A few days ago I blogged the Whitaker Family Session in the wildflower field. My good friend Shannon is also a portrait photographer in the Gainesville area. I had so much fun teasing Shannon from behind the lens.  It’s not always comfortable to be the photographer in front of the camera – but Shannon has such a wonderful of attitude that she makes it all so easy!

I must have been telling the girls to make farting noises!

I think the dirty joke – got too dirty!!!

Oh get a room why don’t ch’aa!!!!

I just love the smiles in this photograph – The Whitaker Family is a very loving and connected group!!

This is the last picture from our session – she’s just  a doll!!!

During the peak of the wildflower season I hooked up with fellow portrait photographer Shannon Whitaker and her lovely family. I don’t get to hang out with her nearly as much as I like – we are both so busy with our home life as well as our thriving businesses. She has offered to photograph me numerous times – but I always chicken out! Like many – I prefer to be behind the lens. As well as families and children – Shannon also has a boudoir division of her photography business that I highly recommend!  The day we took these pictures in the secret garden – it was Shannon’s birthday – Happy belated birthday to a gorgeous and uber sweet lady!

Here she is at Week 30!!!  Did I mention she is having boy #3!  You look so beautiful Dana – always a breath of fresh air – a beam of sunlight!

The August/September Back to School Issue of Giggle Magazine is out and filled with all kinds of important information about getting your kids ready for school. I was able to photograph several editorial pieces for this issue including the cover.

This cutie was so adorable. I just loved her attitude and smile! I know she was working hard for a week to get just the right pose for the cover! I think you will agree that she is just perfect! Here are a few more photographs of ‘lil Maryn that did not get into this issue of the magazine:

I was also assigned to photograph the new Alachua County School Uniform for this issue and had lots of help from area kids ranging from elementary to high school. If you look closely – I was also able to sneak in Aidan and Rowan! See if you can find them!

…I kinda like the new uniform policy. I realize that it cost a bit more getting them all ready for the first day – but now that I have everything – it’s pretty easy and the only stress in the morning is which color polo they are going to wear. I also discovered Old Navy online and that was a huge life saver!! Not only could I get a great deal online and pay 0 shipping fees – but I was able to return the items directly to Old Navy in Butler Plaza for a full refund!

Along with the school uniforms, I photographed the items for the Backpack Article and the Lunch Box Article. That was fun to see all these cool options and actually feel them and check out their quality. Nicole really spends a lot of time researching items she gives the Giggle Stamp of Approval too – it’s just a shame she couldn’t leave any of this cool stuff at the studio!!!

Meet these adorable twins that are featured in the Letter from the Publisher page. They are a wee bit older than newborns – which I photograph at 2 weeks or younger – it was mostly a cry fest – but towards the end  - we managed to get one!

While mom was feeding the little girl – her little brother fell fast asleep in my cozy basket – I just couldn’t resist a sleepy baby!

The LNO was hosted by Lang Jewelers located in the Tioga Town Center. The theme was denim and diamonds and the folks at Lang Jewelers totally took care of us! They have some of the most amazing pieces and I was finally able to get my diamond bracelet re-fitted!

…..and lastly I provided a photograph that I took in 2006 from Stonehendge England – for a travel article. Little did I know at the time I submitted it that I would actually be going to England again for 10 days this August. For those that don’t know – my husband is british and we actually lived in London with Madison and Rowan in 98 and then off to Dublin for a couple of years from 98-2000. That’s another blog post!

…..I so enjoyed my holiday in England with my family and managed to actually fit in two family sessions and some more commercial work for a children’s clothing catalog. While in England we took a day trip to Paris ….here is a sneak peek from my next blog post.

Hope everyone had a great first day of school. Start thinking about family portraits for holiday gifts and cards. I’ve gone to an all digital format and now offer ALL of the images from your session on a disc as well as unique gift items such as custom frames, albums, storyboards, cards and more.

Cheers,

Laurel

I had a fantastic time in England and France and I can’t wait to share my personal photographs from our trip. This is just a quick note to let you know that the studio is now open and I am available to answer any questions you may have about a photography session with me. I will be sending out a newsletter to my current subscribers – who will have first dibs at my limited holiday schedule and then whatever openings are left – I will post on my blog and facebook. Make sure to subscribe to my newsletter in order to receive updates.

Here is a recent photograph I took from a family session I had scheduled in England! I can’t wait to share the rest.