Birthdays are cause for great celebration.  They are also a great reminder to go out and get family portraits!  I recently decided to begin limiting the number of family portrait jobs that I take because weddings keep me busy enough and because they are my true passion.  But, when I got the call to photograph this family, I had to take it.  This little guy recently turned two, just like one of my girls.  So, I knew how important it was to get some fun pictures to mark the date.  Here is the handsome birthday boy.

If you are a parent, you definitely can relate with this beautiful mommy’s gaze.  It’s filled with joy and adoration.

Weeeee!

Doting is encouraged at all times during photo sessions with me.

Being a daddy myself, I think the following pictures speak volumes.  It encourages me greatly to see dad’s having fun with their kids and loving up on them.  Don’t let TV shows and today’s media influence you into thinking that Dad’s are dopey and/or self-absorbed…Dad’s ROCK!  Go hug a Dad.

[Allan steps off soap box]

Thanks for inviting me to be a part of the big celebration, part deux.

About a month ago, this wonderful family braved the chilly weather with me and we got some fun family portraits.  We photographers are like the Post Office (but nicer) - we’ll work through rain, sleet, or snow.

Everyone say, “Squeeze!”

Get close, stay warm!

Who, I ask, can resist a good pile of leaves?

The happily married couple…good looks begets good looks.

Happy Winter, everyone.  Stay warm.

Our friends from Seattle came to town and we were able to schedule a family portrait session.  They are such wonderful people and their baby girl is the sweetest thing.  She was so bubbly and well-tempered.  I was surprised to learn that she is usually even MORE smiley than she was the day of our shoot.  So, without further adieu…

This first portrait was an important one.  Baby is wearing an heirloom dress that has been in the family for six generations.  All the daughters have been photographed as babies wearing this dress.  What a wonderful job I have…being invited to take part of truly significant traditions like this one.

It’s a joy to see parents look at their children with wonder and love.

Baby giggles. Baby tongue. Baby feet!

Cool intimate moment between Daddy and his sweet baby girl.

Beautiful family.

With this portrait, I wanted to capture what happens to a person’s life when they have kids.  Our children become everything to us and we put them before our own needs.  We’re happy to fade into the background while we lift them up and encourage them.

Thank you for making the trip out from Seattle and for choosing me to be a part of your family portraits!  Blessings to you and your little one.  May you be graced with MANY more! ; )

I had the pleasure of photographing this wonderful family the other day.  It was blazing hot (100+ deg F) but we had a good time anyway.  One of the cool things about my portrait sessions is that within reason, you can use your time however you please.  This family wanted to get some senior portraits of the twins and some family portraits during whatever time was left over.  Your wish is my command…

This location looked pretty cool, but the smell was less than pleasant.  Everyone was extremely gracious and did what it took to get the photo.  True models…

Wowza.  Great looking kid, huh?

Good looks must run in the family.  The twins were a crack up to work with.  Whenever I was photographing one of them, the other one was behind me cracking jokes and making funny faces.

Ahh…now we know where the twins get their good looks.

We were just about to wrap up when we noticed the enchanting moon.  Squeeze off a quick photo FTW.

Hot night, but very cool family.  Thanks for enduring the heat with me!

Blessings to all.

I have lots to blog about, I just need the time to do it.  First off, our good friends’ grandparents just celebrated their SIXTIETH anniversary…count ‘em up.  The flowers and ribbon in the picture below were from their wedding!  I tried to compose a picture of the flowers/ribbon at the base of a huge tree as a special symbol of just how much their love and devotion has founded.  As they say, it’s about the roots.  Do you have stories of lasting love that you can share?  Hit the comments if you do.

Our friends are very fortunate.  They have a great family and it was a pleasure to be a part of some very significant family portraits.

Here’s the whole crew.  The five children (including their spouses and children) put together an intimate party to celebrate their parents’ anniversary.  The celebration was held in the back yard, which is where, for the most part, the five children grew up.

Here are the five children…a good-looking bunch.  Their parents have much to be proud of.

Here are the Mean Girls grandkids.

Congratulations and may God continue to bless!

Last month we kicked off the camping season with a short trip. It was a tad early because the weather recently has been crazy. It even snowed last week…spring snow! Luckily, we had good weather the weekend that we went. But, we’ll be waiting a few more weeks, at least, before our next outing. Here is a list of things that you can do with your family when camping.

Go for a walk in your rubber boots!

Hang out with your buddy on a stump.

Chill with a pretty lady on the bank of a river.

Tire swing…need I say more?

Go for a fast ride on the slide

Reach for the open sky!

How does a photographer celebrate his son’s third birthday? With photos, of course. Here’s how we roll…

The birthday boys’ favorite ladies get prepped and primped…

Set up the party room to receive a throng of toddlers and infants, who happen to be Lucas’ favorite people under three feet tall. Feed them lots of sugary goodness in the form of cake, ice cream, and smoothies. Arm each kid with paint…

Voila! Hand-crafted picture frames for each kid to take home. (I provide pictures from the event with which to fill the frames and memorialize their glucose-induced glee)

Sing Happy Birthday to my sweet boy.

Happy Birthday, Lucas. I love you!

I’ve been a little MIA on this blog, but you know how the holidays get. I promise to do better in ‘08. More on that later. Anyway, what better way to break the blog silence than with some lovely family portraits. This wonderful family gets together to have their picture taken every year at the same place. It is a great tradition that allows them to see how things have changed.

Here’s the whole family.

I previously blogged about why it is best to order your prints through me, and this portrait of the whole family is another example. There were some sconces and outlet covers on the wall that, while beautiful and practical, were distracting elements in the picture. A little TLC from yours truly and voila! What sconces? Outlet covers? Where?

Look at these future heartbreakers…

This family found that many studios were too small for their annual tradition, so a few years ago, they started doing it on-location at the home of one of the daughters. Here are the lovely homeowners.

Even when the aren’t posing for pictures, these guys still look sharp in the “men only” room.

And, here is where it all started…love to stand the test of time and upon which to build a family.

Wonderful family. Thanks for welcoming into your home and for letting me be a part of your annual tradition!

Some of you may remember Tory…

Well, she’s back and she’s brought her cousin, Reagan! The little girls are only a month apart in age. My wife and I are good friends with Tory’s parents, Edwin and Cristy. So, when we found out that Cristy’s sister, Lisa, was going to be in town, we were excited to meet her and Reagan. We were doubly excited when Cristy asked us to do a family lifestyle portrait session! We let these two sweeties rule the roost and play in the park. Good looks totally run in this family’s genes. Check it out…

Here’s one of Reagan.

And here’s one of Tory.

It was great seeing you guys!  Lisa, have a safe trip back.

Carter is an awesome little boy and he is no stranger to my camera. You can see why; he’s good-looking and tons o’ fun. His parents aren’t too shabby either. They happen to be great friends and they booked me for a session at the park. Here is a quick sneak peek!

I love the story behind this picture…Carter feeling safe and playing in the shadow of his strong Daddy.

Carter loves to climb trees and hang in the air…

…and he loves to play in the water!

He even persuaded Mommy and Daddy to join him.

So young and already so GQ.

Ah…the secrets that young boys keep in their pockets.

Puns can be cheesy, and I can be too. This kid ROCKS!

Thanks for spending the morning with me. Shannon you’re a trooper!