welcoming baby "c" | chatham, nj newborn lifestyle photographer

I can't tell a lie .. my heart skipped a beat when I entered Baby Cameron's nursery.  The colors and furnishings just "popped" and made me smile.  Basically her parent's design aesthetic is amazing and so much fun to photograph in.

Many new, first time parents who reach out to me always ask what entails a newborn shoot.   The first thing I tell them is that I will show up and just go with the baby's flow.  I never want it to be a stressful time and I will take as long as we need to.  Newborn shoots are almost always in the client's home because this is where you will want to preserve all of those memories.  (Plus who needs to traipse a baby to a new location ;-) The first few weeks with a newborn are a big blur so documenting this for a new family is what I love to do.

london | travel scrapbook

London in April is pretty spectacular.  I could just roam around with my camera shooting spring blossoms and pastel color houses all day long.  Come to think of it ... I basically did that!

Oh London town, how I love you!

Seeing old friends for brunch and then having ice cream sundaes at Harrods is always fun!

I definitely was in "spring flower heaven' as London was a few weeks ahead of the east coast with their spring blossoms.  My oh my were they ever gorgeous!

We visited the London Eye one afternoon and enjoyed the views of the entire city.  Travel note:  if you ever are trying to buy tickets for it, definitely order them online because we bypassed the huge lines and were able to walk right on.

The Eurostar is a fantastic and fast way to get from London to Paris and back.  Before you know it you are pulling into St. Pancras Station.  Also, a good book helps to speed the time away.

A visit to London wouldn't be complete without a trip to The Tower of London.  We also visited Churchill's War Rooms which I highly recommend. 

Pastel colored homes in Chelsea, yes please!

Cheerio London!  Can't wait to come back.

paris in the spring | travel scrapbook

Audrey Hepburn said it best, "Paris is always a great idea" and I couldn't agree with her more.   We went to London, Paris and then back to London this Spring Break.  As always it was an amazing trip and I didn't want to board that "United" plane home ;-)  

One of our highlights while in Paris was surprising the kids with a personalized sidecar tour by Retro Tours.  If you ever find yourselves in Paris I HIGHLY recommend them.  It is one of the most unique experiences you can have there.  These guys are real Parisians and know their city.  They want to show you lesser well-known areas of Paris, rarely seen by visitors.  The secret Paris they like to say.  We told them the general district of where we wanted to go (Montmartre and the Sacré-Couer) and they truly showed us streets and areas that we would never have found ourselves or read about it guide books.  They are so knowledgeable and constantly telling you little factoids about the areas that your are driving through.  We planned it so at the end of our time together they dropped us off at the Eiffel Tour where we were having dinner that night.  Such a fun and cool experience that I know the kids will never forget!  

The Eiffel Tower is truly such a masterpiece and an engineering wonder.  You can't help but gaze up at all that metal and wonder how it all fits together.   After dinner we stayed around to watch the sunset, which of course was stunning.  

Visiting museums is a must when in Paris.  We bought the Museum Paris Pass which was a huge time-saver because it allowed us to bypass the crowds, line-ups and head straight to the Fast Pass lane.  A win for us!

I loved capturing the kid's first glance of the Mona Lisa.  I told them they might be surprised at her size ... and I definitely was right.

The Rodin Museum did not disappoint.

Parisian scenes ... 

Au revoir Paris ... until next time!

welcoming baby sister into the family | chatham, nj family lifestyle photographer

There is nothing better then spending time on a weekend morning with a family and their "new" newborn.  The excitement from the older children to show off their new baby sister is just the sweetest.  This family was no exception.  A typical newborn lifestyle photo session has me following the older children around to see what they want to play with.  I will quietly document them while talking and learning what their favorite book and animal is.  Once they are settled in their activity, I'll pop out to find mom and baby snuggling on the bed sharing a moment.  Of course those are always the sweetest images to capture.  I will then go back to the older children and do it all over again  ;-)  Its sessions like this that make me realize how important my job is. The next ten years will fly by but when you look back at those images, you will be instantly transported back to that wonderful Sunday morning when the coffee was brewing in the kitchen, the sun was shining throughout the house and all you could hear were giggles and laughter from playing in the ball-pit.

Big sister was so engaged and protective with her new little sister.  So cute!

I'm happy to announce that I've created a new package for expectant mothers and newborns called Belly + Baby.  I'm offering a quick 30 minute shoot to capture you and your beautiful round belly around the 30 week mark.  Once you've given birth, you let me know and we will schedule a time for me to come over to your house to photography your newborn.  Its a wonderful way to document this precious time of your life!