Blissful Liz. She’s my dream client. She loves photography, and had walked her gorgeous farmland to scope out spots for us well in advance of our scheduled session.  So for this one, dear reader, Elizabeth shares in the outcome.

Icing on the cake for me?? When I walked into her home, her mom came out from around the corner, smiling cheek to cheek,  and low and behold, it was my friend from high school, Bonnie Ebaugh. LOL!  That’s serendipity . . . Carroll County style . . . and I love it!

Salisbury U or Gettysburg College . . . that’s the dream. Sociology . . . that’s the call. A pretty sweet fit, I’d say. Elizabeth, can I just tell you? Beautiful through and through.

Besties.

Got each other’s backs.

Always have.

All a girl needs is one true blue.

The apples and the trees.

Have I mentioned? . . . .I love my life:)

My favorite. Wow, Steph. Fierce.

I love it when my clients are willing to sit in random forest trash. LOL. Steph Speights . . . you are on your way, girlfriend.

This evening I got the chance to have a heart to heart with my younger self . . . and McKenna was my captive audience. LOL. A little background . . . her mom was my bestie in high school. And her mom married the man that put dreams of playing in a Broadway pit orchestra in my heart. Paxton is folklore in our town. He defined the music program in our county, and we idolized him. So, I kinda used that history to give myself the right to ask the big question.

McKenna is exuberance. She’s already played many of the dream ingenue roles in her Pennsylvania town. But the kicker for me . . . her favorite role? . .  . Toffee in Zombie Prom. Zombie Prom and I have some history, to say the least.

McKenna has it. You’ll see it through my lens. Pure joy and charisma at the onset. But then, at the end of our shoot . . .a burst of beautiful real came out.   Watch the  bud open and blossom . . . all in the course of an hour. McKenna basking in the glow of the golden hour.

The big question?

What would you do if you knew you would not fail?

Beautiful Nicole, who is a senior this year at John Carroll, and will be attending Eastern University next year.

Courtney. Who is just a little reserved . . . but I got little glimpses throughout the day of the spark that lights up her dad’s world.

And Shannon, who wears her joy all over her face . . .for all to enjoy.

As I was getting ready to leave, Suzanne said, “Hey. I have this idea for a Christmas card  . . . ” I was doubtful that we could pull it off without off camera lighting, but I threw the ISO’s on my D700 waaaayyy up, and took a stab at it. Bumped the blacks just a bit in Lightroom, but other than that, it’s pretty straight out of camera.

So, huzzah for Suzanne Wagner!! Call her, because she’s pulled off all kinds of out of the box family Christmas cards, from a full Magi tableau to Nativity on the Farm. I am humbled.  My girlfriends laugh at me, because my idea of a kickin’ Christmas card is to throw everyone in hats and scarves and stand out in the falling snow.

If you’re ready to take a stab at a cool Christmas Card, give me a shout. I’m game

View the Wagner Gallery Here.

Darian and Adam decided to stay awhile, check out the den . . . because at the top of the den is the most stunning view of Little Round Top. It’s history and romance get me every time.

Urban jib. Did we have the guts? Because the stone inclines on campus were tempting . . . and he had his snowboard. . . . and Raven’s training camp was filtering out. Did we? or did we follow the rules?

Rob’s a fascinating mix of urban funk and intellectualism that makes him a study. His dream is to be a Hokie engineer. I have no doubt that guy is full of all sorts of hopes and dreams. He plays his cards kinda’ close, but I got a little glimpse. And he’s going places.

Nice, nice guy, that Rob.

He has a freak flag. A big one that’s constantly whipping around him wherever he goes. That’s why he’s one that I’m drawn to in a whole room of people. He always has a kind word. He’s always game for a new adventure. He’s always coloring outside the lines . . . in a beautiful way.

Jono is a breath of fresh air.  You’ll see why.

Serious musical chops. No kiddin.

Notice diving board. You can guess where this one went!

Jono’s also a photographer. He’s really good- out there on FB all the time with the coolest shots.

Thanks, Jono, for letting me do your senior shots. You ROCK. Really.

I have a rich history with this one. On its pages live the night that I did house laps with her on my hip . . .  she screamed so loud the whole time, the neighbors knocked on the door to check on our safety. I was 38 weeks pregnant at the time with my first baby. oh, the terror.

On its other pages live the kindergarten Christmas pageant . . . the one where Rachel stood on the front step, oblivious to the singing happening around her, but participated in her own little production, dancing and lifting her dress to her waist.

But here’s what I know. She’s a smart cookie. She’s read all of Austen, Rivers, Kingsbury, and the like.

She has BIG dreams. And she’s not afraid to take the steps to bring them to fruition, with a trust in Jesus that allows her to soar without a safety net.

On stage, she’s MAGIC. One of the few people that makes me laugh so hard I cry.

She’s Giselle. You know, from Enchanted . . . the way that she sees the best in her peeps, embraces life, and turn lemons in limoncello cheesecake.

She’s my girl. Well, she’s my beautiful sister’s girl, but Nance and I have always kinda shared identities, so she’s MY girl.