As any parent knows, even the best of plans can get thrown out the window when the little ones are involved. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, I’d say it’s one of the things I really love about being a child/family photographer (and a dad): making things up as you go, scrapping those plans on a moment’s notice, and not worrying (too much) about what’s coming next. When I started talking with Mom about what she had in mind for this session — wow, we had some really great ideas, and I was super excited about shooting. I have to say we didn’t get exactly what we talked about, but we rolled with it, got some awesome shots, and had a great time. Now that holiday cards have been sent out I can share a few of my favorites:

love the fall color on this one:

this family portrait is so perfectly not quite perfect, and that’s why I love this one (and Mom does too!)

this was part of the improvisational part of the session. I suggested to Mom that we do something with the chalk wall for her card, she grabbed the chalk, and voila…

Some of my favorite images happen “after” the session. I never rush through things, but sometimes even when I think I’m done, that’s when the magic starts happening. I think it was worth waiting for…

I am, in fact, still on the face of the earth.

The lack of recent blog entries might have made you wonder if the opposite was true. Some of the portrait sessions I do toward the end of the year don’t get blogged b/c they’re going to be on Christmas cards, so there’s no sneaking peeks of my favorite images, at least not until later. To kick it off, here’s a look at (part of) our holiday card:

I’m known to go off on a tangent now & then, and be forewarned this might be one of them. How many TV channels do you really watch? I don’t watch 500 channels. I watch 5 (bonus points if you can guess what they are). But I want them to look good, HD and 1080p and all that. I know the cable companies don’t like that, or else you wouldn’t have to buy the 495 things you’ll never ever see. You should be able to get what you want, and that’s where custom photography is kinda like that. I don’t want to shuffle tons of clients through and insist they only get to choose one package, one pose, one outfit. My clients get something different, something meaningful, and something that is tailored to what they want.

What else is new? A few changes, a tweak here and there, but ultimately I’m looking forward to making twenty-ten a great year. Even better than 2009 + 1.

I like to mix things up now & then, so what better way then to take a break from kids and weddings than a couple of seniors. Austin was first in line when his wakeboard competition was called off, and he lived up to everything I’d heard about him: fun, outgoing, relaxed. We talked about some different locations to shoot and decided on downtown Raleigh. I have to admit for such an easy-going person, he’s got some pretty intense looks.

don’t forget to leave a comment — Thanks!

I’m just gonna go ahead and say it: I love shooting at this park. Even on a day that was kinda cold, gray, and every now and then threatening to rain, I had a great time with the L. family, and got some great images. You guys rock!  Here’s a few favorites:

I love this image