Sarah Porter
Brittany Credit
Leslie Poignon
Alisha Godfrey
Rachel Maiberger
Elizabeth Humphrey

Congrats to the winners! I will be getting in contact with you shortly. I'm so bummed that I could only draw six, but unfortunately, that is all I will have time for. I hope to work with all of you in the future! 
Thanks so much for entering and I hope you all have a Merry Christmas!
Oh, and a post isn't much fun without photos so here are a few of a little sweetpea that I just always love to photograph. It's quite obvious why!
Smiles and lots of love, Taylor
 
Things I am loving this Tuesday:
1. My big kitty, Bentley, was my model yesterday as I played with my new lens. Not only is he gorgeous, but he is such a sweetheart. I'm glad I got this shot yesterday because today he got his whiskers caught in Allie's watch and now they are all bent up. Either way, I love my new lens and of course I love my kitty!
 2. My Epiphanie camera bag rocks. I can't even express how much I am in love with it. It even comes with a special pocket for my iPad, which I don't own yet... but someday I swear that I will;) Photos of myself with my beloved bag are soon to follow, but here is the shot from the Epiphanie website! It looks a little small in the shot but it fits my camera, all of my lenses, and I still have room for a water bottle, my keys, and my phone (and of course my future iPad).
3. Pumpkin Cupcakes have been my snack for the weekend! They were delicious and very easy to make.  Sadly, yesterday, my dog jumped on the table and ate every one. Including the paper.
4. Pinterest has been distracting me from getting stuff done. Ah, but I love it anyway.
5. Hello Kitty and Tinkerbell have always been favorites of mine and my sweet little cousin, Jayci, loves them too! I loved seeing her yesterday, but I simply can't believe how big she is getting. I swear I was just rushing off the to hospital to meet her and take her photos when she was just hours old. Nevertheless, she is a doll, her hair is just to die for, and she is, without a doubt, the cutest tink I've ever seen! 
This story board below just kills me. It shows so perfectly how Jayci runs nowadays: little arms fluttering and chubby legs hurdling. 
It's memories like this, that I want to preserve for parents. 
Smiles and lots of love, Taylor
 
Things I'm loving this Tuesday:
1. Adele's new album, 21, is my editing soundtrack of the day. LOVE it!
2. Books, lately, have been providing me with an escape. I love them for that. 
3. My teacher, Mrs Humphrey, for countless reasons (of course). She is always there to help me with my projects and support me 100%. But today was quite different. She was busy with her own work, leaving me to begin a new, somewhat difficult, project alone. I did it.
4. Peanut butter & Oreo Sandwich made a delicious snack this evening. Don't knock it till you try it!
5. My new favorite 3 year old, miss Lexi. She is so full of personality and pure sweetness. Photographing her family has always been a joy, but today, the focus was just on Lexi. She seems to be quite proud to be 3 and some of her expressions just make me melt. Enjoy:)
Smiles and lots of love, Taylor
 
These days have been filled with a lot of stress, a bit of apprehension, and a touch of frustration. Thoughts of my future, my career choice, and my college have been consuming my days. It's hard for me, and on top of those worries, I have school, work, and extracurriculars to keep up on. I never knew going to bed at night could be bittersweet. I want to sleep because I'm exhausted, but I don't want to sleep because I don't want to wake  up facing a whole new stressful day. Now, it's not all stress... I do have fun, but my days have been stressful enough to outweigh the fun parts.  That's why I've been looking forward to my session with one of my favorite little red-heads. I've been photographing Bentley since he was 3 months old and his photos have never failed to put a smile on my face:)
 How could they not? I mean, look at this face:
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Today, I went on a college visit to Xavier University. After visiting UC with Kyle's family, I knew that I wanted to check out Xavier because I fell in love with Cincinnati. And today, I fell in love with Xavier. As I sit here in my new Xavier t-shirt snuggled up in my blanket, it finally seems real. I am going to be off to college in less than a year. On the long car ride home, it hit me how much I'm going to miss this year when it's gone. Yes, it's been rough so far, but I'm doing my best to make it great. It's my last year before college. I'm not sure if I'm feeling excited, nervous, terrified, or maybe even all of that at once, but for the time ever, it's real to me.
That's progress.
Smiles and lots of love, Taylor
 
There's something I love about photography... the way that I get to know a family when I go through their photos.  Sure, I get a feel for their relationships and bonds during our session, but it's much different when I load the images onto my computer, pore over them,  discover the connections, grasp the sincere expressions... that's when I really know a family... when I sit alone with their still moments.  There's just something about capturing such a beautifully genuine moment. 
Something indescribable.
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Smiles and lots of love, Taylor
 
My boyfriend says that I'm a workaholic. And, well, it's hard not to be when working is this much fun (and when clients are this darn cute!). Today though, I am taking a break.  I left myself some time to throw a little pool party in honor of my 18th birthday.
You many recognize miss Grace in the photos below.  She was my very first client about 3 years ago. Since then, I have photographed her regularly, but now she's a big girl. It's a bittersweet thing seeing my clients grow.  It's a constant reminder about how time flies, but it's also a reminder of the special relationship that I have with each of my clients.  I will always be remembered for capturing sweet milestones in little ones' lives. After all, the next time I see little Gracie, she will be a big sister!
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I love this location. Not only does it have beautiful flowers and gorgeous rural backdrops, but I can also bribe kids with seeing the piggies! Thanks Grandma Crabill!;) <3
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Happy first birthday to a brand new client of mine, miss Madalynn! She was full of smiles and giggles and boy, did she love her cake! This session is by far one of my favorite cake smash sessions ever.
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My work is done. It's time for play. If you need me, I'll be here:
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(Photo credit- thanks Allie!)
Smiles and lots of love, Taylor
 
FRIDAY
After school on Friday, I met up with a sweet little miss that I haven't seen in about a year and a half! The entire session can be summed up in just one photo:
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Miss Samara was little miss sass! She definitely ran the show, but what 2 year old doesn't?
 Here are a few more:
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                                                                   Now:                                                                                                                                       Then:
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SATURDAY MORNING:
Saturday began early. I had an early morning session just before I got my hair done for prom.  My dad was amazed, "Belle, you're working today!?". Of course I don't really consider it "work" (okay maybe I did that early in the morning). But nevertheless, I loved seeing miss Karsyn, little Cooper, and their mom, Jen.  Jen is an old family friend and this is the first thing she said to me as I walked out the door: "You are so old... and I mean that in the nicest way possible!".  Trust me, I already know this. My junior prom was later that night! Already!? Wasn't I just getting ready for my 8th grade formal?
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SATURDAY AFTERNOON:
After my session with those little beauties, I had to get my hair done, do my nails, and attempt to do my make-up. Do I dare say that I played mario kart and slept for an hour?;) And then, of course, I waited until the last minute to put on my dress. I was so nervous about the weather amongst other things.  The clouds cleared and the sun shined and overall, I had an awesome night.  I know you are all just dying to see, so here some of the photos:
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I love the picture above and below so much. My little sis Allie is my very best friend! She was also my amazing personal photog for the day.  The photo below is just me being the boss;) The photographer in me started coming out! 
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I am so in love with this last photo.  I know that I don't say much about Kyle on the blog; I'm just not huge on the public loveydoveymushygooshy thing.  But this photo almost makes me want to break that... almost;) <3<3<3
Smiles and lots of love, Taylor
 
I'll be 18 in just 18 days. How did this happen? I asked my mom how she felt about it- "I feel sad. You're not my little girl anymore. You're going to be off on your own before you know it." Her words were short, but they stung.
There are so many uncertainties that go along with the future, but the one that is eating away at me now is my career. How is someone supposed to choose what they want to do for the rest of forever? I have a family that will love and support me in all that I do, but I just wish there was an answer. I just wish the future me could send a letter to the past telling me what to do. I wish I could just wake up one day and just KNOW. But, it just doesn't work that way.  So, do I follow my art dreams to become a photographer? Or do I follow my love for nurturing and caring (and babies) to become a neonatal nurse practitioner? There are so many pros to both.  Today, I am leaning towards becoming a neonatal nurse practitioner.  I can assure you that will change by tomorrow.
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Here are some of my favs from the weekend:
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I love this last one because it is so typical of a 2 year old session! I'm glad I could get an action shot of the little miss.
Thanks to my amazing Aunt Theresa, Uncle Joe, Aunt Mary, and Grandma Elchert that made it to my piano recital today. I LOVE you guys!<3<3<3
Smiles and lots of love, Taylor
 
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I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter Sunday! I took some much needed time to relax with my family and catch up on some sessions. Oh, and our food... was... AMAZING! But then again, it always is, so that is nothing new. Anyway, here's a quick weekend update on what I've been working on! 
Thursday after school, I had the pleasure of meeting up with these lovely twin seniors. Gwen and Rebecca are just gorgeous! Their session was way too much fun. 

This is miss Gwen:
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And this is Rebecca:
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I was bumming a little on Friday because I was forced to cancel two of my senior sessions because well, it's April in Ohio. The rain still hadn't ceased when I had the pleasure of meeting two gorgeous new parents. Taylor and Brett came all the way from Columbus too with a 2 week old baby- what a compliment!  There is nothing I love more than the "ooh's" and ahh's" that the parents express when I am posing their baby. Brett was continuously saying, "She is just beautiful. Oh, she is just beautiful.". It was by far one of the sweetest things I have ever heard! It almost brought tears to my eyes... almost;) 
Meet Lydia Ryan:
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Lydia's Mom, Taylor, is a devoted pianist and singer. I did get the privilege of hearing her sing during our session, but I didn't get to hear her piano skills! Nevertheless, I've been dreaming about this photo ever since I got my baby grand. I love it!
On Saturday, I was so lucky to meet two sweet little girls. Lauryn and Carmyn were a ton of fun. They reminded me so much of my little sister and me when we were young. 
Here are Lauryn and Carmyn:
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Lauryn and Carmyn's photos fit so perfectly to their personalities and that is exactly what their mom, Brooke, said after seeing the session sneak peek.  Mission accomplished:)
After meeting these two little beauties, I was off to Perrysburg for yet another newborn session.  The parents were wonderful, except momma absolutely hated headbands which broke my heart a little bit. She wasn't even a fan of my own handmade ones. She just didn't like the ribbons, flowers, bows, or girlyness at all. That wasn't exactly my cup of tea as I've been a girly girl my entire life and I am OBSESSED with newborn headbands! But needless to say, the sweet little one was such an angel. I loved her pouty lips and dark hair, she is already the spitting image of her father!
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This weekend was a busy one, but that is how I like it. I'm still trying to figure out how to fit in 4+ newborns this week (which is also the week I have flagsquad tryouts). It's going to be a busy one! I'm looking forward to it:)
Smiles and lots of love, Taylor
 
I would be lying if I said I wasn't feeling a little burnt-out after a week literally full of sessions. I would also be lying if I said I hadn't thought about canceling all of my sessions all together and quitting.  But, of course, I was just in a stressed out mood and I wasn't truly considering to end my passion.
Thank you, Kyle, for pulling me out of that mood (amongst others) and for reminding me of a couple things I won't soon forget.
And thank you, my 3 adorable little cousins, for relighting that flame.
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I love you Leah and Mara for dealing with the cold without complaining! Also, Leah was such a champ after a night of no sleep (Michelle, you were too, thanks again for that<3).
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I can't believe how big sweet Brady has gotten! He took quite the liking to Kyle, too- so cute:)
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Smiles and lots of love, Taylor