What am I loving right now?

1. Wawa Mocha Mint Iced Coffee. It tastes like a Thin Mint cookie! (Which we all know is the BEST kind of Girl Scout cookie) Sorry, Starbucks… your iced peppermint mocha tastes more like a peppermint patty. While very delicious, it’s just not quite AS good. Also it costs like 4x more than Wawa’s.

2. My basement. It’s the playroom and my office. It’s not quite finished, as we still need to add a TV and move my husband’s video game consoles down here and get some wall decor up on these barren walls, but I love it. I can work and still keep an eye on the kids, and I have my nice corner haven of all my nerdly STUFF. Antique cameras (I have quite the collection), photography books and magazines, artwork the kids have given me, portraits waiting to be packaged and delivered, samples, samples, and more samples. A smattering of props awaiting a home in our storage tacks, and lots of filing cabinets for all the random stuff that you are supposed to keep but never know what to do with. For the longest time we’ve let stuff pile up in here…. stuff that was supposed to go into storage but never did, large piles of stuff intended to be donated that never seemed to make it to the donation truck, etc. We finally buckled down and cleaned it out and let me tell you, it is so much more refreshing to work in an environment that doesn’t make you feel claustrophobic (or like you need to call Hoarders to put a show on you). The kids are thrilled to play down here again. Now to work on decorating the space… I think Organic Bloom is calling my name…

3. THIS backpack.

Bug and I went school shopping (sniff, sniff…. my baby is starting preschool in September!! I can’t believe it!!)  and this is the backpack she picked out.  I am beyond thrilled, it’s soooo adorable.  I was amazed that she voluntarily bypassed all the pink, princess, my little pony licensed character backpacks for this one.  I’ve never been a huge fan of licensed characters all over everything (don’t get me wrong, I still buy her shirts with Rapunzel on them, etc, just not for EVERY.THING.) and I was sure she’d be going ga-ga over the Disney Fairies one.  That’s my girl, she’s got good taste.  SO CUTE.  And it even has a matching lunchbox.  I think I might die from adorable overdose.

What are you loving right now?  Let me know in the comments and you might just win a little surprise.

Last March, I had the honor and privilege of taking my family up to NYC to see the extremely talented Zoe Berkovic for our family portraits. She is not just an amazing photographer, but she’s a beautiful woman, one of the most loving and dedicated mothers I’ve ever met, and a true friend.

I want to share some of the memories she helped us create.

There are SO many more that I love, but I don’t want to overwhelm you with my family!

Check out her blog posts here to see more of my family (and bigger pictures, as I tried to cram more in by making collages):

laughter

love and more laughter

another dose

love, sing, and dress up

mac’n'cheese and cookies

It was a very different experience, being on the other side of the lens. Experiencing that moment of panic when you realize your children aren’t doing some very specific thing that they NEED TO BE DOING RIGHT NOW OR ELSE! And then the reassurance of the photographer that it’s ok, they are doing fine, roll with it and enjoy yourself. It’s totally true! Your kids probably won’t mold perfectly into the vision you may have (goodness knows mine never do!) but if you roll with it you will still have plenty of images full of fun and laughter and love; in the end that’s all you really want, isn’t it?

Moose was overstimulated and cranky from the LONG drive up, the sleepless night in the hotel (he never seems to sleep when away from his own crib), and hungry because he refused breakfast that morning. Zoe took it all in stride and still made it a positive experience for us. Bug got a bit over excited with the bouncing and running and shrieking with joy at all the new things to explore, but she did really well.

The highlight of the trip for the kids was our visit to Times Square. Bug calls it “The Sparkly Place” and even yesterday she randomly turned and said to me, “Mommy, do you remember when we went to the Sparkly Place and we walked in the dark and sleeped in the hotel and played with Miss Zoe and ate pizza?” (of course, now whenever we go to a Toys R Us she asks if it has a ferris wheel in it)

Thank you, Zoe. Thank you for preserving our memories.

(and for making me look good! hahaha!)

This month we are featuring a summer palette of blue, yellow, and tan. Whether we are doing a lifestyle session grilling in your Harford County backyard (complete with S’mores of course!) or a session at your favorite park in Baltimore, this look will express everyone’s individuality and still bring a cohesive look to your portraits (and still be cool enough to not melt in this lovely Maryland summer we’re experiencing!).

© lux amoris

Today I am featuring my friend Niki Strbian of Niki Strbian Valokuvaus, in Finland!

Check out her work here:

Website
Blog
Facebook

10 Questions
About the image…
1. Why do you love this image?
Because it was created in an instant, because it tells about my love for hats and accessories and because it shows how photography enriched my life in so many ways. Not only I get to meet so many great people, not only families share their love for each other in front of me (even in such reserved country as Finland). On top of that photography taught me that there is nothing like bad weather. I used to be a sunshine junkie, but now I know that every minute of every day, independent of the weather conditions, there is something worth capturing out there. So I better get my butt out and capture it.

2. What were your settings with this image?
ISO 800, f/2,2, 1/2500 shot with 50/1.4

About Photography…

3. Why did you start in photography?
I wanted to have good photos of my daughter. And look where I ended. While I take good portraits of many people every week, my kids just don’t pose. I am lucky to have one photo of them every 3 months!

4. What type of sessions do you find the most challenging?
Babies 1-4 months of age. They don’t sit, they don’t sleep, they are so round! I see only limited amount of ways how to pose such a baby on different blankets

5. What is the one thing that you tell every client?
Together we are going to create art that you are going to love forever.

About Your Life…

6. Who or what inspires you?
I am inspired by my clients’ homes, hobbies and life styles. I am inspired a lot by fairy tales and movies and very much by my fellow photographers.

7. What 3 word describe you?
determined, smiling, energetic

8. If you could live anywhere for a year, where would that be?
Tuscany, Italy. We go there every summer, but I would love to see all seasons.

9. What is the best purchase that you have made this year?
Shoes from Zara. Love them! They look like the warmest shoes in the world, yet they are really just office shoes and you freeze your toes if it gets cold outside. LOL

10. Did you go to college? What was your major?
Yes. I am a logistics engineer.

Come back next week as I put the spotlight on Rachel Aberle of arna photography in Green Bay, Wisconsin

I love to photograph couples. Young love is so exciting– you have your whole future ahead of you and your possibilities are endless. Getting engaged/married is one of the first major milestones of adult life, second only (in my opinion) to the birth of your children.

I was glad to work with this couple before this major heatwave settled in over our heads. The weather was nice (for Baltimore standards, at least), the light was pretty, and love was in the air. We ventured over to a park in Towson to celebrate their engagement!

If you haven’t noticed by now, I don’t really go for smile-at-the-camera. Especially with couples. My goal by the end of the session is to have you feel more in love with your significant other than when we started.

I love these quiet moments. Little soft kisses. Sweet whispers.

You don’t have to worry about feeling awkward, not knowing what to do, etc. While I prefer to be very hands-off so I can capture you and your family being genuinely YOU in your actions and expressions, I will loosely guide you. Sit this way, look at her, close your eyes…. but then there is a time to step back and let the magic happen.

Can you tell I love kissing shots?

I think the only thing I love more than kissing is capturing a moment of private laughter. I wonder what he said?

I really enjoyed working with these two. They were very laid back, willing to do just about anything and trusting that I knew what I was doing when I asked them to walk way out in waist high grass, or to stand on the edge of a drop off because I liked the curve of the tree in the background.

Because every session should end with some snuggling while laying in the grass.

Thank you again, for trusting my vision. I hope you love these as much as I do! I wish you two the very best.

© lux amoris