A few weeks ago we held our 2nd annual Santa Portrait Charity Event at the Silver Spoon children’s boutique in an effort to collect Toys 4 Tots.  We had an amazing response and collected over 200 toys!  We are so appreciative of everyone who participated in this event, as well as the Silver Spoon for providing the perfect location and the most amazing Santa.  There are far too many portraits to include in a blog post, so this is really just a teaser (and if case you weren’t aware, the first darling little girls are ours…:-).  To see all 188 portraits visit our Facebook page here.  Enjoy and Merry Christmas–Ho! Ho! Ho!

Meet Caitlin, class of 2011.  Caitlin was introduced to us from her mom Lynne, who was introduced to us at our first Ladies Night Out event.  I knew this session was going to be fun just from the time I spent with them at the consultation.  I think Lynne was just as excited as Caitlin!  As you can see, Caitlin had all sorts of great fashion ideas and we ran with them.  Started off in the studio then went outside exploring, another fantastic time.  Thanks Caitlin and  Lynne for the experience.

Some faves.

Meet the Diaz family, who brought their baby blessing, J, to us to capture his sweet newborn stage.  We’re so excited we get to see this family two more times during J’s first year, as they are another one of our Bebe Collection members.  I have to admit, our Bebe members have an extra special place in my heart, as I get so attached to these families and watching their little ones grow!  I’m always so sad after the 1-year session, because that means we most likely we see them every few months!  We’re thrilled to have met the Diaz family and capture baby J’s first year (and big brother’s affection for his baby bro!).

So, I’m sure you have noticed, but our blog-speed hasn’t been stellar lately–our apologies to you wonderful people who visit it regularly!  We’re right in the thick of our busiest time of year, not aided by the fact that James was in New Orleans teaching all last week.  Thus, the lagging blog posts.  Thanks to all of our patient peeps for who’ve been waiting!

Now that I have that off my chest, I would like you to meet the lovely Doss family (this is how behind we are….these images are from their first session a few months ago and they were just here today to see their next set of Bebe images!).  Miss A was a little older than most of our babies at her first Bebe session, but we didn’t mind one little bit.  She was super happy and full of smiles.  I do believe she’s a ballerina in training (see her perfectly pointed toe in the 2nd to last image).  This family was so easy and fun to work with, and we can’t wait for you to see her next set of images (you’ll have to wait a while, clearly…:-).

Meet Jessie – class of 2011.  Jessie had a few different looks in mind for her session so we mixed things up a little.  We started around town and for the most part, I looked for interesting places while Jessie got into the role.  Then it was off to the grassy fields for a softer look.  She brought her older sister Tara along who acted as wardrobe assistant, hair advisor, and yes, a mobile clothing rack.   Tara was also supposed to be an expression coach but as you can see, Jessie did quite well on her own.  I thought she did a fabulous job pairing her clothing with the environment and expressions to match.  The session ended with us literally chasing light before it disappeared, and we caught some magical moments.  Here are some faves.

We experienced quite a baby boom over the past several months at the studio, and the Fleming family contributed to that trend.  We also saw another interesting phenomenon–babies being born so early that momma either missed her maternity session altogether or came very close!  Tonya was one of those whose maternity session actually turned into baby Z’s newborn session.  She brought him to us when he was just days old, along with big brother, to capture his tiny sweetness.  Z was such a good boy and gave us the treat of seeing him both asleep and awake, which sometimes for babies that new doesn’t happen (they just sleep!).  We’re looking forward to their next Bebe session to see how much he’s grown.  Meet baby Z:

We have photographed the lovely Martinelli girls on several occasions, but this was an extra-special session, as it was our first introduction to little Miss Kate, the newest addition to the Martinelli clan.  When I first got the call from Koren to schedule the session, chills ran up and down my spine at the news they had brought Kate home from China and were anxious to hang portraits of her in their home, so Kate could see she really was a part of this wonderful family.  I know Koren was a little concerned about how Kate would do in this new, unfamiliar situation, but as you can see, she acted like she was an old pro (I’m sure a little help from her big sisters didn’t hurt!).  We are always thrilled to see this family, and this was definitely a magical session for so many reasons.  Thanks Martinelli’s for entrusting us to create your family’s heirloom artwork!

Meet Katie – class of 2011.  Katie brought all kinds of things I like to see on a senior session.  Hats, scarves, cool accessories and FABULOUS makeup.  She wore them all well and did a great job in front of the camera.  We started downtown and ended the adventure out in the open fields for a different look.  Thanks Katie for walking through the piles of sticker bushes to get the shot..it was worth it!  Here are some of my faves from the day.

We first met the Beard’s when they were still expecting Baby J (you might recall their maternity images with mama in Tim’s firefighting turnouts–so cute!), and we are happy to call the Beard’s our friends now, too.  It has been such a fun journey to document this special little guy’s first year +, but by far the best part has just been getting to know and spend time with them.  Tim & Melissa decided to carry the firefighter theme throughout their sessions, so some part of Tim’s gear was a part of every session.  I will not lie–we were a little nervous when Tim walked in with his huge axe at the last session, but it turned out to be such a cool part of this image below.  We are so thankful for the trust Tim & Melissa have placed in us to create their portrait art, and love the collaborative efforts they put forth for each and every session.

We met the Jenkins family over the summer, thanks to Brad’s dad who graciously gave Brad an Enchanted Images gift certificate for his birthday.  We are so glad he did, because what a lovely family we got to work with!  They brought baby B when he was brand-new, even though all that hair makes him look so grown-up.  Big sis was so sweet and cooperative in getting the important “big sister” images, and as you can see, Baby B pretty much chilled the entire time and let us do whatever we wanted–my favorite kind of newborn session!  We look forward to seeing the Jenkins back for B’s 2nd Bebe session in a few months….dying to know if he’s kept all of that gorgeous hair!