jill carmel photography | the blog

One More Makes Four

I've been a bit behind in my blogging -- there are some very exciting things going on behind the scenes here that have been demanding quite a bit of my attention, although I'm always happy for the excuse to take a break and go photograph. And what a joy it was to get away and spend some time with this lovely family.

Their little girl is 20 months old and already knows 50-60 signs. What? I don't even know three signs...Let's see...I can wave (1) and can give a thumbs up (2) and I can shrug my shoulders (does that count?). This uber-smart kid can sign all kinds of things and her daddy was prompting her to show me a bunch of them...there were so many that I lost track after a while. It's a pretty amazing thing to see, and she's not even two years old yet.

Did I mention this kid's smile could light up Times Square? Check her out!

 

 

I love this picture because you can see how much mom and dad are enjoying themselves. The kids are just hanging out and the adults are having a blast. 

   

Little M was so sweet. He just quietly hung out for most of the session, eating and cooing like a good little boy. He had these big, bright irresistible eyes that my camera fell in love with. Ah, what a cuddle-bug!

Bringing Joy

I couldn't have asked for a better baby than little "G". At nine months old, she stayed happy the whole time I was there and had so many different expressions to show me. I think her big smile was my favorite because not only does her face light up, but both her mom and dad just glow when they see her laugh. And those two little teeth...so sweet!

A quiet moment...

 

Another silly face -- I'd take a million of these. You can't help but laugh when you see her smile. I think she knows that she brings laughter and happiness wherever she goes -- it's like she adopted it as her little job in life.

 

The strength and love between these three is tangible and I felt blessed to be a part of their day and to capture this time in their lives. They are such SWEET and kind people -- ah, I count my lucky stars every day to have a job like this and to photograph folks like them. 

I started this business a few years back because I wanted to bring joy to people's lives through photography. I wanted to be able to capture their love and give them a way to share and celebrate it. But as I go along, and meet more and more amazing people, I realize that they do the same for me. They bring me just as much, if not more, joy as I hope to bring them. Thank you to all of the lovely families that I have had the fortune to meet. You are wonderful. I look forward to meeting many more!

Sisters

I've been lucky enough to watch these girls grow over the last two years. The youngest wasn't talking much last time I saw her, and today, it was a rush of full sentences and exclamations! It's always so much FUN to experience kids growing up and becoming these amazing people with their own intricate personalities at such a young age.

 

I'll always be a sucker for long lashes...

   

...and daisies. I can't resist those little white flowers that grow like crazy on lawns this time of year. How ever do they get there?

  

A Little Bit of Urban

This mom called me and said she wanted to do an urban session and I was all for it! Although I LOVE to shoot in the long grass and beautiful outdoors, it is fun to mix it up and include some parts of our unique and beautiful city. And what better place than Midtown...

 

As I was going through all of the pictures from the day, I realized that there was a strong theme of their littlest one running away and towards me (which was kind of nice -- he even ran up to me and gave me a hug - followed by the sound of my heart melting). He started walking a few months ago and now he really knows how to use those feet!

 Running some more!

 

I love this one below. They're all looking at him so admiringly. 

The weather was pretty incredible. Rain and thunderstorms were in the forecast, but Mom said that they'd just go until it started pouring, which is exactly what we did. We took advantage of the lovely overcast skies (they make a beautiful soft light) and shot right up until the rain started to fall. Thanks for being so tough! I had a blast with you guys!