mandy carroll

I have to apologize for keeping this family waiting- I know they have been anxious to see their sneak peek!  And hopefully they weren’t left wondering if the reason it was taking so long was that maybe I didn’t get any good shots of them.  Don’t worry- that certainly wasn’t the case! 

The day of this session was a cold one- after weeks of warm weather, we finally got a taste of fall on this day.  I think it was only about 50 degrees during this session.  But these two certainly didn’t seem to notice- they were too busy playing to notice!  Some of you may recognize these two- I had the opportunity to photograph them last October and this adorable little girl was the winner of last years contest.  Isn’t she beautiful?!  Both of these two have the most amazing blue eyes!  And even though Mr. W was a bit faster this year, I still got some great shots of him. 

Enjoy the peek!

 When I meet the children I photograph for the first time, I typically find that they are a little leery of me at the start of our session.  Most of the time they avoid looking at me at all costs, probably thinking that the big black piece of equipment I have around my neck is a weapon of some sort.  Sometimes they will cling to mom or dad, or, if they are a little older, they will scowl at me for a bit.  But it is amazing to me how fast their attitudes change once they get to know me and my weapon camera. 

This session was a perfect example.  When we arrived at this location, it was a little cold and the ground was really wet and these two girls wanted nothing to do with having their pictures taken.  But that is typical- I think the children that actually want to have their picture taken by a stranger are very, very rare!  So my job (with some help from the parents- those bribes work wonders!) is to get them warmed up.  I have to make them think that we are on an adventure and the pictures are secondary.  And I have yet to meet a child from 1to 8 that is not up for an adventure.  And these two were no exception- we did everything from looking for butterflies to knocking on barn doors to hunting for leaves and flowers.  It was a blast!  And as you can see they could not be more adorable…

Enjoy the peek!

Very often at my sessions I am reminded of my own childhood as I watch kids play and use their incredible imaginations.  It is fascinating to me that even though times have changed so much in the last 20+ years, kids today are really not much different than we were as kids 20 or 30 or 40+ years ago.  

This session in particular took me back to my childhood.  When I was a little girl, probably 7 or so, my greatest wish was to have a real play house.  I remember reading a book about a little orphan girl that discovered a secluded cottage in the woods and so she moved in and fixed it up and grew a fantastic garden.  And made friends with the animals, naturally.  I can actually remember reenacting this story in my imagination, going on long walk in the dense forest(which were in reality short walks in the small field next to our home).  And I also remember being extremely envious of my grandma’s neighbor- they had a real play house in their back yard and I wished SO BADLY that it was mine.  All of those memories flooded through my head as I watched Mr. N play in his playhouse.  And I am sure some day when he and his sisters are all grown up, they will not just remember this as a playhouse, but as a magical fortress or an enchanted cottage or perhaps, in his case, official Good Guy headquarters(little boys are all about the good guys and bad guys).

Just a peek from this fantastic session.  Mom loves black and white photographs- a woman after my own heart!  Anyone who has seen my house can attest- it is plastered in b&w photographs! 

And they had so many amazing animals- including these gorgouse chickens!  Aren’t they cool?!

Some sister love…

Love the laughter in this shot- mom had to tickle the posed smile off of her face and it definitely worked! 

And I had to show this one in color- doesn’t Miss I have the most beautiful blue eyes?

Enjoy!

Sometimes I wonder if my clients think I am a lunatic because I am always asking them(or their kids) to do crazy things.  When I first started my business, I was a little timid asking people to do some of these crazy things, worrying about what they would think of me.  But I quickly got over that and realized that being a lunatic is part of the job description of professional photographers.  I am sure you other photographers can relate.  Now, I don’t even think twice about how silly I look/sound when I am putting sticks and leaves in my hair or talking about my magical camera, or asking clients to make faces at each other or jump off of things.  I am sure that sometimes my clients wonder why on earth I do some of these things(heck, I would think someone was a bit crazy if they had leaves poking out of their head!) but hopefully they trust me and know that all of these crazy things do serve a purpose- they help me get the best photographs that I can.

This session was one of those sessions where the Mandy Carroll craziness was turned up to High.  I asked this family to do everything from sit on hay bales, make faces at each other, jump off stairs, and forge their way through a field of prickly weeds.  But they were such great sports- they did everything I asked without any complaints.  And we got lots of great images!  These are just a few that I have been through so far. 

I just love this red barn- it makes such a great backdrop.  Isn’t Mr. C handsome?      

I had to share two of Ms. C- isn’t she stunning?  I think she has the most beautiful hair I have ever seen (I have always secretly wanted to be a brunette).  This was one of the first shots I took of her and as soon as I looked through my viewfinder I got MAJOR deja vu- she looks so much like my little sister (who lived with me about 2 years ago and her photos are plastered all over my HS Senior site- in case you are curious).  I think it is the beautiful blue eyes.  Anyways, enough about my sister! (I think I brought that up at least 3 times during her session- annoying, I am sure!)

I really love this shot- did I mention I love her hair?

This was the last shot I took- total candid of them heading back to the car after we finished.  But as soon as they walked into this patch of light I had to take this shot- I love how the shadows are framing them. 

And I absolutely love everything about this shot- such a beautiful (or is it handsome?) couple!  I need to take shots like this more often (I am sure all you adults would love that!!) 

Thank you for such a great session! Enjoy!

There is a word I like to use to describe something that is really, really good.  I am not talking store bought brownies and ice cream good- more like warm but not too hot, ultra gooey homemade brownies with still melted chocolate chips in them and super creamy ice cream just starting to melt on the top.  See the difference?  Now that kind of treat would warrant one word from me:  FABULOUS! 

I would use this same word to describe this session- it, too, was fabulous!!  I had the opportunity to photograph little Miss L. as a newborn almost exactly 1 year ago and it was such a joy to see her as a very toddle-y toddler!  She and her family are such sweet and wonderful people- I really felt like I connected with them and I think it shows in the images we got.  Let me tell you, deciding what to post was a challenge- I am in love with so many of the images!  Isn’t Miss L. beautiful?  And I must say, the pink dress is probably the cutest thing I have ever seen in my life!  And I think #3 is one of my new favorites- I knew when I got that shot that it was going to be great!

Miss L. also had her cousins visiting from CA and I was so excited when they walked in- aren’t they beautiful?  I love photographing tweens and I loved the bond these two sisters had.  

I hope you guys had as much fun as I had- I can’t wait to show you the rest of the images!  Now I am off to find something to cure my sudden craving for brownies and ice cream…

Enjoy!