Oh what a FUN job I have!  Sorry I’ve been MIA on the blog – been a little busy with some summer shooting – have traveled to San Diego, Chicago, and a few other places for some aaaah-mazing photo shoots.  Until I can get them up here on the bloggity-blog… enjoy these shots from last week’s performance of “Twinderella” at the Chandler Center for the Arts…. kids did a GREAT job with their lines and the dancing… so adorable!

This little princess has been a Priceless Reflections by Melissa client since she was just a few days old. I’ve had the pleasure of watching her grow and the honor of documenting her life through portraits for her family. On this day, she was real trooper and full of laughs, giggles, and that batting eyelashes look that every little girl seems to master to get what she she wants.

Recognize her from the top of the Smugmug site where you view your images after the session? She’s growing up!

As Mom to two boys, I can relate to that incredible bond between mothers and sons, and this session really rocked my socks because I got to focus on their relationship. No distractions, no other STUFF, just mom, son, and me… along with some seriously killer light.

That’s not to say it was all serious and deep – we have too much fun for that!

Mom’s got a heartbreaker on her hands. Oh, those eyes!

Piece of really cool but totally useless trivia: Mom attended college with my husband in Carbondale. How cool is that?  Let’s all bust out in a chorus of, “It’s a Small World!”

I’ve been blessed to photograph the “B” family for the last 3 years or so. Blessed because they’re a unique family full of love and compassion and yeah, a lot of fun. The expressions on their faces are so much fun – just look at a slice of our day.

How can you resist smiles like this?

Our own Smushie graduated from Yad B’Yad Preschool at Temple Emanuel and through the tears (and laughs… preschool graduation, enough said) I was able to capture some great images for the families.

And here’s our girl. We’re so proud of you, Smushie!

I can’t say enough great things about Yad B’Yad and Lynn, Denise, and Leslie! Thank you so much for the wonderful education, guidance, and friendship you gave to our daughter and all of the children in her class. We’ll miss you!

One of the best parts of living here in Phoenix is our proximity to all things “Western” … cowboy hats, cowboy boots, and big belt buckles.  Coming from Cincinnati… well, it’s taken some time to get used to seeing these things frequently, but it’s really cute how all the little ones get into it!

This little cowboy was SO very excited to sport his brand new cowboy hat … so during his photo shoot of course we had to bring it out for a few shots…..

I met this charming West Side couple at the Civic Center in Scottsdale for pre-wedding portraits.

They were getting married at the courthouse but still wanted fabulous engagement-style  portraits to remember the day. They’re super sweet, so very much in love, and they made my job so easy.

Just look!

They celebrated the big event at a small Brazilian restaurant with family and close friends and I can’t wait to show them the rest of their images !

“Where’d she go?”

“Has anyone seen Melissa?”

“Hello… hello… hello… ::echo fades into the distance::”

That’s me. MIA. Missing in action. Gone. Absent from the blog. I’m so sorry!! It’s just that life and work got hectic and something had to give. Couldn’t be family. Couldn’t be friends. Couldn’t be clients. Couldn’t be the holidays themselves. That left the poor blog.

My New Year’s Resolution?  You’ll be seeing a lot more of me in 2010! (now, is that twenty-ten or two thousand ten…. the things we have to ponder!)

Sometimes you can’t go wrong.  Take a gorgeous, sunny, bright Phoenix day, add in the mix a fun-loving, beautiful family, and what do you get??  (Ok, don’t guess, I’ll tell ya)  You get the most amazing photos of a family that truly eminates love and happiness.  What else can I say??  LOVED this session that we shot in downtown Phoenix near Cooperstown and Copper Square.

We could not have asked for a more perfect morning to shoot this session – it was actually overcast (hard to believe here in the Valley of  the Sun!)… weather was beautiful, and look at how adorable these two sisters are!

I shot this session at the DC Ranch Market Street area …and really loved it!  I’ll definitely be heading back to Scottsdale to shoot here… so many possibilities!

Without further adieu…meet this morning’s beautiful sisters: