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Carolyn & Jason – A Snowy Winter Engagement Session at Holden Arboretum

It seemed like we’d been rescheduling this engagement session for weeks. The goal for Carolyn and Jason’s session was a nice wintery shoot with snow, but the weather wouldn’t cooperate. First it was bitterly cold, and I fell ill. Then it was too warm and there was no snow. Finally, we hit the jackpot. Not only was there snow, but the snow was actively falling during the entire session.

We met on a distant corner of the Holden Arboretum property. The Holden property is huge and I still haven’t seen it all. Carolyn and Jason introduced me to a new part – the horse stables. Carolyn keeps her lovely horse there and we wanted to include the entire family. The horse had been let out into the back fourty, so we had to fetch it from the field. Did you know that horses will come when called? Like the entire heard? I had no clue. With the horse rounded up, we started the session.

We spent time around the stables, capturing the animals as we chatted together. A snowball fight broke out more than once. We made sure to include their snowboarding gear, which is a favorite hobby for both Carolyn and Jason. Me? I’m just a knuckle-dragging two-planker, as Carolyn might say 😉 With the horse put to bed, we headed off to the core of the Holden property to make snow angels. All in all, it was a perfect winter engagement session.

Funny thing is, all the rescheduling echos their real engagement. Jason planned an elaborate scheme where he would surprise Carolyn with a ring while walking their dogs. For a few days, he kept inviting her on a dog walk, but she constantly declined. Finally, after a few attempts, they headed off to the park. While walking, Jason ran ahead to hide the ring under a special rock. He returned and slowly lead Carolyn to the ring. They were engaged in a quiet corner of North Chagrin Metroparks, with their dogs, their love, but no horse.

Below are a few favorites that I hope you enjoy –

A winter engagement session with Carolyn and Jason in Kirtland Hills A winter engagement session with Carolyn and Jason in Kirtland Hills

As you can see above, there was really no attempt to keep the snow off. All the snowball fights and angels made a beautiful mess. I’m really looking forward to Carolyn and Jason’s wedding later this year. Thankfully, there won’t be any snow, but there will be autumn leaves of gold, purple and ruby red.

PUBLISHED – Sailing the British Virgin Islands featured on Entouriste

A little while ago I stumbled across a great new travel blog called Entouriste. It’s like vacation day-dreaming and visual candy all mixed into one. Today I’m thrilled that Ami and the team at Entouriste chose to publish our family vacation experience from the British Virgin Islands. It was quite a trip and we are really happy to share it with other traveling day-dreamers.

Definitely check out the feature on Entouriste today. For a more comprehensive look at the BVI, stop by the original post. Enjoy!

Travel photography in the British Virgin Islands while sailing

Molly & Dave – A Winter Maternity Session in Gates Mills

It’s amazing how things can change over such a short period of time. It seems like just yesterday I was photographing Molly and Dave’s wedding. In truth, it really wasn’t that long ago. They were married in February, 2012. Just recently, they celebrated their 1 year wedding anniversary. For this reason, I was a little surprised, and elated, when they called me for a maternity session. Molly is essentially nine months along, and due any moment. So, we had to hurry.

Being winter, we decided to start inside their home and then work outside in the Gates Mills neighborhood. For me, this also made the session very personal. I think capturing a personal subject should be done in a personal place. And their gorgeous home is as good a place as any. It’s warm, beautiful and quaint.

We then headed outside and into the deep snow. We haven’t had much snow in Cleveland this year, but we had plenty on this particular day. We spent a few minutes outside their home before heading over to the Gates Mills Gardening Club. The small white barn and house made a great backdrop for the snowy weather. Below are just a few favorites, which I am excited to share today.

Winter maternity session in Gates Mills with the Valent familyn in Gates Mills

The last photo above is one of my personal favorites. I know – it’s a photo of a photo. However, it’s so cool that modern technology allows us to “see” our children before they even come into the world. A huge thanks to Molly and Dave for inviting me to briefly join their growing family once more. And thanks to Bella, the dog, for tolerating my presence again.