This was my first time working with James and Emily, their dog Frankie, and their adorable little daughter! They warned me that she might be slightly shy at first, and while she did take some convincing at first, by the end of the session she insisted on sitting on my lap and making me read to her, rendering me completely unable to do my job but happy to have gained the approval of yet another toddler. She also was quite enamored with my stuffed vampire cat keychain, who makes an appearance in most of the photos, much to my (and her) delight. Frankie, their dog, was a very good model, loyally barking at any dog that we came across in a way that suggested that he’s much bigger than he is, and he kept us all very safe. I clicked with this whole family immediately. We bonded over horror movies and our mutual love of Chapel Chill Ice Cream and Oscar Isaac. I’m so happy I got to photograph this special time in their lives for them, moving to a new city (welcome!) and enjoying the company of this spunky little dog and sweet little girl. Thank you, James and Emily!

Geoff and I photographed Erin and Jessica’s wedding 10 years ago in 2015, which is so hard to believe! They’ve since had an AMAZING daughter, and this year I was tasked with photographing some multigenerational photos with Erin, Jessica, their daughter, and Jessica’s mom Elizabeth. We had an incredible time at Blackwood Farm Park in Chapel Hill. We took portraits, a picnic was packed, freeze dried mangos were turned into mustaches, and races were won and lost on a hill with a lone tree. Erin and Jessica have been in my CSP life for so long and I was feeling all the feels working with them again and interacting with their intelligent, hilarious, and kind-hearted daughter. She kept everyone laughing and on their toes. We exchanged photos of our cats. Love all these women and the joy they all brought to this photo session.

I love reconnecting with folks whose weddings we photographed back in the day, so I was very much looking forward to seeing Amanda and Jen again! But little did I know that I would pull up behind their house and hear a very emphatic “CAROLYN SCOTT!!!” from a small voice, which continued over and over again. Their incredibly gregarious daughter was so excited to meet me (the feeling was mutual) and she ran around saying things like, “Carolyn Scott, this is my house!” and “Carolyn Scott, these are my toys!” and “Carolyn Scott, let’s go to the playground!” I was addressed by my full name the whole time, which was delightful. At one point she also picked up a stick to use as a cane, put her hand on her back and said, “Look, I’m an old lady.” She’s great. Their son is also great – he enjoys the pastimes of walking and repeatedly falling, and also enjoys rolling down grassy hills. But my favorite thing about him is that he will not wait for the pizza to be cooked because why wait when you can just eat it right now? He would be a huge fan of the cold pizza Lunchable box. These guys made up such a beautiful, lively little family. It was so fun to see Amanda and Jen again, but really wonderful to see these confident and hilarious humans they’re raising.