May 24, 2011

Raleigh Pet Photographer: Fluffhead+Mukluk

“Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together, mass hysteria!”

Ladies and gentlemen readers of the CSP blog, I present to you a mix of the most hot-mess of a dysfunctional family (pet) portraits I’ve ever done and the cutest pictures ever. It’s a strange combo, I know, but then again – so are Fluffhead and Mukluk. I won’t spend a long time explaining, but long story short, our one and only Alaskan Kate moved a few months ago and acquired a most wonderful roommate named Lindsay. Alaskan Kate moved with her cat Mukluk (my adopted nephew-cat), and Fluffhead is Lindsay’s dog. Little did they know that not only would Kate and Lindsay get along infamously well, but so would their pets. Now the most inseparable odd couple is the cutest pair of furballs on the blog and probably in the world.

So happy birthday, Lindsay! I hope these make you smile! I want to steal your dog, but it’s probably easier just to come over and visit. So without further ado – FLUFF+MUK:

Before I met Fluff, I wasn’t sure where I stood on tiny furry white dogs with tiny little barks. Now I am obsessed. Look at that face.

Little Muk wanted to pose with Kate’s drawing cat. This was the extend of Mukluk’s posing. He is his own cat and does his own thing. He likes you, but sometimes he couldn’t really care less. He’s kinda The Dude of cats.

Mukluk’s face is one of priceless irritability here. I love you, Muk.

1st picture: Fight!

2nd picture: Fight!

3rd picture: What? We are totally innocent.

I love you, Fluff and Muk!

2 nice things said

May 17, 2011

Raleigh Engagement Photographer: Elise+Jeff

I don’t think I’ve laughed this much at a session in a long time! Elise and Jeff were GREAT and we had an awesome time photographing this engagement session at Duke Homestead and Brightleaf Square in Durham. They came equipped with their own props (Elise was off for several days and had nothing to do but look through wedding blogs which provided some inspiration) and champagne (Jeff said that he would probably need it to make it through the session… which, although it probably helped, might not have been needed because we had FUN, didn’t we, Jeff?!) :D ;)

Elise is from Tennessee and Jeff is from Pittsburgh (another CSP Pittsburgher! I need to start a club). They met in their undergrad at Duke. Jeff is now a trial lawyer in New Jersey near Atlantic City, and Elise is in UNC’s graduate program to become a dentist. This is all evidenced by their choice of reading material for the session: Civil Procedure, Corporations Law and Policy, Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology and, my personal favorite, The Art and Science of Operative Dentistry (it’s cover shows a series of teeth with drills). They also brought cupcakes from Sugarland, and proceeded to have a good time. What better way to have your engagement pictures taken than with some alcohol, cupcakes, and light reading material on lawsuits and oral abnormalities?

Elise and Jeff are so incredibly cute together. They just laughed their way through this entire thing. Elise told me during our consult that they’d need a lot of instruction, but they hardly needed any at all. Jeff just made jokes the whole time, Elise laughed at them, and I just photographed the whole thing. It was very easy. :)

And how attractive are these two? Best looking dentist and lawyer combo ever! They did inform me that they will have the worst dinner parties ever, though, because no one will want to come to a dinner part of a dentist and a lawyer, but I guess that’s the price you pay for having really good teeth and being… well… a lawyer. ;) :D

I think this was the point in the evening when Jeff informed me that he is “not an ambi-turner.”At this point, of course, I made it my mission to get Jeff to be an ambi-turner and, consequently, become bi-winning. You’re welcome, Jeff.

I think I would’ve shot this session for free in exchange for Elise’s wardrobe. Seriously. I’ll work for cute clothes, girls.

And our last stop of the evening at Torero’s in Durham! This was the spot of their first date. And seriously, who can resist a picture with this dude and his awesome eagle? Not me.

Thanks, Elise and Jeff, for your good humor, laughs, and keeping Geoff and I thoroughly entertained! I hope you love them!

4 nice things said

May 13, 2011

Raleigh Portrait Photographer: The Armstrong Family

Ohhh, today is such a happy blog post! Not that any of them are unhappy, but this one is just plain cute. :)

Meet the men of the hour: fraternal twins Will (on left) and Ryan (on right). How adorable are they!? Just the sweetest things! They will be turning one year old in early June, so these are their first year portraits. :) We took a bunch with super cool mom and dad, too! Mom is the incredibly talented force behind Mae Armstrong Designs; she does custom invitations, stationary, and all sorts of really incredibly crafty projects. I am pretty much addicted to her Facebook fan page feed already as I envy anyone who can sew and has the ability to turn an old shirt into an awesome skirt. Really! And, if anyone is thinking Dad looks familiar, he’s the evening Sports Anchor on ABC11! How do I get such cool clients?!

Will and Ryan aren’t crafting or reading news prompters yet, but rest assured they are destined for greatness… but we’ll have to wait until they can walk first. For now, they’ll just sit around the NC State Arboretum looking really really cute:

Will: “Why am I sitting in this ivy?”

Ryan: “Who, me?”

This picture absolutely cracks me up. So – for those of you to do child portraits – you know that you’ll spend most of the session making goofy faces and sounds and pretty much standing on your head. Will and Ryan could see through my antics and the below picture shows them questioning the particular circus show I was performing at the time.

Ryan modeling his Blue Steel face.

True story: The bear below is none other than Snuggles. Yes, like from the dryer sheet commercials. When I was 5 years old my family took me to some Family Day type thing at the park, but you could enter your name into a contest to win prizes. However, the prizes were totally random (maybe they weren’t… I need my mom to help fill in some of these details), but long story short – I won… a hammer. Yes, the city officials gave a 5 year old a hammer as a door prize. Needless to say, I cried. A lot. Because what I had really wanted was Snuggles… and because what was I going to do with a hammer. So the officials gave in and traded the hammer out for Snuggles, and happily home I went. 20 years later, Snuggles now lives with us in North Carolina and has been re-purposed as a hand puppet for small children I photograph. He’s happy with his new job, and the kids love him. Way to go, Snuggles!

Vogue it, boys!

Aren’t these little gentlemen the cutest? You boys will look back on this twenty-some years later and your girlfriends will LOVE these! :D

2 nice things said