Tillman' s first year, in Review!

Tosha and Brad were one of the first couples whose rehearsal dinner and wedding I photographed after moving back to Maryland. And what a wedding it was! It felt like everyone there was family. There was a lot of love and laughter. They were so natural with each other and we captured some amazing moments between them. Some of those photographs became the cover and inside spread for the Frederick magazine's wedding issue (see sidebar).

So I was very happy when they called me to photograph their first child, Tillman. I knew he would be something special.
We put Tillman on the Baby's First Year plan and I got to watch him grow physically, and see his changing personality at several different times throughout his first year. One of my favorite images of him is from one of our first sessions. He is sitting in a large leather chair, all relaxed and spread out and the thought that came to my mind was, "he looks like the chairman of the board!" And that's how I've thought of him since. Of course, he's a baby, so he's adorable and fun but there's a serious side to him. There's a little man in there! Tillman has a wonderful future before him and a lot of love around him. Thank you so much toTosha and Brad for the privilege of getting to know him and to document a small part of this amazing boy's life.

The chairman of the board. :)

I just love this smile!

How cute is this?

From our final session. I thought it was such a great image of mother and son.

A video of Tillman's first year. How fast it goes!

The Wedding of Jen and David

Dad giving away his "little girl".

Crazy with happiness, Jen smiled, giggle and laughed through much of the ceremony.

Spring weddings can be tempermental. You never know what you're going to get. Jen and David had planned a beach wedding in Ocean City, Maryland but it was not to be. Instead, the couple was married on the 22nd floor of the Golden Sands Club. A beautiful skylit room overlooking the beach, which was windy, cold and rainy. But the mood inside was warm and joyous. I took so many photos I really loved, I had to pare it down to these few as my favorites. 

     The unique thing for me was being able to an after wedding shoot. We agreed to that months before the wedding not knowing how important it would be as we had little room inside the venue and it was a nasty storm outside during the day of the wedding. So, the day after, Jen and David re-dressed in their wedding attire and we proceeded to have FUN! photographing on the beach and the boardwalk. It turned out to be a beautiful day with equally beautiful images. 

Thank you to my assistant Nancy for hoisting lights, reflectors, and flashlights to create unique images. Thank you to Jen and David for your willingness to try anything and for your great enthusiasm and courage to run in that cold water! :)

I love this photo! Jen hugs her new father-in-law as they watch the mother/son dance, tears sparkling in Dad's eyes. The circle of life moves foward.

The couples final dance on the 22nd floor of the Golden Sands hotel in Ocean City. A beautiful room overlooking the beach.

A day after shoot at the arcade, Trimper's Rides and Amusements, on the boardwalk of Ocean City. A big shout out to the manager who kept the carousel still for this shoot. This carousel if the oldest continuously running one in the USA.

Fun photos in front of the ticket booth at Trimper's on the boardwalk.

The wind and the weather cooperated for this gorgeous moment.

Elegant Living Magazine

I was so excited to be a part of  the spring edition of the Frederick News Post's Elegant Living magazine which included a special wedding section. Many of the weddings of my amazing couples were displayed with articles on cakes, dresses and flowers and the cover, which is very exciting! The couples were excited too.

 Thank you to the editors of Elegant Living for this great opportunity. 

Ryan and Jess's wedding at The Purple Iris was featured on the cover and the inside opening of the section.

 Ceresville Mansion, Boulder Ridge Lodge, Morningside Inn and Stone Manor were among the venues at which some of the dress, flower and cake photos were taken.

 My son, forced to look at Mom's work on the cover and inside Elegant Living magazine.

Capturing your baby's first year

      I am extremely happy to be photographing so many families and particularly, this year, the expanding families of my wedding clients. And that includes lots of beautiful babies! I thought I'd share a few thoughts about how to document your baby's first year. I've seen many clever ways of marking the months and milestones but I have two personal favorites.
     The first way is to find something that you intend to keep, such as an article of clothing, a hat, anything that your child can grow in to.
The second way is to pose your child next to something in the environment that never changes, such as a tree, your front porch,a local statue, be imaginative and be sure whatever you choose will be there for quite a few years. As you pose your child next to the tree, etc. you are also documenting their growth. We use our front porch to photograph my son first day of school every year.
      I've posted some awesome ideas earlier in my blog from Aubrey and Lucy's sessions if you want to scroll down and check them out. But I wanted to post Tommy's one year session because we created two ways to photograph Tommy that will become a special momento of his first year. Tommy's dad is a police officer, so we thought it would be super cute to put Tommy into his dad's uniform at his first year session. Then each year, or every five years, they can put Tommy back into that uniform until he fills it out, just like daddy! Can you imagine the precious series of photos that would make?
     The second part of the shoot and the messiest was to give Tommy his first cake to demolish. This is especially good if it is really the first time your child has eaten cake. The reactions from the children when they are allowed to eat, smash and make artwork of that cake are precious. Two hints for this idea, get a small cake and make sure the icing is white. While you can use any color you like, it is sometimes difficult to remove the color from clothes or carpet after the session.
     These are two fun ideas that are priceless.

One day, Tommy will grow into his father's hat and you'll have the photos to show it!

Okay, is he too cute or what?

Use your photos of the cake "smash" in a series to capture the fun!

Mom and Dad get into the act!