Thursday, August 27, 2009

Friday, August 21, 2009

Burkert Preview (Chester County Family Photographer)

The Burkert family welcomed a new member a few weeks ago and were eager to capture this wonderful time in their lives. I was thrilled to be the one they chose with such precious memories.

They are a beautiful family indeed and it was easy to see their love and energetic spirit.

We had a great time getting some outdoor shots at Marsh Creek Park. It was hot, but well worth the scenery.

What a joy it was to work with this wonderful family.

Burkerts...hope you enjoy the preview!












Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Baby Keeley (Chester County Newborn Photographer)

Amazingly, while I was visiting my mom last week, my sweet friend Anissa was also home visiting her mom with her newborn daughter Keeley.

We haven't seen each other since my wedding over 5 years ago. She had never met my children and it was such a joy to reunite and meet the little loves in our lives.

Baby Keeley was five weeks old which is much later than I usually do newborn sessions, but all the attention must have worn her out because she was the perfect sleeping beauty.

I am so thrilled for Anissa and Scott and hope that I get to see much more of them and Keeley.








Monday, August 17, 2009

The Beauty of Polly (Chester County Children's Photographer)


This is Polly. Polly is profoundly Autistic and I had the pleasure of meeting her and capturing her beauty while on my visit to Morgantown.

Polly is the daughter of my friend Richelle who I had not seen in over 15 years. Though she was struggling with some yet undiagnosed pain in her hips on that day, she still blessed us with her sweetness. Polly may not speak in words, but believe me, she speaks.


Richelle told me that Polly is her little angel. In her words, "Polly's autism has been a big struggle, but she has also brought me more joy than the average parent will ever experience with the hurdles she has had to overcome." What a blessing it was for me to get to see the special and loving bond they share, if only for a brief time.


A heavy thunderstorm had just passed on the afternoon of the session. Polly enjoyed moving her hand through the puddled water and playing in the wet sand of the sandbox.


We thought she would enjoy swinging in one of the hammock swings, but it was short lived because it aggravated her hip pain. She did manage to give me a little bit of a smile though in the very beginning.


And amazingly, that wasn't the only smile of the day. She was thoroughly enjoying sitting on the bench, tossing pebbles into the air.


She also really enjoyed the continuous clicking of my shutter. I think Polly may have a little supermodel in her!


She got to have a few pictures taken with her friend. Believe it or not, they are the same age!


I was thoroughly looking forward to this session because Richelle desired to have good pictures of Polly, but since she won't pose or sit still for a camera, traditional sessions never worked. That is a challenge I would take on any day.


Autism is a cause that is close to my heart. When I was still teaching I worked with a couple of students with Autism, and they forever changed me. It was tough work, but the accomplishments, milestones and triumphs were oh so sweet. I will never forget the subtle ways one of the boys would let me know that he appreciated my efforts to help him.

I hope Polly has touched your heart today. She certainly touched mine!


A little information about Autism in case you were unaware:

* 1 in every 150 children are diagnosed with Autism. That makes it more common than pediatric cancer, diabetes and AIDS combined.

* Autism is 4 times more likely to strike boys

* Autism impairs a person's ability to communicate and relate to others

* There are several forms of Autism

If you would like to learn more, please visit the Autism Speaks page by clicking here.

If you would like to get involved in supporting the cause to raise awareness, support and research funding for Autism you can make a donation here or you can plan to participate in a walk.


If you live in the Philadelphia area there is a walk coming up at Citizens Bank Park at the end of September. More information can be found here.

If you are in the West Virginia area, they have a walk in Wheeling in May and you can find more information here.


Thank you Richelle for sharing Polly with me! I was honored to get to photograph her. I hope you will cherish her beauty in this little preview.

Sunday, August 16, 2009

The Evans Kids (Chester County Children's Photographer)

My second session in Morgantown was with the children of a friend that I haven't seen in at least 15 years. We knew each other from church and it was so wonderful to get to see her again and enjoy some time with her beautiful children.

We initially thought we might get rained out when a severe thunderstorm rolled through that afternoon. But, thankfully there were sunny skies on the other side and we were able to make the most of bare feet in cool, wet grass, bubbles and freshly picked flowers. Her oldest son made my day by continuously paying me compliments. There is nothing like getting a little self esteem boost from a 5 year old. I hope they all had as much fun as I did!

Evans Family, enjoy your preview and thank you for spending a lovely afternoon with me!








Saturday, August 15, 2009

A Morning with Reese (Chester County Children's Photographer)

Last week, while visiting my mom, I had the pleasure of doing some sessions in Morgantown, WV. Morgantown is where I finished my high school years and attended college. It holds a very special place in my heart and it was so wonderful going back and getting to photograph the children of friends I haven't seen in a long time.

The first of those children was Reese, the daughter of friends from high school. What a beauty! I will definitely have to introduce her to my son on the next visit :) I had a great time playing outside and capturing her sweet personality. It was a HOT morning, but it didn't phase us a bit. Petunia, their bulldog, on the other hand was not a fan of the heat. I just HAD to take her picture as she cooled herself on the front porch.

Reese's mom, Jen, was the first one to encourage me to come and do some sessions in Morgantown and I am so grateful for her prompting. I loved every minute of my time back "home" and will definitely be returning for more.

Thank you Jen and Craig for sharing your precious Reese for a couple hours. Enjoy your preview!