PAMPELA

This is a family I have photographed for a couple years. This year, the littlest one, kept calling me Pampela, which totally made my day. We played outside running and swinging and then came inside at the end. After talking with the mom, I looked back and the grandmother was reading to the kids in the beautiful light. And then the son, who had disappeared, came back with a camera made of construction paper and took my picture! I never know what will happen on my shoots, but love all the surprises that come, totally unexpected. They are gifts!

Four Generations plus One on the Way

One of my long-standing clients asked me if I would photograph her with her mother and grandmother two days before Christmas. And as a bonus, my client is pregnant with a baby girl! I love photographing multiple generations in a family. So meaningful! We got some beautiful shots of the three women. At the end, my client's one-year old son came for a guest appearance. He had so much fun playing with his mom's belly and the grandmothers showered him with love as well. What a great gift to all be together for Christmas.

Returning

A family that I photographed 10 years ago, came back for a session this summer. The oldest son is now heading off to college. The boys were so connected with each other and the whole family when we photographed at Burying Hill Beach. One of the best parts of my job is getting to know families and watching them grow.

Held

This shoot reminded me of a shoot I did many years ago for my client when she was getting ready to go to an elegant party. I photographed the excitement of getting ready, the beauty of her dress and self and the juxtaposition of being all dressed up and being out in nature. This Thursday, it was like deja vu. My client and her daughter were all dressed up to go in to New York City for a special dinner. The love and connection were so evident inside and out. It is a milestone to see my client take her own daughter to an adult event, since I started photographing their family almost ten years ago when she was eight!

The Happy Little Man

Some children do seem like old souls and this little guy seems old beyond his 5 months. He is like a little entertainer. I have never seen a happier baby who liked to smile and laugh throughout the shoot. I've photographed this family with their two daughters  for several years. Adding a little boy into the mix, as well as one with such an exuberant personality, has changed the family dynamic and added much happiness! I could have been at a comedy club while I was looking at the images with the mother today. We could not stop laughing!

A Walk in the Woods

A lovely young mother and her confident daughter and her doll met me at Earthplace for a fall photo session. They played on the playground and then we took off on a short walk on one of the trails. The light was magical and the two of them connecting was beautiful.

A New Baby and her Big Sister

It was a bright sunny Sunday up in Newtown and I had a shoot with a family with a 5 week old baby and their 2 year old animated daughter. During all the activity the baby slept so peacefully. There was a white fluffy rug in the daughter's room which became an amazing backdrop for the 2 kids. Lots of great interaction. And the two Boston terriers were a bonus!

Winter Past

The light snow this morning reminded me of a snowy shoot last January. Outdoors in winter can make a wonderful backdrop for fine art portraits. This family has older kids which made it especially interesting and dramatic.

Walking on Water

This is one of my favorite places to shoot, Old Mill Beach in Westport, CT, at low tide. Usually in the summer, but this year November was even an option! It is a magical place that is always changing, has a lot of energy and provides many beautiful lighting and background options. This family I have worked with and enjoyed  for years. There was walking and dancing and hugging out on the flats. When we got back to the shore, we went over by the lagoon and found some rough wood and boats which looked great in B&W. Taking time with them as the tide came in and the daylight faded was such a creative treat. . Then we headed home.

Westport Fall Family Photo Session

This was a wonderful indoor/outdoor photo shoot with a couple I photographed 7 years ago after they had their first child. It was terrific to see how their family had grown and to capture the energy and character of these kids. We had a lot of fun.

Fall family session at Southport Beach

This was a shoot I did for my art consultant and framer at the beach in Southport, CT. We lucked out with a warm, sunny November day. Visit them at: https://www.facebook.com/TroyFineArt

Sherwood Island beach family shoot

For me, creating fine art portraits is about going beyond a person's likeness. I try to capture a motion or gesture or attitude that will spark memories 20 years from now and remind my clients how they were when the photo was taken. I also want the image to be visually interesting. A work of art that stands on its own.

This family session was wonderful for all that. We began the shoot at the family's Westport home. The 12 year old boy loves basketball, so we got him playing. As you can see, the 3 year old girl loves ballet! Then we went to Sherwood Island Park where everyone became connected and played around and got wet and let the session unfold.

Florida train yard photo shoot

Most of the time I find that black and white photography is more powerful and timeless than color. But on a recent vacation to Amelia Island, Florida, we found this marvelous train yard at sunset.  The colors of the rail cars and the graffiti begged for color images and I got some great photos of my boys and my sister's kids against the cool boxcars. We were almost out of light by the time we finished so I played with some filters to enhance colors. Very fun shoot.

Eastham / Cape Cod Family Destination Shoot

One Sunday afternoon in August I did a photo shoot at a Westport family's beach retreat on Cape Cod. The cabin has been in the family for years. Beautiful weather, lovely light, and fun family. This was a photo session I donated to the Silvermine Arts Center benefit auction last spring.  So in addition to contributing to a great cause, I was able to do the session in a wonderful spot.

Full House - triplets and a dog

What a great opportunity to revisit my clients after 5 years. The triplets have changed so much since the last photo session that I did when they were 3 years old. There was a lot of laughter, action, and caring to go around. It's wonderful to compare photos from each shoot with clients and be able to chronicle their life journey.

New York Newborn

And this is why I love my job. It was a Sunday morning in July on a bright sunny day. A client that I had photographed over the years: first the daughters, then the engagement pictures and now the 4 day old baby. Watching the whole family grow and evolve. I was so honored to be there with the new baby and the support team (both sets of grandparents and the new aunt). All sorts of new roles and a new person to love. And over the course of it all, I was so reminded of the way that babies make you stop and pay attention. And there is no schedule. And all these emotions came up in the course of a couple hour shoot: happiness, wonder, exhaustion and frustration. A new baby creates an intense microcosm of life distilled down to its basics.

Beach Music

I love doing promotional shots with clients who will try new things. This summer session was for a midwest music student who wanted some profile pictures for her portfolio. We did some classic shots against a backdrop and then took her cello to Burying Hill Beach in Southport to get some environmental photos that complimented her music. It was a lovely day for it and we got some great shots.

Mother & Daughter Easton Orchard Walk

I always do photography sessions with the awareness that I’m helping a family create a journal of memories. But this session was special because the family is moving back to the Netherlands while their daughter is staying here to finish her senior year of high school. The mother wanted to do a session with her daughter and their two dogs in a favorite place so they would have an album to take with them. The day was 90 degrees and wonderful as we hiked around a beautiful orchard they enjoy in Easton. We walked and talked. They played and laughed. It was a magical time filled with love and connection.

Winter afternoon newborn session

We had a wonderful photo session in January with a local family whose little girl had been born in a snowstorm 8 days before. It was a lively group and the winter morning light through the windows made for some lovely shots. We got a lot of variety even through the entire session took place in one room.

Sunday afternoon family shoot in Fairfield

Amy used a family get-together to create this family portrait session at her Fairfield home. We spent some time doing shots against a backdrop and then had some fun outdoors with her son, her brother, her parents and her brother's dog. This was meaningful to me because the last time I had worked with Amy, her son was a baby. Some images from that shoot to come.