2011 favorites * hudson valley family photographer

One of my big New Year's resolutions is to pick my 20 favorite portraits of this past year. Here's a start. This little one loves his ukelele. And doesn't he look like a rock star already? But what I think makes the photo the shadow of his Daddy in the background.

ice skating birthday party • bear mountain

I went ice skating today with my gals at the Bear Mountain ice rink. We had so much fun that I just had to blog this birthday party, which forced me back onto the ice for the first time in....uh, I dont even know how long. I'll admit, I was nervous, but it was a blast! And I didn't fall on my kid or anything! The kids had so much fun making snow-globes and decorating cookies. And the mama put such lovely touches on the party, dontcha think? I love all the details...the black board signs, the maple-leaf shaped marshmallows, the urn of hot chocolate. Serously, if every party had hot chocolate, the world would be a better place.

twirling • hudson valley family photography

cake smash • hudson valley baby photographer

I’d wanted to do a cake smash for a while and Andrea jumped at the idea for Sammy’s first birthday. We had lofty ideas: We wouldn’t do a boring boy cake. No, instead, we’d take a stab at a visual statement on gender politics and branding. A pink cake for sure. Hot pink. And why not have Sammy demolish the Barbie—a prime symbol of objectification—in the process? When Sammy saw the cake, he didn’t follow our plan. He didn’t grab for the doll. He didn’t grab at the cake. Nope. He burst into tears and tried to crawl away. Not exactly what we expected, though we agreed, Barbies are scary. After he calmed down, he was semi-curious about her hair. And then he decided to ignore her altogether and do some tushy dancing. It was a hilarious day and a super fun way to celebrate his birthday!

A few notes:
1. Andrea did the baking. There is no way I’d be able to create something as amazing as that!
2. We did not intend to show a dude attacking a dudette, which I belatedly realize is another way you can see this. Apologies.
3. If you want to see Sammy as a brand-newborn, check out that shoot here.

casting

I'm looking for a super cute baby for an ice cream shoot I'm doing tomorrow (Tuesday) afternoon. Baby should be sitting well, but not yet moving around. Please send a snapshot ASAP to carolinekayephoto@gmail.com. The little model will get free ice cream (yum) and a complimentary print. Photo may be displayed on the walls of Moo Moo's Creamery in Cold Spring, NY.

18 more days • meatpacking and highline engagement photography

I have known my sister-in-law since she was 16. Back when she wasn't my sister-in-law, but a girl who wanted to paint my toe nails and gossip about boys. I've been with her through drunken nights (hers, not mine), family dinners, and tragic deaths. She helped me through my own wedding planning, a kazillion years ago, acting as a bonafide therapist. And when I had my first daughter five years ago, she supported me through blocked milk ducts and thrush. I have seen her grow from a giggly teen into a thoughtful woman whom I treasure. So when she got engaged, I knew I'd want to offer her and her fiance an engagement session in New York City, where they lived. Something hip, cool, urban. And then they up and went to Salt Lake City for the year. Luckily, they've come home a few times, and I was able to wrangle them away for a night and have the best time capturing their love with the meatpacking district and highline as a backdrop. Although I primarily photograph children, I will say that this may have made me a convert! They took direction and stayed up late enough to take advantage of the amazing New York sunset. Now I just need to find some sleek silver shoes for the wedding...

strawberry shortcake cream on top

So what would you do the day after your five-year-old is diagnosed with a broken collarbone? Throw a birthday party for your three-year-old, right? Makes total sense. Okay, I admit it. I'm a second child and I definitely have second-childitis (my mother called me two weeks ago to tell me she discovered my first word written down in my sister's baby book...but I'm not bitter). I might be overcompensating, but there was no way I was going to deny my kid a party. So I woke up--on 3 hours of sleep--and baked scones and cupcakes, dropped heart-shaped strawberries into lemonade and thanked my lucky stars that I have such a good friend in Andrea that she would bring over some pretty red and white striped straws, cupcake toppers, and her face painting skills.








(the winner!)

the green goddess • hudson valley family photographer

The Holimama has been hard at work spreading her gospel on good eating and healthy balance, so I thought it an apt time to post her family session (it's not surprising, is it, that she chose to style her family in green for this shoot?). I had such a great time with Stanzi's family, watching her easy going parenting and her obvious love for all three of her boys. If you haven't already, you should definitely check out her cleanse, which I attempted earlier this summer...and man did I learn how to make a mean green smoothie!