People

This is Sam (yes another Sam in my portfolio but different family). We did this on her neighbor's lawn in the early evening. Nice soft light along with an off camera flash.

Here is Sam again. Now this took a lot of shots. Her wonderful friend and nextdoor neighbor helped by throwing up the stars off frame.

This is Jenna. She sings and swims and she's getting ready for college.

This is Eric, a talented senior heading off to college. We shot this in the backyard pool. I had him sit on the end of the diving board as I carefully balanced myself on my tippy toes looking down at him.

Here I had Sam (different Sam then above + they are friends and neighbors!) lie on the top edge of a sandtrap for this fun senior shot.

Rusty Cars

Rusty antique cars.  If they could only talk…what would their stories be?

Pets with People

This is my friends daughter, Meredith and her dog Livia, an unknown mix found on the streets. I took this photo in the family garage on a chilly day in December.

 

This is my friend Kelly and her cat Sadie. It took a little encouragement to convince Kelly to hold her skittish cat, but we got the shot with smiles!

This is Marina, my best friend. We've known each other forever. Her beautiful eyes are mesmerizing and the cat as well.

Pets

 

This is Po, the Garfield look-a-like. The photo makes me laugh.

This is Sydney, an Ocicat (his mother is the late fat Gorgie in other photos). He almost died in 2010 from fatty liver disease. He made it through a tough battle, but now a diabetic and requires insulin injections twice a day. He is super sweet and thankful to be alive!

This is Kaya. She's a beautiful 2 year old golden retriever lab mix. The owner of her golden mother is a successful actress in Hollywood (not telling who). I took this shot inside by a window and tossed a black throw over a chair.

 

Fajita was about to take a run for it when I took this shot. Hence, the ears are a good give-away.

This is Lilly. The beagle that was found in a field as a puppy as mentioned prior. Once again I'm using a black throw I bought for $10 at a home goods store. Most of my props for shots are things I find on a whim.

These are my friend Sandy's four pets. Po (yellow cat) is a 10 year old Garfield look-alike. Bentley (the gray tabby/siamese mix) is 4 years old and is happiest when hunting outdoors. Lilly (beagle) is 6 years old and was a drop off in a field as a newborn puppy. Livia (unknown mix) is a very loving perpetual puppy and estimated to be 6 years old and adopted after being found on the streets.

This and that

 

Children

This is cute 3 year old Amie. She's my friends granddaughter and this fabulous sofa is in her living room. I love to use benches, sofas and interesting furniture for props.

My niece and nephew. I took this outside on my back desk and used black and white fabric for the backdrop.

Here the kids jumped up on their parents dresser that's by a window. Loved the outcome.

 

This was a fun experimental project. I had Paloma stand on a stool and pretend like she was flying in the air. Then my assistant, her mother, held up her favorite things, an iPhone and the Peter Rabbit book.

This beautiful backdrop is actually a pear tree during peak foliage. Yes, it was a little nippy, but we managed to work fast.

This is 1 year old Kendall. Super cute and on her grandmother's sofa. Again, the furniture prop is a favorite look of mine.

Landscapes

Vermont in October.

My grandparent's home after the big blizzard of 2010.

Somewhere on the way to Middleburg, VA in the evening.

Christmas Photo Cards

My custom-custom photo Christmas cards.

My very own card.

My parents cute cockapoo. I turned this into a watercolor and used linen paper for a classic look.

My friends kids were very cooperative when I brought out the tree trimmings. Note the family pets in the scene.

We all gasped for air when this lab mix, Myra, popped up an ear while I was shooting. The quote was an ingenious idea from the family.

My famous cat Gorgie (pronounced Georgie).

Trying to do a little Norman Rockwell look here. My friend's tree was so tall I had to shoot from the floor to fit it all in. Note the slight sway at the top.

This made the inside of the card folding in the middle. It was not the plan but so funny as the parents were trying to get all four pets in the photo with the kids and then step out of the way.

Yes, that's right. You see two standard poodles in a Jaguar. Blueberry is driving and Scout is in the back while my sister and her husband are off to the side tweaking as I'm clicking.

My niece and her children. I took this outside and the background is simply a large cut of fabric.

That's my Kodi boy cooking in the kitchen.

My sister and her husband and Blueberry! I love this shot!

Families

Here are some of my favorite family group shots.

The backdrop is a garage door. I was looking for shade and found the spot for this cute family portrait of my niece Jennifer and her family, the Hatton's.

 

The boats in drydock made a great colorful backdrop for this Annapolis, Maryland family.

Here is my friend Kris (2nd from left) and her family the Shellum's. It's always challenging to get the pets in the shot, but we managed to do it!

The restored old Ford truck was a great prop for this family portrait. That's my brother (front right) and his family, the Gardner's. My parents took this Ford on their honeymoon!