“Blink” just doesn’t look good on anyone. Not even when they’re as cute as my goddaughter! (Hopefully she’ll forgive me for this someday.)

This is why I only show the best shots of the bunch – so that you always look your very best!

You are what you wear.

A little cliché?  Perhaps.  But when it comes to portrait photography, clothing plays a huge role in the success of the finished product.

Before we get going – let’s be clear what your clothing does NOT need to be:

1. Brand New
   I’m down with your favorite ripped jeans, retro band T’s, and worn converse shoes – as long as you know how to rock them in your own fabulous style.
2. Fancy-Schmancy and Uber-Expensive
   Unless it’s your thing (If it’s really your thing, then by all means baby, bring on the bling).   If you’re not normally a dress-up kind of person, don’t feel like you have to be one for your session.
3. Matching
   No need to focus on matching everything from the color of your fuchsia headbands to the stripes in your socks.  In fact, I beg of you, please, please don’t.  If your heart is set on everyone in white button downs and khaki pants, I’m probably not your girl.
4. Stressful
   No need to worry about each and every item, or fret about the suitability of each accessory.  This is supposed to be fun.   If you’re unsure – call me, and together, we’ll make sure you look fabulous.  I promise.

I want you to be happy, thrilled, over the moon about your images, and I know that this is much more likely if we take the time and work together to help you choose clothing that fits these few simple rules:

Feels Good.
During your shoot you could be sitting in a pile on the grass having a tickle battle, rolling down a hill with your fiancé, throwing your kiddos in the air or climbing a tree. Wear clothing that lets you do all that (and more) comfortably.

As for the kids? Well, uncomfortable kids have a tendency to look, uncomfortable, and are often cranky to boot.  Happy kids make for happy pictures.

Bottom Line: Don’t choose outfits that make any of you feel constrained, stiff, itchy, scratchy, like you’re dressed up for Halloween, or that leave you with a nagging worry that a button might pop if you bend the wrong way.  Trust me.

Looks Good.
This can be tricky, looking good is totally subjective – right? If you’re not a Carrie Bradshaw fashionista in real life, you might want to pull in some extra help from a straight-talking friend or your trusty photographer (that would be me) who knows about such things and has plans in place to help.

Sometimes last year’s of-the-moment dress has already become hopelessly untrendy. Sometimes the current fashions just don’t look or feel like you. Sometimes outfits that look good in the mirror might not be ideally suited for photography.

Bottom Line: If you don’t feel fabulous-fierce-take-on-the-world gorgeous in your outfit, you’re not going to love, love, love the end result – and I’m all about you love, love, loving the end result.

Makes Sense.
Here’s where we pull it all together. It’s not just enough that everyone look good and feel good – you’ve gotta look and feel good together AND the outfits should fit with your location and the desired mood for your portraits.

Gulp.  That seems like a lot, doesn’t it? (Quick – revisit #4 in the top list, and remember, don’t stress!).

Before you even begin figuring out your wardrobe, we’ll have a talk to narrow down what you really want for your pictures, choose the perfect location and make sure you have an understanding about how that all comes together in the finished photograph.   I’m with you every step of the way.

Bottom Line: It’s easier than it seems. Think twice about having Emma in a lace prom dress if you can’t get Tommy out of his spider man cape and favorite Star Wars pajama top. If we’re going to be running around in a park, you’ll likely not decide to wear your starched Sunday best. Hate the way stripes and plaids look together but Dad has his favorite stripped polo ready to go? Best steer mom away from her beloved family tartan. Easy-Peasy. (Unless Mom is really attached to that tartan, but we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.)

~~~

If you’re still not certain, and you can’t decide between the yellow wrap dress with your red heels or your dark skinny jeans and purple  belted shirt – I’ve got good news.  You don’t have to decide.   Bring lots of options.  Heck – throw your whole wardrobe into the back of the car.  When we get to the session we’ll wing it all with fabulous results!  Trust me.

Thanks Jeanette!

I met up with Nicole and her beautiful family this afternoon to get some quick photos for their Christmas cards.  I’m having a very difficult time narrowing down the proofs and just had to share these.  Isn’t their daughter just the sweetest?!

Heather contacted me a few weeks ago about doing a beach session for eleven people in her family to celebrate her parents’ 49th wedding anniversary. At first I was a bit overwhelmed by the logistics of the task, but it turned out to be a blast! Heather’s family was wonderful to work with and you could definitely feel the love between all of them.

I have a bunch of images to process from this fabulous session, but I couldn’t resist sharing these!

I am in love with this next image. I absolutely love the joy between them! This is what it’s all about.

Sorry Heather, I told you I’d post it! I couldn’t resist, he was too funny!

I had a wonderful session with Mary Katherine & Ted last evening!  I am so thrilled with the photos, I had a very difficult time narrowing their preview.  Their obvious love for one another absolutely made the photos and made my job so easy!

Thursday morning I met up with my dear friend and her daughter (my goddaughter) to get some images she’d been talking about for weeks! Merryn is about to outgrow her ‘ducky’ and her mom wanted some shots of her in it on the beach before that happened. This was one of my favorite sessions, it was so much fun!

I just love her sandy baby booty and chunky little legs!

I had a sunrise session today with the cutest little 13 month old I know, and I managed to grab these images while we were there. I’m a night owl by nature so seeing a sunrise, especially one this beautiful, is a rare treat. It takes a photo session to get me out of bed before dawn but I’m so glad I was there this morning!

I love my job!

I started my Saturday morning with the most adorable nine month old little girl and her doting Mama!    Ivey wasn’t too thrilled about being on the beach, but she sure was a cutie!

Early this very cloudy morning I had the pleasure of meeting up with Amy and her family for some photos. She is 35 weeks pregnant with her second daughter and I was thrilled to capture some images of this very special time for them.

Amy, here is your sneak peek!

It was a blast working with you and your beautiful family! I can’t wait to meet your newest addition!

I just processed this image and think I’m in love. Babies as cute as Quinn definitely do not do anything to quell my baby itch!

Today I had the fantastic pleasure of photographing Merryn for her one year old pictures! I am still on hiatus until my husband deploys but I squeezed Merr-Bear in and edited one for her Mom & Dad to print for her party on Sunday. She’s so stinkin’ cute, I had to share.

My mother came down for a visit a couple of weekends ago and I talked her into letting me snap some shots. This one is my favorite so far and captures her smile and beauty so well, I had to share.

No one believes her when she tells people she has a daughter in her late 20s.

Friday morning I had the pleasure of taking little Quinn’s newborn portraits for Andrea. Newborns can be challenging and Quinn was pretty stubborn about sleeping for me, but they are one of my favorite subjects to photograph (I get in all the baby snuggles I want, and they’re just so perfect and innocent). I could have stayed there and shot all day.

My husband is home from training and deploying again very soon so I am taking a leave of absence from La Lumiere, but I snuck away after he fell asleep on the couch and couldn’t resist processing this picture when I saw it.

Isn’t he just beautiful?

I had the spectacular honor of attending Quinn’s birth on Thursday and Friday of last week.  Andrea’s husband is deployed to Afghanistan at the moment and in discussing her Maternity photos, I decided to offer to be there for the birth as well.  Andrea accepted and I received the phone call that she was in labor on Thursday afternoon.  Andrea labored for over 30 hours, and I was in awe for most of that time, as well as in tears on several occasions.  She handled it amazingly well and the level of emotion involved still awes me.  Quinn eventually made his arrival by cesarean section on Friday afternoon and both Andrea and Quinn are doing well.  The following is a small sample of the images from the 30 hours I spent with Andrea and her family.

I hope to capture many more images of Quinn, so stay tuned over the coming weeks for more of this adorable little boy.

I met up with my good friend very early this morning to get some updated pictures of her daughter (my goddaughter).  I think I have a new favorite picture of her.  This one is going on a big canvas for my office!

I had the wonderful pleasure of meeting up with Andrea last evening for her maternity photos.  She made the comment that she will likely be the most pregnant woman I’ll ever do maternity portraits for, and she’s probably right!  Andrea is due today, so these were taken at 39 weeks, 6 days gestation.

Andrea has asked me to photograph the birth of her son for her as well. I am anxiously awaiting that phone call and very honored to be able to witness the miracle of birth and capture it for she and her husband.

The website is up! Please visit, let me know what you think, and feel free to share the link with your friends!

As mentioned previously, sessions over the next few weeks will be limited, due to our upcoming move and my husband’s pre-deployment schedule. I already have a spot reserved for an adorable 11 month old little miss, and would love to fit your family in too if at all possible! Please drop me a line if you would like to book a session.

I had the pleasure of doing a mini session for Tiffany and Chuck about a week ago. We had a ton of fun and their son ‘J’ is an absolute doll!

We’re in the middle of buying a new house and my husband is in pre-deployment mode so I haven’t had time to edit the whole session, but couldn’t resist sharing a few of my favorites!

I just updated my logo, which was the final missing piece to the website. The site should be live within a week or so!

We’re also in the process of buying a new house and preparing for another deployment, so bookings will be scarce while we’re getting settled and organized. Please contact me to book your session – appointments will be very limited.