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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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!

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.

Ella could see the swings in the distance and she wanted to get going!

Blowing kisses xoxo

Kisses for the baby… I wonder whether Ella will have a baby sister or brother to play with…..

 

 

Candlewood Lake, CT Photo Session – ballerina friends on the beach

Candlewood Lake, CT Photo Session

Meg and Lindsey have been friends since they were three and they have danced together for all those years. Last weekends performance of Cinderella and Bed Time Stories by Studio D was a huge success and they wanted to celebrate that by dancing on the shores of Candlewood Lake! They were beautiful in their costumes and you could see just how much they enjoy hanging out together. Of course they were nervous at first. But that is the beauty of the 70-200mm lens in these type of photo sessions. I could move away and observe them from a distance. Their inhibitions disappeared and they began to dance…. Just two friends having fun in their beautiful outfits. I am sure you would twirl too if you were wearing one of those skirts!

Those blue skies and picture perfect clouds have given way to rain showers – we need it, but I look forward to those sunny evenings returning soon….. Enjoy!

CT Lifestyle Photographer: Snow can be beautiful – not just a pain in the a**!

CT Lifestyle Photographer: Snow can be beautiful.

I woke up one morning to drive Sam to jazz band and an inch of snow had fallen over night – on top of the 12-15 inches we had the week before. It was soooo beautiful and another one of those “this is why we live here” moments. The sun would soon melt the snow, so Sam was 5 minutes late for jazz band while I got out my camera at 6:30 a.m.!

I love ornamental grasses and they seem to love our yard and don’t mind if I neglect them in the summer and chop them back in the spring! The snow balancing on their delicate blades is just an added bonus.

You know the snow won’t stay balanced on those branches for long – so grab your camera next time you see it. But quick, before it melts!

Penny knew there was a ball somewhere and she didn’t mind digging for it!

We get asked about Penny all the time, she is Chatham Hill Retriever from Pennsylvania. She is half flat coat retriever and half cocker spaniel – we think she is the perfect size and personality for our family.

So next time I complain about about a delay or an early dismissal or being snowed in for 3 days straight – remind me again how beautiful it can be (and how much Penny loves the snow!) Of course, if we lose power then all bets are off….