[Behind The Scenes] The little things!

The start of October has been a little rough for both Pam and I so when I came home last night after a stressful day I found this pinned to my inspiration board.

It immediately made me smile and forget about all the stress because it reminded me about what really counts. I love my nephews and with this support, sky's the limit!

[Rockstar Family] Daddy's little girls!

I met Jeff a few months ago when he started dating my sister. When we first hung out,  I could see he was pretty much like a male version of my sister and that they were crazy about each other. Jeff is a single, hard-working dad of two girls,

Makenna

and Lilly

 He mentioned that his daughter Makenna was going to be visiting from her moms house in North Carolina and wanted to do some family photos. I've already had a chance to get to know his youngest Lilly and it seemed like a really great idea. My first impressions of Makenna when she arrived was, she was a spitting image of Jeff, as a teenage girl that is. We took a trip down to Little Compton in Rhode Island to one of my favorite fields to shoot in, though recently I have developed a mild phobia of tick's and my spidey sense was being driven mad. Nothing like a little immersion therapy to make me be on my "A game"!

See spitting image

Lilly inherited the Ging

One of the reasons I love coming out to this field is because not only is it open, but it also has a lot of different features to from hay stacks to cemetery. Who doesn't love a good cemetery?

My sister came along and brought her two youngest, as the light went down we would do "fun" light testing photos with Makenna being my light assistant. Light testing photos are becoming some of my favorite.

We walked around and I pretty much just let them run wild and let their personalities show through the photos.

As the sun was setting past the point of no return Jeff and his daughters mentioned to me that they wanted to do one more shot and it also reminded me why they fit right perfectly into my sister's family, thanks for letting me tag along!

[Rockstar Couple] Chris and Kelli's ten year vow renewal!

A couple of months ago, I had the pleasure of flying to Arizona to shoot my friends' vow renewal. I told Pam to hold down the fort and I hopped on a plane for some jet setting. I have known Chris and Kelli for over ten years so when they asked me to photograph this special event, I couldn't have been happier to do it for them. You remember Chris and Kelli from my jaunt to the desert in February where we did the most rock star "re-engagement" photos ever! Kelli is also a fellow photographer, so I knew we were going to be in store for some amazing details. Let me tell you...she didn't disappoint! Her and Chris, along with some of the wedding party (and myself,) stayed up into the wee hours of the night preparing and potting flowers for the big event.

The details were intimate and very fitting for their personalities. Let's not forget her wedding dress which was perfect for her!

They had a hand painted sign and antique keys with the table numbers on them. Now, when she told me where the venue was going to be, I panicked. My initial thought was "where the Peter Piper Pizza used to be?" But! I was floored when I saw the transformation from a yard that was once home to skee-ball and overly-cheesed pizza into a beautiful garden outdoor area.

Kelli got her hair and make up done at the amazing Bellissimo Salon and Spa in Mesa. The girls were awesome and Kelli got V.I.P. treatment, just like she deserved!

As the afternoon approached, the weather was beautiful, everyone was smiling and it was time for two amazing people to renew their vows of love to each other.

Chris' father did an amazing job officiating the ceremony. As everyone stared on, you could feel the bond they had between each other. When it came time for the kiss, Chris grabbed her, dipped her back and everyone erupted in applause.

After the ceremony was over, we headed out with the wedding party to go shoot some pictures! While we were heading out to shoot some formals, Chris and Kelli had props and a makeshift photo booth to entertain the guests. It's safe to say their kids had a blast playing with some fake mustaches and coke-bottle eyeglasses!

From there, we headed over to some local orange groves up the road from the venue and it was time for some picture taking. Kelli and Chris knew how to work a camera and things started to feel less like a wedding photo shoot and more like a shoot for Vogue magazine.

It wasn't just Chris and Kelli working it, either. The whole wedding party brought their A game and slayed it. Of course, there was definitely a lot of laughter going on, too!

The whole day was amazing and I was honored to be included in it! Chris and Kelli: thanks so much for flying me out and I love you guys! I know you'll have many, many years of smiling, laughing and love.

[Cute Overload] Welcome to the world, baby Korah! [Fall River, MA]

We've been awaiting baby Korah for quite some time. You see, before Korah was even born...she had herself her own personal celebrity photographers. We photographed her incredible surprise carnival themed baby shower... You'll see that mermaid outfit again soon! Fast forward a few months and I get the text from Katya that she's about to be a Momma...off to the hospital I go to grab some photos of newborn Korah and her glowing parents! Korah donned a vintage outfit, work!
A week later Katya invited us into Korah's AMAZING nursery to photograph Korah in those crocheted outfits from the shower. Katya's mother made them and they are adorable.

Look at this room! I mean, seriously! A beautiful room for a beautiful baby girl! The crib was purchased on Rodeo Drive in California, the bedding inside it was made by Katya's late grandmother and the beautiful wall art was hand painted by a family friend. A lot of love went into this room! Prepare yourself...cute ahead.

Russ & Megan's Southwick Zoo Engagement, with Deer! [Mendon, MA]

Russ and Megan weren't interested in taking their engagement photos in a park. In fact, they spent a few weeks putting their heads together until they came up with something special. That special idea? Live freaking deer. The Southwick Zoo in Mendon, MA has a deer park where you can hand feed deer corn kernals as part of their normal exhibits. I never thought I'd feed a deer, it was fuzzy and wonderful! Here's some of our favorite shots from our wonderful day of petting animals, excitable monkeys, sweater eating goats and mild vandalism.