rex.

happy easter! this photo shoot was an easter surprise for rex's mommy kelly! it required a few white lies because kelly was trying to book me to shoot rex when i was home in baltimore, meanwhile, kelly's mom had already booked me as a surprise to her! rex's grandparents were watching him for the day and snuck out with him so we could take some pictures! rex was so sweet, smiley and photogenic. i fell in love immediately! kelly and her husband will be surprised with these pics on easter morning : ) i hope they love them as much as i do! we shot at clipper mill, a gem of a spot, in north west baltimore city with some interesting restaurants, art galleries, apartments and decor. it poured rain all day and we managed to get the shoot in during a break in the storms : ) thanks to the burrows family for inviting me to capture these amazing moments. today i count your friendship as a blessing in my life!

enzo.

enzo is a sweet little baby who spent a very very long time in the NICU where i work. i wanted to write about this incredibly genuine family who came in to visit their little guy day after day always so kind to everyone with smiles on their faces and frequently bearing gifts for the nurses : ) over time i had the pleasure of getting to know enzo's beautiful mommy and daddy. they are not only very much in love with each other but they quickly fell in love with this sweet angel as well. enzo did everything at his own pace and sometimes that's hard for the nurses and especially the doctors in our NICU. we want babies to progress in a specific manner but little enzo had his own plan and calendar but nonetheless is at home and doing amazing!!!! i've been able to watch enzo at his home while his mommy and daddy spend some time out together and these are a few shots i got while enzo and i were on our dates home alone : )


be sure to check out the link below where the local news station came to the NICU the day enzo went home. it's pretty cool! we also used enzo as our "baby jesus" stand in for our annual NICU nativity and his mommy and daddy were mary and joseph. they were so awesome about wanting to be involved! not every baby gets asked to be our "baby jesus"!!! it's really families like these that make my job so awesome. especially when you have to work on christmas day. it's not the easiest job or the most fun job or the most rewarding job, but over the years people such as these remind me about the importance of choosing a career in which you can truly make a difference. thanks so much to enzo's mommy and daddy for allowing me to be part of your experience in creating a family : )

click here to watch the clip from the news when baby enzo got to go home from the hospital on valentine's day! it's a tear jerker!

dominic

"give a boy a dog and you've furnished him a playmate"

(berton braley)

i've been a patient photographer and waited until this beautiful mommy sent out her birth announcements as not to spoil their beauty like she asked : ) i had the pleasure of photographing these glowing parents for their maternity session on the beach a few months back and than they asked me back to capture some precious moments in their home as a new family. i was also lucky enough to be Dominic's NICU nurse when he had to spend a few short days with us in the unit. and an added bonus....Dom's big sister obi melted my heart as well!

~charlie~

little charlie just turned one last month! his mommy chrissy and i have known each other since we were 9 years old! when discussing where to shoot these pictures chrissy suggested the elementary school that we attended and met at many years ago. spending the afternoon at Carroll Manor Elementary School in Baldwin, Maryland really reminded me of what an ideal childhood we had growing up in such a beautiful area. the school hasn't changed a bit. still as small and quaint as it once was. little charlie will be  following in his mommy's footsteps and growing up in the home she grew up in and attending Carroll Manor as well in a few years! thanks for sharing your beautiful family with me chrissy : ) i am so happy for you!

garcia family

welcome home USS Halsey!

"In prison, I fell in love with my country. I had loved her before then, but like most young people, my affection was little more than a simple appreciation for the comforts and privileges most Americans enjoyed and took for granted. It wasn't until I had lost America for a time that I realized how much I loved her. "

John McCain

Faith of my Fathers

thank you so much to marcy and ava for allowing me to experience this amazing event with them as they waited so patiently for this reunion! i feel so lucky that i was able to experience such a stunning home coming! words can't begin to express what it felt like to see those new dads hold their babies for the first time. i hope to be able to capture more of these reunions because i'm sure this patriotic feeling only gets stronger!

brooke.brian

when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, 

you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible

this picture above is probably one of my favorites that i have ever taken. lordy! look at the way brian is looking at her! and....could she be any more breath taking?

brian has been a great family friend for a long time. i can't express how happy i am to see him in love. i could not  keep a dry eye while editing these photos. i was also able to see their engagement that brian captured on brooke's iphone as he surprised her on christmas eve.  i truly fell in love with the connection between brian and brooke through the lens. brooke is a stunning natural in front of the camera and brian couldn't take his eyes off of her....

mike & laura

solitude, utah

may you always be blessed with walls for the wind. a roof for the rain. a warm cup of tea by the fire. laughter to cheer you. those you love near you. and all that your heart might desire.
- irish blessing

i am so excited for my good friends mike and laura who got engaged on september 10 in pittsburgh. mike is like family to me and i don't think he could have chosen a sweeter, kinder or more beautiful person to spend his life with. can you believe this background that we were given for these pictures? solitude is by far the most beautiful place i've ever been on this earth. laura, you are so lucky to become part of the kridler family.