No photobooth, or photo in general for that matter, would be complete without a photobomb by Renee!

Some came from near and far to attend Viva! Samantha and her husband made the trek from DC!

Disclaimer: I made her do this – and NO she wasn’t drinking!

One of the most photogenic couples I’ve ever photographed!

Here she is. The newest member of West Point and a great Army brat already!

Caden and Cameron are all smiles.  They are very intelligent little boys who are already so handsome. Caden is in my daughter, Lilly’s class!  They get along great!  I’m happy that she’s so fond of him, considering how bright and how handsome he is!  They were super easy to photograph – probably a product of their mother’s profession.

The ladies in Aaron’s life…

I like the ask the son’s of Army guys to show me their “war face” — this was it… I learned at lunch following this session though that Aaron’s father had a serious at-home war face that seems, to this day, strike fear into Aaron – a full grown man. It involves folding your tongue backwards and holding it between your teeth while prepping for a thump like you’ve never had before.  Ok, I get it.  I would be scared, too.

To the Ashley Family – thanks for trusting me with your family portraits!  I hope you love them as much as I do!!  Now, get to the choppa!!!

Photo courtesy of Aaron Ashley:

In our initial discussions about timing and what-not, there were some concerns.  First of all, Frankenstorm not only ruining our initial date, but potentially ruining any chance at delaying to the next week because the foliage would certainly be gone.  Army also had a football game that Saturday, which anyone who lives here knows, causes massive amounts of vehicle and foot traffic on campus.  So, we took the lesser of two evils and went with Saturday morning.  Destination: The “pooh stick bridge,” the “mystery chimney,” and the cemetery where we would be “fishing.”  I was very interested to learn all about these things on our journey.  The documentarist in me was really excited to, well, document it.  Having a daughter who loves Winnie-the-Pooh, I had a pretty good idea what the first location would entail.  But, I wanted to hear it from Patrick’s point of view… Oh yeah, meet Patrick…

If you’re unfamiliar,  there is a bridge in which Pooh and his friends, throw sticks from and have stick races.  So, that’s what Patrick and his little sister Adalyn did…

Patrick is victorious!!

Not to be a sore winner, Patrick then helps his little sister with her stick.

More big brother love!

Patrick was so adorable under this bridge, I had to get a quick picture!!

I heard Patrick say, “GO ARMY, BEAT NAVY!” a LOT during the course of our session.  While it’s not my typical “style” necessarily, I HAD to get a hard light photo of him being an “army football player.”  For my photo followers, all I did here was have my assistant stay a ways back (the farther the light from the subject, the harder the light. The inverse is also true.) After getting the appropriate distance, she positioned herself for a rembrandt lighting pattern (note the triangle shadow below the right eye. camera left).  Back to way more interesting stuff; Patrick has a great “war face!”  Brendan and Elisa should be proud!!

Off the to “mystery chimney.”  There is a chimney, just a chimney, free standing at West Point.  No one knows, positively, where it came from or what it once belonged to.  There are several types of stones and bricks that make up it’s construction, so I imagine, because of its wide range of masonry, it’s been around a while and has seen quite a lot!

I love relationships.  I prepped Elisa and Brendan that I would be trying to really grab relationships in this series.  It was easy to do!  Their bonds are strong and noticeable to anyone who watches them! Here, Adalyn is overjoyed just by the idea of her Mom’s outstretched hands.

More big brother!  Mom and Dad are obviously very proud!

I just love Elisa’s face here.  Can we say *blessings*?

Normally, I wouldn’t want to keep this photo, because you can’t see Brendan’s face.  From a photo perspective, I feel it draws you more to the main subject, Elisa and Adalyn.  From a aesthetic perspective, even without seeing his face, I know he adores the women in his life.

I don’t think they like each other AT. ALL.  In his choices, Patrick chose to be carried like a “sack of potatoes,” and NOT a “football.”  Well played, little man. Well played.

How adorable is Patrick’s face here?! I know, right?!

Speaking of Brendan’s adoration…. ahem… I’ll let the photos speak for themselves.

Siblings.  There is no other relationship quite like that.  I adored my brother, most of the time.  If I could speak to Adalyn and Patrick at age 18, I would say, really, really hang on to that.  You never know when you may not have it anymore.

Look how cool she thinks he is!!

In our talks about locations, Elisa said, I know this is probably weird, but I would like some in the cemetery.  Not only did I not find it weird at all, I was honored and I was all smiles.  As many of you know, my brother is buried in Arlington National Cemetery. I’ve taken many pictures of my children there.  I find cemeteries peaceful and calming.  Elisa shared the sentiment, so off we went.  I love this particular photo because I’ve walked a similar walk.  I know how bittersweet it is.  Teaching children about the person you’re going to honor, talking about the great beyond, and just enjoying their company, as your angel would want you to.

On the walk, I was able to snap this quick shot of Adalyn and Brendan. What a sweet moment. (note Patrick in the background, bottom left corner. Yeah, I totally meant to do that.)

Once we arrived at Elisa’s Mom’s stone, she instructed Patrick to pick out a few rocks to place at the top.  This is a Jewish tradition, which has been adopted by many in the Christian faith, as well as many others.  He did a fantastic job and placed a stone for each member of his family neatly on top.  You can see from this picture, Elisa takes her family here quite a bit.

I believe Adalyn’s grandmother is happy to know Adalyn can climb and explore all around her headstone.

This made my heart happy.  Adalyn pointing to her grandmother’s photograph with a big smile.  I repeat, photographs are invaluable.

Then WE WENT FISHING!  I had NO idea what this was going to be, but we went to the fountain right by Elisa’s mother’s stone.  Each child had a stick and “fished” for, well, what else? Fishses! (which were really leaves.)  What a great game and what great fun it was to watch.

Patrick teaching Adalyn the finer points of fishing.  This was right when he caught a huge bass!

Patrick shares his catch with his sister. Yummy. Leaves.

The following two images are in front of the building in the cemetery.  There’s some history here.. as with most of West Point.  This building used to be the Cadet Chapel! That’s right, the one before they built the cathedral that’s there now!  The construction workers, builder, and architects moved it, brick by brick, to it’s current resting place.  There has to be a metaphor there.

My son, Liam, does this on a regular basis with me.  So, I cropped this image like this in order to really focus in on them.  I love the relationship between a mother and a son. It’s truly a special bond that I’m so happy I get to experience. You two look so precious together.

Nothing like balloon static hair.  Except balloon static hair on an adorable little boy!

This location is where I had my family photos taken and I’ve been DYING to get a family out here even since.  See how beautiful it is?!

Once again, I saw myself and my family in this photo (I swear I’m not a narcissist).  I love how Jolene is admiring her husband and getting such joy watching them interact.

He LOVED those balloons. (and his brother’s balloons).

Ah, love.

Quick, quick! Snap a picture!

Awesome moment between mother and son again!

I don’t think he was having fun at all.

Stealing kisses.

To the Ludeman family.  Keep in being awesome.  I had a blast and I hope you did, too!!

XOXO

ESP

Check out some of the photos I managed to snap with 3 kids in tow.  And follow along with the pictures for some more coolness about the Blaze!!

The house, seemingly the main attraction, was just a taste of things to come.  The lighting, not just from the pumpkins, was superb.

My daughter, and happy model, Anna, was loving being a part of the action putting on her best “terrified” face!

REAL lanterns lit the entire roped off walkway through the blaze. What an amazing, but subtle, touch to a all-around cool experience!

Another view of the house. The people silhouetted just add to the entire experience!

I loved the detail in every scene and how the designers of the blaze were able to add pumpkins in interesting ways. Here, they were in incorporated as the bone fire for the pumpkin ghosts!

The Jack O’Lantern grave yard was an excellent touch.

My daughter is a dinosaur fanatic. This field of everything from a spinosaurus, triceratops and the giant T-Rex was beyond fascinating. The designers cut the pumpkins in half and attach them to plywood which is not visible at night! How cool is that?

Here the T-Rex and the Triceratops adorn the hill of the dinosaur field.

These intricate carvings were truly impressive.  The patience required to carve this is something beyond my threshold for sure!

The bee hive was so cool! The electronic lights gave the impression of the bees actually flying out of the hive.

There is so so so much more to see at the Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze. I hope your family enjoys is as much as we did. What a great treat! I can now say the Shaw family is fully pumped up and excited about Halloween!

Did I mention it was cold and breezy this morning?  No?  Well, it was.

Maria is so stunningly beautiful.  She’s a Kentucky girl, former military, and a sweetheart.  It was a joy photographing her.

Watch out!

The girls in Clay and Cohen’s life!  I’ll call them the Livingston Ladies.