I have been in Scituate Massachusetts for the month of July. Scituate is a seaside old fishing village located just South of Boston and this is where my family roots are. According to my mother who is the family historian, my family tree dates back to the first pilgrims on the Mayflower and includes some pretty famous die hard New Englanders. As a result, my relatives are everywhere and I have had a great time this summer visiting with cousins, second cousins, first cousins once removed and whatever relation my first cousin's daughter's daughter is to me (is that a first cousin twice removed or a third cousin or what? can anyone tell me?). Regardless, it is clear that this town is "home" and is where I can always return.

In addition to my family ties, I have friends here -- lots of them. Some of them are old friends -- girls I have known since kindergarten, grade school, high school. Some are new friends -- people met on the beach, the realtor who sold me my summer house, a waitress I met at the local watering spot. These friends, even the new ones, end up feeling like family somehow in this town. I don't know if it is the small town atmosphere or if the people up here are just really open and genuine, but it seems so easy to "fit in" here and make it "home" again.

Some of the people I have met here are clients who have found me through referrals from other friends or family and these clients usually end up being my friends also -- people I call each year to tell them I am coming to town and, hey, even if you don't want a sitting this year, please come by and say hi and let's have some iced coffee (Dunkin Donuts of course -- this is Boston after all) and catch up.

I don't know if it is the hot summer sun or the salty ocean air, or if it's just simply that people here are glad to be free from winter hibernation, but when you do a photo shoot on the beach here, smiles are not difficult to coax.

With the beautiful sunsets and cool ocean breezes, the beach is the perfect backdrop for gorgeous summer portraits. Even on cloudy days, like the day when these shots were taken, the light is gently diffused, providing the perfect lighting at almost any angle. The abundant rocks and ever changing tides make these New England beaches a site where you never have the same shot twice.

I've taken so many pictures here -- some just for fun and others for work and I will be posting more soon -- maybe if it rains this week and I'm not on a boat or at a beach or just sipping tea in my old back yard with my mom, sister, nieces, nephew, cousins, third cousins. Or with my friends.

In any event, I am very busy getting back to family so please be patient -- I promise I will have some cool shots to show you.

Meanwhile, don't forget to get a friend of your own and call or email to book your Watch me Grow Package and take advantage of my Two For One special offered in my last blog post!!

And, please DON'T FORGET, each and every day, to do just what this fantastic couple is doing -- KISS YOUR BABIES!

Read below to learn how you and a friend can earn two modified Watch Me Grow Packages for the price of one!

I recently had the opportunity to photograph two brothers, both of whom I have been photographing since they were babies. These are two little blonde boys with big blue eyes who are almost the spitting image of each other. I remember photographing the oldest one when he was a chubby little toddler like his brother and thinking to myself "wow, those cheeks! those legs! those gorgeous eyes!" and while I was photographing little brother, I found myself saying these same things during the shoot. I think it is so cute when siblings share a strong family resemblance -- the type of resemblance where a blood relation just can't be denied. My sister and I share such a resemblance.

When I am in my hometown (from where I moved when I was 20), where my sister still lives, I run into people all of the time who stop me to say hello and then on closer inspection they do a step back and say something like "oh, I'm sorry! I thought you were..... wait, you HAVE GOT to be A's sister, you look just like her!"

With my sister and I, it's not just our eyes or our smiles that are similar, it's our mannerisms, our movements, our laughs -- even our voices are so similar that our own mother confuses us over the telephone.

I always take it as a compliment that people mistake me for my younger sister, for I have always thought she was beautiful. She is beautiful, inside as well as out and I am honored to be mistaken for her sometimes and I feel lucky that the whole world can see that we are related.

In honor of our similarities and those of these two precious boys, I would like to offer a TWO FOR ONE package to any person and a friend who book two modified "Watch Me Grow" Packages, with the first sitting being in August or September 2008.

See below for remaining details....

Okay, so the deal is like this: If you AND a friend sign up for a Watch Me Grow Package with your first sitting in August or September, the cost to each of you for the ENTIRE 12-month package is only $1,000.00 (plus tax). The normal Watch Me Grow Package is a $2,000.00 package so you would be getting this deal for HALF OFF! And remember, with me, you "Have it All" -- meaning that you don't ever have to go away without all of your photos. You don't have to choose because you can HAVE IT ALL! With the Watch Me Grow package you get FOUR sittings over a 12 month period and after each sitting you get a custom printed CD with ALL of your final, cropped and retouched photos, high quality and ready for printing plus you get one 8x10, one 5x7, and one 4x6 from each session. Sitting fees are included, so basically you pay $1,000.00 plus tax and you are all set to have gorgeous, memorable, highest quality photographs of your baby, child, family, (yes, you can include siblings!) to remember some of the most important milestones in your child's life.

This offer is great for anyone who has a brand new baby or even anyone with small children who wants to remember each smile, expression, growth and changes in personality that can occur so fast over the course of a year. This offer would make a great baby shower gift.

You HAVE to have a friend sign up with you, so think about your own kids and when you last had a really great photograph of them taken and then think about anyone you might know who would be interested and give them a call and then call me to sign up!

Look, he's clapping -- he even likes the idea!

While you are thinking of which friend to share this with, allow me to share some of the adorable photos of these two brothers!

Okay, let me just say WOW!

I had the chance to photograph two sisters and a brother, each of whom just took my breath away. The physical beauty of these children is obvious but their beauty was not just on the surface. These kids are really really GREAT kids. They are close in age and the way the three of them played together was adorable. I am sure there is some sibling rivalry somewhere in there, but I saw none of it the day of our shoot.

Look at the eyes and sweet face on this little girl. And she really was as sweet as she looks!

Enter the younger one in the picture and you get two absolutely gorgeous little girls who clearly adore each other.

A big hug from big sister warrants a giant squeeze back, don't you think?

And then there is brother who jumps in the middle of the mix and with his bright blue eyes and fantastic smile just seems to complete the picture.

These kids are simply awesome! I will most definitely post some more of them soon -- there are just too many great shots from this session not to share!

ddkportraits is a proud member of the Professional Photographers Association and is listed as a preferred ventdor at, decidio.com, wedj.com and photolinks.com

I was lucky enough to be invited to photograph a beautiful Mother and her two sons on the beach for Mother's Day. We traveled to a pristine white sand beach in the Gulf of Mexico. As the boys are at that super fun, yet super wild age and, like most kids at the beach, they just wanted to play, I told the Mom to just head out on the beach with them and have fun. I knew that trying to get perfectly posed portraits would be futile and would only yeild frustration on everyone's part and if I was very lucky the best I would get would be that painted-on-smile look. More likely I would end up with photos of the Mom looking perfect while the boys wiggled free with perhaps an arm or a foot still in the frame.

So, I just told Mom to "Go for it! -- let them run and play and you go play, too!"

She looked at me with a skeptical eyebrow raised and said "uh, okay."

And, let me tell you, this family can play! Those boys tore into that beach and that Mother kept right up with them. I stood back and just photographed the fun. As you can see, this approach was clearly the right way to go. The real life smiles and energy from these beautiful children tell the story -- they were having a blast and they adore their Mom.

Since Mom wasn't afraid to get sandy (or wet, for that matter), she would grab one or both of the boys as they ran by or came close to show her a shell or some slimy piece of seaweed they discovered. I don't know what she whispered in their ears to make them look my way with such big grins but even if she was telling them I had boogies on my cheeks, that's okay with me as it worked great!

Even the water was not off-limits on this shoot!

Priceless smiles all around!

Scooping up her precious babies is something she must have a lot of practice doing because I can tell you, catching these boys is NOT an easy task.

After a while, soaked to the bone with sand in every nook and cranny, the boys stop to show Mom their sandcastle building skills.

One last walk down the beach as the sun sets and then it was off to hot baths for all three!

Happy belated Mother's Day to all Moms out there and very special thanks and appreciation to this patient, trusting, loving Mother for allowing me to provide her with these memories! I had a blast!

This little princess is all dressed up for her big day.

It is her birthday and she has donned her favorite party princess-bride outfit so she can celebrate in grand style.

She has invited lots of her princess friends over to help her celebrate and I am there to capture all of the royal fun -- and the BIG SURPRISE guest!!

Anxious to see her freinds, our princess stands by the window awaiting the arrival of the carriages from across the land...

... still watching and waiting....

(obviously the princesses all want to be fashionably late!)

Finally, they arrive and along with all of the little princesses, arrives the SURPRISE GUEST -- one of the most famous and beloved princess of all time -- ARIEL.

She took time away from her grotto and came on land just to attend this gathering. After all, all of the most fabulous princesses were there, how could she refuse?

Ariel shares her beauty tips with the other girls and even performs a magic show, makes some fabulous balloon animals and decorates the other princesses with the most fashionable tattoos (washable, of course).

Each and every princess at the party gets her own special creations!

And, would any princess party, be it a grand ball or a makeup, balloon, tattoo dress-up party, be complete without the royal photographer to create portraits and capture the special moments for all to cherish happily ever after?

(the correct answer is "OF COURSE NOT!)

Each princess goes home with her own unique portrait to remember the event forever.

It may not be a glass slipper or a handsome prince, but it's not a bad party favor, right? And, it won't break or get fat and lazy!!

So, keep in mind -- if you want to have great photos of your child's birthday party but would rather enjoy the party than run around with a camera, call me and HAVE IT ALL!

This princesses parting with as she blew out her candles was, and I quote:

"I wish all of my friends here would be my friends forever!"

I think she'll get her wish.

April Showers Bring May Flowers -- or so the saying goes.

Check out these big, beautiful sunflowers I got for my birthday last week! They were just too gorgeous not to incorporate into a shoot.

She is definitely celebrating Spring!

Thanks to all of you who sent your emails about your faovrite thing about Spring!

From family beach trips to the simpler things, such as being able to trade in boots for flip flops, it sure seems that Spring is a definitely a favored season here in the South!

And I certainly understand why -- the weather this past week has been fabulous! I can't get enough of being outdoors.

All of you who emailed your Thing About Spring, please keep my reply as your 1/2 off certificate!! I was so happy to hear from existing clients and also thrilled to hear from some new people! I can't wait to meet you.

Don't forget to email me your favorite Thing About Spring before May 1st to earn 50% off your sitting fee -- good for any sitting done in 2008, even HOLIDAY photos!!

I've gotten some great responses so far. Read one father's favortie Spring Thing below:

Our favorite thing about spring is our annual trip to our family's condo in Gulf Shores, Alabama. Every year in the beginning of May we make a trip for a week to Gulf Shores. This tradition started even a year before we started dating. This year will be especially memorable because this will be C's first trip to the beach. The weather is always perfect, its far enough away from home to feel completely relaxed and it's one place where you can get amazing seafood. We hope to make this vacation a tradition in our family and hopefully our kids will go there one day with friends like we did our first time.

While being able to go to a condo on the beach may sound like the best thing about Spring, being together in such memorable place with the sun shining and wind blowing is actually what keeps calling us back.

Well said and what a great tradition! Lucky family!!

Is there a backdrop any more beautiful in nature than a white sand beach, blue water with white-capped wave and a golden sunset? Well, I can think of some that might be equally as amazing, but a beach in the evening is as close to perfect as you can get! The soft light naturally reflects off of the light sand, lending the perfect color saturation and skin tones.

While I love living in the Atlanta area, I grew up on the ocean and I find myself feeling pretty landlocked sometimes. That is why when a client calls and says "can you come to the beach?" I JUMP at the chance.

If you are going to be at a beach and would like family photos but don't know who to trust locally, call me. While I do have to account for travel costs, I give discounts to families who have a large group and family members typically can pitch together to make it very cost effective.

This surf almost looks fake doesn't it?? GORGEOUS.

For those of you who know me and know how nice my Have It All Package is because you don't have to leave any photo behind, think about how nice it would be to have all of your beach photos!

If you are scheduling a trip to the beach and want to discuss different options for beach photos, please call or email me.

If you have worked with me before, you know that once we have the traditional formal portraits, my favorite part of the shoot is following the kids around doing candid shots and this photo is a perfect example of why I love to do that.

Look at the full, real, happy smile on this child as she just relaxed and played on the deck of the beach house? No forced pose can get a smile this!

**** Don't forget to email me your Thing About Spring for HALF OFF your sitting fee! See details on prior blog post***** I've gotten a few great responses so far and will post them soon!

So what is your favorite thing about Spring?

Is it the flowers? The warmer temps? The new green grass?

Or maybe you like the smell of the fresh rain or even the drama of the southern storms.

I always find Spring a bit of a challenging season, actually. Coming out of winter, I am always anxious to feel the sun on my skin and breathe in the warm air. I want the grey twigs to burst with white, pink, purple and finally green. I want to get outside. I'm sure none of this is different than what everyone else feels at Spring, but my problem is that I am very impatient about it all. Living in the South, we get a taste of Spring early and then it inevitably turns cold again. Warm, then cold. Then hot and you think it's finally here and then, guess what? SNOW! The ups and downs tend to put me in a sort of Spring funk. But then, just when I think I can't take it anymore, it's time for Spring Break and my kids get out of school for a week and we hit the road in search of the sun. That week away always does the trick, giving me a taste of summer (as we typically head to a beach somewhere) which rejeuvenates me just enough to hold me over until the warm weather is here to stay.

Yep, Spring Break is just the thing I need each year to get me out of that funk and, as such, is probably my most favorite thing about Spring.

Send me and email and tell me your favorite thing about Spring and earn 50% off your sitting fee done any time during 2008!! Offer open until the end of April so hurry up and let me know what your Thing about Spring is!!

While I love black and white portrait photography, how can you not love color when you have eyes like these baby blues to show off?

By accident, while taking snapshots of my own kids around my house, I discovered that oriental rugs make a great backdrop for bold color prints. With the jewel toned, rich colors, they can lend a classic burst of color to a beautiful portrait without being too distracting. The blues in this rug really bring out the gorgeous color of this baby's eyes.

One of my very favorite things about photographing children is the brightness and sparkle in their eyes. Seriously, have you ever just looked at how bright a kids eyes are? As a photographer who focuses on the details, I can tell you that there is nothing so captivating as the big, innocent eyes of a child. Whether they are blue, green, brown or speckled with lots of color, children have the clearest eyes -- always bright white and glossy.

Soft, natural light is great for color photographs. The colors stay true. Just look how luminous her perfect skin looks with the diffused light coming through the windows of the studio.

While I typically tell clients to stay away from multiple stripes and plaids, sometimes the bold color works just right. Here, we used a rich cloth that compliments the stripes on this baby's onesie and give the entire photo a deep, rich effect that looks faboulous matted and framed on a light wall.

Even for portraits that are simple -- white backdrop, no colored clothing -- sometimes color is what you need to remember the perfect, peachy tones of a baby's young skin. And, again, just look at the bright blue eyes! This is a portrait that any parent will want to look back on years from now.