Father's Day for a new Dad, from a new Mom

Most of the time, my little munchkin is a laid back and calm kid. Honestly, he's almost a little TOO laid back. So far, he has no real interest in crawling, let alone rolling over. He's happy to sit back and enjoy life, and let Mommy and Daddy do everything for him.

I joke, that his procrastination in learning these things is the one trait he's clearly gotten from his Daddy. Daddy doesn't deny this trait in himself or in Lucas; and sometimes it makes Mommy crazy. However, I'm learning that things will be learned, or get done, when my boys are ready to do them.

This weekend, is my husbands first Father's Day. I'm a terrible wife, because even as I write this, I still haven't gotten him a gift. I suppose I could cook something. I honestly think that would shock him the most - but let's be realistic here.

Over the past year, I've watched my husband transform from, "husband" into "daddy." I have a photograph (that yes, I took from my hospital bed) where I can see the moment on the day Lucas was born, when the transformation began. Ten months later, it's still a beautiful thing to watch. I love watching his face light up when he gets a full belly laugh out of the baby. Or how proud he is over the smallest accomplishments, like when Lucas first managed to feed himself a puff.

We have no idea who our little man will take after the most, it's definitely still a toss-up in the personality department. But there's no question, he's his Father's son - and I couldn't be happier about that. Because his Daddy is a loving, giving, hard-working man, and I'm so lucky that he's mine.

Happy Father's Day to "New" Dads, and all Dads (including my own!) - here's to you!

~ Erin

College Graduation Pictures: Rochester Portrait Sessions

It was a special day for Alex and his family. He walked across the stage to receive his diploma, then stepped in front of my camera for some family photos. I'll never forget the first conversation I had with his mom, which roughly said "We need family photos before he moves and I never see him again!"

Admittedly, a little dramatic on my part, but he did accept a job out of state.

I always think it's a good time for a portrait, and this was a great one. I enjoyed being back on campus, as I always do. We shot near the Red Barn (RIT's climbing area) which was perfect. It gave us a lovely background, and privacy on an otherwise hopping campus. And we were even entertained from above as the Air Show was in town!  As an added bonus, Alex's girlfriend was able to hop in a few photos as well. 

Sara, Norman, Alex and Stephanie, it was a pleasure meeting you all! Thanks so much for reaching out, and I hope these photos bring back wonderful memories.  And congratulations on your graduation from RIT!

Best wishes,
Lori

Congratulations to the Class of 2015! Rochester NY High School Senior Portraits

Let us be among the many to wish all of this year's graduating high school seniors a great, big  "CONGRATULATIONS!"

You're on your way to amazing things now! And whether college or career, we want to wish you all the best. We hope you always bet on yourself, and enjoy all that life has to offer you going forward.

And while you're off "adventuring", always remember those at home who love you and cherish your beautiful smiles. It was our pleasure to get to know you, and to be a part of the journey with you.

Best wishes and here's to you! ~ Lori & Erin

The 365 project in May: Rochester Family Photography

The nice days are here, the flowers are in bloom, and my 365 project keeps on truckin'. I'm loving being able to get my family outside to enjoy the sunshine. It adds so many new activities for us to experience as a family, and to watch as Lucas experiences for the first time.

He's growing and learning, but not too fast. He's definitely taking things at his own pace, so when he finally figures something out - it's monumental. I never thought, I'd be so excited to watch a baby learn how to pick up his own food.

A lot of outdoor fun has also been had this month, including festivals, gardening, and getting back on the softball field.

But let's not forget, wedding season's just beginning and we're getting busier by the minute! Not only are our clients getting engaged and married, but our families are as well. Along with that comes family gatherings of all kinds as the preparations continue!

I'm thrilled that I've made it this far in the project. At this point, it feels like it has become a routine to find that photo of the day. When I find it, I feel accomplished and ready to find the next one. I can do this!

So enjoy the recap of my photos from May! Bring it on June! ~ Erin

McQuaid Senior Pictures | Rochester NY Senior Photography

John plays third base for the McQuaid Varsity team, loves his Mustang GT and is now officially done with high school! We met up at Ontario Park after he had just finished taking a final exam. It was a bit windy, but lucky John has short hair, and it didn't matter! :) 

The brick backdrop was fun to work around, and John's blue shirt just popped wonderfully against it. And then we switched up outfits and hit the beach. The light blue, button down shirt and the beach setting was the perfect combo.

We even got Samantha, John's sister in a few images to make sure we captured their relationship as siblings before he heads off to college. It was a fun afternoon and I'm thrilled with the results. Congratulations John, and have fun at Florida Gulf Coast University! 

Jameson, 6 Months New: Rochester Family Sessions

Jameson is 6 months old, he loves chewing on toys (especially Sophie the Giraffe), and bouncing around in his jumperoo. We also learned he loves the freedom of his birthday suit at this session.

Oh that face. It melts my heart. I mean really, just look at that grin, and those eyes. How can you resist?! He's such a cute little peanut. We can't wait to see him again in a few months! ~ Erin

Bloopers always make us all giggle...

My First Official Mothers Day

Yesterday was Mother's Day. My first official Mother's Day. To be honest, it didn't start out perfect. My little guy had a tough night of sleep, so in turn so did I. My husband did what he could, but he didn't feel so well, and I couldn't blame him. Then to top it off, my kitchen sink sprung a leak at 7 am. It wasn't a smooth "breakfast in bed" kind of morning, but it was real life, and what was there to do but go with the flow.

I haven't really considered it until now, that I'm a part of a club called Motherhood. It's me that gets celebrated along with millions of other moms out there. It's a new and strange feeling. It's been nearly 9 months since he came into our lives. I still don't think I've really come to grips with how much my life has changed, and I don't mean in a "less sleep, more stress" kind of way. 

My life has changed for the better. For starters, I cherish my own upbringing more. I look back on my upbringing with much more appreciation than I used to. I'm not saying that I didn't appreciate my mom before. It's just that I see all of her sacrifices with a greater amount of love, because now I can relate. 

I cherish the little things more.  Just watching my son learn how to shake a maraca brings a smile to my face. Milestones are incredible, but the little things mean something too.

By no means am I perfecting the art of motherhood, and I'm sure I never will. At 9 months, my son hasn't mastered the art of rolling over yet, and has no interest in crawling, so I constantly worry that he's not learning these things. It's easy to want him to grow up fast and meet these milestones. However, I need to remember to slow down and just enjoy where he's at, right now, in this moment - because it will be gone all way too soon. 9 months are already gone, and the rest will continue to fly by. I want to cherish every moment that I can with him while he's little.

No, yesterday morning may not have been perfect, but that's life as a mom. (Don't worry, lilacs and a delicious dinner together with family, made the rest of the day great.) It's fun to now relate in a way that I never could before to other mom's, and because of my son, I'm learning to love life and appreciate the people in it even more.

Happy Belated Mother's Day, Mommies!  ~ Erin

My mom with my son, then and now.

April in Pictures: Erin's 365 project

Spring! Or so we thought.

April has come and gone, and my 365 project is still going strong. I'm starting to get to the point where I'm waking up at night just to think about what tomorrow's image might be. Yikes!

I still love photographing my son, and this month I had the joy of photographing a lot of other family time as well. Easter, bridal showers, birthday parties, and just time with family and friends were all among the images. But also, the beginning of Spring - which is my favorite season. A few of the days were about breaking out the flip flops (yay!), the daffodils, the green grass and yes... a touch of snow, unbelievable at this point, but still happened. Ew.

Next month, our engagement sessions and weddings for the year begin. I'm looking forward to photographing these moments for our awesome clients, as well as continuing to capture my own life as it unfolds. Thanks for following it all with me! ~ Erin

Photographer Reboot : New Zealand!

From April through December, our lives as photographers can be chaotic… in a good way of course! But come January to March, things slow down around here, and hibernation sets in. This year, my husband and I escaped the epically cold month of February and chased down summer… on the other side of the planet!

NEW ZEALAND!! It’s my new happy place. Just thinking about it brings a smile to my face. It was an unbelievable dream come true. Breathtaking, fun, gorgeous, friendly, walkable, adventurous, relaxing, delicious, sunny… Anyone have plans to work on a teleporter? I’m willing to invest…

Here are a few things we did: boat rides, Hobbiton, ziplines, a hot air balloon ride, wine tasting, biking, hiking, walking, photographing, swimming, driving, busing, hitching, eating, meeting locals and other travelers, and just, you know, enjoying life.

Basically, what I’m trying to say is, if visiting New Zealand is not on your bucket list, it should be. And don’t think of it as just a 3 day add on from Australia. Heck no. We spent 16 days there, and I promise you it was not enough!

So I’m going to shut up now, and let the photos do the talking. Enjoy!

Lori

Would you like to see more? Let me know! I’m currently working on my panoramic album and would be happy to share it when it's done!

Lucas at 7 months old: rochester ny photographers

Most people have their infants photographed two, maybe three times in the first year of their lives. Not me. Thanks to my 365 project, and just generally being me, I have had more "sessions" with Lucas than I can count on both hands. The images I take of Lucas are beautiful to me, and I love taking them. However, I'm always the one behind the camera, and it was time to be a part of the action with my family. I cannot even begin to tell you how important it is to me to have photographs of not just Lucas - but Lucas with me and his daddy.

Enter, Lori. I'm so lucky to not only be able to work with her, but have her there to capture my family and our relationships as well. And because she knows me so well, she knew exactly what I was looking for with our last family session. She knew how I wanted to look, and how best to accomplish the task.

So here's my PSA for today:  Moms, be in the pictures. I don't care if you think you look fat, and I don't care if you think you have bags under your eyes.  These photographs are SO important. Find a photographer who makes you feel comfortable, and knows what you want photographed. Don't stand behind the camera. Your kids will thank you someday. Please, just do it for them.

End PSA. Now back to your regularly scheduled cuteness.

It's no secret that I have one of the cutest babies on the planet... biased much? Yes, yes I am. Here's a glimpse into our session! Thank you, Lori, for being awesome!

Creative Professional Head Shots: Rochester NY Photographers

Meet Paul: The Creative Person. He’s an app developer, podcaster, entrepreneur- extraordinaire! He’s also a coffee fanatic with a super adorable puppy. We met several years ago as students at RIT and had a blast reconnecting and creating these portraits for his growing business! When Paul approached me looking for “Fun, Happy Portrait Photos” I couldn’t resist. We don’t do lame, sad portraits here!

Paul has an office in Venture Creations at RIT. We started there to photograph him surrounded by his “tech”. The fancy microphone, Mac Pro with dual monitors & of course his iPhone, etc. I stood on a desk to create some fun angles for these environmental portraits. Then we went exploring and got creative in the lobby and outdoors as well. It was a fun afternoon!

The coolest part of it all though, is seeing it all in use! Check out Paul’s website here: http://paulsolt.com/

and The Creative Person Podcast http://creativepersonpodcast.com/

Keep it up Paul!

-Lori