I had a viewing appointment scheduled with a client tonight, and she was super bummed that she had to call and reschedule because she discovered major roof/ceiling issues at their house late this afternoon.  She'd been looking forward to it all day, and it's really a bummer because I'm heading on a Jamaican mission trip this weekend, so we have to reschedule for when I get back the week after next.  She asked if I could post just a small sneak peek so she could at least see a couple images, and I was happy to do so. Little Finley is so precious. She's had a tough first 15 months that's already included 14 surgeries, but you'd never know it with her sweet, playful spirit.  She's truly a joy to be around, and I'll talk more about her and the Fears family when I post the full set of session images after they've had their vieiwing appointment.  For now, here's a quick preview of our time together.

Still playing catch up on blog posts.  This one's from last November when my cousin and his wife and 2 kiddos came down and stayed with us for Thanksgiving.  We love hangin' out with the Reames clan because they're a ton of fun... and because Aaron is like my brother from another mother; he and I are neck & neck in race to be the most absent-minded.  We were both granted book smarts, but we left the building before they handed out common sense. These guys are also native Ohioans (now living near Boston) and Buckeyes to the bone, so they'll always be welcome in our house. Not that we don't let non-Buckeyes in, they just have work extra hard to earn their keep... or pay us rent.  Aaron, Jen and the kids have a lifetime pass. I love these images, not just because we're related, but because the images are so relaxed and fun and tell a story about who this family is.  Without ever meeting them, you know who they are and what their dynamic is like just by glancing at their photos.  Their personalities in these images are the same as they are when a camera's not pointed at them.  It's hard for some people be themselves in front of the camera. Not these guys. We loaded up the car one afternoon and headed down to a park near downtown Dallas, and on another day they busted out their OSU gear for a trip to a park in our neighborhood.  Here is their story in photos.

This next image cracks. me. up.  Alexandra is layin' down the law, mafia style, on big brother Spencer.

If I had a photo of Aaron as a kid, it would look exactly like Spencer. Exactly.

Sweet moment.

We tried to do a serious pose of Jen and Aaron. Honest.  This is about as close as we got.

O-H-I-O!

Hey, sweet cousin Saige makes an appearance!  Wo-hoo!  Man, she looks so much younger in this image.

One day about 8-10 years from now, the kids will regret this next sequence.  Kind of an unfortunate anything-you-can-do-we-can-do-better moment. One day they'll learn that there are some things mommies & daddies do that brothers & sisters shouldn't.  Hilarious.

They used this on the Christmas card last year. Ready. Set. Celebrate!

Hey, a family session on the blog!  I know, crazy, right?  I've been terrible about blogging lately (and by lately I mean since Saige was born over a year ago), and I've got some sessions that are months old that I still haven't blogged, but I'm making a pseudo commitment to myself to be better about posting here. We'll see if it sticks, but here goes... I love photographing the Moores. Seriously.  They are so easy going and fun, and we always have a good time at our sessions.  The first time I photographed them, there were only 4 Moores. Then in late 2010 they added one Moore. [I see you rolling you're eyes at my clever use of the name Moore]  And now that little JP (or "Gippy" as mom and dad call him because, being the 3rd child, he gets gipped out of some things) is a little older, it was time to update the family artwork on the walls with new images.  We met up at Arbor Hills Nature Preserve for a mostly chigger-free session before they headed off to Disney World with the kiddos. BTW, before I get to the images, I need to apologize to the men in this family. I can't tell you how many times in the middle of all the action at the session I mixed up their names.  You'd think this being the 3rd session we've done, that I would have them down by now, but in all fairness, they don't make it easy on you with names like JC (dad), RJ (oldest son), and JP (youngest son). I'm sure I threw in a couple PJs, RCs, CJs and JRs while I was at it. Sorry guys. I'll have it down by our next session... unless you have another son/brother by then. [grin] Here's some of the images from our session.

These next 2 images were the last two things I saw before I took a soccer ball square in the lens. My fault. At 5 years old I thought surely his aim wasn't that good yet.  It wasn't until afterwards when the blood was trickling down the side of my eye that his dad informed me that oh-by-the-way RJ plays soccer year round.

Cassidy could be a superstar child model. Seriously.

I posted this image on Facebook shortly after the session because it made me laugh. This is what family life really looks like. I didn't even know until JC and Maureen came in to view their images yesterday that the reason Cassidy initially laid on her back was because she didn't want the grass to touch her legs. Feakin' hilarious.

Love this.

The thing I really like about this image is that one day little Cassidy is gonna grow up and get married, but this image tells the story about how her daddy will always be her first love.

Cassidy spots mountain bikers on the bike trail coming their way!

Had a contest with RJ to see who could go the longest without smiling. I won.

The great thing about the next couple images is how much the kids will treasure when they're grown,

A couple weeks ago I had a chance to catch up with the Debnars to capture of few images for their family. Mom Kristin actually bought her husband Mike the gift of photography via a gift certificate last year for Christmas.  I can't think of a better gift for the family for the holidays. Seriously.   20 years from now, the kids aren't going to care about the shoes, games, iPads, dolls, underwear, etc. you get them for Christmas this year (although I highly recommend getting them underwear just to see the disappointment on their face). And your wife, sadly, won't cherish the earrings you got her. Again. Because you spent 4 minutes thinking about what to get her and remembered she didn't throw you out of the house the year before when you got her earrings. (All the men out there, say it with me: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it.)  And wives, you know it doesn't matter what you buy your husband for Christmas because he won't remember what you got him by the first of February anyway, let alone 20 years from now.   Sooo, why not find a photographer you like and invest in capturing the story of your family at this moment in time. I promise you, your kids will cherish that gift more than anything you can buy them.  Maybe not this year (although a photography session might actually seem less disappointing than underwear), or even next, but one day they'll count those images as some of their most valuable possessions.  And as parents, you know all too well that your kids change and grow so fast, and as much as we'd like to hit the pause button sometimes, unfortunately time marches on.  Documenting your family in images is just as much a gift to you as it is your kids. Ok, wow... I got all sentimental there for a moment, didn't I?  Back to regularly scheduled programming... When Kristin and I were talking about locations for their session, she mentioned there was a creek in their neighborhood that they occasionally go to with the kids. Jackpot. Not only was it a new place for me to shoot at, it was meaningful to their family.  And with the trees changing colors, it was an easy decision. Here are my favorites from their session.

Recently I met up with some of my favorite clients for another family session.  I've been photographing the Patels for a couple years now, and it's been fun watching their kiddos grow up in photos. This year was bonus awesome because there was an extra pair of little feet this time around. Little Meela is the newest rookie in the family, and she and her big eyes are stinkin' adorable.  Brother's Jai and Rishi are little GQ starter kits, too. Here's some of my favorite images from this year's installment of the Patels 5.0.

Holy cuteness, Batman.

Love Meela's expression. Looks totally up to something.

Sweet moment between mom and big brother Jai.

I know, I can't believe we're almost done with the sesion either.

I smell a holiday card image in this last one...