Miracle of Life : Christine's Belly Session

When Paul and I were down in New York City a few weeks back for a photography trade show, we got a call from a friend of Michelle (from the previous post), wanting to do belly session with us soon. Well it just so happened that Christine was calling from her place right in Manhattan, so we were able to fotograph her the very next day! We loved her and her husband Ryan's place- it was modern with clean lines, and it was a delight to use this setting to make some beautiful portraits of them! We will be seeing them many more times, as this beautiful couple has signed up for our Miracle of Life plan....so stay tuned!

Christine and Ryan- we can't wait to meet the baby and create some more beautiful portraits for you... See you soon!

Miracle of Life : Baby Alexander's Newborn Session

If you've been following our blog for awhile, you might recall that last September Paul and I fotographed the wedding of our lovely couple Michelle + Peter. Well almost one year to the day from their wedding, Michelle + Peter had a lovely addition to their family! Baby Alexander was came into this world a few weeks early- he just couldn't wait to meet his mommy and daddy! We are so thrilled to fotographing this couple again, now as a beautiful little family! Michelle + Peter decided to sign up for our Miracle of Life Program, so we get to document this little guy, and the relationship of this lovely family for the next year! Can you tell how excited we are?



Meet Baby Alexander:







































































Here is the birth annoucement we designed and printed for Michelle + Peter to send to there friends and family...


The front and back:




The inside:

Michelle + Peter- congratulations to you our your new addition! He is so sweet and perfect... We are so delighted that you are having us document yet another milestone in your lives together, and can't wait to see you all again.

Shh....Don't tell!

Two years ago today, a very adorable little boy named Dylan was dropped into this world by a stork.

Happy Birthday Dylan....it has been so amazing seeing how much you've grown every time we fotograph you and your family!



As part of the Miracle of Life program, we fotographed Dylan from his mommy's maternity through his first birthday. We then designed a book for the family featuring images from each of the sessions. Check it out HERE and be sure to wish Dylan a very happy 2nd birthday!!! And stay posted for his little sister Francesca's 3 month foto session!

Miracle of Life : Baby Lauren's 3 Month Session

We are changing a few things for the better here at our studio. I've never been a fan of scrolling down to view the images that we put on our blog. It has always felt clumsy to me, and not very user friendly. Also, as my other fellow fotographers know all to well, generating, copying and posting code for hours on end is not exactly how we'd prefer to be using our precious time. So, without further ado, meet our new way of viewing and enjoying images on our blog....all you have to do is arrow through the images (the big arrow under the center of the image), or, if you prefer, you can hit the play button and watch a slideshow set to music! How exciting is that?!



A few weeks back, I fotographed little Lauren's second session of her Miracle of Life plan. I cannot believe that she is already 3 months old! She is so utterly adorable and extremely expressive. You can literally feel the love Lauren's parents Carolyn and Mike have for their baby girl. It radiates from them how much they love being parents. Enjoy!

Miracle of Life : Baby Francesca's Newborn Session

A few months ago we fotographed Dawn's belly session while she was pregnant with Baby Francesca. You might remember from previous posts that the Niderno's are having us do a second "Miracle of Life" baby plan. Well, on June 20th their baby came into this world! This time the family's new addition was a baby girl, the first in the family, and Dawn is tickled an appropiate "pink," needless to say!

Click here to enjoy Baby Francesca's Newborn Session Slideshow Premier!

Meet Baby Francesca:




Francesca is so sweet!! What a doll....








She was very alert for a newborn, and didn't want to take a nap, though we tried our hardest to coax her to sleep.




Mommy tried to nurse and rock her little girl to sleep....




....but it was Daddy Justin that finally was able to....




Beautiful baby....








This is one of my favorite baby portraits I've ever taken. I love the way she is holding onto Justin's pinky finger with her little, tiny fingers.












Big Brother Patrick playing the guitar for his new little sister, trying to keep her sound asleep... : )




....But she awoke : )




Francesca was fighting off the sleepiness....








Family portrait time...




So sweet...




Francesca is really a "pink" little baby, isn't she?








Patrick nuzzling his baby sister....you can tell he adores her already!




...and back to sleep. I love to fotograph babies while they are sleeping. So peaceful.... We put little yellow bloomers on Francesca to coordinate with Dawn's awesome yellow outfit she wore for her belly session!








Oh!!








Dawn is going to have a blast having another girl in the house. She's been dying to have someone to be all "girlie" with! How about frilly pink pillows?

Congratulations Mommy Dawn, Daddy Justin, and Big Brothers Patrick and Dylan on your new addition to your beautiful family!!! I can't wait to come "play" with you again for Francesca's 3 month fotos. We'll have to play "dress up," or something really girlie!

Miracle of Life : Baby Lauren's Newborn Session

A few weeks back, a new mom from town called us to fotograph her newborn daughter Lauren. As you might know, I love to fotograph newborns.....they are such bundles of joy! Even better is to be given the honor of fotographing a baby at several stages through it's first year of life. Carolyn and Michael (Lauren's mommy and daddy) decided to enroll in one of our "Miracle of Life" baby fotography plans, and we are so excited to be able to capture their little "miracle" Lauren as she grows.


Meet adorable Baby Lauren :



Baby toshies are so cute! Look....she's already trying to crawl!




I love the special bonding connection between mother & child during nursing.













In the nursery with her parents Carolyn and Michael. They are such a wonderful couple....
and I can tell that they are going to be wonderful, loving parents to little Lauren.




This is one of my absolute favorites from our session. I love the contrast of size between the baby fingers and the mommy & daddy fingers.
And the symbolism of the wedding rings in combination with the gentle touch of all the hands.





Baby toes are the best!





Daddy's nuzzling is the best too!





When I found out that Carolyn still has her cherished Cabbage Patch Kids, loving decorating her daughter's nursery, I just had to fotograph Lauren amongst them.
I love how they are exactly the same size. In fact, we almost used the little bloomers from one of the Kids on Lauren!





Baby Lauren being cuddled by mom + dad, as they coax her to fall asleep.





LOVE the expression on Mommy Carolyn's face as she looks lovingly at her husband, and he smiling back at his wife. How cute are they!





Nuggle-time....









Lauren fell into a deep sleep and Daddy Michael decided to pick her up to place in on the bed for some fotographs of her by herself.
Look how she fits perfectly in his loving hands....a perfect little bundle!





Daddy kisses......my favorite part is the way she is holding onto his wedding ring finger!





Nap time is my favorite time to fotograph newborns. So sweet!





How comfy does she look sleeping on this pillow?





Can't get enough of sleeping babies......they are so very precious!





We carefully moved her into her nursery. How colorful is the bedding on her crib? I LOVED the polka dots and stripes combination!
And the pink & green colors....so pretty and juicy....just like a watermelon!





Look at her little lips...she is so relaxed!









Another favorite....through the crib bars.





I couldn't resist placing the butterfly wings that one of the grandmas had got her on her little back for a couple shots.
How sweet is it that all of Lauren's stuffed animal friends are watching over her?





One of Carolyn's friends stopped by to visit and brought Lauren some pink roses. So, of course I had to get a couple shots of her with a rose.





I love how the rose head is almost the size of her little face.





As part of all of our baby plans, we include 25 custom Fine Art Birth Annoucements for the new parents to send out to their loved ones. Here is our latest design option...we are calling this look our "Classic Fine Art Black + White Design." Here is Baby Lauren's custom folded card....


The front:




The inside spread:




The back:




Here is another new design option for parents looking for something a little more playful and colorful. This is a sample of our "Whimiscal Design."
Lauren's parents loved this option too, but opted for the previous design.

The front:



The inside spread:



The back:




Carolyn + Michael, I had a wonderful time fotographing your little "miracle." Lauren is very precious, and I'm looking forward to seeing your family again for our 3 month session! Congratulations to you both!

The Niderno Family : Belly Session

We heart the Niderno Family! As you might know from our last post about the Niderno's, the family is expecting their third child. We are so excited, because.....gasp...it is going to be a little girl this time! Dawn is very excited to have another female in the house, which is currently all boys except for her. Dawn is due soon, so keep a look out for the newborn session we'll be doing soon. Yay! We will be fotographing Baby "Girl" Niderno for the first year of her life (and beyond!)

So, the lovely Niderno family came in for a belly session, and we had lots of fun together! Enjoy some of our favorites below....


Enjoy the slideshow here!

The beautiful Niderno Family. Look how big baby Dylan got!









I love this series....check out Dylan showing his belly too! So cute!



LOL!!!







Dawn's not only a gorgeous pregnant woman, but is also fearless.....she didn't think twice when we asked her if she'd be willing to climb up on the window sill to get some great shots.













How glamorous is Dawn?





Of course we had to do some really girlie things with a little baby girl on the way.





How fun!










Victoria Secret's look out! Whoever thinks pregnancy isn't sexy, has no idea!

Family Shoot : The Niderno Family

You might remember the beautiful Niderno Family from previous posts. Paul & I have been fotographing the family for the first year of their son Dylan's life since before he was born, starting with a belly shoot. Well, believe it or not, Dylan is over a year old now! So, in January I went over to the Niderno's home to do a fun, casual shoot of the family hanging out together. I had such a great time capturing the fun & love of this family!

Enjoy the SLIDESHOW HERE!!!!

First, everyone bundled up and headed outside to go sledding.











It was a sunshiny day, and there was fresh snow on the ground to play in! The Niderno's had the coolest vintage-y little sled for Dylan, so everyone took turns pulling the little guy around in it!








Big brother Patrick couldn't wait to give his little brother a ride!





Daddy Justin took a turn pulling his son around.....I love little Dylan's delighted smile as he looks up at his dad.



Snuggling with the whole family to stay warm!



Remember little Mr. blue eyes now?



The beautiful family.



Patrick was having a ball throwing snow....Dylan wasn't sure what was going on!







Back inside to warm up.







Dylan had a very colorful nursery...I just had to fotograph him there!



I think he could play in his crib for hours....he was totally entertaining himself. What a goof balll!






Peek-a-boo!







Happy baby!











Snuggle time on the sofa!














I adore this one....



Patrick giving Justin his crazy pirate eye look.





Someone's getting sleepy.



Time for hot cocoa to warm to soul! Dawn adding a little extra "love."





Yum...marshmallows to top it off : )



Thanks for the hot cocoa guys.....what a nice treat!





Thank you Dawn, Justin, Patrick & Dylan for all the fun....we can't wait for our future adventures with you with your new little one on the way! See you soon!

New Year's Baby : Meet Little Logan

On New Year's Day my little nephew Logan came into this world greeted by his parents Becky & Joe (Joe is my little brother) and his big sisters Kali, Mikayla and Miley. You might remember little Miley from some past sessions I did of her during her first year of life. Well Miley's a big sister now! And I have a beautiful new nephew!

Meet Little Logan....



This little guy was the first baby to be born in 2009in southwestern Connecticut! The Danbury News Times did a front page article with a photograph of my brother Joe holding his new son! This little guy had his 15 minutes of fame the day he was born!

I visited my brother and his family to fotograph their new addition in the comfort of their home. Fotographing families in their environment, i.e. a "lifestyle session," is my favorite way to do portraits.

Enjoy!

Be sure to check out Logan's SLIDESHOW HERE!


I looked at about a dozen stores on my ride to Becky and Joe's place for a "Happy New Year" cone hat, because I had a vision to fotograph Logan sleeping with it on his bum....after about an hour of searching for one, and I was about to give up, I finally came upon some. Go figure....New Year's decorations apparently sell out very soon after the New Years. I'm so happy I was finally able to find one though!



The beautiful family....



Big sister Mikayla with her little brother....



Big sister's Mikayla & Kali with Logan...







My brother Joe admiring his new son....



Daddy kisses.....



I love snuggle fotos.....





One of my favorite from the day....



I know the next three are somewhat similar, but I couldn't resist. I just love how Logan put his arm around his daddy's face! To cute for words...













Kali with her little brother.... (another favorite : )









Little Miley after getting into her pjs.



Mikayla with her baby brother...Don't these girls have the most beautiful, expressive eyes?







Mama Becky with her first son...more snuggling : )



Becky had a wonderful antique rocking chair that was passed down to her from her grandparents.....we couldn't resist.



What a doll!











The girls were doing their homework while their auntie was there, and apparently Mikayla loves her big sister so much that she sometimes gives her neck rubs while Kali is studying. I thought it was such a beautiful expression of love.



Of course there are other expressions of love that are quite funny too....



Little wonderful, tasty baby toes!





Another favorite....well all of the images in this post are my favorites, but I LOVE this one.....





Don't you wish you could snuggle up on your sofa like this...



Congratulations to my brother and his family on their new addition....Auntie Krystal is looking forward to doing Logan's 3 month pictures very soon!!!

Dario + Chrissy : Belly Shoot

A few weeks back, Paul & I fotographed a belly session for Dario & Chrissy. These two are expecting little "Nico" in a few weeks, and they wanted to do a casual, lifestyle belly shoot. So we started out in our studio, using lots of natural light with our brick wall, and also did some high contrast images with our studio lights & white wall. After the fun in the studio, we ventured outside where the light was warm and wonderful. It had to be at least 60 degrees out--we were so lucky to have such a beautiful day to go frolicking with these two! Spring was in the air, and the capturing the warmth of the light embracing Dario & Chrissy was a wonderful way to show their love and anticipation for their future little boy!

Enjoy the SLIDESHOW HERE!

Dario and Chrissy, we had a wonderful time with you, and can't wait see the little guy when we visit you to do his newborn session! See you soon!

Miracle of Life: The Niderno Family at the Beach

Remember Lil' Dylan and his big blue eyes? Here is more images from his six month shoot, which his mommy Dawn asked if we could do at their family's beach vacation spot. The name Dylan is a mythology name meaning "son of the sea," so we thought that the beach was the perfect place!!!

The Niderno's fotos came out so great that it was hard to choose my favorites for this post, but
I made an AWESOME SLIDESHOW too, so check it out!!!!

Dylan's eyes are as big and blue as the ocean.


With mommy Dawn, who is a real sweetheart. This kid really knows how to flirt with the camera....what a little cutie!




Flying with Daddy Justin....I swear this kid knows exactly wear to look for the camera. His parents might want to consider a modeling career...and he already has a portfolio to show!!!

Do we see a handsome resemblance here? What a couple of hams!


I LOVE it when real, tender moments like this one happen in front of my camera.


So sweet....


I'm so little!!


Such a beautiful family!


Big brother Patrick loves the camera to....he is such a charater!

Dylan's First Time at the Beach!

So technically, we've been following little Dylan since his Mom's maternity shoot last October. We checked in with Dylan (in the flesh, of course) at his newborn shoot, again at 3 months, and now, we can't believe he's already 6 months old!

We spent Saturday, which turned out the be SUCH a gorgeous day, down at the beach with the Niderno family to fotograph ADORABLE baby Dylan at 6 months for our Miracle of Life program. (Oh my gosh, it seems like just yesterday that Dawn, Justin, and Patrick were in our studio for Dawn's maternity shoot!) We just love the Nidernos. They are such sweet people and are always laughing and smiling, and they definitely know how to have a great time with each other. We couldn't believe how big Dylan has gotten already, and how absolutely STUNNING his eyes are! (No really, you have to see what huge, reflective, shiny, and amazingly deep blue eyes he has.) Although we normally would have fotographed Dylan in our studio or at his home, the family thought that since they'd be at their beach house in Old Saybrook, CT and it's someplace they go every summer, that maybe we could take a drive down to fotograph the family on the beach. We totally thought that was the best idea. I mean, who wouldn't want not just stellar fotos of their family, but fotos taken at a beautiful place that has so many memories of such fun times?

The entire family was so much fun to fotograph. Patrick, Dylan's older brother, was a ball of energy the entire time we were there, but we definitely got to see what an amazing and sweet older brother he is, too. Between flying kites, splashing around in the water, and tossing around a football, there was never a dull moment with such an energetic and BEAUTIFUL family.

To the Niderno family; thank you guys so much for having us over. We had the best time, and we already can't wait to see you all again for Dylan's 9 month shoot!

And here are just a few shots from throughout the day that caught our eye...

Beautiful baby Dylan!


Who doesn't love sandy toes?


Just hangin' with Mom, Dad, and big bro Patrick!


The whole gang.


SuperMom Dawn balancing Dylan and playing catch with Patrick.


Haha, Patrick got EVERYONE wet!


Unfortunately, the water was freezing.


Bundled up and drying off.


Mom and Dylan with the boys watching in the background.

Lil' Lennon!

Meet my little nephew Lennon! I fotographed him & my sister Kalee (Lennon's mommy) the same day as my niece Miley (from my last post). He is such a little sweetheart, and maybe I'm biased because he is my nephew, but he is one of the cutest little kids ever- check out his dimples & precious little curls! I really love the way these fotos came out, not only because I feel I captured Lennon's personality, but also because I feel I really captured the bond between mother & child.

Kalee, here is your beautiful slideshow!!!!

Below are some of my favs---but be sure to watch the slideshow!













The budding musician...



My absolute favorite shot....



Lennon reminds me of my brother Donald when he was little here....



What a happy kid!

Smiley Miley!

Meet my beautiful little niece Miley. I fotographed her 6 month session for my brother Joe and my soon-to-be sister-in-law Becky. Miley is such a happy, smiley baby and I had such a ball fotographing her!! Check out her chubby cheeks! and legs! and hands!


Click here to see Miley's slideshow!!!



Look at these chubby legs!!





Mommy's so funny!!



All tuckered out...



Who can resist chubby little hands?




How precious is my little niece?



One of my favorites...





What a doll!



So sweet...



Miley, Auntie Krystal can't wait spend another day with you taking pictures! But don't grow up to quickly...

Lil' Donte's Newborn Fotos

You might recognize the Rossi Family from a few months back, when we fotographed their maternity session. Well little Donte is here, and we went to his grandparents Patty & John home to fotograph him as a tiny little newborn!!! Patty & John own a wonderful business here in Stafford called Baker's Furniture & Fine Reproductions, and their beautiful home is a showcase of the finely crafted furnishings that they have at the store. So, of course Donte's parents Melody & Tim wanted to incorporate a few pieces into the images of their newborn son. Along with a lovely reproduction rocker, we made some images a lovely bedspread, next the fireplace (how cozy!), and with a REAL, rescued carousel horse from Newport!!! It's always very exciting with our subjects think about how to personalize the portraits we create. We had such a wonderful time with the whole family, and LOVE how the images turned out! We might be doing a Miracle of Life program with this family, so stay tuned to see little Donte as he grows!!

Click here to watch a beautiful slideshow of little Donte.

How cute is he?



I LOVE this shot!!



Doesn't this make you want to take a nappy?



Snuggled up on a lovely hand-made rocker....





Beautiful, soft infared closeups....so soft & baby like!





With the happy daddy! I love skin on skin portraits.



Nursing with mommy....shot in a mirror.



How cute is this? All content & smiley!



I see you!



No, that wasn't the carousel horse....this is!! Isn't it lovely? Can't wait to fotograph him on this horse again when he's a little older and can sit.



Stretch!!



An asleep again..... the life of a baby : ) Anyone for a nap on a fur rug by a fire?





With the happy grandparents.....