Carmen's Newborn Shoot

I headed up to Old Saybrook, CT today to shoot this adorable newborn. I poached the above basket from my mother-in-laws house on Easter...its a perfect baby nest that I wouldn't mind taking a nap in!

Easter portraits & Gia’s Christening

Bryson

In between my beach shoot last Sunday, I headed to Norwalk to shoot this little guy- (I know, I'm a photography animal). It was such an easy shoot since he was so well behaved and did everything we requested of him! I figured since this shoot doesn't really match the rest of the shoots at the beach-even though its the same day-I'd make Bryson have his own blog entry.

Major props to Laura for coming up with this clever little idea. Its especially fun since I shot their wedding too-now we bring it full circle!

Beach Portrait Day

Beach Portrait Day just passed (it was on Sunday). We had a beautiful day- a bit crisp-but sunny and spring like. The kids all were great, everyone had adorable clothes on and I really think most of my small subjects enjoyed the fact  that they got to play around at the beach. The first family arrived at 9 AM-and got the bulk of the chilliness and wind. Still  they pulled through and gave great face. Here are some favorites:

My next model was Sydney-age 2. Her mom is a great friend of mine-that I actually lived with in college. Oh, how the time passes soooo fast.

My next shoot included some new friends-we hit it off pretty well, I must say. The kids were a blast to work with and I love the clothing color combos against the sand and water. Very spring-like, I'm in love!

As the afternoon continued, so did the portraits. Here are some images of  my next family, can you believe that since I saw them last - another baby arrived, and a fourth is on the way!

And here is my last family of the day-we had a blast and the lighting was beautiful....

Beach Portrait Day

Just a reminder that this weekend, Saturday April 4th is my beach portrait day. All slots are filled-rain date is Sunday, April 5th. We should have a fantasic time-I'm really looking forward to seeing all of you. I will send out a confirmation emal on Thursday evening as far as the definite date (Saturday or Sunday). As always, feel free to bring outfit changes or layer up. If you have any questions-send me an email. Very excited!

Jack at 6 months

Here are some shots of my cousin's little baby boy, Jack. He just turned 6 months a few weeks ago. We waited until he was fully able to sit up on his own so he could really work it for the camera. Oh boy-did he ever! Here are some favorites:

Mohawk hair'do. Love it!!

The slick rick hair style. Even more out of control.

Morgan and Joe

Some of my favorite shots from today's shoot...

New Products for 2009

Jumbo Art Collage:

A 16x20 collage of your photo shoot. If you want to spice it up-you can even pick images from multiple shoots done with Meredith. The collage holds up to 20 images and is a really unique and powerful piece of art to hang on your wall. Great for the budget conscious who still want something that will WOW time and time again; 16x20 $225

Guardian Angel Parent Business Cards:

This is basically a standard business card, but instead of having your business information-it has all the important information about your children. Listing their allergies and important contact information-as well as a cute picture of them-taken by Meredith!   A great thing to hand out to teachers, babysitters, and day care professionals. $30 per box of 50 2x3.5 business cards

Beauty doesn't have an age

Today I photographed my gorgeous Aunt Patti who came to visit us from Alaska. Can you believe she's 55  years old???

Weekend of Shooting

On Saturday I headed up to Connecticut to photograph a few newborns and one 6 month old. Here are some shots from the day...first we have Jack-just a few weeks old....

...and his older brother Ryan. Loving the polka dots against his coloring, and those train conductor pants. Adorable...

Next I headed to Hamden to meet 2 more babies, Paige and Avery. The fun thing is that I shot both little girls parents weddings a few years back. Now I get to meet the newest additions to both of their families. Below is Paige at six months;

And for the grand finale we have Avery, just a few weeks old.

Maria

Tonight I had the pleasure of shooting Maria, a fit model. We created a few different looks-here are 2 of my most favorite shots from the session:

Valentines Portrait Day

Yesterday was my first all day girly shoot. It was a complete success, and so much fun. Each girl was allotted two hours for hair, makeup, and mulitple shooting scenes.  Our makeup artist-Kerry Dering, (based out of Westfield NJ-www.kerrydering.com) did an amazing job. I have never seen anyone create such flawless faces before. Here are some shots from my first client...her ethereal look inspired soft beautiful imagery.

My next model was interested in more of a  boudior shoot, to be given as a gift for Valentines Day to her husband overseas in Iraq. Her makeup was edgier, the hair was sexy–and the pictures are so much fun. Here are a few that aren't too revealing...

For the next shoot, we tried out a few looks and situations. First we did a bedroom shoot. The light was really fantastic so we wanted to take full advantatge of it while we had it. We had big hair and sexy eyes, a winning combo....

After the bedroom, we opted for a Hollywood Starlet vibe....

My next client arrived and we decided to do a mixture of boudoir, pin up and bodyscapes. Here ya go:

Twin Newborn Shoot

Today I got to meet Benjamin and Ethan-my first preemie newborns ever shot! They were so easy to work with, lots of yawns and sighs. It was adorable. Here are some of my most favorites...

Body Scapes

A few days ago I had the opportunity to try out some dramatically lit body scapes. Its kind of like a celebration of what makes woman beautiful, their curves. I think this is a great gift idea for yourself or for the one you love. I am doing a Valentines Day Girlie shoot later this month (its sold out already), and this is one aspect of what I plan on photographing. Any body type, any age can be captured in this way. I think its a truly fabulous way to embrace your inner and outer beauty. Many thanks to my models! If anyone is interested in doing something like this, send me an email

Tips for Taking Great Pictures of your Kids

Since most people can't afford to hire a professional to take pictures of their kids every month-I've devised a little tip list on how to maximize your own skills behind the camera. If you keep these suggestions in mind, you just might end up with some awesome shots of your children-all on your own. 1. Clothing can make a picture. I love simplicity on little kids and trendy/funky clothing on anyone from the age of 2 and up. Tights, boots, hats, bikini's, sunglasses-all are fun. If you have an eye for color, play around with complimentary colors (clothing in one color, wall or outside scape in its complimentary shade).

(above shows complimentary colors: red & green - yellow & purple. This adds intention to the portrait without feeling over done)

2. Don't force your children to stay still and don't tell them to say cheese. This never works. Let them do what they want to do, dance, play, etc. Just stay behind your camera and talk to them.

3. Use as much natural light as possible. Shoot them in front of a window or by a sliding glass door. If you can shut your flash off on your camera, excellent. Of course, it should be bright in the room you're working in.

4. Don't be afraid to get down on the ground, so you're on their level.

5. Get snap happy. Digital allows us to take tons of pictures and delete the bad ones afterward. Obviously, hiring a professional to take your child's picture once or twice a year is recommended. We've got the best skills, experience and gear available—but during the in between times, try this out. You may surprise yourself!

Shots in the 'hood

One positive thing about living in an urban environment is the vast array of cool backdrops you can use for a photoshoot. I had notices this plain gray textured wall right around the corner from my house. I thought it could be a fun background for a picture, with someone wearing something brightly colored. I just got this coat from Old Navy (60% off-thank you)-so we used it in the shoot...and there you go!

Holiday Thanks!

As the holiday are subsiding, I've had time to catch my breath and relax for a few days. Its been a great little break, but with way too much food! I want to thank all of you for a wonderful year of photographs-weddings and families! I've met so many great people and really feel lucky to have such an awesome job. Thank you for making 2008 special. Please stay tuned during the coming months, I am planning different things-such as winter sale days, portrait parties and new photo products geared towards my baby/children portraiture. If you are interested in being a part of my email list-just send me a message and I'll include you. Have a fantastic New Year!!

Published on People's Magazine's Celebrity Baby Blog

Thanks Nancy!

Ode to Edie Sedgwick

I just got home from a very successful photo shoot starring my old friend Katie. We decided to go totally 60's mod using Edie Sedgwick from The Factory/Andy Warhol's muse. I think we did a fab. job recreating the look. It was so much fun to shoot, I think we both had a blast doing it!

Kaden & Korryn's Holiday shoot

I just got home from shooting these 2 little beauties. Kaden is so happy her little sister Korryn has arrived—just 2 weeks ago! Here are some shots from our shoot: