Twins Are Two! :: Children's Portrait Session :: Elizabethtown, PA

One of the things I love about living in Central PA is being able to experience all of the seasons~ each has its special qualities, but fall is the one season I enjoy most. Woodsy picnics, campfire s'mores, boots and sweaters, apple cider, changing leaves... and beautiful light. I was so tickled to be able to photograph the twins again and since we've done portraits in the summer, Robin and Eric thought it would be fun to have the boys' portraits done in the fall this time. These sweet, curious boys never stopped running, jumping and throwing leaves... there were leaves everywhere~ in their hair, eyes, even teeth! And the best part was their parents calmly telling them "Okay, enough jumping off the tree stump now, I thinking you're making Miss Marci nervous!" Here are just a few from their session where they were doing what two year olds do best~ play with abandon!

Liz + Weston = Engaged! :: Elizabethtown Portrait Photographer

Even though my first love is photographing high school seniors (girls), then babies, kids and families~ I was so excited (like jump-up-and-down-giddy excited) when our good friends daughter, Liz, contacted me about portraits~ engagement portraits! This was a first for me~ it was fun to try something different and since Liz also has an eye for photography, it was extra sweet to collaborate on a few ideas.

These high school sweethearts are such an amazing couple and everyone who knows them, adores them.  Liz currently attends Millersville University, majoring in social work and minoring in photography~ she has a huge heart for kids and helping those in need. Weston is finishing his last year at IUP and will have a degree in music education with plans to return to Central PA and teach. Their wedding date is set for next July, and one thing about their future together is guaranteed: they will be an absolute blessing to the people around them in the years to come. Here are a few of my faves from their session~ please leave them a love note in the comments section at the bottom :-)

Children's Portrait Session :: The Gerbers

Anyone who knows this family knows just how much fun it was for me to spend a few hours with them. Jenny is one of the sweetest, most lovable people God created and it is evident that this character quality runs in the family! She teaches 2nd grade in the Elizabethtown area school district and pours everything she has into helping 'her kids' acheive their best~ students from her past classes always come back to visit her and get their hugs. Jenny and her hubby, Dan, have two very active, handsome boys who love their sports. Their younger boy reminds me so much of our middle guy, they played soccer together and are two peas in a pod, always smiling and silly (what we call 'squirrelly') but very serious in competition!

With all of the snow lying on the ground right now (and more coming!) it's fun to look back on this beautiful fall day when the leaves were just changing color around their property. Below are some of the images Jenny chose for her home~ including a framed print of the last image (my favorite) to put on their mantle. It really captures the fun they have together and how much love they have for each other! Enjoy!

Children's Portrait Session :: One Happy Family

I have been so excited to post this family's images and also want to share a little background into what goes into a portrait session~ first, a little about this sweet family who also happen to be wonderful friends of ours (make sure to go the scroll down to see the slideshow at the end!)

Cindy and Scott celebrated their 15th wedding anniversary in 2010 with a trip to Italy to commemorate this special time and when they returned, Cindy also wished to capture their family in images at this stage of their lives. (Too bad I wasn't invited to photograph in Italy! haha just kidding... kind of :-) Last fall, their daughter started middle school and their son had just begun his elementary school career, so between school, work and activities this family keeps a busy pace! Throughout the craziness, I love their sense of peace and truly caring for one another and it was my goal to capture a bit of who they are personality-wise and to overall capture a little vision of God sees them. We photographed in Hershey on a gorgeous fall day~ what amazing light! It's my favorite time of year to photograph. Here are some of my favorite images from their session:

For the planning of a custom portrait session, many details are decided before I ever pick up a camera~ a pre-session consultation helps us to determine a location, what clothes and accessories to bring, and what products you are looking for in finished images. A large framed print or a canvas gallery wrap would highlight the ones you love ~ or if you have a hard time deciding on just a few, a keepsake album featuring all of your images is a new option starting this year. It is an investment in the history of your family, and one to share with generations to come! Photographing kids and their parents is also one of my favorite things in the world to do~ to capture the love you and your family have for each other, well, there's really nothing better! The video below gives a sense of the types of images captured in a single custom portrait session. Of course, each session is different, depending on the children's ages, as well as what location and clothes are chosen~ but you get the idea! I had so much fun with them~ Enjoy!

Children's Portrait Session :: Fun Day @ Messiah College

Happy 2011! I am taking a couple of weeks off in the new year, but will start blogging some of the fall sessions now that the holiday cards have been sent and special gifts given :-)

Oh my, this little guy was my very first newborn portrait session and I can't believe how quickly he has grown up! It is sad that we no longer refer to him as "Baby O" because, well, it's clear he's no longer a baby! He has quite the expressive (and impressive!) vocabulary and he still is as cute as can be. He was VERY excited to show me around his mommy & daddy's alma mater, Messiah College, and make sure I knew where the soccer and lacrosse fields were located. We played in leaves, found a fun playground and ate yummy snacks on a perfect fall day. My favorite images are of him playing in the leaves~ so much fun! Enjoy!

Christmas Blessings!

Wishing you and your family a joyous Christmas! May your heart be filled with happiness and cheerfulness and your days blessed with the company of good friends and family. A special thanks to all the wonderful people who have made 2010 an amazing year for Circle of Life Photography~ I feel continually blessed by each one of you! Praying for God's continued guidance and direction in the year to come~ may I honor and glorify Him in the images of his people!

Children's Portrait Session :: The Dinse Sisters

The end of October! How these days are just flying by. I don't know how the rest of you are doing but around here, it feels a bit chaotic this time of year with all the kids' activities, school projects, sports, church, fall parties and, well, those boring necessary things like grocery shopping, laundry and cleaning. I have been photographing some amazing kids and parents lately and I wish I could get them on the blog ten times faster!

Here are a few of my favorites from a recent session with the Dinse family. If you know this beautiful family, chances are good you love them too~ they are funny, kind, compassionate and thoughtful. Dan owns Dinse Dental Care in East Petersburg and Ling works as a personal and marriage counselor. Over the past couple of years around Christmas and Easter, Ling has organized several pajama, coat and clothing and toy drives to share with Harrisburg BIC church families and nothing stops her group from getting the items to the kids~ last year's event took place during a huge snowstorm! Thankfully for the girls' portrait session, we didn't have any weather concerns~ it turned out to be a beautiful fall day and we had fun walking around their property and the Masonic Village gardens. Enjoy the images, the girls did a fabulous job (and their parents behaved pretty well too!)