Desmond One Month | Havertown, PA Newborn Photographer

I met Desmond when he was around one month old and he reminded me so much of his big sister at that age.  He even wore one of the same outfits that she wore for her newborn session a few years ago.  It's amazing how much change change in a few years!  I really love arriving to a session and capturing those last few minutes of getting ready before we start.  It gives kids a little time to adjust to having me in their home and we really capture some nice "real life" moments :)

The M Family | One Year Session at Longwood Gardens, PA

This was my first session of 2017 and if this session indicates what is in store for me this year, I am so excited!!  We spent the morning at Longwood Gardens, and it was one of my most favorite sessions yet.  It was the perfect combination of lifestyle and documentary and I just loved meeting this family.  Little kids don't like to sit still for long and this location is perfect for that.  There is lots to explore and see and we don't have to "sit still" for more than a few seconds here and there.  I love exploring the children's garden with my clients... and my own two little ones! <3

The G Family | Bryn Mawr, PA Lifestyle Photographer

I met the G family at their home for a family lifestyle session.  They wanted to capture the kids playing and enjoying a Saturday morning together.  It was nice outside, so we were able to play outside for a bit too.  During my sessions, I don't stop shooting very often.  While we were getting ready to go outside, I was taking pictures of Mom putting on her daughter's shoes.  She said to me, "Why are you taking a picture of my mom tying my shoes?"  And I said, "Because one day, you will tie them on your own." <3

The F Family | Kennett Square, PA Maternity Session

I offer a first year newborn package where you can add on a maternity, six months, or one year session in addition to the newborn session.  It's a great way to document all the changes that happen during the baby's first year.  The additional sessions are a bit shorter than the newborn session, but we capture plenty of fun images.  I met up with the F family in Kennett Square, PA for a more "urban" session.  It was a nice change of pace and I really love working in small towns.  Let me know if you are interested in this type of session and I'm happy to suggest some great locations :)

Extended Family Session | Ridley Creek State Park, PA

I love to do fun, casual Extended Family Sessions.  I do capture some portraits of the family together, but there are plenty of moments in between that I capture and include with your gallery.  We explored Ridley Creek State Park for this session and we had such beautiful light at sunset.  It was great to see these two girls again and I loved meeting their grandparents :)

Twins at Longwood! | Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square, PA

I love that I get to work with this family multiple times each year.  This past fall, we met at Longwood Gardens and explored the conservatory.  It was a hot, humid day so the conservatory was a perfect spot for a session.  The girls were excited and we were able to get lots of fun, playful shots :)  Stay tuned, because the next week I did an extended family session with this family.  It's up next on the blog!

In-home 3-month Lifestyle Session | Berwyn, PA

It has been awhile since I've blogged.  I had to take a break to keep up with my fall sessions, but now I want to get back to sharing some of my favorite sessions from 2016.  I did this lifestyle session at the end of last summer.  Mom wanted the session to have a newborn feel to it even though their baby as about three months old.  I was a little nervous about how it would go because I had not done this before, but it turned out to be one of my favorite sessions.  Three months is such a great age.  I feel like it's around this time that their personalities really start to peek through... and oh the smiles!  I love them :)

Vera One Year | Ridley Creek State Park Photographer

I've known Vera's mom since we were seven.  We did summer swimming together, went to school together, and now are moms together.  I am so thankful to have the opportunity to photograph my friends - new and old <3 I don't take that lightly.  I loved spending the afternoon at Ridley Creek State Park with these five (!) to capture some images for Vera's first birthday.  Vera adores her big siblings and always has her eye on them.  Pretty soon, she will be able to keep up with them too :)  Thank you for trusting me to capture these memories and fleeting moments for you!

The H Family | Newtown Square Family Photographer

We had such a beautiful night for this session and had plenty of beautiful areas to explore with the kids.  I love to keep kids moving during our sessions so that they don't get bored and are always excited for the next place we are going to see.  You never know how sibling shots are going to go, but I really love the ones we captured at this session <3

Noah is One | Longwood Gardens Family Photographer

I worked with Noah and his family for his newborn photos and I was so excited to see them again for Noah's first birthday.  We spent the evening exploring Longwood Gardens and even enjoyed a bit of cake ;)  It's amazing how much babies change in the first year... but also how much they stay the same.  I love getting to see all of these babies grow up! 

As we are | Longwood Gardens Documentary Family Photographer

Mom's first line in her email inquiry to me was, "I'm looking for photographers who can capture our family as we are."  She said she loved "candid shots" and "real moments." My heart sang when she chose me.  We decided to do a sunset shoot at one of our favorite places - Longwood Gardens. 

I arrived as they were eating dinner, we took walks, we played, we looked for airplanes, and we ran.  Fast.  There were no formally posed photos... there were no fancy clothes.  There were shy moments, snuggly moments, yogurt moments, and moments that had us all out laughing.  They were perfect moments... real family moments... just as they were. 

Towards the end of the session, I took a picture of Ellie's hand resting on her mom's hand.  Ellie was tired and we were walking towards the exit.  I stopped to show Mom the back of the camera and said, "As a mom, this is one of my favorites."  They won't always sit on your arm with their diaper peeking through; their hand won't always be small enough to rest on yours.  We were well past sunset and the image has a good bit of grain.  But memories and little moments don't always need perfect light.  Mom said to me, "You got it!  That's just want I wanted: to capture us together and Ellie... just being little.  Because, she won't always be little... she's so much bigger than yesterday!"

I love all the sessions I do, but this continues to be one of my favorites.  I love sunset, I love families, and I love real moments.  True documentary photography is where my heart lies.  

If you are interested in capturing your family, as you are, I'd love to do that for you.

Downtown West Chester | West Chester, PA Family Photographer

I absolutely loved this documentary family session.  We spent the morning walking around the borough of West Chester.  The Q family lived in West Chester when they met and it was fun to share some of their favorite spots with their soon to be one year old!  The brick sidewalks and beautiful town were a perfect backdrop for this session and I loved how it had a more urban feel.  At the end of our session, we stopped by D'Ascenzo's Gelato for N's first taste of gelato.  I think she loved it :)

The S Family | Longwood Gardens Family Photographer

I always love when I get to work with this family.  I went to high school with these cuties' parents and I am so honored that they have chosen me to capture these memories for them.  It's amazing how much their girls grow up between each session.  I've loved being a part of this chapter in their lives.  For this session, we explored Longwood Gardens early one morning.  The girls love going here so we made sure to find some new locations for them to explore.

Mommy and Me | West Chester, PA Family Photographer

I love, love, love sunset sessions.  In addition to the gorgeous light, I just love that during these sessions, I can let kids be kids.  They can stand (let's be honest...run!) any direction they want and face any direction and the light just works.  I don't have to be as careful with lighting because I can get gorgeous images from any direction.  I love mixing backlight, sidelight, and the unique shadows and warmth that this time of day gives.  I end up with so many more natural moments and a few more cuddly ones too!  Of course, sunset coincides with bedtime... but kids really do great.  We play, we run, we are silly.  They are outside in a new location and after a late nap and a good snack they forget all about sleeping to just have fun and explore.

Prim | Berwyn, PA Newborn Photographer

A few weeks ago, I had the honor of capturing sweet Prim along with her family.  She had two older sisters who just adored her and were still busy taking in all of her "newness."  Prim's mom is also a photographer, and it's really hard if you're the one taking pictures most of the time, to be in the pictures with your children.  We made sure to capture lots of family and Mommy & Me pictures during Prim's session.  I love looking back at pictures of my hands holding each of my babies, and I wanted Prim's mom to have those as well.  I can't believe this little girl is already a month old - these first few months really go too fast.   

The K Family | Lifestyle Maternity Session, Chester County, PA

We had a gorgeous "winter" evening for this session.  Yes, this was February!!  We had a few warm days that month and we totally lucked out for this session.  That morning, we decided to push the session back a half hour so we could be sure to catch sunset and I think it was worth it.  Colleen is one gorgeous mama.  She absolutely adores her son and he is so sweet.  I really love working with kids and their endless energy.  They really help give sessions a natural feel.  I love taking a more documentary approach... and so do kids :) 

The H Family | Longwood Gardens Extended Family Session

We had torrential rains off and on this day, but it was nice and dry in the Longwood Gardens Conservatory!  I absolutely loved working with the H family on this extended family session.  We did some posed portraits and captured some natural moments in between.  It had been a while since they had visited Longwood Gardens so we enjoyed checking out the various gardens in addition to the holiday displays.

Baby Emma | Main Line In-home Lifestyle Newborn Session

It was pretty easy to fall in love with sweet little Emma.  She was six weeks old when I did this lifestyle shoot and was adored by her parents and big brother.  My favorite part about this shoot was capturing the natural sibling photos as they happened.  Some of my favorite shots were the ones that surprised us in the moment. I really love in-home sessions and capturing life as it is that day.  I'm sharing a lot of my favorite images today so you can have a better glimpse into what a gallery would look like for my newborn and in-home sessions.  One of my goals for these sessions is for you to be brought back to that period in your life as you look back on your images from that day.  I try to capture the essence of what it's like in those early days with your baby and children.  Enjoy!

Tree Farm Mini Sessions Part 2 | Chester County & Main Line PA

The second half of my mini sessions did not disappoint.  I had so much fun capturing natural interactions and hearing all the giggles while the kids raced through the trees. The cutest little Santa even made an appearance as the sun set behind the trees.  It was a such great day!  Thank you to everyone who came out for my first ever mini sessions!!

Tree Farm Mini Sessions | Chester County & Main Line PA

Now that Christmas is over and cards are out, I wanted to share some more of my favorite pictures from the Tree Farm Mini Sessions that I held at the end of November. I had SO much fun doing these and hope to start doing them annually. Here is part one and I'll share part two tomorrow!