one-year-old dylan has a scar that symbolizes strength & love, amidst struggle.

just one day after his birth, newborn dylan was diagnosed with congenital heart defect. unable to breathe on his own, he was placed on a ventilator, transferred to another hospital, and underwent angioplasty for his pulmonary valve. for the next three months dylan’s health steadily declined as he faced serious issues, ultimately leading up to open heart surgery. just days following the surgery on his pulmonary artery dylan was doing something he had never done before — smiling. since then, dylan has grown into a happy, healthy, and strong little boy who just celebrated his first birthday — everything his family could ever want for him!

i was honored to be chosen by dylan’s family for a portrait session in collaboration with inspiration through art (formerly the littlest heroes project) — and i absolutely loved meeting all of them! dylan has two amazingly wonderful parents (who are *so* in love and *so* great!) as well as an older sister and brother who simply adore him. dylan was simply delightful — all too happy to oblige for the photo session as long as we let him rub his little feet in the grass! he was super inquisitive and perfectly adorable and i feel very lucky to know him and his story. dylan will need at least one more open heart surgery to replace the deformed pulmonary valve, but hopefully that is many years away! in the meantime, i know this family will be living and loving to the fullest, never taking anything for granted.

enjoy!

michael’s newborn lifestyle session.

baby michael has arrived!

i first met laura at her sister lindsey’s wedding in late 2008, and i was *thrilled* to hear from her a few months ago and find out that she was expecting her first baby! meeting baby michael was fantastic and i loved the opportunity to spend time with her new family – including both of michael’s grandmas! everyone was so excited to be around this little baby – and at just two weeks old he is already so incredibly loved.

welcome little micheal – and enjoy!

anna rose :: 8 months.

i *love* photographing anna rose!

the very first time i photographed anna she was still inside her mom’s belly – and the first time i met her she was just 17 days old! i have photographed this incredible family often over the last few years, most recently documenting anna rose’s baptism a few months ago and then visiting her the other week for a little mini session! she’s growing and changing so much, but her adorable personality continues to shine!

enjoy!

big sister jules!

cha-cha! sassy showgirl!

*love*

i was beyond thrilled to spend more time with one of my new favorite families this past saturday morning – a perfect start to the weekend! you will recognize these adorable children from my recent post just a few days ago, angelina: an adoption story. in addition to documenting the adoption proceedings on wednesday, we made plans to do a lifestyle portrait session – my favorite! i definitely think families are best photographed in their own home, so i spent the morning capturing all sorts of fun + craziness as the kids (and their parents!) played, danced, tickled, jumped, and even braved the cold to run around outside! angelina has the most amazing, exhilarating laugh and the boys are just a riot. as i expected, there were tons of smiles + great amounts of laughter from everyone. megghan + wes are simply awesome parents, and the kids are amazing! love!

enjoy!

hello baby ashton!

just 7 weeks old, ashton is a tiny, happy little baby with the biggest bluest eyes – love! he was full of personality – from his big wide smiles to sweet little yawns i had a great time capturing all of his expressions. my absolute favorite part of the session was photographing ashton in his beautiful basket bassinet – a family heirloom that his parents brought down from new england when he was born. gorgeous!

enjoy!

angelina’s big day!

it was almost 3 years ago that i returned from months of traveling through south america and (much to my own surprise) embarked on impromtu career in photography. with no experience and no plan, i traded a pen for a camera, and thus began the transition from working as a writer to a photographer. i was, and still am, incredibly passionate about telling stories and the importance of preserving memories. initially, i found great satisfaction doing both of those things with a combination of words and images. however, i began to learn that it was only with a photograph that i was able to truly capture the fleeting moments and emotions, and that i could tell powerful and immediate stories without words. it was my passion for people – their stories, their love, their lives – that truly made me passionate about photography.

over the last few years i have been incredibly lucky to document so many different stories, those of love + joy, of family + tradition, of struggle + sorrow, of all the emotions and moments that make up the crazy and unbelievable story that is life. regardless of how many times i document a certain type of event it is always a unique experience because of the emotion and personal connection i feel for everyone that i photograph. for me, the camera is like a perfect window into people’s lives – allowing me not only the ability to watch what is happening, but also to connect and experience it in a very intimate way. this is precisely why i feel so lucky and so honored to be a photographer. i am able to turn moments into something tangible, and it is so rewarding each and every time. however, there is something particularly wonderful about documenting something completely new, something i have never experienced – like an adoption. it was an amazing privilege to witness and photograph the wonderfully emotional adoption of angelina this week.

angelina is a beautiful, happy 2-year-old little girl who found her way to her family through foster care when she was just 12 weeks old. her mother, megghan, told me it was love at first sight when she and wes met angelina. within a year, megghan + wes’ family grew exponentially – while fostering angelina, megghan gave birth to baby charlie, and also began fostering angelina’s biological brother jeremiah, who was born just weeks apart from charlie! the “twins” as they call them, charlie + jeremiah are now both a year old, making for one very busy household! megghan and wes radiate love and goodness – you know instantly that they are the most wonderful, loving parents and you see it in the smiles on their children’s faces.

angelina’s adoption has been a long and difficult process for the family, and wednesday was a very emotional and happy day for everyone. i was so excited to meet megghan + wes and the kids, and i felt very privileged to sit in on the proceedings and document the morning’s events. everyone at the courthouse was simply wonderful, and the judge was amazing – she reflected on their journey and commented on the sanctity and power of family. at the end of the proceedings she read a touching poem, to an adopted, as she announced that angelina was now legally megghan + wes’ daughter.

i can’t explain what it means to me to be able to witness the most important moments of someone’s life, to be welcomed into celebrations as if i am family, and to be given the opportunity to document the entire experience. i am forever changed by the people i meet and the moments i capture, and so grateful for everything i have learned. experiences like being present at angelina’s adoption are absolutely life changing for me. i can say with certainty that this will forever stand out as one of the most incredible lessons about the power of love, the rewards of perseverance, and the importance of what it means to be a family.

when her dad asked her what time it was angelina said, “adoption time!”

happiest angelina!

little brother jeremiah!

little brother charlie!

the judge read the poem “to an adopted.”

a very happy family!

melinda + tim have a new baby girl! and chocolate cigars to celebrate with!

i was absolutely thrilled when i learned that melinda + tim were expecting a baby this fall – they had a spectacular wedding last year and are one of my favorite couples ever! baby charlotte was born about 6 weeks ago and i simply couldn’t wait to meet her! she is teeny tiny with deep blue eyes and a little red mohawk – so cute!! really, she is nothing short of absolutely adorable – full of smiles and serious looks, laughs and lovely little cooing sounds! charlotte really is a delightful baby and very, very loved!

yay for melinda + tim + charlotte! woohoo!

enjoy!

oh, james!

james is one seriously cool kid and he’s oh so incredibly adorable!  i had the absolute best time ever running the streets of annapolis after this little guy – he was super adventurous climbing all over and exploring everything. truth be told, he started the session a little skeptical of me – giving me some super serious looks, but i totally won him over (check out the high-five he gave me below!) and managed to get some sweet smiles and a few laughs! i mean, the kid is seriously stylish – and with his cool outfit, big blue eyes, and super blonde locks, i fell in love with him immediately. let’s be honest – he’s the cutest thing ever with a personality to match. proof: we’re walking downtown and james wanders into a bar to start dancing…turns out he loves to dance…to frank sinatra no less…*smitten*!

i *love* family sessions!

enjoy!

…and i even managed to sneak just a few of james’ parents being so very cute together! *love* these two!

and the sweet high-five! thanks to my intern/mentee renee higdon for this awesome capture!

a few weeks ago, i had  the opportunity to document another session for the littlest heroes project - an outstanding organization that matches photographers with families of children who suffer from a serious illness or life altering disability. you can read more about their mission and the families on their website :: www.littlestheroesproject.org :: the program became so popular this year that they were fielding thousands of requests a week, and as a result stopped accepting applications earlier this fall. they are currently working through their growing pains, and will resume in february 2010.

bella’s mom had contacted me this spring about setting up a session, however between our hectic schedules and my crazy travel plans, we were just able to get together this fall. i was very excited to meet them after the last few months of emails, and decided to honor their session regardless of the organization’s hiatus. and i’m so glad i did! bella is an amazing + energetic 2-year-old little girl with a fantastic, loving family. i feel so lucky to have spent the morning watching them have fun together!

bella’s inquisitive nature + sassy little personality made her a joy to photograph – and i especially loved watching her squeal with delight and laugh with her brother + parents! her down syndrome poses certain challenges, but from what i saw, doesn’t limit her ability to enjoy every moment and have fun with her family. she’s as sweet as can be and super smart and she totally brightened my day!

enjoy!

i simply had the best afternoon photographing this family! we were so lucky to have warm november weather and lots of smiles + laughter from abrianna + zoe!

their dad, kevin, contacted me a few weeks ago to arrange a shoot for all his girls and i was so excited to meet them! i absolutely *love* when men get in touch with me and are super excited about a session – there’s something wonderfully special about that in my opinion :) *plus* there was so much love in this family that i really felt so lucky that they found me – spending time with them was a wonderful experience. there are so many times that i feel like my clients truly make me a better person just because i get the chance to know them – and this session was one of those times.

i met them at their home where i met the coolest (and bigget!) cat ever – freddo! abrianna showed me her room and her artwork and then read to her little sister zoe, keeping her entertained and making her laugh like crazy. they played on their swingset and explored the backyard before we all headed down to the c&o canal for some casual family portraits.

i couldn’t be happier with these images – they totally depict how fun + awesome their session was! enjoy!

freddo rules.