Ridgefield CT Newborn Photographer

Ridgefield CT Newborn Photographer – Planet Photo wants you to meet this future Rock Star Baby!

This shoot was planned on a bus ride to the Bronx Zoo – one school trip chaperone and one special-ed teacher chatting over the noise of lots of 4th graders excited to be out of school for the day! I love when a mom has time to look forward to the newborn shoot and has ideas to make it special.

I had an absolute blast with Kelly and her Mother-in-Law Karen and the newest addition to the family. Kelly’s husband plays guitar and loves music so we wanted to try to tie that in to the shoot. I love to make the newborn shoots a unique and personal experience, whether taking a prop from the home or including the colors the family loves, there is usually a way to make all newborn sessions just a little different. Some babies love to be on their tummy, some prefer their back, I listen and look for the cues from the baby and make sure they are always safe and secure. No photo is ever worth risking the safety of the baby. Thankfully my training as a nanny and my own children have prepared me to feel comfortable around babies and newborns and I love every minute of the shoot. Kelly and Karen were spotters in the guitar shots and were just out of the frame in case he came out of his deep sleep and stretched out his long legs!

So, grab a cup of coffee and check this one out – he is a keeper!

Sherman CT Family Photographer

Sherman CT Family Photographer Planet Photo in a Candlewood Lake Family Session

A relaxed photo shoot on the shores of Candlewood Lake in Sherman CT with an active almost one year old?????? You know that as soon as they are mobile, then chances are you are going to get a few cute shots of the back of a toddlers head as they take off across the lawn. This little girl was no exception, but she loved to smile at the camera, and I managed to get a few of those beautiful big brown eyes as well. She is adorable and everyone who meets her remarks on how much she looks like her mommy. I am sure you can see it too, but she sure loves her Daddy.

Photographing young families is always a question of balancing that “holiday card pose” with capturing the magic interactions between family members. I absolutely LOVE the shots of this family laughing and playing together. That’s what it’s all about for me – those moments of sheer joy when they forget that I am there with a camera and just enjoy each other. But those moments are captured for ever, and to me, they mean of so much more than that holiday card pose.

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Brookfield CT Family Photographer

Brookfield CT | Family Photographer Planet Photo at Happy Landings Farm

One of the perks of being a family photographer is being able to see how some of my regular families change over the years. I have always been impressed at how these Brookfield, CT siblings get along – at least when I am around…… and they usually have a lot of fun with the photo session. We chose Happy Landings Farm in Brookfield – we have done graffiti in Brookfield and fall colors over at Lover’s Leap in New Milford, so an open field with hay bales seemed like a good choice this year!!!

Happy Landings is a former dairy farm and a beautiful wide open nature preserve. It is hardly ever crowded and even if there were more than four cars in the parking lot there is plenty of room to find a moment of peace and quiet. We managed to squeeze a meeting into a hectic weekend of Irish dancing and hockey and even though the sky was gray, we certainly managed to capture the bond that exists between this brother and sister. I love the ones in the tall grasses, with a little help from some off camera flash you would never guess just how grey that day was. And best of all, no ticks were reported, although I think I got just a little poison ivy…….

Enjoy!

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New Preston CT Family Photographer

New Preston CT Family Photographer Planet Photo visits Averill Farm!

I love apple picking. When you live in New England you learn to make the most of each season. Fall brings slightly cooler temperatures, less humidity, the world famous fall colors and apple picking. Averill Farm has been my favorite go-to place for a number of years and holds a special place in my heart. I have a photo of me with my mom on her last visit to Connecticut taken just at the end of the rows of Macouns at Averill Farm. I nod to her when we pass every year and remember that day.

I try to encourage families to chose a place that is familiar to them, somewhere that means something to their family, and this family loves Averill Farm just as much as we do. Each year Charlotte and Ginny get a little taller, a little more independent and a lot more opinionated about just who manages to find The perfect apple of the day! A special thanks to Olivia and Avery who came along to the after school photo session – they helped to set up the shots and kept everyone focused on the apple cider donuts waiting for us at the barn. Ginny has been a little crazy about zebras for as long as I have known her so it did not surprise me that she brought her zebra hat along! Aren’t they beautiful? We love them both very much. xo

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New Milford CT Family Photographer – Harrybrooke Park

New Milford CT Family Photographer Planet Photo met this wonderful family in Harrybrooke Park

Almost every child in New Milford learns to ride a two wheeler bike at Harrybrooke Park on the mile long flat track away from cars and traffic! The 41 acre park was given to the people of New Milford in 1965 by it’s former owner Frank Harden. The upkeep of the park has proven to be an expensive one for the trust set up by Mr Harden but Harrybrooke Park has undergone a transformation over the last few years. The fenced garden has been beautifully planted, trees have been cleared and there have been a number of Eagle Scout projects here to clear overgrown areas and improve access to long overgrown river banks and pathways.

This Connecticut Family suggested we meet here at the beginning of fall. We had fun hanging out with all the family, Evan plays football for the NMHS so we got a chance to photograph him in his uniform, but we devoted the second half of the session to Lori and Emily. I have long admired the relationship Lori has with her eldest daughter and we wanted to capture some of those moments in a special mother daughter shoot. I hope that Olivia and I will someday have a similar bond.

CT Family Photographer – Horse Shoot

CT Family Photographer Planet Photo Meets Ricky!

There is something amazingly beautiful about the bond that exists between Janie and her horse Ricky. Ricky responds to Janie’s laughter and the tone of her voice, and if you know Janie then you know that laugh and you would be hard pressed not to react to it too! I met Janie a couple of years ago in a gym class at Phys-Ed in New Milford. Over the years I have come to learn that she is a former teacher, an avid rider, a grandmother (I know it’s hard to believe, but it is true) and one of the kindest and most considerate women you could ever meet.

We have talked about getting together to take photos of Ricky many times but something always came up or the weather got too cold and he started to get his winter coat but the stars certainly aligned this day. The sky was blue and the air was warm and Ricky was looking his very best and on his best behavior too. I got a tour of the barn and the wonderful home and studio of Bethlehem artist Sharon Curran.

I had some riding lessons after college and have always loved the atmosphere of horse barns, the smell of the hay, the leather and the noises of the horses rustling in their stalls. There is a lot of time and dedication that goes into owning a horse but I think you will agree that it is paid back 100 fold when you look at these photos.

Thanks for sharing Ricky with me Janie – he is stunning and such a sweet horse.

NY Family Photographer – Modern Newborn Shoot

NY Family Photographer – Planet Photo

meets Gemma for a modern newborn shoot

Joya and Michael were a RAW Photo Design couple and their engagement shoot was in a garage in Brooklyn. So you know they didn’t just want a pastel newborn session….. The custom built motorcycle was in that original engagement session so we had to include that in our newborn session.

Gemma made her arrival a little earlier than planned and she was almost 5 weeks before I had the honor of meeting her. I let them know that newborn shoots can be a little unpredictable. Five weeks old is out of that traditionally sleepy newborn phase where eating sleeping take up the majority of the day. Well, of course Gemma proved to be a perfect model in almost every way…. she slept and posed and then slept some more! So much for that traditional sleepy phase…….

Joya and Michael had done a little research and had some ideas for shots which we managed to work into the session, but we still got those adorable sleepy baby shots that they will treasure forever. They really are only this small for such a short period of time and I love the simplicity of these shots.

I am crazy about the results of our session and I am sure you are going to fall in love with this little honey bee. With her parents arms always wrapped protectively around her Gemma has a bright future ahead of her.

Enjoy!

CT Family Photographer Planet Photo welcomes Baby Cora – 5 days new!

CT Family Photographer welcomes Baby Cora!

I was lucky to meet baby Cora when she was only 5 days new. I am reminded time and again of the miracle of a new baby and absolutely adore these newborn family sessions.

Cora has the advantage of joining one of my favorite families whom I have had the honor to photograph on a few different occasions, both for Planet Photo and Raw Photo Design. Cora’s big sister Ella was 11 days old when I met her and she didn’t love the camera that day!!! But the upside was that I got to hang out and really get to know her parents and we bonded big time.

Cora was a star.

She fed and slept and posed and slept and made cute noises for the entire time I was there. I still got to hang out with Mike and Kelly and we got those sleepy baby photos that Kelly really wanted. Take a look and let me know what you think. I love her cheeks, her lips, her tiny finger and toes….. Yeah and everything else about her.

I know I will see them all again soon and I am looking forward to it already.

I love this one of Kelly photo-bombing the newborn posing session!!! Isn’t it so cute?

A hint of a smile above and then one of the only sad moments of the session… Isn’t Ella’s expression priceless?

Until next time…… Bye-bye Ella!

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Family Photo Session – Three generations in Atlanta, Georgia

My kids and I had a wonderful time in Georgia recently and I took the opportunity to photograph my Aunt Susan, Uncle Keith and my cousins and their new families. My kids loved being part of the family mix for a couple of weeks and are already planning our next trip. Sue and Keith emigrated from the UK to the US when Rob and Jon were only 1 and 3, so it was great to have them interact with my kids and remind them all that they belong to a larger network. Our extended family might span multiple continents but thanks to modern technology we keep those family connections alive as best as we can.

So the family photo session started out with a maternity shoot for Rob and Jeanna – their baby boy is due later this month. I know, she has one of those perfect tiny baseball baby bumps – I can promise you that I didn’t look like that at 8 months pregnant! They are all ready for baby Asher to arrive and Caulden is going to make a great big brother!

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Jon and Natalie welcomed their new baby Elizabeth a few weeks ago and Alex is so cute with his baby sister.

Natalie introduced us to some good Southern food and was our guide at Cracker Barrel! My kids were so fascinated by the Waffle House and Cracker Barrel at every exit that they became obsessed by the idea of waffles…..

Doesn’t he have the most beautiful clear blue eyes? He is one of those chatty kids that is completely comfortable talking to almost anyone!

When you don’t have a newborn posing beanbag then of course the arm of the leather sofa works in a pinch!

Can you believe Nat just had a baby…? And just how completely adorable that little baby is?????

These two are hysterical together. Caulden and Alex live close to each other and Grammy and Grumpy so they get to spend time together all the time.

Their friendship is amazing and I am sure it will just continue over time.

Three generations!

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Lighthouse Point Park Family Session – Ella’s Family!

Lighthouse Point Park New Haven, CT – Family Portrait Session

I met Kelly, Mike and Ella last year and they are amazing. They are sweet, down to earth, incredibly level-headed and have a great outlook on life. They have the cutest family of three and a new baby on the way. Although Kelly would probably like to start planning and decorating, they have decided to wait for one of the most incredible surprises life has to offer. I love surprises and I didn’t find out either – I wouldn’t have it any other way!

Kelly and I spoke about doing this shoot first back in January. She sent me an email explaining that her Dad was having surgery and even though everyone agreed that it was going to go well and they had absolutely nothing to worry about, she felt like we should get together and take photos of her Dad and Ella. Kelly had no way of knowing this, but it was actually the sixth anniversary of my mom’s passing and I loved the idea of photographing the three generations of her family together. I wanted to do it to honor my mom’s memory and to celebrate the continued health of theirs.

Well, it was January and the weather was ridiculously cold, and then of course everyone got sick, so we decided to wait. Thankfully Kelly’s dad recovered well but with a new baby on the way we wanted to incorporate “the belly” into the shoot. We decided that we should wait for summer, by that time her belly would be nice and round.

If you live in Connecticut then you know how hot it has been recently. We decided to meet early one Sunday morning at Lighthouse Point Park in New Haven. We figured if we met at 7:30 a.m. then the light would be good, the sun would not be too hot, and the crowds would be minimal. Our genius plan worked and we had the whole park to ourselves – well almost, there was a couple of fishermen and grounds keepers raking the beach but they didn’t mind us being there.

I love that you can see how relaxed and happy the whole family is together. Mike just became a Doctor and I was kicking myself for not suggesting that we shoot at Dr Mike’s ice-cream shop…. we will have to do that next time. I hope you all enjoy this family as much as I did.