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Family Photographer – New Milford CT

Family Photographer – New Milford CT – Finley in Harrybrooke Park!

Finley and her mom Caitlyn met me for a walk in Harrybrooke Park in New Milford. It’s perfect for children Fin’s age – she’ll be riding her bike around the track before we know it!

I have seen them a few times for pictures and I am always amazed by Finley’s bright blue eyes – she is a stunning child (I guess she takes after her Mama!)

Location shoots are perfect for this age group – they need to feel like they are having fun and the camera is just there as an add-on to the fun we are having together! So Fin, Caitlyn and I walked and talked, smelled the flowers and spotted birds and wild life (and the camera was there to capture it ;). If you are thinking of booking a family session in time for holiday cards then I am accepting bookings now. We can go apple picking together, go for a walk on the beach or a local park. Locations that mean something to your family are extra special and immediately put the children at ease. When they are relaxed the laughter and the smiles just happen.

Enjoy these images.

xoxo

Family Photographer – Danbury CT

Family Photographer Danbury CT – Tarrywile Park and Mansion

Tarrywile Park in Danbury CT is a favorite spot of mine. The hiking is amazing, the trails are clearly marked and the views are spectacular! This loving and adorable family was such fun to hang out with and the laughs and smiles came easily that day.

After a good hike to the lake in the park we were heading back to the parking lot and came across something hanging in the trees. It was one of Ben’s Bells – an intentional act of kindness left for a random person to find, something to brighten someone’s day and make them stop and think about the way we interact with each other. The organization started in Tucson, AZ but after the tragic shooting in Sandy Hook, CT a branch has opened in nearby Newtown, CT.

The mission of Ben’s Bells is to inspire,educate, and motivate people to realize the impact of intentional kindness, and to empower individuals to act according to that awareness, thereby strengthening ourselves, our relationships and our communities.

We had such a great day in Tarrywile and finding the bell was the icing on the cake for me.

Love, Janet xo

“Carry out a random act of kindness, with no expectation of reward. Safe in the knowledge that one day, someone will do the same for you” Diana Spencer

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Family Photographer Orange CT

Family Photographer Orange CT – Two little girls!

Mike and Kelly were some of my first clients and I adore them and their beautiful (and growing) family! Ella and Cora are as cute as can be and if they inherit their parents relaxed and fun approach to life then they are going to do great.

Cora was at that wonderful stage of sitting securely without crawling away – she was mellow and happy so we could have taken photos of her all day long. Some babies reach this stage around 5 months, some a little older but it really is a great stage to document, they can hold their head up high and you can capture some of those first signs of who they are. Once they start crawling and walking then it’s sometimes easier to get photos of the back of their head!

Every child is different and the beauty of a location shoot in a familiar setting is that we can move around and mix things up so that I can capture the personality of the little people in your family. I can’t wait to meet the new baby!!!!

Love, Janet xo

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New Milford CT Photographer – Spring has Sprung!

Spring Mini Session Sneak Peaks!

There are a couple of things that will instantly make me smile (well to be honest there are lots of things, but I won’t bore you with the entire list) but a little girl in a pink bow and a baby size jeans jacket brought a smile to my face and a flood of memories. My daughter had a Calvin Klein jeans jacket that I absolutely adored on her (check out the last photo for a picture of Olivia in her jeans jacket).

Baby Erin was one of the first baby sessions I showed on the Planet Photo website and it was fun to get her back to test out the spring mini session looks but also to show just how much she has grown and changed. We put her in some similar colors and the baskets we used for her newborn session so that you can see the difference!

The milestone package includes three sessions and you choose between maternity, newborn, sitting and cake smash. Erin was a little older than the typical sitting age so of course it became a crawling session!!! I think will agree it only added to the cuteness.

Hooray for Easter – isn’t that the cutest picture ever?!?!?

Baby Brody getting in on the act.

I have to say that having a friend with a newborn baby has brought so much joy to our family. My kids adore him and now that he is smiling and interacting with everyone around him it is just getting better all the time.

If you are interested in booking a Spring Mini Session then check out the information on the last blog post – I would love to see you!

And here is Olivia in her jeans jacket in the fall of 2004. I absolutely love this.

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Mini Sessions for Spring or Easter

mini session_spring_pink hairbow_CT photography_photo deal I realized that it has been over 18 months since I last offered mini sessions (waaaay too long) so I am going to do two dates for in-studio spring and easter mini sessions. I wanted to bring a little spring inside and not be nervously checking the weather forecast for the week before the session dates!

Once I decided to do sessions well I just couldn’t decide what would be cuter for spring. So, I decided to offer 2 different looks/backdrops and make you all pick instead!

The first is a neutral, organic looking scene complete with Pottery Barn nest and easter bunnies. Available March 22 AM and March 30 PM

The second is a much brighter and cute look that gives a trendy Baby Gap look. Available March 22 PM and March 30 AM

Both can be adapted for older children and siblings.

If you just can’t decide and you want both (or the dates don’t work) then let me know and we can schedule a regular session.

I will information on special print pricing for the mini session but I will send you all of that later….

Thanks to Erin and Brody for trying out the looks!

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Family Photos – Brookfield, CT

This Brookfield CT extended family have a lot of energy between them! We met on a sunny but slightly chilly morning at Happy Landings Farm and they burst out of the cars ready and eager to run and chase each other around. Could you imagine trying to capture these six in a studio????

It was so fun to see how they interacted together and how comfortable they all were with each other. So often today families are scattered far and wide but this family gets the benefit of growing up knowing and loving their cousins. The big ones look out for the little ones and everyone joined in to help make each other smile and look in the direction of the camera!

Erin is a teacher and I imagine she’s a great one – her kids certainly respond well to her fun, outgoing personality.

I love how the twins are literally doing laps around Mom, Dad and their baby brother – it looks like he is used to it though and not at all phased by the chaos!!!

I was blown away by the classic celtic coloring of this family, their red hair is stunning.

All the cousins sitting still for a moment or two……

The kids were getting a little cold but with a tootsie roll waiting for them in the car they were such troopers and I think the rosy cheeks just add to their cuteness!

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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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Litchfield CT Photographer – An Apple Orchard Father’s Day Surprise!

Litchfield CT Photographer – Averill Farm Apple Orchard

Emmy and Amanda wanted to surprise their Dad with some different photos this year for Father’s Day. They knew they wanted to wear their ballet outfits from last months Studio D recital so we just needed a location. I had been keeping my eye on the apple orchard at Averill Farm to catch the trees at peak bloom and the timing was right. When I suggested this to Jen, the girl’s mom, she was all over it. Like so many families in the area they have often visited Averill Farm and had already formed their own special family memories there. So now I was excited……

Amazingly cute sisters….check!

Stunning location with a special connection to the family….check!

Permission to photograph amongst the apple blossoms….check!

Now we just needed a beautiful spring evening with blue skies, fluffy big white cloud. And we lucked out. The day we picked was perfect.

Jen tried to tell me that the girls hate having their photo taken, but of course they proved her wrong and they were amazing! Cooperative, fun and totally willing to go for it – in short they were a dream to work with. I love it when a plan comes together and most of all when the location has a special meaning to the family. It’s not just about photos – it’s about capturing a memory and I think we did just that.

So, Happy Father’s Day Rich – you are blessed with a beautiful family and they obviously love you very much!

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Redding CT Photographer – First Communion

Redding CT Photographer – First Communion Belle

I first met Isabelle on the day she was born. I met Belle’s Mom, Jeanette, when our sons did Kindermusik. They were the ones raising cane outside the circle and getting disapproving looks from the instructor. Jeanette is the same age as me, we were married in the same year, we both have a boy and a girl and our kids are born within weeks of each other…..we often joke that we have lead parallel lives! We were honored to be among close family members to celebrate Belle’s first communion on a perfect day last spring. She requested red velvet cupcakes with blue frosting so that’s what we made for her – she’s a girl after my own heart!

We love you Belle Belle!

If you see any of those BFF products in the mall there is a good chance that Olivia and Belle would be interested! They are proud of their

“Best Friends Forever” status.

This is Belle’s cousin Molly – doesn’t she have amazing eyes!

Her cousin Anna is just getting interested in photography so we had to have a little portrait session….

Oh to be so popular!

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Family Portraits – Meet My Family

Family Portraits : Meet the Planet Photo Family

My children are 12 and 9, I can’t believe that my kids are pre-teen already! They are getting older and the cuddles and bed time rituals of old are no longer top of their list of fun things to do with mom and dad. I certainly miss it, but at least they still have a list of fun things to do with us. So for now, we cherish every moment of family life and don’t think about the day when we are just the dumbest adults on the face of the earth…..

Mitch and I count the years until Sam leaves for college, (usually we are panicing about the lack of college funds) but a huge part of me is panicing at the thought of them moving on and moving out. So for now, I will enjoy the craziness of homework, sports practice, revising for science tests and trying to find a movie that we all want to see at the movie theater, and I will keep sneaking my snuggles whenever I get the chance.

I wanted to you to see my inspiration, my not so willing test models, and the loves of my life. Sam and Olivia.

My kids would never forgive me if I didn’t include a couple of Penny Lane! She is a Chatham Hill Retriever and we really couldn’t imagine life with out her. She steals tissues, jumps up at anyone who comes to the door and is crazy about ice cubes but she is gentle and extremely patient with the kids and we love her.

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