baby brodie




the ladukes made the annual summer trip home to oklahoma this year, and i carefully packed my gear in anticipation of this shoot. beautiful casie is the niece of some of our dearest friends, and i was so excited to do a shoot with casie, her hubby jared and their little baby brodie.
i packed all my lenses, filters, new "my funky camera" strap, extra charger, etc. etc. however, when i stepped outside for this early morning shoot, i quickly remembered that i'd forgotten a few items....an industrial sized fan, ultra-absorbent beach towels, windshield wipers for my camera lenses and an 80's style sweat band set. oklahoma in july can be summed up in four syllables: hu-mi-di-ty. within seconds i was dripping with sweat (i am not even going to pretend i was "glowing"...) and really had a tough time holding onto my camera. meanwhile, casie & jared just smiled sweetly at , cool as cucumbers, and played with their precious son. looking back at the photos, they could have very well been taken in early fall or late spring... not a hint of the oppressive, wilting, smothering heat. this is such a testament to their collective go-with-the-flow demeanor. even baby brodie seemed unfazed by the 104 degree heat and the 300 percent humidity. he grinned, giggled and squealed his way through the shoot, and i love the way they turned out. oh, and although i was not aware of it at the time of our shoot, bambino number two was already on the way. thank you casie, jared & brodie and baby ____! can't wait for a photo shoot for four next summer... perhaps in a walk-in freezer somewhere?


















e in the garden




"There is a garden in every childhood,
an enchanted place
where colors are brighter,
the air softer,
and the morning
more fragrant than ever again."
- Elizabeth Lawrence


i was elated when i found out elizabeth's mom had secured the southern living idea house for our mini-shoot. it was the ideal setting for this gorgeous, delightful brown-eyed two year old. it was sprinkling lightly when we arrived, and the garden out back seemed to be blanketed in a dreamy haze. the house currently sits vacant, and the landscaping is a tad unkempt and overgrown, creating a scene reminiscent of frances hodgson burnett's the secret garden. elizabeth's eyes were wide as she explored the brick walkways & rock paths. she played peek-a-boo behind the stonehenge-esque circle of trees and rock benches and played in the arched wooden entry gate. she took in her surroundings, and i snapped away trying to beat the next round of sprinkles. "e"was an absolute doll, and i love the way these turned out. thanks to mom, casey, for a delightful morning!