I do believe that this blog post calls for a wonderful celebratory dance as it marks the 7th time I’ve photographed Amy & Ben! Which means I’ve also photographed Lucy & Elaine (adorable cats!) at least four times, and Nathan three times (four times there as well if you count in utero). This is, however, my very first time photographing Avi, and my first time photographing the DeLorean (very important). We had a great time! Last time I saw Nathan, he was pretty young and not yet a NASA engineer/astronaut. Now he’s 5 and definitely a NASA engineer/astronaut. This kid knows more about the scientific and robotic aspects of rockets than any adult I know. I couldn’t follow the science or math of anything he said because I’ve always been more of an English class sort of girl, but it sounded official, and he had many books that he referenced to back him up. I have zero doubt that he will one day go to space. Avi is cool with space and everything, but he’s much more interested in becoming my protege or having any job that requires him to press a lot of buttons. He liked my camera. A lot. He liked taking selfies and he liked pressing the shutter button and he tried multiple times to press the format button and also to take video. Maybe a photographer, maybe a director — definitely in the film industry or at a control switch with the most buttons ever. Oh oh, we could potentially have a brother NASA duo on our hands, and Avi could control the giant switchboard that launches the rockets. There has to be one enormous button to push to launch the rocket, right? I don’t know the answer to that, but I’m sure Nathan does. Love these folks and their brilliant kids and beautiful felines!

I don’t really want to say that anyone had a great pandemic, but Shannon and Jason came as close as it gets when they purchased their amazing downtown Raleigh condo and adopted their sweet pup Frasier. Their patio view is just incredible and they’re within walking distance to everything, but maybe the icing on the cake is that they can hear all of the Red Hat concerts and have the best seat for fireworks. BUT if they didn’t want to hang out on their own patio, they can also go up to their condo building’s patio, which is equally incredible. They enjoy everything that the city has to offer and love walking to restaurants and around the little neighborhoods downtown. And the best part is that Frasier enjoys every bit of this. Frasier is their tiny pup who is SO adorable and very smol and sweet. Frasier is obsessed with Shannon and Jason. He follows them everywhere. He gives them non-stop adoring stares. He panicked for the two seconds that they went into a room without him. He climbs on top of them and looks super pleased with himself. Frasier is living his absolute best life, and so are Shannon and Jason. I’m so happy for them and their newfound home in the city! Thank you guys for having me out to documenting your life and love.

Erika+Emmanuel+Felix

You guys remember Erika and Emmanuel. I’m not sure they need an introduction at all despite my two year hiatus. I photographed the incredible Felix a couple of times as well before my break. Last time I photographed him he was a little toddler. This time he was 3 (almost 4) going on 33-34. I pulled into the driveway and he burst out of the house, “Hi, I’m Fe. My mom told me all about you.” I asked him if he remembered the last time I photographed him, which received the response of “Nope! Do you want to see my skeleton?” Amazing. I adore him. He is very polite and hilarious and I know it looks like I stopped him every two seconds and asked him to smile for the camera, but I didn’t – that’s just Fe. He loves cameras and he knows he’s cute. It’s a dangerous combination. He also loves Halloween and showed me many skeletons, tombstones, and also his cat mask. He also showed me his actual cats and his dog and his chickens and his trampoline. During all this he asked if I wanted ice cream and what flavor. I told him vanilla with sprinkles but he said, “No, I think you want chocolate chip” and my order was abruptly changed. He is definitely a gifted young kid who will do incredible things and look insanely fashionable as he does them (just like his parents). Or he’s an alien. At one point he did discuss how “the humans” make chocolate milk… like he himself is not a human but rather separate from the humans… and Emmanuel told me that he does this sometimes. I think this makes me love him even more.