Family Portrait Session :: Sisters Make The Best Friends

Getting amazing images of these girls was the easy part~ trying to make arrangements between their school, sports, work schedules and social lives to make it happen has been many months in the making! So today we headed to Lancaster and were blessed with some amazing mid-morning light on this perfect spring day. These two belong to a family that is very special to me and they have such an awesome relationship it makes me kind of wish I had a sister too (even though being the only girl does have its perks!) Liz has a natural talent with a camera, and plans to add photography classes to her social work courses in college this fall~ it has been fun for us to talk photography. Meghan just finished up the soccer season is headed away this summer on her second international missions trip before starting her senior year in high school. It was wonderfully fun hanging out with them today~ hmmm maybe it helped that they are both gorgeous and needed very little direction? ~ but in any case they certainly turned my work into play and I hope you enjoy these images as much as I have!

Family Portraits :: Happy Together

I have been looking forward to this family portrait session ever since Stacy contacted me~ thanks to Facebook, we got in touch again after many years. I think I kind of freaked out their daughter when I told her that I have known her mom and dad since I was her age~ or maybe it freaked me out a little, to think that we possibly have kids that age! Anyway, Stacy and Keith have been married 15 years and their love for each other and their kids is so evident~ such a kind and caring family. Their daughter is beautiful inside and out and that little guy is gonna break some hearts some day. I am so glad we got to reconnect and enjoy an absolutely gorgeous evening together~ so many different settings and lighting options, and unbelievably cooperative kids, I could have photographed all night! I have so many favorites but I narrowed it down here...thanks again for hanging with me!

Senior Portrait Sessions :: Now booking!

If you are in the Elizabethtown/Hershey/Palmyra area and are thinking about senior portraits~ I have a limited number of senior sessions I can add to my schedule~ so please book early! Here are examples of some referral cards I had printed for two 2009 grads~ if you book your session for June you will also receive these cards & you can earn $$ credit toward your print purchase! I just love the shimmery pearl finish~ the pic here just doesn't do it justice...it's really amazing!

Senior Portrait Session :: Elizabethtown 2009 Grad

What a wonderful way to end Mother's Day~ photographing this beautiful E-town soon-to-be graduate! And what a great way to end her 'official' last day of being 17~ she celebrates her 18th birthday tomorrow. I love photographing seniors, because half the fun is getting to find out all about their hopes and dreams for the future. She plans to attend school in Pittsburgh this fall and aspires to be a photojournalist...she comes from family of achievers, so I suspect we may just see her name credit in a big-time magazine someday! I think the first image below is my favorite...our goal was to come away with images to please both Mom & daughter, and I am thinking: mission accomplished!

just for fun, we made a stop in at her work~ cappuccino anyone?


love this one too...






and this one!

Giving Back :: Pillows-of-Love Fundraiser

I am always in awe of what God can do when one person commits to following His lead and the story behind this wonderful ministry is both inspiring and enlightening. Pillows-of-Love held it's third annual Pillowcase Derby on a gorgeous, sunny, April Saturday in downtown Hershey. Palmyra resident Kim Jerrehian founded this ministry just five years ago with a donation of 40 pillowcases and Bibles to a local shelter. Pillows-of-Love has now provided over 25,000 Bibles and colorful, handmade pillowcases to women and children in recovery shelters, pregnancy centers and international orphanages. You can read more at: http://www.pillows-of-love.com/ and there will be more images from this year's event posted in the next couple of weeks.

I was honored to be asked to capture the day in images~ there was so much activity, it was hard to choose just a few to post! Great baked treats, balloon art, crafts, face painting, clowns, and the kids just had a blast hopping, skipping and running around. The best part of the day for me was hearing one little girl tell her friend, "this is one my favorite days of the year." Here is a glimpse of the day:

Starting the event with prayer


love the pillowcase colors!




kids could hop, skip, run or walk around the 'track'


get their card punched for each lap


line up for the Pillowcase jump race


and receive a trophy as thanks for their effort!


Pillows-of-Love founder, Kim Jerrehian shared about the ministry


homemade cake to celebrate the 5th anniversary~
my friend's mom made this...yum!!


Pillows-of-Love Board of Directors~ thanks for putting together a great event!

Family Portraits :: Three Generations

I have known this wonderful family for a looong time~ the grandma in the family was my grade school art teacher, and I have been friends with her daughters, Debbie & Kim, since before high school. We spent a fun afternoon walking around the beautiful grounds of Cornwall Manor in Lebanon yesterday. The only granddaughter in the family has the most amazing green eyes I think I've ever seen. Those cute boys kept me on my toes~ no breaks from trying different ways to get them to smile! Here are my faves from the session. Enjoy!

Extended Family Portraits :: Gram's Family

Over this Easter weekend, Anne's (a.k.a. Gram's) family was visiting from out of state and her daughter, Sue, had contacted me a few months ago to see if I would take a family portrait. Initially, working out a date and location was not a problem, but the iffy weather kept us guessing! So we went to the beautiful Nissley Vineyards on Saturday just before they were all headed off to a surprise birthday party for Anne's sister.  We had a wonderful time and Anne's kids and grandkids are all so warm and easy going. Turns out that Saturday was a special day of remembering her husband, who would have been 77 that day. Her youngest grandson, just 4 years old, kept us all smiling (and at times, laughing) and even gave me a hug when leaving. This is why I love what I do!

These next three all have beautiful blue eyes, but there's something so timeless and classic about black & white...