We had such a fun Memorial Day weekend! We spent Saturday with my parents, Sunday with friends, and Monday just the three of us. The weather was sunny and warm, and we were eager to welcome summer.

Heather
Fields of Flowers
Purcellville, Virginia
April 29, 2011
My friend Heather is having a baby this week! Heather has been one of my closest friends for 23 years, and together we’ve gone through high school color guard, college parties, post-college poverty, and professional accomplishments. And now she is having a baby boy just a couple months after I did. Now that I’ve moved back to Virginia, she and I are looking forward to our little boys’ second generation of friendship.
Heather’s adorable daughter will be turning three later this year, and I photographed her family back in 2008:
Maternity portraits
Baby Eve portraits
Last Friday I photographed Heather with her second baby bump. She looks so beautiful at 39 weeks!

Long Canyon
Moab, Utah
April 27, 2010
I spent the last four days on a camping trip in Moab with Mike and our friend Betty. As I mentioned in my last post, Betty’s beloved dog, Idgi, is suffering from lymphoma and doesn’t have much longer to live. Last weekend the three of us decided to take Idgi on an adventure this week, which could be her last. Then on Sunday morning, we packed up Mike’s Jeep with three people, two dogs, and camping gear, and headed west. Eight hours later, we were in a vast desert wilderness with towering red rock cliffs.
We set up camp next to the Colorado river, and spent our days hiking, 4-wheeling, and sightseeing. The dogs loved it, of course, and we loved making them happy. My only regret is that we didn’t have more time to spend in Moab. We’ll definitely be back.

Idgi and Betty
Manitou Springs, CO
April 22, 2010
This is our dear friend, Betty, with her beloved border collie, Idgi. We were all heartbroken to learn recently that Idgi has terminal lymphoma. The vet says that she has only a couple more weeks of feeling good before she will start to decline. Betty and I decided to take some active portraits of Idgi while she’s still feeling good, so we took her to a park to document her favorite thing to do — play frisbee. Idgi is a smart, playful, well-loved dog, who has been a true friend to Betty for ten years. I hope her good days will last longer than any vet could expect.

Brad and Mike
Nichols Reservoir, Colorado
May 30, 2009
Mike and I spent Saturday with friends at lakes near Woodland Park. We had a picnic at Rampart Reservoir, and then we hiked down to Nichols Reservoir. Mike and Brad did some fishing while the rest of us lounged by the lake and played with the dogs. I love living here in Colorado!

Sarah, Brad, Isaac, and Laura
The moment that they learned the sex of the baby
Colorado Springs
May 20, 2009
This was such a wonderful moment to witness and document. My good friends Sarah and Brad had a 20-week ultrasound appointment, and finally learned their baby’s gender. It was so exciting and emotional!
Sarah invited me to come to her first ultrasound, to share in the experience with her. I asked her if I could photograph it, and she agreed. I was thrilled when she invited me to the second and third appointments also, and I offered to photograph those as well. You can see photos from her first ultrasound here and her second ultrasound here.
Yesterday was the day that they’d been waiting and hoping for. I loved this moment just after Laura, the midwife, announced the baby’s sex. It took a second to sink in for Sarah, and then she starting clapping. It took Brad a couple seconds longer for it to sink in, and then he grinned. Meanwhile little Isaac was oblivious to the news, and was trying to put ultrasound gel in his dad’s ear. What a moment.

Tamera and me
Eleven Mile Reservoir, Colorado
May 17, 2009
Tamera brought over a CD of wonderful photos that she took on our outing to the lakes on Sunday. She took some beautiful images, and of course I particularly love the ones of our Allydog! She joked that she took an entire wedding’s worth of photos of our dog. I laughed when she referred to Ally as “Reservoir Dog.”
Here are some of her photos from the day. All images are courtesy Tamera Goldsmith of Click Photography. Thank you, Tamera!

Sailing at Spinney Mountain Lake, Colorado
May 17, 2009
Yesterday was a gorgeous day here in Colorado, so we took our sailboat out for a spin on a lake. Our friend Tamera and our dog Ally joined us for a great day on the water.

Sarah, Brad, and Isaac
Colorado Springs
April 24, 2009
You might remember the photos that I posted from my friend Sarah’s first ultrasound a couple months ago. She and Brad are expecting their second child, and they’ve invited me to share in the experiences of seeing their little one growing. It’s truly an honor to be there when they see the baby.
I took these photos like a fly on the wall, with just a couple fast lenses and no flash. I love these photos because they are 100% candid and so full of love and emotion. Thank you very much, Sarah and Brad, for asking me to be there with you.
You can learn more about Laura Luckett, their midwife, here: http://www.babysbreathmidwifery.com

Nate and me, under a Space Shuttle
Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum
Chantilly, Virginia
April 2009
A couple weeks ago Mike and I met up with my friend Sarah to take her wonderful kids, Nate and Anna, to the Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum. This museum, which is part of the Smithsonian, is an enormous hangar next to Dulles aiport. It’s filled with airplanes, helicopter, and spacecraft, and is a total visual spectacle. Sarah, the kids, and I all enjoyed it, but I think Mike was most excited by the place! It’s a really cool place to take a family on a rainy day.
About Me
Hi, I’m Charlotte! I’m a photographer in Reston, Virginia. I love hiking, running, and exploring the world with my husband and young son.



