jennifer and eric: july 16, 2011

Jennifer and Eric are one of those couples who spoke to me deeply this summer . . . they are high school sweethearts : ). And I am a sucker for high school sweethearts. A couple who can truly grow together, and in the end realize as adults that they really do want the same things in life, tug right at my heart strings. I think it is rare, but extremely genuine. Jennifer was the maid-of-honor in one of the very first weddings I photographed, and I was honored she remembered me and called upon me to be a part of her day as well. Both Jen and Eric's families were kind a thousand times over. It was beautiful, emotional and lovely, all bundled underneath the bluest sky you could have asked for. Jennifer and Eric, thank you for being so warm, grateful and a piece of cake to work with. Much love to you for always . . . keep on inspiring others that good people with a good love can truly make it work, forever.











After all these years (9 of 'em!) we have a husband, and we have a wife : )





The. Light. Was. Ah. Maz. Ing.







Jen's sister, Shannon, gave the most beautiful toast to her older sister and I was so happy to have captured her expression here when she became a bit emotional . . .



And this is one of my most favorite photos ever, a proud father watching his daughters embrace . . .





A day of amazing light calls for an evening of amazing light . . . one last photo at dusk:



There's lots more in the slideshow, so click here and enjoy! Happy Halloween!

a blog to keep up!

I have some beautiful weddings that I have yet to blog, but I am trying to space them accordingly, because when editing season wraps up, you will be forced to see post after post of what my shorties are up to, what tooth is loose, and whether it fell out or was pulled. :) For now, I am leaving you with a handful of wedding photos - each one is from a wedding whose full blog post and slideshow are very, very close ;)

















It was a beautiful summer! Cheers!

the gratitude project

There is something very exciting, unique and real happening in my life right now, and I can't quite put a finger on it, but I know it's creating some wonderful things within me that I've been needing for a long time. I'm taking risks, and I'm choosing joy, and I'm pushing myself to new heights. When moments of insecurity creep up on me, I remind myself that I am worth it, and I push the rest out. When I look into the mirror, I see a beautiful woman. Not in a cocky, conceited way, but simply in the way that I see the face of a happy woman. And a lucky woman.

Lately I have been feeling such gratitude and appreciation for the people who help make my life so wonderful - past and present. And from this day on, I am embarking on a little thing I'm calling the gratitude project. What it means is that once a week, I am going to do something for someone who deserves to know how much they mean to me. It may not always be something monetary, but it will be memorable, and I will make sure the point is made . . . thank you. For being a wonderful friend, partner, sister, brother, mother, father, neighbor, whatever you are. I'm going to take more time for them, and I am going to take more time for me. To be present each day, to appreciate each day, and to tell those who make it so amazing, thank you.

a beautiful family, and beautiful light!

My most recent mini-session turned up some of my most favorite family photos to date . . . natural, a little silly, lots of laughter, and genuine moments among a family. I L.O.V.E. love family sessions with the littlest of ones. Meet Leslie, Dave and Sweet Little McKenna : )









Love this little series . . .







And this is how McKenna feels after being thrown in the air at least three times in a row . . . : )



One last snuggle . . .

100 years

This blog post kind of takes me back to early years, when I used to post-process in a very vintage way that people really took to - but eventually it stopped taking to me. I learned that I loved my images most when they were processed in a way that would make them look exactly how they could really look someday, in 100 years. I imagine someone coming across a photograph of their grandmother on her wedding day, and she looks beautiful, classy, and a bit faded. And this is how I want these photos to look, 100 years from today.