Running Through the Sprinkler

Summer brings on so many different activities and opportunities to remind us of childhood.  I love watching my children do things and feel like it is both flying by and going in slow motion all at once.   And then add in the element of documenting it through photography, and I am all in.  Earlier in the season, I came home to a bathtub full of wet clothes only to find out while I was gone to dinner with friends that my kids and husband had spent part of the evening running through the sprinkler.  To say I was sad to have missed it is probably not doing it justice.  So when my husband pulled out the sprinkler again a few days ago, I ran to grab my camera.  I don't want to ever forget these times.

 While working on this set, I realized it's the senses captured through documentary photography that always warm my heart.  The feel of the heat of the sun or the drops of the water on your skin or the air blowing by her arms as she runs.

 I can hear my son's prompting to go again.  And the giggles that ride on the air.  I remember how I smiled to listen to it all and having that sweet Mom moment in my heart.

My duo.  Eight and half years between them and they are still so close.  He leads her and she follows - mostly.  You know, those independent girls have to beat to their own rhythm sometimes.

 And that guy.  The one who is the root to most of the silliness and fun in our house.  Let's be honest, my stick would probably be stuck in concrete at this point if it wasn't for him.

So after countless runs through the sprinkler, drenched clothes, and a sun that had mostly disappeared beyond the horizon, the cold began to set in.  My kiddos ran to the side to decide if they were done or not.  This is when my son noticed that my daughter's hair was in strands to make it easy for braiding.  Since she has a love for all things Frozen, he asked if she wanted him to braid it like Elsa's.  So, while they awaited a towel, she shivered her little self into his lap and he braided away.

*Sigh.  I don't want to ever forget.

Until next time,

St Louis RTS Collaborative Shoot

So, if you have been following me for a while, you know that I shoot un-posed, candid, story telling, documentary style family photography - and I love it.  If you are finding me for the first time, feel free to browse your way around my blog to get a good feel for the type of photography you will typically find from me.  Because this dreamy, AMAZING collaboration you are about to see is something only of fairy tales to me.

And maybe after reading all that, you are wondering exactly why I signed on for this shoot, but when I tell you about this group of fantastic creatives, you will get it.  You see, late last year, I stumbled upon this group called The Rising Tide Society, which was founded on the idea that creative entrepreneurs could come together in #communityovercompetition and support and encourage and love each other because there is plenty of business to go around.  In a very saturated industry, this idea made my heart sing, and when I met all these lovely creatives in person, well, our Tuesdays Together became the highlight of my month.  Along with support, the RTS gives groups a topic to discuss and learn about each month.  In April, our topic was collaboration, and we were assigned to pull our creative talents together to make the stylized shoot of a lifetime.  As you can imagine, this group of creatives is BEYOND amazing and more talented than you can dream, so to say I was honored to be able to take part in it is a huge understatement.  The list of people that gave of their time, talents, and money is long and well worth your time to check out each and every one, so make sure to click on those purple links to see more from each of them.

St. Louis's Piper Palm House was the backdrop for our Victorian Garden Party.  From incredible event planners like Absolutely IN! Event Planning and VSM Event Creations, to fantastic rentals from The Aries Company, Grand Vintage Rentals, and La Tavola Fine Linen, we were ready for some seriously amazing photos.  Add in the wardrobe styling of one Elizabeth Anne Styling, with spectacular dresses from Mia Grace Bridal and a beautiful lace gown from White Traditions Bridal House, and you just might want to hold your breath.

Confession of a documentary photographer: I don't know how to walk into a room with my camera in hand and not start shooting.  There's always a story there screaming at me to be told, and I typically listen.  I loved this line up of chairs down to our model bride, Mary, at the end of the table.  Photographers were already working their magic with her, and I loved catching it all.

Look at that room!  As you see these pictures, keep this shot in your mind.  Behind the scenes, these and many, MANY other crazy talented creatives were hard at work to make this shoot so lovely.

I was seriously in awe of the amazing hair and make-up team that came for this shoot.  And their gear!  I thought photographers had a lot to handle, but with these super talented ladies on site, there was no doubt that their gear is no match for their skills - AMAZING!  You must check out the work of  Lindsey Hedge Hair & Make Up, Flawless Makeup and Hairstyling, and B Beautiful because these ladies rocked it.



And what would a Victorian-styled shoot be without some seriously gorgeous floral arrangements, stationary, and a cake to compliment it?  I love these creatives so much!  Their attention to detail is fantastic and the professional knowledge they have is something I am in awe of.  Be sure to check out the beautiful floral work of Accents Floral Design, Alex Waldbart Florist, Ophelia Floral Design, as well as some fabulous design work at Betsy N Co. Creative, and The Lace Cake for some yummy goodness.

Before I let you wander over more of the shoot, I have to mention these models.  Not only were they STUNNING, but they were so fantastic to work with and knew their stuff.   To see more of these beautiful ladies, check out Madison Barczewski, Anastasia Lindgren, Amber Bardol, Lexi Werkmann, Courtney Casteel, and Mary Elizabeth.

Speaking of knowing their stuff, since I am not a photographer who poses, I was thankful for crazy talented photographers who were there to move hands and tuck hair because I knew those models were in great hands!  As you can see from the photos, many of the end shots you see were orchestrated by so many of the photographers there.

I'm still a sucker for the in betweens.  I loved this moment below with the girls as their dresses and hair were worked out perfectly.  And oh that watercolor sign - which was the fabulous handi-work of Marcelle Calder Photography, who is both a talented photographer and watercolorist.  I love that line: we rise by lifting others.  How true and fitting it is for this amazing group of creatives.

Even though we had a stylized shoot, there was still time for a little play.  Below, the ladies had a moment to chat, then I had our youngest models play hide and seek for a few minutes.  Their mom stopped in to see how things were going and brought along the family pup!  He was so adorable and perfect for that beautiful dress, so when it was mentioned that we should get a sweet shot with him, all the photographers were game.  Look how adorable he was!!

This set with Mary was one of my favorites.  Another photographer had placed her in this spot and I was watching from a different angle, seeing her move in between the trees.  My favorite part was that when they were finished, I told her how posing was not my thing and asked her to work her magic.  As I clicked, she moved and it was so lovely.

We headed back inside on this 95 degree day for a much needed break.  We set the girls up for a shot at our gorgeous table and had fun shooting all the beauty before we excused our youngest models to do a champagne toast.

The Piper Palm House has some gorgeous windows on the roof and every once in a while, the light would come through and radiate the scene.  I loved this moment with Courtney - it was such a great compliment to the beauty already there.

Even photographers have to have a little fun.  While I had fun shooting one of our event coordinators and RTS co-leaders, Michelle, taking some snaps of her own up on a step stool, another group of photogs got to make some silliness for me to capture.

We moved back outside into this AMAZING sunlight.  That vintage couch sure got its use on this day, and rightfully so.  With so many photographers, I was often looking for a different angle to tell my story from.  I loved what getting down low did for this shot because that sun was magnificent.

A few more of the ladies, who were beyond fabulous to work with.  As I was shooting my last set of the girls, our hair dresser mentioned that these girls are besties - and it totally shows in the look.

 In the end, if you have a group of photographers and creative small business owners together in one space, head shots really should be taken, so some of us paired off.  That awesome husband / wife duo at the top are another fabulous photography team, Sweet Sarah Marie Photography, and are a ton of fun to hang with.  And that fabulous smile at the bottom is Vanessa, an event coordinator at VSM Event Creations.

So, WOW.  What a day!  I still have to practically pinch myself that all of this came together the way that it did.  Of course, for me, it's no surprise that the ultimate Creator would be a part of so many of the things that happened this day.  You only have to see the beauty in the nature surrounding it all and the talents of the people in this group to know that works like this are no accident.

Until next time,

June 5-on-5: Washers

Here in Missouri, the game of Washers has been popular for some time, so when summer makes its unofficial appearance on Memorial Day, it only seems fitting that the game of Washers should too.  My boys had played the day before and were both ready for round two, with a few new strategies to try out.

Something I enjoy about playing Washers is lending each other a hand.  Finding those little metal rings in the grass isn't always easy, so an extra set of eyes is super helpful.

I love watching both of my boys play.  It's neat to see the little things each of them does when focused.

And those nervous jitters too; those rings slipped back and forth in my son's hands what felt like a hundred times.

We even had a roadie.  She followed who ever was playing back and forth for each throw and it was super adorable.

Ultimately though, a game usually ends with a winner and a well, not winner.  I'll let you make a guess at who won this round.

Time to hop!  Go check out Eboni, a Long Island Family Photographer, to see some more summer fun.  And make sure to hit everyone in the circle and share some like or comments to keep us going strong!

Until next time, 

Playing in the Strawberry Fields

When I was a kid, one of my neighbors had a glorious patch of fresh strawberries on the land that backed up to our neighborhood.  Like most neighborhoods, our land used to be farm land, and so a few of the smaller 5 acre plots remained.  While I don't really recall the families farming, their land was a place of great memories for me.  There was an enormous tree with a tire swing and a large patch of strawberries that were ripe for the picking in the early summer months.

So, you can imagine that when my MOPS group announced that we were going strawberry picking, I was a little more giddy than maybe expected.  I get a little like that sometimes, both as a mom rounding out her "firsts" and as a documentary photographer - giddy.  It's exciting (and maybe a touch sad) to make the yearly visits to apple picking, pumpkin picking, tree picking - it's where all the best memories are made.

I loved that my daughter is still in her rain boots stage.  Perfect for her frilly dress - a combination to be seen more days than I can count.  And a memory I so hold tight.  And my son.  My growing young man.  You know those moments as a mom when you look at your child and you realize they have grown and have become a big kid - or maybe a young adult.  This was one of those moments.  That mixed with little hands and big brother helpers - it was all pretty sweet.

They were such a team - working together to find good picks.  It's more strawberries than we will likely eat any time soon, but the time spent was well worth the $5.

And that run down the field for the hug.  Glorious.  As well as the one coming back.

I'm forever thankful for a MOPS Momma who offered to make sure I was in a shot too!  Off we were to find some good strawberry recipes for all those fresh picked gems.  Strawberry jam anyone?

Until next time,