Photojournalism + Family Life = Art.

I'm so in love with Tiffany & Brad Sanders.  Why?  Because they are magnificant parents who love family just as it is in all it's raw realness.  And that is exactly how they want their family documented, too.  They don't "prepare" for me, they just go on with their life when I show up.  Of course, I interupt it a bit by my very presence.  But, that is par for the course. 

They recently moved back into their home with three kids now (I've been documenting them since their oldest, Elizabeth, was a baby) and I'll be documenting their life throughout the year as their youngest, Autumn, grows and discovers.  This was the first of six "Life Stages" sessions.

I'm obsessed with feet.

Elizabeth plays "mommy" and absolutely loves Autumn.

Happy baby.

Daily, beautiful chaos.

Bradley has the best smile.

Autumn loves having her picture taken. She is so aware!

Elizabeth playing pirate with the camera.

Yummy fingers.

Sweet caress.

The family!

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Life on Your Walls

Your Life Makes Beautiful Artwork

I had an amazing photo shoot with the Vannoy family recently and the ordering session went just as well.  Today we received the finished product.  Before I put everything in the box for shipment I wanted to take a picture of how it will look on their walls.  What an amazing design element to brighten up any room.

I'm so excited for them!  It will look fab-u-lous!

your life is art.

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Four Little Munchkins and One Calm Mom.

Angela was the winner of a drawing at Greenberries (a fabulous children's consignment store in Columbia, MD) during the grand-opening festivities held this summer. She has four beautiful children of various ages & sizes.  All of them are absolutely adorable and so sweet.  I was floored by their demeanor, charm and personalities.  Let me introduce them to you.

This is Calvin.  He's the oldest and the protector.

This is Christina.  She is 7 years old, with a quiet demeanor and loves her older brother.

This is Tyler.  He is 4 years old and the class clown.  Loves to stick out his tongue...alot.

This is Clara. Just under 5 months, cute as a button.  Loves to smile and be doted upon by other siblings.

Here's a few more from the session.

your life is art.

Your memories are what fuels your emotions. Why not display them in your space as part of your life?

Do you have a wall in your home that you can't figure out how to fill?  This is what I envioned as a wall display after working on these sweet little munchkins.  So many options!

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Smiling is Not a Necessity. Photography Tips for Parents.

Look for moments that make you smile.

I was recently approached by Washington Family magazine to offer a few quick tips for parents who want to photograph their kids and I was glad to give my two cents.

Quick Tip #1

"My photo philosophy for taking great portraits is to be discreet and most importantly, patient!  Engage the child in an activity that will bring out their little personalities (reading a favorite book, coloring/painting, singing songs, sitting up, belly time, dancing, tickling, furniture surfing, taking a bath, picking flowers, etc..). Look for the moments that make you smile. These are amazing times of growth and change in your child's life.  It's so fun as a parent to witness the moments happen, it's even more precious to capture the moments for a lifetime." --Mary Gardella of Love Life Images

For more quick tips you can visit Washington Family Magazine.

Stay tuned for more tips soon.

Have fun!

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A Newborn Session with David Michael DeVito Jr.

Yay.  I'm so glad to be blogging again. It's been a little while. The little elves in our studio have been very busy placing orders for the Holidays. Can you beiieve it's Christmas so soon?

Meet David jr.!  Big, huge, lovely eyes like his beautiful mother, Kara.  Look how fabulous she looked during our pregancy session.

I went on location for their newborn session, which i love to do and highly recommend.  I love the aura of a home with a new life in it. There is definitely a warm-fuzzy feeling that surrounds you.  Is there such thing as calm chaos?  Because, that's what it feels like.  All is right in the world with new baby and, oh, gosh, no I don't have time to do mundane chores and I'm still trying to figure out how to unfold the stroller to put in the car and buckle baby in.  It's amazing, because in 2 months time, you'll be doing everything with one hand.

Thank you so much David & Kara for allowing me to document something so precious.  xoxoxoxoxo

I love the little smirk on his face.  Must be having a happy little dream.

I love toes!!!!

Just waking up to photographer.  Hello little person.

I love how little David is connecting with daddy.

Quiet moment with mom.

I LOVE this family photo with Max (the dog), who was making certain to protect baby from person with camera.

The two Davids.

Dreamy...

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Evan. Almost Walking!

Evan & his family are doing one of our Life Stages sessions.  This was Stage 5 of the 6 session package.  So, I've seen this little person grow since he was in the belly.  The change is amazing. This was Evan as a newborn. For this session Cassidy & I met at Cromwell Valley Park, a favorite place of mine, to let Evan see a few new sights and sounds and to see what happens.  He thoroughly enjoyed the leaves, the grass, the shadows, doing his little crab crawl and mommy!

Here are a few of my favorites.

I want that leaf!

Evan's crab crawl is so cute.  So innovative.

A little shadow chasing.

He's so close to walking!

Yummy light.

I just love his little tongue.  So cute.

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Camryn & Liam's Portrait Session at their House.

Norman & Tracey have beautiful children and I'm so grateful to have photographed them again for the third time.  The first time we did a session we had just moved into our current studio and it was frigid cold out and there was no heat.  We had so much fun!  This time around I went to them to document their family life at their gorgeous home.  It was a perfect day and the kids had a blast. By the end of the session they had turned into a princess & spiderman.  Darn, I wish I had had my costume.

I LOVE this image of Camryn.

A little quiet moment with Norman & Tracey.

Spiderman rocks.

Those eyes.  Watch out mom & dad.

I love this moment between Norman & Camryn.  She runs out to the corner everyday to see her daddy off to work.

A sweet moment between Liam & mom.

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