Two of my oldest, dearest friends from summer camp days growing up are having a baby!

Over the holidays in Tennessee, we thought camp would be the perfect place to take some pre-baby portraits with the 2 of them and their sweet dog, Parker.

I won’t need to describe how much these two camp sweethearts laugh together…

I can’t believe it is winter again!  After a freezing cold late November portrait shoot on the High Line a few weeks ago, I was reminded that just because it is cold outside, it doesn’t mean you have to go indoors for portraits and loose the beautiful natural daylight.  Just plan ahead with a few layers of clothes, and you are good to go.

One of my favorite winter portrait sessions of 2013 was back in February on a cold Sunday afternoon. I went with Alissa Schwartz to Red Hook, Brooklyn to take some portraits for her to use on her business website, and it was a great success!  She had done her own location scouting and had found a variety of buildings to fit with the feel of her business – Solid Fire Consulting.  She wanted to convey a dynamic, enterprising feel, full of energy and fun, and she had picked some perfect colors as backgrounds to brighten up a gray winter day.  And she kept on laughing, despite the snow flurries and cold fingers and toes.  I think that is one of the key factors that makes great portraits – you can tell when someone is having fun.

Below are some of the photos from our afternoon ~ and then check out how the photos were used on her website.

One of my best friends has never really been happy with me taking photos of her – we’re talking for the last 16 years or so… until her baby Willa came along.

Here’s a few photos of three of my very favorite people, beautifully battling the wind in Prospect Park.

Thank you, sweet Willa!