The Bates Family {Me Ra Koh Workshop}

I adore this family.  Adore.  They are filled with personality, beauty inside and out, and were so easy and fun to work with!  We built sand castles, jumped and swung around, splashed in the water, and relaxed on the beach.  Is there any other way to spend a photo session?  I enjoyed every moment...and from the looks of the images, I think they did, too.

Are you interested in having a heck of a good time during your family portrait session?  (Come on, admit it - your photo frames in your home need some new images!)  Stay tuned for a portrait session special next month.  Will be announcing at the end of this week!

The Gladden Family {Me Ra Koh Workshop}

"Oh...my goodness.  Twins and a set of gorgeous parents?  Are you for real?!"

That would be the quote I may have said a little too loud when I walked into the nook of the restaurant where Me Ra Koh said a challenging photo opportunity awaited me.  Okay, so getting two babies to sit upright and stay happy was a little bit of a challenge at first...and potentially, very many things could have happened during this shoot that definitely would have made it very challenging...but I'll be darned if it wasn't PURE JOY!  These babies were happy little boys who were all too happy to entertain us with their many facial expressions and their many nibbles on hands and toes...their own and each other's!  Mom and Dad (named Jason and Jennifer, just like my husband and me!) were so easy going and a dream to work with.  And can you say gorgeous?  How much luckier could we get?

 

Evelyn & Mom {Me Ra Koh Workshop}

I have never met a young girl such as this little sweetheart.  Evelyn was so free-spirited, joyful, open and silly...all things I love about kids, all wrapped up into one little bubbly girl.  Kids bring such imagination with them and love to try different things during photo sessions.  And you had better believe I took her up on her willingness to play.  What a little entertainer she was!

Hugs & Kisses {I Heart Faces}

It was hard to pick my favorite recent "hugs & kisses" themed image because there are so many contenders right now!  I'm pretty darn blessed to capture loving connections for a living with my artistic eye and camera.  A photographer's job isn't easy by any means, but photographing these genuine moments makes all the hard work worthwhile.

I cannot get enough of this image of mother and son.  This little man simply adores his momma and always manages to squeeze in an extra hug or kiss whenever he can.  I love how mom is savoring this genuine moment.  You can clearly see how full her heart is.

Elliott & Mom {Me Ra Koh Workshop}

The first weekend of February was one I had been dreaming of for two years.  I finally was able to attend a fabulous workshop given by the amazing and deeply inspiring Me Ra Koh and her awesome, talented husband, Brian Tausend, in beautiful Tampa, Florida!  It was a weekend filled with simplifying the complexities of photography, bonding with other women equally obsessed with photography (I'm not alone!) and personally getting in order the next big steps for my business...which are exciting, amazing ones!! 

And what is a weekend of photography without being able to use our newly refined skills?  We were blessed with being able to photograph several local families using nothing but our cameras and - my absolute favorite - natural light!  I'll be posting these images on the JLP Facebook page, as well as on the blog, this week.  I promise you, you will want to make sure you follow along because these images and the people in them couldn't be sweeter!

Up first is Elliott and his mom.  Could they be a more beautiful pair?  Elliott could be a model - so happy and photogenic - a photographer's dream!  If you're having a bad day, then this blog post is for you because his smile is contagious!  Enjoy!

I love that last image for many reasons...the quiet bond between mom and baby, the soft lighting...but I especially love that mom's necklace with Elliott's initial is in full focus.  She let us know just how much Elliott is the center of her world, and think that necklace helps to relay that story.

See you tomorrow for images of the sweetest little girl and her momma!

The Davis Family {Portraits}

I was so excited about meeting this family on Jekyll Island a few days ago for a family portrait session.  They are one busy little family this holiday season, as they are in the process of moving from their current home in Alaska to the home they just bought last week in Miami, Florida!  What a change! 

I was excited to meet their little daughter.  Her momma warned me...I knew it would happen...and it did - I fell in love with little Miss M.  Right from the start, we chatted about her favorite subjects: the Purple People-Eater and hippopotamuses.  (Could I even say those words when I was her age?  I had trouble even saying them during the session!)  Who knew this little red-head with the stunning green eyes was going to be so full of laughter and smiles during our hour and a half session?  She did have one little moment where she snuggled up to Daddy and looked a little sleepy, but she followed that up with running around and playing in the grass.

I loved every minute of this session with this beautiful family!  Check out the images below, and you'll see right away why it ranks as one of my favorite sessions of 2011.