Derek and his son enjoy a warm October afternoon, Sligo Creek Park, Silver Spring.
Category Archives: Kids and Families
Kids are the most fun to photograph because they are the most au natural photography subjects I work with. While I spend time trying to grab a nice, albeit fleeting, family moment where everyone is smiling with their eyes open, I also capture those candid moments that make up the hilarity of being a family. NOTE: I never identify a child’s name, and I always receive permission from the parents before posting a child’s photo on my blog.
Valentine family
Beth and Shannon and their little girl celebrated their five-year anniversary on Valentine’s Day with a heart-shaped cake and red-and-pink hearts. Even though they formally married on another day, their first date was on Valentine’s Day, and they decided just to observe the one anniversary and kept the February 14 tradition. Their three-year-old, a perfect little lady, completed the heart-filled day in her little Minnie Mouse party dress. Here are some pictures of the cozy family in their Maryland home!
Married: Calli and Tom (for 35 years!)
I *love* this family, and I think they like me enough too, because they keep inviting me back to document their most important family moments (such as Dan’s and Erin’s wedding, Dave’s and Emily’s engagement, and now Calli’s and Tom’s anniversary). Calli and Tom were married 35 years ago and never seem to have left the honeymoon phase. You never hear any spousal grumblings or any stereotypical doofus-husband or nagging-wife stories with these two. They are a true, honest equal team who held fast to their vows all these years, raised three great boys with matching heads, and prioritize each other’s happiness above everything else. Calli and Tom fill their lives with wondrous food, world adventures, a growing family, and genuine devotion and respect. For their anniversary, their kids and daughters-in-law flew in for the weekend to celebrate. Here are a few shots from that day!
Chicago child
I spent a little time with an old friend and her newly expanded family out on a crisp fall day in Chicago. They asked me to take a few shots of them, which I happily obliged. Here is their little girl, an adorable petite perfect mix of both mom and dad, with giant curious eyes and doting new parents.
Baby blues
Who can resist this little one?
Seriously – there isn’t much to say in this blog write-up about this squishy little baby boy except that the pictures speak for themselves! Who doesn’t want to just pick up this little adorable guy and hug him to pieces? It was a fantastic spring weekend and he was full of pep and smiles for the camera. I won’t write anything more and just let you enjoy those little beaming blue eyes and toothy smile.
Little Tater in Central Park!
Here’s the adorable Little Tater, now 10 months, with whom I got to spend some more time with over the 4th of July weekend. This kid looks cute in almost every picture he takes, and it’s hard to resist his little smile and his ever-so-Nordic features. Enjoy the latest snapshots of him and his little family!
A snapshot: Little Tater, 10 months!
Our favorite little child model, better known as Tater, reaches 10 months and enjoys his first summer! I caught up with him and his parents over the 4th of July in Central Park for a few quick shots.
A snapshot: Babies!
Where have I been since China? I’ve been surrounded by BABIES, lots of brand-new people blissfully unaware that they’ve just embarked on the exciting adventure of life. I spent some time up in New York photographing two newborns and their siblings, a now 10-month old Tater, and my favoritest little ones splashing away summer in a grand old inflatable swimming pool courtesy of their aunt (me). At the request of the two newborn parents I will not be posting their photos on this blog, but I couldn’t resist this one’s little tiny feet. Congrats to the parents! Stay tuned for more pictures of my summer!
Little Tater
I met the cutest little bumpkin over the weekend, the six-month old half-Swede, half-Long Island Jew of Steve and Josie. Steve referred to him as his little Tater, among other names, and he really was like a little squirming, smiling potato with arms and legs. As a Swede, he has the finest red-blond hair (even his eyelashes!), white skin and light eyes of his ancestral Vikings; his Jewish dad claims he cries with an Long Island accent. Together, they are a happy little new family, exploring nooks and crannies of their new neighborhood together after their last New York apartment got too crowded for the three of them. He’s a photogenic little model baby, making it fairly difficult to choose from the number of great shots I got of him to show on this blog.
Flower Child
Introducing Marina and her petite chou! Shortly after this photo session, this little French-Russian girl became a big sister to a brand-new baby sister. We spent three days taking pictures around San Francisco in the botanical gardens and the playground. In between sand-eating sessions and moments of falling apart, I managed to capture the pure joy and unfiltered happiness that is being a child. 
Culebra Island, Puerto Rico
A 75-year-old kid flies a kite on the beach in Culebra
These pictures are a miracle. The snowstorm after Christmas cancelled flights out of New York and jammed phone lines to all airlines, and any available plane ticket was gone. But, alas, something went right for us, and within 48 hours all of us went from cold wet snow to hot warm sand.
Culebra is a quaint, rustic island removed from the main island of Puerto Rico once used as a bombing target practice by the U.S. military. Today it’s rated one of the top diving spots in the world, despite warnings posted to leave anything abnormal-looking alone on the ocean floor since it may be a remaining live bomb. (Snorkelers have nothing to worry about – they’re pretty deep in the ocean). Flamenco Beach is the best and most popular beach on the island, with campsites and little bungalow condos on the beach.
Everyone was a kid on this vacation. The little ones played in the water and built sandcastles, while the big ones flew kites and relaxed in the hammock. We also took a quick tour through old San Juan before our flight back home, through the colorful streets and the old fort.
Flamenco Beach
Take me out to the ballgame!
The White Sox (my husband Jon’s team) were in town playing the Washington Nationals this past weekend, and I had never seen him make such a thorough and quick turnaround in researching times, seats, prices and secure us five tickets for the game (it would be nice if he *cough* did that with a lot of other stuff around the house *cough*). We went with my sister and her little family out to the ballgame on Saturday. It was 96 degrees and we had seats around right field facing the blazing sun. For that reason I didn’t get to take many pictures of the game itself, although Jon used my zoom lens as binoculars for a while and ended up taking a handful of blinding photos.
Nationals Ballpark, as it’s formally called, is only three years old, as is the team itself. The park is very red, white and blue, more in a Disneyland kind of way than a patriotic way. Here’s a few pictures I snapped that day, including the metro ride to the stadium.
Tiny toes
Another Chicago child: This little munchkin is the 2 1/2 year old of my dear friend Amy from college She is an adorably squishy little kid who can sing the alphabet on command (without much coaxing), skipping a few non-important letters along the way. She’s currently enrolled at Tiny Toes, a ballet class for toddlers, and they have a ballet recital coming up. I think Tiny Toes is a hilarious name for a toddler ballet class, and if I stayed in town longer I would have made a point to see what a toddler ballet recital consisted of as well. In any case, she hung out on the window seat the whole time, giving her an angelic little halo background.
new beginnings.
Liying and Kit welcomed their first baby boy early last week! He was nine days after his due date, but just in time for me to meet him during my weekend in Chicago. He slept through most of my visit. He’s so little and so brand-new that you just want to protect and shield him from the big bad world, and tell him to watch out for strangers, dangerous weapons, Corporate America and people who text while driving. Liying and Kit are exhausted new parents, but oh-so-excited, super happy and positively beaming.
Red Kite Studios 
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