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.

Woodneck Beach, Falmouth/Cape Cod

I spent an afternoon in Falmouth, MA, last summer with a mother and her two children on vacation. The session began at a local lighthouse near Woods Hole that opens for tours once each year and we all climbed the spiral staircase to the top for a view. Then we went to their favorite spot at Woodneck Beach to get photos of everyone playing on the beach. It was a perfect afternoon and the water so clear and warm it felt like being in the Caribbean.

Greenwich Point Park family session

I recently did a photo session at Greenwich Point Park for a family that won my donation to the Stepping Stones Children's Museum benefit auction. It was a perfect day for the session. Slightly overcast and a gentle breeze which kept away the bugs. I walked with the couple and their 3 boys around the park finding several great spots I hadn't known about.

Glass House Sojourn

Two weeks ago, I volunteered for the Dine and Design event at the Phillip Johnson Glass House in New Canaan, Connecticut. I had always wanted to go and this seemed like a great opportunity. Well, it was even more amazing than I thought! It was a drizzly day and that made the area seem even more ethereal. Johnson and his partner had planned everything. It was so scenic and pastoral and interesting. How cool to have an underground painting gallery and a round pool and a pond with a small sculpture reminiscent of Lincoln Center. There are 14 buildings overall on the property which are all connected by paths. Because of the light rain, people would drift in and out of focus on the paths like a dream .And the Glass House has an amazing view over a valley, but then when you head down to the pond, there is just as an amazing view looking back up at the house. It is like a 3 dimensional art gallery, all thought out, and each piece planned as part of the whole. All I could think was this would be a great place to have a photo shoot with a family or friends. Any takers?

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.

Sconset Beach, Nantucket

This was a destination photo session on Nantucket at Sconset Beach. It was a breezy August day, I featured some shots in color because of the way the girls' bright outfits stood out against the sand. I love sessions at the beach because it is a natural place for kids to feel free and the wind energizes everyone.

Narragansett Summer

Here is a family that I have worked with for years. We started locally, in Westport, then I did a photo shoot at Torch Lake, Michigan a few years ago to capture memories of a special house that had been in the family for years and was being sold. Now the family has moved to Florida and they were having a retreat in Naragansett, Rhode Island for a month last summer. It was the perfect time for a new photo session. We explored the modern house that they had rented, kids played on the beds and threw water balloons. It was a very foggy day when we went out to spend time on the huge rocks on the point. The rocks created many very cool backdrops for pictures and the fog made everything feel very ethereal. In the afternoon, we went to the beach that they love to go to. The kids flew kites and played in the water and had a full fun day.

Cape Cod destination shoot

I had a great destination photo shoot last summer in Falmouth, Massachusetts. This Westport family was at their annual Cape Cod retreat, visiting grandparents and enjoying familiar places and activities. The session started at the house where everyone loosened up with hoola hoops and wiffleball. Then we drove to the local club where the family sails and hangs out. We found some nice spots to do family portraits and then took advantage of the driftwood and rocks along the beach to do some individual shots of the kids.

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.

Going to the dogs . . . and chickens

Shooting Pictures for the Pound was a delightful experience for me. May 1st was sunny and warm. Dogs, kids and parents were all in a fun spring spirit. We had big dogs, little dogs and even a chicken! New puppies full of love for everyone and faithful senior dogs just happy to be with their owners. All of it was connected by the love that people had for their animals. There was a lot of hugging and kissing and chatting and playing, and even a singing/howling a cappella moment that I wish had been on video.

We Einarsens are a huge pet family, and warmed my heart to have us all there. My husband, Paul, managing the image files and my boys, Connor and Carson, helping wrangle wandering pets and kids. But seeing all these people and the animals that are so much a part of their lives made me see Boomer and Gravel, our shelter dog and cat, through refreshed eyes. It made me thankful that I could do something to help other strays find loving families like these.

Thanks to Earth Animal and the landlord, we were able to set up a temporary studio in the empty storefront next door which helped contain energetic dogs and roaming children. We scheduled 23 sessions but the event was so popular with walk-ins that we had to extend the day and ended up shooting 37 families and their pets, plus Perry from Adopt-a-Dog. In the end we raised over $2700 for Westport Animal Shelter Advocates to use for improvements and supplies at the Westport Dog Shelter. I encourage everyone to contact and help out with their great work.

A lovely pregnant mom shoot

A fun shoot with Lydia, a pregnant mom, and her son, Lars. It was a lovely sunny day. Lars was full of energy and joy, and there was a great connection between mother and son. I shot while they played around in the beautiful light streaming through sheer window curtains. Then we went outside for some photos in their big, open yard. When Lars finally tired out, Lydia and I went back inside and captured some wonderful photos of her in the beauty of her pregnancy. We explored some yoga poses. I photographed her playing her cello. And she draped herself in fabric; dancing against a black backdrop. It was a really special session.

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.

Pictures for the Pound

On Saturday, May 1st, I'm doing a benefit pet portrait shoot at Earth Animal in Westport. All proceeds from the shoot will go to Westport Animal Shelter Advocates to help support the Westport Animal Control Shelter. These are some pictures I took while visiting the shelter.

The Westport Animal Shelter was just renovated on the inside. Now the need is for outdoor runs for each of the dogs. Officer D'Amico runs the shelter along with Kathleen, the assistant.   A group, Westport Animal Shelter Advocates (WASA), has rallied to the support of the shelter and works on projects to raise funds and provide volunteers who come to walk the dogs and create a community of caring.The Westport Animal Shelter is a no-kill shelter so dogs can remain for a while. Loretta has been at the Shelter for four years.

Another coolcustomer is this Staffordshire terrier/boxer mix who is happy, wags her tail a lot and seems to smile. Her name is Ellie and she loves everyone. Ellie looks a lot like our dog, Boomer. Their faces seem to say, "I understand."

The benefit Pet portrait event will take place from 10 am to 4 pm at Earth Animal, 606 Post Road East, in Westport.

Freezin' for a Reason

The Burroughs Community Center is once again holding a fund raiser for new programs at the center. Here are some photos I took last year. I'll be there to photography Freezin 2010.