These kids were all kinds of fun.  Quick with a smile, ready to run around and goof off, just… happy.  I met up with them (and their parents) at Ridley Creek State Park a few weeks ago.  It was a great shoot, and that was confirmed when their parents emailed me a few days later saying that the kids had a blast as well.  That made my day!

Check. Out. These. Blue. Eyes.

I met this lovely family for the first time this summer when we got together at the Moravian Tile Works in Doylestown to take some 9-month portraits of their daughter “A.”  She was totally chill and happy, and we took advantage of some of the beautiful textures available.  Here are some of my favorite images from the shoot.

We got up early one Monday morning to chase the light.  These pictures are rather special to me since the lovely lady in these pictures is my sister Holly.  This session was supposed to be an engagement shoot… over 5 years ago when Dennis first proposed.  Schedules fill up, weddings are planned, “I Do’s” are said, kids happen, and before you know it, it’s 2011.  Anyone else know the feeling?

A few months ago, a parenting website called PARENTise ran a contest to celebrate the launch of their new website.  PARENTise is designed to be a local resource for moms and dads who want to make wise choices in the products and services they get for their children.  (Check it out!)  One of the prizes was a portrait shoot with Ryan Estes Photography, and I’m happy to be posting these images of the shoot we did with the winning family.

We got together one early summer morning at the Curtis Hall Arboretum in Wyncote, PA.  The sun was just coming up, so I have to give props to this beautiful family for giving up some precious sleep!  As you can see, it didn’t take much to get some great images of their daughter…

A little while back I got together with “M” and her mom to take these pictures in Old City Philadelphia.  The rain stayed away, and this expressive little girl wowed the camera… all I had to do was keep up!

It’s such a joy for me to post these pictures, since there’s a back story to them.

About a year ago, I received a call from an organization I work with called Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep, which provides remembrance photography to families who have lost a child, and learned for the first time of Brian and Amy.  While Amy was pregnant with their second daughter, Kelsey, they learned that Kelsey’s heart had stopped beating.  Kelsey was born later that day, and I briefly took some photographs while Brian and Amy and their family spent a few precious hours with their tiny, beautiful daughter.  (This story is shared with permission, by the way.)

What an exciting moment it was when I heard from Brian earlier this year.  They were expecting again, and asked me to photograph their new son when he arrived.  Baby “E” entered the world a few weeks ago, and I’m so happy to be posting these pictures of him and his family!

A few years ago I took pictures while Kate & Doug tied the knot in my hometown of Elverson.  Fast-forward a few years, and all of a sudden this little man enters the picture…

Help me out here… I can’t decide which of the following two I like best.  What do you think?

Kate and Doug – it’s so fun to see your family grow.  Thanks for letting me capture this time in your lives!

The “R” family lives in Philadelphia, and when we first discussed their family session, they opted to shoot around the art museum, since it’s right in their neighborhood. Great idea… as we go through life and live in different neighborhoods and cities, having a record of where we lived at a particular time in our lives can be powerful. Have you ever looked through old family photos and noticed the setting as much as you noticed the people? I do all the time: Wow, that was before we had the driveway paved … Oh look, here we are in the field before it became a housing development! … I remember climbing in that tree, can’t believe how young I was then.

It was a great shoot.

Who can deny that babies like “T” are, quite simply, awesome?  They’re also a ton of fun to photograph, especially when they’re this expressive!  I took these pictures in Philadelphia a few weeks ago… “T” may not appreciate these for a few years yet, but one of the things I love about this type of photography is how much they’ll mean to him when he’s older, and sees how much his mom has loved him from Day One.

What’s the best thing that could happen after shooting someone’s wedding? Getting a call a few years later to take pictures of their kids, of course! Karen & John welcomed their firstborn into the world a few months ago, and wanted to get some shots as a family while he was still too young to start asking for the car keys…

Shooting relaxed children’s portraits is a blast. Find the good light and make images that simply tell the story of this time in life.