Mango Street Photography

After a 2+ week cold and sinus infection, I am happy to return to the wonderful world of blogging. As I’m sure is the case with most of you, this season tends to be especially busy. I have been working hard on wrapping up family sessions in time for the holidays and have so many wonderful ones I need to catch you up on! In the mean time, enjoy this glimpse of a recent 1-year old session with sweet Marley. This photo speaks to me of the wonder of the holidays from the eyes of a child:

Anyone who has been around a one-year-old knows they don’t stop. Just moments before and after this frame was captured, Marley was busily making her way up these steps. What I love about this image is that it captures her brief pause to wonder at beauty. And that’s my goal this Christmas. Even if it’s for a brief pause, I desire to marvel in the beauty and life that this holiday celebrates. I hope this inspires you to do the same!

Look for more posts to come soon!

Last weekend I had the pleasure of photographing 3 generations of women who are not only beautiful on the outside, but are beautiful inside as well. Their love for one another was so apparent and natural–I loved it! As a fun side note, when I asked Eve where she got one of the twin’s dress, her reply? She made it. I have so much respect for moms as it is, but to do such a great job with twins AND find time to sew super cute dresses for them each season? I am inspired! Without further ado, enjoy a glimpse into our Saturday morning of a tea party on a family quilt, exploring a field, and picking yellow wildflowers:

I had a wonderful time with you all–thanks for inviting me into your time together!

~

i vividly remember the moment when we found out that our friends allen and mandi were expecting because i teared up thinking about what amazing parents they were going to be. their love for each other and their commitment to the Lord is undeniable, and andrew and i both are so thrilled for them as they enter this new stage of life as parents. it was a huge treat to meet landon and to document the beginning of his life. enjoy a glimpse~

i loved that landon was awake when i arrived as it gave me a chance to catch these fun expressions!

their home is so cozy~

i love this one of landon sleeping on mandi.

baby feet need no caption.

we ended the session in landon’s nursery…

baby yawns. one of my favs.

i love that landon is totally chillin’ out in this shot. and notice the sweet initials hanging over landon’s crib. mandi made them, and i thought they turned out so well–love the creativity!

until next time~

one of the many things i love about my job is that every day is different. each family i photograph has a personality, background, and story that is their own. i so enjoyed getting a glimpse into alex, lyuda, and roman’s story as they are still in their first year of living in the states after moving from ukraine! in fact, they took andrew and i out to dinner after their session (thanks again, guys!) and shared about their time here in america, and they even (very patiently) taught us some russian phrases. there is something so amazing about hearing another language, it gives me goose bumps. maybe it’s the simple reminder that the world is so much bigger than my circle, but i think there is also something tremendously wonderful about the beauty of language. back to the session. since roman was about to celebrate his 2nd birthday, this session was all about him and capturing life at age 2. enjoy a peek~

one thing i learned very quickly is that 2 year olds like to be on the go. roman definitely kept me on my feet, but i had a blast!

at some point, i think every little boy dreams of driving a train~

roman had such a great smile. when he was having a great time, everyone knew it!

i love that this picture shows roman holding onto both of his parents–such a picture of the partnership and teamwork that goes into parenting.

~

thanks again, guys, for everything! for sharing dinner with us and for giving us a glimpse into your story. we loved it!!

so this session was especially a treat for me because it was with one of my best friends from high school. when we met in 10th grade, we lived within walking distance and, thus, carpooled everywhere we went. i will never forget riding around together in my first car–a ‘73 datsun 240z. no air conditioning. my window that didn’t roll up. my door that didn’t close all the way and rattled constantly. and, yes. the holes in the floor boards so big that we could watch the road beneath us. i don’t know how we made it through those hot georgia summers, but somehow we did. we have tons of great memories together, but i will save those and fast forward to life today.

bev is now married, has an adorable son and lives in florida, but when they planned a trip up to atlanta recently, they scheduled a session to capture their family in their current phase of life. i’m so glad they did.

you know i love when a family chooses a setting that has meaning to them for their photos. well, this first location is a spot that jeremiah, bev’s husband, has great memories of visiting as a child. how fun to bring his family back years later.

the day was extremely overcast, but it kept the heat off of us!

even though you can’t see her face, i feel like this pic is so beverly.

i’m pretty sure it was at this moment when i realized i wasn’t looking through the lens at just another client and said, “oh my goodness, beverly!! you’re all grown up!!”

after a quick drive and wardrobe change, we arrived at location 2: the marietta square. i shoot a lot here because of the variety of buildings and textures, but it was particularly fun to be here since it is a special place for jeremiah and beverly. this courthouse is the spot where they got married, and this is the first time they have been back!

it was so hard to narrow these down for the post–i think bev is such a radiant mother.

i thought this was so cute–johnathan chowing down on jeremiah’s ear.

thanks again, guys! i had a great time spending time with you~