Addison Caroline {Boston Newborn Portraits}

A few weeks ago I packed my bags (again!) and hopped into my car.  500 miles later, I let myself in through the back kitchen door and a newborn was placed into my arms.  After a few minutes with that blanketed bundle, I looked up at my dear friend Wendy and told her that, if I had to get back in my car right now and drive home, it would have been worth it just for those few precious minutes with her daughter. Luckily, I didn't have to turn around and drive back to Massachusetts and I had a couple of days to snuggle with that lovely little girl and her big brother, Zack (check out his post, here!).

Going through Addie's photos I have rediscovered the beauty of black and white.  Here, a few of my favorites...

She has the most piercing blue eyes, and such an intense gaze!  Plus, did you see that head of hair?  Her brother was famous for his natural mohawk, a subject of his momma's blog for many months when he was born. Though little Addie may not be going down the mohawk path, her tresses are already noteworthy.

One of my favorite moments that I captured was this little exchange between my best friend, the momma and her daughter.  Such a sweet moment to capture in the perfect photo.

And what would life be without a little color?  A few more of little Addison Caroline, who has already stolen so many hearts...

Below, my newest photo prop addition: a beautiful picture-frame-turned-chalkboard.  Love this!

And lastly, let's not forget about Addie's big brother, Zachary.  That little guy has been amazing his momma and daddy for 22 months.  The day that Addie came home from the hospital, he decided that he wasn't about to let her steal the limelight and he took his first steps... all SIX of them!

The Z-man also stole the show with my newborn props.  I love that when I looked back through these pictures I found that itty bitty droplet of baby drool coming out of his mouth in the photo on the left.  He was concentrating oh-so-hard on erasing that chalkboard, and it shows!!

Little Addie is lucky to have such a wonderful big brother!

Shutters & Steering Wheels

Given that a car crash was part of the reason that finally prompted the purchase of my fancy DSLR camera 1 1/2 years ago (more on that later!), there must be a few good reasons about why it's not such a good idea to wield said bulky camera behind the steering wheel.... whatever those reasons are, I certainly didn't find them today!  Behold, the car pictures....

I spent the weekend down the Cape, and while driving back I got stuck in traffic on a two lane road.  With a glimpse of a field of purple flowers to my left, I slammed the brakes, turned around, and got out with my flashers blinking to photograph it.  I thought it might have been the Cape Cod Lavender Farm, which I just found out about and am dying to go to and photograph.... instead, it was the front lawn of a private property.  Still gorgeous:

And a close-up:

Well, those couple of pictures led to the end of the end for me.... after all, what's a girl supposed to do while stuck in traffic at sunset?

Above: I got a bokeh in my shot! If you don't know what a bokeh is, click the link.  Bokeh is my latest photography obsession.

(Oh, but of course I managed to catch a sunburst while balancing my camera on the steering wheel in traffic!)

Seriously, there must be a number of logistical reasons of why this is dangerous.  And after this blog post, there may even be a new law going into action about hands-free cameras. Case-in-point, the bridge that I definitely shot a little off center/out of range with my aim:

Despite steering wheel mishaps, that camera will still be in the front seat with me.  So in the meantime, keep those beautiful Cape Cod sunsets coming, and I will find ways to capture them (even if I am stuck in a car in end-of-weekend traffic!)

Brighter Than the Sun

"This is how it starts, lightning strikes the heart.It goes off like a gun, brighter than the sun. We could be the stars, falling from the sky, Shining how we want, brighter than the sun."

~Colbie Caillat

Sunbursts.  Sunbeams.  A glimmer.  Rays of sunshine.  Golden light.  A sparkle and a twinkle.  Sun flare.  The clouds part above as the angels sing...  Call it what you want, but it is oh-so-beautiful.  Ever since I first figured out how to capture that on my camera, it's kind of been an obsession of mine.  Quite a few people have told me, "Oh, you can avoid that by using a lens hood."  Oh yes, I certainly have one of those. And oh no, I rarely use it.  I prefer to tilt my lens just so, knowing that I'll have a better chance of getting those twinkling rays to grace my photographs.

And here, for your viewing pleasure, are a few of my favorites.

*My first ever sunburst photo, taken on the Charles River by my home.

*Cape Cod.  A Yarmouth beach at sunset.

*Barcelona, Spain.

*An all-time favorite, and one that has made it to my walls.... Check out that sun flare!  Il Colosseo, Roma.

*The sunlight gave this photo taken in a plaza in Salamanca, Spain a very warm feeling to it...

*And finally, those gorgeous beams hitting an ancient stone entryway in Taormina, Italy.

So really, call it what you want, but there's no denying that those sunbeams are the most amazing thing to "catch" in  your photographs.  Hoping to capture a few in my upcoming sessions.... yet another reason to keep my fingers crossed for some more sunny days!