caleb & eli

we've been talking about doing this shoot for months, and it was certainly worth the wait. i love the way they turned out! caleb and eli have these incredibly beautiful dark eyes, and i've been dying to capture them on film. mom ali added to my excitement by suggesting we shoot downtown at the culinary district. the enclosed courtyard out back has walls bathed in warm, rustic tones and a grand fountain. an old farrier's building stands beyond the courtyard with dirt floors, delicious open light and faded turquoise paint. the horseshoes left behind from many decades past are now embedded into the courtyard concrete. what character!

the boys were quite a delight to work with, as was their mom. they arrived early before the shoot to enjoy a cookie from the kitchen inside the culinary district. as i was adjusting my settings, i looked down to discover a cookie-crumb-faced eli, and had to begin snapping away. mom ali didn't flinch, pull out the baby wipes or anything. she just sat back and laughed as the crumbs flew and the camera clicked. handsome five year old caleb is a star wars fanatic - i'm so glad i was able to get a few shots of him with his star wars guy. you should have seen the look on caleb's face when i told him i hadn't seen the movie since i was in kindergarten. (i didn't dare mention that i slept through the second half!) precious eli has been around for 20 months, and i think he's been walking (make that running) for about 18 of them. what a ball of energy! these brothers are so fun to watch, and so sweet to each other. once, in between shots, i looked over just in time to witness caleb giving his little brother an impromptu kiss on the cheek. arg! why wasn't my camera ready?! thanks, ali! your happiness is contagious and your boys are truly a JOY to be around. what a fantastic way to spend an afternoon.