“To have a loving relationship with a sister or brother is not simply to have a buddy or confidante—it is to have a soulmate for life.”

~Victoria Secunda

Ahh, the sweet pleasures of childhood–exploring, giggling, delighting in the small things often overlooked by adults. I simply adore being able to see the world anew through the eyes of a child–it is a gift to be able to experience this with each session, a true gift.  These three cuties were so good-natured and sweet with one another, and it was so fun to spend time with them. Three little lovelies so close in age–they are so lucky to have one another as soulmates for life…

LOVED this session! Thank you so much, C fam!

xoxo,

laura

“The vision must be followed by the venture. It is not enough to stare up the steps–we must step up the stairs.”

~vance havner

Have you ever laughed so hard you cried? This little man did {see below}, and I have to say it still makes me giggle just thinking about it! I have had the absolute pleasure of photographing this wonderful family since his arrival two years ago, and I adore them!  Sweet man simply overflows with personality, energy and laughter and it endears anyone to him instantly.

Sessions with two year olds are often overwhelming for parents, but they are exactly what I love about photography.  Yes, there is running.  Yes, there sometimes are tears of frustration when mom and dad want to go one way but the little sweetie has different ideas.  Yes, there is climbing.  Yes, there is exploring.  Often, there are animal sounds and searching for giraffes (or hey, maybe that’s just my sessions!).  Aren’t all of these things the exact things that are so fleeting in childhood, the very things that make you laugh and that you somehow even in the moment know that you will SO.MISS someday?

Your children can LOVE to do something so very much and would do it all day, everyday if you let them…then suddenly their obsession can disappear, making way for a new interest and milestone.  You wonder why you never got around to documenting them happily sitting in the rocks, dirt everywhere and in hog heaven, or why you never recorded that adorable way your little girl said that word wrong…until one day, you realize with a start that she says it the right way or that rocks are no longer “cool” in his world.  Wistfulness ensues, yet such is the road map of the American life these days. Busyness, the inability to grab hold of time and slow it down, if even for a moment.  Yet, if you allow it, photography can DO THAT.

Photographs can be your mind’s eye, remembering the little things that are all too often forgotten in the midst of the big moments like lost teeth, bike riding or posed smiles.  When I look at the photographs that I have of my own children, the ones that draw me in each time are the ones that reveal THEM.  Not the posed ones, but the ones where I can look at their pensive stare and remember exactly what they were thinking, or the way their nose would scrunch up when they cried, or the photograph that shows my son’s stubborn-but-got-it-from-me-nature, or my daughter’s shy smile.  I will more easily recollect the wide grins, the forced smiles…but will I remember the way they always were?  The sheer REALITY of life?  Embrace the raw and real beauty of how a photographer can capture your children. Don’t expect them to always sit still, pose for the camera or stay perfectly clean for your session. You don’t expect that out of life, do you?

Instead, I welcome the incredible loveliness of childhood during a session, like the way that this little guy’s latest love is climbing stairs…and we somehow chose a location with stairs seemingly at every turn.  He loved every little part of all those stairs (last year the rocks were his thing, but I didn’t notice him pick up a single rock during our session this year, proof of how childhood pleasures quickly pass), and I enjoyed following him, discovering and exploring through the eyes of a child…

xoxo,

laura

“Without ice cream, there would be darkness and chaos.”
~don kardong

Yep, they sure do and I have proof! Really, though, when is the last time you saw a telephone booth? These, I fear, will soon be a relic of the past, one of those things we will have to explain to our children, like cassette tapes and walkmans.

This was a fun session, filled with color, laughter and ice cream messiness. Such a treat to be able to see this newly-turned two year old that I last saw when I photographed her at a few days old. What a doll!

Lace Ruffle Pants | Cici & Ryan

Colorful Dress | Ivy and A

Rosette Hair Piece | BellaSorella Couture

Rosette Shoes | Ross and Rosie

xoxo,

laura

“A mother’s arms are made of tenderness and children sleep soundly in them.”  ~Victor Hugo

Many thanks to 202 Magazine and Sondra Barr for the fun feature in the May 2012 issue spotlighting a few of my fabulous clients and some words of wisdom passed down to them from their mothers–just in time for Mother’s Day!  Be sure to check out the 202 Magazine Facebook page for all the locations where you can pick up a copy of your own throughout the Valley!

View the online version HERE!

A big thank you to my wonderful clients for having such beautiful families + for their sweet words!

xoxo,

laura

“My sister and I, you will recollect, were twins, and you know how subtle are the links which bind two souls which are so closely allied.” 

~Arthur Conan Doyle

Catching up on sharing sessions and these sweeties are now closer to their first birthday than they are to this precious newborn stage! What a fun session–amazing family, sweet babies…pure heaven!  More to share of this beautiful family and these sweeties at six months soon!  I treasure each session that I have with these dolls!

xoxo,

laura

“Maternal love, like an orange tree, buds and blossoms and bears at once. When a woman puts her finger for the first time into the tiny hand of her baby and feels that helpless clutch which tightens her very heartstrings, she is born again with her newborn child.”

~kate douglas wiggin

Each new client that I have an opportunity to meet and each new session brings with it a new life story to sweetly unfold.  There is something so very amazing about getting to know the families that I photograph–I become instantly invested in their lives, and those that return year after year become part of my little photography family.  I know their stories, I care about their stories.  I think when you are true to your own style as a photographer (your own style being exactly what you love and see and the feelings you wish to evoke as you look through your lens), then those that become your clients are naturally very similar to you.  They have the same sense of style and often, the same way of seeing the world. To me, that is so.amazing.  To connect with each of your clients, to see two people become a family of three, to watch their children grow and new ones added.  THIS is what photography is all about, and I find it to be such a fun little ride!

When I met this darling family, they had just welcomed their newest little one. As is often customary with newborn sessions, we had time to chat in between shots as baby was soothed and fed and changed, and I had the opportunity to learn a little bit more about their family.  And the similarities are crazy!  We discovered that not only do our daughters have (almost) the same first and middle name, but our sons have the same names as well.  They moved to Arizona from Louisiana, just as we did, and mom even mentioned that we have some of the same friends on Facebook in common that were “recommended” to her.  Little tidbits like these make me giggle and just love this part of life.  Having moved seventeen times, you would be surprised at how often things like this have happened in my life.  Like the time I started a new school after having just moved to Northern Virginia in 9th grade only to sit down next to my best friend from 1st grade (from when we lived in Germany, that I hadn’t seen since then), or the time that I took a group of high school students to Europe and one of them saw their neighbor in line at customs in London while we were waiting to catch a flight to Rome!  I think these little coincidences make life fun to live, and allow for a few sparkles along the way…

This lovely family ordered a large canvas collage of their session images–SO fun to design with these smiling and cute faces!

What a super awesome session–thanks so much, L fam! It was so wonderful to meet you!

xoxo,

laura

“Be sweet and honest always, but for God’s sake don’t eat my doughnuts!”

~emma bunton

I am finally getting around to sharing this sweet {filled with doughnuts + cutie-pies, how could it not be?} session from last fall.  I simply love this family each time I have the opportunity to photograph them.  Full of genuine love for one another and overflowing with giggles.  Thank you for another fun session, L fam!

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xoxo,

laura

“Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children, play is
serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood.”

~fred rogers

This session was filled with sweet moments, tender moments, silly moments, giggly moments, wild moments and just plain awesome moments. LOVE these three little cutie pies!

71 votes

xoxo,

laura

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

~mark twain

Such a sweet little man and wonderful parents whom I first had the opportunity to meet during their maternity session. This cutie will no doubt be a lover of water and all things sea as both of his parents serve in the Navy. It was such a joy to photograph this newly-born family of three during these intimate newborn moments…thank you so much for the privilege of capturing your family’s memories!

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xoxo,

laura

“Happiness is only real when shared.”

~jon krakauer, into the wild

I have enjoyed seeing this family grow each year and it has been such a special thing to see the bond among these sisters and their little brother grow with each passing year.  They are so protective of him and you can tell he provides a real sense of joy to their already fun lives.  He is quite the little cutie and has everyone laughing–this beautiful family is so full of true love for one another.  Such a fun location with sweet little subjects…

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xoxo,

laura