I recently had the opportunity to photograph a few Boston area Irish dancers. If you’ve never had the chance to see Irish dancers, I highly recommend it. It’s an amazing dance form — and photographing these kids is always a treat. The costumes are just gorgeous! Beyond that, the dedication, poise and skill these young dancers possess is something to see.

Need a photographer to capture your dance school’s students? Contact me via the main site.

These two cuties were so excited to visit the duckling statues on Boston Common…

…and then the real ducks came to visit (um, and some pigeons… and a starling I think?)

…and if that wasn’t enough, we heard some commotion behind us and turned around to see that the majestic swans had chosen to make an appearance!

Soon we carried on with our shoot….

and finally (and now you can see how behind I am in blogging!) there was a special display for Memorial Day — thousands of flags. It was amazing and allowed us to capture this portrait with a true American feel

My new friend, “Cookie Monster”, invited me into his home to check out his trucks and meet his adorable baby sister. (the name seemed to fit better than Rumpelstilskin, the name I first chose when he declined to give me his name, LOL).

His sweet baby sister was ready to join us, so Cookie took a break so she could continue to slumber:

Thanks for entertaining me, Cookie. I know you’ll be the best big brother to your little sister!

…to all the dads out there! Here are a few recent favorites:

This little champ wanted to stay awake, but mama always wins this game… even if it takes two feedings to knock him out! (it’s not completely unusual, but apparently it’s more than he normally has… I guess he just was having too much fun at his first photo shoot!) Maybe he wanted to show off his beautiful baby blues?

Can you stand the cuteness?

Thanks for bearing with us, little one! Sleep tight! I know mama loves you very much and I hope these images help her remember this time when you were changing so much every day

Oh this little one is such a sweetie! And you know what? There is nothing better to me than walking into a house and feeling instantly just how much Mom and Dad love their new little one. Top that off with baby smiles, and really, it’s a wonder you got me to leave after the session!

Thank you for inviting me to capture your adorable baby girl! She is a blessing.

I was proofing an image of a mom and her baby (both of whom are close to me) and it reminded me of something that happens in many, if not most, of my sessions. We have lots of cute images of the children… but none of mom. Why? Mom is worried. Maybe she can’t lose that last five pounds. Maybe there’s an extra wrinkle that she is sure was NOT there last month. Her clothes aren’t right. Her clothes are too tight. Her hair needs to be touched up. Her arms (oh, what I hear about arms could fill a book!) have not responded to the extra session she tried to take at the gym. Or, even worse…. “Gym? That place I pay every month but haven’t seen in a year? And now you want to photograph me?”

Sometimes I am able to cajole mom into appearing in a couple of images. I proof them, post them to the gallery, and wait. Nope. They are not ordered. Sometimes I get a note “Thanks for the photos with me… but….(insert reason: arms/ hips/ tummy/ thighs/ wrinkle/ hair uh-uh. No.) It’s not you. It’s me.”

So, here is my plea. This year, when you book a session, please sit for a few images. Hold your baby or child. Smile. Chat. Talk to them. Hug them. Kiss their beautiful little foreheads. And I promise you this: your child will treasure this image more than anything else in the world. Your child is NOT going to look back at this photo in 10, 20, 30 years and say: “Gee, why didn’t mom lose those last few pounds?” or “Gee, I wish mom’s eyes didn’t crinkle a bit when she smiled at me.”

Now, I am not immune. I’m right there with you. So I *know* what is going on in your head, because I say the same things to myself. But listen…  I *will* touch you up. I have a client who tells everyone who sees her wall print of her hugging her oldest — “Lori is the only one allowed to photograph me!” I pledge to not give you a super-airbrushed plastic doll face or make your kids say “Um, who is THAT?” It’ll be realistic, but it won’t be scary!  This is not a shoot & burn operation as you know; I have worked in this industry for years (too many years to count!) and I will take care of your images. I hope I can build on that trust you’ve put in your images of your children and reiterate that I care for the images of your family as if they were my own family.

Now, here’s the carrot: Contact me during the month of May 2010 to book your session, and I will gift you a 5×7 of an image of you and your child along with your paid basic session. Upgrading to a deluxe or ultimate? Then your gift will be upgraded to an 8×10 or 11×14, YOUR CHOICE, no charge for the print. And now for the really fine print: Sessions must take place before September 30, 2010. You must contact me before May 31 at 12:00 midnight. (I know, it’s a holiday. Send me an email and I’ll count you in for the offer!) Free print image MUST include you with your child or children. Contact me quickly for best selection of dates/times. Once they are gone, they are gone. (I have not figured out how to photoshop extra days or hours into my schedule, sadly.) No chickening out and asking if you can sub one of just the kids. Nope!

Thanks for bearing with me — this is surely my longest post/email/fb note yet. But I really, truly feel strongly about this — and I hope to be printing many Mom & Me images this summer!!

Have a beautiful Mother’s Day!

text and image copyright 2010 BlueDamselfly.com
Do not reprint without written permission.

Look at this sweetheart, all ready for easter! Somebunny sure is adorable (okay, you totally knew I’d have to use “somebunny” in this post, right?)

And here’s one where we lost the hat, but gained an Easter bunny:

Hope you enjoy your first Easter, Miss D!

This little guy didn’t fuss once through many outfit/prop changes. Pods, cocoons, hats & diaper covers? Not a problem. Here’s baby W, just 7 days old:

He’s just too cute, isn’t he? Thanks mom and dad for sharing your new one with me!!

I have to admit, that was kinda fun to type! Here’s my blue ribbon, Judge’s Choice Award and Highest Score for a First-Time Entrant, “Constant Companions”:

Closer view:

I also won a blue ribbon for “Snug” and red ribbons on three images (two shown below — “In Her World” and “Thirteen”)

Thank you, Professional Photographers Association of Massachusetts!