1. http://www.thatbouncyplace.com/
Talk about fun! Mr. Moose, Bug, my husband and I can all bounce for less than $7 for an hour of open bounce. (parents and babies 18 months and under are free with a paying child) We had SO much fun when we went last weekend, and the kids napped HARD after such a fun time playing there.

2. http://exquiture.com/
The folks over at Exquiture are amazing. They programmed my site, and are cooking up something spectacular for the Baltimore Photowalk!

3. Cicada Design
emilie does some GORGEOUS work. Not only is she amazingly talented, but she’s one of the kindest people I know. She’s always inspiring me to go one step further. Go check out her stuff!

This week’s family friday catch up is from June (we’re almost caught up!!).

Every month, I go crazy trying to find somewhat coordinating outfits (as I think my poor husband would not appreciate me buying coordinating portrait clothes for them every month), fuss over their hair, fuss over finding the right spot, fuss over the weather, fuss over them cooperating, etc.

This month I decided to step back from that, and go back to what I love– photographing them just BEING. Life as we know it.

In our case, life as we know it means unbrushed hair, no clothes (is it just my kids that strip down at every chance they get?), and hanging out on our bed with their favorite toys.

Moose is downright obsessed with Thomas right now, and at this point he was transitioning away from Jingles the dog and Yellow Bear as his favorite lovies (loveys? hahaha) and moving towards all things Thomas, all the time. So he’s got the dog, the bear, and a rubber Thomas bath toy that he carries everywhere. (And it was only what, 4 months ago that his favorite thing to hold was the beater from the electric mixer. My boy cracks me up). Bug is all about My Little Ponies right now, so she brought those along. But really, her favorite activity is jumping on the bed and we did a LOT of that.

Bug “reading” one of their favorite books to the Moose: The Very Hungry Caterpillar. And some sibling snuggles.

The Moose being silly.

Bug just cracks herself up! The image of her feet is one of my favorites.

Wow. So, uh, can you tell they are siblings? Talk about some strong genes. They are both clones of their daddy.

My handsome Moose man, turning on the charm.

And the Bug, doing her thing.

So there you go, a day in the life of our family. I think I want to do this more often. These images mean so much more to me than perfectly smiling images of perfectly dressed kids in a field (though I do still love taking those and plan on doing that this month if the weather ever cooperates)…. because THIS is what I want to remember in 10 years. How they are.

© lux amoris

As summer will soon be wrapping up here in Baltimore and we start looking to fall, here are a few ideas on dressing for your portraits. Light layers are great as the weather begins to cool off a bit (but not enough to make you hot as it’s still warm), and I just love ballet flats on little girls. Purples, blues, and neutrals are a great color combination.

I can see these outfits looking right at home in a beautiful Harford County field of tall grass, with the warm setting sun streaming in from behind you….

I hope this inspires you!

© lux amoris

Today’s spotlight is on Taryn Chrapkowski of Taryn Lisa Photography from Chicago, IL.

You can find her on the web at www.tarynlisaphotography.com, and view her recent work on her blog at www.tarynlisaphotography.com/blog/, and don’t forget to check out her facebook page here!

10 Questions
About the image…
1. Why do you love this image?
Little Miss E was one of my baby plan clients. This image brings so much emotion to me, as this was from her one year session, and I have had the pleasure of watching her grow from a newborn, to a 3 month old, to 6 months, 9 months, and now one year. Nothing is better than that!

2. What were your settings with this image?
ISO 400,Focal Length 35mm, Aperture 2.0, Shutter Speed 1/250

About Photography…
3. What do you love about Photography?
EVERYTHING! I love the emotion present behind a captured image. I love being included in that moment of my client’s life. I love being able to provide people with art that will last a lifetime. There is something so powerful and emotional behind photographs, and I love seeing that moment when people view images.

4. What type of Photography do you specialize in and why?
Mainly babies/children and families… that is where my passion lies and what got me started in photography to begin with.

About your life. . .
5. What are your favorite hobbies and pastimes?
Anything crafty. I think I have tried just about everything!

6. Who or what inspires you?
My family… each and every day.

7. Who are some of your favorite singers/bands?
Hmmm… that one is tough… I currently like Katy Perry and Pink… most anything that is on the top 100.

8. What is your favorite movie of all time?
Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Audrey Hepburn had a classic beauty that is exemplified in that film.

9. What would your ideal day be like?
Anything spent with my kids and my camera.

10. If you weren’t a photographer, what other profession would you like to pursue?
I do have a second career as a special education teacher. I think working with children my entire adult life has helped me better relate to my clients during our sessions.

Come back next week as I put the spotlight on Kara Layfield of Kara Layfield Photography from Salisbury, Maryland!

1. Back to school. Not that I am in school, and not even that Bug will be starting preschool this year… but Back to School in general. Stores filled with notebooks, pencils, and pens. For some reason, I’ve always loved that. The smell of a fresh, unused box of crayons! I’d get so excited when none of the crayon tips were even slightly run down. Ok, I won’t lie. I still like that. There’s just something about a brand new blank notebook and a new pen that never fail to motivate me. My office is filled with stationery, pens, etc. Love it.

2. Starbuck’s Skinny Caramel Macchiato. I know, Starbucks shows up here almost every week. But now I am watching what I eat, so I’m excited to find something that won’t kill my calories for the day. And props to the baristas at my favorite Starbucks in Bel Air on 22. I love them.

3. Moose’s vocabulary. He’s learned so many words this month! His latest is “draw” because that is one of his favorite things to do. (except you have to watch him as he is quite indiscriminate about what he colors on. Paper. Himself. The wall. His sister. Thank goodness for magic erasers.)

This edition of catch-up family friday is from May. I think we picked the absolute hottest, muggiest day of the year to do this shoot. Talk about miserable weather! The kids were matted sweaty messes within 30 seconds, the mosquitos were swarming, and I forgot to bring the candy bribes. Recipe for disaster! Luckily, the kids pulled through and other than the sweaty hair, I think we did alright.

Our goal from this session was to loosely recreate an image from May 2010. Moose was 3 months old and we went to a field in Bel Air to capture some golden sunlight on our beautiful kids. Of course, things never go according to plan. Two year old Bug had meltdown after meltdown (which is where I captured one of my favorite funny photos of her– pouring “tea” from her tea set, crying her little eyes out in a tantrum. But– that tea set! Throughout her fit, she kept pouring her “tea”. (she was actually angry because the teapot was empty and she didn’t want to use pretend tea).

The original image: three month old Moose, 2.5 year old Bug

Our 2011 version: 15 month old Moose, 3.5 year old Bug

Silly Bug is Silly. She’s such a trip, frizzy sweaty head and all.

Poor Moose… in need of a haircut and even sweatier than his sister. He held up fairly well, all things considering.

Sibling love. I think they are each other’s favorite person in the whole world. I don’t know how Mr. Moose is going to react next month when Bug starts preschool.

© lux amoris

Back in June, I had the honor of photographing the Relay for Life in Havre de Grace, MD. To say it was one of the most emotionally moving things I’ve had the privilege to work would be an understatement. The tone varied from jovial and triumphant, celebrating with those who have fought and won, to one of grieving and silence as we all wept together in memory of those we have lost.

If you aren’t familiar with the Relay for Life, I highly recommend you check it out at their webpage by clicking here.

A quote from their webpage: “The American Cancer Society Relay For Life is a life-changing event that gives everyone in communities across the globe a chance to celebrate the lives of people who have battled cancer, remember loved ones lost, and fight back against the disease. At Relay, teams of people camp out at a local high school, park, or fairground and take turns walking or running around a track or path. Each team is asked to have a representative on the track at all times during the event. Because cancer never sleeps, Relays are overnight events up to 24 hours in length.”

This year, they had 49 teams, 553 participants, and raised $64,869.73! Come out next year, and walk with us!

© lux amoris

© lux amoris 2011

Today’s spotlight is on Anelle Richardson of Anelle Richardson Photography, based out of Ottawa, ONT, Canada.

You can find her portfolio at www.anellerichardsonphotography.com, and her blog of current work at www.anellerichardsonphotography.com/blog. Don’t forget to check her out on facebook!

10 Questions
About the image…
1. Why do you love this image?
I love the interaction between these two sisters; I love their laughs and how their fun personalities totally shine through! To me, the opportunity to capture these precious moments, is what I love most about photography.

2. What were your settings with this image?
ISO 200; SS 1/400; AP f2.8

About Photography…
3. What do you love about Photography?
I love pretty much everything about it! I love getting to meet awesome families; I love playing with the kids and getting to know them; I love seeing the relationship between family members; I love being part of capturing the spirit of childhood.

4. What type of Photography do you specialize in and why?
I find it hard to say what I specialize in. Because in my mind, I would then have to choose only one or two areas of photography. The truth is that I love photographing children, families, babies and newborns (in no specific order)

About your life?
5. What are your favorite hobbies and pastimes?
I love photography (obviously); reading (non-fiction and fiction); my husband and kids (obviously not a hobby, but they are really awesome people I enjoy spending time with); and traveling.

6. Who or what inspires you?
I had to really think about this, because there are so many people who inspire me. I think it would be an injustice to choose any one person. I believe that every single person has something about them that can inspire us, if we take the time to get to know them and learn from them! If I am forced to choose only one person from the past and the present, it has to be Jesus Christ!

7. Who are some of your favorite singers/bands? That is an incredibly difficult question to answer. I actually love a bit of everything. Well, if I’m honest, I’ll have to admit that I don’t like jazz! But I also don’t like music on all the time. Maybe because our home full of rambunctious boys is so busy and noisy that I don’t feel the need to add to it!

8. What is your favorite movie of all time?
Another one of those I can’t pick questions

9. What would your ideal day be like?
My ideal day would pretty much be the same way it is now, with the exception that it will start a little later!

10. If you weren’t a photographer, what other profession would you like to pursue?
I love my life as a photographer, mom and a homeschooler, so I don’t think I would change anything. I am really blessed that I have the opportunity to the things that I love! If I had to choose anything else, I think that I would have maybe liked to have pursued journalism (which is what I studied) as a foreign correspondent.

Come back next week as I put the spotlight on Taryn Lisa Photography, from Chicago, IL.