From Tween to Teen

This will most likely be a recurrent theme on these blog posts: children growing up. In front of my eyes. Under my nose. 

It happens so fast it seems. One moment you are watching your neighbor's cuter-than-a-button daughter zooming around in our cul-de-sac in her bright pink Barbie jeep.

The next moment she's selling you lemonade and cookies with that bright angelic smile of hers.

Then the next moment... she's a teenager.

So our sweet neighbor turned thirteen last weekend. One year left before she roams the halls of high school, and a whole other chapter in the book of her life phases will begin.

Her mama asked if I could take some portraits of her for her birthday.

What I love about taking pictures of girls turning thirteen is you can actually see both the child and the emerging woman in the same moment. It's not an easy thing to live through, mind you, but capturing that transition photographically is pretty special.

Capturing a Critter...

So with all these pictures I have posted of human faces one might forget that I forged a career out of loving the non-human. I am blessed every day to witness the absolute majestic beauty of the feline face, and sometimes laugh out loud at some of the utterly lovable and adorable canine faces. 

I have a collection of critter shots on my Flickr photostream here.

I don't claim to be the best pet photographer in the world (I think my good friend Chellie can stake that claim) but I love it all the same...

"I Hope You Dance..."

Truth be told I haven't looked back at my prom pictures in years and years. I shudder at the the thought of me in that oh-so-stylish mermaid style frock in the appealing shade of Pepto Bismol, with my hair poofed up to a maximum height and secured soundly with Aqua Net. Not one of my better moments. It almost seems fitting that the only pictures I have to remember that vision of "beauty" I was were some fuzzy low quality shots from a cheap disc camera (remember those?). We all stood like ridiculous statues in front of a rented limo in our 80's style. I cringe just thinking about it.

But now that I'm a mom and watching the children that I've known since babyhood grow up and come of age, I look at these moments from a different perspective. For a teenager, a school dance is monumental. When my neighbor's oldest daughter got invited to her high school's ring dance and her mom asked me to take pictures for her, I became as giddy as if I were going myself. And looking with a photographer's eye now, I thought about some of the moments that are special but typically not captured by the camera... such as the preparation process:

I love the fact that the style of  the dresses nowadays are pretty timeless. I can't see this beautiful young lady looking back at this image and think "Oh-mi-God, I look so 2011!!!"

 Her date might look back and giggle a bit at his hairstyle, though. Just sayin'... actually, my son's hair is way shaggier than this.

The corsage was beautiful and just popped against the backdrop of her lovely blue gown.

This was a ring dance after all, so we needed what I like to call the "Wonder Twin" shot. Actually this image has even more meaning since he's wearing his class ring, and the ring she's wearing was a gift from him.

Perhaps one of my favorite shots (because I'm a parent now) is dad giving the happy couple the "talk" before they get in the car...

And the fun shot as they drive off into the sunset...

I hope she looks back at these shots years from now and smiles. No shuddering or cringing allowed.

Owl Always Love Her...

We had a nice visit with my sister, her husband, and my beautiful 11 month old niece the past few days. My sister has taken up a new obsessive hobby of crocheting, and my youngest child has just reaped the benefits of her new passion.

My littlest has always loved owls. Her bedroom is entirely filled with the big-eyed creatures, and her love for the birds hasn't dwindled as she's getting older. So my sister created (in a span of two days, mind you) a sweet little owl-faced hat. When she put it on, I had the automatic response of pulling out the camera.

It made me think of how touching adding a simple prop such as a handmade item like a hat or a dress can be; it makes an image so special and memorable. One day she might outgrow this hat, but she can glimpse back at herself and think about how special it was that a beloved aunt made something so unique for her.

Exchanging Vows Bayside

So my last post was about bridal portraits. I was "saved by the bell" when my friend told me another family member had hired a professional to take her daughter's wedding photos. But as soon as I got off the hook for that one, an additional opportunity presented itself: another friend asked us to take pictures at her wedding... and this was the real deal. The actual vow exchange. THE moment. Sure, I was nervous. But I had my talented friend with me, so I knew (rather, I hoped) between the two of us we could capture some good ones.

This was a casual (and quick) ceremony along the shore of Back Bay. Just the immediate family attended, and to be honest I felt a bit like an intruder on a very personal and intimate moment. But I have to admit I really, really enjoyed every minute of it. It's so moving to see two people so clearly in love commit to each other. The bride was simply radiating with happiness, and when someone has that pure and honest glow about them, it really makes it easy to capture.

As far as I know, she didn't have formal bridal portraits done. So here are a couple of my attempts to catch her by herself.

 This was immediately following the ceremony. She looks positively beautiful in this shot.

The family.

Mother and daughter.

Mother and son.

Family overlooking the bay.

My friend also took some gorgeous shots, and I hope the bride was happy with it all!

The Goddess Bride

Earlier this spring my co-worker asked me if I might be willing to take pictures at her daughter's wedding. YIKES! But of course I said yes... she is a good friend and her daughter's a beauty. As the time drew near I started asking questions about what type of photos they would like. Some people like very traditional/classic images, some people like a more modern twist... the avoidance of the "posed" and more of an "eavesdropping on a moment" type of approach. We discussed it off and on, and then come to find out another family member hired a professional photographer for the wedding. I was not at all offended. I asked if she was going to have bridal portraits done. She looked at me quizzically. What did I mean bridal portraits?

Is this only a southern thing? Where the bride has individual portraits taken prior to the wedding and displays them at the reception? I had a flashback to my bridal portrait scene... standing in a studio with a  gray, faded curtain as my background, holding some fake flowers in my hand, while the photographer literally positioned me like a mannequin in the traditional bridal stances. 

If I had a "do-over"... what would I do? I'd want to stand in a garden of flowers. Real ones.

So we decided to take my friend's daughter to the botanical gardens and let the scene play out.

She changed into her dress and I couldn't believe it. She looked like a petite Roman goddess... and it was perfect for our setting.

Here are some of my favorite shots:

It was a fun adventure. As a side note: always check with botanical gardens to see if they will charge you for taking bridal portraits on their premises. We found out the hard way that professional or not, they charge you. I put up a bit of a stink, but at the end of the day, the gardens got their money.

To view the entire collection, click here.

A Different Kind of Senior Portrait

Earlier this summer my neighbor asked if I would be willing to take senior portraits of her friend's daughter. I just stared back at her with wide eyes. Are you kidding me? The idea alone scared me to death. The portraits I had taken up to that point had all been of people I knew, and there was always a sense of ease about it... no pressure. But this was altogether different. A huge, important moment in this girl's life and it had to be done right.

I had to convince myself to step up to the plate and give it a go. As long as mama knew my background, then let's go for it and see what we come up with. So I asked her what type of setting she thought her daughter would want to be in. This isn't studio photography, so I wanted the background to be what this girl likes. Her mom said she loves the forest and the trees. Simple enough. We chose to meet at a local park on a sunny (but ridiculously hot) morning. I brought my talented sister for back up.

Wow, was I stunned when this young lady stepped out of her car. She was adorable! I realized right away that it would be quite difficult NOT to take a good picture of her.

So here a few of my favorite shots. Loved the simple white dress she chose, which contrasted beautifully with her long, dark hair.

To view the entire collection, click here.

The Secret Garden

Last Easter my sister, her husband, and their new baby girl came for a visit and we decided to drive down to the quaint town of Manteo in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. My sister shares my love of photography, and we decided that it might be a nice idea to catch some shots of our beautiful girls in their Easter "finery." It's so rare these days that my girls put on a nice dress and a bow in their hair. Soon enough they will refuse to do it, so I have to take my opportunities while I can.

Gardens, especially in the spring, are such perfect places to shoot pictures of darling young girls in pretty dresses. We enjoyed our visit to the Elizabethan Gardens with the azaleas, roses, and tulips in full bloom. While I typically prefer black and white for most portraits, many of these shots had to be color of course. I am typically not a fan of the "classic pose portrait", but there's something to be said about it.

 Is there anything more touching than young parents and their beautiful baby? My sister and her husband are completely in love with their little girl, and it shows in almost every shot. This was my favorite of them...

And this photo reminds me yet again of how the unexpected moment often turns into the "money shot." We placed baby girl in a bed of tulips, hoping to catch her sitting pretty. But she promptly fell over and just stared at her cute little toes. One day when I get a hold of photoshop I will remove that gazebo thing in the background, but I love this picture.

 The next photo is a personal favorite, but not without faults. My two girls, three years apart, are peering into a fountain. I love the way the picture compares and contrasts them. They're both wearing the same outfit and hairstyle to highlight their "kinship." But one is much smaller and needs to boost herself up to see over the edge. I like that.

 The problem with the shot (and what I learned) is that shoes make a difference. I brought fancy shoes that were identical. But the girls thought they were uncomfortable and replaced them with their scrappy summer shoes so they could run about the garden in between shots. I never asked them to peer into the fountain. It was true discovery on their part and I caught it. No time to think or change shoes. But as I look back at the image I realize it's one of the first things your eye goes to. The difference in their shoes. It bothers me, but I still like the shot anyway.

And finally, my favorite of the day. We're still at the fountain and my littlest peers into the water. There are flower petals floating about. There is something timeless about this shot. It could have been a century ago, so I gave it a sepia tone to "antique" it. It just worked.

Gardens are such a fun and beautiful place for portraits...