myself so welcome and the trust that they have in me and my staff fuels that creative fire!!!  I get so excited and I just want to thank you all for inspiring me to make images that you will love and for being the kind of clients that I wish I could clone.  Debbie and Chris were so fun and up for anything.  They are just a very warm and loving couple and I know that they are gonna be great parents.  Right now I'm very excited to be on "The Call List," because any day now we will be welcoming a new addition to their family.  I'll be going to the hospital to capture some of these first moments and we will be creating their baby story in a beautiful book.  My wheels are spinning!  Oooh Ahhh it's gonna be great!

 

Here's the happy family!  Any day now we will be welcoming another little bundle of joy! 

It was a day much like today when he dropped down to one knee on the dock as the rays of the setting sun cascaded across her face.  He told her how beautiful she was and with ring in hand professed his love.  Then just as he had planned it  he asked if she would spend the rest of her life with him.  Shaking a little and fearful that the ring would slip from his fingers into the pond he had taken the precaution of tieing a string to it =)  She says yes and they celebrate with hugs and kisses then walk off with the ring on her hand and the string still tied to Tony.  I'm listenening intently as they tell me this story while we stand near the very dock where the proposal took place.  The excitement can be clearly heard in their voices and it's so sweet how they finish each others' sentences as they relay the details to me.  I smile as the sun is aglow behind them and we proceed to create beautiful, warm, fun and intimate images.  I love how Tony and Stephanie are so free spirited and warm and loving to each other.  I love how Tony's warm and sincere eyes look at her and how she giggles like a school girl when he's near.  It's as lovely as the sun setting on a mild summer's day while the man of your dreams drops to one knee...

 

 

 

 There wasn't a moment that Corinne wasn't beaming.  Her laughter mixed with Steve's came so easily and I just love that!  When you are with the one you love the focus should be on each other and it's refreshing to see that .  I completely enjoyed being able to spend some time with the both of them and their connection to each other makes me so excited to shoot the wedding!

 

 So it must be wedding season because I blinked and the entire month of May passed by and now we are into June!  In May we shot 8 Weddings,  4 Maternity sessions, 2 Newborns and 7 Engagement Sessions!  Oh My.  I've discovered that I am not superwoman so I also conducted 22 interviews over the course of 2 days and have found some really great additions to my staff.  June is quickly surpassing May in terms of business and I'm very excited to be shooting and training and hangin with cool peeps.  A big thank you goes out to all of my lovely clients thus far who have made this year so incredibly fun and easy!  Yea, I said easy, I love it when we can just show up knowing that you have made time for the images that will be the only thing you have left to remember your day.  It's refreshing to feel that we are all on point =)  Here are a few images from some recent e-sessions.  More to follow... 

 

Baby and Lilli look like ragamuffins.  Actually, I have never seen a ragamuffin so maybe they don't look like one but they are in dire need of a good bath, teeth brushing, nail trim and haircut.  So off to the groomers we go!  They absolutely hate going to the groomer.  They are little and always get attention no matter where we go but they get really scared if I'm not the one trimming them up.  Unfortunately you can only give mommy bowl cuts number 1 and 2 so many times before you need a professional to do it.  Here are the before and afters =)

Lilll feels pretty much the same way about spa day before and after she went...

The phone rings and I look at who's calling, it's my momma.  "Cindy, what time do you want me and daddy to come over?"  Hmmm, well...  I am totally not a morning person.  Could it be because I quite frequently work until the wee hours of the morning and my "morning " starts around 10:30 - 11:00 am.  You betcha!  So I say how bout 12:00, that's safe.  I have an appointment to take my car in and then I'll be home in time to chill for a bit.

We do some grilling, celebrate my mom's recent birthday and I decide that duh, I should take some pictures.  Getting everyone outside to do this is a task in and of itself.  I'm screaming come on, the light is perfect...  We are losing the light, let's go!  Kristin has my dad sucked in to watching Donnie Darko parts one and two and a couch potatoing they are going.  I knew I should have fed them after I snapped a few.  Finally I wrangle everyone outside and the light was in fact perfect.  I decided to snap a few of my parents together.  I think they are so cute.  It's funny because they have this whole fake bicker at each other back and forth way of communication.  Underneath that facade is a beautiful relationship and after almost 40 years they still adore each other as much if not more than when they first met.  The sun is setting and we are all laughing because no one seems to want to cooperate with my line of direction - cuz you know I don't do this like 4-5 days a week all year long or anything.  Regardless,  I still think we got some keepers =)

 

 

  Grand mother and grand daughter laughing at me!  I love it!

 

 A few of Kristin to finish out the session.  I just love the way that the sun streaks and flares through the trees oh and of course my baby looks beautiful.

 

I'm often enthralled with the many facets and or dynamics that can be experienced during the course of just one day.  One would think that it's just a day, like most days, filled with seconds and hours.  Yet each wedding day is so different.  Just like the people =)  There are moments that click in my mind during these days.  Without fail, these moments ingrain themselves into my head and become the inspiration for the emotions that I seek out.  It's as if time is moving in slow motion as the moment beckons me to realize it.  Well, that or maybe I just love to eavesdrop.  You be the judge =)

Trust...  as the Sig Ep brothers hoisted both Chris and Stacy into the air and lifted them effortlessly overhead, you could hear the excitement and camaraderie  no, they won't drop you... trust them... trust each other..someone will always be there to catch you if you fall.

Stacy turned her back to us as she went into the bathroom.  Her mother took the dress from it's position on the bed and with a twinkle in her eye she says with Joy... my daughter is getting married today!  A statement said in such a way that I can still feel her smiling.

Walking past the dance floor to where my lenses were stowed away I catch a glimpse of Stacy dancing with Chris's dad.  In that moment as I passed  by them I heard a question... "So what will you call me now?" and an answer..."...I'll call you dad..."~ Family...

He is smiling and walking in my direction.  A smile that I have seen all day. For it is his good nature and hers that has made today so easy to capture.  Chris thanks us for being a part of the day and fun and making it really easy to take direction ( he says that he usually doen't like instruction from people but I said things in a such a way that made him happy to participate),  I'm smiling back at him when  he lowers his head and he tilts it slightly as if he is thinking.  Raising his gaze to mine he says with such sincerity in his voice and adoration in his eyes, " I'm so in Love with that girl, we just Love each other so much..."  As he pauses I can see it in his eyes and  I say to him - everyone here can tell =)

An upbeat attitude and a smiling heart will get you far.  I wish the best for both of you.  You clearly have what it takes to be happy.  

As an added bonus the rain stopped early in the day and gave way to a beautiful spring evening.  On our way out we were able to make some truly gorgeous night images.  Score!!!!