A few weeks ago, the weather got really nice so my good friends Bryan and Kristin and I went on an adventure around town to take engagement portraits. We started at Patuxent State Park where Bryan and Kristin got engaged.

We then drove up to Canton and took pictures around the water. Kristin and Bryan are getting married on the Black-Eyed Susan, so we were hoping the boat would be in port but alas, it was not. It was ok, though, we still got some nice views of the water.

I must say, I can’t wait to celebrate Kristin and Bryan’s big day. I hope this long awaited day is everything they could have imagined.

A few years ago, I photographed Lisa and John’s wedding, and now I’m honored to photograph their first child. Kylie is 6 months old and the cutest little redhead. She’s all smiles and will be on the move any day now.

Last year, some of you saw me take a portrait or two or shoot a wedding or two while I was pregnant–extremely pregnant in some cases. Well, this year I was able to get around a little better and my beautiful baby girl celebrated her birthday the day before Thanksgiving. I, of course, wasn’t going to let this momentous milestone pass without capturing it “on film.”

Taking pictures of Ileana is a challenge. She loves her mommy and loves mommy’s camera. So when both of those things are put in front of her but at a slightly out of reach distance, she crawls for them…quickly…and then gets very angry when she can’t have them. Thankfully, daddy wasn’t too far away and he made for a good distraction; it did help he was armed with Goldfish crackers and Puffs.

I hope you enjoy my baby girl’s first birthday pictures!

My last portrait session of the year was with the Spann family. Jill found me through a recommendation on a Baltimore mommies blog; she couldn’t remember the referrer but I appreciate whoever sent the Spanns my way!

Jill and Joe were great and their kids were pretty awesome for all the walking and posing I made them do. We got lucky with a beautiful fall day at Savage Mill. I was thankful for the mild fall weather.

First we tried some family shots.

Then we tried some individual shots of the kids.

Everyone was a good sport and so cooperative. I hope to see you again next year, Spann family. It was a pleasure.

Nothing makes me happier than seeing past clients year after year. This year, the Barletts called me up for another Christmas portrait session. I was thrilled to hear from them! We went to Lake Elkhorn in Columbia for some outdoor family portraits. We got lucky and had a beautiful day in November.

I hope you guys had a fabulous holiday and look forward to seeing you next year!

Leah and Steve are in the middle of their fabulous first year as parents. With the holidays approaching, and Jonathan hitting the 7 month mark, they wanted to have a holiday card-worthy picture taken. So they came to visit and we had a great time making Jonathan smile.

Just look at those blue eyes. Jonathan is going to be a heartbreaker. I love that I’m going to be able to watch him grow up.

The holidays make this time of year special and busy. Try adding in a birthday to that–especially a first birthday. That’s exactly what is keeping Madeleine busy right now. Her parents called upon Paisley Photography to capture special portraits for her first birthday and the upcoming holiday.

Maddie was all smiles in her birthday outfit.

Getting Maddie in the holiday spirit was a little more difficult, but after a little music and a few toys, she cracked a grin.

Persampiere family, I look forward to seeing you again. Photographing Maddie was a lot of fun.

Lisa and John have been fabulous clients of mine, and I’m always thrilled to be able to photograph them and their families. A few weeks ago, Lisa’s grandmother turned 90 and she wanted to capture the occasion. The bonus of this portrait session was meeting 9-week-old Kylie. It was such a nice moment seeing four generations come together.

I hope you cherish these memories for a lifetime!

I’d like to introduce you to Free  State Saxophone Quartet. Featuring four talented musicians–Phil, Brett, Joe, and Ashley–this quartet performs locally any chance they get. I was happy to be able to create some fun, professional images for them to use on their website and promotions.

Follow Free State Saxophone Quartet on Facebook to see where they are next appearing. You’ll regret missing a performance.

Jackie and Jim, native New Yorkers, ventured down to Maryland just so we could take engagement portraits. (OK, that’s not entirely true, Jackie came to see her college friends and introduce them to Jim, but I prefer my version of the story.) They wanted to find a local that was a little off-beat and fun. I had the perfect location in mind–Glen Echo Park in Glen Echo, Maryland. If you’ve never been there, Glen Echo Park is a restored amusement park that has seen many transformations over the years. Right now, it’s used for a lot of artistic outlets and has a children’s theatre, ballroom for dancing and performances, and a working carousel. The colorful background led to some fun, happy shots.

When two people are in  love, you can see it in the pictures. Love is definitely oozing out of these images.

We had to ride the carousel. Warning: Don’t try to ride a carousel backward while taking pictures.

Can’t wait for the wedding day, Jackie and Jim. I can only imagine you’ll look even more in love then!