Such cutie-pies!

Evan interacting with one of his favorite toys … I’m not sure what you call these things, but they’re very cool.

Those huge brown eyes made me melt every time he looked my way … *swoon*

We took a few family portraits too, of course:

Another absolute favorite – just look at this little guy’s smile!

Thank you Nicole and Dan for welcoming me into your home – I hope you’ve enjoyed the teaser photos! I can’t wait to share the full set with you in a few weeks.

After a number of super fun kid and family shoots over the last few months, I decided it was time for these sessions to have their own dedicated site – meaning, of course, that I can keep the focus of this blog firmly on weddings and engagements.  It all finally came together this afternoon, and I can’t keep it a secret any longer!  So, without further ado, here’s Boston’s freshest kids and pets photography site, Wee Beasties Photography!

Head on over, take a peek, and let me know what you think!  And if you’re a subscriber to this blog, you might like to check out the integrated blog over there, too.  Click here for the direct link.  And because no post is complete without a picture, here are a couple of screen shots to whet your appetite.

Porter, as a young puppy, features in the opening page slideshow:

Another screen shot from the home page:

The site is packed full of handy hints on what to wear, how to prepare for your session, and so on:

I enjoyed finding new names for my portrait packages to fit with the new branding.  How about the Wee Beastie Weekender or the Big Beastie?  Click here for a link to the pricing page.

Let me know what you think – and if you have any friends who are looking for a non-traditional portrait photographer, please send along the link. 

Daniel and Ebele are a remarkable couple; talented, passionate and fiercely in love with their baby girl, Olanna.  I spent an hour or so on Saturday morning taking some family photos and getting to know them.  I started with some photos of Ebele with her daughter:

When I spotted this next photo as I was downloading the images, I shrieked with delight.  Sure, it’s probably never going to make it to the mantel, but is this not hilarious and wonderful?

Daniel joined us.  I love how easy they are with each other.  I barely directed any of the photos, as there just wasn’t any need …

Daniel is, amongst other things, a poet.  He reads to Olanna up in his study on the third floor, and I love this series that we captured.  She loves books already!

I adore how Daniel holds his baby:

A few photos of Olanna on mom and dad’s bed – she is so expressive, and she was captivated by the sound of my shutter!

And a couple of final photos from back downstairs in the family room:

Huge thanks to Ebele and Daniel for welcoming me into their hope and giving me such trust.  I loved working with you all and can’t wait to get started on your book!

Marion is amazing.  In fact, every two minutes during our hour long session, I told Barbara and Ryan, “she’s amazing”.  Over and over again.  I couldn’t help myself … those eyes, that soft blond hair, the amazing expressions that flicked across her face … There’s no doubt that her family thinks just the same thing:

Marion lights up faces.  I think, more than anything, it’s her gorgeous, hilarious, wonderful expressions that do it – look!

It never stops!  I could have taken photos of Marion’s little face all day long, but I was there to take some photos of the entire family too.    We took some traditional photos in the hallway and on the stairs, but my favorite photos of Barbara, Ryan and Marion together were from a little series in their bedroom:

Barbara’s mom was over from France for a couple of weeks – she too is captivated by her granddaughter …

I had fun with Marion on the couch.  She’s a wriggler and a mover, and makes it sooo tough to get photos of her little hands and feet … but I love this one below:

A cute photo of Barbara with Marion:

And some more favorites from Marion’s bedroom:

Thank you all for a lovely morning, and I hope you enjoy the teasers!  Lots more coming soon in your gallery. 

We spent 25 minutes or so in the UW arboretum, making strange noises, giggling and wrestling with Eli.  He’s the perfect age for photos – super curious, but not yet camera-shy.

Eli wanted to touch everything … including my camera, and some dirty moss …

I fell in love with his huge eyes, and his 101 awesome little expressions …

… and most especially that final expression.  Loves!  Then it was off to the Madrona Pub for a couple of pints of Manny’s and some tasty fries. 

I wanted to capture the spirit of this loving family, both as individuals and as they naturally interact.  It made for a challenging but incredibly rewarding session.  We started off with some fun hula hooping:

All four play instruments – I thought it would be fun to bring the music outside …

I love the look of concentration on Bronwyn’s face as she plays her cello, and on Linnea’s as she plays the ukulele.  We then grabbed some group photos (with and without their awesome doggies), and some couples photos of Eric and Ida:

The hammock was a great spot for some relaxed portraits …

Time for some individual portraits:

Eric is a professional musician and works many weddings.  Let me know if you’re looking for a guitarist – he’s a wonderful player and a great guy to have around on your big day. 

We ended the session with the girls playing on the monkey bars and horsey swing, and Ida with her lovely garden.  I can’t thank you all enough for making it such a fun, relaxed session.  I hope you enjoy your teasers as much as I enjoyed working with you all!

When I moved to Boston in the fall, I was delighted to find out that they had also moved to Boston – albeit only for a short year while Brendan got his Master’s degree.  And when I found out they were expecting their first baby this April I was ecstatic!  In early March, we took some maternity photos, and last week I finally got to meet their brand new baby, little Jasper.  Here are some teaser photos from our session on the banks of the Charles River in Cambridge.  Jasper is a delight of a baby boy … just look at the smiles he greeted me with:

We started with some photos of the whole family.  I love how these guys interact with each other:

I love me some tasty baby feet and hands!

Then some photos of Jasper with his mommy, then his daddy:

Such cute smiles:

My favorite shots of the day: baby details!

And our final shots of the day – I love how Sara Anne snuggles with her baby boy:

Thank you, guys, for a wonderful afternoon, and safe travels to you this week.  See you in Seattle next year!

Eesa, just three and a half years old, was not a huge fan of group shots but his expressions were magical. 

We spent some time wandering around the various nooks and crannies of the park, hunting for good light.  I love the little series of Eesa picking a dandelion (he was chatting away to me at the same time, too cute!)

After a little while we headed back to Anees and Aimen’s apartment for a quick change of clothes.  Eesa’s current obsession is trains (he loves to watch You Tube train videos on the iPhone).  He’s also quite fond of this red toy car.

Our next photo stop was the aquarium.  It was not the best day for pretty light but we all loved the clouds that appeared almost like magic over the harbor.

The rain started coming down again (heavily, this time) so we sought shelter under the pretty pergolas.  I love the colors here …

On the way home we made a very speedy stop at Green St T station.  Remember how I told you that Eesa likes trains?  Well, he really really does.  I have never witnessed a face light up quite so brightly before at the arrival of a train.  Perfect!

Thank you all for a lovely afternoon, for taking a chance with the rain, and for the delicious coffee at the end.  I loved meeting you!

The heat was insane, though, and with very little shade in the yard, we sought refuge in the house.  Funnily enough, pretty much all of my favorite photos happened inside.  Maybe the twins were worn down by that point and too tired to play up to the camera so much … or maybe we all had the mindset of being on a break …  whatever it was, this is when the magic started.

I love this shot of Phin – so natural and sweet:

Julie gave Willa her lunch while I was photographing the boys playing on the couch, and as she was finishing up, Emmett went over to check on her.  I just love the bottom photo in this set:

The sun room had such nice light, we spent the rest of the session there.

There was a beautiful blue chair next to the door which I used as a base for a mini headshot studio:

I discovered that if you tire kids out with the same boring old instructions, they eventually give up trying to play up to the camera and you get the good stuff.

Just before I left I spotted Willa hoisting herself up with the table.  Love the light here …  Thank you all for a fun session and I’m excited to see you again in July!

We started the session on the beautiful staircase just inside the front door.  The light there is strong and directional, meaning lots of good shadows to work with.  I also loved that I could change my perspective by photographing down from the second floor, shooting over the banister, or photographing straight on from the doorway.

I love working with both parents together during belly sessions – to me a belly session is about the couple, and their relationship, and the shared excitement of welcoming a new family member.  That being said, it’s always fun to get some solo shots of mom too – especially when she’s glowing as gorgeously as Barbara …

The front door made a great backdrop for some silhouette shots … and the living room was bathed in the most amazing light – it was so bright, in fact, that I ended up closing the blinds for much of the session.

We finished the session upstairs in the front bedroom.  I loved the clean white decor, and I totally loved the photos we took there.  We ended with some boudoir-style belly photos on the bed, and I’m hoping that Barbara and Ryan might let me show one or two when they receive their full collection.  Fingers crossed! 

Thank you both for welcoming this stranger into your home and playing with me for an hour and a half.  Good luck with the arrival of your new baby (due so soon, on February 12th!)