Duke Gardens is absolutely beautiful, and is also very near and dear to this family’s heart. They go there as often as possible, and love wandering the grounds, reading stories in the gardens, and watching the chickens. They also love feeding the ducks and turtles (well, Skye and Tye do… Rui takes a few steps back and observes from a distance while being somewhat concerned about salmonella… it’s a family tradition). Tye also loves playing soccer and carrying around his adorable monkey lunchbox (and, obviously, eating two Locopops at the same time… because who doesn’t love that?!). I had a great time exploring with them, and also playing Wheels on the Bus on my Spotfiy. Skye and Rui introduced me to a new (to me) part of Duke Gardens that, despite all my weddings and shoots there, I had no idea existed: the kids’ area with a storybook circle, chickens, and an herb garden! I always make a bee-line straight for the bamboo and have just always managed to miss it. Also, I can’t be sure, but I’m fairly certain that my kiddo clients have the best shoes ever… and Tye is no exception with his DINO SHOES that I am 100% envious of. Loved working with this beautiful family of three!
These guys remind me so much of my own family that I inherently loved them from the very beginning and continue to love them as I’m posting these. This is a sibling trio consisting of Lauren, Randy, and Jill. For their parents Kevin and Dee’s birthdays, they bought them a photo session when they were in town from Connecticut to visit. The photo session also centers around Cyndee, Randy’s spunky and independent 4 year old daughter who is fearless, skilled at climbing just about everything, and totally uninterested in taking pictures with any member of her family. All 6 of these family members are hilarious. They have great senses of humor, funny family traditions, and are fierce board game competitors (FIERCE). I genuinely felt like I was with my own family (especially when Randy went to get something out of the car, so the remaining family members moved all of his board game pieces in the game of Trouble back to the start position while safely moving all their own pieces into home). Actually, they’re fierce competitors in general… and a great example of that would be that they raced each other, and Cyndee lost her shoe, BUT KEPT GOING. Let me remind you that she’s 4. She did not blink, but kept running with one entirely bare foot over the finish line. Also, the entire family only let Cyndee win that one shoeless time, then they decided that was enough and started pushing each other out of the way. I adore them.
Meaghan and Alex’s wedding in 2016 was a fan favorite, but also a photographer favorite. His suit! Her dress! The fall leaves! The venue! The colors! Literally everythinggggg was beautiful and fantastic and gorgeous and these are two hella stylish people. Well they just had a hella stylish baby named Helen who is ADORBS and likes French things, pulling at her dad’s beard, throwing up on everyone, smiling at the cat, and grabbing emphatically toward camera lenses. Also, 80s campers. Their house is awesome and I was fully expecting it to be great, but then Meaghan conveniently didn’t tell me about the CHICKENS which made it even more awesome because every portrait session is better with chickens (also large orange cats named Stewie who insert themselves into every picture). So I was pretty happy photographing a handful of animals (also Jemma the husky-corgi mix and Quinn the hound-terrier mix!) and a handful of very lovely people and also my first 1980s camper. Much thanks to Meaghan and Alex for always keeping things stylish and fun to photograph in every way, even while being actively vomited upon.
