Family Ties {Columbia, SC | Family Photographer}

Family is an amazing blessing and no one knows that better than this sweet family I recently had the pleasure of photographing. It was a fun mixture of relations and personalities.

Giggles were a big part of this session and the sweet little faces responsible for them couldn't have been cuter.

It was such a pleasure and honor to spend the evening capturing this wonderful family! I hope to see you all again soon!

Precious Nine Months {Columbia, SC Photographer | Infants, Children, Family}

I love all of my clients and I'll admit that I have baby/child vision. I haven't met a child yet that I don't think is beautiful, but this little girl was beyond the norm. A couple of months ago I photographed her adorable cousin. It's obvious that beauty and sweetness run in the family.

After an hour with this baby doll, I wanted to pack her up and take her home with me! But it's obvious her family love and adore her so I settled for a hug and wave goodbye.

I can't wait to get to see her again. Next time I'll be sure to bring a larger selection of tutus as we discovered she is quite fond of them!

If you enjoy these images and would like to see more of my work, please feel free to visit and like my Facebook Page. 

April

Sweet Six Months {Columbia, SC | Children's Photographer}

I recently was delighted to meet up with the very sweet "H" family in order to do their family portrait and also capture their angel's six month milestone. You may recognize her from her newborn session which was posted this past fall although it feels like it was just yesterday. On this occasion she was much more awake and it was great fun to interact with her, watch her smile and work to capture that blossoming personality of hers.

She's going to be quite the stunner! Here are a few of my favorite images from our time together.

Thank you, "H" family for allowing me the pleasure of capturing your precious family and this special time. I can't wait to see you guys again and watch as Miss B grows!

April

Three Months of Precious {Photographer | Columbia, SC}

I recently was blessed with the opportunity to photograph the sweetest little 3 month angel. She was such a little pro! I have had a string of really amazing little posers it seems and she was certainly one of them. Her proud mommy and daddy came with a couple of wardrobe changes and we tossed in some props I had on hand. The pink and brown hat courtesy of LAD-zigns seemed made for her! Her mom seemed to agree so we had to get a canvas of her in it. Sweet!

She was such a pro that our session flew by quickly and we ended up with plenty of sweet captures! Here are a couple of my favorites! Hope you enjoy the captures, Mom and Dad. I look forward to seeing Miss K again soon!

Three Months Already? {Photographer Columbia, SC}

This little cutie graced the blog a short time ago as a newborn and although it seems impossible, he's already three months old and he's back to visit!

It's really neat to see the change in babies from sleepy newborn to awake and aware three month olds. Even though they're still so young, you can already see their personalities starting to shine. It's wonderful and magical!

At three months, the big mile markers are those open eyes and a slightly stronger necks. Although many three month olds can lay on their belly and hold their heads up for short periods, the real accomplishment is the ability to be sit with support, such as in a basket or on mom or dad's lap. This little man is super strong. I suspect he may be on the move a little early, so he'll be keeping his mom and dad super busy!

Is it any wonder why I love photographing wee ones so much?

April

Adrian turns 1! {Photographer | Columbia, SC}

A couple of weeks ago I had the privilege of photographing the first birthday party of an adorable little man. It seems like just yesterday I heard his mom was pregnant so when I got her email I was in disbelief that time had flown by so quickly.

I was thrilled over the prospect of photographing the party. Birthdays are a special event and it's those times more than others that moms end up absent from the photos. After all, they're usually the person behind the camera. And that responsibility also means they're not enjoying the celebration with their little one which is the biggest shame of all.

The party was a snowman theme and she did a fabulous job with the theme. The treats she prepared could have been right off the pages of Style at Home magazine. Because it was so inspired I am including some photographs of the setup with the ultra cute photos of the birthday boy and his guests below.

Adorable snowman cookie pops made with Oreos

Accessories for the hot chocolate

A great alternative to a traditional cake

All the places were set with cute snowman hats turned name plates

I'm not sure I'll ever look at drinking milk the same way

Fun on the slide

And the sandbox

Mom and grandpa sharing a smile

Grandpa and the birthday boy

A quick snap of mom and dad with their littlest man

I think he liked the snowman cupcake

Big brother having a little fun of his own

The whole family all together

This adorable cutie was all set for a picture with her mommy before heading home

 I had so much fun. Thank you again mom and dad for allowing me to photograph such a special family event. I hope you and your guests enjoy the images and I hope that Adrian's second year is just as healthy and happy as his first was!

Project 52 | Week 1

There are a lot of things photographers do for inspiration. One of them are yearly projects. There are many variations, but they all have a few things in common. There are assigned themes in which interpretation is left up to each photographer and each is supposed to be completed within a certain time frame. Some are daily projects, some are weekly and others are monthly.

This year I chose to join a weekly project. Hence the Project 52. It's something I'm doing for my own enjoyment as well as to expand my creative mind a little, so I hadn't planned to share my weekly projects here, but then I thought it may be fun for everyone to see some outtakes from my weekly life and it may even inspire some to pick a camera themselves and play along. So feel free!

The theme for week 1 was sharing.

Our oldest daughter sharing a tickle and a laugh with her little sister while out for a bike ride. 

Feel free to challenge yourself to a weekly assignment as well. A fancy camera isn't necessary. Sometimes it's just about stepping outside your box or even grabbing the camera and catching something you may not have otherwise.

Happy snapping!

A Little Left Over Christmas Magic {Columbia, SC Infant Photographer}

We celebrated Christmas two weeks ago, but I had to share a little something from this session with our sweet nephew. He was just shy of three months when we got together for a little Christmas fun.

For a three month old he has a lot of strength already. He's a strong baby and he's going to be a strong little boy. A spoiled one probably, but none of us would have it any other way.

Now back to celebrating the new year!

Miss "E" turns One {Columbia, SC Children's Photographer}

The end of the year managed to get super busy before I realized it and I am terribly behind on my posting duties. Hopefully you'll forgive me as I promise to play catch up.

Several weeks ago I was privileged with the opportunity to spend a morning with an adorable one year old. We were able to catch the last bits of fall at one of my favorite local parks and thankfully it was a relatively mild morning for my little subject.

I've had the opportunity to photograph this beautiful family before and it's always fun. Big brother came along to help out and he did a fantastic job of playing assistant.

I hope Miss "E" and her family had a great of a time as I did and I can't wait to get together again soon with this very photogenic family!

Taking Time... {Columbia, SC Childrens Photographer}

There is this field a fair distance from our home which has called to me for some time. For various reasons I have never had the opportunity to take photos there. However, this past Sunday as my family traveled home from church (our church is clear across town from our home), we were listening to the girls happily chatter in the back seat and as usual as we neared the field I thought, gosh I wish I had my camera. Then I remembered, I did!

Friday my three year old daughter had her Christmas performance at preschool and I had not had time to take it out of the car yet. Yippee for no time! My hubby was happy to stop and oblige my whim, so I pulled off the road and we all ran around in my favorite field for a little while. It was chilly and the light was far from what I would consider ideal, but it was a lot of fun. 

Who knew a hay bale could be so much fun?

These next couple of weeks of Christmas and New Year's I have set aside for taking a little extra family time. While there's no real break from work, I always make sure my schedule is really light so that I will be able to cherish this time with them as time seems to be something so fleeting any more. 

I encourage you to do the same. If there's a field or pretty spot you pass on occasion where you've thought, I'd just like to stop and take a picture, or just stop period, do it. Having said that, I'm not encouraging trespassing of any sort. This particular field is part of a plot of public land and the only rules are no dumping, which we did not do. So I'm not encouraging any illegal activity, but remember to take a little time and catch those happy moments!

Have a happy moment,

April

A Child's Delight {Columbia, SC Children's Photographer}

Christmas is in full swing around here. Our Christmas tree is shining brightly, the 8 foot Santa is gaily waving from the front lawn and Christmas photos are being snapped away.

I recently had the opportunity to photograph this precious 3 month old. She was a complete delight and I can't wait to photograph her and her big brown eyes again. 

Between photographing adorable children and families, I've been doing some Christmas shopping for our family. Since many of our family members read this blog, I won't share with you the really cool gifts we've picked up for them. But I thought I would share 5 super cool gifts I discovered through my searching that you can pick up for members of your family all from the convenience of your computer. No shopping crowds... ah, that's the life!

How cool would you be if you made someone their very own custom 3D reel viewer. You can pick up the viewer and 1 reel of photos for $24.95 or you can add additional reels. Or better yet, you can include a new reel of photos from the past year each Christmas. What a great idea for grandparent presents! Click on the picture for a link to the website where you can order them.

I live in a Disney household. Nearly anything Disney rules. While we haven't plastered the walls with Mickey Mouse wallpaper, the little clues are there and anyone who knows us knows of our affinity. We have two small girls and our oldest turned three this year and discovered Disney Princesses. This fall I learned that you can get an autographed photo of practically any Disney character for the cost of a piece of paper, an envelope and postage stamp. How cool is that? Simply send a letter to the character at: Disney World Communications; PO Box 10040, Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830-0040.

How about making a glass photo pendant. That's right, make. Photo pendants are extremely popular right now. Ordering a custom photo pendant can be very pricey. But for a small fraction of that cost, you can make a custom photo pendant. Or you can use some pretty scrapbooking paper from your local craft store to make a pendant. Click on the picture for really simple step by step directions and a supply list.

You can never go wrong with something sweet. Who doesn't like a sweet treat? I know I do. And who hasn't gone to bake up a treat only to discover they're either missing or are short on an ingredient? Cookies in a jar is a wonderful and easy gift. The premise is you put all of the dry ingredients for baking cookies into a jar. For detailed directions as well as some super cute free printables to dress up your gift, click the image to the right.

Every year we make our parents custom calendars for the next year. I'm not concerned about them seeing this post because they already know they're coming. I use photos of our family (including our extended family) from throughout the previous year. You can make it as simple (1 photo per page) or as complicated (read: collage) as you want. If it's your first go, I recommend 1 photo per month. It's just easier. Some printers allow you to customize the dates as well so you can insert text and pictures on important dates. You're gifting them a calendar (who doesn't need one of those suckers?) and you're giving them pictures (let's face it, we never give them enough). So it's a double present. Score!

Happy shopping!
April

Baby "E" {Newborn Photographer, Columbia, SC}

A few weeks ago I had the honor of photographing a very precious newborn. Usually newborn sessions are done with babies who are less than 10 days old. However, baby E had some difficulty after delivery and had to spend a couple of weeks in the NICU.

After much prayer and tons of stress on his parents and family, baby E finally got to come home, but he brought a breathing monitor with him so photos were delayed another week or so until we could be confident he was in the clear. Safety is first when it comes to photo sessions with newborns.

Despite the extra couple of weeks of age, he performed magnificently for us during his session. As you may be able to tell, he is a larger baby. At birth he weighed in at 10lbs 15oz. I love plump cheeks!

We have a holiday session coming up, so baby E will be gracing the blog again in the near future. But for now, I'll share a couple of my favorite shots from his not-quite-newborn session.

It's just so hard to narrow down images from sessions!

April