Fall Family Fun Day - Mendon Ponds

Weekends in the fall are usually pretty busy with client sessions and this year is no exception, so long ago I saved Oct 11th for a family day. I really hate winter (yes I know I'm a downhill skiier but I'd trade it up in a heartbeat for nicer weather) and every year I have this obsession to seize a very "fall" moment, at least ONE.

Thankfully today it was completely gorgeous, and we had a great day hiking around Mendon Ponds Park. The original plan was to go to Letchworth, but then we found out it was craft festival weekend and we just didn't want to deal with the traffic hassle. Tim & I had been to a part of Mendon a few years ago that we knew would have great scenery so we packed up baby, kids, boyfriend & girlfriend and off we went!

We got Ben into the Snugli harness, and found out it's just about too small for him, but we made it work. He loved it!!





After a few minutes we somehow found our way out of the trail and back to the car, haha. I had my tripod in my trunk from last nights wedding (which I'll be blogging in a day or two) so we were able to get a group shot. We got this in one take, without any eyes being closed. (NICK!! lol)



Back on the trail a few minutes later, and we found some great scenic views.
Alex & Marlena:



Hannah & Nick:


I have to tell you the backstory on this one... Hannah has shot with me many times & is developing quite a photographers eye. While they were sitting here waiting for me to get my shot, they noticed their shadows in the water and they're actually taking a picture of that, while I'm taking this one, haha.


We got lost trying to get back to the car (which is ironic after finding it so quickly the first time) and by the end everyone was exhausted including Ben.


Not that I'm READY but now that I've had my fall fun day, winter can come whenever it wants to :-) Another busy week of sessions, look for more posts in the upcoming days!!

Family Portraits | Rochester, NY Modern Family Photographer

A beautiful fall day for an outdoor session... This adorable family drove in all the way from Naples!! With twin 2-1/2 year olds, there was a lot of RUNNING. I mean A LOT, haha. And with TWO this age, you can be sure they always run in different directions. Despite the work out along the way, we got some amazing images!

The first shot of the day, you can tell the kids are still a little unsure of me...


The kids affectionately refer to each other as "brother" or "sister" (not by name) and here they are together... a small miracle to get them in the same spot for exactly 1 second!


A great shot of mom & dad


My absolute favorite family shot of the day (you know how I feel about kids in hats!!!)


And one to make you say "awwwwww" :-)


Thanks again for making the long drive in! I hope you enjoy your preview & I'll let you know as soon as the gallery is ready!!

Senior Portraits: BJ - Olympia (part 2) | Rochester, NY Modern Senior Portrait Photographer

I'm sure you remember BJ from his AWESOME studio part 1 - and here is his just-as-awesome outdoor part 2! We've been watching the weather for days, trying to get out there and today it all came together. Perfect temperature, and perfect sort of sunny/sort of overcast skies!!

I LOVE this first shot... it was such a random spot we found but it just WORKS!


The graffiti park is sooo much fun!




He's BEING the guy painted on the wall behind him, haha:


Then on to a brand new spot I've been eyeing for quite some time. The whole creepy feel of it was perfect for BJ, who is just finishing filming a horror movie with his brother! It's called "Dear DIEary" (haha, ok how has hollywood NOT done a movie with that title yet), and they're expecting to submit it to an indie film festival- how cool is that!!




Love a good natural smile!


BJ it was truly a pleasure- I hope you enjoy them so far, and I'll let you know as soon as your 'probably going to be a record' gallery is up!! :-)

The outfit makes the shot...

What you wear to your session definately makes a difference! I spend a lot of time researching very high end photographers work (and by researching I mean stalking their blogs, lol) and a common thread is that their clients really put a lot of thought into their outfits. Sure the shot itself needs to be well lit, well exposed, all of that. But that's a given- that's why you've hired a pro :-)

A vendor next to me at the Pamper Me Pink event this weekend was selling super cute baby/child leg warmers (or arm warmers as her son was modeling, haha) and I had to buy a pair to try out! Match it up with a fun hat, and you've got an adorable shot!!

Want a pair for your next session?? (Think how cute they'll be on a little girl!!) Email me and I'll send you her contact info!!

Senior Portraits: Nicole - Brockport (part 2) | Rochester, NY Modern Senior Portrait Photographer

This year I had several senior portrait sessions with rained out outdoor portions, so we had to split it into 2 parts. Here is Nicole's part 2!

What a beautiful day it was! Actually, too beautiful, haha. To a photographer, full sun is more of a hinderance than a help (all those awful strong shadows and bright spots to work around) but we rolled with it.

This was the first time I shot at this location and it was awesome!!

Hoping for some nice fall foliage, but only green trees...


Yay we found some red leaves, even if they were mostly on the ground...


Then after a few minutes of walking, the gorgeous falls!



Thanks for showing me another one of our areas hidden gems! I know I'll be visiting here again many times!!