Of all the ways of giving back to the community, working with children is one we truly delight in. When we heard the April May Foundation was looking for volunteer photographers to work with young girls on on their iT Girl self esteem campaign, we jumped at the opportunity. The folks at April May were so warm and welcoming, and the wonderful young ladies we worked with, aged 11-21, made our job an absolute breeze. Here are a handful of our favorites from the shoot; we must admit, there were so many beautiful pictures, it was nearly impossible for us to pick out just a few:

  

    

We were so impressed with the composure and confidence our young subjects exuded. Each young lady let her own personality shine through beautifully, and we were amazed at how well they all took direction- not that they needed much of it! And of course, here are some behind-the-scenes snapshots for us to remember this wonderful event by:

    

     

April May derives its name from the parable "April showers bring May flowers"; the April showers alluding to women who are victims of unfortunate, abusive circumstances, and May flowers connoting the lovely, strong and empowered people they eventually blossom into. A big thank you goes out to the good folks at April May for the wonderful opportunity, and to all our little models for being such an immense pleasure to work with :)

              
     

             

We recently had the pleasure of working with Ashley Skiles of Custom Cake Pops, on our very first commercial photography venture. And what a treat it was! Ashley created a beautiful display of cake pops in a fantastic color palette of purples and greens that had us dying for a taste the minute we saw it. These particular pops were made of decadent, dark chocolate cake, and we let the rich colors set the mood for the entire shoot. Here are some of our absolute favorites from this session:

      

Ashley made our first time a total breeze with her positive, vibrant attitude. Our favorite part of this assignment, though, was when we got to take home our "subjects"! That's right, Ashley was generous enough to send us home with some of her delicious confections. We couldn't wait to try them, and shamelessly gobbled them down right there in the parking lot. Thank you for the wonderful experience, Ashley, and we can't wait to work with you again in the future!

                 
    

   

When we first met Stormie, we were immediately struck by her beauty, her poise, and her fantastic sense of style. We were absolutely delighted to work with someone who shared our old-worldly aesthetic, and was willing to take it all the way. The inspiration for this shoot came from the vintage luggage passed on by Stormie's great aunt, which used to house her dolls when she was a child. The classic shapes and the nostalgia of the sea-foam green evoked memories of a lost era that we were determined to recapture on this cloudy afternoon.

Camera in hand, we followed Stormie on her journey through tiny antique stores chock-full of ancient treasures, though secret gardens and sun-dappled rooftops. She, of course, was quite the seasoned artiste. Given the quiet, graceful air about her, every glance became an opportunity for a beautiful picture.

Our voyage took us through narrow alleyways we had never before explored, and led us, eventually, to the port. It seemed a fitting end to our "travels", and we concluded our session with our young heroine looking out into the waters, waiting to sail away.

A special thank you goes out to the Antique Guild, for the generous use of their beautifully appointed interior.