Family of 3 (+ Peaches the pony)

This was such a fun session. Horse-obsessed Ella recently turned 2 & to celebrate, her parents planned a special afternoon at Bar-B-Ranch in Davie, with Peaches the pony... & I got to be there to document it. We had great hospitality at the ranch, which looked like an amazing place for all kinds of horse & pony riding. Ella was so excited to be there, she hopped right up onto Peaches right away, 100% comfortable with all of the animals and never stopped loving on her parents, which made my job to capture all the cuteness, pretty darn easy.Planning an activity that is special to your family is the perfect way to create natural, candid, meaningful photos. Part of my 'what to expect' conversation I have at the beginning of every session includes telling whoever is in front of my camera to just enjoy each other in every way possible & I'll just be there to capture it. This family seemed to understand my approach before even meeting, which resulted in a super fun & relaxing family afternoon (that happens to come along with a collection of photos to remember it by).[tg_masonry_gallery gallery_id="9688" layout="wide" columns="4"]

real life with baby hank & the g's | at-home family photography

Combining documentary photography & newborn photography seems like a no-brainer.  For this momma, it meant not having to leave the house, plan anything or force the older siblings to sit still for poses, all while still capturing what life was like just 3 weeks after giving birth to their newest addition. I ended up with dozens of photos of these 2 older siblings loving on their new little brother so hard that it looks like I asked them to... but nope.  All this snuggling, hugging & kissing happening was completely unprompted & judging by mom's reaction, it happens daily.  Welcome to the world, baby Hank! I think its safe to say, you're surrounded by LOTS of love already![tg_masonry_gallery gallery_id="9600" layout="wide" columns="4"]

welcome baby alexandra | fort lauderdale newborn family photographer

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... 

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

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

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...

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one hour with extended family on vacation photos | pompano beach

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"]

2018 Holiday Mini-Session Alternatives | Fort Lauderdale Family Photographer

Another holiday season snuck up on me & my 'in-time-for-holiday-cards-and-gifts' weeks are filling up fast! I will not be offering my normal holiday mini sessions this year, but I am offering some AWESOME deals on 2 different short sessions on a handful of dates through December. I'm talking like $200 off my normal prices, people. And it gets even better... these photo sessions take place at your home, so you can forget the getting-everyone-out-the-door-on-time stress - I'll come to you anywhere in Broward County. 

45-Minute Family Session - $200:

For those looking for the well-groomed family portraits in a short & sweet session, this is the option for you. It takes place in & around your home, which in addition to convenience, means more meaningful photos & the bonus of your kids (and you!) being their most comfortable.These sessions are also great for planned activities - baking cookies, decorating the Christmas tree, reading stories, etc. I'll find the best light & the best spots to shoot and while I do provide gentle direction for posing in these sessions (& capture a couple everyone-looking-at-the-camera- portraits), my personal favorites are the in-between moments & the candid shots that show your family connection. Included in this 45-minute family session is a private gallery to view & share all of your final images, plus a code to deliver your favorite 15 images as high-resolution files. I also offer professional prints & wall art perfect for gifting![tg_grid_gallery gallery_id="10048" layout="contain" columns="3"] 

2-Hour Documentary Family Session - $300:

Documentary sessions capture your family's life in a more honest way - creating images of real moments that carry more of an emotional significance than a fancy-clothes portrait. These sessions are unscripted & not directed or posed in any way. They're most meaningful when I'm documenting a typical day in the life of your family, the things you want to remember forever. Do you play board games every Monday? Do you always go to get ice cream as a family on your way home from the park? Maybe your favorite moments are in the evenings when it calms down after bath time & you cuddle up for a story... or how a dance party breaks out in your living room when you try to cook dinner. Included in this 2-hour documentary family session is a private gallery to view & share all of your final images, plus unlimited high-resolution downloads of all images. I also offer professional prints & coffee-table books perfect for gifting!

These family photo session deals are specifically for the 2018 holiday season & available in Plantation, Davie, Cooper City, Weston, Sunrise, Coral Springs, Fort Lauderdale & all of Broward County. Get updated family photos for your holiday cards, photo book gifts & for your own frames & walls.

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

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"]

Hollywood Beach Mini Sessions | Broward Family Photographer

This year's holiday mini session event took me back to one of my favorite little beaches in South Florida - Hollywood's North Beach Park.  I met lots of new great families & got to see some families again that have joined my mini sessions before.  Because I get a lot of repeat clients, I try to switch up the location of my events each year to provide some variety & I think the beach location worked out perfectly this year for those who joined my park event last year.  We had beautiful weather on this Saturday in mid-November... the kind of barefoot beach weather that makes a perfect holiday card to send to friends & family up north who are snowed-in & freezing (maybe a little cruel but it never stops being fun).  Thanks to everyone who joined me this year! [tg_masonry_gallery gallery_id="9183" layout="wide" columns="4"]

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

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"]