This is us | Family Documentary Photographer West Chester, PA

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I recently joined a "This is Us" blog circle and I'm excited to share bits and pieces of our family life here on this blog.  I fell in love with photography soon after my first daughter was born.  I loved watching my family grow and capturing the little "stories" and milestones along the way.  Lately, I've been getting so caught up in everything that needs to get done each day, that I've been picking up my camera less and less.  I sometimes forget that this is where my passion lies. 

On the Thursday after Easter, Leah remembered that we never actually dyed Easter eggs.  We had a kit and lots of eggs, so during Sophie's nap, we had some fun.  Now, clearly, this is not all of "us."  In fact, it's just one of "us."  :) But it's a start!  It was fun to do a little documentary photography session in my own home and I'm hoping this project inspires me to start capturing more pictures of all of us... doing the things we love to do together. 

Up next is Elaina B. Photography.  I am always inspired by her photography.  I love her rich tones and the way her lighting always draws you right to the subject.  I hope you enjoy Elaina's posts as much as I do :)

The photographs that are close to my heart are ones that happen between posed portraits. These ordinary moments are the ones that make life extraordinary.

I’d love to hear from you if you are in the Chester County or Main Line area and looking for a lifestyle newborn, child, or family photographer.  I would be honored to capture these fleeting moments for you and your family. 

Baby B | Lifestyle Photographer, West Chester, PA

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I met this family during my Christmas Tree Farm sessions last December.  B didn't have a newborn session, but they still wanted to capture all things "baby" about him and photograph his adorable little nursery.  So, we set up a lifestyle session once B was sitting comfortably (and since he's a mover and a shaker, he said, enough of this sitting business... I'm ready to crawl!).  It was a lot of fun to see how much B has grown since December and capture little details about him and their life as a family of three :)   

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

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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 :) 

Baby Henry | Philadelphia, PA Lifestyle Newborn Photographer

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I had the best time working with Henry and his family for his "newborn" session.  He was technically nearly 12 weeks old, but he was the most relaxed baby ever!  He was so content during his session and while he loved being held by both of his parents, you should see the eyes he had for his mama <3.  My photography sessions are a mix of lifestyle and documentary.  I do a little bit of posing, but the moments that really mean the most to me are the ones that happen between the more "posed" images.  Years later, when you look back at the images from your session, I want them to take you right back to that day.  Because, these days sure do go by too quickly. 

Henry is One! A snowy, one year old session | Radnor, PA Family Photographer

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I was so excited to work with Henry and his family again.  I did Henry's six month session a few months ago and suddenly, he was one!  He was the happiest little guy and I loved following him around the first floor of their house.  He was eager to explore and just adored his big brother.  We had so much fun capturing his little details and playing outside in the snow once his big brother woke up.  We even had time for hot chocolate! 

A snowy day at the Haverford Duck Pond | Haverford PA Family Photographer

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It was a winter wonderland at the Haverford Duck Pond when we got together to take one year old pictures of the twins (we had no idea we'd have such snowy luck when mom booked the session last October!).  As beautiful and sunny as it was, it was so cold that morning!!  The kids had lots of cuddles from their parents throughout the session to keep warm. 

Cousins at Longwood Gardens | West Chester Family Photographer

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At the end of last fall, I did a secret "cousins" session. We wanted to surprise their grandparents so I didn't post any of the images from that session yet. These three were so cute together!  It was fun to explore the warm conservatory and splash in the water a bit.  It was also really fun to make the big kids laugh for a change :)

The H Family | Longwood Gardens Extended Family Session

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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 Averie | West Chester PA Lifestyle Newborn Photographer

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I love photographing families with lots of young children!  They really help to "keep it real" and I love photographing real family moments.  A new baby changes your children's lives as much as your own and I have so much fun seeing the new baby through their eyes.  This sweet baby girl is blessed to have two older sisters who adore her and a such a fun big brother to look out for her.

Extended Family Lifestyle Session | Villanova and Main Line PA Photographer

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I had the pleasure of working with this family for the second time this year!  Before Christmas, the grandchildren got together with their grandparents for an extended family photo session as a birthday gift for their grandmother.  When you have five kids three and under, you sure do have a lot of fun chasing them around!  There were lots of laughs, a few tears, but mostly... joy.

Baby Emma | Main Line In-home Lifestyle Newborn Session

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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

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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

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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!

Baby Girl | Main Line Maternity Lifestyle Photographer

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I am so far behind on posting my fall sessions that this sweet little girl has already arrived! She was officially a Christmas baby. I enjoyed capturing some maternity shots as well as a few mommy and me shots before R was no longer the baby of the family!

The P Family | Bryn Mawr Family Lifestyle Photographer

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We had a lot of fun exploring and being silly during this session. I don't think I've ever captured so many giggles during one session. Most of the leaves had fallen by this point, but we were still able to a find a few leaves with some fall color!

The B Family | Malvern Family Photographer

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I had so much fun working with this family at the end of the fall season. It was a windy day and pretty cold in the shade. These kids were troopers though and we even found some leaves to play in at the end!

Extended Family Session | Chester County PA Lifestyle Family Photographer

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I met up with the M family a few weeks ago at their family farm.  We took a few extended family group shots (which we are keeping as a surprise!) and then had fun exploring and taking some more family photos along the way.  We really lucked out with a perfect evening and fun kids!

The M Family | Longwood Gardens Lifestyle Family Photographer

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I met up with the M family at Longwood Gardens for their family photos this year. We decided on the same location as last year and it was fun to try and recreate some of the shots now that N is a year older!

Baby G | Delaware County Lifestyle Newborn

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I spent an unusually warm (almost 70 degrees!) November afternoon with this sweet little girl and her family.  We decided to embrace the warmth and do some photos outside before moving inside.  I absolutely love sibling photos and capturing natural interactions.  R is a wonderful big sister and even shared a few leaves with little G.