Ben & Sarah

My friend Allison is one member of a family of four; she happens to be the mom. Her kids are each unique and full of personality.

Her son, Ben, warmed up to after the initial time that we met. His expression and the way he says my name delight me each and every time I see his smiling face.

On the other hand, her daughter Sarah took several months to even begin to tolerate me, and even then she still had moments where I wasn't her favorite. Thankfully, she's grown up a little and has realized that I'm pretty cool...ha, ha!

I spent a morning with them recently for a photo session. Originally, Allison wanted to go to the zoo, but I'm a pretty firm believer in not trying to have a photo session at a place where kids are normally allowed to go nuts. Parents never want their children going nuts during a photo session they're paying me to shoot. :)

We agreed to try out the Marigny for our location, and I think we were both more than pleased with the results. The kids were superb and really cooperative, which makes my job much easier.

The only hiccup in our time together was when some lady pulled up next to us and yelled at me for being a bad mother. One, I couldn't figure out why she was so angry because I was the one laying in the street...the kids were safe and secure on the sidewalk. Two, last time I checked, I'm not a mother. It was interesting and just another reminder of how insane and great it is to live in New Orleans.

Josephine.

Josephine is sweet little girl. I met her and her family out at Audubon Park for our session, and we had an interesting time.

There were tons of people out at the park, so we spent a lot of time avoiding them and trying to get shots without them in the background. It was a challenge, but I love a good challenge. It's always good to improve by figuring out solutions to lighting and environmental situations.

We hoped to get more shots of J in the grass, but she just couldn't stop herself from trying to eat everything in site. Leaves, grass, sticks...anything and everything went into her mouth and was promptly retrieved by mom.

It was a great afternoon with a super family.

Brayden.

For awhile now, I've been trying to get more experience photographing newborns. To gain the experience, I've been offering to take pictures for my friends who have newborns.

I had plans to shoot newborns shots after my friends, Jenny and Shane had their son. However, he was born with some lung issues that required him to be in the hospital for a couple weeks after his birth.

We finally made plans to take some pictures when Brayden turned six months. We had the date and time set when Brayden got sick and was placed in the hospital again. Eventually, B was well and we got our pictures.

He was a real champ through the whole session. It took him awhile to warm up to the camera. He would smile at me, but as soon as I would raise the camera he became expressionless. Jenny and Shane worked hard to get some good expressions, so that I could capture them. He was at the perfect age where he could sit up but not crawl; that's one of my favorite stages to photograph.

Bruneau Boys and Dog

I have to admit that I shuddered a little on the inside when one of my new clients mentioned bringing their puppy along on the session with her two young boys. Thankfully, Gris-Gris, was the most well behaved puppy that I've ever encountered. She gave us absolutely no problems and even looked toward the camera for a few of the shots.

We had planned to start at City Park, but it was really crowded because it was the first warm day after some major cold weather. As a result, we ended up at a really sweet spot in Bayou St. John.

Photographing this family was such a pleasure. They're great people and just plan fun as you'll see from a few of the photographs. I'm happy I had the privilege to capture these images and enjoy an amazing afternoon.

Eliana

I've known Brooke since we were kids. We went to the same dancing school, had mutual friends, and also went to college together. I helped her prepared for her wedding four years ago by designing her invitations and painstakingly sealing each one with waxy. I was there at 4 in the morning to assist with last minute details for her sunrise wedding ceremony...I'm a dedicated friend, what can I say? She's a good friend and totally worth it.

She and her husband had their daughter, Eliana, back in October. They just moved back here to be near Brooke's family, so we're getting reacquainted. Plus, I had the joy of shooting Eliana's three month portraits. The weather didn't cooperate, so we took shelter inside and made the best of it. She's adorable, and I promised Brooke not to talk about how sharp her fingernails felt on my face when I held her for the first time. :) I'm looking forward to the six month session outside somewhere...until then...