Generally, I like to keep my family off of my blog out of respect, but after the persistence and nagging of my soon to be sister in law - I share with you my soon to be nephew! It’s taken a couple of years, but I think Dante has finally warmed up to my camera…

Five years old proves a roller coaster of emotions and moods - but sometimes a mood can provide the most interesting of photographs… A personal favorite…

And just one in color…

Quote for the day:

“Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.”
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Do you know that my favorite thing about my job (besides the coolest kids in America) is getting to know my clients. I would say that 98% of the time I walk away from my sessions feeling like I’ve made a new friend, and that my life is that much richer for knowing another really awesome person/family/couple. I truly LOVE meeting new people and I whole heartedly believe that with every session I not only become a better photographer, but I become a better, more rounded, more interesting person - simply from the people I meet.

This was one of those sessions. I had the BEST time shooting this portrait session. We were at Longwood Gardens, early in the morning, and imagine my surprise when a gorgeous mom arrives with a (sit-n-stand!) stroller and two equally beautiful children. My camera practically jumped out of the bag! It was a morning of beautiful pictures, behaved children and interesting conversation with a cool mom. My job honestly doesn’t get any easier than that.

So - here you go…

What some women would pay (and do pay!) to have curls like this…

And just one in color…

Today’s quote for the day doesn’t have much to do with these pictures - it’s just from my own little arsenal of family commentary. My mother and I were recently discussing the “glass half full - glass half empty” argument that so many people have. I told her that I was, am and always will be a “glass half full” kind of person. Her response left me speechless:

“Jessi, honey, the glass isn’t half full, or half empty - the glass is simply too big.”

So, I leave you to ponder that.

I had THE best time shooting this session. Sweet parents, an adorable munchkin, and a PRAM! OMG, I think my eyes must have bugged out when I saw the thing… SO excited!!!

Quote for the day:

“The windows of my soul I throw
Wide open to the sun.”
~John Greenleaf Whittier, My Psalm

I love (love love love love LOVE) working with first time parents. Every duck is in a row, every baby blanket folded, walls painted - perfectly arranged for this beautiful bundle soon to arrive. Well - soon to arrive and flip all of that perfect arrangement right on its head…

This soon to be new mom was a little like that, but not nearly to the extreme I’ve seen. She is ready - totally ready for the pregnant part to be over. But she’s certainly not as ocd about the whole “lets get ready for baby” process as a lot of new moms.. and that’s so refreshing!!!

We had a good time shooting this session! She was “iffy” on the whole maternity photography focus - and I think by the end she had warmed up to the idea. A woman is never as beautiful as she is when she’s creating life… I truly believe that.

Case in point:

A prayer for a hopefully easy delivery:

A sunbeam to warm you,
A moonbeam to charm you,
A sheltering angel, so nothing can harm you.
~Irish Blessing

I love to explore this area - every time I find new and wonderful things to shoot in places I thought I’d been to before.

This session was great - we shot this in Brandywine Park along the river, and while I shoot there all of the time, I never realized this particular bridge was there.

Just one image from this Sunday’s session - more to come soon. this is just one that jumped out at me… there is a beautiful suspension bridge over the river next to the railroad tracks - it was a HOT day, but worth every bead of sweat for this little guy in this moment:

Quote for the day:

Silence is exhilarating at first - as noise is - but there is a sweetness to silence outlasting exhilaration, akin to the sweetness of listening and the velvet of sleep.

~Edward Hoagland

As many know, we’re in the process of designing and redesigning a new studio - and let me just say that it’s the most complicated, frustrating thing I’ve ever had to do. Thinking of paint colors, fabric choices, flooring, lighting, display pieces, and then pulling it all together in a cohesively cool manner - well, it’s more than I can take at the moment. Thankfully, I’ve got a good friend to guide me: (karen kennedy) and where I’d be without her actually scares me. I mean, who would have thought to think about the height of your sofa seat versus the height of your chair seat, and how they look together? Not me!!! And don’t even get me started on warm tones versus cool tones versus new modern lines matched with curvy vintage lines… honestly, it’s enough to cause someone to drink. heavily.

So - my point: In my quest for the best studio ever, I’ve turned not only to karen, but also to some really great places riddled with inspiration. One of my FAVORITE places is the Brocade Home Blog - Brocade Home is a great store filled with the most amazing pieces, but they also run a blog chock full of inspiration from every outlet…

Now, not only is this blog the best for inspiration, but if you look on the right side of the screen, there are a bunch of links to OTHER amazing sites that are just as interesting as this one. Great sites for shopping, browsing - you could seriously get lost in the internet shopping shuffle for hours just from this one fantastic blog.

My favorite blog that resulted from the Brocade Home Blog - Simply Grove See how you could get sucked in?? The internet is evil, right?

Quote for the Day:

The inability to make a decision has often been passed off as patience.
~Author Unknown

As a photographer, sometimes you enter a portrait session blind. You have no idea what you’re going to get, what clothes will appear, and you have no clue if things will run smoothly. And then there are times like these.. times when you enter a session, and still blind - you get absolute perfection. Beautiful kids, gorgeous mother and the children ACTUALLY LISTEN!! We shot at Gibraltar in Wilmington with perfect weather, perfect sunshine and the perfect subjects. It was a very good morning.

So, thanks to this family for a beautiful and fun session!! Hope you had fun on the Moon Bounce!!! You earned it!

How is this girl not a model yet?

and her little brothers? seriously, it’s a crime to have three children this beautiful..

Lastly - their mom didn’t want to be in any photographs, but I’m glad I talked her into just a few with her newest baby… these are some of my favorite portraits from this session.. there’s nothing sweeter than those first few months of unconditional baby love…

Quote for the day:

Mother’s love is peace. It need not be acquired, it need not be deserved.

~Erich Fromm

I am trying to blog every day, so to keep things interesting, i thought I’d share something I’m creating for my daughter’s bedroom. She loves Hannah Montana - in fact, she’s over the moon about the girl - and so of course, as it is with every 6 year old in the world, everything we own is Hannah Montana! She wanted posters of Hannah for her birthday, and of course, I’ll oblige her, but I wanted to come up with something different - incorporate Hannah into her bedroom without making myself sick every time I walked in there. So, I’ve created this in Photoshop, and I’m having it printed as a large canvas for her. It’s got the lyrics of one of my daughter’s favorite songs on it - and the lyrics hold a good message, so I’m ok with that.

not too shabby, right?

Quote for the day:

Attitudes are contagious. Are yours worth catching?

~Dennis and Wendy Mannering

We’re finally booking for fall….. If you are a previous client, we’ve got special holiday mini sessions lined up for you - short enough to keep your attention and give you those coveted holiday cards you all love so much. We’ve set aside 3 days for minis this year, and spots are filling up VERY quickly. There are only 19 spots total to be had, and only 8 remain right now.

For new clients - I thought I’d share one of my most popular products. A large majority of the people who walk through my door walk out with one of these. They are high end, beautiful coffee table books - and they hold every picture from your session. Or, like this mom, you can shoot 3 in one year and we created a beautiful 60 page book that chronicles the year… This is quite possibly my most favorite book so far. A few of my favorite 2 page spreads from this book….

Quote for the Day:

There are children playing in the streets who could solve some of my top problems in physics, because they have modes of sensory perception that I lost long ago.
~J. Robert Oppenheimer