I have joined a group of photographers– all wonderful women whom I have known for years, many before they even picked up the camera– have embarked on a journey to further refine our photography via themed exercises once a month. This month’s theme is anticipation.

We’ve had a rainy couple of days. When the sun finally came out Tuesday morning, albiet briefly, I knew what I wanted to do.

When I told the kids we were heading out to jump in puddles– on purpose, with permission, get muddy, have fun– their faces lit up. Really? We can jump in the puddles? And won’t get in trouble? (They usually are trying to jump in the puddles in their dress clothes, on our way to some event)

We had a lot of noisy fun, laughing, yelling, singing. Jumping, stomping. And by the end, they were flat out laying in the puddles, trying to see how muddy they could truly get.

Here we have it: my take on anticipation. Flying towards that first satisfying splash…

Click here to view the next blog in the circle: Valerie Ackerman Photography

© lux amoris 2012

Another Mother’s Day mini taste!

Do you remember THESE sweet newborn twins, born in December?

Holy cuteness! Look at how big they’ve gotten! And those little smiles!

SO sweet. Mom is stunning (like, in an “are you serious, you did NOT just have twins” kind of way), and those boys clearly love her with every ounce of their being.

Babies change so much in that first year. You can never take too many photos! Document the changes, whether that be with professional photography, your own digital camera, even an iphone. The only “wrong way” to photograph your kids is to not do it at all. Bonus- remember to be IN the photographs with your kids. When is the last time you looked at family photographs of you growing up? If you were to look at one right now, are you going to be offended because your mother was in them? Doubt it! I know for me, personally, I prefer the images that have my mother in them. I like to compare the old photographs of my mom when she was my age to my reflection in the mirror. How are we different? How are we the same? I like to imagine living her life (aka, the “if I was my mom, what would I be doing right now” game) and laugh at the differences. Culture changes quickly, doesn’t it?

Almost as quickly as babies change.

© 2012 lux amoris

A taste from this year’s Mother’s Day mini event.

One of my favorite repeat little guys. Is he not the most handsome and well dressed kid? Every time we meet, I can’t believe how much he’s grown in the past 3 years. I don’t think I will get away with calling him a little guy next year.

Mom has a fantastic sense of style. I always look forward to the outfits she puts together. If these two look familiar to you, you are correct! You saw them last HERE, at the Fall holiday mini event.

He’s going to grow up and break some hearts, for sure.

© 2012 lux amoris

This month is Friendship.

I had considered taking Bug out with some of her preschool friends to explore this theme, but ever-changing weather conspired against the clock and it never happened. I thought about it a bit and fell back, once again, to that resolution I spoke of a few weeks ago. What do I want to remember about my life right now in 30 years? The friendship of my children.

I adore it. Bug dotes on Moose and treats him as if she is the mommy. She caters to his every need, is constantly checking on him, tries to discipline him when he is acting up, and she’s now working on teaching him to recognize letters. In return, he follows her everywhere, copies everything she does, and tries to be just like her. (I have many snapshots of them digging through the dress up bin, with Bug decking the Moose out in heels, sparkly dresses, and tiaras. He is a giant doll to her.)

I hope they remain this close as they grow, although I logically know that they may not. I’ll treasure these moments, when they are each other’s whole world.

Please click here to follow along the circle. Next up is Jessica Reischel’s take on friendship.

© lux amoris 2012

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!

This month, I wanted to simplify. As a whole, I want to focus on showing less images more often, instead of many images sometimes. I want to show you the best of the best. I can be terribly indecisive, so when it comes time to sit down and prepare a blog post, I want to show it all (and lately, I do! Almost the entire session, all in one blog post). My images are like my children, how can I pick and choose only some to feature and ignore the others?

Less is more. And maybe if I tease you with a few, you’ll want to come back and see more, as sessions may have multiple blog posts now. Yes, an ulterior motive. Guilty.

Back to the Life Story Series. Spring is what’s buzzing around, and I wanted to tell my story of spring, in just one image.

Good old Maryland spring weather. It’s cold. It’s hot. Put on your shorts. Put on your coat. Rain, rain, rain.

The kids have been cooped up and we had a sudden warm day. Moose-man’s posture says it all: “Hooray outside! Hooray sunshine! Hooray warm!”

He was playing in the grass, picking up giant handfuls of it and lifting his arm high to show it to the sun. He’d yell “Sun! Sun, look! Grass! Yay!”

Look! Sun! Grass!

Yay!

Click here to continue the Life Story Series chain!

© lux amoris 2012

I have joined a group of photographers– all wonderful women whom I have known for years, many before they even picked up the camera– have embarked on a journey to further refine our photography via themed exercises once a month. This month’s theme is reflection.

I had originally planned something entirely different for this assignment. I had a vision in my head of a rainy street at sunset, a but of warm hazy light peeking through the clouds. My kids standing at the edge of a puddle, poised to jump in. And the perfect photograph of their reflections in the puddle, all tense with anticipation of the first jump. (because who doesn’t like jumping in puddles?)

Well. Yeah, that didn’t happen.

The weather never did cooperate. And so a few days before this was due, I sat back and decided to give it some thought.

Reflections.

And then it dawned on me– a way to not only capture reflections, but to also keep this assignment in line with my goal for 2012 of recording all the memories I want to always remember.

Big baby, Regular baby.

Big Baby, Regular Baby is a game my husband plays with Moose every night after bath. We have a shaving mirror on the wall, with one side being a regular mirror, and the other side magnifies your reflection.

Every night, a fresh and clean Moose-man climbs up into Daddy’s arms and spends a few moments in shrieks and laughter over this game. He spins the mirror around, announcing “BIG BABY” when he stops on the magnified side, or “REGULAR BABY” on the normal mirrored side.

The two of them get going on this, using funny voices, dances, and silly faces, all while flipping the mirror around and around. It’s the highlight of bathtime for the imaginative two year old.

Documenting these moments in life is SO important to me. This is why, when I sit with my clients at their preconsultation, I always ask– what memories are you making right now that you never want to forget? Because it won’t be long before he’s more interested in hanging out with his friends and borrowing the car than spending an evening with Daddy laughing in the mirror. I want to always remember this.

Please, continue along the circle and see everyone else’s take on reflection! Next up is Melissa Dudek, click here to see her interpretation of the theme.

© lux amoris 2012

© lux amoris 2012

© lux amoris 2012

Just a little taste of what I’ve been working on recently. I’ll be shooting in Baltimore, MD this weekend, so be on the lookout for more blog postings from me soon. I’m slowly coming out of hibernation.

© lux amoris 2012

© lux amoris 2012