Raleigh Cary Child Photographer - Our Visitors

The girls had so much fun this afternoon hanging out with two soft and sweet bunnies. I have lost track of how many times they have asked me how much a bunny costs and if they can buy one for Easter? Funny how they think decisions are made based upon expense. So I exaggerated the truth a bit and told them probably a couple thousand dollars! They finally stopped asking! Luckily these bunnies live very close by so maybe they will settle for another playdate. Two dogs is two too many pets for me right now. They were cute to borrow though for a couple hours. Thank You Julie!

I was in a vintage mood when I edited these.

Another Adventure with Avery - Raleigh Child Photographer

We ignored trespassing signs, braved snakes, got covered with pollen and cob webs, laid in itchy weed fields and sweated up a storm last Thursday afternoon. It was all worth it though for these gorgeous photos of Little Miss Avery. She cooperated so well and played along with all my tricks to get her doing what I wanted. We even brought along her super sweet little puppy Mia, an Imperial Shitzu, for her first photo shoot. When we realized she was getting lost in the tall grass and not easy to photograph we took her back to the studio for some closeups. I have been photographing Avery since she was a baby and each session is more fun than the last. 

Referral Photo Gift - Raleigh Photographer Baby

Here is an example of one of my referral gifts. A 12 photo accordion mini album. Lauren received this album of her adorable little girl after referring a friend to me for her daughter's newborn photos. Thank you Lauren. Referrals are my best source of marketing. I truly appreciate my client's spreading the word.

Raleigh, Cary, Family Photographer - Make time for me

I am willing to bet working moms are all faced with a similar guilt. The challenge of putting in hours, making money and hopefully spending time doing what we love, is a balancing act between being their for our families and their needs.
I feel extremely fortunate not to have to clock into a 9-5 job. I love being my own boss and having freedom and flexibility. However sometimes working from home, scraping together work minutes here and there in between pouring cups of juice, breaking up fights, and bandaging boo boos is not always easy. Having to make business phone calls when my girls are home, locked in the bathroom is not always ideal either.
I guess if I really wanted to I could throw in the towel on my business. The thought has crossed my mind here and there over the last few years. However photography is my passion and one of the few things that excites me and brings me joy. My favorite time of day is when I sit down to review a clients session for the first time and I see all the adorable expressions and emotions my camera has recorded. Capturing people, and life as we live it is my calling. I am blessed beyond words, so throwing in the towel is not the right answer.

Tonight I asked my 8 yr old daughter to get me something, she responded with "ok but for that I get you & me snuggling for 2 whole TV shows"
she should know by now that Mommy does  not watch TV!
so I said to her
 "i will gladly snuggle with you but i don't want to do it while watching TV (especially the Disney channel) I have a lot of work to do Sophia. How about I come up after you watch your shows and then I'll snuggle with you for a little bit."
"aww Mom you never snuggle with me, you always have to work!"
ouch that one hurt! but then she added fuel to the fire with this,
"see Mom this is why I wrote that letter to the President about making a law that will let parents spend more time with kids, we need to spend more time together"
her class wrote letters last month to the President about enacting a new law, anything they wished for. Mr. President must think I'm a deadbeat parent after that letter : )
 So I said to her okay so if parents get to spend more time with their kids thanks to your new law how do they make money to pay for all these things. This is why we work Sophia.
Her solution without hesitation... "Well if you snuggle with me tonight Mommy I will set up a lemonade stand tomorrow so that you don't have to work so much"
 How could I deny her after that sweet and innocent solution.
She was right though what was I doing that couldn't wait one hour? My clients are understanding and family is probably their top priority too. If they had to wait an extra hour for their photo gallery I think they would be ok.
 Whats more important then spending time with your family?
 Tip of the day when your child is begging to be snuggled, you snuggle! Even if you have to suffer through The Wizards of Waverly place while doing it. Life is too short. We all need to press the pause button every once and awhile whether its to snuggle or to run through the rain.

Apex,Raleigh, Family, Child Photographer - Downtown Apex Fall Session

Saturday morning I met the A family for their Fall, urban, halloween photos. I was at first a little hesitant to show them my gem of a spot in Apex (back alley with lots of brick, funky doors, junk and walls falling down!) However when Avery stepped out in her urban chick attire I knew we were on the same page. The session couldn't have been more perfect. Avery warmed right up to my camera and got a kick out of all my new toys and tricks and her daddy too. Then we decided to hit the main street for an ice cream cone but happened upon a cotton candy machine and a joggling board instead perfect for a flying fairy.

how cute are they? three of my favorite people! one sweet family. so glad i talked them into this shot : )  

I asked her to stand on my rock to get her where I wanted her. I love this one where she is looking down, maybe my favorite but I have different taste in photos. 

Then we had a little tea party with the random things floating around our junkyard location. 

It might be hard to tell here but she has the cutest pouty lips! Angelina Jolie watch out. 

the street side view of our alleyway. the hardest part was overcoming the smell from the garbage cans. it was definitely worth it though to get the great backdrops. these urban-ish spots are hard to come by around here.  

Cotton candy....strangely we couldn't get her to eat it. But it made a cute prop and we didn't have a sticky mess afterward. 

Raleigh Family Child Photographer - Grayson & Baylor

My playdate at Marla Dorrel Kids Together Park in Cary (100 Thurston Ave) I have been photographing this Raleigh family for the last few years. Sometimes luck is with you and the perfect people just fall into your lap. There couldn't be a sweeter family than these guys! I so love working with them. Mom is always a trooper, up for anything during our sessions. She puts her trust in me and never hesitates at any of my ideas or bribery tactics.Though I must say I almost screwed up this time by only bringing one giant lollipop to the session. (those hysterical photos will be coming soon!) Her boys are so well behaved and loads of fun. Come January they will be welcoming their third son yay! Looking forward to meeting him and working with these guys again soon.

I asked him if he would trade eyes with me : ) Gorgeous!

The smartest 15mth old ever! He amazed me. Harvard bound.

Facebook Fresh Faces Winners - Raleigh Cary Baby Newborn Photographer

These sisters won our facebook fresh faces contest recently for our baby and toddler categories. They braved the hurricane this morning to come over for their FREE shoot. With daughters the same age difference myself I have a soft spot for this family.
In May I took Nora's newborn photos. You can see that she was born with those adorable curls
Today was the first time I had met her older sister Frankie. She was so well behaved for a toddler, she didn't tear down my backdrops or knock over my lights : ) She didn't even attempt to try to leave the studio. As long as we let her have her lollipop she was game for anything.
At twenty months & five months old they sure gave us a run for our money. Normally I would prefer to chase a toddler around outside to capture their true personality but with a sister that couldn't yet sit up and of course a hurricane outside we made the best of it inside with these two little sweeties : )

"hey you no more photos!"

i have a bunch of props in studio for the toddlers but they always seem to prefer my ladder which i normally use to stand on when i shoot. I'm a firm believer in keep them happy, let them do what they want. It actually works pretty well!



I love this one...hello world!