North Chagrin Reservation

Ever have one of those days?  I don't even have to explain what I mean, and you know, right?  One of "those days" where you just can't take it anymore.  Last Friday was one such day for me.  As soon as my husband got home from work to stay with my girls, I grabbed my raincoat, purse, and camera, and left.  I needed time alone.  I didn't know where I was going, but I ended up at the North Chagrin Reservation.  Not wanting to take pictures of Squire's Castle (been there, done that), I just drove around the Metropark for awhile, looking for something interesting.  Being 6:30 on a rainy Friday evening, there wasn't much at all, let alone interesting.  But that was good, because like I said -- I needed time alone.

Finally I saw a sign for a waterfall lookout, so I pulled over.  The "waterfall," such as it was, was nothing to write home about.  It looked more like a dirty class 3 rapid, and it smelled like low tide.  So I went for a walk.  The only things I could hear were the creek, the birds, and the rain.  I was totally alone, and I loved it.  I didn't care that it was raining.  I didn't care that I was wearing shorts.  I didn't care that I was trying to shoot through a plastic bag.  I just walked and thought.  I loved how green and full of life everything looked.  It was fresh and innocent.  Being springtime, it was also new and bright.  It was what I needed that night, for those 20 minutes I walked alone.

I'm afraid that, though I'm happy with these few pictures, they don't do justice to the cleanness and life that I saw that evening.

Location: North Chagrin Reservation, Willoughby Hills, OH

Crystal's not-quite-senior portraits

Last Summer I got to visit my parents in Connecticut for three weeks.  Since I was there for so long, I took my girls and drove up to Maine for a few days.  When I was first married, my husband and I lived in Portland, Maine while he finished his schooling there.  While he had grown up in various areas of the state, I'd never visited until I met him.  I fell in love, not just with him, but with the state.  I lived there only about 18 months, but I'd move back in a heartbeat if he could find competitive work there.  I'm not sure what it is about the state.  It's beautiful, even in the winter, but it's more than that.  The people are good and kind in their hearts, but it's more than that, too.  I can't quite put my finger on it.  Maybe it's my association with the newlywed stage of my life.  In any case, Maine is a little bit magical.  It casts a spell on all who visit or live there, even if for just a short period of time.  I will always have a fondness for the time I spent there.  When I visited, it was as though time had stopped.  I visited with old friends, and though their kids were older than when I left (and way older than they should be allowed to be), it didn't feel like there were five years between our last visits.  Some people are like that.

Crystal and her family are those kind of people.  A friend of my mom's says, "There are two kinds of family: family you're born with, and family you choose."  Crystal and her family are the kind of people that you choose as family.  I got to visit with them for a couple of days in August.  They live near a beautiful lake in Maine, so Crystal and I took some time to go down and take some pictures.  While she's not a senior yet, this was my first real foray into senior photography.

I don't normally do a lot of black-and-white conversions, but despite the beautiful light and scenery, so many of these images seemed even more striking in the classic look than in color.

Let me tell you a little bit about Crystal.  She's 15 years old, and has her hand in a variety of activities.  She sings in the chamber choir at her school.  She also plays volleyball.  She's actively involved in the youth group at her church.  Crystal also has a fondness for collecting sea glass from the lake near her home.  She makes custom jewelry pieces from her findings -- necklaces pendants, earrings, etc.  She has all her own tools, and is quite talented.  She babysits local kids, and is just about the kindest person in the world.  And she's beautiful to boot!

Baby Trevor (part 3) [Newborn Photographer, Cleveland, OH]

Last ones of this little guy.

Tiny feet poking out!




This makes me just want to kiss these little feet! Fortunately, my own baby is still small enough that I can kiss and tickle her feet.


Daddy and his little boy.


The whole family.



Location: Cleveland Heights, OH

Baby Trevor (part 2) [Newborn Photographer, Cleveland, OH]

More of baby Trevor.



Check out this creamy skin!




I couldn't decide if I like this better in color or black and white. What do you think?







Location: Cleveland Heights, OH

Baby Trevor [Newborn Photographer, Cleveland, OH]

It's been a long time since I've had a real session, so I'll admit I was a little nervous for this one. Also, despite having done a few already, I find newborns a big challenge. In order to keep them warm enough and keep their sensitive skin protected from the sun, you pretty much have to stay indoors, which limits your lighting options. For a natural light photographer, this is a big deal. The day that we had this shoot was overcast, and the windows in the room we were shooting in were in between houses, so they didn't get a lot of light to begin with.

The upsides: this is the first time (other than with my own daughter) that I've had the opportunity to use my reflector, and I found that it really did make a difference. And though I hate to depend too heavily on it, my editing software now is more powerful than what I used to have, and I've used it enough that I'm getting comfortable with it now, which helps, too. Also, baby Trevor slept so well for us, which is something that has been sorely lacking in other newborn sessions I've done. He was just 11 days old, so still mostly pose-able, though we did have an issue with one floppy arm that had a mind of its own.

Here are just a few of my favorites from this session. I'll post more over the next several days. For now, enjoy!



I love baby hair.




My friend Beth made this hat for me -- isn't it the cutest?





Location: Cleveland Heights, OH