Sarah & Chris | Simply Sweet

One amazing thing about working and living in Dayton is getting to meet interesting, passionate and smart people every day. One of these people happens to be Miss (now Mrs.) Sarah Sullivan. Sarah asked me to capture her upcoming wedding to Chris in the Oregon District and I knew it was a good fit. What an opportunity! It has been a good while since photographing this kind of special day, and I was greatly excited to be the chosen one. It was an absolutely perfect fall day for Sarah, Chris and their families. The sun was shining through the trees and there was a light breeze. The warm sky kept everyone in a great mood and there was lots of love to be seen and felt. Sarah was BREATHTAKING in her dress and she was glowing with excitement. She and Chris were a teensy bit nervous, but after that shot of bourbon (yes, bourbon) during the ceremony, they were nice and relaxed for the rest! My kind of people. 

Maternity Mini Sessions | Farmersville, OH

One of the many reasons that I do what I do, is that I get to capture moments of excitement. A grateful heart. Times of joy that someone wants to freeze in time so they can go back and remember. I try to create a setting that when they show up {to their session} with their cute little ones or amazing partner or fur baby - or whomever or whatever, all of the stresses of the day are gone. Any outside 'noise' is silenced by the click of my camera and the act of being present. I SO enjoyed spending some time photographing my maternity mini clients. The setting was beautiful and we had fun. Growing a baby inside of your body is a magical thing. It's a lot of things....a true blessing. Oh, I snuck in a couple of my boys since they were there to enjoy the fun. I hope you all enjoy these. 

Davis Family | Dayton, O | Lifestyle Photography

After living and seeing life through my camera lens in the beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota, shooting in Dayton is a little different. I absolutely love it! There are so many amazing spots nestled in our city and beyond. I photographed the Davis Family in a sweet spot that I like to take my kids to play. We had a great time and got some amazing photographs! Mama Erica and  Daddy Casey are amazing people (I can just tell) and their kiddos are happy and oh, so sweet. I could just melt taking their pictures. We had lots of fun discussing golf carts, toy airplanes and fruit snacks. It was so much fun spending time with them and capturing some sweet moments. Scroll right to view photographs from their session.  

Baby Makes 3 | Dayton, Ohio Newborn & Maternity Photography

Laura and Pat. And Charlie. It has been so fun seeing them go from dating to marriage to pregnancy and now, the creme de la creme, parenthood. There is nothing that is more magical to see than the love that exists for new baby. New baby is little girl, Charlie. And how adorable is that name? Charlie has a beautiful little head of dark hair and is nothing short of the sweetest little thing. She is already holding her mama's necklace as security. She looks at her daddy when he coos into her ear. I still get astonished when I see such love and beauty. These are the moments that you will never forget. When your family expands by one and the love expands 100 fold. Enjoy these pictures of Laura, Pat and Charlie's journey from pregnancy to joining us in this big crazy world. 

Green of Spring

I had so much fun on our impromptu session with my boys and their cousins, Romy and Jonathan. My niece and nephew stayed with us for a week and it was so much fun! Mostly for my boys, as they rarely have a little girl around to spice things up. My nephew, Jonathan, comes in at a whopping 6 years old. He is smart as a whip, and taught me a few things. Romy's eyes sparkle anytime she speaks of something fondly (which is often). They are both amazing children. I love these kids, can you tell?! They are some of my most favorite subjects to photograph, too. Ohio in the Spring and Summer is truly amazingly rich to photograph. The foliage colors are so many shades of green with browns and move ever-so-softly in the warm breeze. It is truly magical.

Back in Business

Hello There! Let me introduce myself. I'm Mommy, Wifey, Sister, Auntie, Daughter, Friend, Photographer and a few others. I love to capture special moments with my camera. Ever since I was a kid, I have been enamored with pictures. The real kind; film. My first camera was a pink Le Clic. Then there was that time I purchased a Sun 600 Polaroid camera for $1 at a stoop sale in Brooklyn, NY. I still have that Sun 600, but shoot mostly digital now. Basically, it has been an ongoing obsession for like, oh, 38 years. 

So, I like to capture real life pictures. The kind that you could stare at for days. I like organic smiles, sometimes even tears, love, pain and raw emotion. That is what I do for work. Although for the past 2 years, my work has unapologetically consisted of carrying a baby (and eventually delivering him), moving my family across the country (back to our hometown of Dayton), unpacking my house, establishing our new normal, then (baby part again) caring for a newborn, then infant....now one year old. I also have the sweetest, most amazing four year-old and husband. And dog. And fish. 

Which leads me to now. 

I am now streamlining my services and providing the wonderful people of Dayton and surrounding areas with photographs for a lifetime. I will come to your home or other outdoor location and have you do your thing while I do my thing. 

I charge one price of $350 for about an hour (or so) of shooting. Or, until I feel that I have captured this special time for you. You will get a private online gallery where you are able to download the high resolution images for your unlimited personal use. You will also receive a wooden keepsake box with a copy of each image from your session. I guarantee that you will get your gallery within 7 days of your session. Unless there is a catastrophe. Which I try to avoid. I also provide full-service album design, ordering assistance, gift packaging and more. 

That's it. My big announcement. If you made it this far...thank you! 

I hope to talk to you soon! 

Lena xo