Beach Vacation

Haven't had a whole lot of time to pick up the camera lately, but I did take it with us on our short beach vacation this past weekend!  A few shots from our morning walks on the beach looking for shells.

I can't decide which of the following three I like the best... Help!

Family Fun

We had a fun, but HOT! family photo session this past Memorial Day with family friends. Joan and Marlin have been family friends for years and their family is growing with the recent addition of twin grandchildren in addition to their two other grandbabies.  We played around in the shade at the Penn State Arboretum before it got too hot! It was fun chasing after all the littles and catching up with their parents, too!

Oliver and Lily were fantastic and so much fun!

Someone has her daddy's eyes...

Curious about the pool...

These guys handled photos like champs (so did the babies...).

Miss M

Mr. A

Grandma snuggles are the best!

Little Mr. B

I haven't shot for anyone other than myself in awhile, but this morning, I had the chance to get out and play with a very energetic little guy and his lovely mama.  Toddler photo shoots are challenging, chaotic, and crazy, but also SO. MUCH. FUN. Seriously. There are laughs and smiles and giggles and snuggles and all sorts of wonderfulness.  We shot this session at Wickham Park. I hadn't ever been there before, but trust me, we'll be going back! It's lovely and there are a ton of different options for photos and just plain fun.

Anyways, here are a few favorites from this morning's session. Thanks to Mr. B and his mama for spending some time with me this morning!

Look out ladies. This guy has baby blues and isn't afraid to use them! 

Love having smiles all around!

The best thing about toddlers is seeing the world through their eyes. Sticks are magical and airplanes are cause for wonder!

Ahh, those blue eyes!

And of course, some fun on the playground after our official shoot was over!

The R Family

Over Thanksgiving, not only did I get to enjoy time with family, but I shot photos for family as well. I'm always happy to take photos of people that I know and love, and the "other" Connecticut Reeds are no exception. We headed to Talleyrand Park, in Bellefonte, which is a lovely area for photos - so many options! And, as you can see, E practiced her spins, H chased some ducks and Mom and Dad might have had a bit of fun, too. :)

Love Daddy and Daughter/Son shots!

E twirling in the gazebo

Fun on the train!

Smiles!

Handsome Mr. H.

Lovely ladies!

Love. :)

Yay, ducks! :)

The B Family

I had such a good time a few weekends ago with these friends of ours! Mr. H was a little shy, but was very excited about the backhoe and other tractors near our photo shoot. We had fun checking out the ducks on Mirror Lake and the little creek nearby, too! It was the first time I've shot at the University of Connecticut's main campus - UConn has some very pretty locations!

Little boys are all motion! (Or, as my Gigi would say "All speed and no control!")

The K Family ~ Ashford Family Photographer

On Sunday afternoon, I had the chance to get together with the K family for some family photos. The weather cooperated (it was foggy and chilly that morning!) and it was a beautiful sunny and fairly warm afternoon for some family photos! Shannon was our doula for Adi's birth (if you're in need of a good doula, check out her website or let me know and I'll get you in touch with her -- she's AWESOME) and she and her family have become good friends of ours. One thing I love about Connecticut is that there is no shortage of fun places to take a family photo. Both of these places are right down the road from my house! Here are a few of my favorites:

I know this one isn't a "typical" good photo, but I love how each of the kids is doing something a little different and showing a bit of their own personality... So true of a large family! :) 

Sarah & Lisa ~ Daytona Beach Recital Photographer

I love my family. We all have unique talents and generally aren't afraid to share them with the world (for better or worse!). Unfortunately, because we live so far apart from the majority of our family, Jared and I often don't get to participate in the fun goings-on. (Not sure if that's a word, but for today, I'm making it a word. So use it often; tomorrow it probably won't count.) So naturally I was excited when my sister-in-law, Sarah (yes, there are two Sarah Reeds in our family), told us she was traveling to Daytona Beach to perform. You see, Sarah is a singer (you can check out her website here), a soprano to be exact, and she was invited to perform at Bethune-Cookman University with the lovely Lisa Lawrence on piano. So of course Jared and I drove over to see her, and the recital was wonderful. More wonderful was the chance to hang out for a bit, something we don't have the chance to do much more often than Christmas and maybe once in the summer. I took a few "action shots" for Sarah and Lisa during the sound check -- didn't want to interrupt the performance with my camera clicking away!

For Mom ~ Bellefonte Portrait Photographer

In mid October, Mom asked a favor. She wanted some portraits for a Christmas gift for Dad. Of course I said yes, but what was going through my head was "This is either going to be the easiest or the hardest shoot EVER." Why hard? Because normally, I talk with my clients and get to know them, then spend an hour or so with them during the photo shoot. I get to know a small portion of their personality, highlight a few sides of their "self."  But this is my MOM. She whom carried me in her womb, raised me, encouraged, pushed, scolded, and loved me for all of my 29 years. She's nothing short of amazing; she takes care of everyone (and I mean EVERYONE). She's the most selfless person I know. So yes, when my mom asked me to do a photo shoot with her, I was slightly terrified. How do I portray this amazing person? One of my best friends? A phenomenal mother, a wonderful grandmother?  Of course, we talked about the normal photo shoot necessities -- location, outfit, times, etc. And then she snuck out of the house on a Saturday morning while I was in town, we had coffee with Grandma (another amazing woman!) at the Cafe on the Park, and then headed over to Talleyrand Park for her photos.

And I shouldn't have worried. My mama is so beautiful, a fool could take good photos of her. So here are a few of my favorites, now that it is after Christmas, Dad knows about the photos, and appropriately, on her birthday. Happy Birthday to the best mom in the world, and one of my best friends.

The Wright Family ~ Gainesville Family Photographer

Last Sunday I had the fun of meeting up with the Wright family in downtown Alachua for their Holiday Session.  We originally planned for Saturday morning, but baby Kayden wasn't feeling well and it was sooo cold on Saturday morning! We rescheduled for Sunday afternoon for warmer weather and a little extra sleep for the munchkin and it definitely paid off.  Little Miss Morgan was a bit shy, but loved the snow flake props and then had fun playing with the tree in the old Theatre Garden.  And how can you not love an adorable little girl in her Christmas dress and matching bow?