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Update from Mama-land

Charlotte Geary — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 13:53:51 -0500

Wow, I've been away for a long time! For ten years I blogged frequently, and now I'm writing for the first time in six months. Of course it has been one of the biggest years of my life, and I have tons of photos and stories that I could have written about. Instead I've spent lots of time with Daniel, who grows more adorable and fascinating every day. He is now eleven months old, and active, bright, curious, and affectionate.

I'm on extended maternity leave, but I did do a few client shoots this year. I did some family portraits, maternity sessions, and one wedding. But with a baby who rarely slept and a husband with long work hours, I ended up overwhelmed and exhausted. After Labor Day, I stopped doing any photo shoots, and worked only on albums and print orders for existing clients. Nowadays Danny is sleeping through the night and napping regularly, and I feel much better. I finally have a chance to blog once in a while. Hi!

I haven't decided yet when I'd like to return to work, and what kind of work I'll want to do when that time comes. I plan to make some changes to my business structure, because my new life won't accommodate the long hours and frequent travel anymore. I do miss the adventures and creativity of my photography business, though. We'll see what happens. For now, I'm loving my new adventures.

Photos from our last six months

At five months old, he was learning to sit up.

Fourth of July

We spent the summer enjoying Lake Anne, the Reston neighborhood that we are so happy to call home.

Danny's first taste of banana.

We took two beach trips over the summer to Corolla, NC. This was his first time in the ocean. He was scared at first, and then he loved playing the in squishy sand.

Tasting his new toy box

In August, Mike and I traveled to Boston to shoot a wedding. We stayed in a hotel on the harbor during the weekend of Hurricane Irene. Here are before/after pictures.

In September and October we went to two UVA football games with my parents. Danny adores his grandparents. He's not so sure about football announcers, though.

We added a pontoon boat to our happy lakeside lifestyle. Those of you who have been following my blog for years will be shocked to know that my niece Kenna is now 8. 8! Her brothers are 6 and 4, and all three are as sweet as can be.

At eight months old, Danny would pull up to standing, and then grin proudly while checking to make sure I was watching.

Danny and me at nine months

Our happy family on the boat. If you look closely, you can see Ally peeking out, too.

Rogue sock

Danny with his grandmother. My mom took many of the wonderful photos I've posted here.

Danny was was a good sport about Halloween, and hammed it up in his costumes for my amusement.

Ten months old

With my dad

Offering a leaf treasure to my mom

Nancy and Jack: 50th anniversary family portraits

Charlotte Geary — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 08:46:10 -0400

Jack and Nancy, celebrating their 50th anniversary with their family
Arlington, Virginia
July 22, 2011

In the ten years that I've been blogging, I've never been so far behind! My sweet little Daniel is an adorable bundle of pure attention hog. He's totally worth it, of course, but I do miss blogging. Hello, everyone!

I wanted to make sure that I took the time to blog these photos of Nancy and Jack and their family. Their daughter, Susan, has been reading my blog for a while, and now it's her family's time to be featured here. They traveled in to the DC area to celebrate her parents' 50th anniversary with a weekend of activities. The day of our photo shoot was officially the hottest I'd ever experienced, with a high of 106 degrees and plenty of humidity. They were such a happy, fun family that they grinned through the heat. People with a sense of humor are my favorite kind.

Happy anniversary, Jack and Nancy! I enjoyed getting to know you and learning about the adventures and love that have filled your last 50 years.

More of their family portraits

Happy Father's Day

Charlotte Geary — Sun, 19 Jun 2011 11:56:39 -0400

Happy Father's Day to Mike and my dad! Danny and I are so lucky to have such wonderful men in our lives.
I wish a happy Father's Day to all the other great dads out there. Thank you for all that you do.

Daniel at four months

Charlotte Geary — Mon, 23 May 2011 12:42:57 -0400

Daniel, four months old
Reston, VA
May, 2011

May has been a big month for Danny, because his grandparents came from England to visit him! Mike's parents came for three weeks to spend time with their first grandchild, and I loved seeing Danny cuddling and giggling with them.

Danny gets more fun all the time, and four months is a cute age. He's still tiny (only 13 pounds), so he's still small and sweet in my arms. Little toes! Squishy cheeks! Light as a feather! But now he's at a stage where he still feels like a cuddly newborn, with much more of a personality. He is cheerful and fascinated with everything around him, so I take him out everyday to see the trees, geese, flowers, and people. He loves colorful picture books and sitting at the dinner table. The best part is the giggling. Those open-mouthed, toothless giggles.

Sleeping is still a struggle. It's easy to get him to bed at night nowadays - he goes down contentedly, and sleeps for about five hours before needing to eat. The hardest part these days is the napping. He refuses to nap, and when he does, it's only for half an hour. I can spend an hour or two trying to get him to nap for just 26 minutes. It's amazing how much of my day is devoted to nap efforts - I thought naps were supposed to give me free time, but it's quite the opposite.

I love cuddling with him during his last feeding before bedtime. He gets sleepy and snuggly in my arms. We expect that someday Daniel will have a little sibling, and I won't have as many moments like that where it is just him and me. So I appreciate those evening cuddles, because like everything else, they won't last forever.

More family photos

With Mike's parents

With all four of his grandparents

Mike with our niece and nephews, playing with his remote-control sailboat

At the Udvar-Hazy air and space museum

With Mike's parents and a space shuttle

With my mom

Facebook page

Charlotte Geary — Mon, 16 May 2011 14:25:06 -0400

I've finally created a Facebook for my photography. Please like me there if you are interested in photo tips, wedding ideas, recent images, and special offers.
www.facebook.com/CharlotteGearyPhotography

You can also find me on:
Twitter
Flickr
Livejournal
Formspring
RSS feed

I'd love to hear from you!

Wedding ideas: Purple weddings

Charlotte Geary — Sat, 14 May 2011 17:13:16 -0400

Hello, wedding planners! I know that lots of you are busy putting together the final touches for your weddings, so I thought it was a great time for me to return to my regular Wedding Ideas posts. I have such a huge collection of photos of wedding details that I love to use them to help inspire people for their own wedding planning.

Here are some helpful links for wedding ideas:
My favorite wedding details of 2010
My full collection of wedding details

The big color of the moment is purple. I saw tons of purple last year, which of course I loved, because it's one of my two favorite colors. (My own wedding's color theme was blue and purple.) Here are some photos of purple weddings, with great ideas for dresses, flowers, decorations, and favors. Enjoy!

More photos of purple weddings

Bridesmaids in sage green dresses with dark purple shawls

A lavender bouquet for the mother of the bride

An embroidered ring pillow in dusty purple and ivory satin

A flower girl with a purple sash and matching ribbons on her basket

Blue and purple bouquet with roses and hydrangeas

Purple beaded bracelet for the bride

Bridesmaids in purple strapless dresses, with calla lilies tied with purple ribbon

Purple and white bridal bouquet

Purple candy buffet

Wedding invitation in lavender with a monogram and an illustration of the venue

Bridesmaids in indigo blue dresses with purple bouquets

Wedding reception with purple chair decorations

Purple hydrangea wedding centerpiece

Pink and purple centerpiece in a tall glass vase

Flower girls with purple sashes

Horseshoe place cards tied with purple ribbons

Dark purple bridesmaid dresses

Purple and white flower girl pomander

Centerpiece lantern with reddish-purple candle and rose petals

Curly willow centerpiece

Bridesmaid with purple bouquet

Flower girls in purple dresses

Bride with purple sash

Purple flip flops for the bridesmaids

Purple, pink, and orange bouquet

Ring dog in purple and orange formal attire

For more ideas, be sure to check out the Purple Weddings page in the Wedding Ideas section of my site!

Heather: Northern Virginia maternity portraits

Charlotte Geary — Tue, 03 May 2011 11:47:57 -0400

Heather
Fields of Flowers
Purcellville, Virginia
April 29, 2011

My friend Heather is having a baby this week! Heather has been one of my closest friends for 23 years, and together we've gone through high school color guard, college parties, post-college poverty, and professional accomplishments. And now she is having a baby boy just a couple months after I did. Now that I've moved back to Virginia, she and I are looking forward to our little boys' second generation of friendship.

Heather's adorable daughter will be turning three later this year, and I photographed her family back in 2008:
Maternity portraits
Baby Eve portraits

Last Friday I photographed Heather with her second baby bump. She looks so beautiful at 39 weeks!

More of her maternity portraits...

Ah, Virginia in springtime! Look at those pink dogwood blossoms

!
Heather and I strolled around Fields of Flowers, a pick-your-own-flowers farm in Purcellville.

I think she looks so pretty here.

That belly contains my little nephew!

This little guard dog followed us around to make sure we didn't get into any mischief.

Heather says that Fields of Flowers is a popular place for brides and bridesmaids to pick their own flowers. I love that idea.

Heather is one of the funniest people I know, and she and I are constantly laughing.

And now a few behind-the-scenes moments:

It was Danny's first photo assisting gig!

I pushed him through the fields in his stroller, and he happily napped while I shot.

With Auntie Heather

Royal wedding

Charlotte Geary — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 07:49:43 -0400

Mike and me
Wells, England
July 30, 2005

I've been up since 5am, watching William and Kate's royal wedding. All morning I've been reliving my own fairy tale English wedding. Such happy memories.

April, BJ, and Sophie: Family portraits in Alexandria, Virginia

Charlotte Geary — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 21:59:57 -0400

Sophie, BJ, and April
Cameron Station
Alexandria, Virginia
April 26, 2011

My photo shoot with this adorable family was my first client session since my baby was born earlier this year. It felt great to be back! I'm still choosing to spend most of my time at home with the baby, but I am starting to schedule occasional sessions as I return to work gradually.

I absolutely wanted to make time for April and BJ's family. They are preparing for BJ's deployment to Iraq in May. It always breaks my heart to see families separated by deployment, and it's especially sad that BJ has to leave only five months after their daughter Sophie joined the family. I took their portraits in their home in Alexandria, and then we walked around Cameron Station. April mentioned that she particularly loves black and white photography, which is a great format for the mood of several of their photos.

April and BJ, thank you for asking me to photograph your family during such an important time for the three of you. I hope these photos will help to bridge the distance over the coming year.

More of their family portraits

Danny at three months

Charlotte Geary — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 09:50:50 -0400

Daniel and me
Reston, VA
Spring 2011

Wow, I haven't blogged in ages! I think this is the longest that I've neglected my blog since I started it back in 2000. When Danny was six weeks old, I wrote that I was going to start posting regularly again, and now two months have passed and I'm finally getting around to it. Sorry about that!

Danny is now three and a half months old, and he is still a happy, easy-going little guy. He is so much more fun now that he's old enough to start interacting with us. He smiles a huge, open-mouth grin throughout the day, and giggles when his dad makes funny faces. He has even started smiling at the dog, which is sweet, because Ally loves her little human brother. She is always trying to give him little licks on the head and feet. Janie the cat barely notices that he exists.

Daniel at Three Months:

Likes:
Riding in his stroller
Meeting new people
Cuddling
Listening to nursery rhymes
Dancing around the living room
Grabbing at the danging animals on his play gym
Watching his dad be silly
Looking at leaves, flowers, children, and birds

Dislikes:
Sleeping through the night

We've been sleep-deprived around here lately. Starting at 2 months, Danny starting waking up three times a night to eat. He's a slender little guy, at only the 26th percentile in weight (70th in height), so when he's hungry, he really needs to eat. Night weaning just isn't happening, unfortunately. I've deepened my love of coffee over the last few months.

It helps a lot that when we wake up in the middle of the night, we have a gorgeous view of a lake outside our window. Mike and I couldn't be happier with our new house and neighborhood in Reston. It's absolutely gorgeous here, especially with all the springtime dogwoods and cherry blossoms. April in Virginia is sublime. Every day we take Danny and Ally for walks around the lake, and often we stroll to Reston Town Center for coffee or dinner. Reston has a wonderful trail system. We almost never use our cars anymore.

I owe Danny a three-month portrait session, but for now, here are some snapshots of our family over the last two months.

More photos of Danny and our family

My mother with Danny and my niece Kenna. She is seven and a half, and a loving big cousin.

My dad with his three grandsons: Robby (6), Timmy (4), Danny (1 month)

Danny with Kenna's baby, Sandy

Danny's first time at an airport. When he was 2 months old, my father and I took him to Dallas to meet his great-grandmother.

My grandma was so happy to meet her tenth great-grandchild.

A treasured photo of four generations

Age 2 months

Napping in his swing (which is what he is doing as I write this, but he looks a little bigger now)

Most of the time I just take iPhone snapshots. It's difficult to manage a huge camera while carrying him around. But moments like these are beautiful, even when the image quality isn't.

I spend a lot of time sitting right there, cuddling with the baby. I'm sitting in that exact spot right now as I type this.

With his grandma

Fist bump

Walking around Lake Anne, with Danny napping in the carrier. It's a lot warmer than this now, and there are leaves on the trees. I'm very behind in my blogging!

Ally, getting to know the neighbors

11 weeks old

13 weeks old

He looks so serious, but he's really smiley! I need Mike to help me with a portrait shoot sometime soon -- making Danny laugh is a two-person job. He'd much rather smile at someone's face than at a camera. Hopefully I'll have some adorable smiley photos soon. :)

Daniel's birth story

Charlotte Geary — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 11:59:00 -0500

Daniel's first cry
January 9, 2011

Mike took some beautiful photos of our son's first moments, and I'm excited to share them with you. Here is Daniel's birth story.

Daniel was due on January 3rd, and he was late. On Friday, January 7th, I woke up to mild contractions. They were irregular and not too uncomfortable, and continued off and on all day Friday and Saturday. Saturday night, I got about an hour of sleep before the contractions got too intense. By 3am, they were about 4-5 minutes apart and I was whimpering from the pain. We called the doctor at 3:15am and she told us it was time to go to the hospital.

We arrived at the hospital at 3:45am on Sunday, January 9th, 2011. I'd expected to be in complete agony during the car ride to the hospital, but I was calm and kept my sense of humor during that nighttime ride. Even Mike commented on how relaxed I was. The pain wasn't nearly as bad as I'd expected, and I tried not to be nervous.

In triage, they connected me to the monitor and couldn't detect any of my contractions. I was so frustrated about that! The contractions were getting more painful, especially in my lower back, and they couldn't see a thing on the monitor. It got worse as the nurse made me lie in a painful position that hurt my back so much that I was near tears. That time was the most pain that I felt during the entire labor and delivery process. I expected it would just keep getting worse, but I didn't know that I was already surviving the hardest part of the day.

We were in triage for at least an hour before the nurse called my doctor. I was scared that they'd send me home, saying that real labor hadn't begun yet, even though I knew that it had. I was so relieved when the nurse came back to us and said that the doctor wanted me to stay. I was 41 weeks pregnant, three centimeters dilated, and if I said I was having contractions, she believed me. It was time for me to have a baby.

They admitted us to our own labor and delivery room around 5am. Eventually the nurses figured out that I was having back labor, which is why the monitor on my upper abdomen couldn't detect the contractions. They gave me a different kind of monitor, and sure enough, my contractions were escalating.

At 7:30am, I asked for the anesthesiologist. He arrived quickly, and was reassuring and kept me calm. I sat up and followed his directions, but I was terrified about having that needle injected into my spine. Mike sat in front of me, held my hand, and said all the right things. He was a wonderful partner throughout the day, and I especially appreciated how he kept me so calm during the epidural. The insertion of the epidural took about five minutes, and it wasn't bad at all. I was a little worried that the epidural might go wrong, but within a few minutes, I started to feel fantastic. The anxiety was gone, and I just felt relaxed and happy, almost drunk.

I lay in that bed on my back, propped slightly on one side by pillows and blankets, for the next six hours. I enjoyed that time of rest, and didn't even feel bored as I lay peacefully in the bed. I was completely chilled out and happy. I watched the monitor to see the intensity and frequency of my contractions increasing, but I couldn't feel any of it. Occasionally I'd feel my stomach tightening as I contracted, but there was no pain. I could move my legs and feel people touch them -ÃÂÃ basically I could feel everything except for discomfort. Epidurals are wonders of science!

Around 1:00pm, a friendly nurses came in to chat with us for a while. All the while, unknown to me, I was in transition, which is considered one of the most difficult parts of labor. I had just spent spent transition chatting leisurely with a nurse about travel in Australia. At 1:45, the doctor checked my cervix and announced with surprise that I was at least 8cm and dilating quickly! She said it was time to push. I was shocked.

Pushing wasn't nearly as difficult as I expected, and I'm shocked to say that I actually enjoyed it. I was feeling no pain, only pressure. Mike held one of my legs and cradled my head with every push. I watched the whole process with a mirror, and I think that mirror really helped me focus and recognize successful pushes. Because I had no pain, I was alert, happy, and excited to meet the baby. Mike was calm and cheerful, despite having every reason to be squeamish instead. He was wonderful throughout the whole labor and delivery process.

At 2:13pm, after half an hour of pushing, Daniel's head appeared. With one more push, he was entirely out. Mike and I were stunned to see him. I don't even know if I could describe the how I felt at that moment. Happiness? Relief? Pride? Disbelief? Shock? Elation? Love at first sight? When they put the baby in my arms, I was overcome with the most intense joy I could ever imagine. I wept. He was finally here. Life doesn't get any better than this.

Maternity leave

Charlotte Geary — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 02:55:16 -0500

We finally moved into our new house last weekend, and we're absolutely loving it. With a three-week-old baby and a house full of unpacked boxes, I will continue to take time away from the office for a while. I will be needing extra time to respond to emails and voice messages over the next several weeks. In the meanwhile, I'm loving this time with my family as we settle into our new home and continue to fall in love with little Daniel. Thanks for all your support, everyone!

Stay tuned for baby photos - I promise that they're coming! I just haven't had time to process them yet, but I hope to have several to share very soon.

Our other big news: Hello, Reston!

Charlotte Geary — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 13:55:00 -0500

Our new neighborhood
Reston, Virginia

If having a baby wasn't enough excitement for one week, we also bought a house last week! We left Colorado on November 1st, and it has taken us all this time to find a house that is perfect for us. My wonderful parents invited us to stay with them during the months that we were house hunting. We had a hard time finding houses that we liked within our budget in neighborhoods that appeal to us, so we took our time.

Finally we discovered a gorgeous, mid-century modern house in Reston, Virginia. This house was beautiful indoors, but we also fell in love with the lake scenery and walkable community. The house is just a few minutes' walk away from restaurants, shops, salons, art galleries, a coffee shop, a post office, a pool, and offices. The lake itself surrounds us with the natural beauty that we loved about our Colorado home. In short, it's our dream house. We didn't think we'd find a house that we love even half as much.

We'll be spending the next few weeks moving in. Having a new baby and a new house at the same time is going to keep us BUSY. I'm taking maternity leave right now, but I understand that wedding planning can't always wait for new mothers. I apologize for the extra time I need right now for responding to emails and phone calls, and I hope you understand. Email is the best way to reach me in the next couple weeks.

After we get settled in the new house, I'll be meeting with clients there. I can't wait! I'm especially excited to have friends and family over in the warmer months for drinks on the patio and canoe trips on the lake. I'm so excited that I can't believe it's not too good to be true.

The new addition to our family

Charlotte Geary — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 12:18:00 -0500

Daniel, age one week
Dreaming of milk and cuddles

Here's our beautiful little boy! Daniel is one week old now, and is the sweetest thing I've ever seen. He's quiet, content, and very cuddly. I've been so busy that I haven't had a chance to process or post his pictures yet, so here are a few quick ones from the weekend. Soon I'll share the photos of his first week, including some from his birth. Mike and I are so happy and completely infatuated with the little guy already!

More photos of our family

Sitting on the staircase in our new house.

Ally has been so sweet and gentle around the baby!

I love being his mother.

He's here!

Charlotte Geary — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 21:58:00 -0500

Welcome to the world, Daniel Anthony Pritchard! He was born Sunday, January 9th, weighing 7 pounds 10 ounces. He's adorable, healthy, and very cuddly. Mike too this picture just minutes after he was born, when I held Danny for the first time. We are already smitten with our little blond cherub.

I will share more pictures after I get home and settled. In the meanwhile, I'm resting comfortably and loving all the cuddles with the baby.

Mike and I are so touched by the outpouring of love and support from all our friends near and far. Thank you for cheering for us - every message has been cherished.

Posted via LiveJournal.app.

Tips for Shooting Weddings While Pregnant

Charlotte Geary — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 17:46:00 -0500

My official due date of January 3rd has come and gone, so we're officially on Baby Watch 2011 around here. He could come any day now, so stay tuned for our exciting news! I'll update my blogs with baby photos as soon as I can, and I'll be keeping my Facebook and Twitter accounts updated as we go. :)

In the meanwhile, I thought I'd share a few things that I've learned this year about how to photograph weddings while pregnant. I know that I was nervous about how to handle a pregnancy with my hectic and physically demanding career, and I would have loved to have someone offer me tips before I got started. So if you are a wedding photographer who is planning to have a baby soon, here are some tips to help you out.

Before you get pregnant

1. Get in shape.
Shooting weddings requires strength and endurance under normal conditions, so if you gain 25 pounds of awkwardly-distributed baby weight, you'll need to be very fit to handle an eight-hour wedding shoot. Thanks to Weight Watchers and frequent workouts, I lost 13 pounds before getting pregnant. By the time wedding season came along, I was strong enough to trek around steep mountain venues at 11,000 feet of altitude.

2. Try to schedule your pregnancy around wedding season.
Timing a pregnancy is very difficult for most people, but if you can, consider your wedding schedule while planning your pregnancy. I hoped to have a January baby, and amazingly, that worked out just right for us.

My slower spring months took place during my first trimester, when I was at my sickest. By the time my hectic summer months of July, August, and September arrived, I was in my second trimester and feeling much livelier. My last wedding of the year took place in mid-November, when I was 7.5 months along and still very active. I wouldn't have wanted to shoot later than eight months along, because by then I was large, unwieldly, and achy.

The baby is due to arrive in January, my slowest month of the year. I'll have a few months of maternity leave before wedding season begins again.

Surviving morning sickness

1. Rely on adrenaline
I won't sugarcoat it: morning sickness is a lot worse than I'd expected. I was sick all day, every day, for about 17 or 18 weeks. But every weekend I'd arrive at a wedding and suddenly feel great. The excitement of the wedding, the stress of the job, and the thrill of loving my work all created a happy buzz that I could only attribute to adrenaline. Often the only time I felt good was while shooting. If you find yourself suffering from morning sickness, just dive right into the photo shoot and you'll be fine. Really.

2. Bring food and water.
I felt sicker when I was hungry. As soon as hunger pangs hit, I would need to eat immediately. During my morning sickness months, I brought tons of easily digestible snacks to weddings, such as bagels, oranges, and snack bars. Hydration is also extremely important, because pregnant women need more water than other people. Do not let yourself skip water breaks.

3. Rest during the weekdays.
Take as many naps and breaks as you can manage when you're not shooting. I was lucky enough to have a few hours of productive time per day before I started feeling really sick. I used those morning hours to get tons of work done before lying down during the rough afternoon hours. I don't know who in their right mind named it "morning sickness" -- morning was the only time I felt decent!

Outsource what you can

1. Hire good help for the wedding days.
It's risky for a pregnant woman to carry heavy bags, so consider hiring an assistant to do your heavy lifting for you. If you find yourself needing more breaks to rest your feet or use the restroom, make sure that you bring a skilled second shooter to cover those moments.

2. Hire help for when you're not shooting.
Outsource your work during the weekdays, too. If you're too tired or sick to spend much time at the computer, outsource your photo processing. Or hire a bookkeeper. Or administrative assistant. I decided that I wanted to keep doing my own work for the business, but I hired a house cleaner to take care of the home that I was neglecting. I loved having someone clean the house while I was napping!

If your photographer turns out to be pregnant

Please don't worry! I created some of my best work of all time this year, so the pregnancy didn't slow me down at all. Take good care of your pregnant photographer, and offer her lots of water, and everything will be just fine.

Later this year I plan to share tips on how to photograph your babies, so stay tuned!

Wedding albums for Liz and Brian

Charlotte Geary — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 14:01:00 -0500

Now that Christmas has passed, I can share the beautiful albums from Liz and Brian's wedding. They ordered five albums: a 12x12 leather flushmount album for themselves, two 8x8 leather flushmounts for their parents, and two 8x8 leather coffee table books for their grandparents. I really loved their winter wedding at Donovan Pavilion in Vail, and the final albums are beautiful.

Their five albums: three flushmount albums and two coffee table books

The flushmount albums came in silver boxes with a slight metallic sheen and an inset photo.

Liz and Brian chose a black leather cover with a cameo photo for the wedding album and parent albums.

The two coffee table books had charcoal gray leather covers.

The coffee table books have hinged pages that lie flat when opened.

Coffee table books make wonderful gifts for grandparents.

My favorites of 2010: Portraits

Charlotte Geary — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 09:59:00 -0500

After posting several of my favorite wedding photos of 2010 last week, I thought I'd complete the set by including a collection of some of the portraits that I've loved through the year. 2010 gave me an opportunity to photograph engaged couples, families, children, and two births.

Brent and his father, just minutes after birth

Meeting her daughter for the first time

My favorites of 2010: Weddings

Charlotte Geary — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 14:45:00 -0500

It's been such a full year for me! In addition to nine months of pregnancy and a move from Colorado to Virginia, 2010 also marketed my busiest photography year so far. I had fun looking back through the year's images and choosing some of my favorites. It was hard to narrow them down, but here are some of the ones that really stood out to me this year.

38 weeks pregnant

Charlotte Geary — Sun, 19 Dec 2010 19:18:00 -0500

Mike + me + 1
December 19, 2010

Today I'm 38 weeks pregnant! The baby is full term, and we're just waiting for him to make his debut. The pregnancy has been going well, and the baby seems to be doing great. I feel fine and I'm reasonably active these days, but I do have more backaches and insomnia than ever. I think we have just about everything prepared for the little guy's arrival, so at this point, we're just waiting. I'm excited and trying not to get nervous!

Today my mother took some pictures of Mike and me and the baby bump. Thanks, Mom!