Who says family has to be human? (Part 2)

So this has quickly turned into an opportunity to share pictures of my furry family with you. The dogs took the spotlight in the last post, so I figured I would give equal screen time to the feline family members in this entry. We have six cats total, unfortunately some are more camera shy than others---so there will not be a picture of each.

The first cat is our first pet as a married couple, a Persian named Panda. The second is our second put as a married cou0ple---adopted the same day as Panda and her name is Snuffles. The third is Toby, a cat that we fostered, bottle fed and raised with the intention of getting him adopted to another family, but when push came to shove we just couldn't do it. The last is Mr. Winkle. Mr. Winkle is actually a she and is the youngest of all our cats. She's a curious little kitten, always getting herself into something new and entertaining.

Who says family has to be human?

After photographing a lot of families this fall and winter, I was starting to feel a little sad. After all, I didn't have any cute kids at home to take pictures of and dress up in cute outfits for Christmas cards---and that was making me a little down in the dumps. While thinking this, one of my favorite furry friends walked up and planted a wet one right on my cheek and it was then that I realized---if there is anyone who has family to shoot, it's me! With 2 dogs and 6 cats, there are a wealth of photographic opportunities at every turn.

Here are some of the lucky subjects. The first is Mickey, our 2 year old Golden Retriever. The second is Rocky, our 2 year old Chocolate Lab. The third is Dharma, a 6 month old Pit Bull Terrier that my sister owns.

All are great dogs and a bunch of fun to shoot, the perfect pick-me up for those winter blues!

Ocean City with Yael.

The day these photos were taken, it was an unseasonably warm day in the very beginning of February. The high was scheduled to be well into the 40's---almost balmy compared to the temperatures in the teens we had been getting for weeks!

We decided to take advantage of the nice weather with, what else, a photo shoot!

Since my Husband and I were already headed down to Old Barney in Barnegat Light, NJ for some sunrise photos, we decided to see if my co-worker, his wife and daughter wanted to meet us in Ocean City for some breakfast at the airport diner.

We quickly realized it wasn't nearly as warm as we thought it would feel and had to cut the photo shoot short, but here are some pics that I took on a very windy day out on the tarmac.

It was these photos that really demonstrated how quickly Yael was growing up. In October, she was still a little baby just learning to walk and do things on her own---in these pics, she was suddenly a little girl. I think it was a hard pill for her parents to swallow.

Christmas card shoot with Jack.

Shortly after my shoot with Christian and his parents, it seemed that word of mouth advertising was working! I had another shoot booked for the following weekend, this one with Jack and his parents for their annual family Christmas card.

Jack is best buds with Yael. Unfortunately, there seemed to be a bug going around and Jack was feeling a little under the weather---but other than his red nose in the pictures, you would have no idea he was sick.

This was a great family and a really fun day to take pictures. We had to be a little flexible and shoot at their house due to Jack being sick, but Christmas is my favorite time of the year and thanks to a friendly next door neighbor that had some light-up reindeer that Jack loved---we still got some nice shots.

From what I understand, Jack may be getting a little brother or sister in the near future. I'd love to work with them and their ever growing family again, given the opportunity!

A birth announcement shoot with Christian.

Shortly after taking photos of Yael, another co-worker had their first baby, a little boy named Christian. For a Christmas gift, I decided to offer up my services and do a newborn shoot if they were interested. It turned out to be the perfect opportunity, since my co-worker and his wife were in the midst of figuring out what type of birth announcement they wanted to send out to friends and family. It turned out to be one of my photos as a Christmas card/birth announcement combo!

It was a great time, meeting the family and seeing what things are like in a house with a new baby. The reaction from the parents was also great---up until this point, I can honestly say that there have been very few things as rewarding as seeing how much parents appreciate photos of their first child and knowing that I helped provide memories that will last forever.

Here are a couple of the shots from that day that I especially liked, my personal favorite being the first one in the list.

First shoot.

After getting my Nikon D60, I was interested in getting the learning process started. I wanted to go out get pictures of anything and everything. Luckily, one of my co-workers has, quite possibly, the cutest child I have ever known.

Him and his wife were so kind as to make a deal with me. I could take as many photos of their daughter as I wanted and in return, they got those pictures. I got to learn, and they got photos of their daughter that would provide memories for years to come.

Here are a few of my favorite shots from that day.

Welcome to Photo Munchkin!

Hi everyone!

Welcome to Photo Munchkin. In an attempt to direct a little more attention towards the subject matter that I have been shooting most over the past few months, I decided to start a new blog.

The focus of my photography on a client level has been family photography. From children to whole families, new babies to Christmas cards---my main assignments have been family and lifestyle oriented. All of this time, this important "sub-division" if you will, of Andrea Lusas Photography, has been without a proper name. After a few weeks of brainstorming and tons of suggestions for something catchy---I kept coming back one of my original names---Photo Munchkin.

For me, the name Photo Munchkin lends itself to cute things, kids, pets, birthday parties and the like. So from now on, Photo Munchkin will be the blog that I post anything and everything related to family photography. Whether it be photographing my own family or taking portraits of a family with their first born, this will be family central!

If you are interested checking out my other blog (Andrea Lusas Photography) to see shots from trips, bridal showers, landscapes, etc.---feel free to pop on over to http://www.andrealusasphotography.blogspot.com/

If you're interested in seeing all of my galleries, you can visit my photo site at http://www.annnewjerz.smugmug.com