My Mom

Cannot believe she let me do this. I recall countless photos of my mother scowling or covering her face (and everyone wonders where I get it from.....). I love that I was able to take some nice photos of my mother. My parents are both very important to me (so Dad, if you are reading this, you are next). It means a lot that I can have some nice recent photos of them to put up in our house (whenever we decide to take the plunge and buy one that is....). I should just tape one over the caller ID display on my phone though...... ;)

Anyway, I thought I would share my two favorites with all of you so you could meet the wonderful lady who is my mother, friend, babysitter, crisis call center, and keeper of the washing machine. I just can't say enough good things about her....

Autumn Family Portraits | Plymouth, NH

On a fairly gray morning in November I was able to meet a wonderful family and take their photos. Almost three years old (right around Thanksgiving), this little girl was on the go! We all use the saying "if I could bottle up that energy", but really. I would. There was a lot of love, a lot of running around, and some great outfits (Mom has excellent taste, I just love her attire!).

Sweet family moments...

So cute!

.... and some fun!

Oh, just look at those eyes!


Of course, we couldn't leave out Whitney!



Thanks for a wonderful morning Q family! It was so great to meet you all!

Senior Portraits Class of 2012

This fall I spent a lot of time building my portfolio and trying new things. An opportunity came across my plate to shoot some senior portraits and I was eager to take it. Having little time to get them in and having spent the summer doing no research on seniors, I was a bit nervous, but knew I had to make it work.

With the short time frame we headed down to the Ashland town beach and were lucky enough to have the weather cooperate. Kay was so easy to work. I can't thank her and her mother enough for this wonderful opportunity!



Through the fence.....


Love this one, she's just so pretty....

A few on the bridge...

More From the Frozen | Newfound Lake, NH Photographer

Oh my, if I thought the previous session was cold, this was arctic. We started off hoping to take the photos down by the lake..... oh how pretty, right? Well, it just was not worth it that day. We had a wind coming off that lake that was sure to freeze my eyeballs. Thankfully, the kids did not seem to enjoy the blustery winds that much either, so we headed across the street and up to the grandparent's condo. Though it was still very chilly, there was a remarkable difference!

We did manage to get in one group shot in front of Newfound before we headed up.







Glad we were able to stick it out for a little while and brave the cold for a few cute shots!

Freezing Family Photos | Danbury, NH

First snow of the year, right before Halloween! This photo session was given to one of my sister-in-law's co-workers for a birthday present so that she could get a few photos of the family together before her son headed back to Texas. Unfortunately, with some conflicting schedules we were still missing someone, but it was great to be able to get some shots of Pam and both kids before her son Journeyed back home.

Of course, I was still preparing for Halloween at home, but found this hiding in the woods while scoping out spots....

To start, I had the ladies bookend this super cute bench (because we were certain this old bench wouldn't hold all three, it is really for looks rather than function, but thankfully it held up. Had anyone sat in the middle section by themselves or with anyone else, it would have been a disaster. I know, I almost wore the bench as a skirt when standing on it at one point...... lol. Thankfully I did not destruct their property).

Then we moved right along and did a few more shots of just the people. They had a great sense of humor and were a ton of fun to work with.


Having an older brother myself, I can totally relate to this one.....

Then it was time for the animals......
Just look at the face on this pup!

And this sweet old girl....

So beautiful.

And then this crazy guy came out to play! And wouldn't you know.... for the first time ever I had a goat try to eat my hair while I was looking through the viewfinder.

We were all freezing, but took advantage of the snow for one more group shot.

I had a blast joking around and laughing with this crew.
Of course, I found this one on the way out.....

A Wooded Tour with V | NH Portrait Photographer

Back in the fall I was guided through the woods of V's backyard, and was given quite the history lesson. I was told about childhood adventures from V's family, personal landmarks, and the story of the 2008 flood.

Miss V is one of my Girl Scouts, and has quite the imagination. She loves "America's Top Model" so taking photos was not at all bothersome to her.....

This truck carries some family history and served as a great little backdrop.

One of my favorite shots...

Thanks for a fun afternoon adventuring V and family!

Blog Party | January 2012 | "A Day in the Life..."

For some of you, you have found your way here because another photographer sent you as a progression in a blog party. For those of you who have found this post by other means, allow me to brief you. This post is part of a cooperative blog party geared to inspire those involved to seek new projects as well as spread the word about custom photography. We call it a blog party. Some of you have been sent here via a link in a similar post from Erika Follansbee of Erika Follansbee Photography ,which is wonderful by the way (check it out now, or follow the full circle back through)! This month's theme is "A Day in the Life...".

A little bit of breakfast.....

and then we were off. I stopped to practice with my rented lens (nikon 50mm 1.4g), and shoot a few frozen hydrangeas. I rented that lens with a few things in mind; this post, an indoor portrait session, and to try it before I buy it. I love it, but have to agree that it is a lot of work to get things super sharp when the aperture is wide open.

Later on at the photo session.... this little cutie was into everything! Nine months is a very fun stage and it was so exciting to see her so active. I hadn't seen her in almost three months, which was entirely way too long.

While taking care of my mother's house (while she spent a little time with the palm trees), Emma took a few moments to read through some of her old books.


I know what you are thinking..... "oh, cheddar and broccoli soup".

Nope. Failed attempt at a green smoothie. Too much yogurt, no ice, too much banana, and not enough spinach. I have to admit, it certainly did not taste as bad as it looked.

For those of you who don't know me......

Self portraits. This one is my favorite...

Although, I love my shoes and socks!

Back home, Emma was busy crafting away. She was working on some safety pin and bead bracelets. This one is "ocean waves".


How firefighters and EMTs decompress.

My first attempt at homemade potato chips (you can find the recipe here, they were quite tasty).

And one of my favorites of the day..... a little help goes a long way.

A huge thanks to all those who are involved for making this possible and motivating me to do more, learn more, and view more. Be sure to move on to the next post from Stephanie Johnston of Princeton House Photography to see how she made meaning of this project.