My Cousins

I really enjoy working with clients and meeting new people, but turning my camera on people I love is a whole other level of joy.

Here are my cousins with their eight week old.  They mentioned there were no photos of the three of them since he was born, and I decided that just would not do. 

(They are so very in love!)

We were at a family gathering when I stole them away for a quick 15 minute photo shoot.  The little guy would NOT wake up for me!  That's ok.  I'm looking forward to many years of chasing him around with my camera.

Emily, James and Walter

When I met Emily and James, they placed Walter into my arms like a newborn baby.  He flipped over, snuggled in, and sighed contentedly.

"How old is he?!" I asked, because he looked young and acted spry while walking around but had the mellow disposition of an elderly dog when I snuggled him.  I patted his belly and kissed his nose while he blissed out in the crook of my arm. 

"He's one," they said, "and that's just how he is.  We're amazed, too."

Walter is in the final rounds of training and evaluation to becoming a therapy dog, and I'm sure he'll pass with flying colors.  I've never met a dog so chilled out and so sweet, although we got him to be a bit of a rule breaker, just for fun.

Here he is looking quizzically at my camera, one paw resting on my knee.

Emily and James have been married for five years, and they wanted some updated photos of themselves.  We took advantage of the gorgeous afternoon to get shots in Central Park.

Family friend Megan came along, too, to watch Walter while we took couple photos. 

James was fun to photograph, because he was a little shy at first ("I don't want to that much kissing in public!" he declared) but by the end of our shoot, we found his romantic side, with a little help from a nearby busking violin player.

And I managed to sneak in some kissy photos, too.

Christian, Michelle and Copper

This is Copper.  She's almost one.

Copper is playful...

faithful...

watchful...

... and very well-behaved.

She's also very loved, and very lucky.  Copper is a rescue dog.

Her parents adopted her around Christmas last year when she was just a tiny pup.

Her name suits her well, don't you think?

Ok, enough with the smootching.  Let's go.

Boudoir - From the French, Meaning "To Pout"

Oh hel-lo! Back at BlogHer, Laura Boyd did a few photoshoots with some bloggers, including Yvonne from Joy Unexpected. They left me inspired to create some of my own.

I Iove women. You know those girls in college that always said, "I'm one of the dudes." or "I get along better with guys than girls."? I'm not them. I like girl power, gal pals, ladies lunch and all of the divine secrets of the traveling vagina monologues. So when I saw Yvonne's photos, traditionally for a man's taste but so "girl pretty", I was excited by how empowering they were, and how empowered she said they made her feel. I wanted to create that, too, and I want this to be part of my business.

Apparently it's not an especially tapped market, and many of the photographers that offer this have a more - ahem - "unwholesome aesthetic" or don't have women with actual curves in their portfolios. Thus, anyone who doesn't have an in-your-face kinky streak or has an extra pound or two is intimidated. You know, most of us.

Then I realized, of course, that I'd need a model to get me started on this, my first of hopefully many boudoir shots.

Thankfully, my friend Nicole is shameless and gorgeous.

So ladies, who's next?

Jack Attack

My friend Emily asked me to get some shots of her two year old, Jack.  We did a totally appropriate "in the playground" theme, followed, of course, by an "in the tub" session.  He called me "Mamer".