photo greeting cards

Here are a couple of 4x6 holiday photo cards I put together recently. The black frames aren't a part of the cards; I just included them here to show the borders. Pretty sweet, huh?

Fox and family

I still have gazillions of photos to go through from yesterday's shoot (I don't think I've ever shot so much in one sitting) but just had to post some of my favorites so far. Here's Fox, a sweet baby with delicious cheeks, which he very graciously allowed me to nibble on. He'll celebrate his first birthday next week.

Fox really was unbelievably easy. If he ever verged on fussy, Mom, Dad (who was able to pop in from work for a few minutes), or older brother Preston just put an apple in his chubby hands and he was good to go. That apple got a lot of play during those couple of hours, picked up an immunity-boosting dose of dog hair, and appears in many of my photos.


Here you can see he's happily reaching for something. That would be the apple.

Just a couple more.



After Fox went down for his nap, I ended up whiling away the rest of the morning catching up. It was great to see you, Hope, and Happy Birthday, Fox!

baby Mia

Yesterday I had the pleasure of photographing baby Mia, the daughter of some good friends of ours. She's such a sweet baby--almost 2 months old and the spitting image of her father. It was a gloomy day but we found some good light in her older brothers' room and I snapped away. Isn't she adorable?


She tolerated having her limbs rearranged and her nap interrupted and graced us with many smiles.


It wasn't until that last wardrobe change that she got a little upset. Can you see her bottom lip?

Enough with the hats, mama!

Kris, I felt honored to photograph your girl. I can't wait to watch her grow!

yesterday's shoot

It was a quintessential fall day yesterday, perfect for taking a short drive over to West Asheville with the windows down and (after the requisite wrong turn--I can't go anywhere new without one) photographing a wonderful family.

From left to right: Grayson, 6; Kate, 2; and Aidan, 8.


The boys were really fun to hang out with and very tolerant of my camera. They are boisterous and exuberant but also gentle enough to take good care of their hamsters, Clementine and Wednesday, whom I had the pleasure of meeting.

They are also both fabulous older brothers to Kate, who obviously adores them. As her mom predicted, Kate didn't say much around me, but was friendly and warm in her own understated way. I did get to hear her say "Yes!!!!" a lot, and also, once, "Awesome!!!!" Which, you know, was awesome!

I had a great feeling in that house; it was just the right mix of girl and boy energy.




In the spare time she somehow manages to find for herself, Liz makes kids' clothing and sells it on Etsy. The designs are bold and whimsical and off-beat; go see for yourselves how talented she is. I think Houdini the Hedgehog might be my personal favorite.

Laurie Johnson Photography

One thing I love about Asheville is the amazing sense of community. I'm not romanticizing life here; certainly, we are not without our squabbles and conflicts. But on balance, there's a remarkable cohesiveness. People help each other out--not because they have to, but because it's the right thing to do.

I've been struck by this spirit anew as I've begun building a business here. I've met some really wonderful photographers who have generously offered their time and expertise and helped me grow as an artist and professional.

Periodically, on this site, I'm going to introduce them.

First up is Laurie Johnson, whom I met a couple of years ago through the JCC, where we send our kids to preschool. Laurie first connected with me because of my incredible fashion sense: I drop off my kids in what are essentially pajamas. And though some might have mistaken my outfits for workout attire (fleece tops, stretchy yoga-style pants), Laurie saw my clothing for what it was and thought, "Now there's somebody I can relate to."

Since that time, Laurie has offered tons of guidance on photo-related issues large and small. But that's just her way. She's always helping people out, whether it's formal venues like fundraisers (you wouldn't believe the time, energy, and talent she commits to the JCC, for example) or informal acts of kindness that are woven into her everyday life.

So, thank you, Laurie! I can't tell you how much I appreciate your help. And everyone else: go check out her stuff.

Mia and Rosie

Earlier this week I did a shoot with Mia, five, and Rosie, 14 months, in their back yard. Mia was reluctant to have me there at first, but she came around in the end. Boy, did she come around:


Rosie didn't have any complaints about anything, except perhaps that Mom was a little slow with the mac 'n cheese. Everyone loves those big round eyes:


It was a gorgeous fall evening--perfect for practicing walking...


...and seeing whether stomping on green tomatoes that were too late to ripen yielded more splat than throwing them. (It was a toss-up.)


Thanks, David and Becca, for the chance to photograph your girls, and for the delightful conversation.

Saturday playdate

Saturday afternoon, I managed to combine business and pleasure--or at least business and parenting. :-)

I brought the kids (and the husband) to a shoot with Ezra's and Levi's friend Dylan, and all three boys played while I snapped away. Ezra did seem to have a knack for saying, "Hey Mommy..." every time I lifted my camera up to my face, but other than that, it went great. (And many thanks to my sweet husband for stepping in as Mr. Mom as needed.)

We met at a beautiful park in Montreat outside of Asheville, with creeks and all sorts of interesting playground equipment. The boys waded and splashed and dropped rocks in the water (who doesn't love that plunk! sound?), and they ran and jumped and climbed themselves silly.

Here's Dylan. He's got a head of gorgeous thick curls like his mom, and sparkly blue eyes like his dad.


And he really knows how to have fun.


Thanks, Marji! We'll do this again sometime soon.

sneak peek for Bev

I had so much fun shooting these four kids this morning. That's right, four: a 6-year-old boy, a 5-year-old girl, and 3 1/2-year-old twin girls. They were really gracious and friendly, and had loads of personality. The twins, Mary Quinn and Ella, inhabit a magical world of make-believe that I felt privileged to observe; Anni is a serious ham who loves mugging for the camera; and B.G. is a budding musician who rocks the air guitar.

Thank you, Bev! More pictures of your amazing kiddos coming soon.

getting it together

Hi, folks. I've been scrambling lately as I get my business ready--building a website, talking to some awesome local photographers (I'll write more on them later), working with a designer on a logo, setting myself up with a lab, selecting specialty products...the list goes on. I'm overwhelmed at times, and find it difficult to fall asleep at night thinking about all of this stuff. But it's been loads of fun. I can't wait to line up some shoots!

Here are a couple of shots of my daughter from yesterday. She would wear this dress every day if she could:


She's been a reluctant swimmer, refusing, all summer long, to do anything but cling to me in the water, while some of her almost-three peers are practically doing laps. Finally, on pretty much the last day the pool was open, she got brave enough to put her mouth in. She's been blowing bubbles in the tub since then, and it's very exciting for her: