Newborn photos in Niskayuna

What a beautiful family I was able to photograph this last week. This little guy looks JUST like his dad, to me. Can anyone else see it?

 This little girlie was just adorable to watch with her new baby! She loved to give him kisses on the head, play with his feet and just look at him. Adorable!

 Every mom deserves to have a beautiful picture with her new baby.

 Yes, dad was a Pro Football player at Utah State. So, I wanted to show how much smaller his new little man was next to him (notice the hands). I loved watching him enjoy all the small things his baby would do.

 Mom was so good at getting the little guy to calm down and I was grateful to catch the tender moment of her soothing him.

Saratoga Springs Wedding

Maura and Derek are two easy to like people and so were their families and the bridal party. I really enjoyed my day with them at the Saratoga Dance Museum for their wedding.

We shared lots of laughs and oohs and awes as all the girls finished getting ready.

 Then we set up for Maura and Derek to have their first look since they wanted to see each other before the ceremony (which was a fantastic idea to perhaps calm some nerves).

 

Derek may have been slightly emotional when he first saw his stunning bride.

After the first meeting and a quiet moment together, we brought the whole bridal party together and the young group let me get some energetic shots!

  

These guys would not let me stop laughing at the things they'd come up with as I guided them through my ideas for photographs.

 All these girls are so beautiful, add a gorgeous dress, a great hair style and dash of makeup and we captured some very memorable shots.

 

 

Then, they got married.

 It was a beautiful, custom ceremony by Reverend Joy Burke; she was a pleasure to work with and clearly puts her heart into the work she does.

After the ceremony there was a cocktail hour and then the reception. I loved how the couple had a family of paparazzi's taking pictures at their entrance.

The flowers were perfectly designed to match the theme of the Museum's decor, Maura's dress and each of the the bridesmaids. Simply put, they couldn't have been better! Splendid Stems did a fantastic job putting this all together!

 

I loved seeing a shot from our Engagement photo session at the sign in table.

 

 Next we danced the night away with the Karen Lawrence Band keeping things lively and upbeat.

Ilion, NY Wedding

Chrissie and Chad:

High School Sweethearts (grew up a mile away from each other) +

Mom's are great friends +

Energetic and beautiful Bridal Party =

Unforgettable Wedding!

 I loved watching Chad (groom) and his father interact while getting ready. There is an obvious close kinship there.

Chrissie told me about this great place so we took a short drive and got some great shots at the entrance of Forest Hill Cemetery.

They just played it up as a few cars drove by honking.

This flower girl was just a doll!

 

 

Phoenix Zoo photoshoot

I was able to attend Wedding and Portrait Photographers International or WPPI in Las Vegas a couple weeks ago with a good friend, Leigh. To describe it in one word, I'd have to say: OVERWHELMING! Can overwhelming be good too though because it was a good kind of stress. I really dug down inside myself in figuring out which direction to take my business. I don't know that I have all my questions answered, but I feel that I have a pretty good idea for how to continue to grow from here.

I feel that I've been rejuvenated as a photographer to pursue my passion, to capture individuals as they are and not how they tend to act in front of a photographer and camera. On our 5 hour drive home from Vegas to Arizona, Leigh and I revamped our photography businesses to run more efficiently and to apply the new ideas we'd molded from other photographers techniques. We set goals and committed to each other that within a month, one thing we were going to do is to shoot two photo sessions for people we did not know, with the new techniques implemented.

So, the day after getting back from the thrill of the Vegas trip I was at a play date with my sister in law and met an amazing woman who has 5 children under 10! I felt particularly drawn to her and after chatting a few moments she agreed to let me photograph her family. I called and we talked about her family's interests and we set a date to meet at the Phoenix Zoo for a photoshoot! How fun is that? So, just last night we met there and shot till the kids were asking about dinner. We had so much fun and got so much energy out in that hour and a half.

We started at the bridge looking at the turtles and ducks.

 

And from there, I let the kids guide us to where we should go and what places looked fun because I figured if they were happy with where we were, they'd be happy for the pictures as well.

Don't they just look like a fun bunch?!

This little guy is a twin and just as energy filled as his older brother. I caught him here at a mini tantrum moment, but love the curly whips of hair that are glowing in the sun. Adorable!

I'm not sure if he was just playing with me with the pouty face because no more than 30 seconds later, I captured this great shot as he jumped up from a hiding spot.

 This cutie-patootie is a twin to the curly haired boy above and is so tender. She was a great listener and just small and darling.

This girl is just a doll! She was so much fun to take pictures of because of her porcelain like facial features. She was a sweetheart as well.

 And she knows how to play!

And to be adventurous!

This big guy was as adventurous as ever! When I saw his enthusiasm as he jumped off this bench, I could almost see a flash of his future being a rock climber or an Olympic high jumper. One word to describe him: ENERGY. (I'd love for him to pass some of that over to me!)
Also, his face is priceless in this picture because you can see that every part of him wanted to jump as high as the sky.

As the oldest, this boy was a great help and full of smiles and a good attitude. He was also first in line as we played follow the leader on the way back up the path. He's definitely going to grow up to be a heartbreaker!

Some of the kiddos were upset because the pen where you can pet the goats was closed by the time we got to the barn, but the shut doors sure made a nice backdrop!

On our way out, I couldn't help but snap a shot all together with a sunflare of the evening sun.

I had a great time getting to know the Smith family even better and enjoyed being with their children. Thank you for letting me be apart of your afternoon!