A sweet old pup and her darling boy

This mom and I have been emailing since 2007 about doing a shoot with her family and two dogs... I'm so glad we finally got to do it. Back in April when she booked this shoot, she was concerned about her older pup, Annie - worried that her cancer might get the better of her before we got a chance to take these pictures. But she made it! Sweet old pup - she gave lots of love to 2 year old big boy G:


And these guys had lots of fun together:


A shot with the whole gang, yay!


And a toss in the air from dad:


A classic shot of this sweet boy. Isn't he handsome? I love the way the windowshades are reflecting the light behind him, too.


This is apparently the face G always makes when they get to this page of "How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night?" (he's imitating a dinosaur crying, of course) :)


And I had to include this one - I love his expression as he finds his favorite garbage man.
It was great to meet you guys and get a chance to take pictures of you all, thanks for everything!


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Drumroll please...

We have our winner! The lovely Katie had 149 votes as of 10pm, and her family wins a free photobook. Yay!












We were down to the wire, I have to tell you. Quite the horse race. And I do have to give honorable mention (and a photobook of their own) to Sam's family, because they came in second with 126 votes, and that's pretty impressive.









Here are the final stats at 10pm:



















Thank you all SOOOooo much for being part of this and for telling your friends about it. It was really fun for me - I'll definitely do another contest another time.

A new sister, complete with cute toes

A quick break from the contest... I got to go meet new baby S last Friday, and I'm excited to show her parents these sweet photos. I've been taking pictures of big brother M since he was a newborn, just the same size as his new sister. He's such a loving big brother - very good with his sister. And I'm loving this picture of the two of them. We so often focus (ha ha, no pun intended) on getting smiling pictures of our children, but this one is so nice, don't you think? They really look alike here, and they're so content and happy together.


This next one is the kind of picture I love - I can see it hanging on the wall for a long time... as the kids get bigger and bigger they'll once in a while notice how tiny they once were, belly rolls and cute toes and all.


But I love smiles, too. What a sweet girl!


And obviously already adoring her big brother. Don't you love the position of her hands in this one?


A kiss from dad:


And a hug from mom:


We had to zip outside for a few quick pictures - amazingly, we caught a bit of sun!
So fun to see you guys and welcome your new addition. Congrats again :)

Got the vanity URL for facebook...

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http://www.facebook.com/bostonbabyphotos

Welcome to the Photo/Story Contest

Thanks for visiting the Photo/Story Contest. Have fun reading the stories and vote for your favorite ones by clicking on the "comments" link here on the blog below the post and entering a quick comment. The photo/story with the most comments posted by 10pm on Monday, June 29th wins! The winning family will receive a free custom photobook from Boston Baby Photos.

Keep checking back - I'll be posting submissions as they're sent to me, so lots more photo/stories to come! Scroll down the page for new entries, I'm posting them below here.

Official Photo Story Contest Rules for Voting:
1) Please be honest and only vote (comment) one time for each photo/story that you like.
2) You are welcome to vote for your own post. Just once, though :)
3) I will be moderating all the comments/votes that come through, so there will be a delay before your vote appears on the blog. I realize it will be possible for one person to "stuff the ballot box" by commenting many times on one post, but don't do that -- we're all friends here. Let's be fair, OK?
and last...
4) Have fun!

Contest Submission #1: My Naked Fairy Princess

"For those who know me, it wouldn't surprise them to know that I debated dressing my son up in a fairy costume for a photo op. After much consideration, I decided to save him the embarrassment, and hold off to see if I'd have a girl. When the doctors handed me my little baby girl Quinn, I thought "would it be wrong to have her hospital photos taken with fairy wings?". After realizing how crazy this was, I brought her home, and held off on the fairy costume until our photo shoot with Jessica.

The morning Jessica came, I had several outfits laid out for Quinn, one being her pink fairy costume. It was time, hurray! It was a beautiful day out, and it was going to be just perfect. The photo shoot was going very well, and Gavin and Quinn were having a blast with Jessica. It was time for a costume change! As Jessica watched me try to stuff my meaty little lady into her fairy costume, she must have seen the look on my face go from excitement and determination, to another look. Although you may be thinking this other look was disappointment, it wasn't. It was the look of a proud mom who doted on her naked little girl. In my eyes, she's a perfect little fairy princess with or without the wings.

The whole photo shoot was amazing. Jessica improvised after the costume malfunction and took a bunch of shots in the buff, which turned out to be some of my favorites from the shoot. Here is one of them!

- Pam"

VOTE FOR QUINN BY COMMENTING ON THIS POST

Contest Submission #2: Hayden

"This photo captures for us the perfect innocence of a little baby. We especially love how his two most edible parts, his chubby cheeks and his tush, are highlighted so nicely. And really, has there ever been such a cute tush?

-Marni and Sasha"

VOTE FOR HAYDEN BY COMMENTING ON THIS POST

Contest Submission #3: This is Nat

"This is Nat, 15 months old. We took him to Phillips beach in Swampscott at the end of the shoot, stripped him down and let him go. He hadn't started walking yet, but was crawling at about 15 miles per hour. He was really excited to be naked outside - look at that cute tushie! Jess captured the moment perfectly and I look at this photo every morning when I wake up, it is framed and sitting on our bureau.

-Sara"

VOTE FOR NAT BY COMMENTING ON THIS POST

Ed. note - three in a row with no clothes

Just so you know - you can feel free to submit pictures of your children with their clothes on, too ;)

Contest Submission #4: Abigail and Brogan

"What's the best game for a 3 month old?! Surely "This Little Piggy" is tops! Even at 3 months, Brogan was in love with his big sister, Abigail. She (wearing her plastic seashell bracelet for her "photo shoot") was desperately trying to make him smile & laugh! As soon as she started playing with his feet, the belly laughs started! And what a cute belly it is!!!

Thanks Jess for capturing this moment in time.

-Michelle"

VOTE FOR ABIGAIL AND BROGAN BY COMMENTING ON THIS POST

Contest Submission #5: Big brother/little brother wrestle-orama

"When this picture was taken (June'ish 08), we were all realizing that Duncan had moved well beyond toddlerdom into little boy-hood...meaning he'd become a sparring partner for his older brother, Henry. Suddenly, Duncan wasn't a blob to be tolerated--he was someone to sit on, spin, bury under pillows, throw blocks at, trip, chase, and (as the photo shows), someone to give noogies to.

And while Duncan doesn't always enjoy the resulting rugburn or bruised ego, somewhere deep inside him, I think he likes having a big brother and all that it entails.

-Ben"

VOTE FOR DUNCAN AND HENRY BY COMMENTING ON THIS POST

Contest Submission #6: Jimmy and Mia

"I love this shot because my kids love the snow plus they’re total hams. I love that Jess always captures such candid moments!

-Amy"

VOTE FOR JIMMY AND MIA BY COMMENTING ON THIS POST

Contest Submission #7: Bella

"This is one of those picture that really truly gives the saying " a picture is worth 1000 words" some real meaning. Bella was almost a year and had just started walking but when I look at this picture I had that same sense of "YES...I did it..I survived the first year with 2 kids!" Any parent knows (no matter the age difference...) what a challenge and a relief it is to have done so. I loved this photo so much that when I mentioned it to you how great it would be on the front of a greeting card you were so kind enough to make me some!!! I still have them and give them to friends who have babies!

-Caterina"

VOTE FOR BELLA BY COMMENTING ON THIS POST

Contest Submission #8: The "Goosemeats"

"If you've ever kissed a baby you know that once is never enough. It just isn't. No one could possibly be satisfied with just one kiss unless they're a politician in a hurry. Babies have special powers; babies could get me to sign up for a pyramid scheme just waving their soft skin and pudge in front of me. And one thing's for sure, I love to kiss my babies. The first kiss is just a "Hello, where are you especially delicious right now?" kiss, hunting around, figuring out where could possibly top yesterday's or this morning's delicious spot, and then there. There it is. Sometimes it takes some tilting and lifting of limbs on your part, but the perfect spots are there for the taking. My favorite spot is what my mother calls "The Goosemeats" (one of those odd terms you know is centuries old). The Goosemeats are found in the folds of the neck, directly below the ear. You know that spot. It makes baby giggle like no other spot and it’s warm as toast. When you've discovered The Goosemeats you've created a standard for all other kissable spots. In one of my all-time favorite Jess McDaniel photos, my very obliging baby pudding Bodie is about to get kisses on The Goosemeats, and big sister Hanne is onto something promising up top.

-Mary"

VOTE FOR BODIE AND HANNE BY COMMENTING ON THIS POST

Contest Submission #9: First smile from Griffin

"Milestones are so important to parents. We write them down in baby books, we stress when we don't think our kids are reaching them fast enough, we brag about them to eager grandparents. I think, though, that they are best described as bittersweet moments. We want our babies to grow and at the same time want them to stay small. My third boy, Griffin, was very stingy with his smiles for the longest time. We waited and waited to see his first. Then one day, when Jess was over taking photos of Griff and his brothers, it came while he was hanging over my shoulder. I yelled, "did you get it, did you get it?" Of course she had.

-Jackie"

VOTE FOR GRIFFIN BY COMMENTING ON THIS POST

Contest Submission #10: Sam

"Every time I look at this picture of Sam a dozen thoughts go through my head about what he is thinking. Is he wondering if it will ever stop raining? Is he looking to see if a plane is going to fly by the top of building next door? Is he imagining the different shapes in the clouds? Is he hoping he gets what he wants for his birthday? Or is he wondering if his twin sister Ellie will ever leave him alone? He is such a thoughtful little boy I bet he is wondering when someone will come over and give him a big smooch.

-Jannelle"

VOTE FOR SAM BY COMMENTING ON THIS POST

Contest Submission #11: Katie

"Katie is actually looking down from the top of a slide in this picture, looking down at her little sister. I love the moment Jess caught her in..."Look at me, Lila, I am a big girl..."(and the implied, "you're not") I also LOVE the light on her summer curls...

-Ali"

VOTE FOR KATIE BY COMMENTING ON THIS POST

Contest Submission #12: Ryan and Sammy

"Jess took this picture of my son, Ryan, and dog, Sam, when Ryan was about four months old. I love it because Jess captures Sam's sweet gentleness and Ryan's innocence in this one moment. It's perfect!

-Danielle"

VOTE FOR RYAN (AND SAM) BY COMMENTING ON THIS POST

Contest submission #13: Aviendha and her family

"Three times Jess has graced my home to capture the light of my child.

Once as a tiny infant barely strong enough to lift her own head. Jess captured both her minuteness and (to my surprise) the softness of new motherhood.

Once as a toddler celebrating her first year, gleefully charging down the driveway on her own two feet. Jess captured this glee and (to my dismay) the evidence of our broken marriage, two proud parents sitting awkwardly together for a family photo.

Once as a two year old, in charge of herself and the world. Jess captured her independence and (to my extreme delight) the reminder that our broken marriage is not broken but a new kind of family: with new form, texture, and solidity. A family shaped differently than most, to be sure, but a family nonetheless, with parents and child loving each other deeply, spread out across multiple homes, and welcoming new people into the circle we call family.

It is with a joyfully bursting heart that I look at this, one of my favorites, of the three of us. Because Jess unwittingly tracked not just the growth of our child, but the growth of a family into what it is today: happy.

-SerahRose"

VOTE FOR AVIENDHA BY COMMENTING ON THIS POST

The Photo/Story Contest starts soon...

The Contest starts soon! As soon as I get some entries, I'll post them here.

See more blog posts.

Official Photo Story Contest Rules for Submissions

1) The photo you submit has to have been taken by Jessica McDaniel
2) The photo you submit has to have been taken at an in-home (not studio) photoshoot
3) The photo you submit has to be black and white

Rules for voting coming soon!

Learn more about the contest.

Rolls, grins and a fantastic beret

It's been raining cats and dogs around here for days... weeks now. When I talked to these parents a few days before their shoot, we decided we were going to go ahead, rain or shine, since we thought we'd mostly be inside anyway. And then there was this window of sunshine! I think it was brought on by this adorable little girl! She had the best wrist rolls, chubby thighs... and her expressions were priceless:


Some tummy tickles:


Had to widen this shot up a bit to show their hilarious cat in the corner of the frame... don't you wonder what she's thinking?


Don't you love the wrinkles on the bottom of the feet?


Gorgeous eyelashes on this little sweet girl:


And she had to show off a fantastic beret, of course.


Even she thought it looked great:


So nice to meet you guys!

Mommy and her girl time

So this shoot was a bit different - Sara (mom) takes lots of gorgeous photos of her daughter all the time, but she has no photos of herself with her daughter (a situation I'm very familiar with).  So this shoot was a time for us to get mommy/daughter pictures.  I feel like I should have posted this a month or so ago before Mother's Day instead of Father's Day!

To start off, this is my absolute favorite shot from the day.  Just love this.


And we got some sweet classic ones:


Sara had asked for some urban-style photos... so I talked this truck driver into driving behind this shot for me, just to up the "urban" feel... ;)


These guys were BOTH up for anything.  Dancing on park benches, anyone?


Shoulder rides...


Even stopping for a rest and a cuddle. What's better than that?


I had a wonderful time celebrating girls and mommies with you guys today.  All your pics are coming soon!

Teenie and sweet as can be

OK, so I'm having so much fun getting to know a whole new batch of babies who'll be my Sadie's age as they get bigger. I have this whole "generation" of children born about 3 1/2 or 4 years ago that I've had fun taking pictures of over the years, managing to remember their ages pretty well because they match up with my Annie. And now I get a whole new group! Does this mean I need to keep having children every few years? ;)

But this lovely lady was a treat at 5 weeks old:


Giving her mama some sweet smiles:


I love her eyes in this one - aren't they pretty?


And I had to include this one because her nose is just too adorable!


And cuddled in a blanket, I love the hands:


The inevitable breakdown, of course:


And those tiny fingers wrapped around her mom's finger - I love how this one shows how very very tiny she is right now.

So wonderful to meet you - thanks for a great photoshoot.