Laura and I have been friends since I moved here to Cincinnati, back in ‘01… when her middle son was just a baby…. and my 2nd son was about the same age… and now they are 7, going on 14… and we’ve since had more kids, etc…. I’ve had the pleasure of shooting this family for so many years, and have watched these kids grow into really COOOOOL kids.

We had the joy of shooting this session in the HEAT of the day - it must have been 200` in the shade (I exaggerate just slightly here)…. and by the time we were done shooting, I think we were all soaked from head to toe and in need of a shower….. but…. we did get some FUN photos…..

And before I share… a big shout-out to Laura’s husband, Mark……. Mark is a local hero.  He served in Iraq for at least a year… (maybe longer? I can’t remember…..but I bet Laura does…)… and was away from his beautiful children.  I remember he didn’t get home from his deployment until March… and Laura had left the family Christmas tree up so they could celebrate….. not sure why that has stuck in my mind all these years….but it has… and I thought I’d take this opportunity to tell Laura how much her friendship means to me, and to tell Mark THANK YOU for his service to our country…. just some way-cool-peeps!

Without further blubbering from me… here are a few of their pics from their most recent session…..

when good family portraits go bad... LOL..... bunny ears abound!

This last one makes me laugh — I had asked them to sit close to each other for a shot — and the boys immediately go into “bunny ears” mode with their little sister…. it happens all.the.time and I think it’s so cute…so of course I had to snap one…..

#1: Hip. Trendy. Hot.

#2: Dull. Boring. Old fashioned.

Which do you want people to think of when they look at your senior pictures? If you picked #1, here are some great looks from Forever21.com. If you picked #2, you might want a different photographer. Just kidding. Kind of.  ;)

Hello loyal blog readers (and y’all know who you are!)  You’ve long asked me for  some “good” photos of my own children, to prove it can be done, LOL!! So the other night, I was feeling a bit down-in-the-dumps (hey it happens to everyone, right? I figured it was time to pick up the camera or a pint of Ben & Jerry’s.. so I chose the camera for once, ha ha).  So I told each of my four children to PICK THEIR OWN OUTFIT (gasp, shock, choke!)  My oldest son chose his typical every-day clothing.  My 2nd son chose a “nice” button-down shirt w/ a collar, and some jeans.  My 3rd chose an outfit which she wears all the time - one that’s comfy and that she loves - and my 4th chose her FAVORITE tie-dye dress. She wears this dress almost daily, whether we have time to wash it or not (I know, I know, bad mommy…but sometimes it’s just not worth the fight, and does the lifeguard at the pool REALLY care if her dress was worn for 4 hours y’day? No, she doesn’t)

So I didn’t pose my children, per se - I just asked them to have some fun with each other.  And here’s what I got:

This first one is of Josh and Ari, and our spaz-puppy Jake.  He’s a wild-dog, thus the ’shocker-collar’ around his neck.  Rest assured, we normally don’t shock him, we just “tone” him and that seems to be enough… except when he’s really excited and eating someone’s shoes…. which he does a lot…. In our home, we call the boys’ Brothers for Life’ and this has always stuck — so when they are playing around and goofing off like this,  often-times they will chant “Brothers for Life!” or something like that…. I saw it on Super-Nanny once (the Brothers for Life phrase) … and I loved it - so I borrowed it. And it stuck…

This is Smushie… she’s effervescent and has me completely wrapped around her fingers.. …. and her crazy hair….This is Ari … just walkin’ down the slide….. And then there’s the “J Team” (Joshua and Jillian)… in our home we do things in teams - so each kid has a ‘buddy’ (I learned this from those crazy Duggar parents).  So the younger J (Jillian) has an older J (Joshua) as her “buddy” - and when we get ready to leave the house, etc… the older team member has to help their younger team member… so here I asked for a “J Team” photo…And of course my beautiful princess Jillian…. she’s the sweetest of the Kahn kids, and goes thru life at 1000%…Another “J Team” Moment…Jillian laughing……And swinging….And here’s my handsome little Ari….. Just like we have “Brothers for Life”… we also have “Sisters for Life” … which is sometimes harder to achieve (the harmony, I mean…. ) but there are those fleeting moments when they actually DO love each other….. and play well together… and this night I was lucky enough to capture that….
Handsome Ari…Ari and Josh “monkeying around”….Jillian is always willing to pose for me… I love that about her, LOL!!!And here’s the “A Team” — Ari and Alana…. they are truly soul-mates.  They have a relationship that is so special amongst them…. it warms my heart all the time when I see them together…Alana, on the ladder. Notice the set of hands at the bottom right.  Those are Ari’s…. he wanted to make sure she wouldn’t fall…..Typical Kahn Kid behavior….The A team again….And the J team again…So…. thanks for looking at my kids’ photos…. now back to your regularly scheduled programming….

I’ve had the honor of photographing the Z family for about 4 years now - have been thrilled and delighted to photograph their two children as newborns, chubby smiling babies, and now gorgeous little PEOPLE!  Actual people!  Tonight’s photo shoot was just so much FUN!

I chased these little ones around and we giggled, laughed, danced, and played with chalk… I had to open a FEW previews to share because I was too excited knowing how gorgeous these kids are! (It’s a photographer thing, I think - you get great images, opening and viewing them is kind of like being a kid in a candy store… )

So without any further rambling… here are two of the most gorgeous kids …..

I photographed this family at my favorite Middletown location on Father’s Day - not really fair since the poor man had to hold it together when all sorts of creepy crawlies and flying menaces decided to attack him. Big meanies! But Dad was a real trooper and we have so many great images from the day to share. They last came to Priceless Reflections by Melissa before their sweet little girl was born and it was so much fun photographing her!

He loves these dinosaurs ALMOST as much as he loves his daddy. Such a sweet moment to treasure…

HUGE response to The Children’s Place Fashionista Friday post [thanks everyone!] so here are a few more looks from TCP to share.

Starting Monday June 15th I will be out of the office. The office will re-open on Friday June 19th.

All phone calls and emails will be returned on Friday the 19th.

Thanks!!!

Last week we talked about fun & funky kids’ wear and the week before we showcased a divalicious urban chic family wardrobe. This week’s Fashionista Friday is all about cool, casual comfort by Gap and Gap Kids in shades of brown and blue. Perfect for park and urban or even your home and garden, you’ll look coordinated but not like you tried too hard. Add some favorite chunky jewelry [wood beads anyone?] or dainty sterling silver for her and if he has a favorite hat, all the better.

When Mom calls for a session, I know I’m in for a treat. I’ve been photographing this spunky brother/sister pair for a while now and they’re absolutely adorable. Full of spirit, great smiles, lots of expression, which makes for a fun session and yes, it wears us out — but boy is is worth it! Mom is downright awesome with a keen eye for dressing the kidlets nicely and we always have a good laugh over the antics of these two.

Tomorrow’s installment of Fashionista Friday is almost ready to go and just a reminder, we’re booking up fast for our October return to Cincinnati. Call to get YOUR date soon!

Yesterday I got to photograph awesome  siblings in one of my favorite locations, Heritage Village in Sharon Woods, Sharonville. These four kids seem unbelievably close, which I really enjoyed.

Let’s meet these great kids: