Sneak peek at The P family photos from earlier this morning.

It’s hard to believe that a little over 30 years ago my family and I immigrated to the United States. We were one of the many “boat people” who left Vietnam after the war and ended up living in the Hong Kong refugee camps for several months. Thankfully, a kind Maryland church sponsored us over. Growing up we didn’t have much. We never went on exotic family vacations to Europe or cruises to the Caribbeans. We got most of our clothes through donations from the church and most of our toys from yard sales. My parents made due with what little they had and tried to make our family “staycations” as fun as possible. I remember growing up we would take day trips to Kings Dominion, the Enchanted Forest in Ellicott City, and Ocean City. But what I remember the most and what became somewhat of an annual family tradition, was our trips to Larriland Farms. In the Fall, we would go out as a family to pick apples and in the summer we would pick strawberries. Many times my cousins would join us and we would run through the orchards and just get lost in our own imaginary world. Then years passed and my sister and I grew older…we became TEENAGERS! Every now and then my mom would excitedly ask us, “Want to go to the farms to pick fruits and veggies this year?” The thought of going to pick apples was so uncool to us. We laughed, “NOOOO mom…we aren’t TEN anymore.” I could tell she was disappointed. The excitement in her face was gone and although she smiled in response, we could tell there was sadness in her eyes.

Now that I’m older, looking back I miss those family outings. This past weekend, I did a photo session with the S Family at North Run Farms and it brought back some childhood memories, especially the sweet smell of Larriland’s famous apple fritters! On the drive home, I turned to my sister and said “let’s go to Larriland with Taylor!” I was excited when my sister said yes! We headed to her house, picked up my niece Taylor and my brother-in-law and headed to Larriland. The farm wasn’t as I remembered it. The place had grown and they added a lot more things for kids and families to do, from the farm animal enclosure, to the hay mazes, to the haunted house. The place was pretty packed but everyone was laughing and having fun.

Here is my little sweet & sassy niece Taylor. Oh my! The things we make kids do for a good photo!

We didn’t get a chance to pick apples but Taylor did pick out her Halloween pumpkin.

Some great pics from my sister & bro-in-law

Big SQUEEZE!

I think Taylor was tired of posing…she did find her pumpkin though!

And here’s a look back at Larriland Farms 20+ years ago…I think this might have been taken in 1985? This is me with my 2 cousins Vu and Tuan. We might have looked innocent…but boy were we TROUBLE!

And here’s one looking waayyyy back to 1979 – Hong Kong Refugee style. Yes- my sister and I have boy haircuts… I find it funny that I’m also holding an apple in this pic.

I love it when clients return and I get to see how much their kids have grown! You might recall The S Family photo session from earlier this year. I was excited when Mrs. S contacted me to do a fall session with little Lila and big brother Noah again. We met up at North Run Farms in Stevenson Maryland. My sister joined me on the first S Family photoshoot so we teamed up again on this one.

We ended the shoot with a stop at the food vendor- the sweet aroma of freshly cooked funnel cakes filled the air and was too hard to resist!

Noah met up with his friend Baily for a playdate afterwards. These two are too cute!

Some great shots from my sister, Phuong!

I had a great family session with the D family this past weekend. It’s been so hot lately, way too hot for the little ones to be out so long, so mom and I decided to schedule an early morning session at the Cylburn Arboretum.  Cylburn Arboretum is like a hidden gem located in Baltimore City. It’s a wonderful nature preserve full of gardens and hiking trails. This was the first time I’ve ever visited the area and was pleasantly surprised. I found a great big tree in the middle of the preserve that made for an absolutely stunning backdrop.

David and Miriam have three beautiful children. Despite the heat, the kids did so well during the shoot and I had a blast playing with them.

Mom & Dad- beautiful couple = beautiful children…inside & out.

Last year I photographed my sister and her family on July 4th. This year, my sister wanted to make it a tradition so we managed to do a quick family photo session before it got too hot outside. We took a couple shots around my neighborhood and at the pier near my house. Here’s a quick peek at some photos this past weekend.

Had a great family-engagement session with Kelly & Bryan yesterday. Kelly’s beautiful 9-year old daughter, Nia, came along to join in on the fun! Here’s a sneak peek!

We snuck into the Visionary Art Museum so the family could do a quick wardrobe change. There was a window on the top floor near the “Fun House” restaurant that got some fabulous golden light. I believe it’s against the rules to photograph inside the museum but we managed to snap a few shots before the security guard caught us.

My sister, Phuong, also came along for this shoot. Here are some of her awesome shots! I absolutely LOVE the one below!

Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there! Thank-you for all you do- your love, your patience, and kissing away all the boo boos over the years. What better way to celebrate your day than a family photoshoot!

Speaking of moms, Mother Nature has been having a hard time deciding on the weather lately. One week it’s sweltering hot, the next it cold and windy! This Mother’s Day was a windy and a tad chilly but still a beautiful day for photos!

I spent the afternoon with the C Family exploring the park for some great photo spots. I was fortunate to have my sister come along to assist and act as a second shooter. We got some great shots of the family and Little Ella who recently turned the BIG ONE!

Happy Birthday Ella!

Ella is such a sweet baby!  I loved it when she laughed throughout the shoot, she only has two teeth in and looked ubber cute whenever she smiled!

And here’s the lovely picture perfect C Family!

And here are some great shots from my talented sister, Phuong.

Nothing says Spring like standing barefoot in the grass

Birthday wishes!

I can’t believe it’s already May! The April showers (not to mention record breaking winter blizzard) brought Spring in full bloom. Sunday was another hot day but beautiful none-the-less! I had the opportunity to photograph the beautiful “G” Family in Potomac Maryland.

Mr & Mrs G’s son, Miller, is going to grow up to be quite the heart breaker. Look at those gorgeous baby blue eyes and handsome smile!

It’s hard to believe Miller is turning 6 next month!

Time flies by so quickly! I can’t believe my niece, Taylor, is turning TWO next month! It’s been awhile since I had a chance to do a photoshoot with her. It’s was a gorgeous day out today…but hot hot hot! We did a quick mini photoshoot at the park then followed that with a trip to Cheeburger Cheeburger. Mmmmmm!

Today was such a gorgeous day for photos! I spent the morning in Patuxent State Park with the beautiful “S” family. I had the pleasure of meeting Natalie and her daughter Keelyn about a year ago at one of my sister’s mommy meetup groups. Keelyn was so little then, was just learning to sit up, and was one of the prettiest most photogenic babies I’ve met! I was excited to see how much she had grown and even more happy to be able to photograph the entire family this time.

Natalie also wanted to take a generations photo – I absolutely LOVED the idea!
Four generations of women – great grandmom, grandma, mom, and little Keelyn.