A childhood paradise

I pulled up to this family's home and saw about a dozen kiddos playing football in the front yard. Bikes were strewn all over the place and there were random other fun toys all around. In the backyard, a pool and a trampoline. Mom asked if I could capture some of the neighborhood kids playing with her 3 kids. As I watched and took pictures a car load of MORE neighbor kids drove by, stopped and hopped out to join the fun. I was thrilled to see so many friends having fun, enjoying the BEAUTIFUL afternoon and building memories for a lifetime.

Here are some cute ones from our session...




Many, many more to follow! Thanks so much for a fun session!

Loved

Loved. Yesterday was a special day for this beautiful young lady. Fourteen years ago she was brought home from Russia to become a part of my neighbor's family. She became theirs and made their life complete. I have known her for about 7 years and have enjoyed watching her blossom into a snotty, moody teenager (lol, just kidding, Kate!).
She is kind, loving and down to earth and she brings so much joy to her family and friends. My kids adore her.

And, she swims FAST!

LOVE these trees.

Such a pretty smile!

This is more about the dogs... I love how they are all attached to the rope toy. Katie doesn't have a chance to get it away from the close to 300-ish pounds of dog!!

Thanks! So glad we're friends and neighbors!

A visit from twin cousins

Cousins. Always fun to visit cousins especially when it is a for a photo session with Grandma and Grandpa, too.

The twins are 3 and I have never seen more well-behaved/attentive/non-fit-throwing three year olds. I expected a few meltdowns and a bit more challenging behavior (as is typical of this age), but alas... just great smiles and great fun!


Precious young lady.
Love her smiles!
Watch out for this handsome guy. A real charmer in the making.
Guess what the word of the day was by a certain young member of the family?
NO.

Thanks so much for a fun session!!!!

Busy, busy, busy

Be sure to check the blog often... tons of sessions coming up. Looking forward to seeing old clients and meeting new ones. Also, if you're on Facebook check out my business page. Search Stephanie Antshel Photography and it should pop up.

Had a fun time with this lively family of three kiddos. A little football, a little trampoline, some running around... all on a GORGEOUS afternoon. Add to the mix the adorableness of this crew and we're all set!!


Thanks so much!

Big Love!

I'm so happy! We almost didn't do this session today because the weather this morning looked pretty yucky. Typical Syracuse weather ... it cleared up in the afternoon and made for an incredibly beautiful evening.
Love these images. It was not hard to make this wonderful couple laugh and smile at one another. They actually made my job seem so easy. Very easy.



I guess I'm an accomplice... although I didn't necessarily encourage this disobedience I certainly think it made for a pretty cute shot!!

I'm so excited about your photos and can't wait to show you the rest!!!
Thanks for being such great sports!!

Family Time!

Fun, fun, fun!

A perfect afternoon to frolic in the yard with a well-grounded, all-around fabulous family!
Mom just wanted me to capture a little slice of their sweet little life.
These are just a few examples:

Charming young woman

Where do I begin?

Well, lets see... Mother Nature decided to keep us on our toes today with clear skies, rain, cloudy skies, rain, sun, cloudy skies, sun, rain and then a perfectly pleasant afternoon (minus an aberrant mini rainshower) that ended in glorious sunshine. Oh yea, and a tornado warning for a brief part of the afternoon. I had my doubts that this session would take place, but alas... we braved it and it ended up being absolutely wonderful.

Charming young woman. Kind, confident, smart, athletic, low maintenance, personable, and naturally beautiful. We had a ball walking along the Erie Canal path finding pretty spots to use for her Senior pictures. We were attacked by mosquitoes, screamed at a snake and dodged a few raindrops. I would say that is a pretty successful session!!!


I'm so excited about these pictures. Thanks for being such a great "sport" (no pun intended!!) and allowing me to capture this awesome time in your life. I hope you go to school in Boston!



How many pair of sneakers??? 36???!!

The best laid plans...

FINALLY met this cute family after several weeks of postponing due to bad weather. The day started lovely, pretty light and no rain... things were looking good for a Saturday session. Our plan to hold off in past weeks and wait for a nice day was working.

THEN...
I arrived at their lovely home and noticed the wind (we postponed one time due to high winds - they live on top of a hill). Not terrible, but the wind was definitely gusting from time to time. We managed to work around it. Then, I was informed that Dad was at work and would be home soon. No biggie, we could start and he could join in when he got home. I was greeted by the 6 month old cutie with a big giggle/smile. Then, I cursed it as I told him to save some smiles for the camera. He didn't listen... and the normally smiley baby just wasn't giving it to us. :( Poor little guy has pretty bad reflux and had to change outfits about four times!! Mom does A LOT of laundry! The adorable three year old was, well, just being three.... but I still was able to trick her into some great pics!!
And, the funniest mishap, toward the end of the session I was letting the 3 year old hold my lens cap. She accidentally dropped it and IT ROLLED IN BETWEEN THE DECK SLATS and went to the land of good-by. Seriously. What are the chances of that??!!! Certainly not a big deal, but just the icing on top of the "what else can go wrong" cake??!!!

The session reminded me that we live in "real life" and no matter how we plan and plan, sometimes you just have to accept it and roll with the punches! Luckily, this sweet family knew just how to roll with it and didn't get stressed about it.

Still able to find many images that I love... like these...


Thank you, thank you!!

What a smile!

This little man was absolutely adorable. Five years old, so I could relate to his personality and interests... we connected... I was invited to stay for a snack. Lucky me!!

His mom and dad adore him. I mean... look at Mom... how fun is she? Love his smile here...
Love his expression here...
Love everything about this one...
And this to me says, "HAPPINESS!!!"

What a great smile!
Thanks so much for inviting me to capture your family.

gone boatin'

I met this beauty last year and was thrilled to go back to Skaneateles on a picture perfect evening to photograph her again. New addition this year, Banjo... a fun and fluffy Cockapoo.

A serious side.


Captain?
Well, just under the watchful eye of Mom!

I love this image...

and this one because it includes Banjo...


What a life! Thanks for inviting me back. I enjoyed our session so much!