Need a Smile Family (Philadelphia Area Family Photographer)

What a joy it was to meet my second Need a Smile winners! Back in December they were nominated by a family member who had this to say:

"I am nominating my amazing sister, Jackie! She is a working mom of two, married to her high school sweetheart. He commutes almost two hours a day. They chose to have this commute so they would be closer to family, but needless to say it is difficult for both of them, and became even more difficult recently. Last year around this time my adorable little nephew Cole was diagnosed with autism. My sister and Michael have been through so much as a couple and have been sacrificing a lot for Cole's therapy treatments. They both are so giving of themselves and are doing everything they can so Cole has the therapy he needs. I always say I wish I could just do SOMETHING for them, so I am giving this a shot! Cole's big sister, Makenzie, is always looking out for her little brother and is such a joy to everyone. She lights up the room with her big smile and beautiful blue eyes! Cole just turned 2 in July and he has finally begun to walk without his medical walker and the joy to see him walk is priceless! My sister does the best she can to capture the everyday moments, and hasn't taken Cole for a portrait because it is such a challenge and, let's face it...how many kids really want to sit in the studios being forced to "smile!" She really wanted to have a family portrait done and thought the money should be used elsewhere...for Cole!"

This truly is a beautiful family! Their love for each other was evident and it has seriously taken me forever just to figure out which of their many touching and beautiful moments to put in this preview. Cole is a lucky little boy who will surely thrive because he is surrounded by devotion and love. And though I am sure that is true, I also know that the ones who will be truly blessed are those who have the pleasure of knowing and loving HIM.

Thank you for the pleasure of spending the morning together. I hope these images bring you the smile you deserve!


























A little information about Autism in case you were unaware:

* 1 in every 110 children are diagnosed with Autism. That makes it more common than pediatric cancer, diabetes and pediatric AIDS combined.

* Autism is 3-4 times more likely to strike boys (1 in about 70 boys are diagnosed).

* 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 the end of September. More information can be found here.

Frank Family (Chester County Family Photographer)

Meet the Franks!
What a fun and great looking family. My family has had the pleasure of knowing them for a few years and it was such a pleasure getting to capture their love and joy.
We met at Valley Forge Park and despite the swarms of gnats circling our heads, we had fun exploring and playing. The boys chased a deer, explored some old log cabins, met "George Washington" and skipped rocks in the creek. And after all that fun, they helped me take some fun pictures of mom and dad together.
Frank family, I hope you enjoy getting to see some of the images from our time together. Thank you for your patience while waiting on this preview. I know you were eager to see these!

Mahoney Girls (Philadelphia Area Children's Photographer)

One of the many blessings of this job is getting to reunite with friends that I haven't seen since college or even high school and take pictures of their kids. Last weekend I got to do just that.

I hadn't seen my friend Karen in at least ten years. (We couldn't manage to put our heads together and come up with an exact amount of time.) And, because her beautiful daughters are younger than that, I was meeting them for the first time which was so much fun. Karen and I were friends and sorority sisters in college. It was so much fun catching up (at least partially) on life during the last ten or so years.

Karen was just sure that the session with her girls would be rained out, but amazingly, out of the three sessions I did in DC that day, the weather for this one was the best. The girls were excited to explore and be photographed. It was a great time!

Enjoy your preview my friend!

Greeves Family (Philadelphia Area Family Photographer)

I can't even begin to tell you how much fun it is when I get to photograph kids and families as they grow!

The first time I met little Miss "A" she was about 5 months old. The second time she was almost 1 and was getting close to walking. And this time she was almost 2, and was so adorably polite and talkative. I can hardly wait until the fall when I will have the pleasure of photographing her as a big sister!

It was misting through most of our session, but that didn't keep us from having a great time. At one point the mist got a little heavy and Miss "A" asked to wear her hat. Thank goodness because the cuteness is almost overwhelming!

Greeves Family...thank you for braving the weather for another fantastic session. Can't wait to meet the new addition! Enjoy your preview!

Lindeblad Family (Philadelphia Area Family Photographer)

Last weekend I spent my Saturday in the DC area. I love going down there to do sessions. I get to work with some wonderful families and this is one.

I have never been rained out on any of my trips to DC, but I thought this might be the first time. There was a 60% chance of rain, and on my way to our selected location it was pouring. Thankfully I checked the radar on my phone and knew it was just a passing shower. Though it began to mist at the end of our session, we got the whole thing in and actually it was perfect photography lighting.

It was so great to work with this family again! The girls are full of energy and enjoyed exploring the area and all of its beauty.

Lindeblad Family...thanks for a wonderful morning...enjoy your preview!

Lloyd Family (Chester County Family Photographer)

I recently had the pleasure of meeting the Lloyd Family. We had no idea the adventure we would embark on when we scheduled the session.

You see, our first choice of location, Springton Manor Farm, was shearing sheep the day of our session and we weren't allowed on the property at the time we planned to take pictures. So, I took the opportunity to try out a new spot that I had been eyeing for awhile and boy am I glad it worked out. The Lloyds were great and were up for the impromptu change of plans.

What a fun and gorgeous family. We truly enjoyed the beautiful morning that God provided and managed to capture the excitement of bubbles, the fun of peek-a-boo, the joy of picking flowers and the love of a wonderful family.

The girls even found a piece of bark that looked like a camera and took a few "pictures" of me!

Lloyd family...enjoy your preview!