Shaina reached out to me a few months ago regarding needing help with some questions she had on her Squarespace site, and a few back and forth emails eventually turned into her booking an in person coaching session with me. I was over the moon excited that she lives in Connecticut and so we were going to be able to do the session in person rather than over the phone or Skype.

The Monday afternoon was perfect and we were able to sit and chat in my house and talk all things business and photography over lunch and cookies. I knew immediately from her online presence that Shaina and I would get along great and I was so excited to dive deeper into the questions she had about turning her wedding and portrait photography business into something that will contribute to her family for years to come.

Afterwards we went out to my front and backyards to do some headshots in the wonderful afternoon light.

Shaina, it was such a pleasure to spend time with you and to get to know you better and I can't wait to see where you take your business next. With the passion and drive you have, I have no doubt that you will be able to reach every single one of your goals!!

Go leave Shaina some love at her website, facebook or instagram!

Paul and I were reflecting the other day on how crazy it is that it's creeping up on a year that we have been in New Jersey. Even as I type that it seems unreal. The past ten months have been a whirlwind of exploring the area, meeting new people and trying to figure out our "place" in this new environment.

I've been extremely blessed in many areas of my life since moving here and one that I absolutely wasn't expecting was to meet a group of women who were not only photographers but also passionate for Jesus as well. Every week when we meet on Wednesdays, I'm reminded of God's kindness to have given me something so wonderful to be a part of right smack dab in the middle of New Jersey.

Last Wednesday, we departed from our usual afternoon time of study to gather together in New York City, have some lunch while enjoying the sun and then taking pictures of each other with the beautiful cherry blossoms that are finally bloomed.

I took the train in and discovered my friend Debbie ended up on the same train so we navigated through Penn Station, caught the subway uptown and met up with all the other gals at 72nd and Central Park West.

We walked to our lunch destination Le Pain Quotidien and sat in the sunshine and enjoyed conversation. We then hiked over to a park that had a beautiful grove of trees that were just screaming to be photographed. We all took turns just taking photos of each other and getting to know each other better. I experimented a little bit with a double exposure and am officially hooked and can't wait to do another one. Amy even brought her sweet little Audrey and proceeded to photograph with her strapped right on her body. So impressive!

A husband and a boyfriend showed up later in the day so we even had the opportunity to do a few couples photos as well (always my favorite!)

We ended the afternoon making our way back down to Penn Station and taking the train home.

I got home around nine with tired feet but a full heart!