Months ago I photographed my sweet little niece, Madeline, in one of my favorite garden parks in Texas. Somehow I'm just now getting this Portrait Session edited and blogged and am excited to share it with all of you. I love capturing these special little moments in her life where she's so curious to learn and discover. Sitting on a bench and running down a path may seem like such simple things, but years from now they will be among the memories I treasure most with my little niece. 

Time for a little unconventional, personal (travel) blog post. 

Soon after the first of the year my husband and I made a little road trip from Houston to our home in Jersey.  Along our way we stopped at several friends' homes to say hello and also made a special stop in Waco, TX to visit the Magnolia Market at the Silos! Magnolia is owned by Chip and Joanna Gaines, stars of HGTV reality show, Fixer Upper. We've grown to really love the show so we couldn't resist making a stop at their infamous Silos.

Couldn't have loved it more (well maybe if I had met Joanna!) The outdoor area was a blast. Though I quickly learned that I'm not very good at playing corn hole and Josh is, we still had a lovely time!  I wish we could've tried all the food trucks there, so many good ones... 

The garden area was perfectly quaint and lovely! Seemed perfect for a wedding. I was particullarly fond of the teepee area with the wooden mushroom stools. 

Shopping inside the Market was heavenly. All of the decor I had seen on television was now right before my eyes. If I had all the money in the world I would've bought one of everything I saw! 

I am completely inspired by Joanna Gaines. I see a woman with so much creativity and vision who has built a successful business and has brought up her community in the process. Magnolia Market is ever expanding; store front, TV show, realtor company, online store, taking on the Silos, bed & breakfast, and an upcoming furniture and paint line, Bakery, AND book. And there's no stopping them! Watching Jo work makes me want to dream BIG and take over the world! She shows woman everywhere that the sky is the limit and that we can create our own futures.  

As soon as we walked in, Josh bought me the Magnolia Farms ball cap so that he could photograph me wearing it while we were there! Also among my purchases was a beautiful faux yellow tulip, which looked so surprisingly realistic. Yellow tulips have a great significance to me and my life and I'm always filled with a warm, happy feeling when I see them (Joanna uses yellow tulips in nearly every house reveal on Fixer Upper!) They were scattered around the storefront and I just knew I had to have one. I also snatched up a lovely tray with vases of varying sizes. I knew it would look lovely in my kitchen window sill! 

The other day at the grocery store I saw yellow tulips and baby's breath on sale in the floral department that were begging to be bought so I brought them home with me. When I wash the dishes each day (or every other day!) I look at the tray with its beautiful flowers perfectly in a row and I'm reminded of our joyful Waco adventure. 

I've read that "the meaning of yellow tulips has evolved somewhat, from once representing hopeless love to now being a common expression for cheerful thoughts and sunshine." This definition is very reflective of my journey with this special flower. What was once a bittersweet reminder of the love of friend that passed to soon from this Earth, now serves as a reminder to me that life is fragile and should be filled with happy thoughts and actions. Just like Joanna Gaines continues to do as she shares her light, love, and talents to the world, I will strive to do the same!

All of my grandparents either died before I was born/when I was young or lived far away and rarely saw them. When I was married, I was excited to grow close to my husband's grandparents. Grandpa Arnold was just as you'd imagine him to be: Lovable, Hardworking, and Headstrong. I feel blessed to have spent the last two and a half years as is granddaughter.

At every family event, I am (of course) the designated photographer. When we celebrated this most recent Christmas with Grandpa he seemed to take more of an interest in my camera than he ever had before. He was asking me how it worked, where I got the "film developed," and how come he never gets to see the pictures after I take them! Just a few days before we returned home to the North East we visited Grandpa and I had some of the photos from Christmas printed for him. He flipped through them, chuckling and smiling, "Hey you're pretty good at this! The colors are nice." Those were the last moments I spent with him and I'll treasure the memory for as long as I live.

​Don't wait to get photographs of and with your loved ones. Time is precious and we never know what lies ahead.

XO,
-C

Hello friends!

​I've been wanting to update my website and I finally got around to it. I feel like it gives a cleaner look to my work. Would love to hear your feedback. What do you think?

I hope everyone's new year is shaping out well so far. I've had a few bumps myself but I'm looking forward to start some more client sessions. I can't wait to share all of CCP's 2016 adventures with all of y'all (you can take the girl out of Texas...!) 

xo,
C

Like many of my recent Texas clients, Katarina is a former tap student of mine from RAFA. I was ecstatic to photograph this beautiful ballerina's Artistic Dance Portraits!

Katarina requested we start her session in front of the RAFA studio doors. Over the Christmas Holidays RAFA underwent some big changes and switched to a new facility. I thought it was a beautiful sentiment that Katarina wanted to be photographed in front of the doors she walked through countless times in her life. It was very special way to finish my Texas trip! So proud of Katarina for all that she has overcome and accomplished. I feel privileged to have captured her beauty through photo!