MCHUGH COUSINS

Winter is definitely here, but I found eight reasons why I love the cold weather!  The McHugh family is one of the closest knit families I have ever had the pleasure of knowing and so it was no surprise they wanted to get some Christmas shots with the whole crew.  As you can see, from Madison (oldest) to Emerson (youngest), they are all absolutely adorable and so my job was easy!  Well...okay...maybe not easy with two newborns (Crosby & Emerson), three 1 year olds (Colin, Cole and Avery) and a 2 year old (Creighton...almost 3!), but big cousins Madison and Molly are terrific big sisters and cousins and definitely helped out a ton :)

We started with their spiffy little Christmas outfits and ended with their cozy flanel PJ's!!  I asked if they had a pair for me, but no such luck!  Although, I was surprised to hear they actually do make them for big kids (ME!) so I'll have to look into that as I'm all about the comfort ;)  

Here are some of my favorite shots of the McHugh cousins....ENJOY!     

McHugh fam - thank you so much for choosing me to capture your precious little kiddos!!  It meant a lot and I had a great time with them and all of you.  Hope to see you soon and Happy Holidays!

ALEX - 5 YEARS

Who would have thought that we would have weather like this so close to Thanksgiving?!  Not me, but Alex's mom Jenny must have psychic powers because she picked the Museum of Transportation for our photo session and it was the PERFECT spot for this day and for her son.  This was a FUN FUN FUN shoot, talked the whole time with Alex's mom while he was in heaven in the land of locomotives.  I had never been to the MOT either so I was pretty excited to check it out.  That's one of my favorite things about photography...new locations bring fresh perspectives and new inspiration!   

So...this little guy claims to be 5 years old, but I would swear by the intelligent way he talks and by how much technical knowledge he knew about trains he was much older.  I think my jaw was dropped for half of the shoot because I was so impressed with him, never heard anything like it.  We decided he's either going to be an engineer or giving tours of this very museum someday...heck he could probably give tours now!  Alex claims to want to be a construction worker at the moment, but he's got plenty of time to figure it out :)


Even though I had a really hard time choosing, here are some of my favorites!

He has the most handsome blue eyes and wonderful smile...such a cutie!

I can't think of a better place to capture Alex's wonderful little personality than surrounded by trains.  Jenny - thanks so much for choosing such a perfect location and for choosing me as your photographer!

GATTO-BINGHAM FAMILY - TAKE TWO

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, I can't think of a better time to blog the Gatto-Bingham family.  Mary Ann & Barry have all kinds of blessings to be thankful for, wonderful children and their spouses, a beautiful granddaughter, some really adorable four legged friends and an engagement to top it off!  I had so much fun capturing all of the dynamic relationships amongst the group...it was a photography schmorgasboard and I was eating it up!  (Can you tell I have food on the brain?)   

I could feel the love from the beginning with this group, and I was very impressed with their color coordination efforts too.  Despite the frigid temps and the whipping winds, they were so friendly and cooperative and made my job so much fun...I even forgot that my toes went numb for a while!

Here are some of my favorite shots from the day, hope you enjoy!  

 

Thanks Gatto-Bingham family for inviting me to take your family photos this year.  I hope
you ate way too much pizza and laughed yourselves silly at Deweys.  Happy Thanksgiving to you all and I hope we cross paths again soon!

GATTO FAMILY - TAKE ONE

Meet the first of the Gatto family...Dave & Nicki and their furry friends, Rocco and Charlie!  Nicki contacted me a while back and wanted to get some photos done of she and Dave and then some with the whole fam (coming soon!).  I knew it was going to be a big group, but I was READY...and really excited actually because she was referred to me and works with some of my favorite past clients.  I asked Nicki when we first met if everyone at her work was good looking because she is now the fourth client that works there and I swear they are all beautiful (and errr handsome...sorry Paul) and extremely fun to work with.  No complaints here!          


Not that I'm not thankful for the extended warm weather, I AMMM, but boy do I miss it already!  That wind was whipping right through us during the shoot, but that of course didn't stop any of us from enjoying a Saturday afternoon at Faust!  Rocco and Charlie enjoyed their new found freedom running all over the place and they kept Nicki and Dave warm chasing after them...so it all worked out in the end ;)


These are some of my favorites from TAKE ONE!

Thanks Nicki for asking me to take your family and extended family photos.  I loved having so many awesome subjects and combos, you guys were definitely fun to work with!

ASHLEY - SENIOR 2011

It's no secret that shooting weddings and families heightens all of the senses and spins them around like cartwheels, but now I will happily be adding high school seniors to that list thanks to Ashley and her mom Dina!  Seniors...they're not kids anymore (sniff sniff), but they haven't fully swung into adult mode either.  They have the world at their fingertips and are about to embark on a whole new life experience...what could be more exciting than that?!?!  They have this energy that I can't really describe in words, but it's hopeful and inspiring....and just plain REFRESHING! 


Ashley is no exception, she is one awesome senior.  She is the neighbor and favorite babysitter of my cousins so I knew going into it that I was going to love her....AND I knew the second I saw her in this cool coat and the Converse tennies....AKA chucks....this was my kind of girl!  (A - I want the coat and B - I own way too many pairs of chucks)  She is a beautiful and sweet girl who could not have been easier to work with.  I have crazy ideas sometimes, I know this, but she and her mom just went along with them and had FUN :)  


Here are some of my faves from the day!    

Dina - thanks for asking me to capture this special time in Ashley's life, I hope these reflect her personality because she is wonderful!  Ashley - I had a great time with you and enjoy every minute of the rest of your senior year...it goes WAY TOO FAST!

SCHAFFER FAMILY

Tower Grove Park is one of my favorites places in the city.....the foliage, beautiful architecture and just the ENERGY...there are always runners, picnics, weddings and people everywhere!   That's why last weekend I was especially pumped.  Not only did I get to spend some time there, it was with the Schaffer fam!!  It was great to see one of my fave coworkers, Missy, surrounded by her family for a change....considering we're usually shouting across the 'cube farm', instant messaging or e-mailing about work...sigh.  Although, last week, one of those instant messages read "IT'S A BOY!!"  Oh yes, Chad & Missy found out last Thursday that after two perfect little red headed girls, Mia & Liv, they are expecting their very first BOY next March...they are beyond excited....especially daddy :)  Missy is so adorable pregnant so I managed to sneak a few incognito shots of that tiny little bump.  

Here are some of my favorite shots of our morning at the park!  

Cutest family ever!  I can't wait to see what their little guy looks like...stay tuned ;)

I must admit, I'm a bit of a sucker for daddy's and their little girls....too darn cute.

I just had to include a pic of these....aren't they awesome?  Gets the shoe fetish from her mom ;)

Missy, Chad, Mia & Liv....thanks for spending your Saturday morning with me at the park!!  I hope you had fun at "Paw paw's" house afterwards and can't WAIT to meet your little man in March!!