Dax

Recently my friends Rob and Alyson asked me to take a few pictures of their son, Dax. Dax is a very active 10 1/2 month old who keeps his parents busy! I honestly don't know how they do it, as he never really takes good naps (I live for naptime!). At least he is cute! :) But as crazy as their life is now, it is going to get even busier when Dax is joined by a baby sister sometime in June.
For the pictures, we started off at their house and then headed over to the neighborhood park. Dax was quite content to crawl around everywhere we went (he seems to have no interest in trying to walk) although he did enjoy the swing and slide at the park.
Thanks so much, Rob and Alyson, for letting me capture your funny little man!

He was absolutely determined to get over to the water!

Highlight of our week...

As I have posted before, ever since Chris was a baby one of the highlights of the week for all three of us has been when Mark cuts the grass, as Chris has always had a fascination with lawn equipment. Before he could even walk he would pull himself up on our back doors and watch Mark go back and forth across the yard. As soon as he was walking, though, I would take him outside each week and watch as he followed his daddy all over the yard. And even though he is older, he still enjoys that time of the week! He knows exactly how everything works - where the gas goes, how the lawnmower starts, how the weedeater/edger works, etc. (though of course he doesn't do any of it by himself - yet!). If Mark tries to take a break, Chris does not let him - he knows what needs to be done! I know it is fun for Mark, too.
However, I enjoy that time as well. Usually Mark does the grass one evening after work, so that means that I get about an hour or so of quiet time in the house - a rare treat at that time of day! Chris is old enough now that I don't have to watch him while Mark concentrates on the yard, so I get to use that time to get some other things done without a busy toddler underfoot.
Yesterday, though, I couldn't resist staying outside with my boys. It was a beautiful evening, and I couldn't help but enjoy the sight of Chris trying so hard to be grown up. This time he even got out his own little mower and pushed it right alongside his daddy! He is growing up so quickly - I know it won't be long before he is doing the yard himself. But, for now I will treasure moments like this.

While Mark uses the edger, Chris holds the weedeater attachment - it is just his size!

And just a quick update.. I am still one week away from our little girl's due date. We are anxiously awaiting her arrival!

One to Ten: Part 4

Here is the final post from Millie Holloman's One to Ten workshop that I attended last month! For the second shoot, we went into downtown Wilmington at night. We were met by three different couples who came to model for us, and we had a variety of lights and flashes to play with. The location was really neat, and all of the couples were great to work with.
Overall, the workshop was incredible. It was so valuable to see how other photographers do things, not only on shoots but also in the studio. I left exhausted, but with so many ideas! Thank you Millie and your fabulous team for the opportunity!

One to Ten: Part 3

For the "shipwrecked" shoot, we not only worked with two couples but also a family of 4. The kids were a lot of fun, and the whole family was great to work with. However, it is definitely different working with a family that includes young kids vs. older models! With the couples, we could tell them how to pose. With the kids, though, they call the shots! There are advantages to both, and it was neat to work with both in the same setting. I was really excited about the shots I got!

One to Ten: Part Two

For the first shoot at the One to Ten workshop, we went to this shipyard that was just amazing. There were all kinds of boats there, most of which were falling apart. They looked like they had just been kind of thrown there! In some places, there was just these piles of debris. I honestly think it was my favorite location that I have ever shot in!
We were met there by a few groups of models: two couples, and one family. I am including a few of the shots I got of the couples below; the family shots will be in the next post. Having more photographers (there was 11 of us) than models (8 altogether) has both it's benefits and challenges... it was really good to be able to bounce ideas off of each other, and to watch how other photogs worked with the models. It was also a challenge in that it forced me to try to think outside the box to get the angle that no one else was getting. I can honestly say that I loved every second, and was sad when it was time to leave!

You'd never guess from these shots, but this couple was actually not a couple. They'd both been recruited by Millie's staff, and had met before, but were definitely not "together". But they were great at pretending!

You can't wear a wedding gown and not have a ring... that is actually my engagement ring she's wearing!

I think this one is my favorite...

One of the boats had a huge hole in the side, so we stuck her inside and set up some flashes and pocket wizards behind her for this shot.

Stay tuned for the family shots, as well as pictures from the night shoot that followed this one...