Portraits in Raleigh: Wendy+Nelson+Ashton

This was a combination engagement and family shoot that took place on one of the coldest mornings I’ve ventured outside in a long time! Wendy and Nelson are engaged to be married in April of next year with Nelson adopting Wendy’s 11-year-old son Ashton. This is a big and exciting moment for all of them, so they wanted Ashton included in the engagement pictures with them. :) Wendy is a recruiter and Nelson is a lighting engineer… which means he gets to design the lighting in major buildings which I thought sounded pretty cool! Ashton is in 5th grade and his favorite subject is science. He plans on becoming a Marine Biologist, and his favorite superhero is a tied position between the Green Lantern and Captain America (he has good taste).

We’re super excited to be working with this loving and beautiful family in the spring!

Portraits in Raleigh: Dana+Daniel+Midori+Hermine

I first met Dana and Daniel when I photographed their cat Hermine for a benefit I did early last year to raise money for Safe Haven for Cats, a no-kill shelter for cats in Raleigh. Dana was volunteering at Save Haven at the time and decided to have a session done of Hermine at their house. Hermine was really scared around new people and had a particular dislike for the camera, but was a beaaautiful kitty! Then this year I was contacted by Dana again, saying that her and Daniel and Hermine had welcomed in little Midori in June. :) I was so excited to meet her and to see the couple and their feisty cat again! Hermine apparently hasn’t been taking Midori’s entrance all that well… but actually she was quite less skittish this year than last (perhaps she’s gotten used to people coming and going and lots of noises from the baby). She still isn’t quite sure about Midori… and general avoids her, but Midori loves Hermine and is about to get to that crawling-and-tail-pulling age that I’m sure Hermine will appreciate. ;)

Dana and Daniel moved from Germany a while back and have jobs teaching psychology at NC State. They wanted a few pictures of Midori in her baby Santa dress(which is ADORABLE)! I asked if they had their tree up, but in Germany it isn’t custom to put their tree up until the night before Christmas, which I found very interesting! It must be nice to live somewhere where the Christmas decorations don’t start creeping in before Halloween. :P Enjoy the adorableness of this family!

 

Raleigh Family Photographer: Melissa+Jimmy+Harper+Frank+T-Bone

If this session doesn’t make you want to run out and buy a matching set of weiner dogs, I’m not sure what will.

Meet the McGuinness family! You might remember them as Melissa and Jimmy. :) Melissa and Jimmy had Frank, their first Dachshund, when Jimmy was stationed over in Germany. Frank unfortunately could not make it over to their wedding that I shot in October 2010. I was brokenhearted as I had been stalking Frank’s various outfits and adorableness via Facebook for some time. After they were married for a little while and moved back to NC, they adopted T-Bone, their second Dachshund (you’ll see that T-Bone is kind of tiger striped). Then, recently completing their big happy family, came Harper, their adorable baby girl and little sister to the adopted fur-children. :) I was so pleased to meet and photograph the new new additions, and it was lovely seeing Melissa and Jimmy again. Their family is beautiful. Harper is a little angel, and Frank and T-Bone are completely and utterly ridiculous… but in a good way.

Jimmy just recently left for a one year deployment in Afghanistan, and they wanted these pictures taken before he left. Jimmy – I wish you a safe and healthy deployment, and I hope these pictures bring you a little bit of comfort.