Hasting's Session

I had my first traditionally southern toddler session a few days ago! My friend & an incredible mother, Anne, wanted to have pictures taken of her darling son Hastings. So we loaded up the car and drove to a local Annapolis Park. The weather was beautiful & the session lasted just under 45 minutes! Short & sweet! :) Here are a few pictures from the day!

All the best,

Natalie Franke

Alex's Senior Session

Watch out world, Alex is a high school senior on her way to University of Maryland next year! Not only is she smart, but absolutely gorgeous as well! She hopes to attend Medical School one day & I have no doubt that she'll make an incredible doctor! Enjoy!

We were both soaking wet, completely sandy.

But that's what you get for shooting at the beach on a gorgeous day!  :)

Another one of my favorite jumping shots  :)

Congratulations Alex! Best of luck next year in college, you're going to love it!  :)  Yay!

All the best,

Natalie Franke

He's Already Stolen My Heart!

I finally finished editing the pictures from the Mother's Day Marathon a few weeks ago & fell in love with this little guy! Isn't he just precious. I thought I would share a few pictures from the session & let everyone know how excited I am for all of the family shoots that are coming up over the summer!

Thumbs up! :) Hehe!

All the best,

Natalie Franke

Spalding Pre-Prom Party

Yesterday I had an amazing time photographing a group of Spalding students before their Senior Prom! The girls looked stunning & the boys were just as handsome as we headed to the beach for some pre-prom photography! We could hear the thunder and see the clouds barreling our way, but somehow it managed to hold off!  :) Here is a small peek at that session:

All of the dresses were gorgeous!

These two jumping shots turned out to be my favorites!  :)

Parents & Students from the Party: You can be expecting the online gallery to be uploaded by/on Friday! I will email you when it is ready for viewing! :)

All the best,

Natalie Franke

Caroline's Junior Prom!

Last night, my sister had her Junior Prom & I was out with my camera to catch her before the dance! She wore a gorgeous sky blue dress & had her hair done in waves. Her date, Dillon, looked incredibly handsome too & was so sweet! It sounds like they had an amazing time at the Vegas Themed Prom - Here are a few pictures from yesterday. Yay! :)

Dillon prepping for poker later that night!

Caroline & I earlier in the day! :)

I'm photographing another Pre-Prom Session tonight for a group of Spalding students! :) I'm hoping the rain holds off so we can get some pictures outside!

All the best,

Natalie Franke

Caroline's Birthday!

My sister, Caroline celebrated her 17th birthday today & I can't believe it. Caroline is one of my best friends in the entire world. Not only is she an incredible sister, but an inspiring person. She works so hard for her goals and dreams - no matter what stands in her way. She is beautiful inside & out - and I mean that. I took this picture of her a few nights ago on a whim & I've fallen in love with it.. There is my baby sister, the angel that she has always been to me. My partner in crime, there for me in the worst & best of times. I'm so blessed that God has given me such an amazing person to call my sibling. 

Caroline - Happy Birthday! I love you & I'm so proud of you!

This picture was taken the same day right after I finished a photo session!

She has the best sense of humor. & I love that.

This picture was taken at Thanksgiving.

Holidays are so much more fun with Caroline. :)

She keeps me company at the under 50 table.

All the best,

Natalie Franke

Update

The next two weeks are going to be incredibly crazy for me! I'm finishing finals on Tuesday and have two proms, 5 portrait sessions and two weddings scheduled by the end of the month! It's a big jumbled mess of excitement and craziness. :) In order to organize everything for my clients I've decided to blog with a mini-update of everything coming up and going on. But what's a post without a few pictures, seriously. This is a photo-blog afterall!

Interested Seniors: You can see more from Lauren's Session here to know what a general photo session would be like and what your online gallery will look like! (just select Lauren's Session from the galleries).

The Trash the Dress Marathon Day on June 27th is sold out!

Lunch and Learn: I've filled up all of the spots for the Lunch and Learn in Annapolis on July 12th. If you are still interested - Email me - If I get a few more people I might be able to plan a second one! Yay!

May 30th to June 7th: I will be on vacation and out of the office for the first week of June. I will do my best to respond to emails at that time, but I will be fairly out of touch. If you want to book a session for June - Please email me before I go on vacation!

Lauren's Senior Session

Lauren is a stunning Spalding senior that is getting ready to head off to college in a few months! To celebrate her graduation from high school, she scheduled a session for a sunny spring afternoon! Not only is she gorgeous, but Lauren was so much fun to work with! Our inspiration - the latest Anthropologie Catalog. Check it out:

This might be my favorite from the entire shoot.

She looks so classy, I loved these three together!

For Seniors graduating this Spring, it isn't too late to book a session for June! Class of 2010, get ready - you're Senior year will be here before you know it! 

All the best,

Natalie Franke

Happy Mother's Day

Anyone that knows me, knows that I absolutely love my mom. She is an incredibly beautiful woman with a strength that I hope to have one day! For Mother's Day this year I wanted to do something fun & special for my mom so I had Quinn Peyser from Quinnep doodle my family. I fell so in love with the doodle that I ended up printing it on canvas for my mom to hang in the house! When I gave it to her this morning, she loved it! Huge thanks to Quinn - she is so talented! =)

Kept it semi-traditional with a fun bouquet!

The doodle designed by Quinnep

Feeding my canvas addiction!

A close up - the quality of these canvases are fantastic!

I hope everyone has an amazing Mother's Day! It's so important to celebrate the women that have made us who we are today.. Mom's rock! =)

All the best,

Natalie Franke

Lunch & Learn

Okay - I am so excited to announce my very first Lunch & Learn for Summer 2009! I've been getting a few emails recently from young photographers who are truly considering turning their passion into a career! Just a year ago, I was in their shoes - wondering if I could really start my own business. Well - the answer is YES YOU CAN (not to mimic Barack Obama, but seriously!). If you are interested, just send me an email & we can chat!

Yay! I'm so excited for this to get underway. I've had three girls email me when I mentioned this in a blog post about a week ago & will be keeping the group at around 6! When you email me, I'll give you a more detailed description of what the plan is & what may be hiding in your goodie bag!! ;) 

All the best,

Natalie Franke

Another Peek from Jenna's Session

To say that I love Senior Portrait Sessions would be an understatement. Whether I'm photographing in downtown Annapolis or at a beach like this one - Seniors have this creative energy that I absolutely love! Here are a few more pictures from Jenna's Senior Session two weeks ago!

This is the same beach where I'll be hosting my Trash the Dress Marathon Day on June 27th (next month)! I still have a few openings left, so email me if you are interested! =)

All the best,

Natalie Franke

Dandelions

One of the things that has always amazed me about photography, is the ability for a camera to portray something in nature so that it can be interpreted in a completely new light. Take a simply dandelion for example. Some people look at it as a weed, something annoying that pops up in the yard this time of year. But when you look closer, you can see all the little fibers that string together to create the entire sphere of whimsical white seeds. It's an entire mystery of cris-crossing spindles that cling together until just the right wind comes along to blow them away.

“The miracles of nature do not seem miracles because they are so common. If no one had ever seen a flower, even a dandelion would be the most startling event in the world.”

-Anonymous

Yours Truly,

Natalie Franke