a family. a fair. this carnival was the perfect setting for a mersich family affair.

i have been dying - DYING - to do a session at the fair and i knew that the pops of colors, cotton candy, and rides would be right up lauren's alley. lauren and derek are good friends of mine, and she assists me on sessions at times. you may remember them from here, and  here,  and here. (and wow! the progression!)

the five of us (my trusty, handy manfriend played assistant for me) hit the saint joe county 4H fair on a beautiful day, and while miss harper may not have been feeling so well, we got in some great people watching, ate poorly, and won some prizes.

enjoy!

if you've hung around these parts for a while now you may remember miss khloe from our very FIRST blog posting...and two other sessions with this adorable family of three. i love repeat clients, and i love THESE clients! 

for khloe's two year pictures we met at a family friend's home complete with ponds, geese, ducks, and "kitty tails." 

enjoy!

while i get to hear about this trio daily, i don't get to see their personalities in action nearly enough. ethan, zeta, and azure are three of the sweetest, most bubbly and energetic children i've ever met. and can i mention adorable?!

i give you, my boss' children, the nunemaker kids!

watching babies grow before my lens is one of my favorite things i witness with my camera. it was just a year ago khloe was preparing for her first Christmas, and Santa (briney family [christmas]). this year, she's walking, talking, and has a mind all her own. 

to say i'm smitten by this little one is an understatement. she's just so sweet! kyle and danielle, i love your little family, and that you've asked me to capture so many special moments in your daughter's growing up. she is precious, but i know you already knew that. 

merry christmas!

you see the dimples on this little one? makes me melt.
i was honored when the swanks asked me to photograph their family because they're not just clients, they're also my coworkers. 
kristin & larry, thank you so much for allowing me to snap some shots of your adorable taylor! she's such a doll, and i can't wait til the next time she visits the office and mean mugs me :]

are you serious with the baby blues on these gorgeous carnes kids?!

i'll be the first to admit, i'm a sucker for some sparkly eyes, and these four children have been blessed with some magnificently pretty peepers. more than that, they've also been blessed with two extremely loving parents. randy and meredithe are so attentive to brenna, caitlyn, RJ and levi. the second i met them i could tell their children are their world.

brenna, the eldest, reminds me of myself in her big sister role. i remember having two little siblings running around when i was her age. she's sweet, kind, caring, and shares a striking resemblance to her mama.

cait and rj are twins, but have such different personalities. caitlyn is a little diva. she saw the camera and immediately started striking a pose. rj, on the other hand, is such a little man. he's going to be a looker when he grows up!

levi, the baby of the family, is ALL BOY. he was like a little tornado running around, but those are my favorite memories to capture - real life. 

meredithe and randy, thank you for letting me make memories for your family. i hope you enjoy your images!

braxton is all boy. for a photographer who typically finds herself with little girls in purples, pinks, and tutus, braxton's mom was quick to alert me that he would be on the move and we were in store for him to explore.

i loved it.

after days [weeks] of record high temperatures, the morning of our shoot i met with deven, brooke, and braxton at the shiojiri niwa japanese gardens. from there, braxton was off like a bullet, climbing over the burnt orange bridges and investigating the foilage. you can tell by the look in his parents' eyes that he is the apple of their eye. one of my favorite parts of our shoot was when the little man brought out a hat he personally chose from the store. his mom informed me that braxton had to have it; it looked adorable. 

braxton and family, it was a pleasure meeting you, and i hope you love your images. thanks for inviting me to capture your family's love for one another!

to know these two, is to love them.

you may remember my incredibly sappy, happy, and heartfelt announcement that mark and shawnetta had won this year's Valentine's contest (here). i stand by everything i said.

mark and netta redeemed their winning session during a beautiful may night, and it will go down in history as one of my favorite shoots to date. we shot a bit, decided we had a deep desire for a burger (and a beer to keep mark smiling), and then finished the shoot at saint mary's college, netta's alma mater.

as you may know, candid shots are my favorite. there's something about the honesty of a face in that unexpected moment that the shutter snaps shut, that captures a person perfectly. these shots of the thompsons are by far my favorites; mark has a grin that goes on for days when he looks at his wife.

speaking candidly, and honestly, while i was thrilled at the time that they won the contest in february, i was even more ecstatic to photograph them in may. they are both strong, loving, and selfless people of God. together, i know they can, and will , overcome any battle that comes their way. they are very dear to my heart, and i love that our friendship has grown throughout the years. 

netta and mark, it was my pleasure photographing you. i hope you both look back at these images many years from now with a smile. and mark, your girl? she's a stunner!

Lucas' mother and I have known one another for years. In fact, one of the first nights we met there were a slew of photos taken of ourselves; it was senior prom! Fast forward nearly a decade and Nga and her husband Roger have an adorable son, Lucas. It was my pleasure to meet the little man for his one year pictures.

Now, of importance: I am a HUGE Notre Dame fan. HUGE. My furball is named Irish; I haven't missed a home game in years, I've been known to get very irritated if you make fun of Lou Holtz'. This little guy is ALSO a huge fan since birth, as both his parents attended Holy Cross. In fact, Lucas' middle name is Te'o, in honor of current footballer Manti Te'o. It was only fitting that Luke's year old photos be taken on the Notre Dame campus. 

Now, without further adieu, check out this adorable baby boy below, and GO IRISH!