Today :: Lexington, VA Children's Photographer

They are exactly 13 months apart, my daughter and my niece. Conceivably (ha!), they could both be mine. One running. One tottering. One aggressively bum rushing the other with hugs. Both falling into a heap. One using the pacifier. The other trying to steal it.

All.day.long.

But this isn't my every day. This is today. The day I am repaying my sister for all her generosity and kindness and rescuing when I needed it. For her today looks nothing like my today.

Her today is filled with excitement and romance and reconnecting with her husband as they enjoy their first weekend away from their precious baby girl.

And my today...well, my today is filled with toys and toys and books and juggling and feeding and laundry and dishes and lots and lots of holding folks.

Oh. And some photography.

I Heart Faces, Week of Sept 19 :: Touch of Sun

I don't often get to play in that delightful hour just before sunset when the sun is dipping low in the sky and you can have your heart's fill of sun flare and backlighting and silhouettes. You see, dinner usually happens about that time. And baths. And crankiness. And fatigue. And all the things that least make me want to pick my camera up.

But in summer?

Oh, in summer, when the sun stays so high in the sky so many minutes after all those chores. And I find that my daughter is feeling congenial and smiley and cooperative. It is in those fleeting moments that I am touched by the evening sun. Rewarded with a stolen reverie within my daughter's constant motion.

I am eager to see all the times of day represented during this week's I Heart Faces' challenge. If you would like to enter, click the button below!

I Heart Faces, Week of Sept 12 :: Back to School!

Older women, as they smile at my littlest one in the grocery store, almost always follow that smile with a warning to savor these early years. To hold on to her hand as long as possible for it goes by all too quickly. I chuckle and give the almost reflex answer, as I start pushing my cart down the aisle, "Yes, I know. Isn't this time so precious?"

But inside I am hoping the hour in the grocery store flies by. And there is no crying. And then I start to wonder why this day feels so long. And why my kids talk so much. And why they can't entertain themselves.

Then I see this. I see my stepson with only two more years at home. Two years of high school before stepping out into the great unknown of life. I see my daughter eager to tear off down the street to her first day of kindergarten. And I see the baby of the group, looking up at her brother, confused about where he is going and why he won't be around to play. I know she will be leaving next. And those ladies at the grocery store are right. It will come too soon.

But I will only really know that after it happens.

Be sure to share your back to school memories over at I Heart Faces by clicking the link below:

Today I Saw a Parade :: Virginia Military Institute Photographer

Today I saw a parade. A beautifully executed parade. The marching commands and facing movements were the same as they have been for centuries. The uniforms were the same as they have been for centuries.

The faces were new.

And so young.

I couldn't help but think of the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks as I watched cadet after cadet fill the parade field, heads held proudly, firm footfalls guiding their course. They entered knowing we are a country at war. They know they might deploy. And still they stand there. Ready to answer their country's call. Faithfully. Unwaveringly.

Today I saw the greatness of our nation embodied. Today I saw a parade.

Wonderful :: The Homestead, Virginia Photographer

One of the greatest fears I have as a photographer is photographing another photographer and her family. She will recognize all my ploys to make the children smile. She will question my thinking when I ask them to do this or that. She will scrutinize my camera equipment. She will...

But you know what? She didn't.

Instead, she met me in a rush, offering apologies for being late, saying she forgot how hard it is to get a whole family dressed and ready and she will never again complain about her clients being late for their sessions. In her defense, though, she had her family dressed to perfection. She had snacks on hand to help happiness abound. She knew to offer her reticent husband a libation before we started. In a word, she set me up for success. She knew what I would need and she offered it all on a silver platter.

And to her, I offer this glimpse of a vibrant, energetic, beautiful family. A family I was delighted to meet at their annual getaway at the majestic Homestead in Hot Springs, Virginia. What better place for pictures than the spot they have vacationed since their honeymoon? The place where they relax, unwind and really reconnect as a family?

The day was wonderful. The session was wonderful. My fears were silly.