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It turns out my pet portrait program at the Sayville Library just happened to coincide with a major heatwave on Long Island, but that didn’t keep the pet lovers from coming out to get photos of their beloved animals. We lucked out that the library building perfectly shaded the courtyard we were doing the program in, and there was a nice breeze back there that made it actually a very comfortable setting. The library and I also made sure to provide fans to keep the patrons and their pets comfortable, and we had lots of bowls of water around to refresh the pets that were there for their closeup. This is was my first time doing a program at the Sayville Library and I was impressed by their beautiful courtyard. The inside of the library is really amazing too. If you have a chance to visit for a program, I’d really recommend it. We had 10 families bring their pets for a photo, which is a pretty good turnout considering it was my first time doing a program there and Long Island’s ambient temperature was slightly below that of Hell on that day! Thank you so much to the Sayville patrons who came out, and to the sweet and dedicated out of district patron Gail who brought the beautiful Muishi in for a photo! I got to know Gail on Instagram and met her in person the first time at the Islip Public Library last year. It was so good to see them again! Here are some photos! Want to stay updated on the local pet events I’m participating in on Long Island? Join my email list here!
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Like most people my age, I’ve spent a good portion of my life saving ideas to Pinterest that I will never ever use. There was a certain pin housed in my “DON’T LOOK LISA” board, a secret board to which I saved ideas for my sister’s bridal shower, bachelorette party, 35th birthday, baby shower, etc. This pin sat there for years waiting, just like we did, for baby Seth to arrive. I knew, when the time was right, this was one idea that I would go through with. The pin was for an Etsy shop called “The Pretty Piggy”. The owner makes handmade keepsake memory bears (also dogs, foxes, bunnies, elephants, you name it). They are customized to a baby’s exact birth weight and height, and made with the baby’s own clothes and blankets! It took me a while to decide which of Seth’s clothes I wanted to send in. I wanted to make sure I included ones that Lisa loved and that I loved, but I didn’t want to ruin anything important that he only had one of. I ended up choosing the onesies he’d worn the most when he was tiny because they were ones he’d also had in newborn and in 3-6 month sizes. I also sent in a blanket that he hadn’t used but had a onesie in the same pattern. The bear took about 12 weeks to arrive, so if you're looking to get one, you need to order way ahead of time! But 12 weeks is worth the wait for something made so beautifully. Lisa cried when I gave it to her. We all went back and forth holding Seth now at 1 year old, and holding the bear to compare him to the weight he was when he was born. Then, of course, I brought him and the bear into the studio for some photos. That romper he's wearing in the photos is Lisa's favorite from when he was a tiny baby. She had it in the newborn size, 3 months, and 12 months. The outside of the bear's legs are covered in that pattern. This is probably the only time Seth is going to be able to play with the bear until he's much older, since it's really a display piece for his nursery, and he's a bit rough on his toys! Go check out The Pretty Piggy on Etsy, the owner is so talented! And just to let you know, if you think it's easy taking photos of a rambunctious 1 year old who just learned to walk, check out some of these outtakes. If Puffs hadn't been invented, I have no idea how I'd get a photo of him at this age! Thank you as always to my mother, who is Laura Pea Photography's official Spokesbaby Wrangler. Think Baby Seth is adorable? Follow me on Instagram to see waaaaaaay too much of him :)You might remember last summer when I shot an incredibly sweet session with newborn twins and their big adorable Airedale Terrier named Benjamin Franklin. If not, check it out here! I loved this session so much because it perfectly combined my two specialities, newborns and pets. That's why I was so happy when mom Sarah got in touch with me again for round 2 for the twins' first birthday photos! Of course, Benjamin was coming along for the ride too! This time, since the babies are a lot bigger and on the move (Nathaniel is walking, Caroline is close to it!), Sarah decided to adopt a 1:1 supervision technique! She would be in charge of one baby, dad AJ would be in charge of the other, and her brother, the twins' Uncle John, would be there to keep a hold on Benjamin. With two spirited one year olds and a huge dog, needless to say, we all got a workout that day, but it was SO. MUCH. FUN. Is there anything cuter than seeing dogs and babies interact? I daresay there is not. My favorite photo of the day was a special request by Sarah for a photo to go on some change of address cards. The family is moving soon to a house on a street called Caroline Avenue. She had a friend make shirts for the twins to wear, Nathaniel's with their house number (which I removed in this photo below, since I don't think they'd want me broadcasting their address to the whole internet!), Caroline's with just an arrow pointing up to her face, and a sign with the word Avenue for Benjamin Franklin to wear. Since from previous experience, I know how hard it is to get two kids and a dog to look at me at the same time, I opted to take a few photos of all of them together to have for size reference, and then individuals that I could put together later in Photoshop. I absolutely love the way this came out. They're just too cute.  It means so much to me when clients bring back their children that I've photographed as newborns. It's so fun to see how much bigger they've gotten and what kinds of personalities they've developed over their first year. It also makes me feel great that they're putting their trust in me once again to document a really special time for their family. Here are some more of my favorites from the session! Have you always wanted your babies and furbabies together for a great photo? Email me at laurapeaphotography@gmail.com or call me at (631)256-7476 to schedule a session!I can barely believe it. One year ago today, my nephew Seth was born. Anyone who knows me knows I’m not a sappy person. I can rarely get through a serious moment without cracking a joke. But when I think of how much I love this little boy, I might as well be a walking Hallmark movie. My sister Lisa, brother in law Will and little baby Seth lived with us for 7 months until they moved into their house. Oh, and their house is right behind mine. That closeness means I’ve seen Seth almost every single day of his life (except for 2 when I was sick). Every morning from Tuesday to Thursday, I wake up early and go over to take care of Seth while Lisa goes to work. We spend the morning just having Seth and Aunt Laura time before I bring him to his Gigi, so I can get to work. I love that time with him, even though it means I've had to become a morning person :) As a photographer, I got so lucky with this kid, because he loves to smile. Every time I point my lens toward him, he turns on the charm. After a couple of rough years of losses for my family, Seth has been a tiny little beacon of light for us, making every moment better with his beautiful little round face and sweet smile. Seth's 1 year photo shoot was very special to me, just like his newborn session was. That feels like it was just yesterday, but then I see the crawling, climbing, animated little boy farting and laughing all over the studio, and it makes me realize all that's changed in a year. This blog has seen a lot of baby Seth over this year, as I've documented all his firsts. You might think that'll slow down now that he's 1. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. No way. Seth has become the official spokesbaby for Laura Pea Photography, and that's never going to change, because he's always going to be #lilbabyseth to me. Here's the birthday boy. I'll be doing another pet portrait program but at a new library this time! On July 20th, I'll be at the Sayville Library taking pet portraits in their courtyard! Registration for the program begins on June 18th. Registration is limited to Sayville Library cardholders for two weeks, and then program registration will open up to out of district patrons from other Long Island libraries on July 2nd! The program will be held on July 20th from 10am to 12pm, first come, first served. Your pet can enjoy a solo portrait or you can join them for a family photo. There could be lots of other animals around when you bring your pet for a photo, so we ask that you make sure your pet is clean and well-behaved around other animals. Please bring your pet on a leash or in a carrier. Note that event is not limited to just dogs and cats! I've done this type of program at other libraries and we've gotten pets like ferrets, turtles, etc. I love all types of animals, so bring it on! There will be a rain date of Saturday, 7/27 in case of inclement weather!
Register for the program here!
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| I was so excited to get a call from mom to be Michelle asking me to shoot her gender reveal. Then she surprised me with the fact that it was also going to be her sister’s gender reveal, who was pregnant with twins! They’re so close in their pregnancies, one sister is only a handful of days further along than the other. This is a really amazing time for their family, with so much love coming their way, and getting to have three exciting surprises in one day! I was so honored to be there to document them finding out what they’re both expecting. Michelle and her husband Daniel went first and they shot off a confetti cannon full of..... pink confetti! Michelle is having a girl! The look on her face was priceless. I could tell this is what she’d been dreaming of! |  |
Daniela and Mustafa went next, after the clean up crew took care of clearing the floor of pink confetti (don’t ask me how they’re going to get that stuff out of Daniela’s chandelier)!
They had opted for confetti-filled balloons. The first one exploded with... blue confetti!
They were so happy to be having a boy!
The next balloon was popped to reveal....pink confetti!
They're getting one of each! How much more perfect can you get?
They had opted for confetti-filled balloons. The first one exploded with... blue confetti!
They were so happy to be having a boy!
The next balloon was popped to reveal....pink confetti!
They're getting one of each! How much more perfect can you get?
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I’m so excited for these sisters and their families. Here are some more photos from the day!
Congratulations to both of these beautiful families!
Expecting your own bundle of joy? Get in touch with me by emailing laurapeaphotography@gmail.com or calling (631)256-7476.
Are you tired of posts entitled "Seth's First ________"? Then this isn't the blog for you :D
Aunt Laura will never get tired of pulling her photogenic little nephew into the studio at every opportunity. Especially during his first year, I just can't help but document every little moment I can. Let's be honest, even after he's one, I'm probably not going to stop. Apologies in advance.
I realized recently that of all the pets I've photographed, I've never had the occasion to take photos of a rabbit for a client, so I had to improvise and make Seth my little bunny rabbit this year. 9 months is a really fun age to photograph because at this point, Seth can sit up really well and he loves to hold things, so he'll pretty much take any prop that I hand him. The only thing that was difficult to deal with was the fact that he recently started to crawl, so keeping him still was a little bit of an issue! When he got to the point where he was really raring to go, I popped him into a little wooden crate and that did the trick!
I'm so excited to see Seth enjoy his first Easter. I know for a fact he's going to be getting at least 3 Easter baskets, which I know is overkill, but our family is just too obsessed with him. We had a couple of years of tough times before he came along and even after, so this beautiful smiling baby is the apple of everyone's eye. I just can't help but be happy when I see this boy smile.
Here's our bunny boy.
Aunt Laura will never get tired of pulling her photogenic little nephew into the studio at every opportunity. Especially during his first year, I just can't help but document every little moment I can. Let's be honest, even after he's one, I'm probably not going to stop. Apologies in advance.
I realized recently that of all the pets I've photographed, I've never had the occasion to take photos of a rabbit for a client, so I had to improvise and make Seth my little bunny rabbit this year. 9 months is a really fun age to photograph because at this point, Seth can sit up really well and he loves to hold things, so he'll pretty much take any prop that I hand him. The only thing that was difficult to deal with was the fact that he recently started to crawl, so keeping him still was a little bit of an issue! When he got to the point where he was really raring to go, I popped him into a little wooden crate and that did the trick!
I'm so excited to see Seth enjoy his first Easter. I know for a fact he's going to be getting at least 3 Easter baskets, which I know is overkill, but our family is just too obsessed with him. We had a couple of years of tough times before he came along and even after, so this beautiful smiling baby is the apple of everyone's eye. I just can't help but be happy when I see this boy smile.
Here's our bunny boy.
Happy Easter, everyone!
If you don't know who Seth is, this must be your first time at my blog. Seth is my beautiful baby nephew. He’s 9 months old now and he had his Christening on April 7th. He’s such a sweet and happy boy usually, but the weekend of his Christening happened to fall on a particularly stormy period for little Seth. He’s teething now and that weekend really seemed to be a tough time for him. Even though he had a little bit of a crankier day than normal, so many of his friends and family gathered around to celebrate him and it was a great day.
I took these photos a few days before the Baptism, when he was a tad bit happier!
I took these photos a few days before the Baptism, when he was a tad bit happier!
I tried to document as much of the day as I could, from getting him dressed, to the ceremony, to the party afterward. Here are some of my favorite photos from the day of the Christening!
I love this little man. Keep a look out in a few months for his first birthday party! I can’t wait!
I've been a big fan of Ronan's mom Bonnie since we met at a Rising Tide Society meeting a few years ago. She's a talented illustrator, designer and copywriter and I love following along with her instagram because she posts really cute, funny and inspiring stuff in her feed (check her out @bonniebryantcreative and her adorable products at shopbonnie.com). Her Instagram Stories, though, are where I was first introduced to the gorgeous little Ronan. Bonnie and her husband Dennis have 3 pets, a goofy lovebug tank of a dog named Rooney, a beautiful red kitty named Rudy, and the shy but sweet Ronan. Now, they love all their pets, but Ronan is the prince of this family and he has a special place in his parents' hearts. Dad Dennis told me that he had never had a cat before, but Ronan turned him into a cat lover.
I've always loved watching Bonnie's online documentation of her furry family, so I was so sad when she posted back in February that Ronan had a tumor on his paw and his prognosis was not good. When Bonnie asked to schedule portraits for him before he became too sick, I was honored to be able to help immortalize their love for him. Animals leave such a lasting mark on their owners, it's only fitting that we humans should have beautiful photographs to look back on when they have to leave us.
At our session, Bonnie and Dennis told me a lot about Ronan and the little quirks and eccentricities that make him such a unique and special cat. For instance, Ronan has a very peculiar obsession with tape. He loves to chew on anything sticky. At the beginning of our session, he was shy and hiding under the studio furniture and the only way we could lure him out was with some catnip and a sticky piece of lint roller tape for him to nibble on. Ronan was pretty shy at first and he even managed to open up the door to my studio closet and crawl inside. Dennis had to get on the ground and squeeze almost his whole body into my cluttered little closet to get him out! He started to calm down a little after a few more hits of catnip and we were able to keep him in place just with a nice loving touch from mom.
I love the way the photos came out, because you can really tell the special bond between all of them. My heart goes out to Bonnie and Dennis during this really tough time, and I hope that the photos we took will be a comfort to them when their little Prince Ronan is no longer around to eat tape, pound catnip and melt hearts.
Here are my favorite photos from Ronan's session.
I've always loved watching Bonnie's online documentation of her furry family, so I was so sad when she posted back in February that Ronan had a tumor on his paw and his prognosis was not good. When Bonnie asked to schedule portraits for him before he became too sick, I was honored to be able to help immortalize their love for him. Animals leave such a lasting mark on their owners, it's only fitting that we humans should have beautiful photographs to look back on when they have to leave us.
At our session, Bonnie and Dennis told me a lot about Ronan and the little quirks and eccentricities that make him such a unique and special cat. For instance, Ronan has a very peculiar obsession with tape. He loves to chew on anything sticky. At the beginning of our session, he was shy and hiding under the studio furniture and the only way we could lure him out was with some catnip and a sticky piece of lint roller tape for him to nibble on. Ronan was pretty shy at first and he even managed to open up the door to my studio closet and crawl inside. Dennis had to get on the ground and squeeze almost his whole body into my cluttered little closet to get him out! He started to calm down a little after a few more hits of catnip and we were able to keep him in place just with a nice loving touch from mom.
I love the way the photos came out, because you can really tell the special bond between all of them. My heart goes out to Bonnie and Dennis during this really tough time, and I hope that the photos we took will be a comfort to them when their little Prince Ronan is no longer around to eat tape, pound catnip and melt hearts.
Here are my favorite photos from Ronan's session.
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Laura Paesano
Long Island, NY
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