Top 10 of 2011--Vote For Your Favorite!

I went through all the images I took last year and picked my 10 favorite. It was a very difficult task, but I made myself narrow it down. I decided to have a contest to see which image would get the most votes. The subject of the winning image (or parents of the subject) will win a gift card worth $100 that can be applied to a photo session, prints, or accordion albums! You may only vote once on my blog, but you can also vote on my Facebook page, giving you two votes total. To vote, just leave a comment indicating which number is your favorite. Contest ends midnight on January 15th and the winner will be announced on Monday the 16th. So start voting!

1. This baby was the most smiley, happy baby I think I have ever photographed. Every single portrait of her has a wide smile. She made the session so easy! I love the hat and tutu. This just screams "girl" to me.

2. This was taken at the one year session of this little boy. I just love the diagonal line created by his mother's arm and how it creates a frame, and also a feeling of security while he is sucking his thumb and staring directly into the camera. One of my all-time favorite images.

3. This was from a session where everything that could go wrong, did go wrong. Except for the fact that I got this completely adorable portrait. It looks like this baby knows something funny that she isn't telling the rest of us. This is complete sweetness.

4. I got to do the engagement portraits of this couple, and then the reception images after they were married in Utah. The setting was gorgeous, and I love the kind of "Gone With the Wind" feel of this image. The sky, the grass, the kiss.... Ahhhhh.

5. We went out on a windy day in October to one of my favorite trailheads. After getting some really great images, we crossed the bridge and saw this field with all this gorgeous fall foliage. The sun obliged us and hid behind some clouds so I could get this quintessential Colorado portrait. The colors, the composition--everything is just perfect.

6. This is from an shoot I did with twin 15-month-old girls. As you might imagine, they were not so interested in getting their pictures taken! I brought out some beads, and that did the trick! This little girl wrapped herself up completely with them, and then stared at the camera just long enough for me to get this endearing shot.

7. In February, I went to Oregon for my father's 80th birthday. While there, I went down to the beach with my sister-in-law to do this amazing photo shoot. Any of you who have been to the Oregon coast know that it is WINDY and COLD! (Especially in the middle of February!) But this image looks like we were in the Bahamas or something. What a great actress my sister-in-law is! She really suffers for her art :)

8.  This was one of those "happy accidents." I was shooting family portraits with the kids, and when I was doing some mother/daughter shots, I got this look on the mom's face. When I saw it after the shoot, I could not stop staring. There is something so intense and beautiful about it. I couldn't decide if I liked it better in black and white or color, so I included both.

9. Oh my gosh, what a little darling! This was a shot from a 2-year shoot, and I love everything about it. The soft, creamy colors, the pearls, and especially the tongue! It's classic cuteness!

10. This is a gorgeous, completely un-posed shot I got at a summer session. The backlighting, the roses, the soft, flowing dress and hair (and the pink toenails!) just make this a stunning image.