Emerson

When Emerson's totally chic and beautiful mom told me that she was usually pretty stoic for pictures, I just smiled... kids love my rose petals and little kid sized chairs and stuff that I have around, and in 17 years of shooting, I have never left a smile behind, so I do have my little tips and tricks, but I had my secret weapons...my daughters, Zoe and Tenley! Little kids LOVE older kids, so it wasn't long before Emerson was going for it...and go for it she did! She slid through the rose petals like a pro baseball player, and jumped and twirled all around, throwing rose petals with the girls. Daddy, a hockey league commissioner, got big points, too...although he eyed our super chexx hockey game machine with longing, he was right in there to give love, throw rose petals, and shake his groove thang, all to catch Emerson's interest. I just love seeing daddys with little girls!

Annabelle and June

I adore little girls. I have two of my own, of course, but all of a sudden, they are gigantic, huge behemoth girls, losing teeth and getting dental appliances all over the place, so when Annabelle and June came in for a photo shoot, I found myself getting nostalgic. Annabelle, the little strawberry blonde, crawls everywhere on her elbows and forearms, commando style, like she's a little army girl, going through basic training in Da Nang. She's the smiley-est little sprite ever, and I was treated to watching her joy when she stood just holding her mom's finger for the first time...these moments are SO fleeting...by the time I delivered the proof for their hand painted gallery wrap, two weeks later, she was walking already! June is a delicate, tiny fairy dancer, with giant soulful eyes and perfect little kewpie doll lipe, who really had a ball busting a move all around the town and avoiding the camera...until the tiny stool came out. I don't know why, but the tiny stool has gotten me out of all kinds of woes...everyone just wants to sit on it. Even I want to sit on it. It's just so cute and ...tiny! I don't know what I'll do if it breaks...I can see myself running into the night, screams of "I should have stocked up on tiny stoolssssssss....." echoing in the night. Annabelle and June's mom and grandma and I had a great time picking photos...how could you not with these gorgeous little girlies? Grab your children and hug them, guys...the time really does go wayyy too fast.

Juliette and Nick

These guys were such a fun couple. Hired as models for a photography seminar that I was speaking at, they were being shot at from all directions by people of all different skill levels, so I thought I'd jump in and save them from the masses for a while before I had to go speak. I pulled them into the water park in Tempe, and all of the little kids had a field day squirting them! Juliette and I just clicked right away, and her honey, Nick is so totally in love with her, it just made the time pass like nothing...His son was there, too and did an awesome job for me as well. They just look so right for each other. I'm gunning for them to get married so that I can shoot more of the love!

Taylor and Tori

Taylor and Tori are the sweetest little twins imaginable. They were totally different, both in looks and even the way that they moved, but they were just so cute...they giggled and whispered throughout their entire sitting, and they just eased into their shoot like the stars that they are...but the biggest transformation for me was when they were in the shot together...they instinctively turned into their light so that both of them were lit equally, and they just put their heads together and glowed, while their mom, Natalie and I just looked on in awe. How wonderful to have that kind of bond, right there in your own twin!

Princess Maia

maia is just one of those adorable, irresistble kids who makes you feel happy to be alive. Her mom, who I will worship forever because of her immediate, amazing above and beyond the call of duty help last September, was such a joy to watch, so proud of her baby being so grown up and beautiful. You can just feel the love between them. What a Win!