Holiday Travel

While you are traveling this holiday season, I hope you find laughter and joy even among strangers:
(check out this youtube video, you are sure to laugh!)

Photo above taken in the Washington DC Metro.  More pics to come soon from this trip!

Ryan and Kristin Engagement

Ryan grew up playing baseball and now coaches baseball; he requested a picture at the stadium downtown.  I loved the idea of a shot near the ticket windows. 

The lighting was just gorgeous as the sun set here. 

These two met at Liberty's (the one in Columbia that is)

I absolutely love this shot! It is probably my favorite from the afternoon.  This rusty old piece of metal was stick out of the ground.  One man's junk....is this gal's treasure!  It worked great as a frame for this picture!

Just stunning.  I can't wait for their wedding in July 2012!  Congrats Ryan and Kristin  :) 

Cole & Grayson

Meet Cole and Grayson.  Their mom and I have been friends since we were in middle school! Brittany is a fabulous hair stylist and I highly recommend her and the girls at All About Me Salon in Simpsonville on Main Street.

Cole looks just like his momma. He is an active little boy and I spent most of the time chasing him around and playing.  I love how these show his personality and curiosity.  The Leaning portrait in the middle is my favorite as this was completely natural.  2 and 3 year olds never fail to amaze me.  They always seem to come up with better poses than I have in mind. :) 

Grayson looks like both his mom and dad I have decided.  I can see them both in different pictures. Brittany met her husband Nic when we were in high school.  Cute, huh?  I love this vintage high chair in these shots.  He was sitting up just well enough to pull these off. 

He captured my heart. Such a sweet baby!

There is always something special between siblings.  Cole loves his baby brother but was sometimes more interested in his new surroundings.  This is where props come in handy to contain kids for a moment! 

A full tummy equals many smiles!  I crocheted this hat for this particular shoot.  Do you want a custom crocheted hat or diaper cover to use for your baby's shoot with Seek Joy? Just Ask!

Cole is all boy and I knew these fire truck and fire hat props would capture his attention.  The hat was a bit heavy so he was not a fan of wearing it. He did find it funny to put the hat in different places though as you can see in the smaller image. 

These faces are filled of mischief to me.  Reminds me of fun times Brittany and I had as young girls. 

If this sweet baby does not make your heart melt then...I just feel sad for you. I love every dimple and fat roll on this kid. 

What a great way to end a blog post.  May you raise your little boys to be young men and may their spirits never be crushed.  Thanks Brittany for the fun afternoon with your little ones! 

The Salman Family

Meet Sweet Adeline.  She is almost 5 months old. Her smocked dress was just precious and reminded me of the handmade smocked dresses my mother used to make for me and my sister when we were little girls.  The rocking chair she is in was actually mine as a little girl; it has been repainted many times but I think white is quite fitting here with the Christmas theme. 

 Adeline cannot quite sit up by herself yet so I propped her up in this old wagon with this sweet country Christmas bear that she just adored.  I also used a distressed painted large basket to prop her in as well.  The Holly Hobby doll she was fascinated with and it was hard to get her attention once I gave it to her.

 Adeline's parents are Jenny and Nadim. They met in Pennsylvania when Jenny was in a nurse at the same hospital that Nadim did his residency.  Even though they are new parents they seem like pros!  Jenny has a such calm spirit about her that makes her a wonderful mom.

 Jenny found this paper balls on Etsy and she made this sign!  We took a few for their 

Christmas card this year.

 Another great example of a color scheme. Jenny chose blue, silver, and white.  Great winter theme!

 Jenny commented that she is never in any pictures alone with Adeline as she is always the one behind the camera at home.  We had to remedy this and took a couple of mommy and daughter.

 I must say Nadim is a very patient father and I can tell Adeline really loves her daddy too!

I had a wonderful time meeting the Salman Family and look forward to watching this sweet little girl grow.

The Green Family

Chloe and Jacob

 My niece Chloe Grace recently turned 6. Sadly her Hannah Montana party was postponed due to her becoming sick.  We took her 6 year old pictures while she was in SC over Thanksgiving. This sweet girl really knows how to rock out!

 This is one of her favorite outfits she informed me. I love the greenery in these pictures. 

 Check out this amazing old video camera I found in my parents attic!  After several shots I got several that were fun and natural. This is always what I wait for. 

 The red and pink hats are from OMG vintage clothing store. They looked great with her tiger print jacket!

 Happy Birthday Chloe.

 Jacob, my nephew, decided he wanted a few pictures taken as well. I was a freshman in college when he was born.  Man time flies by. 

We also took a few family shots for their Christmas Card. Here is my personal favorite.

Marie's Maternity Fashion Shoot

 

Marie met me out at the Rock Quarry Garden located in Cleveland Park last week before Thanksgiving for her maternity fashion shoot. We started out with one of her favorite outfits. I love the birdcage I found at Buncombe Antique Mall for this shoot. 

 This girl had no qualms about climbing on rocks despite being in her 3rd trimester :)

 Absolutely Stunning!  This entire outfit is from OMG vintage clothing.

 I love how peaceful she looks in these. Funny side story. There was another family at the garden doing Christmas pictures during our shoot. They were quite curious about Marie's belly...so much so it could be considered as staring at points.  Good thing I brought along a wrap for cover up until they moved on. 

 These last two are a couple of my favorites. Marie has such a natural smile that is calm and peaceful.  Her sweet baby girl is due in 2012 and I can't wait for the newborn shoot when she arrives :) 

Congrats Marie and Drew!