welcome baby alexandra | fort lauderdale newborn family photographer

May 06, 2018 in At-Home, newborn, Recent Galleries, blog

Is there a non-creepy way to say that hanging out at people's houses for photo sessions is my favorite? Asking for a friend.... I mean, having a camera pointing your way will never be 100% comfortable for most people... but it's a lot more comfortable when you're just hanging out in your own house than when you're standing on a public beach boardwalk in heels. For newborns, at-home sessions are a no brainer. They require a lot of breaks & a lot of conveniences of home, but the best part is being able to incorporate the nursery in the photos & capture what life feels like home with a new addition. Speaking of nurseries... can we talk about this one?! So cute. I loved all the animal details & the theme of adventure, which also carried through in the master bedroom (where we took advantage of a bed big enough for the whole family). You can tell these new parents are world travelers! At a little more than a month old, baby Alexandra was alert through all of her portraits & flashing me all kinds of smiles & funny expressions. I think this is one of my favorite ages to shoot new additions. Yes, they're at their maximum itty-bittiness at the normally-recommended age of 7-10 days old but then you rarely capture them with their eyes open, let alone alert like this. I loved how the entire family joined in on the photo-taking fun, including both of the first children (the dog and the cat). Alexandra was a dream to photograph & I have way too many favorites from this session...

real life with elena at menchie's | davie family photographer

April 05, 2018 in Documentary Photography, Mini-Sessions, blog, Real Life

What do YOU value most? What are some of your favorite moments with your children? Do you have your answers? Now imagine having professional photos of these kind of special moments that you can cherish forever.

Think of an activity you love to do with your children & I'll tag along to document it. Maybe its when you bring your kids to get ice cream after school & they tell you all about their day... or your weekly trip to the library when they get to pick out a new book. Maybe its getting to pass down your mom's signature cookie recipe & baking together at home... or perhaps its simply the moments before your kids go to sleep when you climb into bed with them and read a story... I can give you a million ideas, but my challenge for you is for you to identify the moments you value the most.

one hour with extended family on vacation | fort lauderdale vacation photographer

March 31, 2018 in Recent Galleries, newest

Photographing so many families here in South Florida on vacation, really makes me appreciate this beautiful place we live in. This fun extended family came in from 3 different corners of our country to enjoy a nice & warm Spring Break on Fort Lauderdale Beach... and their temporary home made the perfect location for some updated family photos of the whole group together. When I first arrived, one of the older girls was quick to introduce herself as Sally & tell me that her friends at school call her "Silly Sally"... I knew right away we were going to get along. She definitely lived up to her nickname during our photos (making me seriously LOL while editing). Having 5 little ones, all under the age of 5, can make gathering for photos a bit of a challenge at times (Goldfish crackers helped)... but it was so much fun chasing them around the beach & getting to capture each of their personalities. Plus, all the unprompted hugs & sibling/cousin love was just too cute! [tg_masonry_gallery gallery_id="9364" layout="wide" columns="4"]

one hour with family of 3 on vacation | fort lauderdale beach family photos

March 11, 2018 in families, Recent Galleries, South Florida Beaches, newest, One-Hour Lifestyle, blog

Can we just take a second to acknowledge that I seriously have the most beautiful clients? Like, for real. I also happen to live in a very beautiful place. And when you're visiting a beautiful place like South Florida with your family, it becomes a perfect time to capture some updated photos & document your memories here. That is exactly what this family of 3 decided to do while in town from New York & it couldn't have been a more perfect morning. I arrived to Fort Lauderdale Beach just before sunrise to meet them near their hotel & was surprised to see several people already there at such an early hour. (Now that I think about it... if Florida does stay on daylight savings time year round, this will be my very last super-early morning sunrise photo session.) It was the first day of a "cold front" & was definitely chilly before the sun made its full appearance, but the light was gorgeous & seeing the sun rise always makes the early wake up call worth it. At just 7 months old, the youngest obviously stole the whole show - those little smiles have been killing me while working on the gallery. Here are just a few of my favorites from the session...

one hour with extended family on vacation photos | pompano beach

January 01, 2018 in families, Recent Galleries, South Florida Beaches

When in Rome... well, in this case Pompano Beach. This extended family of 10 all came together to spend part of their holiday in a vacation rental in sunny South Florida, which was a perfect opportunity for a family photo session to document the occasion of everyone being in the same place. And when that place happens to be the beautiful beaches of South Florida on a sunny 75-degree evening after having just left snowy, 15-degree temperatures back home... its even more reason to document it. The setting was perfect - a beautiful beach, practically to ourselves, just steps from the Hillsboro Inlet Lighthouse. I even got an unplanned workout in while keeping up with all 4 little ones, but its all worth it to capture those natural smiles - I had so much fun with all of them! Hope you all enjoyed your stay here in FL! [tg_masonry_gallery gallery_id="9283" layout="wide" columns="4"]

one hour with extended family in riverwalk | fort lauderdale family photos

December 03, 2017 in families, Recent Galleries, Riverwalk Fort Lauderdale, newest

The holidays are all about family time & when this family knew they'd all be one place for Thanksgiving, they decided to document it... and turn it into a 40th wedding anniversary gift for the proud parents/grandparents. The day before reading through our thankful lists & stuffed our faces with turkey, this extended family of 10 & I met at Esplanade Park in downtown Fort Lauderdale & while slowly strolling from Broward Center of the Performing Arts to the Historical Society, took advantage of the water views, the riverwalk, the docks & more. After a long holiday-card season of mainly shooting at parks & beaches, the riverwalk area of Fort Lauderdale was such a refreshing change & worked out so well for this shoot, keeping everyone entertained (for the most part) for the whole hour. We got creative trying to keep the youngest interested in being in front of my camera, but it wasn't until the very end, we learned the secret... she just wanted to dance. [tg_masonry_gallery gallery_id="9229" layout="wide" columns="4"]

one hour with father & one year old son | hollywood beach photographer

November 11, 2017 in North Beach Park Holly..., Recent Galleries, newest

Back in June, Rob's sister reached out to me from North Florida to purchase a gift card for her single-dad brother for Father's Day. Instead of trying to beat the crazy South Florida heat in the summer to plan an outdoor session then, we waited until a little closer to the holidays & had an awesome morning beach session in Hollywood. Sometimes my clients wake up & see clouds and maybe a small threat of rain & think it won't be a good day for photos... when in fact that makes for perfect session-weather! I couldn't have asked for a more perfect beach morning to take some photos. Max had just celebrated his 1 year birthday & was all smiles for his time in the spotlight with dad. It was great to see the bond between these two & capture some of that love into photos him & his family can cherish. It was great to meet you both! [tg_masonry_gallery gallery_id="9213" layout="wide" columns="4"]

welcome 11 day old newborn girl | at-home lifestyle photography

December 22, 2016 in At-Home, newborn, Recent Galleries

After a 100-mile drive across Southern Florida, including 6 gator sightings & a lot of swampy nothingness... I got to meet this little 7lb bundle of perfection. Preslee Rose was born just 11 days prior & I think its safe to say this day of photos (although the first of many, I'm sure) was her biggest, most active day yet. She was more interested in being in mommy or daddy's arms than sleeping or modeling anywhere solo, but that just meant a lot more photos of these new parents embracing their new, tiny bundle of joy - which was fine by me! Newborn lifestyle photos are all about allowing you to remember how your child once fit into your arms so perfectly & what it felt like in that first week of having her home... (including every detail, like how the 4-legged "first born" was always sure to stay close by).Congratulations on your new addition - she's beautiful![tg_grid_gallery gallery_id="8779" layout="wide" columns="4"]

one hour with family of 4 at bamford park | davie family photographer

November 28, 2016 in Recent Galleries

I met this beautiful, recently-turned family of 4 for a quick mini session in Davie, at Bamford Sports Complex - right down the road from where I grew up. Now although the entire sports complex of endless baseball & soccer fields didn't exist when I was a kid, we found ourselves in a nice shady spot in front of the original (& unchanged) community center, where I remember taking dance classes & swimming lessons many moons ago. There is something refreshing about finding myself shooting photos for local families in the very area where I was raised. Pine Island Park was very welcoming & quiet - a nice change from the overcrowded parks I've been shooting at, where there is a photography session every 100ft. I don't know how I've gotten so lucky with so many adorable kids to photograph, but they sure make my job easy!

20 minute mini sessions | robbins park davie photographer

November 19, 2016 in families, Mini-Sessions, Recent Galleries, Robbins Park

For being new to shooting photo sessions at Robbins Lodge Park in Davie, I sure have gotten comfortable there fast. For the 3rd blog post in a row, these family mini sessions also took place at Robbins, which continues to provide a beautiful setting & gorgeous light for family photos. This past Sunday were families of boys of all ages & a mix of first-timers & old friends... I had a great time laughing with & getting to know these families (including family pup, Marley!). Thanks to everyone who has participated in this year's park mini sessions. This group's full galleries will be on their way to everyone shortly so I can get ready for this weekend's shoots![tg_grid_gallery gallery_id="8782" layout="wide" columns="4"]