© lux amoris

I look forward to seeing this handsome guy every year. He has a great personality, which you will see below, he is one of the most well behaved kids I’ve had the pleasure of working with, and he’s pretty darn cute! We met down at one of my favorite Baltimore County fields right at sunset to make some beautiful portraits for their holiday cards.

Love this light! Isn’t he a total sweetheart?

He is always one of my best dressed clients each year.

The bond between a mother and son is so beautiful.

Look at the way they love each other!

Mr. GQ.

And a taste of his real personality shining through. I love the silly!

© lux amoris

It’s that time of the month again! The Life Story Series!

Ever see a photographer who starts out with a 365 day project, or even a 52 week project and never finishes? Yeah, me too. Well, I recently joined a group of a few other busy photographers who decided to commit to a 12 month project! If we fail this, we’ll be taking donations for a time management seminar. The best part is that it will be totally candid, lifestyle shots of each of our own families/lives. We don’t even have to dredge up random people or make our kids pose for us. We’re calling the series “The Story of ________” and we’ll each be filling in our own blanks. At the end of this post is a link to another photographer who participated and she’ll be linking to someone else. It’s a whole big circle of stories in pictures. Click through and enjoy!

Click here to continue the Life Story Series chain!

© lux amoris 2011

© lux amoris 2011

I recently had the pleasure of photographing a mini session for a sweet couple and their dog in Kingsville, MD. I love Kingsville in the fall. The entire area is just awash in golds and reds, it just takes your breath away.

It was tough deciding which ones to blog. I wanted to share them all but I figured that would be a bit much.

Ahh~ look at the love shared between them.

I think they complement each other very well, don’t you? They look like they just belong together.

That is one loved doggie!

Family of 3, all snuggled up.

Isn’t that fall color just amazing?

I really enjoyed myself working on this. The four legged subject was not only totally cute, but playful and fun. And let’s not forget the people– this is one gorgeous couple, wouldn’t you say?

© lux amoris 2011

With Bug’s fourth birthday rapidly approaching and her obsession with all things Disney’s Tangled, we settled on a Rapunzel birthday party. Which means a Rapunzel themed birthday session for images for her invitation and thank you notes!

Bug could not have been happier. She loves her Rapunzel dress (brand new, as she wore the old one out, so we upgraded her to the nicer one as it was also to be her Halloween costume). It took some coaxing to get her to NOT flip out when I removed the broach with Rapunzel’s face on it (something I’ve never understood. Why would all the Disney princesses have their face on their dresses? Do they get really confused and put on other people’s clothes by mistake?) with the promise of turning it into jewelry.

We headed out to my favorite field in Bel Air, MD (may it rest in peace, as it is now in the process of becoming a store).

© lux amoris 2011

© lux amoris 2011

Today’s photographer spotlight is on the ever talented CJ Nicolai of Cheryl Jacobs Portraits, out of Denver, CO.

About the image…
1. Why do you love this image?

This is my recent favorite image for a myriad of reasons. First, it’s from my newest project, called Snow White Drifted (from the Mae West quote, “I used to be Snow White, but I drifted.”) After years of primarily photographing children and families, I gradually switched to photographing performers backstage, and now, into photographing women in sort of a candid vintage-style boudoir project. Second, I love how peaceful she looks, despite the clutter and chaos that was the reality of the session. Third, the lighting. It just works really well to create a Vogue Italia ambience and mood, and it carves out her features nicely. Fourth, the subject did a phenomenal job on the styling of the image; the hair, makeup, and wardrobe were absolute perfection. I’m a very retro kind of girl, and this kind of image just makes me very happy.

2. What were your settings with this image?

I’m a film shooter, and used Tri-X 400, as I do at nearly every shoot. This was shot at box speed, developed in Tmax developer, and this is a neg scan.

The tech info was my usual combination of f/2.8 (wide open) at 1/60th, shot with my Bronica SQ-Ai and 80mm 2.8 lens.

About Photography…
3. What brought you to photography?

I was brought up on music and visual art. I started painting and drawing at a very early age (preschool or so) and gradually fell backward into photography about ten years ago.

4. What type of Photography do you specialize in and why?

I started out 100% children with the occasional family session thrown in there. Really, though, I describe myself as a B&W people photographer. Anything that is emotive, honest, raw, and allows me to work in my own way is just fine for me. That means children, adults, seniors, commercial work, retro boudoir, fine art, really anything that I can do MY way.

About your life?
5. Outside of photography, what are your interests/hobbies?

I’m also a professional musician, and I spend an awful lot of time singing. I have a band called Reckless Red, and also a jazz project, and a band in Arkansas. I love raw honesty, whether in music or in photography. I don’t like excessive slickness in either. Imperfection is full of character, and that’s what I’m after.

6. Who or what inspires you?

I’m inspired by emotion, both in music and photography. But emotion comes from a lot of different places; beautiful light, interesting texture, irony, luminosity. I love to tell a story, whether a big one or a small one.

7. If you could be anywhere in the world right now, doing anything at all, where would you be, what would you be doing, and why?

THAT is a very difficult question. I’m an adventurer, and I love people. That means I basically have a blast no matter where I go. I’ve run around London with strangers, jumped up on stages with bands in a lot of different cities, done lots of fun stuff. Really, I don’t care where I am as long as I’m either singing or surrounded by music. That is when I am the most raw and honest.

8. What song can you listen to over and over again?

Georgia On My Mind by Ray Charles. There are so many great songs out there and I’m constantly finding new ones that blow me away, but this one is just about as good as a song can ever be.

9. Can you tell me some quirky or little known fact about yourself?

Again, good question. I’m really an open book in most aspects of my life, so it’s tough to think of something people don’t already know. Reaching all the way back into my childhood, I won my very first art-related award when I was seven years old for a really, um…primitive pastel drawing of a swan.

10. If you weren’t a photographer, what other profession would you pursue?

Well, I’m a photographer / musician / writer / mentor / editor / mother at the moment, and all of those together make me pretty happy. I’ve got a pretty short attention span, and I really need this kind of variety in my life to stay inspired. If one thing starts to get boring or uninspiring, I can focus on something else. I can’t think of anything else I’d want to do.

My current websites:

Portraits: www.cheryljacobsportraits.com
Backstage project: www.cherylnicolai.com
Snow White Drifted: www.snowwhitedrifted.com
Workshops and critiques: www.cheryljacobsworkshops.com
Denver band Reckless Red: www.recklessred.com
Arkansas band Red Barn Ramblers: www.redbarnramblers.com

Last year, I spent some time with this beautiful Newark, DE family to photograph the newborn session of their preemie son. This year I returned to photograph his sweet baby brother, who is trying his hardest to NOT follow in his brother’s footsteps. Big brother was really early… baby brother was late. Big brother barely stirred the entire time I was there last year, baby brother was ready to party!

But, he eventually conked out and we captured some sweet moments.

Sweet kisses from a proud big brother. Followed by a game of “Where’s the baby?” Is that not the cutest thing?

Tender moments between Mom and newborn son. There is nothing in this world quite like a Mother’s love.

Sweet drowsy baby boy is on his way to dreamland. Awwww. I love photographing swaddled babies. They are so cozy and comfortable.

Getting into the posing now that he is comfortable. Isn’t he beautiful?

He makes me smile.

Baby detail shots. Love the macro. Love baby details.

He just loved having his fists by his face.

Sweet sleeping baby boy.

© lux amoris 2011

It’s taken me all year, but I am finally almost caught up in sharing my monthly portrait endeavors with my own kids!

This week has us in September. With Bug starting preschool, we decided to opt for a “back to school” theme and go for something a little different than the fields and trees I typically seek out for locations.

The Bug, showing off her backpack. Can you tell she’s a proud girl? Awww….

The Moose, with his coincidentally favorite current toy– the school bus. He drives that thing everywhere and it is second only to Thomas the Tank Engine.

This is what Bug does if you ask her to pose like a model. I think it’s based on mannequin poses in the mall. She does this pose consistently, and it cracks me up each time I see it.

Someone isn’t sure if she wants to cooperate, despite the rapidly fading light.

This. This is what embodies all portrait sessions with my kids. Every time I look at it, I can’t help but laugh– it’s so THEM. It takes a lot of bribery to get anything other than this sort of monkeying around each month, and I was lucky enough to capture them goofing off at the same time here (they typically take turns behaving and goofing off). I knew as soon as I took this photograph that it was a keeper. I’m smiling now just talking about it. My kids crack me up.

My handsome Moose. He’s trying to show off his Star Wars shirt, here. And, like any year-and-a-half year old, accomplishes the exact opposite.

Sweet Bug and the school bus.

I am lucky. My kids really do adore each other. I hope it lasts.

Belly Buttons! Does anyone else have kids obsessed with them?

Love my Moose man.

© lux amoris 2011