II have come to the realization that the older I get and the older my children get, life just seems to get increasingly chaotic. Most of the time, I am able to embrace the chaos of life and roll with it, but like most working moms, I often find it extremely challenging to pause, remain present in the moment, and enjoy the simple things in life. Sadly, there are many times that I put off doing things with my children because I have deadlines to meet or am caught up in the day to day routine of being a mom.  Compounding to this problem is the fact that I am a Virgo and, therefore, by nature I find it difficult to deviate from my work and routines and tend to be strive for perfection. 

The morning after the recent nor'easter snow storm that dumped 8 inches of snow in areas across Long Island, was warm and mild. I woke up early that day in anticipation of an arduous journey through snow covered streets to capture a beautiful family who recently welcomed a baby boy into their home. Instead, I was pleasantly surprised when I stepped outside to see that most of the mounds of snow had already begun to melt and the day felt more like Spring than Winter. In fact, it was the absolute perfect day to travel to this Massapequa home for a cozy and connected family newborn session.  

I love my new studio here in Long Beach and I have been getting lots of use out of it over the past year.  I have been making changes to the studio and will be adding more as the year goes on so that. can give my clients diversity in their gallery of images and also make them as comfortable as possible during their photo session with me. 

Oh, how I wish more women would schedule maternity photo sessions for themselves during their pregnancy. There is nothing that can surpass the beauty of an expecting mother; as cliche as it might sound, the natural glow of a pregnant women is simply unsurpassed. Sadly, so many women do not see themselves as beautiful during this momentous time in life. Many women tell me that they just don't feel their best during their pregnancy and, consequently, shy away from the camera during those nine months. I completely understand and I too felt this way about myself during both of my pregnancies. Although I did not shy away from the camera and took my monthly photos of my bump, I never scheduled a photo session with a photographer and I still regret it to this day.

I absolutely love when I have the honor to photograph my former newborn clients for their first birthday portrait session. It is so wonderful to see how much the baby has grown over the course of the year and I just love to see how each she has developed a unique personality.  

I love when my former clients return for milestone sessions.  It is such a pleasure to watch the children grow and it is an honor to be able to document that growth for their parents.  I photographed this little beauty in June for her six month sitter session and when I saw her again the other day, I was amazed at how much she had grown in these last six months.  It truly was such a delight to be able to photograph her again.  

I have been absent from social media lately because I was away on my annual family vacation to the Florida Keys and Disney. I love our vacations for a multitude of reasons; not only do we get to escape the cold of winter, but it allows us a time to unplug from technology and our jobs and focus solely on our children and each other. It is so important to have this family bonding time and I treasure every second of these days.

t may be the dead of winter, but I am dreaming of Spring, which is also the time of year when I offer my mother and child sessions.  These are my favorite sessions to offer because I personally know how hard it is to get out from behind our cameras and get IN those photos with our children.  It is so important that you take the time to get in the frame with your children;  it is something you will never regret doing and years from now, you and your children will be thankful to have these photos.  My approach to the session is geared toward capturing mom with her children in a natural and organic way; so, moms don't worry about whether or not your child will be cooperative. I am going to capture you being a mom and doing what you do best, nurturing and loving your child, no matter what his/her mood is.  So, expect to cuddle and hug those kids..a lot!  No matter how many times I photograph moms and their children, I am always moved by their love and bond. 

I am always honored when clients hire me to photograph their newborns. There is no time in life that is quite as precious as those first few days home with a baby. It is even more of a privilege  when I am asked to photograph my clients in their own homes. Lifestyle newborn sessions are the best way to ensure that the photos of your baby are unique, personal, and authentic. There is something about the way families interact with one another in the comfort of their own home that allows me to capture the emotions of that special time.

My first newborn session of 2018 was with this sweet baby boy, who was born just a few days after the New Year and promptly on his due date.  Baby P was wide awake for most of his session, which is always fine with me. I love images in which baby is awake and alert. Because my approach to studio baby photography is a soft and natural look, it is not a problem if the infant is awake; in fact, I tend to prefer those alert images because they always seem more authentic to me. 

Now that the busy Fall season has come and gone, I can finally catch up on my blogging.  I photographed so many beautiful children and families this season and had so much fun getting to know the families and photographing them. I also wanted to finally share a few photos from a few recent Fall family sessions and provide some insight into family photography for those who are considering booking Spring or Summer family lifestyle portraits.  

My last session of 2017 was a newborn session that took place right here in my Long Beach studio.  It was a brutally cold day on the day of Miss K's session, but thankfully my newly installed radiant heating system really helps to keep the newborns cozy and comfortable during the session.  It is so important that babies feel comfortable during a session and I use a variety of methods to ensure their comfort such as white noise, rocking, swaddling, and various other techniques.  The length of a studio session varies based on how well the baby falls asleep and how she transitions between poses.

he holidays have come and gone and although we are in the dead of winter,  Communion season is almost here and now is the time to book your photographer.   Communion Mini Sessions are the perfect way to document this milestone in your child's life.  A mini session can be scheduled anytime before the actual communion date.  Taking those photos before the communion day ensures that you capture beautiful portraits of your child in a natural and relaxed way, without the stress of rushing around on the day of the ceremony.

I am excited to announce my winter limited edition indoor sessions. Although it is freezing outside, my winter session has the look and feel of a Spring day.  This is not a standard mini session, but rather a special and limited session that I will offer on select days this winter.  The set is a gorgeous glowing white set with a beautiful canopy tent adorned with pretty cherry blossoms and floral vines. When I originally came up with this idea for the set, I had the idea of offering it as an opportunity for moms to get pictures of themselves with their children and offering it only as a  mommy and me session; however, once I built the set, I realized this would work for a mini birthday session, a six month sitter session, Valentine's Day photos, or even for beautiful and natural maternity photos. Like most of my studio work, the set has a very natural, classic, and simple look, which will allow me to create timeless images that capture your relationship with your children and your natural beauty. 

Now that the rush of the holiday season is over, I can catch up on my personal photography projects, which includes documenting my children. My approach to my own family photography is a lifestyle and documentary approach.  This is my favorite way to photograph a family, as it will capture the most personal and authentic images. I love capturing little moments and details that seem so mundane, but I know years from now will be priceless. 

Even though I love working with newborns and toddlers, a huge part of me is still connected to my career as a high school teacher and I truly miss working with my students; so, whenever I work with teens, I feel like I get a small part of that life back. Plus, I love that you can really get creative with these types of sessions and customize them to match the client's personality.  

Equestrian Portrait Session

This recent Fall family session was so special to photograph for a multitude of reasons.  One reason is because Alison is a former colleague of mine from my teaching days.  It is always a thrill and an honor to be able to spend time with my beloved colleagues, many of whom I worked with for over a decade, and document their family memories for them.  Secondly, this was Alison's first family portrait session with her beautiful two month old daughter. 

When I launched the newborn segment of my business two years ago, I gravitated towards the lifestyle genre of photography. I wanted to make the process of newborn images stress free for my clients.  My goal was to capture images for them that preserve all of those emotions that come along with bringing a baby home.   

5 Reasons why you should book an in home newborn session 

t is no secret that I am a Summer girl, but I also truly love the Fall. One of my favorite Fall traditions is our annual outing to the farms out east.  We try to get out there twice in the Fall, once for apple picking and once for pumpkin picking. These outings are especially important during this time of year because it allows me to have uninterrupted time with my girls during the rush of my peak holiday season.  

I spent a gorgeous September afternoon at the park with mom, her twin sister, and the absolutely gorgeous birthday girl, Miss V.    Mom had selected the most adorable outfits for Miss V, including a gorgeous bohemian style pineapple print dress.  She also brought along a beautiful birthday banner that coordinated with the dress.  The birthday girl was a pleasure to photograph and never cried...not even after two full outfit changes!  My favorite part of the session was when we took her cake smash photos.  Miss V loved the cake and had so much fun with it.